I read a lot of romance novels and this one was such a refreshing change! I adored having main characters who weren’t in the their 20/early 30s that were facing a different set of life challenges. Sarah T. Dubb has a talent for building the setting through her words. I felt like I could cut the sexual tension between the two main characters with a knife.

I found Celeste to be a tad immature but I suppose that is part of her charm having dealt with a lot of time prior to this book starting. I really loved the birding aspect of the book and it did make me slow down and take in the world around me a little bit more.

This is a fantastic, fun twist on the typical romance genre and a great debut novel!

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book!!

The title is perfect; lots of birding & lots of “benefits.” Celeste’s arc centers around her learning to trust herself in a relationship several years pot-divorce. John’s arc is learning to open up and invest more in his dreams. At times he came across immature for his age. Overall, it was a fun, romantic read with a couple steamy scenes..
Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC e-book!

I received this ARC from Net Galley which in and of itself made me so happy since it's the first one I've been approved for!! The cover and title caught my eye. When I got it I couldn't even remember what the blurb said but was thrilled just based on that cover.

This was phenomenal! I loved every second of reading this. I felt myself smiling like a crazy person throughout the entire book.....well except for when I was crying. (both happy and sad tears)

I have always had an interest in birds. I love looking at them. I didn't really know birding was a thing so I'm totally going to look that up especially if there's a chance there's a JOHN out there birding close to my area! So that part of the story was super fascinating. I found myself googling the birds they saw and the bird calls John described. That was so incredibly satisfying.

Now to the heart and bread and butter of the book. I love Celeste and I think my love for John is evident already. LOL. Celeste made me smile. She was quirky, fun and energetic. I saw myself in her a lot of the time. Diving headfirst into anything new and almost becoming obsessed with it. Always lending an ear or advice for others but tending to forget to take my own advice to heart. The relationship she had with her daughter was special and so realistic. I lost my mom last year so just their closeness and also their differences really touched me. And both wanting the absolute best for the other.

John was everything I could ever dream of. He's quiet but so sincere and sweet. Very manly, and gentle. I just can't say enough about him. If this type of man exists any one who gets him better treat him like they won the lottery every day!

Both had been hurt in previous relationships and both have taken those hits and let themselves close off to others and the possibility of love. Both think they don't want any part of it. Their relationship started out as a misunderstanding, to become beautiful friendship and then turned into magic. The slow burn was so delicious and when they finally get there! Oh my! The spice was spicing. I love that they brought out the best in each other. I think people tend to believe dating is hard when you're young, but when you have years of baggage and messiness and most likely trauma to sort through it can be just as excruciating. Maybe even more so. That was another absolute wonderful aspect to this book. They aren't 20 years old. They are in my age group. Well Celeste is, I'm not sure if they ever mention how old John was. I assume 40s because she mentions gray in his beard.

Just such a beautiful book and I can't wait to buy a physical copy the day it's released. I will read it again and again! And so looking forward to discovering more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Fake dating
Mature characters
Birding
Rom com-ish

I enjoyed this book. I thought is was a different take on a rom com and I liked it. Celeste a d John were super cute as they both were finding there way as single people.

I've read a few mature romances lately, and this one might be my favorite of the bunch.

After the meet-cute to end all meet-cutes, Celeste finds herself in a birding binge with John, a quiet, shy, and earnest birder with dreams of opening his own guiding company. Still trying to find herself following a divorce, Celeste throws herself into birding with enthusiasm. After agreeing to be fake dates, Celeste attempts to draw a line between their agreement and her growing feeling for John.

I love Celeste and John. Celeste has been told she's 'too much' but that hasn't dimmed her enthusiasm. Her character was so authentic and relatable. And John just about melted my heart. He was so sweet, supportive, and sensitive. They were everything the other needed and I loved watching them grow together. The emotions were spot on and so potent. They just jump right off the page. I highly recommend Birding with Benefits.

Thanks you netgalley and Gallery books for this review copy in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are my own.

This is a very low stakes story following our recently divorced lead and our male lead who just got out of a somewhat toxic relationship, of course they decide to fake date for one of the cutest reasons— to win a birding competition. 🦅🦜

✨Highlights✨

Adorable, slower paced, well written spice scenes and very lovely characters. The mother daughter relationship was a highlight for me. Author wrote the teenager daughter so well and the conflict between her and the mom was pretty relatable.

It was an enjoyable read, pretty slow at some parts , the book could have been 100 pages less. Overall fun, but nothing life changing. Something that would pair well with an iced tea 🍵 and reading on the deck! Definitely a great summer read.

What a unique take on the romance, combining nature, differeing break ups, and plenty of spice! Navigating a new relationship as a parent with a teenager in the house adds a novel angle, and the small brush with the younger generations' broader look at gender is handled naturally and with warmth. I'll be handselling this one this summer!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

Birding with Benefits follows Celeste and John. They begin fake-dating while participating in a bird watching competition. A competition that could be life changing for John's life and career, while also helping Celeste in her journey to self-discovery following a divorce.

This book was really cute. It's perfect if you're looking for something light-hearted. I really enjoyed the bird facts. The bird watching was a lot of fun and honestly I wanted more.

Our main characters were really cute together. I think they complement one another really well. I loved their dynamic. I also like that they're in their 40s. A lot of romance books have characters in their 20s and I really like when characters are more mature, have more experience, etc. I found John to be quite relatable.

I did find the book a bit slow. I wanted to see a bit more of the competitive aspect of the competition. Maybe some more interactions between John and Celeste. It seems they have most of their deep talks with friends and not each other, i think some of these convos could have benefitted from being done with one another instead. I also think there was a lack of character development considering how character driven the book was. I do like that the book highlights the characters' flaws and works with them, that was well done.

However, still a very enjoyable and different book!

Sarah T. Dubb's Birding with Benefits is unlike any book I have ever read...but that might be because I've never read a romance novel before. It starts off with Celeste, a divorcee with a teenager daughter who works as an English teacher and is on a post-divorce journey of self-discovery. She accidentally falls into a fake-romance situation with John, an out-of-work avid birder and woodworker who is dealing with his own relationship baggage. They bird, fake-date, work through their personal struggles, all while trying to compete in a birding competition in Tucson, Arizona.

I am a birder, first and foremost, and wasn't exactly sure what to expect going into it. It's a page turner! Dubb is a birder, so I was happy to see a lot of accurate information, species descriptions, and habitat incorporated. I rooted for the characters and am glad to see some *sexy* brought into birding.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book is about Celeste and John. They wind up in a bird watching contest together. Celeste has never done any bird watching, and John wants to make a living as a bird watching guide.

This story was really fun and lighthearted for the most part, I really enjoyed it. I wish the book were written in a dual point of view, though. At times, I had to read back to figure out whose point of view we were seeing.

I really enjoyed this book! Celeste and John were both very likable characters.

John needs a partner for a bird watching competition, and, due to a miscommunication, Celeste thinks he needs a fake girlfriend. She ends up becoming his birding partner and sexy hijinks ensue.

I liked that the main characters were a little older. I liked that the stakes were relatively low. The characters got a little whiny towards the end. Overall, a solid love story.

I think this book would have been better with younger characters. The way it was written I kept forgetting these people were not people in their 20's and it kept throwing me off.

Well, a book about birding certainly wasn’t on the list of books I expected to read this year, but I don’t have any regrets about it, either. This story is told in dual POV, with both characters working through some emotional baggage, but it’s still a fairly light read.

The FMC is a recently divorced soon-to-be empty nester, trying to find her identity again within her new life circumstances. It’s a character type you don’t see much of in romances, in a book centered around a topic you don’t see much of in romances, so overall, it’s a pretty unique book. Despite the issues the characters are working through individually, it’s still a pretty fun, easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC of this book!

Thank you, NetGalley and Gallery books for this advanced readers copy. This a was super cute rom-com type romance. John is newly single and needs a partner for a birding contest. Celeste is a divorced, single mom and has been talked into being John’s “partner”. Except Celeste misunderstood the assignment and fakes being his new girlfriend and of course, sparks fly as they as they fake their relationship while compete in the bird watching contest. Then they have to decide if they want to make a go at a real relationship at the end of the contest. Character development and saucy sexy moments make for a quick and entertaining read.

I have been eagerly awaiting this book’s release for months and was shocked when I scored an arc through Netgalley! Fake dating and friends with benefits are two of my favorite romance tropes, and then birdwatching on top of it all? Magical!! I loved the romance and the communication. The steam was 🌶️ and open-door. The supporting characters were well-rounded and captivating too. I’m in awe of this author’s talent and debut novel and will be putting her future novels on my want-to-read lists without hesitation.

Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for the advance reader copy!

I throughly enjoyed Birding with Benefits! An engaging slow burn with a big release is always my perfect kind of romance. I loved the backdrop of birding in the Sonoran desert offering an engaging nature driven focus to this sweet and thoughtful romance. Being from Arizona and having attended UofA for grad school it was so fun to join in on the reminiscent romp through my old tromping grounds. Sarah Dubb wrote a wonderful debut and I can't wait to read what she writes next! Thank you so much for a chance to read an early copy of this book!

I loved this book!

It was fun read. I really enjoyed the birding aspect and the chemistry between these two was hot!

Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book. I'm really looking forward to more books from this author.

I read this somewhat slowly because I enjoyed the way it was written so much. It's sensual and thoughtful and reminded me of Kate Clayborn's writing. I love a book that makes me think a little bit more about - and look a little bit more at - the world around me. I'm not a birder, but I loved taking a peek into that world. This book also made me want to visit Tucson, a place I've never been before!

I ate this book uppp! I haven’t had a five star read in a while, but this was an easy rating. It was so fun and unique to read a romcom starring a divorced mom finding herself again. I can’t relate to any of that really, but I still loved Celeste and her dedication to staying true to herself. And of course, John was an absolute dream of a man. Shy, sensitive bird watcher?? Say less.

I wasn't quite sure if this would be up my alley considering the title but I decided to give it a shot and I'm so glad I did. This book is heartwarming, steamy, silly and serious. I liked that both of the MC's were adults and dealing with adult decisions while also trying to form a relationship. I actually liked the birding bits a lot more than I thought I would and even briefly considered if it is something that I may like doing but likely not haha! This is a well written, quick and fun read with just enough heat.

Thank you NetGalley, Gallery Books and Sarah T. Dubb for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.