Thank you so much to Gallery Books for an advance copy of this book!

This book will be published on June 4th, 2024.

"And your hobby-hopping is entertaining as hell. I just worry you're chasing something because you're afraid to stand still."
"Standing still is overrated."

A romance book about birding? It doesn't sound very hot but trust me IT IS!

You do not need to be a birder to enjoy this book. I know almost next to nothing about birds but just that there are a lot out there. And there was a lot about birds woven throughout the book but not enough where I felt it got annoying or too much. It actually made me want to listen more to the birds and my surroundings. The author did a lot of research for this and you could tell.

One thing I loved about this book is that both of our main characters are not spring chickens. They are both in their 40s trying to navigate casual hook up to what it's like dating in their 40s. The friendships for each of the MCs were great! I am not sure what the author has in store for her next book but I would love to see a book with Chris as the MMC.

"But what if it is a me thing, just a little? What if I'm not built to be the kind of person someone wants?"

I felt like I could relate to the quote above. It's been a long time since I was dating but I am sure those were feelings during that time but I find this really relatable when just meeting new people. Am I going to embarrass myself? Am I going to be too much? Who is going to want to be friends with me because I can be "too much"? It is always nice to find elements in the books that are about one thing but you interpret them into something else.

I will say the first 40% of this book was a little slow for me but once the flirting and the romance kicked in. The rest of the read was rather smooth. And it did get pretty spicy! More spicy than what I thought it was going to get. The romance between Celeste and John was a slow build but their quiet chemistry was very apparent early on. They really were ying & yang to one another. At one point Celeste thought that was why they wouldn't work, they were just too different but that's what made it work. She brought out his more outspoken side and he allowed her to be her.

I thought this was a great debut & I will keep my eye out for the author's next book!

I highly recommend if you love the outdoors, older MCs who fake date, love of birds & rediscovering yourself later in life!