Thanks to One More Chapter and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

This was a great queer holiday romance, with an atmospheric setting and plenty of holiday classics. While Noah and Quinn were both beautiful and well-rounded characters, I wanted to story to get moving a little faster than it did, with pacing that was just a little slow. Although it feels very much like a holiday break, relaxing almost. I think this one will be a hit for the holidays and love the concept of a queer bookstore. Just missed the mark for me a bit but I’m sure others will love this!

What a great queer Christmassy romcom… full of strife, tension and lots of feels! Liked all the different subplots and just had me in tears at points. Can tell it’s British at its core so not sure how that will translate for overseas readers, but hopefully it won’t put them off.

If you are looking for a small town, gay, hallmark-y Christmas romance, this a a good option for you! We have a gay bookstore owner threatened with eviction who gains the interest of a local author and together they rally the town to try to save the store. It's a very cute setting.

Personally, the characters and romance were not my favorite, but sometimes I feel that way about contemporary romances (I may be too used to the fantasy men who would burn the world down for their love).

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.

A cozy Christmas romcom that would be right at home on Hallmark if they had more gay people on staff. Even the drag queens are fun and nonthreatening. It's all very sweet and my mother would love it.

That may sound like I'm mocking the book, but I'm not. I've watched a lot of Hallmark Christmas movies with my mother and this just has the vibe down perfectly. We have our main character, Quinn, running a gay bookshop in an idyllic small town. We have the handsome Noah, who escaped to London as soon as he could but is returning for a visit.

I roll my eyes at the country-vs-city clash in those movies because they ignore the queer experience of wanting more acceptance and a bigger dating pool than rural areas can provide, but it works here. Quinn's bookshop serves as an oasis for the queer community, and I was invested in his struggle to keep the shop open despite multiple threats of eviction. Quinn is a sloppy wreck, but I was cheering for him.

It's a cute book with a fun cast of supporting characters. If Jack Strange has another book in him, I'll read it as well.

2 stars for the lgbtq inclusion. really wanted to like this one. seemed like it would be like those cheesy gay christmas netflix romcoms I can't help but love, but it was just a mess. too infodumpy, not to mention my worst most hated trope, "one of the main characters is with someone else til they realize they want to cheat on their significant other with the other main character and then they break up and the first main character tells the second, I wanted to kiss you while I was with my significant other 😍😍😍😍". yeah. big fat no thanks from me.

I received an ARC copy of this book under the condition I write a review of my true thoughts on this book. This review hasn't been influenced by the author, the publisher or by NetGalley.

I went into this under the impression that it would be a light read. A nice, fluffy romance that would fulfil my need to detach from the world for a bit. Well, it certainly did the latter, but this has more depth than I gave it credit for. The romance within it is the main plot, but there is so much more to this book. The main character, Quinn is fleshed out, he's the main driving force for this book with his wants and needs. With how the plot of losing his bookstore riddles him with guilt of how he didn't fight against its' closer until it seems too late, and how his future has become uncertain. How he can't grasp how he can get out of this situation, and how it is affecting what he wants his future to be.

There are so many characters that enter and disappear from his life through that plotline alone. How he is let down, saved and yet realises that it is ultimately up to him to do something. And yet, even if they are simply appearing for a few moments, super fans of an author and a TV personality I am looking at your two, they have a point. They matter. They don't feel superfilicious. They add to the plot; to the story. I may not have loved every character, the protagonist of this book needs a good kick in the backside and shame, but I didn't feel as though if they were cut out of the story, the book would feel the same. Would give the reader the same fullness of experience if they weren't there.

And I commend the author for that. It's brilliant little additions to the story through the background characters that make it. If the author had left it at the plot only revolving around the loss of the bookstore and the romance, it would have good. A bit light, but sometimes that's all you need. But the author went further than that. They gave the romantic interest more than a small backstory, and the will-they, won't-they will the main character. Noah is not only full-fleshed out, but he's real. He has a good reason to not know how he can have a relationship with Quinn. How Noah has such a block to remaining in the small village, and how his family plays such a big part in this.

That secondary plot is another example of how the author takes very sensitive topics, and uses them with such care in this book. This pokes and prods at what is assumed, and how the truth is ignored for a good story. And what's even worse, is that no one may care enough to listen because of rumours and what is more salacious. This entire thread got under my skin. It made me uncomfortable, which is more than what I expected from a simple romance. I felt myself shrouded in sadness, and so when the romance returned to the forefront...

It made this book bearable. I didn't put it down when I was hit with the awfulness of misogyny, because I knew it would pick up again. I knew that even though the romance was hard hitting, that it got me in the feels as Noah and Quinn tried to figure out who they were to each other, How they might be together. I knew I had to continue, because I had to find out how it ended for them. Could they overcome what had happened to them? Could they overcome those apparent unbreakable barriers? I had to know.

I'd highly recommend this book. This is more than what the blurb states. It's much more than the fluffy cover. Please don't be put off by either of these. This is a great romantic book, but with so much more. Please read it.

Rated 4 Stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Jack Strange for a galley of this in return for an honest review.

I have to admit, I don't usually soldier on when I'm not enjoying something, but I have DNF'd 4 books this month, and I needed a win! This was a fluffy, easy read, with a relatively inoffensive primary plot-line. Unfortunately, this was also very repetitive, involved an insta-love premise, struggled to find and stick with characterisations, and had some issues in terms of the writing mechanics.

Look Up, Handsome follows Quinn, an independent bookseller operating Hay-on-Wye's only queer bookshop. Threatened with eviction, he is simultaneously trying to save his livelihood, and explore a potential romance with bestselling author Noah Sage. This, to me, was a really strong premise. I was expecting a bold, fun, bookish, romance filled novel on par with Pole Position or We Could be Heroes, both published by HarperCollins imprints, but that is not what I found.

This novel started with an insta-love meeting, seemingly one-sided, and a kooky, frazzled-Brit style series of hiccups. Although a bit twee, this wasn't a bad start! Then we transitioned into the main through-line, saving the shop, and this became so repetitive I am almost gave up! Every day Quinn woke up, insisted he was going to become better at speaking his mind, said one thing in his own defence, yo-yo'd about that being mean, spoke to someone in person or online about the shop, was shocked they cared, flirted with Noah, regretted flirting with Noah, cried, drank, ran into Noah again, went to sleep. Every. Day. I wouldn't have minded so much (probably) if I felt this was developing, but it wasn't. Quinn didn't get better at speaking up for himself, until he suddenly did. He remained shocked people cared even after he'd spoken to BBC news twice. He berated himself for flirting with Noah before An Issue comes up, and berates himself to equal degree after. Their relationship also fails to develop, they go from acquaintance to flirty friends over the space of a few hours, with seemingly no real time together!

Strange also has a bit of an issue with making it clear who is speaking. I have no doubt he knows who it is, but both Quinn and Noah flirt and speak in similar ways, and it isn't always clear who has said which witty line to whom. As the story went on this became more of an issue, and a few times I had to re-read whole pages trying to track the conversation. I think this book could've lost a bit of volume in the middle, tightened the speech up, and been spectacular. As it stands, however, I just could not loose myself in this.

I will say, this does have some compelling moments. Some of the scenes were very emotive. Some of the subplots (of which there were several) were well-conceived. But the negatives here really outweighed the positives for me. 3 stars.

Thank to the publisher, author and #netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was my first book by Jack Strange. This was a very sweet Christmas romcom. It made me want to visit the small town in Wales and experience the towns people and Kings & Queens bookstore. Noah and Quinn’s story was lovely. I wasn’t sure how I would like it as there is the initial attraction between the two but Noah does have a boyfriend. I’m so glad that no cheating actually happened but I was worried! I loved how Noah seemed to fall in love with Quinn before Quinn had a chance to meet him. The two of them has so many lovely meet-cutes and it made this store so romcom Christmas cheesy in all the best ways. I will look for more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collin’s Uk/One More Chapter for an early release copy of Look Up, Handsome by Jack Strange.

Look Up, Handsome is a very enjoyable Christmas romance read, I like all of our characters and I absolutely love the community of Hay. The way everyone in this small town knows and supports one another is heart warming to read about. I do feel that the romance is a bit of a side plot as the main plot of the story is Quinn trying to save the bookstore. The romance is a slow burn but I didn’t mind this at all, it gave plenty of time to get to know both main characters and what is going on with them without feeling like the story is dragging on. However, I would say that the romance could have been just a little more fleshed out. I will definitely be reading more from Jack Strange in the future, I really do love the community in here and characters feel well written.

Oh man I wanted to love this one because the premise looked adorable! Unfortunately it got too meta for me and I had to put it down. I struggle when characters are romance writers/readers and are noting the tropes for the reader just in case they missed them. It really takes me out of the story. It's a niche concern though so I'm sure many others will have a great time with these characters. Unfortunately I just couldn't get into the story.

I absolutely adored this book, it was so cute and so heartwarming that I didn't want it to end but I also had to read it super fast because I had to know what happened. I would highly recommend

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel.

I was really excited for this novel because I love a good queer holiday romance. But the constant pop culture name drops and the voice of the main character really took me out of the story. I felt like the author was trying to add as many famous people's names and popular media as they could. And while pop culture is great and I love the odd reference, it just took me out of the story too much. I did end up DNF'ing this book.

A Christmastime rom-com, Look Up, Handsome centres around a queer bookstore in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, that's under threat of closure due to a developer's desires for more profit. It just so happens the developer is family. Truly a gay Hallmark premise if ever there was one.

Quinn Oxford owns Kings and Queens, a bookstore that's more like a community centre and safe haven for folks in Hay to learn, feel listened to, and just have space to exist. Unfortunately, Quinn's step-father, Harold, is a developer who's redoing the castle and he owns the old chapel that houses Kings and Queens. Harold wants this to be the site of ticket and information sales for the historic restoration once it's complete. Simultaneous to this struggle is the joint anxiety of townsfolk felt by celebrities Hermione and Noah Sage. Hermione was a Hollywood actress, but recently she has been a recluse with quasi-delusional paranoia about the media ever since a man secretly filmed her having sex. Her son, Noah, is a famous romance author who fled Hay when he was 16 because his mental health couldn't handle being in town anymore. These stories intersect as the book continues, with Quinn and Noah becoming an obvious pair - there's just one problem... Noah's Instagram hottie boyfriend, Matty.

Despite the seemingly ridiculous summary I've given, this was a powerful book. The underlying messages were to protect queer spaces and ultimately stand up for one's self after, and during, tumultuous times where things have been taken out of your control. Quinn's story demonstrates this as he reluctantly, but then passionately, leads Hay-on-Wye through protests to protect his shop. Even after losing this battle with Harold, because "it's just business", he's still come out the other side stronger and knowing what is possible when creating community. Hermione's and Noah's stories demonstrate these by how they both face their demons and learn that not everyone wants to harm them - including each other, and especially including their own minds. Other characters also got in on this redemption, such as Claire (Quinn's mother) who thought she was protecting her son's best interests and respecting his life choices, only to realise she'd misunderstood him and had been inadvertently participating in his harm.

Outside of these plot-based pros, there's also the nice detail that Hay-on-Wye is (1) a real place, that's also known as a pilgrimage place for booklovers, and (2) appears to be quite accurately portrayed in the book, with only minimal fictionalization.

Now, for the negative side of my review, the main thing I want to express is that this really didn't work as a romance for me. To me, this would have been so much stronger as a contemporary or literary fiction, focusing more on the parallels between Quinn's and Hermione's struggles. Noah could still be there as a current boyfriend, rather than a new boyfriend - that would add depth to the characters since he's boyfriend and son to Quinn and Hermione, respectively. However, by adding the romance into the struggle for Quinn's shop and the struggle to express Hermione's side of the events, I felt it only muddied the story. Adding on top of this, unfortunately, is that the story used two tropes I personally can't stand: third act breakups and the other man. For the first point, even though they weren't yet dating, there still was a "third act breakup" where Noah and Quinn have a heated "argument" (it's one-sided, Quinn being the upset character), and then Noah leaves, only to return at the 11th hour. For the second, I really hated that Noah was flirting with and trying to get close with Quinn when he was still actively dating Matty. Sure, you can say the relationship was "already over months ago", but it's not actually over until you end it, buddy. Be kind to both Matty and Quinn and don't start something until you've ended the last thing.

✨4 stars✨

This was a really cute, Christmassy read! I really enjoyed the writing, characters and the LGBTQ+ romance! There were several moments that made me properly laugh and I loved the development of the characters’ relationships and how all different people came together in an attempt to save Quinn’s bookshop in true Hallmark fashion… which of course meant there was a happy ending!

Was it cheesy in parts? Slightly, but was a Christmas read without a bit of cheese? I would recommend if you want a quick festive read!

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, for the ARC of this title. What could be better than a wintery Christmas holiday in a Welsh book town? How about when the famous author falls for the bookseller? This charming story is one to read in a comfy chair beside a warm fire with a hot toddy. It's super sweet and funny, mostly because its main character, Quinn, has some very fun inner dialog happening at all times. But also the setting, Hay-on-Wye, is that charming book town in the UK that hosts a well-known annual literary festival. It's a book lover's dream but made even more dreamy because of the snow and decorations and fairy lights and Santa. Yes, Santa. But it doesn't stop there. Since Kings and Queens is Quinn's LGBTQ+ empowerment bookstore, there are drag queens and an old Hollywood starlet. So many fun characters!

At the center of the story, however, is the empowerment Quinn finds for himself by speaking up and saying what he wants and what he doesn't want. It's not only that he wants to keep his store, but he also wants to strengthen his bonds to the community and mother he loves. When Noah, the handsome and famous author, meets Quinn, it becomes a challenge for both of them to stand up for themselves and not get swept up in their emotions.

Look Up, Handsome is a lovely escape with lots of romance. While there are real life tensions, it's hard not to find yourself smiling through this one.

Look Up, Handsome is a simple and sweet holiday romance. The setting is charmingly cozy and while the main plot involving the bookshop is a bit predictable, it's still plenty heartwarming reading about the outpour of love and support to save the only LGBTQ bookshop in town. Quinn as a main character is someone you really want to root for, and I'm glad by the end of it, he learns to stand up for himself. Noah, however, wasn't my favourite. I found his lack of emotional maturity disappointing and hard to sympathize with. I feel if this had been a dual POV, we could maybe understand him a bit better. Overall, this is a wholesome read perfect for the Christmas season

Mein Leseerlebnis

Den Einstieg in die ruhig erzählte, interessante Liebesgeschichte empfand ich als unterhaltsam und spannend zugleich. Ich habe die sympathischen Charaktere gerne näher kennengelernt und mich auf den weiteren Verlauf der Geschichte gefreut.

Spätestens ab der Hälfte des Romans musste ich allerdings feststellen, dass das romance Buch nicht genug zu bieten hatte, um mich über seine gesamte Dauer gut unterhalten zu können.

Zusätzlich fand ich die Familienverhältnisse eines der beiden Helden teils etwas anstrengend.

Als Kurzgeschichte hätte ich “Look up, handsome” sehr wahrscheinlich toll gefunden. In der vorliegenden Form hat mir der Liebesroman eine nette, aber nicht vollständig überzeugende Leserfahrung geboten.

🖤🖤🖤

PS: Ist das Buchcover nicht zum Verlieben schön?

Für wen?

Wer ruhig erzählte Liebesromane mag, in denen einer der Helden lernt, für seinen Traum zu kämpfen, und wer Geschichten mag, die in idyllischen Ortschaften spielen, für den könnte das Buch eine schöne Sache sein.

Man sollte es mögen, wenn die Familienbeziehungen der Hauptcharaktere eine wichtige Rolle im Buch spielen.

A very cute and cozy Christmas themed book. I loved the main characters and their relationship very much. I felt like they were both developed very well and I understood why the characters were together. The supporting characters were amazing as well. Each supporting character had a reason to be there, and I was just as invested in them as I was the mains.

A sweet holiday romance featuring a queer bookshop owner trying to save it from closing when his stepfather tries to evict him.

I was touched by the community coming together to support the town's only queer bookshop. The romance was my least favorite part of the story, though. Noah wasn't a great love interest. But this is a great read for people who love messy queers.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

This book is your typical Christmas rom-com about saving a bookshop, but make it immensely queer. And although that should have made me love it from the first page, it didn't catch my attention as much as I would have wanted. Where the story is amazing, it lacked some emotion, and the characters felt pretty flat.