The Second You’re Single by Cara Tanamachi: Book Review

The Second You’re Single is the humorous story of a woman overcoming a bad marriage who publicly swears off men during February. I enjoyed it!

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and Netgalley for the ARC of The Second You’re Single. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

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From The Publisher:

Freelance writer Sora Reid believes in inertia. She’s the odd one out in a close-knit family of go-getters, including her Japanese-American mom, who hints about her need to lose weight, and her soon-to-be married, overachieving younger sister, who needs her to have a date for the wedding, since a wedding party couples’ dance with their Scottish great uncle Bob simply won’t do. For Sora, minimal input, minimal expectations is the way to go. She’d rather stay at home with her insufferable neighbor and her adorable pitbull.

The one thing that disrupts her inertia: an intense dislike for Valentine’s Day. What is it with the commercial love machine? Why do we pin our hopes on one romantic day, when staying home with a package of bacon and a bottle of tequila would be way better? Sora’s been betrayed and disappointed more than once and her heart is starting to feel like her Grandma Mitsuye’s antique Japanese ceramic bowl, with its many gold-filled cracks.

When her pledge to stay single in February inspires readers to #gosolo, Sora has a responsibility to empower her readers. But relationships aren’t built to last, so it shouldn’t be that hard. Right?

Enter Jack Mann. A muscle-bound baker who looks like he lifts logs on the weekends, Sora hasn’t thought of Jack since they were in elementary school together. When they see each other at the local grocery store and the attraction hits hard, Sora knows she has to shut it down, quick. She can’t #gosolo AND get the guy. She can’t let down her readers. And relationships always end, so why should Jack be any different–even though he’s confounding all her long-held expectations of love?

My Thoughts:

Sora is a freelance writer who is repulsed by the notion of Valentine’s Day. Having just come out of a bad marriage, she wants nothing more than to eat bacon and forget about romance for February.

She pitches the idea for a series of posts and her boss is excited. For the entire month, Sora’s going to concentrate on caring for herself, eating whatever she wants and avoiding any new relationships with men. She’s truly going to #gosolo. She doesn’t count on, however, meeting up with her childhood best friend Jack. He’s as sweet as ever and is easy on the eyes.

Jack had a crush on Sora from the moment he met her in Elementary School. He learns of her #gosolo challenge and is willing to wait to date her until March 1. But fate comes into play and the two are thrown together well before that day.

The story is somewhat predictable but that was perfectly fine with me. Jack’s character is particularly likeable and I enjoyed his quest to make Sora enjoy Valentine’s Day. Past romantic relationships are thrown into the story as well as family relationships. There are some funny moments which I enjoyed including Sora trying on a bridesmaid’s dress after consuming a large amount of bacon during the month.

The Second You’re Single felt more like a romantic comedy than a true romance. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to those readers who enjoy romance or romantic comedies.

What I Liked:

• The use of humour throughout the book
• Jack’s quest to change Sora’s mind about Valentine’s Day
• The Valentine’s Day setting

Similar Books I’ve Reviewed:

Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens