This is a gorgeous, thoughtful book full of character depth and sheer beauty. I would re-read Bend Toward the Sun again and again just for Devon's artful descriptions of soil, plants, and the natural world of the vineyard where the book takes place. Rowan and Harry are so real that I felt like new people had truly entered my life, and Devon shows great caring for her characters and readers throughout. And the sexual tension and sex scenes are AMAZING!

3.5 stars

Bend Toward the Sun was not quite what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a sweet romance (it is), but it’s also really emotional and angsty. It straddled the line between romance and womens fiction and I felt a bit blindsided by the level of grief and pain in the main characters lives. I definitely recommend checking the CW’s below.

Overall I enjoyed Bend Toward the sun, but the pacing was on the slower side and sometimes the level of plant/scenery detail felt overwhelming. I was often confused by the actions of Rowan and Harry and would go from loving how tender they were together to being annoyed. I may not have agreed with their choices, but the book captured these imperfect people navigating love and life in an honest and real way. We all have tempers, baggage, and are not always our best selves. This is a messy and complicated love story between two messy and complicated people. The sweet moments had me swooning though and I was pleasantly surprised by how spicy the book was. I loved the overall message of forgiving and loving yourself and the secondary characters were fantastic - especially the Brady family. A few hints were dropped about possible future books featuring the other Brady siblings and I’m definitely intrigued by Duncan and Temperance.

CW: Death of patient (emergency delivery resulting in maternal death (not a main character) - past but is a significant part of the story), grief, arachnophobia, anxiety, panic attacks (on page), parental neglect and abandonment (past), death of loved one (past), cheating ex (past), gaslighting

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

Wow this book is what romance needs!! I was swooning at this botany romance from page on. Will now be following Jen Devon anywhere!

𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯 follows Rowan, an emotionlly gaurded botanist tasked with re-establishing an old vinyard owned by the
Brady's - a boisterous, loving bunch basically the exact of her childhood growing up. And she doesn't her growing attraction to one of the sons: Harry to be a complication for her job or her heart.

- ~ -

This book was so emotional and for what!?
The writing was a whirlwind; perfectly poetic for the romance half but absolutely, heart breakingly antagonizing for the emotional bits.

There's something so enthralling and refreshing about men being romantics (future husband better take notes).
Harry is one such archetype.
He is a smitten, soft, cinnamon roll of a man and it was pretty clear from their first interaction that he's halfway head over heels for Rowan. Also his little gestures of showing his love? Swoon.

Rowan also proves to be a fierce protagonist. She's as determined as she's afraid to be vulnerable but as they say love overcomes all and Harry along with his family help her open up to taking chances with her heart. Also all the love to Grandma Edie.

The aesthetics of the plot were visceral. The somber setting combined with an equally innate attraction the characters portrayed created an intense atmosphere, one you immediately wish to be immersed in and never want to part with.

Side note: I just know Duncan's up next then probably Mal and I am inexplicably impatient. Their POVs are going to be the end of me!

- ~ - 

4.26 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘵. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Rowan is a frustrated botanist. Her final findings in pursuit of her doctorate have been disallowed. On some of her research, she must start anew. She is tired however of the academia and unknowingly longs for real dirt on her hands and the sun in her eyes. On the other side of the country, Harrison is struggling with having lost a patient. He returns to his family and the simple life to heal. In the midst of a family game they meet. The chemistry is instant. So begins her journey toward a more beautiful side of botany and family and his toward healing his own healing hands and heart. They both have baggage in the relationship department and deep hurts to get over. Will the vines of a neglected orchard in Pennsylvania provide the grounds for the rebirth of the process needed to love again?
This book is a story of love, goodness, and what returning to hard work and the healing powers of earth can do for the soul. It is a story that reeks of smooth sensuality. It is a well-written journey of the inner core of two lovers striving toward each other but having to literally clear the remains of their earlier lives in order to reach their own destiny. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of love and simplicity intertwined with complexity. Thanks to Jen Devon for such a beautifully written story. Also thanks to #NetGalley#BendTowardtheSun for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A redeeming read! Cover is a bit odd and doesn't do the story justice.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 stars. A nice first effort from this author. I liked the story enough to read it all the way to the end.

I liked that the story was told through the eyes of both main characters. I also enjoyed the family dynamics and Rowan's interactions with her two best friends.

I had to suspend belief regarding the family's startup of the vineyard as it didn't really make sense. There also were times when the actions of the characters didn't ring true or when the dialogue felt awkward. However, I will probably read Devon's next book as it her writing has a lot of potential as do the romances of several of the supporting characters hinted at in this story.

Profanity and graphic sex.

Bend Towards the Sun by Jen Devon a new to me author. Didn't know what to expect with this book. Seemed like a good storyline. Maybe it was my mood I just had a hard time with this book. Glad I gave it a try.

This book grabbed me from the first page. Very unique story about learning to love yourself and others. The setting at a winery in Pennsylvania also intrigued me. I was almost sad when it was over.

Oh my god, this book. BEND TOWARD THE SUN is maybe my favorite contemporary romance I've... ever read? It's beautiful and it made my heart ache but not in a way that triggered my anxiety (a major problem I have with contemporaries), and I felt all warm and fuzzy at the end. It made me feel like I was a bath towel that got washed on the heavy cycle and dried in high heat but then came out of the process fluffier than ever. The characters are so lovable and lived-in, you can totally imagine them having lives off the page, and I fully believed in their attraction and their connection every second of the way. But the shining star of this book may be the setting, which is so gorgeously described that I feel like I've been there. Jen Devon's writing reminds me of old Nora Roberts contemporary series, where there's always something being restored and a bunch of brothers giving each other a hard time (both NR and Jen Devon are fantastic at writing male characters who are complex and realistic). But while this book is a part of a planned series, it has Big Standalone Energy, with so much attention paid to the prose at the line level that it's just such a pleasure to read in every way. Thank you so much to SMP for the ARC, and to Jen Devon for letting me scream at her in her DMs about how much I love her writing.

OK the entire time I was reading this book I saw it being acted out. It felt like I was reading a movie. It felt real. Tangible. When I had to put the book away for you know, life, I was wondering what Harry and Rowan were going through. So many books have drama just to make a book; but here drama is real and right and moves the storyline along beautifully. I don’t have fancy things to add about character development and plot summary - this book is about love… how it hurts us and how it heals us. I loved this book and cannot wait to share it with friends.

Romantic and beautifully written, I loved the story of these two very different characters finding love. Science and medicine and romance works together just perfectly! Perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood, Colleen Hoover Christina Lauren or Emily Henry! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, this book knocked by socks off! Hats off to you Jen Devon. I love a love story with heart, that portrays real people going through real hurdles to find themselves and then their way to each other and that's exactly what Bend Toward the Sun delivers. I think the second chance romance was expertly done here. The prose was superb, the setting was whimsical, and the pacing, in my books, was right on. I fell in love with the Brady family and characterization and the depth that Devon brought to Rowan and Harry. Their chemistry felt real. This is a very tender love story, which is a great contrast to the billion romcoms in the market.

I received an ARC of, Bend Toward the Sun, by Jen Devon. I thought the book was only ok. I thought it had to much swearing. Rowan was ok if a little too rigid.

4.5 stars
Although Bend Toward the Sun is a beautiful romance, the character writing in this book is what stood out to me. The two main characters were impressively well written and their personalities and struggles felt very real. Additionally, they were very compatible and had great chemistry. Overall, this is a great romance, but also just a really great story.

I went into this knowing that a lot of people really liked it. I’d seen it recommended several times before I decided that I had to request the arc. So I did and I do not regret it one bit. This book was super sweet. I loved the characters, their backstories and tragedies, and how they came together to help each other through. I also appreciated that while they had chemistry pretty instantly, it wasn’t instalove. It took time for that to happen. The writing was also phenomenal. Early on in the book I just kind of sat back like, wow, this girl knows how to write. The only thing I didn’t like was how planty it got at times but I guess that’s what happens on a vineyard with a botanist! I will definitely be reading more from Jen Devon.

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

Aw, I decided to request Bend Toward the Sun on a whim, and I’m so glad I did!
 
I love reading love stories that feel real and honest, and this is undoubtedly one of them. I fell in love with both Harry and Rowen, and I swooned over them so much. It’s one of the slowest of slowest slow burns I read this year, but so worth the read! The writing is gorgeous, and Jen Dvon pulled me into the story, and I just couldn’t let go. And I adore the cover, by the way!

WOW. Jen Devon was born to be a writer. I am in love with the way she writes and cannot wait to read more of her work. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it was everything and more. I found myself dragging out the reading of this book because I didn't want it to end. It was such a beautiful, emotional story and I am so in love with Harry and Rowan. There was a lot of baggage that both characters carried and I was so happy to see them get the happy ending that they deserved. The Brady's were so lovely and I am desperately hoping that we get to see a Temperance and Duncan story in the future. This book exceeded my expectations and is most definitely one of my favourites of the year!

I absolutely LOVED this book. The story was fantastic - I loved the romance, the family, and especially the winery setting. I've already recommended that our Adult Librarian add this to the August cart. Looking forward to other books by this author in the future - a great debut!

Harry and Rowan meet during a particularly competitive game of hide & seek which was just excellent and from there I knew I was going to love this one. I love a big family in books and especially love when big families take in characters who don’t have family and don’t understand the love in big families. The Brady family was so fun to read about and I think I see which characters are getting books and I hope I’m right.

This book has a lot going on and yet doesn’t have much of an overarching plot. Which are my favorite types of books. The book relies on the characters emotions and gorgeous writing. Harry and Rowan have great banter with each other, but also with Rowan’s friends and the other Brady siblings.

This book is emotional. Both characters have trauma (new for Harry & old for Rowan) and they deal with it in very different ways and expect the other to react which causes some conflict.

What I really loved about the 3rd act conflict is that it happens a tad earlier (around 75%) so we really get to see them make up in a way that felt real and then still got some moments of them as a couple. I literally cried at two points at the end.

I was hesitant to pick this one up because based on the cover I had no idea what I was getting into but a few extremely positive reviewed made me request the ARC and I’m so glad I did. I can’t wait to see what Jen Devon writes next.

Also, the title is adorable. Plants grow towards the sun, seeking out sunlight to survive, and I fully believe that both Harry and Rowan bent towards each other to save themselves which makes the other the sun in their eyes.