This book, out September 26, follows Quinn, a LGBT+ bookstore owner in England who is fighting to keep his bookstore from his stepfather, who owns it. Sprinkle in the Christmas season and a sexy author stranded in the town, and Quinn has to figure out exactly what his next steps are.
I absolutely loved this book. Quinn was so adorable and fun to read his perspective on things and how he wanted to try and keep what basically is his baby, the LGBT+ bookstore that he worked so hard to build. Cue Noah, an author, who is stranded in town due to a snowstorm, and Noah's mother, who had a scandal that she wants Quinn to write about, and you have a really fun and cute Christmassy novel.
On that note, I loved the Hallmark vibe of this! Granted, this wouldn't be shown on the Hallmark channel, but it still gives the vibe.
Thank you HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Look Up Handsome hits shelves September 26th!

What a wonderful celebration of books and Queerness! 🏳️‍🌈

As for the romance, you could definitely see the blooming chemistry between bookstore owner Quinn Oxford and author Noah Sage (which btw is such a cute romance plot: bookstore owner + author🥰). Though, I did have a concern regarding the relationship. I’m personally not a fan of love triangles or cheating. And I felt the relationship that was being built between Quinn and Noah was heading into dangerous territory while Noah was still in a relationship with someone else. Noah does voice that he’s in a relationship, and we actually meet his boyfriend, because he’s staying with him while he’s in town, but still begins to pursue Owen romantically. Even in failed relationships, if a character is still in one, trying to engage a new romantic possibility, makes the foundation a slippery one.

This is where I was really rooting for Quinn.

During a pivotal moment in the book between Quinn and Noah, Quinn makes a really hard decision, but one that wouldn’t undermine his values and his own self-worth. It really endured his character to me that much more, not only his passion in keeping his beloved bookstore, but that he is just a genuinely good person.

Look Up, Handsome is a love letter to the magic of bookstores and how they can provide a safe space for readers of all ages. It’s a story filled with romance favorite tropes: small town romance, grumpy + sunshine, workplace-ish romance, and forced proximity. Fans of Casey McQuiston and Alexis Hall will get wrapped up in Quinn’s determination, sweet sunshine personality, and his willingness to do almost anything to keep his bookshop.

I do adore a well-written M4M romcom, especially when they take place outside the US. I find the ones in the US are often over-done, and in Jack Strange's debut (unless the author is masquerading behind the personality), Wales is center stage. Ah the accents, lovely small countryside villages, and a quaint bookstore in need of some support. So many great things, a few not so believable, but an all-around cast with lots to love. In particular, the main character is a doll, and he balances the loss of his father with a desire to succeed. I wish we saw them in scenes together. Flashforward to the future, I'm immediately rooting for Noah to win his heart. But in truth.... I felt like there was some missing points to close up on, so I couldn't go the full 5 stars. I'll definitely read the 2nd book from the author, as his recent articles seem to hint he has a two-book deal. Shall we team up?

DnF at 40%

I tried to like this book. I really, really tried to like this book with this cute hallmark ass premise. I had a whole Queermas in July readathon going on and I found this late and thought it'd be a perfect addition to round out the month and instead this book actively put me into a reading slump. It's made a scrooge of me. (Also why is a collectable Dickens novel in a queer bookshop? Am I missing something there?) Quinn's character is inconsistent at the best of times. I could care less about Noah's existence almost halfway into the book he is not doing a great job as a love interest and his motivations for avoiding town are flimsy at best. maybe they reveal to be more later in the book but I just could not get through it. Others may enjoy it but I'm going to have to say Bah Humbug and leave this off of my holiday reccomendations list

We meet Quinn, owner of the only LGBTQIA bookshop in Hay-on-Wye, Kings and Queeens, but his life is beginning to crumble when his stepfather has decided to evict him and reep financial rewards for himself, against Quinn's pleas and dismay. In walks, famous romance writer Noah... Now we are set for the perfect grumpy meets sunshine small town romance.

I loved the setting of Hay on Wye, especially being a Welsh booklover. It was the perfect setting, it gave the cosiest vibes, and I just love how small town romances with the famous guy visiting gives that Hallmark channel romance feel. Look Up, Handsome gave me major You've Got Mail meets Sweet Home Alabama vibes with a more contemporary twist.

The sense of home and community layered into this book really made my heart swell, beyond the interactions between Quinn and Noah, I loved how the bookshop was a place for people to come together and seek that sense of family, it made me realise that the book community goes beyond that digitally, it is a place of home for many of us, and Jack has captured the essence of that.

I've known Jack from many online interactions, and there is definitely a slice of his heart injected into this book - the love of books, astronomy, sunshine and the playlist at the beginning of the book. I loved that, and it reflected the passion for writing - which is gorgeous at atmospheric!

Christmas in September is fast approaching, and you NEED to spend it with this book!
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Quinn is from a small town in Wales called Hay and he owns the only LGBTQ+ bookshop. He has cultivated community and a safe place in an area that was lacking. However, he received his final eviction notice from his STEPFATHER who wants to turn the bookstore into an information center for the city’s historic castle in the name of, “it’s just business”. When does the shop have to close by? CHRISTMAS. As a result, Hay rallies for Quinn through news v, an influencer, a GoFundMe, a protest, an author signing, and more.

In the meantime, romance novelist Noah Sage is home visiting and a flirtation between him and Quinn begin. However, both parties have challenges they need to deal with before they can be the right partner for each other.

This book has some wonderful lessons on capitalistic greed, coming into your sexuality, owning and championing yourself, and more. The imagery in this book is delectable, however the pace can be slow and dense at parts. For a debut, you see potential in the author and overall this does have cozy, gay vibes.

Star Rating: 3.5
Spice Level: 1
Pub Date: October 18th, 2024
#rainbowreads #lqbtqiabooks #debutauthor #advancedreadercopy #readingreccomendations #keephaygay #booksta

If you need something cosy to read to keep away those cold winter nights then this book is it! Set in Hay-on-Wye, where the town’s only queer bookshop is under threat, it is a real heartwarming read.



I whizzed through this book so quickly, because I couldn’t wait to see how the central romance worked out. You’ll also be rooting for all the supporting characters too, who each have their own journey of discovery.



This book is a book lover’s delight, with a bit of festive cheer mixed in for good measure.

This is a cute wintery romance. Although it's package like a Holiday romance, there's very little mention of the holidays. That's fine - it doesn't detract from the story.

I liked the writing... although there was a bit too much internal exposition a few times which kind of took me out of the story. The story is told from Quinn's point of view as he fights to save the queer bookshop he runs. It's a battle that seems to be more about his sense of self than "just" a bookstore. I liked that he was so dedicated to the cause of a queer bookshop.

I'm afraid I felt as though I didn't really get to know much about the characters beyond the bookstore/writer story line.

Quinn has never been very good at standing up for himself, but when his bookshop - the only queer bookshop in Haye-on-Wye - is threatened with closure, he realises that he has to fight it, not just for himself but also for his community. And while the support of Noah, a romantic novelist stranded in Hay by the weather, is much appreciated, it is also incredibly distracting. Because Quinn can't expect one Christmas miracle, let alone two...

Look Up, Handsome is pure wish-fulfilment, with its feet-sweeping romances, ridiculously attractive love interests, and book-selling dreams. It's the perfect feel-good read, made all the more so by its festive setting, and rest assured it has a happy ending. But Look Up, Handsome also manages to tackle some very real and important topics, and I loved the scenes set in Quinn's bookshop, which is shown to be a vital space for the queer community in and beyond Hay. I also loved the storyline that features Noah's mother, Hermione, who is a wonderful character. The emotion behind this book is clear, and although it never becomes overwhelming, some readers might find its themes of grief and sexual assault (which is discussed but not depicted) upsetting.

This one wasn't quite a five-star read for me, as I wasn't always completely hooked and a few of the characters felt a little flat, but I really enjoyed its fresh takes on small town and bookish romances. I would definitely recommend it!

Quinn, dueño de una librería queer conoce al famoso escritor Noah en una convension, pero porque terminó siendo humillado cuando su amiga le tiro una bebida y todos pensaron que se había hecho del baño, incluyendo el escritor.


No me gustan los infieles, Noah estaba en una relación con Matty y eso no le impidió coquetear con Quinn y casi besarse, pero no lo hicieron porque llegó el novio. La justificación del infiel fue que su relación era mala, ¿si ya estaba mal por qué no terminar su relación en lugar de lastimarlo?

No me pudo gustar Quinn desde que se enteró que el otro tenía novio y eso no le impidió dejarse llevar.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This debut was sweet, genuine, and full of queer joy. Noah Sage, city boy and successful gay romance author, meets Quinn Oxford, the owner of his home town's LGBTQIA bookstore and sparks fly. But Quinn's bookstore is being shut down and Noah may not be as content as he seems...

I loved the cheesy but fun way the cast of side characters interacted with their wonderful openness and curiosity. Noah and Quinn's romance was sweet and low-angst with fun banter and flirting. The intermingled lives of their friends and family brought a wonderful sense of warmth and community. I look forward to more books from this author! 4.25 stars!

(This was a review of a free advanced review copy. Thanks to One More Chapter, Jack Strange, and NetGalley for that privilege!)

This is a good low-angst holiday read. Bookseller Quinn Oxford is trying to save his shop from a corporate closure. It's the only LGBTQ+ shop in his small Welsh town. When author Noah Sage rolls back into the town where he grew up, he sees Quinn and starts to get involved in the efforts to save the shop. 
I really liked the small-town setting of Hay-on-Wye, which is apparently a real town in Wales! And if it's really a town of books, I'd absolutely love to visit! In Look Up Handsome, it seems like a very cute place, and the kind of place where all the residents are up in each other's business, which I kind of love. Quinn is so kind and so devoted to his shop and the people who enjoy it and find it helpful. While it's clear he's on the morally right side of things, I did find it a little hard to root for him at first, because he seemed very reluctant to stand up for himself. Throughout the book, he does develop a bit more of a backbone, which is nice to see. 
I liked the evolution of Noah and Quinn from author/starstruck fan to actual friends. They get along so well, despite Quinn's hidden attraction for Noah. Noah overall seems like a good guy, but I was a bit put off by the way he seems to hide his boyfriend from Quinn. I don't know that it was intentional, but it was hard for me to understand why Noah would bring Matty to Hay-on-Wye and then be leaving the house without him everyday. Fortunately, there is no cheating trope here. Phew! But I do wish Noah had been a little more emotionally mature about things. 
I love the side characters June and Deb are hilarious. Blair is such a golden retriever. I loved Daniel Craig, the bookstore worker. So much dry humor and comic relief from him. And Hermione and Gordon, too. 
Overall, this is a pretty low-stakes, relaxing holiday read, if you're looking for one!

A great Christmas in July (or august) read. This story was fantastic in my opinion and a good easy read. Quinn our resident book lover introvert is a very relatable character for many of us queer book lovers. He is following in his father's footsteps and taking it to the next level. He must learn to stand up for himself and fight for his shop.

Noah is an author doing his best to hide in the small town of Hay-on-Wye that he grew up in. Escaping his mother's shadow is something he always felt the need to do. He steps out of his comfort zone to help Quinn save Kings & Queens.

These characters had a good amount of personality and the advice Quinn gives is advice many young queers need. We also love the quirky side character best friend Ivy.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my review.

There are a lot of things that I lined about this cozy book. The setting of Hay-On-Wye, the Christmas backdrop and the charming villagers. I also liked Quinn and enjoyed his complicated journey to save his bookshop. The romance, though, was not my favorite. I didn’t really feel the chemistry and I thought Quinn deserved quite a bit more groveling from Noah than he received. Overall, though this is a sweet book and one I recommend reading around the holiday season.

A fluffy christmas rom com set in Hay-on-Wye? Sounds right up my alley!

Look Up, Handsome is the story of Quinn, struggling to keep his gay bookshop, 'Kings & Queens', in the Welsh bookshop town of Hay-on-Wye, open even though his stepfather wants to shut him down. Enter hunky romance author Noah Sage - broody, reserved, and once resident of Hay. Can Quinn and his friend Ivy save the shop? And what about the spark between Quinn and Noah?

Books, gays and Christmas sound like the perfect trifecta for me! Sadly, it didn't deliver on all fronts. I really enjoyed the writing, it was engaging and I was entertained. I actually was surprised that the brief moment of spice towards the end of the book was well written as well. I also found the set up and the setting to be well chosen and compelling, so I did read it quite quickly. I also think the qay that the topic of Hermione, Noah's mother, was handled well and with compassion.

Despite this, there were a few issues I had. I felt the characters, especially Quinn, were quite one-dimensional. Ok so he had an ex who left him in a shitty way, there's the bookshop that once belonged to his beloved Dad, he wants to write and has a job offer at a publishers in London but doesn't want that. Overall it was all very superficial.
The book also did not have compelling side characters. There are the random Deb and June who keep popping up but who are not engaging enough to warrant a lot of time, Ivy is fun but again, she feels quite confusing as a character. When we are introduced to her I was not sure if she and Quinn were that close, but then she hung around so, apparently they were.
Noah and Quinn did not have a lot of chemistry on the page. Obviously we suspend our disbelief when it comes to romance but even with that it can sometimes feel like the author is pushing it a bit, and it did here.
Finally I don't actually think the christmas setting was that strong. Maybe it was the fact that I have read this on one of the hottest days of the year, but I was never fully taken into the christmas spirit, and kept having to be reminded that this was, in fact a Christmas romance. (Also how does a Christmas romance not know what Mistletoe looks like? When Noah and Quinn kiss in the bookshop it is described as having red berries - which is what holly has. Mistletoe has white berries.)

Overall this is light, fluffy and quick for those wanting a hit of wholesome romance with a small amount of spice, even though for me it did not fully work. I will be interested to see what the author does next as I think the writing shows a lot of promise!

4 stars

This was a sweet, festive, surprisingly emotional book. This is part romance, part a story about a small town rallying together to save a queer bookstore. I loved how much we got to see the community and how they were impacted by the bookstore. It felt very realistic and really showed how important it is to have safe spaces for queer people. The stories of all the people, while fictional, made me emotional because they are definitely real experiences people have every day.
The romance was nice but felt secondary to the rest of the plot. There was a little bit of a love triangle moment which wasn’t my fave but it was resolved quickly. I also really wish the two mc’s would’ve just communicated a little more. It felt like they were never really on the same page

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter for the ARC!

It was a nice romance. I was a fan of Quinn but not so much of Noah. The romance between them was a bit off for me. I liked that the queer bookstore was a huge part of the story. I liked the small town feel of the town of Hay and the neighborhood townsfolk. The ending was well done. Overall, it was a good romance. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my review.

4 ☆

the story follows quinn, a book shop owner in a little town called hay-on-wye, wales. not only is he a bookshop owner, he’s the owner of the only lgbtq+ bookshop in hay. when he is threatened with losing the shop, he teams up with his best friend ivy, to help save it. along the way, many people join in on the fight, amongst those, the charming author noah, who was only meant to be in hay for a fleeting moment, has been forced to stay due to a snowstorm and must face his demons and why he let hay all those years ago.

『 tropes 』
•lqbtq+
•slow burn
•small town
•famous/non-famous
•forced proximity
•grumpy x sunshine

『 plot 』
this story was such a cosy, fun, charming read. i thoroughly enjoyed reading this. i absolutely loved the story of the only lgbtq+ bookshop in hay-on-wye, kings & queens, and it being threatened with being shut down. the story helped pave the way of how important representation actually is to the people in the queer community, that something like a bookstore can help, and guide and heal people. i feel that was the main point and it was beautifully written. i loved that both main characters had their own issues to deal with, and they both helped one another to come to terms with their struggles. they were so sweet and a great little love story, very much a slow burn but worth the wait! i loved the side story of hermione, noah’s mum. what an intriguing and interesting character she was, i would absolutely love to read a book just on her story!


『 characters 』
all the characters were absolute sweethearts, apart from harold, for obvious reasons but every story needs an antagonists and boy, harold was easy to hate!

quinn was just a delightful human, just a beautiful soul honestly. he was such a sweetheart who was easy to love and had you rooting for him through the entire book. he had his shortcomings, he rarely stuck up for himself, which led to heartbreak and disappointment for him, but fighting for his shop brought him out of his shell and made him realise he deserves everything good in this world, and he does!

noah was a grumpy, loveable little soul and was also easy to love! his past and how he dealt with everything made him harbour a lot of guilt and shame, but reconnecting with his mum and meeting quinn made him see that dealing with trauma isn’t black and white and you need to handle things how you see fit, at that time.

the side characters brought such a fun dynamic to this story. ivy with her tarot reading and lover of reading people’s aura’s, she was wise and forceful and fierce.

i say ‘side’ characters, but honestly, every character in the book made this story so special.

『 writing style 』
i like the writing style. i normally prefer first person narrative and a dual POV but honestly, i’m not mad that this didn’t have that. i liked not seeing the story from noah’s POV, i like being in the dark about his feelings, all you had was how quinn perceived their relationship and i found that super fun

『 overall 』
i loved it. it was sweet, insightful, hopeful, powerful and an all round great book with alluring characters and important themes, mixed in with some comedy.

10/10, would recommend

Sweet little romcom that got me right in the Christmas spirit. Unfortunately did feel a little Hallmark-y at times, but I think that's due to the amount of Christmas films available to watch at any time as well as the single POV - au think it would have been more interesting to hear Noah's POV as well.


My thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Look Up, Handsome is a gay romcom set at Christmas, as the owner of an LGBTQ bookshop in Hay-on-Wye has to fight to save his shop whilst finding himself attracted to the romance novelist in town. Quinn Oxford runs the only queer bookshop in the book-festival-famous town, and he knows it's important, but the threat of a redevelopment could put an end to his dream. When Noah Sage, hot romantic novelist of the moment, arrives in town for the winter book festival, he seems reticent, especially given the scandal around his mother, but Quinn is drawn to Noah, and soon he is juggling saving his livelihood and dealing with his attraction to Noah.

I do enjoy watching some of those terrible Netflix romcoms, so I was hoping this book might have a spark of that, and the LGBTQ bookshop premise is a fun one. I'd say that Look Up, Handsome does have some of the classic tropes of a silly Christmas romcom—one of the pair hating the town they've returned to, an inexplicable Christmas deadline for the main drama, mistletoe, Christmas alcohol, a character with the same name as an actor just for a joke at the end—but it also isn't overly Christmas-y, so despite the very festive cover, I think it could be read outside of the festive period.

The narrative is from Quinn's point of view and I don't know if this contributes to one of the main things I didn't like about the book: I didn't feel like I knew anything about Quinn. He runs a bookshop, he thinks Noah is hot, and he's still dealing with the death of his dad. There was a lack of anything else about him, like what he likes and dislikes, and even how he feels. I was particularly surprised that despite being set in a bookshop, the book seemed to shy away from mentioning almost any books at all, or even genres beyond romance, classics, and celebrity-written kids' books (though I did like the cutting remarks about the latter). Also, there was basically no information about Noah's novels in the book, and I thought there was some suggestion that he didn't write queer romance, which I assumed was going to be a plot point, and then it never came back, so maybe I imagined that. For me, I like a contemporary romcom that feels like the characters have real, specific interests, and though the book does have a lot of description, sometimes in the middle of conversations, it was often quite vague and didn't build up a picture of the characters.

The book is cheesy, but it's meant to be, and there's enough drama and conflict even with that. The subplot with Noah's mother, whose unfair treatment by the media has left her stuck indoors, is good and questions how we view celebrities, especially women, when what seems like scandal happens, bringing a different dimension to the book. Look Up, Handsome exists in a universe in which everyone seems to be very positive about there being an LGBTQ bookshop (it's just greed that threatens its existence, and that's a realistic message) and that might be what some people need from this book. Personally, I might've preferred something that engages a bit more with the realities of LGBTQ people in Britain, given that the argument around the bookshop is that people need it, but in the world of the book, it isn't entirely clear that they do. There's one uncertain parent of a trans teenager who is recommended Juno Dawson's What the T? in perhaps the only specific book mention of the novel, and I think maybe a few more moments like this would've made the bookshop (and Quinn) feel a bit more real.

I enjoy the odd queer romcom with a good premise but I'm not a big romance reader (if we're talking about sections of the LGBTQ bookshop, queer horror is much more my area), so I do think big fans of the genre might have fewer issues with some of the things I didn't like as much. Look Up, Handsome is a fun story that celebrates the queer bookshops we have and that we must protect, whilst fitting well into the cheesy Christmas romcom category. There's some funny moments—like shouting about Eastenders during a major dramatic point—but for me I wanted more of this, more witty specificity and details that make it feel like these are real queer characters with interests and thoughts.