I’m usually a big fan of Katie Cotugno’s books, especially How to Love, but this one feel a little short for me. Birds of California tells the story of Fiona, a former actress on a popular family sitcom and Sam, her on-screen older brother. The network is aiming to bring back the show for a revival but it all depends on if Fiona agrees to come back, which is definitely something she does not want. Sam, a current struggling actor, tries to convince to sign on and romance ensues.

The pacing of this book did not work for me. There’s clearly a reason why Fiona is struggling with her past but it’s kind of lightly mentioned and brought up again right at the end and there’s no real closure or resolution, at least not for me. This book felt a little underwhelming. We didn’t get resolution to the story, the issue is hardly really addressed and it just felt a little all over the place.

This is probably the first of Cotugno’s characters that didn’t feel fully fleshed and fell a little flat for me, which is sad because her characters usually feel like real people. I wasn’t really invested in the romance and the story wasn’t impactful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC.

I absolutely loved this book. I’m a big fan of Katie Cotugno. Her books consume me and have me thinking about them for days after I’ve finished. I read How To Love years ago and have reread it more times than I can count. Birds of California is an amazing story about Fiona, an actress trying to live a normal, quiet life after a messy past while acting in a television series. l loved everything about Fiona- her temper, humor, and kindness. I can’t recommend Birds of California enough. It was such an enjoyable read and I can’t thank NetGalley and Harper Perennial enough for my e-galley. This wonderful book is out April 26th.

Fiona is a former childhood actress that left the spotlight after a series of events. She had turned into a tabloids dream landing herself into less than ideal situations. She welcomes her current quite life out of the spot light. That is until Sam Fox shows up in her place of business.

Sam fox was Fiona’s costar in the hit show they both started in. Sam’s show has been canceled leaving him broke and jobless. His agent contacts him with the opportunity for a reboot of the show Birds of California. The only catch is he needs Fiona to agree to join the reboot.


This is sort of friends to lovers story. Essentially they grew up
together and had a romantic interest in each other. Fiona is very closed off and sort of unpredictable. Sam is friendly and the guy everyone loves. Although both play into the roles they create for themselves. Underneath their facades is the real Sam and Fiona. They are lonely and isolated craving real connection.

I really enjoyed reading their story, I love Fiona sass and her take no sh*t attitude. This book does have some potential triggering plots. Make sure to read the plot to understand the possible triggers.

Overall I think this was a great book. I found it highly entertaining. Its a slow burn 🔥 romance with an important topic presented in a very sensitive manner.

It’s has some spice but I would rate it a 2/5. I definitely recommend checking this book out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for providing an Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Fiona and Sam met years ago while playing siblings on the hit family sitcom Birds of California. The show was canceled when Fiona went off the rails. Now there’s interest in rebooting the show. Sam is tasked with getting Fiona to participate, but the truth as to why things fell apart in the first place may jeopardize that.

I wanted to like this story so bad. It’s a lovely concept and the characters are fun. However, the pacing was all over the place. Fiona is clearly struggling with events from the past but they are never addressed until the very end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Books for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Harper Perennial and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED Katie Cotungo’s Young Adult romance novels. I was very excited to hear that she had delved into the Adult genre. Sadly, this one did not do it for me. The relationship between Sam & Fiona fell flat. They were very toxic for each other. I was hoping to get more in depth in the contemporary/women’s fiction side of things with Fiona’s background. But it needed more shaping. We NEED more stories like this, because sadly a lot of of actresses deal with a lot of pressure and abuse from the press and on set. I think of Jennette McCurdy who dealt with a lot of trauma from her producer. A lot of people have to seek mental health help and sadly many fall into pits of addition and need rehab. I would’ve LOVED more depth in her personal growth and PTSD. Sam was sweet, but his story didn’t feel genuine. Wanted more with the story of him & his mother.

Please do NOT label this one as just a happy-go-lucky rom-com. Yes, there is some fun banter. But it does deal with serious topics, so please look up trigger warnings before reading.

I think both of the characters need more emotional depth, and chemistry. The romance fell flat because the characters were flat.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Having kept a low profile since her public breakdown, Fiona was enjoying her new life. On the heels of an announcement of the Birds of California reboot, Fiona was reunited with her former co-star, Sam, who hoped to get her onboard. Along the way, old feelings, good and bad, were reawakened, and the truth was finally revealed.

I was excited when I heard Katie Cotugno was writing an adult novel. As a huge fan of her young adult books, I had high expectations, and Cotugno did not disappoint. Fair warning, I will struggle with articulating my love for this book, but in short, it was an engrossing story which had me hooked from page one. I laughed, I cried, I raged, I felt it all, and books that make me feel so much are always favorites.

I loved this book for all the things this author brings to all her books. I swear, Cotugno is the master of messy characters. They are always fabulously flawed, but never fail to endear themselves to me. Fiona was so broken from her past. Slowly, all was revealed, but along the way I got to know this funny and brilliant woman who was dealing with the trauma of her past. Even though I didn’t know her full story, I cared and felt so much empathy for her. There were some confessional moments in there that moved me to tears, too. It was comforting that Fiona had a small, but solid, circle of supporters, and that Sam came back into her life.

Maybe Sam didn’t reach out to Fiona with the most pure intentions, but it became obvious that he grew to care for her. I loved Fiona+Sam so much! The chemistry and banter was fantastic, but I also reveled in seeing their teen crush blossom into love. As with most things, it was a rocky road, but there were so many beautiful and touching moments shared between them, and let’s not forget the grand gesture.

I always enjoy reading a Katie Cotugno book, and this was another great one. As expected, her characters were wonderfully messy and won my heart. I adored the banter between Fiona and Sam and really wanted their romance to happen, but more importantly, I wanted Fiona to reclaim her life. It was stolen from her in so many ways, and it was wonderful that a part of her past actually helped her move forward.

I found this to be an interesting read but had a little bit of a tough time with the overall story. I liked the characters and the writing but I think overall this book just wasn't for me.

Every now and then, I love going into a book blind. That's exactly what I did with Birds of California. I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. It was funny, steamy, and the exact kind of romantic comedy I didn't know I needed to read.

The book follows Fiona and Sam, former costars of the television show Birds of California. Fiona had a very public meltdown and left acting, while Sam continued to have success as a popular TV show actor. When a reboot of Birds of California is proposed, it brings Fiona and Sam back into each other's lives.

I devoured Birds of California in one sitting. A wonderful read from beginning to end. Highly recommend this book!

4.5/5 stars

Thank you Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Fiona St. James is a Lindsay Lohan-style teen tv star who has a breakdown and goes off the rails all over the tabloids. Ten years later, the show that made her famous wants to do a reboot, and Fiona wants nothing to do with it. Her (super hot) tv brother, Sam, is desperate for the show to happen, so he contacts Fiona to try to change her mind. Cue the tumultuous but sweet romance!

•-•-•-•

I saw a post about this book on Instagram, and since I’ve discovered a new love of contemporary romance, I knew I needed to read it. Engaging characters, some funny parts, and a little steam combined perfectly to make an extremely entertaining book with a bit of social commentary.

I do wish the reason for Fiona’s refusal to do the show had been fleshed out earlier and in more detail — it was pretty clear what the explanation was going to be, but I wish it had been addressed a little more head-on.

Overall, this was a great book!

This book was a great debut into adult fiction by Katie Cutongo. Many parts of it were enjoyable but it did leave a bit to be desired. I felt like there were more places where the plot and characters could be elaborated. The ending also seemed to wrap up too quickly. I am still very excited to read more of Katie Cutongo's adult fiction in the future.

I’m a big fan of Cotugno’s ’99 Days’ duology, so I was excited to read her adult debut.

There were definitely parts of Birds of California I found enjoyable. I do think it could have done with being longer to help develop the character arcs and story more. It had a lot of things I wish it would have expanded on to make the overall story more well-rounded. The characters weren’t easy to root for, and I think if more time would have been spent on their development, getting to know why they are the way they are, it would have made the book better.

I’m still interested to see what Cotugno writes next.

I liked this book for the most part: the characters were interesting and had dimension and the premise was new and different. The problem was the big reveal at the end that seemed to tie up too neatly in a bow. Had it been revealed earlier, we could have understood more about the main character and her journey.

Thank you to Harper Perennial for an e-ARC of this book!
I liked the concept of this book and it felt like it was set in the 80s rather than modern day which I enjoyed. I liked the dual perspective and getting to see into each of the main characters more. That being said, I found both Sam and Fiona to be quite unlikeable for a lot of the book. I also think there was a subplot point that should have been mentioned earlier. I think the characters and their former TV world could have been flushed out a little more as well. Overall it just fell a bit flat for me.

This book took me by complete surprise in the best possible way! I honestly requested this based solely off of the cover and title and I had no idea what it was really about, but this story and these characters completely captivated me. I loved how messy and imperfect Fiona was. Watching her let down her walls and reveal herself to Sam was so lovely and done so well. The relationship between the two felt perfectly real. And as someone born and raised in Los Angeles, all of the Hollywood vibes in this book were totally spot on. I thought the whole child star setup was super interesting and I really enjoyed the author's voice. Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop!

What initially caught my eye for Birds of California was this extremely beautiful cover! This romantic comedy is the authors adult debut. The heroine was a very strong character and she was written so well. I also really love enemies to lovers trope! The spice was an excellent touch! This will make for a fantastic summer read!


*Thank you so much to the publishers for gifting me an early release copy to give an honest review. My opinions are my own*

I was initially intrigued, but it just didn't do it for me once I learned what the story was about. I was almost looking forward to the show's reunion and seeing it play out. I didn't expect it to be about the two main characters slowly getting together. I also didn't find the characters to be very likable. This book just wasn't for me.

I've long been a fan of Katie Cotugno's YA books so I was excited to get my hands on her adult debut. Birds of California absolutely delivered. First of all, I want to move to California immediately. Second of all, I love Fiona and Sam's story in all its messy realness. Sam is truly the himbo we need and deserve and I found Fiona immensely relatable (although I suspect this won't be the case for everyone).

Katie Cotugno did it again with Birds of California.

I’ve been a huge fan of Cotugno from the beginning and was super excited to read the ARC for her first Adult Romance. Birds of California is coming of age story about the messy and self-destructive former child actor Fiona St. James. When the network wants to reboot the series, Birds of California, she is sought out by the famous Sam Fox, who once played her older brother on the series. The two of them could not be more opposite, but that’s what makes sparks fly. This book is sexy, smart, and at times depressing. Cotugno is the queen of complicated stories and boy does this one have its twist and turns.

Thank you, Net Galley and Harper Perennial, for the e-arc!

Birds of California by Katie Cotugno is the coming of age story of Fiona St. James, a child actor who self-destructed in a very public way. After years of isolating herself, when her former co-star, Sam Fox, comes into her life again, she wants nothing to do with him or the business. Neither one can deny to chemistry between them, but they both have secrets they are keeping from each other. Secrets they both believe their new found friendship cannot survive if revealed. Fiona's secret is obvious early on in the story and it defines her. Advertised as a romantic comedy, this book deals with some heavier topics. And because of that, I wish it was longer and went deeper. There were other characters, such as Fiona's dad that also had a storyline that never developed. But there is romance and there is light heartedness. As it is, it's a quick and entertaining read. And while both characters are flawed, I still found them very endearing.

I rounded up from 3.75 ⭐️. While I did like the story and the writing I didn’t love the characters. They just were not super likable. Fiona was a complete mess and Sam wasn’t much better. I do think as the book went on I grew to appreciate them more. I also felt the story touched on several different topics but didn’t really elaborate. I think more development of certain points might have given it more depth.

Thank you Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the ARC.