One of my habits that I wanted to improve personally for 2020 was reading more. I’m so lucky to have a NetGalley account where I can request and read books (some before they are actually released) and I love being able to help authors too. I was able to read 5 books through February and I’m really chuffed with that. I’ve got my comments about the books first and then you can scroll down for each book and their blurb – also include buy links (affiliate).
First up was Whisper Network by Chandler Baker, this had actually been on my TBR list for a while. I knew it had been picked by Reese Witherspoon as her book club
pick (Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick) and I knew I had to get into it as that was some recommendation! But being out of a reading mood probably meant this book stayed unread for longer than it needed to be. I really got into this book quickly, it’s very gripping in places and had me staying awake until the early hours to find out what happens next. The book is quite controversial, it does have the #MeToo campaign at its heart but the book is so much more than that. It’s more of a thriller book and it was such a great read to get me started onto reading books again in 2020.
Then next up I read Mix Tape by Jane Sanderson. Immediately I was drawn to this book because there was a music vibe with it, obviously in the title but who does not love a mix tape? I loved the way there was a real music nostalgia vibe through the book and I loved how these two characters then found their way back to each other after all that 
time. It did get a bit repetitive though and whilst I really did like the two main characters I found that I didn’t really fall ‘in love’ with them. Some of my favourite characters were more the people along the way, especially the elderly neighbours, I could see this book being made into a film though, it’s just got that vibe and the soundtrack would be awesome too. Great for those who love a bit of music mixed in with their romance stories.
It also really made me want to make a mix tape! I suppose the modern day version is a spotify playlist.
I absolutely have adored Nadiya Hussain as soon as I saw her on the Great British Bake Off, I loved her. I love her cookery books and I’m always loving her on TV too. I was really intrigued when she started her series of books about the Amir Sisters and I really love her writing style. I do enjoy books that are easy to get into and I absolutely adore the cover designs. So when The Hopes and Triumphs of the Amir Sisters came out in January, I knew I needed to read the next book, It does work as a standalone book 
but another book reviewer here at DW Towers did read just this one (and will be reading the others) and said that it took a couple of chapters to get into the characters.
I think the first book is still my favourite of the series but I think that’s because of the introductions of all the characters and it all being so new. If you were looking for a new book series to get into, I totally recommend this one. I look forward to the next chapter of the Amir Sisters story.
I came across Diary of a Confused Feminist by Kate Weston via other reviewers on NetGalley and I was immediately intrigued. Whilst it is more of a teenage read, I immediately could relate to different parts of the book and how my teen years had gone. As a debut book, Weston really has got it nailed. The way that the book went through mental health issues and then covered more light hearted 
moments too. One moment I’d be laughing along with the author and then feeling totally ‘wow’ at what I was reading. It’s an important read for teens, for parents of teens and for women of any age. I’m really happy I had seen the reviews on this one.
Lastly, we have a book where I’ve read the first two books by this writer duo – Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. So I read The Wife Between Us and The Anonymous Girl last year and they both had me gripped. Their books go back and forth between various characters and I know that is not what everyone likes to read. For me it is great and you get different viewpoints but in their books it can get very intense as you know all that is going on and can feel the tension building up.
I actually felt that You Are Not Alone was their best work. I felt there was something instantly likeable about Shay and the Moore sisters were also intriguing. Their books
are like a huge puzzle and you have to work out what’s going on. The last few chapters I read in one night as I wanted to see how it would all end. Loved it!
I think the less you know about this book before you read it is for the best, I’ve seen many spoiler reviews of it and you just need to immerse yourself fully into this one. Intrigued to see what this duo do next!
So that’s the 5 books that I read through February! I’m excited to see how many books I manage to read through March and I feel really motivated to set a new target this year. I put the blurbs of all the books below for you to read and included Amazon links (affiliate). Let me know in the comments if you have read any of these!
Whisper Network by Chandler Baker
Four women learn their boss (a man who’s always been surrounded by rumors about how he treats women) is next in line to be CEO—what will happen when they decide enough is enough?
Sloane, Ardie, Grace, and Rosalita are four women who have worked at Truviv, Inc., for years. The sudden death of Truviv’s CEO means their boss, Ames, will likely take over the entire company. Ames is a complicated man, a man they’ve all known for a long time, a man who’s always been surrounded by…whispers. Whispers that have always been ignored by those in charge. But the world has changed, and the women are watching Ames’s latest promotion differently. This time, they’ve decided enough is enough.
Sloane and her colleagues set in motion a catastrophic shift within every floor and department of the Truviv offices. All four women’s lives—as women, colleagues, mothers, wives, friends, even adversaries—will change dramatically as a result.
“If only you had listened to us,” they tell us on page one, “none of this would have happened.”
You never forget the one that got away. But what if ‘what could have been’ is still to come?
Daniel was the first boy to make Alison a mix tape.
But that was years ago and Ali hasn’t thought about him in a very long time. Even if she had, she might not have called him ‘the one that got away’; she’d been the one to run away, after all.
Then Dan’s name pops up on her phone, with a link to a song from their shared past.
For two blissful minutes, Alison is no longer an adult in Adelaide with temperamental daughters; she is sixteen in Sheffield, dancing in her too-tight jeans. She cannot help but respond in kind.
And so begins a new mix tape.
Ali and Dan exchange songs – some new, some old – across oceans and time zones, across a lifetime of different experiences, until one of them breaks the rules and sends a message that will change everything…
Because what if ‘what could have been’ is still to come?
The Hopes and Triumphs of the Amir Sisters by Nadiya Hussain
Mae has watched as her three older sisters have gone through the process of finding their place in the world and faced the challenges of parenthood head on. Now ready to spread her wings beyond her close-knit family, Mae is ready to take the world by storm.
But a series of events will shake the strong self-belief Mae has always had in herself and will leave her questioning where it is she really fits in.
The Amir sisters will need to draw on all the love they have for each other, if they are going to navigate the challenges life has to throw at them and help Mae along the path to self-discovery.
Diary of a Confused Feminist by Kate Weston
Kat wants to do GOOD FEMINISM, although she’s not always sure what that means. She also wants to be a writer, get together with Hot Josh (is this a feminist ambition?), win at her coursework and not make a TOTAL EMBARRASSMENT of herself at all times.
But the path to true feminism is filled with mortifying incidents and when everything at school starts to get a bit too much, Kat knows she’s lost her way, and the only way forward is to ask for help . . .
You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
You probably know someone like Shay Miller.
She wants to find love, but it eludes her.
She wants to be fulfilled, but her job is a dead end.
She wants to belong, but her life is so isolated.
You probably don’t know anyone like the Moore sisters.
They have an unbreakable circle of friends.
They live the most glamorous life.
They always get what they desire.
Shay thinks she wants their life.
But what they really want is hers.