Here is a fun take on a rom com that I hadn't seen before. I enjoyed all the birding and it was nice to see a rom com with someone my age and parent to a teen! However, I sometimes found the FMC a little difficult to like. The adults in the book with all of their hangups and miscommunications seemed much younger than their 40's.

However, I did enjoy the novel and looked forward to reading it

I loved the romance! they understood each and could be themselves together. The chemistry between them was amazing! I also loved the slow-burn and the sexual tension between the main characters. There were several scenes that made me blush and smile so much. The writing is beautiful and descriptive. I honestly felt like I was living in the world with the characters. I felt so many emotions while reading this book, I cried, I laughed and I smiled. This book will stay in my heart for a long time.

This book was very good and very steamy. Celeste is trying to find herself and will say yes to anything. And she does she agrees to be John’s birding partner. Along the way they learn about themselves, what they need in a partner and who they want to be with.

"**Birding with Benefits**" by Sarah T. Dubb is a lighthearted and informative exploration of birdwatching and its impact on personal well-being. While the book provides useful insights and engaging anecdotes, its appeal may vary depending on readers' interest in the subject. Overall, it offers a pleasant read for those curious about the intersection of nature and self-improvement.

This is the second book I’ve read about ornithologists recently and who knew I’d enjoy bird books, not me haha this was a cute romance. The FMC acted younger than her age at time but I liked her journey nevertheless. I like the opposites attract aspect between her and the MMC. Overall, a very easy romance read.

I loved reading about characters in their forties and felt the conflict was so valid and realistic. The chemistry and banter between the leads had me reading this book in one sitting. This book had so much heart and humor, I absolutely adored it.

A cute, easy rom-com with an interesting premise set around bird-watching! This was such a quick and easy read, I whipped through it in an afternoon. I loved that our main characters were older and surer (for the most part!) of themselves. I felt the sex seemed to run out of steam (ha!) by the end and became more for the sake of it rather than to contribute to the plot or shaping how the characters felt about each other, which is a big ick of mine, hence the lower rating. But still a great one for when you are on a romance kick!

I was interested in reading this book, but I lost interest really quick. The writing seemed like a YA novel and did not sustain my interest in the plot. I was initially interested in the birdwatching descriptions, but the descriptions did not keep my interest.

Older romance, open communication, birding, and fake relationships make this a unique and fun read that would be a great addition to any Romance TBR list! This is something new, different, and it works so well. Please give this a read - and you also may take a new interest in birds.

Birding with Benefits is a wonderful beach read! It has a fun story line which provides that escape we all desire when reading. This book makes you feel as carefree as the characters while deciding that sometimes love surprises you when you least expect it.

This book was recommended to me by Erin Langston and I am so glad I read it! The MCs are grown ups! LOL. She’s 42, a teacher, and a single mom. She makes a new friend at a sip and paint night who convinces her to play fake GF to his buddy. Turns out what her new friend meant by “partner” was for bird watching, but in a moment of panic they dive in head first. The MCs quickly become great friends, f*ck buddies, each other’s biggest supporters, and start to fall in love. Both are fresh off break ups and have significant baggage and make mistakes but the resolutions are kind, fresh, and ultimately VERY romantic. Loved it.

This is a interesting twist to bird watching! John and Celeste fake date to enter a bird watching contest and things heat up from there. I really enjoyed learning more about birds as I read this book and I didn't realize it could be done competitively. The chemistry is there along with a bit of spice and the witty banter makes it a fun summer read and perfect to take on vacation.

After a difficult divorce, Celeste finds herself with the opportunity to take a deep look at who she is by herself and what she wants from life. She decides to throw herself into every opportunity with gusto to discover what (aside from her wonderful daughter) really grabs her. She quickly finds herself as the partner of a avid birder, John, in a birding competition that will teach her more than she ever expected.

While this book was cute and funny, I found it difficult to relate to any of the characters. The were just fleshed out enough that I liked them, and found them interesting, but I could never quite find myself caring about what happened next for their story.

The main source of this difficulty is that our MC, Celeste, can be both whiney and stubbornly rigid, and not in fun ways. I love a solid romance where you watch the couple grow and move towards one another, but Celeste’s adherence to her self-imposed life plan and general level of complaining really took away from the romance. John was a wonderful addition to the story and I truly loved seeing his perspective, he kept the story moving along when it had otherwise stalled. His faith in Celeste and the way that it grew into something more was a transition that felt natural. It would have been lovely to see more of that unfolding of feelings from Celeste, but she was harder for me to connect with.

The main characters, John and Celeste, seemed to take over the narration and left little room for supporting characters to do their job, support. There were many opportunities for the friends and family to really shine through, but instead, they flopped. There was no growth or development in any meaningful way. There were attempts at growth, but instead, those moments felt forced and out of alignment with the rest of the story.

The best part of the book, was the moments that John and Celeste spent actually birding. Those moments gave the book a chance to breath and catch up to the chaos of Celestes mind. These were moments when John and Celeste really showed that they could have chemistry if given the right opportunity. As someone who loves birds, it was fun to see the descriptions of birds and how to capture those moments to the fullest.

⅗ stars for a book that has potential to capture the heart if given the right chance.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love novel so much.
I previously read and loved some books by the same author but with a different pen name, so when a knew that she will publish again, I got super excited.
Birding with Benefits has everything I love and wanted: older MC (not that they are old, just older than everything else in romancelandia), vulnerability and healthy friendships.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for the earc.

Celeste leaves her husband when she finally has enough of not feeling like herself; Of feeling like she isn’t enough and doesn’t want to keep drowning in the life that she’s stuck in.
Jon leaves academia after the break up when he finds his girlfriend kissing a colleague. He starts to work for a non-profit but ends up getting laid off. He has enough money to keep him a float and his wood working hobby is starting to bring in some cash as well.
As Celeste enters her “year of yes” she meets a new friend out one night and he asks her to do a favor for one of his friends so she agrees for what she thinks is a “fake date”. So when she meets John in the park and is approached by his Ex - She puts on a show as his new girlfriend - stunning John he goes along with the rouse. Once Breena leaves he tells Celeste that he just needs a partner for this bird watching competition…
As the rumor of this new relationship spreads - they agree to keep it going.
As the competition progresses - teaching Celeste about bird watching rekindles something inside of him. He not only feels a new found passion to start up his own birdwatching guide business, he feels his falls coming down and a new passion to see where things can go with Celeste

Favorite Quotes
“he’s the kind of guy who will stop traffic to help a tortoise cross the road, then go home and build you a table”

“We start with discovery, and we go from there

4.25 🦜

This was such a fun read. Birding with Benefits centers around a romance that blooms between expert birder and delightfully shy cinnamon roll John, and newly-divorced Celeste, who’s moving forward one adventure at a time. As a fellow birder who’s also dancing around her middle years, I really appreciated these characters and this story and happily flew right through from start to finish.

Thank you Sarah T. Dubb, Gallery Books, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was so adorable. I didn't know the world needed a spicy book with a bird watching competition, but it does and this is it. The dynamic of the female character who's always told she's too much and the male main character who's told he's not enough was beautiful done. The acceptance and kindness they had for each other was everything. And fake dating is just fun. Read this!

Not sure what I loved more - the gorgeous cover or the falling in love while birding storyline.

First off, I've got to mention how much I enjoyed this topic. My husband and I are avid birders and I really enjoyed the setting of this one. Overall, the book was really cute and I thought the slightly older characters were a nice touch. I would definitely recommend this one.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Sarah Dubb's debut novel was such a fun read! I loved the story of a divorcee who stars in this rom-com. This story is full of adventure, unlikely romance and birds! I loved this sweet and steamy romance and couldn't put it down!

This was a cute, fun summer story. The hiking and birding aspect made it a great seasonal read. I enjoyed that the main character, Celeste, was a "middle-aged" woman who was divorced and had a daughter graduating from high school. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery books for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.