I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

3.5⭐️ This was such a unique romance, featuring a forty- something-year- old Celeste in post-divorce season of life. I had no idea that I would enjoy learning about birdwatching so much.

Celeste agrees to help a friend and ends up paired up in a birding competition, with John.

*many thanks to Gallery Book, Simon audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

“Birding with Benefits” by Sarah T. Dubb is a fun and refreshing take on romance, with a unique meet-cute and a series of adventures that kept me turning the pages. The birdwatching theme brought an original twist to the story, and I appreciated the creativity in how the characters were brought together. However, I found the chemistry between the main characters a bit lacking. While they had shared experiences, the emotional connection I was hoping for didn’t quite land, making it hard for me to fully invest in their romance. Overall, it’s a charming read with a fresh premise, but it missed the deeper spark I was hoping for.

Really interesting premises! I love when a romance isn't just about the romance, like how this had the birding competition and all the fun facts that come with that. But Celeste, girl, you need therapy.

This book was a DNF for me. I got to 30% and decided it was not for me. Hopefully it will be a good fit for someone else!

I finally got a chance to read this book, bit i really struggles to get into the story. After a great first chapter the story slowed way down until I was left forcing myself to keep reading, while really not engaged.

I did really like the heroine and her unabashed quirkiness and flaws. She felt very real and I loved that.

Eventually the story just couldn't hold my attention. Sadly, this book just wasn't a good fit for me.

Birding with benefits is a fun rom com with cocks and tits both human and avian. I appreciated the Accurate and humorous birding scenarios, bird trivia, a great portrayal of an aging mother/daughter relationship , and some good spiceee. Overall a lighthearted romance for ornithologists and romanceologists alike.

Sarah T. Dubb is a must-read author. I absolutely adore her voice and the care she puts into crafting relatable and deep characters in such a heartfelt way. This story has my whole heart and I loved reading about a woman rediscovering herself and her sense of adventure.

This was lovely and well done for a debut.

Things I loved:
• I legitimately started noticing birds differently pretty much immediately while reading this book
• Older MCs is always a treat
• Celeste's mission to be independent and try new things (even if it might have been to a fault) and the way that the people around her help her see things differently
• John's measuredness, honesty - I mean he's a cinnamon roll
• The teeny tiny hint that has me shipping Chris with John's brother or basically Chris with anyone in a book two
• How real it all felt despite the romcom / fake relationship set up (the friendships, the mother-daughter relationship, the relationship development)
• That the story didn't lean too hard into a lack of communication - ultimately they were really good at talking to each other and the conflict was very clearly internal, which I appreciated

Things I didn't love as much:
• It feels overdone to have a hero who is so overly invested in the heroine's pleasure that reciprocation is deprioritized and in general the intimate scenes were very hit or miss for me
• The sort-of evil ex-girlfriend (although that does get resolved pretty well)

I whole heartedly recommend this book and will definitely pick up whatever the author writes next.

This was so good. 4.5 rounded down for the sole fact that Celeste should have been in therapy. This book was fantastic in so many ways. I loved everything Celeste stood for but she definitely could have gone a step further and gone to therapy after her divorce and part of her self discovery. Having been in 2 long term relationships that ended up not working out, I completely understand where she's coming from. Though neither one resulted in marriage or last more than a decade, I still couldn't imagine myself closing off the part of me that just wanted love. Even being single in my mid thirties, it's still something I want. And that's coming from someone who was cheated on and got a very shit end of the stick.

I loved John. He was incredible the whole time. A++++ book boyfriend. Most men should strive to be a John. I think he definitely learned a lot too and I was glad to see his growth. Also the name of his new business made me tear up and I feel like Celeste just glossed over it when she learned of it. Like hello.... it alludes to her and what she stands for.

The conflict with Morgan also irritated me and I feel like the therapy could have helped Celeste navigate that aspect. We didn't see many interactions between the two regarding Morgan's future but I definitely feel like Celeste was asking the wrong questions and it absolutely makes sense why Morgan stalled on being fully open about her plans. And Celeste pushing her beliefs onto her daughter like she did was a big no no. Part of learning and growing as young adults into adulthood is going after relationships and experiencing heartbreak. You can't keep anyone you've from that. And that may not even be their experience.

As a whole, I 100% recommend this book. Cannot thank Netgalley and the publisher enough for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I don't think I realized this was going to be as explicit as it was, otherwise I wouldn't have requested it... yikes. DNF for me, but I won't read super smutty books. I also felt no connection with the FMC and it all just felt way overdone.

"Birding with Benefits" is the first novel written by Sarah Dubb, and it has a very original premise: Celeste agrees to do her friend a favor and ends up in a birding competition partnered with John. While she knows next to nothing about birds, John is a good teacher and Celeste learns quickly. But birds aren't the only things on their minds; they can't ignore the chemistry between them. While they both are reluctant to get into a relationship, their decision to be "birders with benefits" quickly turns into something deeper.

I thought this book had a really unique story line, but needs a little tightening up in the edit. Overall, it was a good first book! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Such a sweet, tender romance! I really loved how these characters felt more mature than most romance characters. They had real conversations about their own wants and needs and never lied to themselves or each other. There were no miscommunications and they both understood they each had work to do on themselves before they could enter a serious relationship. This was just such a delight!

This book was an unexpected delight. I loved that the main character was a middle aged divorcee. The birding factor was much less cheesy than I expected and wine the story together so nicely.

Book 23 of 2024 - ✅! Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Sarah T. Dubb for an ARC of Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb in exchange for my honest review.

The cover of Sarah T. Dubs Birding with Benefits instantly drew me in, and I was further intrigued by the story of 40-something Celeste starting a new chapter in her life, post-divorce and being a pre-empty-nester with her daughter being a high school senior. Having a niche plot where the FMC is older than 35 and divorced, and the MMC, John, is an avid bird-watcher, and some might consider him to be nerdy. I was looking forward to reading this.

While I enjoyed the book for the most part, and I liked that there was representation within romance that I hadn’t seen before, I found that the steamy scenes were a bit repetitive - I was thinking they’d be a bit more varied.

3.5/5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4/5, 2.5/5 🌶️- I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy and quick read! 🐤🐦‍⬛👩🏻‍🏫 #NetGalley #BirdingwithBenefits

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This was a really cute concept within a beloved trope. I don't think I've read a book that has used birding before! I enjoyed their chemistry, but this did not read like people in their 40s-- their actions felt NA quite frequently, which kind of negates the enjoyment of reading "mature" characters. I really liked the first probably 70%, but then it kind of fell off for me and I started being more annoyed, esp with Morgan and that whole relationship. Almost a 5 star read, I just think the last bit could have been stronger!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

When a divorcee on her year of "yes" decides to help a shy and sensitive birdwatcher, her no serious relationship plan threatens to go out the window.

Celeste is a newly-divorced, almost empty-nester who is trying to carve out a new life for herself. Determined to have a life filled with adventures and putting herself first, Celeste has been living her best life. But when a chance meeting has her partnering up with John for a birding event, Celeste decides to go all in and pretends to be his girlfriend. Like Celeste, John isn't looking for love, just a partner for Tucson's biggest bird-watching contest. His first impulse is to turn down Celeste's fake dating ruse, but when she promises that it'll help him start his own guiding business, he accepts her offer. As the two spend time together counting birds for the competition, the attraction between them starts to grow. Can they stick to the plan or will they have to come up with an entire new one?

This was a really sweet romance. I loved the premise, which felt so fresh and unique. John was a very sweet male love interest, there were a few moments where I wanted him to stand up for himself a little more. But other than that, I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

Loved this more than I was expecting! This was a fun book, and I really appreciated the opportunity to read it! I will recommend this book.