February 2026 reading round up

February was a really slow reading month for me; I had a lot going on so I just didn't get around to reading as many books as I would have liked. However, that's not to say there's no books to review! Without further ado, here's all of the books I read in February 2026...

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

I mentioned this one in my 26 books on my 2026 TBR post, and it was our February book club pick. There is so much hype around this book, and at first I really struggled to get into the way it was written - this is translated, and I'm not sure if that's the reason. Regardless, when I *did* get into the book I absolutely loved it. This is the story of a small hockey town, absolutely rocked by scandal and tragedy; you get to know the entire town before the incident happens, which is so clever because you're left feeling as though you're part of the town, going through it too. This book shows the very worst of powerful men, of hockey, of boys being told they can do whatever they want to do. It's expertly done and I would highly recommend. 5 stars!

My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney

I really enjoy Alice Feeney's thrillers, and I listened to this as an audiobook on my walks and while working. We start with a woman who gets home from a run to discover another woman in her house, claiming to be her - and it only gets so much more twisted from there. Ultimately, this is a book about revenge and heartache, and a little bit of (maybe) murder. I really enjoyed it and again, this is one I'd recommend. 4 stars.

Chasing the Fire by Paisley Hope

I wasn't ready to let go of Silver Pines - Liv and Asher's story is the final one in the series, and it was just gorgeous as always. Hot fire chief with a tortured past x clumsy, sweet girl... this was just a really soft, lovely "cowboy" romance with a fake dating element and some good spice (but not too much) and that amazing found-family aspect too. Liv's kitchen goes up in flame and it's Asher to the rescue, and the 'protector' vibes were so well done. Loved this, 5 stars of course.

The Do-Over by Lynn Painter

Sometimes you just need a little YA palette cleanser, and Lynn Painter is great for that. I read this around Valentine's Day, as it's a gorgeous time-loop novel set on Valentine's Day itself - our FMC Em keeps waking up on V Day, after having a really disastrous one, and tries to essentially make the day perfect in the hopes of getting it to stop repeating. It's a really fun and sweet story that I enjoyed immensely! I gave this one 4 stars.

Game, Set, Match by Jennifer Iacopelli 

This was a netgalley ARC and honestly, I found it disappointing. It's a sports romance that seems to be confused about who the main character is; the ending is incredibly abrupt, but not in the sort of way that feels like it's setting you up for a second book. I had only just started to connect with the various characters when it ended which was a shame. All in all, a bit of a let down - 3 stars from me.

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus

I went into this thinking it was the next book in the One of us is Lying series but it isn't, so when my confusion was cleared up I really enjoyed this! YA thrillers are just a lot of fun in general; this one follows Ellery and her twin brother who have moved to small town Echo Ridge - a town embroiled in its own history of popular young girls going missing, which seems to be repeating itself. As Ellery and her new friends try to figure out what's happening, it gets messy! 4 stars.

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

Clearly I was on a YA hype in February - makes sense because it was a busy, stressful month and YA books are of course easier and quicker to read. Anyway, I enjoyed this one too - it definitely gave me we were liars vibes! Three cousins who haven't seen each other since they were little are invited to their estranged grandmother's island to work over the summer, and between them they try to get to the bottom of their family's many secrets and lies... quite slow paced but good nevertheless. 4 stars again.

So that's everything I read in February - not as many books as I would have liked, but there we are! Onto the next month...

How I follow a zero based budget

I love talking about money, as I think it's something we don't really learn about in school and unless your parents or family are particularly savvy with money (like mine!) you just really might not know where to start. There are so many people on TikTok who are on debt journeys, and while I'm thankful to not be in debt (except for my student loan...) I am also someone who sticks to a budget every single month.

What is zero based budgeting?

In particular, I use 'zero based budgeting'. According to NerdWallet, "zero based budgeting is a method that has you allocate all of your money to expenses for needs and wants, as well as short- and long-term savings and debt payments. The goal is that your income minus your expenditures equals zero by the end of the month.

The difference between zero-based budgeting and living paycheck to paycheck is that all of your financial needs are met. You can repeat expense categories and amounts every month, or mix it up.

If you come in under budget in a certain category at the end of the month, add the remaining amount to next month’s budget, or move it to another category, such as your emergency fund.

It’s the same concept as the envelope system, which involves distributing money (cash) for different expense categories into envelopes."

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How do I work out my zero based budget?

I use Monzo to budget my monthly income and most of my spending/saving. So when my salary drops into my bank on the last working day of each month, I spend 10 minutes allocating it all to where it needs to be. Currently, this looks a bit like this...

• Gifting - I put around £75 per month into a pot for birthday and Christmas gifts
• Subscriptions - I put the exact amount I need per month into a pot for my personal bills like my phone bill, Spotify, Canva and so on
• Weekly spending - I put a set amount into this pot which covers anything we need to buy throughout the week, like food shops, random Home Bargains trips, nights in the pub etc
• Bills - I put my half of our bills away in our bills account
• Other savings - depending on what we're saving for (usually a holiday) I put a really good chunk into our different savings pots, rather than all into one savings account. Currently we're renovating our bedroom and saving for spending money on our cruise, so I'm putting some in each pot
• Beauty - I typically put a standard £50 in here and keep it for when I want my hair, nails, brows etc done
• Miscellaneous - when I've moved all of this money around, I put whatever is left into a random pot for if I want to treat myself to new clothes or books or whatever 

After everything is in the pot it needs to be in, my bank account says a big fat ZERO. Then I move one week's worth of the allocated 'weekly spending money' back in to my current account to spend over the next 7 days.

How does it help?

Before I started using a zero based budgeting system, I found myself spending whatever I'd spend across the month - then it would come to the last week of the month and we'd be limiting ourselves so we could move *something* into savings before the next payday. Now, I know that everything is covered, we're able to meet our savings goals, and we have a set amount of money to spend every single week. For me, it's helped to relieve anxiety around money and I never feel like I'm living "payday to payday".

Anyone can do zero based budgeting, and it really is super simple. If you have a bank account that allows you to easily move money between 'pots' (like Monzo) then it's even easier!

January 2026 reading round up

Another year of reading has commenced! I'm aiming to hit 100+ books again this year, but as always I'm not going to pressure myself into it. Whatever happens, happens. Without further ado, here's what I've read in January (admittedly during a bit of a reading slump at the very beginning of the month...)

The Fellowship of the Ring AND The Two Towers by J RR Tolkein

I've always wanted to read the LOTR books, but they are incredibly intense - especially for someone who's not usually a fantasy reader. I opted for the audiobook versions, read by Andy Serkis, and honestly I've been having the time of my life. He embodies every single character so well, really bringing out the emotions of each situation and the humour sprinkled throughout the books. The books themselves are of course mindblowing in terms of plot, world building and the incredibly well written characters. It's mesmerising honestly and I'm loving it - I'm just waiting for my Spotify audiobook hours to renew so I can listen to The Return of the King!

The Right Move by Liz Tomforde

I read the first book in the Windy City series last year after I bought it with one of my birthday book vouchers, and I absolutely devoured it - so my wife got book 2 in the series for me and again, I read it in a day! It's a series of sports romances and this one follows the brother of the FMC from book one; Ryan is a big basketball star who likes his own space, and when his sister's best friend Indy moves in to his apartment with nowhere else to go things are tense. Super fun and spicy fake dating let's go. 5 stars.

Caught Up by Liz Tomforde

As soon as I finished book 2, I noticed the whole series was on KU so I immediately downloaded the rest and started on Caught Up, book number 3. This one follows superstar baseball player and single dad (!!) Kai, as he struggles to manage work and caring for his son; the field manager's daughter, Miller, is in town after quitting her job and ends up nannying... but of course, things get spicy and all loved up. Look, the books follow a formula but it's a GOOD one. And the banter in this one is amazing! Another 5 stars.

Play Along by Liz Tomforde

Anddddd book number 4, following Kai's brother Isaiah and the only woman on the medical staff, Kennedy, who he's been hopelessly in love with for years. They accidentally get married in Vegas and honestly, the rest is history. This one is the sweetest of the series, in my opinion, but still with plenty of spice. I loved the arc of their relationship and how they both really grew as characters individually. Love love love, and no surprises it's a 5 star from me.

Rewind It Back by Liz Tomforde

The last book in the Windy City series and I wasn't ready for it to be over, honestly. In this one we get Rio, one of the most lovable characters who we've seen in every other book so far - when his childhood sweetheart moves in next door AND gets hired to renovate his house, there are a lot of mixed feelings but it's honestly overall just so sweet. Yes there's spice but more than anything this one was just so LOVELY. I adored this entire series and I can't wait for the spin-off. 5 stars!!!!

That's Not My Name by Megan Lally

I quite often listen to audiobooks while I'm working, especially if I seem to be having an admin-heavy day, and I got through this one in the space of two work days. It's a YA thriller, written as a dual POV between a boy who's searching for his missing girlfriend (who he's been accused of murdering) and a girl who has no memory of who she is. Twists, turns, botched investigations and plenty of pace. This was good! 4 stars.

The Weekend by T M Logan

I always enjoy a T M Logan book, and while this wasn't my favourite of his I still really liked it; I read this as a Netgalley ARC and it's due to release Feb 26th. It follows three couples on a walking holiday who find a backpack full of cash and go through all sorts of turmoil trying to decide what to do with - which, of course, leads to a whole heap of tension, violence and drama. The twist was quite obvious, in my opinion, but still an enjoyable read. I gave it 4 stars.

So that's everything I read in January 2026 with some quickfire book reviews; as always let me know if you've also read any of these books and what you thought of them...

What I'm spending on travel in 2026 as a travel blogger with a full time job

Lengthy title aside, I'm really interested in the financial side of travel and wanted to put this blog post together to share how much I end up spending on travel throughout 2026. While I'm not a full time travel blogger, it is my favourite pastime and all of my annual leave is spent on trips and holidays! 

I'm writing this intro in January after reading a similar blog post from my friend Laura, and I wanted to put together my own little version. Mine will look slightly different, as I'm going to update month by month as I book, pay for and actually go on all my 2026 trips. I know talking about money is taboo for some people, but I'm fascinated and I know there's plenty of nosy people out there just like me...

Also, a little caveat to say I'm including the full cost spent between me and my wife, as we of course share everything between us. At the end of the year I'll split it in half and see what we each ended up spending! I'm also not including the amount we add to our travel savings pots each month, as I'll include that money when it actually gets spent. Hopefully that makes sense, and without further ado let's get into what I'm spending on travel throughout 2026 as a travel blogger who (sadly) works full time.

What I spent on travel in January 2026

January was a month without any physical travel, as it often is for many people. But that's not to say money didn't get spent on travel! Here's what I paid out towards my all time favourite hobby of seeing the world...

£350 - cruise top-up payment. We booked our 2026 cruise with Marella and paid a deposit at the time; we then had to make a January payment before we pay the remainder of the balance in February. We were very lucky to get money towards our honeymoon as wedding gifts, so this came out of that pot.

£25 - cottage holiday deposit. We're going on a UK cottage break in December with my wife's family and I was in charge of the booking, so I paid out for the deposit to book this in.

£90 - new suitcases. My wife and I usually only travel with hand luggage, but for our cruise and our trip to Turkey this year we've got a much bigger luggage allowance so we needed to get some suitcases which we could fill with clothes and check in! I got our new ones from Tripp (in the January sale) which is my Dad's go-to brand so I know they're good.

£120 - deposit for a weekend break to Paris for my birthday in July. This was in fact easyJet credit we had from cancelling a trip last year, so technically free... #girlmaths 

January 2026 total: £585 

What I spent on travel in February 2026

Again, we didn't actually do any travelling in February - my wife did go to visit her parents, but I'm not counting that in this travel spending round up. We're really itching to go away at this point, so we're counting down the days to our cruise! Here's what we spent on travel in February 2026...

£4440.24 - final cruise balance. I think February will win as the highest spending month when it comes to travel... The majority of this payment has been sitting in the bank gaining interest since last year as a lot of it was made up from leftover wedding savings and our really lovely monetary gifts from family and guests. So, the the cruise is paid off and we're SO excited!

February 2026 total: £4440.24

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this total climbs throughout the year and working out what a travel blogger really spends on travel in a year!

26 books on my 2026 TBR

Let me tell you, my TBR is extensive. There are way more than 26 books on there, but I decided to pull out the 26 books I'm most excited to read in 2026 and share them with you for inspiration. Let's go!

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

I picked this up at a library book sale having heard so many good things about it, so it's definitely on my winter TBR for 2026. We'll actually be reading this for our February pick at my local book club, so it's a definite tick.

Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage

I'm nothing if not predictable so of course there had to be a cowboy romance on this list; I grabbed this in a charity shop a while back and I've not read it yet, so it's definitely on my 2026 TBR.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

We read The Kite Runner for one of our book club picks this year and I was just blown away by it, so when I saw A Thousand Splendid Suns in the charity shop I *had* to pick it up.

Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood

My friend picked up a signed copy of this for me from The Works, which is really special because Lucy is actually the Wirral just like me - I've just not got round to reading it yet, so it's definitely on my 2026 TBR!

The Weekend by T M Logan

T M Logan is one of my favourite thriller authors, and I have an arc of his upcoming release The Weekend from netgalley. I am of course aiming to read this before release day!

The Opposite of Murder by Sophie Hannah

Sophie Hannah is, always has been and always will be an auto-buy author for me; she's my favourite thriller author, and I've reviewed plenty of her books on my blog. I wasn't lucky enough to get an arc for this one but I'll be grabbing a copy as soon as it's released.

The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez

I actually read my first Abby Jimenez book in 2025, and this is an upcoming release which I'll definitely be trying to get my hands on and read in 2026.

Picture Imperfect by Jacqueline Wilson

I loved Jacqueline Wilson growing up, and I think it's fantastic that she's come back with a few adult novels. I actually went to the tour she did for this one so I have a copy, and I can't wait to read it this year.

Adversary to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Another 2026 release, and one I'm so excited for - I've loved this series and I'm really hoping this wraps it all up nicely.

Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkein (x3)

I've read The Hobbit, but I'm yet to actually read LOTR; I'm planning a big audiobook read of the whole series and I'm really looking forward to it. Dropping in with an update as I'm so late posting this blog post but I've listened to books one and two already. Stunning.

Drive Me Crazy by Lizzy Dent

I have loved Lizzy Dent since her debut and now she's got an F1 romance coming out?! Couldn't be more excited for this and I'm pretty sure it'll be a five star...

The Girls Trip by Ally Condie

Yet another new release coming out in April, this is a thriller which I'm really intrigued about as it follows some online besties who meet IRL for the first time and well, we've all been there!

Honey by Imani Thompson

I have a big old list of arcs on Netgalley to get through and this is one of them, set to be a comedic masterpiece apparently! It's a feminist thriller and I'm very eager to see what it's all about.

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

I love Em Hen, and I've read quite a few of hers now - but not this one, which I believe is her most recent romance. Very excited to hopefully pick it up in 2026!

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

This wasn't on my radar, but it has been chosen for one of our book club picks so it's now made it's way onto my TBR and I'm so intrigued. Very much not my genre of choice but I love branching out.

One of us is Next by Karen M McManus

I am really trying to get through some of the book series I've started and abandoned, so picking up book two in this series is very much on my radar as I really enjoyed the first!

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

I've heard such great things about this book and it's been on my shelf for ages, so I hope 2026 is the year I get round to reading it.

Game, Set, Match by Jennifer Iacopelli

Sports romances are some of my favourite books and this is a steamy tennis romance so it's right up my street! (Another NetGalley ARC)

The Do-Over by Lynn Painter

I really enjoy a YA read, and Lynn Painter's have always been ones I've found worth reading. I picked this up in the charity shop just before Christmas, so it's definitely on my TBR for the year.

Some Like it Scot by Pepper Basham

A new-to-me author, I actually got this book in my Wordy & Wild subscription box last year; I seem to really favour romance books set in Scotland, so of course I've got high hopes for this one!

Fall into Temptation by Lucy Score

I really enjoyed the Knockemout series by Lucy Score, but I've not read anything else from her so when I saw this one in the charity shop I had to pick it up; I'll be saving it for autumn...

Cape Fever by Nadia Davids

This is out of my comfort zone for sure, but I got a proof from Scribner and I'm really looking forward to reading it - it's a historical thriller!

The Pledge by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett

This is another NetGalley ARC I need to get to, and one I'm really looking forward to - it's a thriller set on a remote island full of billionaires. Sign me up...

Champagne Problems by Hannah Grace

I've enjoyed Hannah Grace's previous romance reads, and this is another F1 romance - so I'm sure I'll love this one just as much. It's set to come out this autumn!

So those are 26 books on my 2026 TBR; of course, there will end up being a LOT more books I want to read throughout the course of this year, but these are top of my list at the moment. Let me know if you've read any of the other that are already out, or have your eye on any of the newer releases.