DNF @ 38%

This one mostly fell victim to my epic book slum of 2022. I have seen a lot of positive reviews for this one, but I just could not get into the story. The FMC honestly annoyed me and after putting it down I just could not pick it back up. I kept waiting to try and start this one up again but I think for now I am just leaving it as a DNF

When I tell you I was not prepared for this book....

Beautifully written and with a powerful pull. The characters were so complex, well developed and just likeable as all get out. The slow burn isn't something I tend to like but this one was like an eager anticipation.

I loved this book! I finished it awhile ago and forgot to review but it was amazing and I will be reading anything else I can find by this author!

This took me a while to get onto because right post the bat there were so many characters, it felt like I was starting in the middle of a book or series. This was an emotional book and heavier on the women’s fiction side of things. I liked it but I was hoping for a stronger romance than it was.

This is easily one of the most stunning, heartbreakingly beautiful, poetic books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I'm not even sure how to put into words how brilliant this book is. Rowan and Harry will have you crying, laughing and loving throughout their journey. Even the sadder pieces of this story are written so exquisitely you will be hooked to the page. I highly recommend this book to everyone who will listen and I am eager to read everything else Jen Devon writes. Thank you Griffin Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Harry and Rowan's story was lovely and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read this book. Harry's pain at his loss felt real, and Rowan's push to overcome her past and find herself worthy of love was so visceral.

Devon's prose is gorgeous, and she does such a great job with developing characters that you want to know more about, and describing a setting so real it's like you've been there. I can't wait to read more of her work.

This book is wonderful in so many ways! When botanist Rowan ends up working to revive the grounds and vineyards of a Philadelphia estate she ends up with more than she bargained for. Obstetrician Harry is returns to the east coast to help get over the loss of a patient. The two try and avoid the spark between them but time together leads them to fall for each other. Can Rowan learn to trust Harry and can Harry leave his guilt behind? Not only does the reader learn a lot of interesting horticultural facts but the story also shines a light on emotional abuse and mental health. I really hope there is second book coming because I want more!

Thank you, St. Martin's Press, for my gifted review copy of Bend Toward the Sun by Jen Devon.

Say hello to one of my favorite books of 2022. Bend Toward the Sun by Jen Devon is beautiful, atmospheric, memorable and a satisfying love story. I savored every word of this one!

Rowan and Harry - two characters who are so powerful they will now stand on their own in Romancelandia. I loved them both and wanted to shake them both equally. That's when I know the author is writing something really special. The emotions I felt for these two were so undeniable. I wanted the best for them and dammit if they didn't keep getting in their own way. Okay, let me back up a bit.

I appreciated that Rowan was detached from any sort of desire to have a romantic relationship. I say appreciated here because I wanted to push her into being with Harry. But, that's not Rowan. Same for Harry. There's a spark that is present with these two from the beginning. I couldn't even tell you how or when it happen because it is so easy to get lost in Jen Devon's prose. I'm just reading along and drooling over Jen's writing and dreaming about the land, the insects, and the sky. Before I know it, I'm like, Hello, you two need to be together.

Harry is working through his own stuff too. He's back at home with his wonderful family. Please, can we get a follow-up novel about this wonderful family. Honestly, I would even go for a prequel with the parents. I'm seriously hoping this family exists in real life and I could move into this vineyard with them. I'm a hard worker, I won't be a bother. Please text me the address - thank you.

I am Really Into This book! Bend Toward the Sun by Jen Devon is a novel with two characters who are healing - each on their won timeline. It's a beautiful reminder that we are all worthy and deserving of love. I couldn't love it more.

I didn’t know what to expect being that this is a debut author but I loved this book!

I’m a romance reader - I love them. I admit they’re usually heavily focused on the two main characters though. Bend Towards the Sun had the MCs but I was heavily invested in the secondary characters as well. I didn’t want to this one to end.

If you’re not so hot on the tropes and cliques of modern romance books and into major character development then Read. This. Book.

I really hope Jen Devon writes another - I will be grabbing that as fast as I can get my hands on it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review.

Another great debut, and I feel like I'm on a roll so far this year!

BEND TOWARD THE SUN is "a heartwarming, sensual, beautifully written story", When an academic setback leads Rowan to take on the restoration of an abandoned vineyard, she relishes the opportunity to restore the grapes to their former glory.

It was overall a great love story between Rowan and Harrison as they navigate their emotions and sort out their own baggage from their past, and bonus points because I always appreciate a romance with steam. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Chris Brinkley and Erin Mallon, and thought they were good at bringing the character voices to light.

*many thanks to St Martins Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

This was an absolute gem of a book. I loved the balance between sweet and steam. I absolutely adored stem and botany woven within the story. There is something about higher academia that I just love in books. I loved not only the main characters but also all of the side characters who I feel really added depth to the story. I also think there is something so enduring about someone who wants to give love so badly to someone that is rejecting it seemingly at all stops. If you cant tell this book is just absolutely adored by me. I would love there to be so many more books written in this world but I can tell you that I am an instant Jen Devon fan now.

A sweet story about starting over after struggles. I did like the two MC's and their draw to each other. But I've been watching a few too many Hallmark movies lately and this one felt just a little too sweet and a little too perfect. It was nice while I read it but I don't know that it is a stand out.

<i>A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.</i>

I loved this book, mainly because like many of other people stated that it was not tropey which is really hard to do i feel nowadays especially with booktok. that being said i loved the romance between the two main characters flowed and i loved the description of the scenery. Would definitely recommend friends.

Thank you so much to Jen Devon, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5

While I do like a good slow burn this one burned a little too slow for the first 35-40% but the writing is beautiful and I loved the family aspect. So much so I'd definitely pick up another one with the same family/friend group! Harry and Rowan were both great characters. The descriptions of the farm and vineyards really made you see it.

What a stunning debut by author, Jen Devon! This is a heart-warming, perfect romance in which I was transported into the setting with ease. I felt liked I lived at the vineyard that Harry’s parents bought. Rowan ends up helping with the restoration of the vineyard, and we get to feel the development of their romance. They both have a lot of baggage to deal with, but together, it seems they can take on the world.

The Bradys, Harry’s family, are those type of people that you want to associate with and love forever. I want to move to the vineyard today and live and work there with them! It sure would be nice to get a few more books with these characters!

Thanks to NetGalley, Jen Devon, and St. Martin’s Press for this review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily!

Rowan McKinnon doesn't believe in love. She hides deep wounds from her negligent mom and a fiancé who treated her like a pawn. After dealing with an academic setback she has the chance to restore an abandoned vineyard. While there she meets a doctor named Harrison Brady, who is struggling after losing a patient. I loved this book so much, it had everything. Romance, humor, and an epic love story between Rowan and Harrison. I highly recommend it, you won't be disappointed. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

I loved this read. The premise was so good and the writing was wonderful. I really enjoyed the love story and cannot wait to read more from this author in the future.

Rowan's career is in a holding pattern and she decides to pass the time working at a small family vineyard. Harry is taking a pause from his career as doctor after a bad outcome shook his confidence. He ends up at his family's vineyard to work through his trauma where he meets Rowan. They are both dealing with significant trauma from their past and try to keep things casual. To make their relationship real, they will both have to confront their past.

This book is hilarious, sweet, and sexy, the perfect trifecta. I want to join a dinner with the Brady family and visit their bed and breakfast. I loved the realistic portrayal of Rowan and Harry's feelings. Without giving too much away, I thought the way their past traumas impacted their current desires was very relatable and made me want them to heal together. This book will give you all the feels and make you laugh out loud. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book.

3.5 stars

This was a sweet romance with great mental health representation. I loved the women in STEM representation from the FMC Rowan (a botanist, who has recently defended her PhD).

I did feel like something was missing to truly make me love this book or feel truly connected to the characters. Overall I did enjoy it and look forward to reading other books from the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was truly a book that I did not want to rush through because I wanted to soak up the nature-filled descriptions of the vineyard setting and the emotions of two people struggling with their issues of giving and accepting love. My only problem was keeping track of the numerous members of Harrison's big family. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for a copy to read and review.