Five Star Friday: February 2021

Five Star Friday is my version of the monthly wrap-up. On the first Friday of each month, I will share my five-star reads from the previous month. Fingers crossed, I have lots of books to tell you about.

For a short month, February packed quite a punch. I read 38 books, and found 5 five-star books in the bunch. I realized I have previously read books by all the authors featured here this month, so my expectations were high, and each of these authors exceeded my expectations. 

Yes & I Love You
Roni Loren

Everyone knows Miz Poppy, the vibrant reviewer whose commentary brightens the New Orleans nightlife. But no one knows Hollyn, the real face behind the media star...or the fear that keeps her isolated. When her boss tells her she needs to add video to her blog or lose her job, she's forced to rely on an unexpected source to help her face her fears.

When aspiring actor Jasper Deares finds out the shy woman who orders coffee every day is actually Miz Poppy, he realizes he has a golden opportunity to get the media attention his acting career needs. All he has to do is help Hollyn come out of her shell…and through their growing connection, finally find her voice.

This was a lot lighter than Loren's previous series, but still wonderful. Both Jasper and Hollyn were fantastic characters, who I loved rooting for. Hollyn already had success behind her psedonym, and I wanted her to have equal success under her own name. Jasper was trying to rebuild after a bit of a setback. I worried a little more about him, because of the choices he was presented, but it was a fun journey with these two. Improve, great banter, and a romance I could get behind kept me turning the pages, and I was really invested in the outcome for these two. 

52 Reasons to Hate My Father
Jessica Brody

Being America’s favorite heiress is a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it.

Lexington Larrabee has never to work a day in her life. After all, she’s the heiress to the multi-billion-dollar Larrabee Media empire. And heiresses are not supposed to work. But then again, they’re not supposed to crash brand new Mercedes convertibles into convenience stores on Sunset Blvd either.

Which is why, on Lexi’s eighteen birthday, her ever-absent, tycoon father decides to take a more proactive approach to her wayward life. Every week for the next year, she will have to take on a different low-wage job if she ever wants to receive her beloved trust fund. But if there’s anything worse than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food restaurant employee, it’s dealing with Luke, the arrogant, albeit moderately attractive, college intern her father has assigned to keep tabs on her.

In a hilarious “comedy of heiress” about family, forgiveness, good intentions, and best of all, second chances, Lexi learns that love can be unconditional, money can be immaterial, and, regardless of age, everyone needs a little saving. And although she might have 52 reasons to hate her father, she only needs one reason to love him.

A Brody book is always a good time for me, but here, she exceeded my expectations. I was thinking fun and silly with a nod to The Simple Life, and those moments were captured in the story, but she allowed Lexi to grow a lot more than I expected. In the end, there were many laughs, but I was also left with a warm heart as the story went in a bit of an unexpected direction. 

The Map of Tiny Perfect Things
Lev Grossman

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lev Grossman comes a magical-realist romance that turns the Groundhog Day premise inside-out and upside-down—coming soon to Amazon as a major motion picture.

Mark is 17-years-old and trapped in a time loop, and that’s just fine with him. It’s summertime and he’s spending this one infinitely repeating day reading his way through the town library. Then he discovers someone else in the loop with him: the brilliant, haunted Margaret. Together Mark and Margaret set out to find every wonderful, amazing, perfect thing that happens in that one day—a journey that will take them to the dark secret that waits at the very heart of their endless day.

Thrilling, funny, and deeply romantic, this novella is perfect for fans of John Green, Nicola Yoon, and Jandy Nelson.

I had zero expectations for this title. Short stories tend to leave me a bit wanting, but this one left me in a pool of emotions. Time loops are one of the few fantasy elements I tend to mix well with, and I loved what Grossman did here. It's always fun seeing what people do, when they know they will have a do-over, but when they started making that map, my feels were fully engaged. The ending - total tears. It was just really beautiful. Kind of sad, but still beautiful. 

That Swoony Feeling
Meghan Quinn

USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn brings more humor and heart with the fourth novel of her Getting Lucky series: a story about breaking curses and finally finding that swoony feeling.

I'm single . . . so single it's painful.

Yup, ladies, Brig Knightly--that's me--is still a lonely bachelor, stumbling through the streets of Port Snow, looking for the girl he's supposed to end up with.

That is until my brother, Rogan, presents me with the opportunity of a lifetime. The Summer of Love, a secret pen pal program in Port Snow is looking for applicants and I'm the perfect fit.

I couldn't sign up fast enough.

I found myself quickly falling in love with a pair of red lips at the bottom of a letter. Just like in the movies . . .

Life could not have been better, that was until I started hanging out with Ruth Barber. Starting a new business right next to my shop, I found myself gravitating toward her. Her smile, her humor . . . her tea sandwiches.

My attraction for Ruth came in full force, leaving me dazed, confused, and *ahem* excited.

As new feelings for two women come to a screeching halt, I have to figure out who to choose. But when I discover my pen pal is Ruth, it might be too late.

All I want in life is to experience that swoony feeling . . . but I think I might have just missed my chance.

I had been seeing good buzz for this series, so I jumped on the audiobook when I saw it on Hoopla. This was fun, as I always expect from Quinn. So many laugh out loud moments. I adored Brig, the big doofy clueless hero, and the secret pen-pal concept was great. The letters ranged from sweet and silly to sort of hot. This book was such a good time for me!

Float Plan
Trish Doller

Critically acclaimed author Trish Doller's unforgettable and romantic adult debut about setting sail, starting over, and finding yourself...

Since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has been shipwrecked by grief—until a reminder goes off about a trip they were supposed to take together. Impulsively, Anna goes to sea in their sailboat, intending to complete the voyage alone.

But after a treacherous night’s sail, she realizes she can’t do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Much like Anna, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it’s never too late to chart a new course.

In Trish Doller’s unforgettable Float Plan, starting over doesn't mean letting go of your past, it means making room for your future.

Doller always makes me feel, and she did so, over and over again, as I read this book. Anna was in such a dark place. She needed this physical journey to help her make that necessary emotional journey. Though her trip was prompted by pain and loss, it was filled with lots of fun, joy, and so many incredible destinations. This book was wonderfully touching, moving, and just left me feeling lots of good things. 

Did you have any five-star reads last month? 
Let us know in the comments!