• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2023 January #1
  Disappointed after dating a string of liars and cheaters, freelance writer Sora Reid now despises Valentine's Day and has vowed to give up men during the month of February. Working from home in her depressingly bare Chicago condo, Sora makes her decision official in a popular online fashion magazine, where her #SoloFebruary columns strike a chord with readers. To her surprise, she gains a following overnight, but is she the best person to give dating advice? Her resolve softens when she bumps into a childhood friend at the supermarket, Jack Mann, who is an award-winning baker with his own relationship baggage. Jack never lost the schoolboy crush he had on Sora, and he's willing to wait until March, but Sora thinks she can juggle this new love interest while still pretending to be single for her column. This is, of course, a recipe for disaster. While Tanamachi's multicultural debut, featuring Asian American leads and a host of diverse side characters, makes for a relatable rom-com, the romance story line leads to deeper messages about worthiness and self-love. Copyright 2023 Booklist Reviews.

Cara Tanamachi lives near Chicago with her husband and five children (two by biology and three by marriage), and their 85-pound Goldendoodle, Theodore. Raised near Dallas, Texas by her Japanese-American dad and her English-Scottish American mom, she was the oldest of two children (the debate still rages whether she or her brother are currently the family favorite). The University of Pennsylvania (Go Quakers!) grad worked as a newspaper reporter, and then published many novels under the name Cara Lockwood, including Dixieland Sushi, I Do (But I Don't), and Pink Slip Party. A former single mom, she spent eight years dating (hilariously and awkwardly) before finding the love of her life on Bumble (yes, Bumble!). She believes we all could use a little more happily ever after.