This was such a sweet romance! Although full of spice, there was a lot of really hard and real content in here that many people struggle with. It felt so well done in that it was so relatable for a lot of people, and could easily have been the story of someone we as readers know in real life.

Chelsea has struggled with letting people in, and Basil has issues fighting for things when they don't work out. But as they spend more time together, they realize that it's really not that simple, and begin to wonder if they can't find some sort of perfect that works for them.

This hit all the feels. New love, heartbreak, self discovery, and friendship.

Loved the romance, but also the work the main characters do on themselves. Again, the therapist in me loves seeing this internal work as part of mainstream fiction!

I was excited by the title, cover and description of this book, but I was really disappointed by it in the end. I couldn’t call this book a romantic comedy and felt I read two different books. Chelsea created a list of challenges to help push her out of her comfort zone and to help heal some of her childhood trauma. Each chapter starts with a challenge - some chapters see the challenge accomplished and others have nothing to do with the chapter. While Bas was overall a good guy, there was definitely moments where I could see how he would trigger Chelsea. The ending conflict had the most annoying miscommunication troupe and was quickly settled. This book felt flat for me but I would consider reading more by the author depending on the book subtext.

✨ You had me at gyro. ✨

I’m not a huge contemporary romance reader, but I couldn’t pass this up! If you love My Big Fat Greek Wedding (or any of Nia Vardalos’ movies), this book is for you!

What I loved:
✨ My Big Fat Greek Wedding vibes
✨ PTSD rep
✨ Realistically flawed MCs
✨ Normalizing therapy
✨ No shortage of puns

Holding Out for a Gyro follows the life of Chelsea Abbott, a twenty-something Virginian who avoids serious relationships like the plague. As suggested by her therapist, Chelsea and her best friend have a yearly bucket list of sorts - everything from “visit a museum,” to “have a deep, authentic conversation with a total stranger”.

✨ It was just supposed to be a one-off thing. Bare my soul, flee at the stroke of midnight, and never see him again. But FML. ✨

One fateful evening, Chelsea chooses to have that deep conversation with a complete stranger. Who’s the lucky guy? Geeky (and somewhat aloof) Greek-American chef Bas Stavros, who just so happens to be the genius behind-the-scenes at her favorite spot.

✨ “He’s the perfect Greek hero. The only problem is that when it comes to romance…I might be the perfect villain.” ✨

This book was such a disappointment for me. It gave me nothing to be honest. The characters are going through this "hard time" and I felt she wasn't invested then she as and was mad at him. I was so done with them early on. I read it to see if it got better and it didn't. Bland.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am such a damn SAP! This book was amazing, it was quick and smooth, it got to the point Chelsea and Basil are amazing characters. What made me love this book even more, was the fact that basil is a chef, and I love a man that can cook, and I also love how easy and how smooth it was for them to fall into the spice, and initially fall in love with each other.

They both have their issues, and I love the fact that those topics were brought up, and the characters were able to work through those things, individually, and also together. Chelsea was a little bit infuriating to me towards the end of the book, but I can’t get enough of how sweet the love story is, and also the fact that her best friend Elizabeth also had her love story added into the book as well. So we get two romances in one book.

We can’t leave out the amazing Greek family… and I cannot leave behind the fact that these characters are hilarious.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing for the eARC.

I’ll take ‘Emotional Childhood Trauma’ for 200, Alex.

While I can commend Chelsea for going to therapy and actively working through her emotionally abusive childhood, she was still a tough character to like. She near purposely self-sabotaged and in doing so, was pretty mean to Bas. Bas was no angel, but he didn’t deserve the treatment that Chelsea gave him.

I enjoyed the story the most as soon as they stopped doing the FWB-romance thing and became friends instead. Their friendship was fun and it seemed to be a true foundation for the start of a real relationship. I enjoyed both characters pushing the other to their fullest potential. Which is why I couldn’t understand Chelsea’s actions at the end—it felt incongruent to everything they’d gone over previously.

Overall, Holding Out for a Gyro had the possibility to be a cute read, but I struggled with some of the characters and their actions. The food descriptions were heavenly, though, and I’m craving some baklava now.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Mary Ann Marlowe for the opportunity to read and review an ARC for Holding Out for a Gyro.

This was a cute read, although not the best romance I've read. What I enjoyed about this book was that it tackled living and growing from an emotionally abusive home life from a young age and worked to normalize and de-stigmatizing using therapy to work through past traumas. it also highlights the importance of communication in relationships particularly through hardships and misunderstandings. Did it do this perfectly? No, but I appreciated that it wasn't just a glossed over plot point.

While Basil and Chelsea's romance was very insta-love it was refreshing that they both were imperfect characters who had to work to understand each other and be patient with their differences. Character growth was necessary for both rather than heavier focus on characters arc. I also felt like there was more of the "2 steps forward, 5 steps back" with regard to character arcs and the third act conflict resolution felt rushed and a bit flat for me.

The big, Greek family aspect was wonderful and as someone who comes from a large, very connected family was relatable in many ways. The descriptions of food were mouth watering and hunger inducing, and it's all topped off with some pretty great cheesy puns and dad jokes.

Trigger warnings for this book: emotional trauma and abuse, daddy issues, and mild anxiety.

I really, really wanted to love this book, but these were 2 characters that absolutely had no business being in a relationship with anyone but themselves. The book also has typos which hopefully get fixed before release. The rest of my review is linked below. I do thank everyone for allowing me to read the arc.

Thank you to the publisher/author and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a review.

This was one that was a quick read for me. The characters really started off right from the first chapter. There were some harder topics included that some might need trigger warnings for but overall I thought it was a fun read and something mindless to get me back into my reading groove.

To cross off items in their yearly challenge list, Chelsea and her best friend Elizabeth end up speaking with Bas and Evan at the bar. The conversations go better than expected and Chelsea ends up leaving with Bas.

I loved their yearly challenge list and will probably steal some ideas for my own list! All the food puns were so funny though cheesy. And oh wow, can someone please woo me with food too? I need a hot chef like Bas 😆.

As the book progresses, it was amazing to see Bas loving Chelsea for who she is, and seeing her break down barrier by barrier, to overcome her fear of commitment and her disbelief in romance. Concurrently, Chelsea helps Bas to see his true worth, to soar beyond his family’s conventional expectations.

Beyond the romance, I truly loved the friendship between Chelsea and Elizabeth. They are true friends who stick with each other through the good and bad times.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🫑

OMG I am throughly impressed by this Romance novel. I loved the different structure of this book!

But first…

Chelsea, coffee barista, graphic designer, “The Grump”, attachment avoidant, food is her love language, working through her trauma main female character.

I felt a lot of myself in this character. Always wanting to travel, Trauma that has you avoiding commitment due to terrible parents, tough girl charade. Some parts were hard to read because I felt them so deeply but that is just a sign of a fantastic author. I loved her development.

Basil aka Bas, chef extraordinaire, easy lover, “The Sunshine”, Greek God.

I was definitely a fan of his character. Also the writing of the cooking in this book made me hungry and I want authentic Greek food.

What started off as a check mark on a list…may lead to more…


If you’re looking for a new romance novel that has adequate spice, punny dad jokes, food, judgey Greek relatives, and only one minor communication problem. This is it!

Chelsea and Bas’s meet cute is due to a list and a dare, She’s not looking for love but that doesn’t stop Bas from trying to make their friendship more, Chelsea grew up with a verbally abusive and absentee father and now she’s working on her relationship with love and partnership. Bas on the other hand has always had it easy in love department, Their clashes lead to fall outs, friendship, and steamy scenes. I enjoyed their journey, their friends, and the food descriptions! I felt the end was a bit rushed. They made it to Greece and I do agree with her that it was so quick and they definitely needed more discussion on changing their lives together. While I don’t think it’s necessary that she forgives her parents, I thought it was also a little quick, like the letter was tossed in there to show I am done with it. And lastly, I loved that therapy was threaded throughout the story but maybe one more wrap up to show that she’s learned from her sessions? Maybe a check-in? I think everything happening so fast at the end made it seem like “is she thinking this through?!” When throughout the book she was second guessing. Overall enjoyed the story! I give it 3.5 stars? I liked it but I am not sure if it’s a book I’d reread.

Another super fun summer romance in the books. Chelsea and Elizabeth create a list of dares to get out of their comfort zones and the more items they check off, the further they can go on vacation. When commitment-phobe Chelsea is dared to have an authentic conversation with a stranger, in walks Basil- a sexy Greek chef.

The highlight of this book for me was the friendship between Elizabeth and Chelsea, they push each other’s boundaries without going out of line. I also loved our hero - Basil, so patient, kind and understanding with Chelsea. I really enjoyed reading from his POV. I also really liked the “bucket list” format of the book, it added a fun element that I haven’t read much of before. I found Chelsea herself a little bit frustrating and overly stubborn, although this is explained through her past trauma, and lead to a road of healing and self discovery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled for this ARC for review.

The characters in this story are searching for the thing that will make them whole. The plot of the story is set up as a checklist for the two main characters towards their respective goals. Chelsea and Bas meet at a time in their lives when they are struggling and find common ground in the fight. It is an interesting and easy story to read that will soothe the romantic soul.

“I knew he’d always catch me. We’d always catch each other.”

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the early copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The premise is adorable. Two best friends challenge each other to step beyond their comfort zones. For Chelsea that means taking a risk and allowing herself to be honest and meet someone she might actually catch real feelings for. It is a bumpy ride but taking a chance on Bas turns out to be exactly what she needs to become whole again.

The relationship that develops between Bas and Chelsea felt authentic to me. Both have their hang ups but I enjoyed how they each evolved and opened themselves up to each other. Additionally, the challenge list was one of the cutest parts of this book! l loved how it began as a homework assignment from Chelsea’s therapist but became a way for each of the characters to challenge themselves to live their best lives.

Unfortunately there were also some parts of this book that didn’t quite work for me but I’m not usually a fan of insta-love stories so that may have been part of my issues with it. Overall, I wouldn’t call this one a home run but I did enjoy reading it so if you are looking for a quick insta-love rom-com then this would be a fun pick.

4/5☆
2.5/5 🌶

This was such a cute lil romance book that showed growth for both main characters as they both fought for what they wanted, even when it was completely different. I'm so glad I got to read this as an ARC so I can recommend it to others!

I absolutely loved the quirky cuteness of this book! I always love a book involving romance and food!

RATING: 4.5/5
“Holding Out for a Gyro” was a perfect vacation read. I didn’t go to Greece, but what I had in my hands was a fun, spicy, and humorous story. A relatively quick read, Author Mary Ann Marlowe gives readers some steam right from the start. That’s a win with me!

Chelsea keeps men at a distance regarding love and relationships due to her childhood. At the same time, Bas is incredibly open to love and accepting of heartbreaks. Bas is such a sweetheart, and though he tries to play it cool sometimes, he wears his heart on his sleeve. Through time, Chelsea sees that Bas is nothing like other men, especially not like her father.

Bas has an incredibly close relationship with his family. I love the way the dialogue between them and Bas was written. And I must say, how Bas cooks for Chelsea is adorably sweet throughout the story. Every mention of food and the dishes cooked made me incredibly hungry for Greek food! I could almost smell the citrus through the pages as Bas mixed the lemons with olive oil.

“Holding Out for A Gyro” had a good amount of spice. The scenes were brief, but there were several––I enjoyed the story!

Note: I read this book as a digital ARC through NetGalley.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It could have been better in a few places, but it was constricted by the expectations/tropes of this genre.
Chelsea and Bas are two of the most realistic main characters I've met. Every miscommunication moment in this book works because time has been spent with each of them setting up their flaws, experiences, and biases.
Elizabeth and Evan are introduced as the respective best friends and foils. In the beginning it felt like they were going to be given more complexity, but that abruptly ended. It's like the author/publishing team decided that they needed to end it so they could get a book just with them.
There were a few spots where I think editors should've caught logic errors or added clarity.
I loved the incorporation of Greek, but I wish they utilized the transliterations. And this could've been done in a fairly cute way of Bas saying something with the Greek characters and Chelsea attempting to say it back and then Bas clarifying with the correct pronunciation and the meaning.
Lastly, the lists worked but not as chapter titles/subtitles. Throw those in as vignettes if you really needed to. The point of the list was to highlight the character growth journeys and set up the story.

Will I recommend this? Yes. All in all, it's a story that works and has a lot of heart and cultural connections in it.