Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And I'm here with my Febraury Wrap Up (trying to salvage a horrendous posting month by ending it on a high note).
As it was the month of love, I planned a romance/ love TBR specifically. That all went tits up when I didn't bring enough reading material for my holiday in Blackpool- ended up reading a very Halloween-ish vampire story that I still haven't finished!
Regardless, I did manage to finish some books, but it was definitely a struggle!
Without further ado, I hope you enjoy reading about what I did manage to finish.
1. Watermelon (The Walsh Family #1), by Marian Keyes
It was hard to believe, after enjoying Rachel's Holiday so immensely, that this would come close to being as good. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe it was because I felt more similar to Claire than to Rachel, and therefore more able to sympathise, (mainly because her situation is more likely to happen than Rachel's). But all the same, Marian Keyes' ability to spin a story is what kept me engaged from start to finish.
As anyone would be, Claire is absolutely devastated when, on the day of her daughter's birth, is told by her husband, that he no longer loves her, and is leaving her for another woman. That's the starting point for Claire, when she decides that she's going to pack up, and move back home to her parents' house, to Dublin, with her newborn daughter.
As any new mother does, she gets by- in any means necessary.
And as time passes, she finds herself again.
Until her ex-husband comes knocking.
Watermelon is poignant and honest, a story about a woman who has no choice but to be strong, and pick up the pieces after her life comes apart at the seams.
It's a story that shows you what it means to build yourself up from nothing, to stand up for yourself when the past comes back to haunt you.
I genuinely think I enjoyed this more, because I read this after Rachel's Holiday, by the way, because I was able to see the reason behind her behaviour in the second book. Trust me, you'll get it if you read the series.
2. The No-Show, by Beth O' Leary
I reached for this because I wanted a light, maybe funny, romcom, and because this starts on Valentine's Day, this seemed like the perfect choice. Trying to ignore the many negative reviews I had seen on Goodreads, I started it on the train journey to Blackpool (two and a half hours is definitely enough time to get started at least).
If you didn't know, The No-Show is a story about three different women that all get stood up on Valentine's Day- by the same guy. From there, I thought the book would be the three women tracking him down, teaming up, etc. Instead, the book pans out over the next year, following each women on their own timelines, and how their relationship developes with the ditcher. It starts off slow at first, I was very aware of the negative comments, and how true they were at the start.
And then, all of a sudden, I finished the novel- three days before I was meant to.
I basically got swept up into the story. We had a lot of train journeys, to Preston, Liverpool and Kendal, which made up for a lot of reading time.
I'm not going to say it's my favourite Beth O' Leary novel, but it holds it's own against some of my most loved.
3. Monstress, Volume 1: The Awakening (Monstress #1), by Marjorie M. Liu (Writer), Sana Takeda (Illustrator)
I read this graphic novel at the end of 2024, and hadn't thought about it since, other than a series that I knew I would get back to eventually, just wasn't sure when. Lord knows why I started thinking about it, but after failing to come across it in any Waterstones over the past year, I took to Ebay to find out the price, and before I knew it, Volume 2 was on it's way to me.
Coupled with the want to finish more novels before the month was out, I decided to pick both Volume 1 (as a refresher) and Volume 2 straight away.
My God, was this a ball ache to get through. It never seemed to end.
I was expecting to fly through it, like I do with the Saga series.
It couldn't have been more different. I was losing concentration every couple of pages. I had to really persist, and keep trying, throughout most of it.
Don't get me wrong, it's a dark, twisted, violent and gripping story, with a detailed history of the world, of the war that's raged for years between every breed in existence, but I definitely struggled with the re-read a lot.
4. Monstress, Volume 2: The Blood (Monstress #2), by Marjorie M. Liu (Writer), Sana Takeda (Illustrator)
I really hope I don't leave much time before picking up Volume 3. I don't think I have the bottle to re-read that first volume again.
I'm right on target.
Now, for the next couple of months at least, I'll be re-reading one of my all time favourite series'- because the 18th book is being released at the end of the month. Somehow I don't think I'll be reading 17 books in one month. Most of you will know what it is, but I won't spoil it now, for those of you that don't.
Okay! That is all I have for you all today! I hope you have a wonderful evening and I'll see you all soon!
Byeeee!
-Abi xxxxx
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