I really liked the checklist format of this story, the one created by the two best friends, Chelsea and Elizabeth. I thought that it was an interesting way to form the narrative and shape each chapter. Kind of like having an outline while also being a plot point. I am also a big fan of dual POV, which this one has, because I get to see the emotions both sides are experiencing. Chelsea comes from a traumatic past and I liked how patient Basil was with working around that and helping her grow. I found Chelsea frustratingly stubborn sometimes with it though, but I know everyone deals with their trauma differently, and she basically stonewalled. So that’s something to look out for: very stubborn FMC but because of traumatic past. It’s not really a trigger warning, but I know that can turn some readers off. I did enjoy the self exploration and discovery aspect it led to, for both Chelsea and Basil, showing them that they are more than what their parents were or expect them to be. They’re not their parents.

Thank you Amara, Entangled Publishing, and NetGalley for the arc!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Entangled Publishing, LLC, for this book.

I typically love all Entangled books, but sadly this one seemed to not be as up to the five star rating as most of their books. Maybe because the past several books from them have been so fantastic.

The characters in this book seemed poorly developed and just seemed to grate on my nerves. The actions of Chelsea were so childish and I did not like her at all. Why would Basil fall in live with such a rude and conniving person? But then, he wasn't much of a prize himself. Chelsea just ruined this story for me.

Sadly just can not recommend.

In "Bas," I found a compelling narrative with a captivating protagonist, but my enthusiasm waned due to my dissatisfaction with the female main character. Her constant whining, petulance, and immature behavior overshadowed the potential for personal growth, despite the challenging circumstances she faced in her upbringing. The dynamics of her relationship with Elizabeth, rather than fostering maturity, appeared to exacerbate her irritating tendencies.

In all honesty I didn’t really love this book, I really wanted to though! I just thought the plot of the whole story fell a bit short. The spicy scenes felt a bit rushed to me. But the duel love story was good! I loved the friendship between Elizabeth and Chelsea. Them going through finding love together was nice.

It's unfortunate, but I could not get into this book. I was optimistic at first based on the description; I loved the idea of two friends challeging each other to do things (and the relationship between Chelsea and Elizabeth was the best part of the book). However, I honestly could not stand Chelsea as a character. She was immature and mean, and while I know she had a tragic back story that does not justify how she treat Basil. I also was not a huge fan of Basil as he did not really listen to Chelsea when she would tell him things, and came off a little manipulative. It makes it difficult to root for a couple in a romcom when neither of them are appealing to a reader. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the beginning of the book. I liked 3 of the 4 main characters. Then I started to get pretty annoyed with Chelsea. Who doesn't want a hot guy that loves them and also cooks amazingly? She was being ridiculous. Basil shouldn't have given her the time of day after the way she acted.

This cover had me hook, line & sink.

The start was strong - two best friends on a night out. Enter two cute guys, some banter and the perfect opportunity to cross a couple of tasks off their 'Year Long Challenge' list. Add a dash of angst and some good writing - *chef's kiss* Oh - and I did enjoy the travel aspect too.

But then... I don't know what happened. In a nutshell: this is a love story about two people who should most definitely not be in any sort of relationship. One has so many unresolved scars they do nothing but push the other way (in some really nasty ways). The other who is so blinded by their desperation to be in love that they completely forget their own worth, or stopped to listen to the boundaries set by the other.

🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩 Plus there a major red flag in this book that went completely unresolved. Swept under the rug and I'm not here for that. The MMC did something that gave me a real ick. He then runs off, wants to freeze his feelings for the FMC, then starts moping after to her again.

Just not the story for me. Something was lost in translation from the cover and blurb. Loved the writing though. Would read more by the author.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing for this ARC of Holding Out for a Gyro by Mary Ann Marlowe. All opinions are my own.

The premise of this book sounded really cute. Chelsea, who only wants casual hookups ends up spending way more time than she expected with an attractive Greek man named Basil. While Chelsea thought her brutal honesty would be off-putting, Basil finds it attractive and hopes to change Chelsea’s mind about relationships.

The execution of this premise was not what I hoped it would be. While the parts that I read were easy to read and even had a few funny moments, there were just too many issues with this book.

Here’s why I couldn’t get into this story:

First, the synopsis of the book had me expecting Chelsea to be surprised to find out that the guy she had a one-night stand with was actually the chef at the organic kitchen; however, Basil told her this early on in their conversations (before they ever even left the bar). She shouldn’t have been surprised to see him again when she literally frequents the place where he works, and she found out he lives close to her (again before she even left the bar).

Second, the characters were just really unlikable, especially Chelsea. She was immature and frankly a jerk to Basil. Why he ever had any interest in her was beyond me. While Basil could be charming, he also came across as desperate and childish in his attempts to get Chelsea to give him a chance. Also, the list aspect between Chelsea and her best friend Elizabeth had some very mean and childish tasks on it that made me cringe.

Third, which was the final breaking point for me, was the author’s use of stereotyping to show her apparent anti-Christian views. This was just gross, and it would definitely not be tolerated had it been another religion she was stereotyping.

I didn’t mind the writing style of this author, but there were just too many parts of the story that made me not enjoy reading it.

If these instances wouldn’t bother you, then I would give it a chance.

I wanted to love this book; the description sold me (and I love the cover). Unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations. I did enjoy the girls' friendship a lot. The romantic relationship was good in terms of banter and steamy scenes, However I had a hard time with Chelsea, the FMC. I understood where she was coming from in terms of past trauma but for a romcom the push and pull went on a bit too long. I liked where the story went in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled for the review copy of this book.

I had a feeling just from the title that I would love this book. I found myself constantly needing to continue the story and find out what was going to happen next. Even though the characters could be insufferable at times, I feel this was one of the most real feeling relationships. Somehow this book made me feel like I had spent a year reading it, instead of 3 days. I don’t say that in a bad way, I mean I feel like I got to see and spend so much time with these characters. It was emotionally exhausting sometimes, I screamed a lot out loud at this book, but I also giggled a lot and teared up a few times. This wasn’t a perfect book, but I gauge my reviews on enjoyment and I really enjoyed this book.

📖Holding Out for a Gyro
✍️Mary Ann Marlowe
🗓️March 11th 24
📝 Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Amara

It happened again, I was more a fan of the idea than the execution of this book.

I love the idea of two friends who push each other to live their lives to the fullest. Chelsea and Elizabeth have a unique friendship which I liked. I liked the list that they make every year. It sounded like fun and adventure.

That was pretty much what I liked. This was rom come to the extreme, way too much for my liking. It just felt so unrealistic in too many ways. Everything in this book was very much exaggerated.

The spicy scenes were there, but they were ok. Not much to say here actually. This is the sole problem
Of the book, it didn’t make me feel anything. I had so high hopes for the character of Chelsea but she just ended up annoying me.

I am also not sure how I feel about the dual live story of Elizabeth and Chelsea. It felt like two separate books at times.
So yeah, I am sorry to say, this was not the book for me.

Thank you Entangled Publishing , LLC, Entangled Amara and NetGalley for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own, I was under no obligation to review.

I really tried to get into this book, but it really fell flat for me. The overall plot was weak, and I did not enjoy one of the main characters. I loved Chelsea & Elizabeth’s friendship, and how her friend loving supports her through trauma related issues. I also really loved the banter & game between the two best friends. When the male characters are introduced, I had such high hopes but I quickly got extremely irritated with Chelsea’s character. Throughout the book she just appears shallow and selfish. I think the author was trying to denote how trauma can make you uncaring, but it just came off very childish. I struggled to get through this book & thought Basil was the greatest man on the earth for putting up with her! I do think the international travel aspect was exciting, but once again, Chelsea ruined that until the end when she finally decided to give Basil a real chance. Also the sex scenes felt cheap & rushed, and almost unrealistic. I am giving a 2 star because I loved the girls’ friendship and Basil. Thank you for letting me review! Best of luck!

I unfortunately didn’t love this one.
At first I had high hopes because I felt that there were several moments that were very funny. I loved the list and games they played, and that was where my love for the book stopped.
My biggest reason I couldn’t enjoy it was Chelsea. I didn't like anything about her. I felt she was so selfish and I just couldn’t root for the relationship after that. I also don’t root for one night stands, that type of relationship drives me crazy. The other big reason was I was just bored, there just wasn’t much going on in this book.
It didn’t turn out like I’d hoped, but I want to thank you for allowing me to read this netgalley book for free in exchange for my honest review.

Two love stories in one book. The two female characters Chelsea and Elizabeth are life-long best friends and both their love stories are told in this book. There's a hot Greek guy in the book as the love interest obviously. The romance is hot and swoony. There is lots of humour here too. The friendship is a terrific part as well.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

This book is based on a list Chelsea and Elizabeth created that is composed of challenges that take a year to complete. I love this idea and think that when we allow ourselves to get out of our comfort zone, we open ourselves up to endless possibilities.
Cheslea is an example of someone who had a bad childhood plagued with abuse and now she is trying to live her life, with her mind trapped in the past. Her fear of getting close to anyone has her avoiding getting hurt, but also avoiding getting to experience love. I felt bad for her that she lived this way but understood why. Even though she was seeing a therapist, she still struggled daily.
Also, she was trying to support herself and help her mom out. She was continuously overdoing it, for I think to make up for their past but also just to help.
I am at least glad she had her friend Elizabeth who seemed the only one she allowed to get close to her. The list of challenges were meant for the two of them, but I think Chelsea benefited the most. One-night stands were common for her, and something she enjoyed so she wouldn’t get her heart broken. The only problem is Basil was different and she knew it from the beginning.
His persistence and working his way into her life through food was so good. I love to cook, so I was always interested to read what Basil was cooking up. He was definitely Mr. Sunshine. He grew up in a traditional Greek family, which he loved, but could never shake their disappoint in him.
Both Chelsea and Basil had their reasons to want to change their lives for the better, and they both encouraged each other towards positive things. I loved the pace of the book, the travel and the relationships of Holding Out for A Gyro.
The takeaway: follow your heart and not your past.

Thank you to the author Mary Ann Marlowe, publishers Amara and Entangled Publishing, and NetGalley, for an advance digital copy of HOLDING OUT FOR A GYRO. All views are mine.

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. The character's yearly friends challenge checklist at the beginning, before the opening of chapter 1, is brilliant. It also lends an interesting form to the narrative.

2. I have become very picky about what I consider a really well-written steamy scene. I want to see sll participants having fun, I want lots of consent, and I want participants talking about protection. It's hard to meet these standards and keep it sexy, I hear this. But Marlowe writes beautiful, spicy intimate scenes that meet all these standards. Bravo!

3. Omg the cat's name is Jacques Lacan!😍 Okay, between this and the Derrida lecture, I gather Marlowe has some higher education in writing. But these name drops don't really fit the context that well, as neither fmc is a writer or whatever, so I gather the references are in here for bragging rights purposes.

4. One of my most favorite things about this story is that it's a dual love story. Each of these inseparable best friends, Chelsea and Elizabeth, go through the challenges of new love at the same time. I adore stories about friendship, so this really appealed to me.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. I'm not sure how I feel about Basil the face- model-beauty from Greece. I just...can't buy into him. Also, how am I to read "Bas?" Is it like "base?" Like "bass" the fish? Like "bazz?" I just don't think these characters are well designed, at least not at first.

2. I feel like this book goes on too long, by at least 50 pages. The list takes over, becoming too much of the story instead of just giving it a really good shape.

3. Oh no, not truth or dare.🤦‍♀️ This is such a common romance and horror genre occurrence, it should be a trope. One of my least favorites.

4. The plot has a bit of an odd structure. It's like two short related plots, end-to-end. This is probably what's making the book feel so stretched out!

Rating: 📃📃📃.5 long lists
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: Jan 24 '24
Format: Digital arc, Kindle, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
💖 romance
🚪 open door romance
👭🏽 women's friendships
🪣 bucket lists
🫂 strangers to lovers trope
⁉️ truth or dare trope