February was a lighter reading month for me. At the start of the month I got deeply, deeply into Heated Rivalry which broke my brain in the best ways possible. That left me in more of a mood to watch TV (including lots of Winter Olympics coverage!) than to read. (Love Is Blind is also partly to blame.) I always say that reading concentration is like a muscle, and the more you use it the stronger it gets. But the opposite is also true. If I fill my free time with TV watching for a week, it’s easy for that to become my default mode.
I also didn’t Brick my phone as much in February and I need to get back in the habit of that this month. Nevertheless, I still read some great books in February. Including several upcoming releases that you absolutely must put on your to-be-read list!
Fiction
Contemporary Fiction
The Midnight Show by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne
It’s the early 1980s. Lillian Martin is on top of the world as the breakout female star of The Midnight Show (TMS), a sketch comedy show much like “Saturday Night Live.” Then she suddenly goes missing. Forty years later, comedy writer and journalist Madeline Cohen writes a piece about her and investigates her disappearance. In the process, she gets to know Lillian’s friends and castmates, and maybe she’ll even figure out what happened to Lillian.
The Midnight Show, described as Daisy Jones and the Six meets SNL, was one of my most anticipated reads of 2026, and it did not disappoint. I absolutely devoured this book. It was easy to get into and held my attention right up until the last page. The story unfolds through interview transcripts, excerpts from Lillian’s old journals, and correspondence between Madeline and her interview subjects. This format felt fresh to me and kept the story free of fluff.
If you’re an SNL superfan like me, you’ll recognize that Lillian is created in the image of Gilda Radner. Several other characters also feel like stand-ins for real-life figures.
Yes, it’s kind of a mystery, but you don’t have to be a mystery fan to enjoy it. The book has plenty of twists, turns, and surprises as Madeline gets to know the TMS crew. This book was everything I hoped it would be.
Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Crown for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
I ate up The Husbands, a smart, thought provoking book about a woman named Lauren who lives in London. One night she comes home to her husband Michael, except she isn’t married and has never seen him before in her life.
Michael goes up to the attic to change a lightbulb, and when he comes back down he’s been replaced by a new mystery husband.
The magic element and the mystery husbands, I know, it sounds gimmicky. But it’s not. It’s fun, thought provoking, and delightfully weird. (Perfect for fans of Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson.)
It’s more satire than rom-com, and it reads like a commentary on the nutty state of dating and marriage in the 21st century. If there are unlimited potential mates roaming the world (or your attic), how do you decide when to stop searching and settle down? I’ll be thinking about the wonderfully surprising ending for quite some time.
I loved this book and look forward to forcing many friends, both single and married, to read it.
Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.
The Golden Boy by Patricia Finn
Originally from Canada, retired TV executive Stafford and his wife Agnes now split their time between homes in Maui, Aspen, New York City, and Los Angeles. But wherever they are, their lives revolve mostly around themselves. Then one day Stafford receives a letter informing him that he has been given custody of the four orphaned grandchildren of his childhood best friend. He sets off on a journey to meet them and figure out how this happened.
While The Golden Boy sounds like a pretty action packed story, the book focuses more on the journey and the why of it all. Stafford doesn’t even meet the children until the very end. Agnes only meets them in the final pages. So if you thought this would be about how two curmudgeons integrate four orphans into their fabulous Hawaiian lives, this isn’t that book. It isn’t The Road to Tender Hearts. And that’s fine. I was just expecting something different, something less interior, from a book described as “slyly funny.”
So I liked this book but didn’t love it. That said, my mom also read it and really enjoyed it, so boomers may be more the target audience.
Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Cardinal for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.
Historical fiction
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan is a book best read without a lot of advance knowledge about what you’re getting into.
It follows two ordinary families in a small town in Ohio and the way their lives become intertwined over the course of about forty years.
I know that sounds like a pretty blasé description, but I promise this is a special book. So beautifully written. If you enjoy sweeping, epic stories that unfold over decades, like All the Colors of the Dark and The Covenant of Water, you’ll love this one.
Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict
Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict is a dual timeline, dual POV story. It follows Lady Evelyn “Eve” Herbert, an amateur Egyptologist, in the early 20th century as she, her father, and her mentor work to uncover the tombs of pharaohs Tutankhamen and Hatshepsut. We also get glimpses into Hatshepsut’s perspective between 1400 and 1500 BC.
I appreciate Benedict’s continued commitment to telling the stories of key women throughout history, some well known and others less so. I didn’t know anything about Eve or Hatshepsut before reading this book, and I found them both fascinating.
Despite how interesting the topic and subjects are, I wouldn’t call this one of Benedict’s stronger outings. The pacing felt off, and very little happened in the first 20 percent of the book. The flow improved around the halfway mark, but the ending felt rushed in both Eve’s story and Hatshepsut’s. I also found Hatshepsut’s sections confusing at times as someone who came in without much knowledge of life in ancient Egypt.
I did end up enjoying this book and it’s probably the book I read this month that I’ve been thinking about the most since finishing it. It even sent me searching for documentaries about Eve and her discoveries so I could better visualize the events. I think readers who already know a bit about ancient Egypt and Egyptology will enjoy it even more than I did. Others may struggle to get into it, although if you can push past the first 20 percent, it’s worth sticking with. I remain a Marie Benedict fan and look forward to seeing which woman in history she writes about next.
Note: Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.
Mystery/thriller/suspense
Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum
From the author of The Hunting Wives comes All the Little Houses, a fast-paced, soapy thriller set in a small Texas town. The story follows Nellie, her mother Charleigh, Charleigh’s best friend Jackson, and Nellie’s rival Jane over the course of one summer. We know it ends in a dead body, but who, how, and why? With everything happening in town, it could be anyone.
This was too soapy for my taste, but if you’re in the mood for a fun, mindless read that doesn’t require much brainpower, this could be a good fit. Be warned: it ends on a cliffhanger with a sequel clearly in the works, and the ending feels abrupt.
Note: This book is available right now on Kindle Unlimited!
Romance
Once and Again by Rebecca Serle
Once and Again is the latest from Rebecca Serle, the queen of magical romance.
Lauren is a young woman living in Los Angeles and struggling through fertility treatments with her husband. When he takes a short term job in New York City, she moves in with her parents and grandmother in Malibu for the summer, just down the beach from her childhood sweetheart and former boyfriend of ten years, Stone.
She’s glad to have more time with her family. But the women in her family share a secret power that shapes the dynamic of their lives and their summer together. Each woman is born with a magical ticket that allows one do over at some point in her life. She can hold it, wish to return to a specific moment, and poof. Lauren has reached a point where there are many things she might want to redo. How will she choose to use her ticket?
I’m a big fan of Serle’s books, and Once and Again does not disappoint. The characters of Lauren’s mother and grandmother, and the dynamics between the three women, don’t feel fully fleshed out, but the plot twist around the 80 percent mark makes up for it. Readers who have enjoyed her previous books, as well as fans of romance with a little magic, will likely enjoy this one.
Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.
Major Gift by Tiffany Ezuma
Ndidi is a billionaire widow. Inspired, à la MacKenzie Scott, she decides to create a foundation and give away her fortune. But her carefully orchestrated plan hits a roadblock when she starts falling for Geoffrey, the journalist covering the launch of her foundation. She has a secret.
I loved Major Gift. To me, it felt like the least romance-y of the 831 Stories books I’ve read so far, which was a good thing. The story centers first and foremost on Ndidi’s growth. Geoffrey is part of that journey, which I appreciated. He is a strong male main character, and a good complement to her.
I said this about the last 831 Stories book I read, and I’ll say it again, this is a book about grownups and for grownups. There’s no fake drama created just to make the plot more interesting. Instead, we get two adults with their own baggage trying to find a way to be together. That’s all I really want from a romance. Highly recommend this one.
Note: Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.
Non-Fiction
Memoir
Service Ready by Molly Irani
Service Ready is a memoir by Chai Pani Restaurant Group co-founder Molly Irani. I went into this book expecting a foodie memoir, but it’s much more about her marriage to her co-founder and Chai Pani chef, Meherwan Irani, and about lessons in leadership, particularly female leadership.
I devoured this book. Molly’s life has been unusual from the start, beginning with her childhood in an Indian spiritual community in South Carolina. Her path and story are fascinating.
The section where she shares her thoughts on leadership especially stood out to me. It’s exactly the kind of perspective I wish I’d read early in my career. She writes about a heroine’s journey versus a hero’s journey and the distinctly female qualities she believes have helped her succeed as a leader.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to female leaders, men who want to lead with more empathy, and fans of Chai Pani restaurants. I’ll be thinking about it for a long time, and I’m sure it will make my list of favorite books of 2026.
Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.
Missing Me by Ayana Lage
Missing Me tells the story of content creator Ayana Lage’s struggle with postpartum psychosis after the birth of her first child. The book also touches on religious trauma, pregnancy loss, body image issues and disordered eating, racism, and her complicated relationship with social media.
I’ve followed Ayana for a long time and have always been impressed by how open she is when sharing her story. This book is no exception. I especially admire her willingness to include excerpts from her journal during the time she struggled with psychosis, along with portions of her medical record.
That said, I think the book could have benefited from stronger editing. The biggest issue is the structure. The timeline jumps around frequently, and the reasoning behind it isn’t always clear. I think the story might have worked better with a more traditional, linear structure. The writing can also feel somewhat clinical at times. She also shifts between first person and third person narration. This choice reflects her experiences with dissociation, but it didn’t fully work for me.
If those stylistic choices don’t bother you, you may still enjoy this book. Many readers have said they connected with it even without sharing her background or experiences, and I think that speaks volumes about the power of her story.
Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Worthy Books for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.
You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It by Lisa Rinna
You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and The Traitors star Lisa Rinna is exactly what you’d hope for in a book from her.
She dives into her sex life, the work she’s had done, which Housewives she likes and which she doesn’t, her career on and off TV, family drama, and more. She delivers it all in that gossipy, tongue-in-cheek tone you’d expect.
I especially recommend it on audio.
If you also read less than you wanted to in February, join me in returning to exercising our reading muscles!
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