Two of my anticipated books for February just didn’t work for me… and I’m left wondering how much of my reaction is due to the books themselves… and how much was more about being the wrong books for me in the moment. I think it’s probably somewhat of a mix — but here’s what I read and what I thought.
Love Me Tomorrow by Emiko Jean: I have loved previous books by this author, especially her Tokyo duology (Tokyo Dreaming and Tokyo Ever After), so I was primed to love this new YA novel as well. Sadly, I did not.
In Love Me Tomorrow, a promising young violinist who lost her faith in love after her parents’ divorce starts receiving letters from the future, from someone who claims to have always loved her and who, thanks to the invention of time travel, can write to her in the past and offer encouragement on taking chances and believing in love once again.
Emma becomes obsessed with figuring out who the letter writer might be, looking for clues in each of the three boys in her life. Meanwhile, she cleans houses to support her mother and grandfather and is on the verge of giving up the opportunity to attend a prestigious music conservatory in order to stay home and care for her family.
The family dynamics are interesting (although I didn’t see why her father, an apparently successful author, doesn’t seem clued in to the fact that his daughter needs financial support), and the different connections Emma share with the three boys develop in unexpected ways. The time travel element is more annoying than innovative, however, and is not at all convincing — it distracts from an involvement in Emma’s life and choices, rather than enhancing the story.
As for the “it’s not you, it’s me” element: I no longer read much YA, and perhaps that has something to do with my lack of engagement with this story. Still, given that I have really enjoyed this author’s previous YA novels, my suspicion is that if the plot itself had appealed to me more, I would have found myself drawn in regardless of genre or target demographic.
Publication date: February 3, 2026
Length: 352 pages
Rating:
Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett: Unpopular opinion time! I’ve seen bunches of rave reviews for this book… and for the life of me, I just can’t get into it.
The story revolves around a young widow who runs a charity cat shelter in a version of Montreal where magicians are seen as a threat, slinging around dangerous spells and endangering the non-magical people around them.
I’m stopping at 25%. I’ve tried — really tried — to push through, but this story simply isn’t grabbing me. Oh, there’s a dangerous magician living in the basement of the cat shelter! Oh, the feuding magicians are wreaking havoc and disturbing the cats! Sigh.
On the “it’s not you, it’s me” front, I suspect that my interest in cozy fantasy has dried up. There are plenty of examples from this genre that I’ve loved, but I’m feeling like the concept has run its course. I’m a bit sad about my reaction to this book: I loved the author’s Emily Wilde series. Here, though, the subject matter and characters have not piqued my curiosity, and I’m finding it a slog to get through each chapter.
I’m calling it now, and setting aside the book. Maybe at some other point I’ll feel the urge to pick it up and try again. Meanwhile, I’m off to find something to read that actually feels like it’s calling my name,
Publication date: February 17, 2026
Length: 368 pages
Rating:
So, was it me, and not the books? Clearly, I wasn’t in the mindset for either of these books… but I also feel that if the stories themselves had been stronger, I would have gotten into them anyway.
If you’ve read either of these books and have other opinions, I’d love to hear them!
Bookshelf Fantasies 
Aw, bummer. I have been looking forward to the cat book too!
To be fair, I know a lot of people have loved it, so it really might be more of a “me” problem than a book problem!
Thanks for the honest reviews.
❤
I really enjoyed The Mystical Cat Shelter but I can quite see why people might not. I’ve been in the position of not loving a book that everyone is raving about too but that’s partly what makes this bookish community so much fun
I hope you find something that you really enjoy next
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the book! I’ve headed back to a series I love for my next read, since I know I’ll definitely enjoy it, and the last thing I need is to feel like I’m in a funk when it comes to reading 🙂
I think you have to be in the mood for cozy fantasy, at least I do. Sorry Agnes didn’t work for you. It was a little over the top dramatic in places, especially when it came to the sister, so I can understand your reaction😁
I think I may have simply read my fill already when it comes to cozy fantasy (or at least, for a while). I’ve loved books in this genre, but felt like this book was pulling at every last thread of patience I had!
I can see your issues with both books. I try to avoid YA these days. I’m not the target audience and to be honest I almost always have issues and questions that remain unanswered. The Fawcett book, I didn’t enjoy as much as her Emily Wilde series and it did take me a little while to get into. I enjoyed it eventually, but, again, like you I’m starting to wonder if my enchantment with cosy romantasy is starting to wane. Maybe it is.
Lynn 😀
Thanks, Lynn! I used to read YA more regularly, but I’m rarely drawn to it any longer, and even then, it has to be a favorite author or something special to hold my interest. I’m glad you ended up enjoying the Fawcett book. I think I just need to skip cozy fantasies for a while — the newness has worn off, and I’m finding too many of them to be too similar.
I actually said “oh no” out loud when I scrolled down far enough to see what the second book was! But if it doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t work for you! Sometimes we get sucked into thinking that if we don’t like a popular book, it must be us that’s wrong, but nothing works for everyone, at the end of the day! 🙂
Very true! There are some books that I flat out think are not worth recommending, but that isn’t the case here — I recognize that it didn’t appeal to me, but may be great for people who are in the mood for cozy fantasy!
Oh wow, I was NOT expecting to see Agnes Aubert on here 😂. Im still waiting for my preorder.
I know I’m really an outlier when it comes to that book!! I hope you enjoy it more than I did!
I’m sorry these didn’t work better for you! Fab reviews though. xx
Thanks! It makes me a bit sad when anticipated books don’t really work out… on to the next!
Sorry Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter didn’t work out. I’ve been curious about it, but I’ve also had bad lucky with cosy fantasy. I might try it if I see a copy at the library.
If you do, I’d love to hear what you think! I’m definitely in the minority when it comes to that book.
I just finished Agnes Aubert and I’m trying to parse through my thoughts. I did end up liking it, but not as much as I thought I would, based on Emily Wilde. It’s hard for me to explain, but it kind of felt like we were retreading a bit of old ground with the dangerous love interest. But also like the book leaned more into the typical “cozy” feeling that Emily Wilde avoided (I wouldn’t call that trilogy “cozy” myself, but I have seen it on lists). And I just couldn’t get past the entire premise, which is that Agnes “hates” magicians, but, actually, she’s totally okay with living with one if it means she gets cheap rent?? It just makes no sense, but it felt like Fawcett had committed to the “hating magicians” thing as a key component of Agnes’s character–probably for the enemies-to-lovers-esque romance–and just couldn’t make it work with the plot. Because anyone who hated magicians that much would not act like Agnes. At all.
Thanks for sharing! I’ve seen a bunch of glowing reviews, but based on what I’ve learned so far about the plot — including your interesting comments! — I’m still pretty sure this isn’t a book for me.