Two young and beautiful ornithologists. One chance to capture a rare bird, become celebrated in the field, and get tenure in their twenties. An endless amount of shenanigans.
This book is a silly and unserious joy, much like India Holton’s other work. There’s a lot going on here but it’s not hard to keep track of and it all comes together in a satisfying way. I will read everything she puts out forever probably.

I loved it. This is both an emotional and awe inspiring read for me. The banter was top notch and the setting had me loving vicariously through these characters.

📣 two rival ornithologists fall in love in this quirky & adorable tale

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 if you were a field scientist, what’s an animal or other organism you’d like to study?

The wit & charm of India Holton’s books!

In The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love, Beth & Devon are rival ornithologists with totally different personalities on the surface. She is very polite & concerned with etiquette; he is a “scoundrel” & a rogue who steals a bird at the beginning of the book from her.

But as they engage in a hunt for a legendary bird, Beth & Devon discover they actually do substantive commonalities, in addition to an attraction to each other that they don’t want to let go of.

The way that these two fall in love is so adorable & fun to watch. Holton has such skill with words—especially metaphor—& Devon’s fascination with Beth gave me all of the swoons I was looking for, with the addition of unique writerly charm & personality that makes these books feel particularly winsome.

If you are a fan of novels of manners, or you have a friend who hasn’t tried romance yet but who has every word of Pride of Prejudice tattooed on their heart, I highly recommend these books. How many times can I say that they’re adorable? But they are.

5 ⭐️. Out 07/23.

CWs: some light violence, manipulation & harm done to magical birds, loss, the hero can’t have children (though this isn’t upsetting to either lead).

[ID: Jess’s hand holds the book in front of a multicolored mural with a blue & orange bird on it.]

Thank you so much both to Netgalley and Berkley for the chance to read The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love as an ARC! I adore India Holton's writing and was so excited for the chance to review this one early. This book certainly had the humor and wit that I've come to expect from Holton's books, but felt a bit slower in pacing and repetitive storyline than others by her. I can't say I've read many books that revolve around one's passion for birds, but I found myself really enjoying the premise; very unlike anything else I've read so far! I think if you're a fan of Holton's writing, rare birds, and historical-fantasy-romance, this would be worth picking up.

It's true: I will fall deeply in love with anything India Holton ever publishes. There's so much warmth and humor and intelligence in her writing and I cannot get enough of it. This world of magical birds felt different from that of the Dangerous Damsels', yet with the same charm and wonder that pulled me into the first series. I adored it so much, and I cannot wait for the next book that was hinted at in this one!

I've never before so strongly felt the author's glee emanating from every page-- rife with devious smiles and cackling laughter.

And just to get this out of the way: this is hands down the nerdiest romance I've read in my life. Peak "talk nerdy to me" energy.

The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love is very much in the vein of Holton's debut series, resplendent with innuendos and puns (and also puns in basic French). This is additionally, probably, her most creative play on the "only one bed" trope out of the four novels I've now read from her. And oh man, do the farces of this romcom reach new farcical heights!!

It's truly a love letter to Romance readers and the nearly fourth-wall-breaking narrative element in this had me giggling constantly. Holton is incredibly self-aware and it's absolutely hilarious to read.

If you're looking for spice or the romance of the ages, you might look elsewhere. But if you'd like a laugh and a fun, goofy adventure with magical birds and kisses that feel like getting the right answer when called on in class-- this just might be for you! It was definitely for me.

A wonderful and whimsical love story a kin to Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries if there was more romance. Thoroughly enjoyed the love story and the action and the creativity of a world with magical birds. Banter = 10/10!

What is the most fun book you've read lately? For me it's definitely The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by the amazing @india.holton!

I knew I would love it. I knew it would be hilarious, fun and relatable. And it STILL surprized me! There were so many times I literally laughed out loud 😄 all I will say is that there isn't just one bed, there's.... Oh, you'll have to read it to see 😂

Such an specific noche and yet I love the characters!
What a charming story, The pacing was a bit odd at times but Im looking forward to read mor of this authors work

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

This book was a fun period piece with a hint of the magical. It follows two rival ornithologists that are in a competition to find a certain magical bird. This novel was fun and lighthearted and honestly silly at times. It was very cute and easy to read and the romance was adorable. It did get slightly repetitive at times but overall was very enjoyable.

thank you to netgalley and berkley for providing this to me as an ARC!

this is my first read by india holton and this book was a DELIGHT. i signed up to read this for the birds and was a little surprised when i realized they were magical but that was really not an issue for me at all. while magical, the story was still realistic and sprinkled with flirtatious scandal between the two rival othologists (if you know you know).

the banter between beth and devon was fun and the tension between them was set at a perfect pace. i thought beth was very relateable due to her suspected neurodivergence and experiences in academia.

the publicists really added flair to the story and i thought this approach was very clever. i loved the scenes with them!

if you are looking for a whimsical late 19th century romance, definitely check this one out

Two birds of a feather take flight together in this utterly charming fantasy historical romance. With a competition that is as fixed as a taxidermied albatross, our unsuspecting professors not only spread their wings with emotional growth, but Beth grows a set of talons. Definitely recommended for bird watchers, bird lovers, and madcap academics.

i think it says a lot that i was unaware the birds were magic in this book until i hit around 76%…ive tried india holton’s books before and something about her writing style makes my brain very confused. literally nothing against her or her writing, its just my reading style doesn’t match with her writing style and that’s okay

This book is so much fun! I will admit that it started a little slow, for me, but as I really liked this author's other books, I had faith it would be great. It is. It is great. Hijinks, competition, clever heroine and hero, jokes about getting tenure(!), tropes played for fun, wacky side-characters, nefarious goings on---what else could you want?

This book has many things that should make me love it. Romance, fantasy, Victorian times, Oxford, birds, MAGICAL birds, ornithologists. But I didn’t love it. I found the story repetitive and boring. I was never invested in Beth or Devon or their relationship. There is so much silliness – SO MUCH silliness – that it is truly hard to take the story seriously. There’s madcap and then there’s so much absurdity that it’s really hard to fall into the story and stay there. At least for me.

At one point they are naked and about to have sex and Devon asks, “do you consent?” Really? After making out and taking off each other’s clothes “I consent” literally needs to be said? OK, never mind, maybe young people having sex today really expect the other person to say “I consent” during the throes of passion. I guess this is supposed to prove what a super nice and trustworthy guy Devon is, but I found it awkward and unrealistic. (Oh, and how very very helpful and convenient that he is sterile and manages to tell Beth before they do the deed.)

In the Acknowledgments, the author says, “While every effort was made to accurately depict the various details of life in 1890, I took considerable artistic licence with the big picture”. You think? Like having an educated gentleman go around using the f word in front of a gentlewoman? (That word felt so out of place in this book.)

Some of the magical creatures seriously reminded me of certain Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Especially the big climax with the magical caladrius flying and filling everyone with magic, healing, and love.

I think it may be time to stop reading India Holton. I read the first Dangerous Damsels and gave it three stars as well. (At least this book was not nonstop nonsense. There is plenty of nonsense, but it’s a little more contained.) She just really is not my cup of tea.

I read an advance reader copy of The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love from Netgalley.

This was everything I was hoping it would be! It was charming, whimsical, enchanting, funny, & swoon worthy. It also had a lot of action sequences that kept the story alive. This book made me smile so many times. Beth and Devon were so good together. The side characters were amusing. I will read whatever India writes because her stories just simply make me happy.

On paper this is absolutely a book for me--rival ornithologists, a rare birding competition, women in STEM, touch of magic, Victorian era setting, yes yes AND YES. However, the tone of this is cozy historical romance. And while I was expecting a romp and and easy breezy reading, this was cozy to the point of fussiness. The over-reliance on making our main female character seem so naive & hiding behind big words took me out of the story every time. For some, this style of writing is going to be a hit, but it is really not for me. The other thing that really didn't work for me in this book was the plot itself. The magical birds were vastly under-explained & the harebrained scheme of the ornithological society really didn't make much sense at all. Again, the synopsis of this book is one I absolutely loved, but the execution was not at all what I was hoping for. I hope that lovers of tediously cozy books find their way to this one, I do think this is a case of it was me, not the book.

This book was a hoot! Pun fully intended. It was absurd and bonkers in the best why possible. I was constantly cracking up reading this and I loved all the different magical birds. The romance between Beth and Devon is utterly precious. Though I do think it was a bit long or drawn out in some parts. If you enjoy fun and silly romance this is definitely for you.

✨A bird in the hand is worth two professors getting it on in a bush✨

TL;DR: Hmm the romance was great and Holton’s writing remains a national treasure, but I could honestly have cared less about the plot (sorry to the birds). While it’s not my favorite Holton novel, I have no egrets <3

✨

This book was fun and definitely classic India Holton™ bonkers, but I was just not as intrigued by the birds as I was by her pirates/witches/spies. Maybe it was because I’m terrible at picturing things in my head, but I was just like…what do you mean magical birds??? I felt like we got even less rules in this universe and my brain kinda hurt. My eyes were going a bit spiraly. I couldn’t really get lost in the world quite like I did in the last series.

Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the birds and the absurdity of it all, but I just wanted more romance and less plot. The way Holton writes characters falling in love is by far my favorite thing about her books. Was there much romantic tension because this was some of the instaest insta love I’ve ever read? No, not really, and I do think there could’ve been some more depth, yet I was SO CHARMED. Definition of romance. “Apologize to the lady for annoying her” is pure sex.

While I did get a bit bored of the bird chasing, I was so invested in the“publicity” subplot. Basically there were some ornithologist PR agents trying to drum up public interest in ornithology by heavily promoting the Romance of it all. They kept calling reporters and orchestrating only-one-bed scenarios, which was GREAT fun. It was an endearing amount of farcical and kept me giggling and kicking my feet.

After evaluation, The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love is most similar to The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. They both do a lot of work as intros to series (and absurd magical worlds), the romances were set up very similarly (rivals to lovers pretending to be enemies to lovers who spend half the book being friends to lovers), and the romance took a lesser role to the plot.

I also feel like book two is going to be my favorite of the series, the same way The League of Gentlewomen Witches stole my heart. The teaser for book two was somehow more interesting than this entire book. Like India Holton writing second chance???—former marriage of convenience, current (and estranged) marriage of inconvenience???—I am LIVING!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶️.5/5


I received an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.