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A Good Year for Bad Decisions : FEBRUARY
A sharp, funny, emotionally honest story about almost-right choices, unspoken expectations, and the strange weight of new beginnings.
January blew Erin’s life apart.
February is where the aftershocks hit.
Newly divorced and newly freelance, Erin should feel relieved. The marriage is over. The job is gone. The future is finally hers to shape. Instead, she finds herself navigating the quieter, trickier terrain of starting over—where nothing is actively wrong, but nothing is settled either.
There’s kind, steady, unexpectedly easy to love. There’s work that actually feels meaningful. There’s freedom she hasn’t had in years. And there’s the creeping realization that comfort can be just as terrifying as chaos.
Between awkward dates, accidental hope, and an opportunity that arrives far too soon to feel safe, Erin is forced to confront a question she’s never had to answer
What does she choose when no one is choosing for her?
Honest, intimate, and quietly devastating in the best way, this is a story about the decisions that don’t look dramatic from the outside, but change everything anyway.
January blew Erin’s life apart.
February is where the aftershocks hit.
Newly divorced and newly freelance, Erin should feel relieved. The marriage is over. The job is gone. The future is finally hers to shape. Instead, she finds herself navigating the quieter, trickier terrain of starting over—where nothing is actively wrong, but nothing is settled either.
There’s kind, steady, unexpectedly easy to love. There’s work that actually feels meaningful. There’s freedom she hasn’t had in years. And there’s the creeping realization that comfort can be just as terrifying as chaos.
Between awkward dates, accidental hope, and an opportunity that arrives far too soon to feel safe, Erin is forced to confront a question she’s never had to answer
What does she choose when no one is choosing for her?
Honest, intimate, and quietly devastating in the best way, this is a story about the decisions that don’t look dramatic from the outside, but change everything anyway.
188 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 20, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 26, 2026
A Good Year for Bad Decisions: FEBRUARY by Tess Marlowe (2026)
A Good Year for Bad Decisions #2
181-page Kindle Ebook story pages 5-179
Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction, Holiday > Valentine's Day
Rating as a movie: R for adult content
Featuring: Titled Chapters, 2025, Divorcée, Chicago, Illinois; Quadragenarian, Found Family, Friendships, Human Resource Specialist, Freelancer, Divorcé, Single Father, Starting Over, Sex - Off-Camera, Self-Actualization, Self-Reflection, Author's Note - Link to Book 3
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🍹💖💝
My thoughts:🔖Page 42 of 181 The Honey-Glaze Hustle - This is moving a lot smoother than the previous book. I'm hoping we don't get a new guy each month.
Wow! This story was fantastic. I can't wait for the MARCH book to be released. This is the most realistic starting-over storyline I have ever read. Well, there are some too good to be true elements, but the emotional rumination is so realistic. I enjoyed watching Erin overanalyze every area of her life, but what made it a 5-star for me was all of the nuggets that should be in a nonfiction book. Carlos is a gem. This starts where the last book left off, and I mean precisely as it seems that book ends on the night of January 31st, and this one starts the next morning. It primarily focuses on Valentine’s Day and that was good but then it shifts and that's when I got very excited and hit the 5-star zone. I hope this series goes through December because I need this vibe on my reading docket.
Recommend to others: Absolutely. This is the best series of my All Through the Year Monthly/Seasonal novellas.
A Good Year for Bad Decisions
1. A Good Year for Bad Decisions: JANUARY (2025)
2. A Good Year for Bad Decisions: FEBRUARY (2026)
3. A Good Year for Bad Decisions: MARCH (2026)
4. A Good Year for Bad Decisions: APRIL (2026)
Books and Authors mentioned: Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Robert Southey, Moneyball by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin [based on] Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
Memorable Quotes: January Erin would’ve stood there longer, leaning on the sill, searching for meaning in the passing cars. February Erin closed the window and moved on.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s talk about kids.” One of the twins immediately looked up from the floor. “Not you,” Carlos said. “Go color. The grown-ups are talking about boring things.” They resumed their chaos. Carlos turned back to me. “People without kids experience time one way. Linearly. Expansively. People with kids experience time like it’s a hostile foreign substance they are constantly negotiating with.” Tom nodded. “Dates are no longer sacred. They’re opportunistic.” “Romance becomes… modular,” Carlos added. “You take it when you can. You build it out of scraps. You don’t wait for the perfect calendar day. You wait for the babysitter to be free.” Tom gestured vaguely with his fork. “Yesterday, we ate too much candy, argued about Paw Patrol lore, and passed out by nine.” Carlos smiled. “We did have sex in between, but yeah. Accurate.” Tom choked on his pasta. “CARLOS.” “What? She needs context.” I stared at them. “That was your Valentine’s Day?” “Yes,” Tom said, recovering. “And it was great.”
A Good Year for Bad Decisions #2
181-page Kindle Ebook story pages 5-179
Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction, Holiday > Valentine's Day
Rating as a movie: R for adult content
Featuring: Titled Chapters, 2025, Divorcée, Chicago, Illinois; Quadragenarian, Found Family, Friendships, Human Resource Specialist, Freelancer, Divorcé, Single Father, Starting Over, Sex - Off-Camera, Self-Actualization, Self-Reflection, Author's Note - Link to Book 3
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🍹💖💝
My thoughts:🔖Page 42 of 181 The Honey-Glaze Hustle - This is moving a lot smoother than the previous book. I'm hoping we don't get a new guy each month.
Wow! This story was fantastic. I can't wait for the MARCH book to be released. This is the most realistic starting-over storyline I have ever read. Well, there are some too good to be true elements, but the emotional rumination is so realistic. I enjoyed watching Erin overanalyze every area of her life, but what made it a 5-star for me was all of the nuggets that should be in a nonfiction book. Carlos is a gem. This starts where the last book left off, and I mean precisely as it seems that book ends on the night of January 31st, and this one starts the next morning. It primarily focuses on Valentine’s Day and that was good but then it shifts and that's when I got very excited and hit the 5-star zone. I hope this series goes through December because I need this vibe on my reading docket.
Recommend to others: Absolutely. This is the best series of my All Through the Year Monthly/Seasonal novellas.
A Good Year for Bad Decisions
1. A Good Year for Bad Decisions: JANUARY (2025)
2. A Good Year for Bad Decisions: FEBRUARY (2026)
3. A Good Year for Bad Decisions: MARCH (2026)
4. A Good Year for Bad Decisions: APRIL (2026)
Books and Authors mentioned: Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Robert Southey, Moneyball by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin [based on] Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
Memorable Quotes: January Erin would’ve stood there longer, leaning on the sill, searching for meaning in the passing cars. February Erin closed the window and moved on.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s talk about kids.” One of the twins immediately looked up from the floor. “Not you,” Carlos said. “Go color. The grown-ups are talking about boring things.” They resumed their chaos. Carlos turned back to me. “People without kids experience time one way. Linearly. Expansively. People with kids experience time like it’s a hostile foreign substance they are constantly negotiating with.” Tom nodded. “Dates are no longer sacred. They’re opportunistic.” “Romance becomes… modular,” Carlos added. “You take it when you can. You build it out of scraps. You don’t wait for the perfect calendar day. You wait for the babysitter to be free.” Tom gestured vaguely with his fork. “Yesterday, we ate too much candy, argued about Paw Patrol lore, and passed out by nine.” Carlos smiled. “We did have sex in between, but yeah. Accurate.” Tom choked on his pasta. “CARLOS.” “What? She needs context.” I stared at them. “That was your Valentine’s Day?” “Yes,” Tom said, recovering. “And it was great.”
February 18, 2026
As much as I liked the premise of this book….. and the continuation of Erin’s story….. I’m not going to discuss the plot or the characters…. Because every reader likes or dislikes different things for various reasons. And that’s fine because we are all
Different people.
However I will address some other things: This book felt rushed. (I mean I know it could have been written months ago and not published until last month) . It was like the author wrote it in a hurry so that she had the February book out for the actual month of February and didn’t bother to edit it carefully or properly. There were at least 7 instances of words being left out of sentences… and I stopped counting 7. The use of “maked”….. instead of made was a huge red flag for me…. Maked is NOT a word….
I’m not sure if the author used AI or Chatgp or whatever app to write the story…. But the editing was atrocious.
Different people.
However I will address some other things: This book felt rushed. (I mean I know it could have been written months ago and not published until last month) . It was like the author wrote it in a hurry so that she had the February book out for the actual month of February and didn’t bother to edit it carefully or properly. There were at least 7 instances of words being left out of sentences… and I stopped counting 7. The use of “maked”….. instead of made was a huge red flag for me…. Maked is NOT a word….
I’m not sure if the author used AI or Chatgp or whatever app to write the story…. But the editing was atrocious.
February 13, 2026
2.5 stars. I kind of dislike Erin in this one. She's leaning on (i.e. using) a lot of people to help her feel better and navigate her new life. But she's not helping anyone, no one comes to her for advice or seeking happiness. I love Tom and Carlos--they are the best thing about this book. I wish Erin's relationship with Nick was a little more exciting. Their conversations are so surface level; teasing but no heat. I'll keep reading the series, mostly because I'm intrigued but I wasn't as pleased with February as I was with January. This also needed some editing, lots of typos.
February 6, 2026
Too soon
I love this series so far, but wish I hadn't found it until it was complete. I want to know now, not wait for the next book! I hope this author has more books already released, and that they're even half as good as these two have been.
I love this series so far, but wish I hadn't found it until it was complete. I want to know now, not wait for the next book! I hope this author has more books already released, and that they're even half as good as these two have been.
February 8, 2026
I really like this story as Erin is learning to move on from her divorce! She definitely learns a few new dating rules from the time she was married! Her friend Carlos is the best! I can’t wait for the next book!
February 13, 2026
What to do on a random mid-week day off work? Start and finish a book! This is the second book in a series. The read is quick, and you really want to see the main character succeed. Not an overly deep “thinker”, but a nice and easy escape.
February 2, 2026
I’m really enjoying the story of Erin and her starting over, both personally and professionally. Can’t wait to read what comes next!
February 6, 2026
4⭐️ | 📖 | 🌶️ | I am absolutely loving these books. The day-to-day struggle of reinventing yourself is so relatable. February brings dates, work opportunities, and protecting peace. I can’t wait for March!
March 16, 2026
Excellent
Obsessed with this series. Love how this is written from her viewpoint of daily life struggles plus work plus divorce life. Excited for March.
Obsessed with this series. Love how this is written from her viewpoint of daily life struggles plus work plus divorce life. Excited for March.
February 24, 2026
Alright February way to change things up! So happy for how things are changing for Erin and I have a feeling March will be changing things up again. Nick is a nice addition but I almost feel like it’s just too comfortable. They kinda just fell together which is good but just out of divorce I feel like she’s not exploring enough of herself yet….. on to March!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews