🐺 How to Help a Hungry Werewolf by Charlotte Stein 🌙✨

This one had me intrigued at first—the setup promised a fun mix of supernatural hijinks and second-chance tension. Cassie’s return to her hometown and her unexpected run-in with Seth, her former best friend turned werewolf, kicks things off with a lot of potential. Their magical pact sounded like the perfect recipe for some great, plot-driven twists.

But honestly, after a while, it felt like the plot got lost. The story shifted quickly into steamy scenes that, while spicy, seemed to overpower the character development and pacing I was hoping for. If you’re a fan of steamy romance with an emphasis on intimate moments, this might be your vibe. For me, though, it felt a little forced and pulled away from the story’s initial charm.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for granting me access to this title. I think I blushed a lot while I read this one.

⭐️⭐️💫 /5

I really wanted to love this book. The first half was a cute, spooky, paranormal, Hallmark movie. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get attached to the main characters. I found their relationship frustrating and annoying for most of the book. It has a lot of great potential, but just wasn’t it for me.

This audiobook was perfect for spooky season! And who doesn’t love a sexy werewolf?!? I loved this couple so much! It kept me engaged and rooting for them the whole time! The banter was top tier!!! The narration was excellent!

This book looked adorable and like a lighthearted romance, so I was really looking forward to it. For the first time in years, the FMC goes back to her grandmother's house and runs into her former boyfriend, whom she doesn't want to see. But there are reasons why he can't stay away. Although I'm sure it will have its fans, I'm not one of them. It had a lot of potential to be a sweet little love story. I simply couldn't relate to either character, and I didn't particularly like some of the decisions the FMC made during the book.

This was not the book for me. I have enjoyed several of Charlotte Stein's novels, both her indie romances and When Grumpy Met Sunshine. I loved WGMS. I was really excited to get an audio copy of How to Help a Hungry Werewolf as my first real audio ARC from #Netgalley .

But I just did not love this like her other books. It felt incredibly wordy and drawn out. A super slow burn (not until about 80% mark) felt forced sometimes. And the overall tone felt immature. Like these characters were still the teens they used to be before their conflict. That they constantly referenced and obsessed over. (And which focus made their eventual super sexy times a little uncomfortable for me to read.) The magical world building was of the bonkers variety, with the main character becoming an overpowered insta-witch. Lots of silly elements (although I did get kind of attached to the talking microwave). At least there was a raccoon involved!

However, I'm not sure how much of this dissatisfaction is simply a matter of taste. I don't read this subgenre often. Are these normal approaches? Would I have enjoyed the book more if the setting were British (like When Grumpy Met Sunshine) instead of generic American? How much did the narration affect my perception? The racoon lines were very difficult to understand, for instance, and I didn't love the voice used for Seth, either.

So overall, not for me, but your mileage may vary. I think I'll stick with Stein's contemporary romances instead. Thanks anyway to Netgalley for an advanced audiobook copy of #HowToHelpAHungryWerewolf

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for both the eARC and the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Don't let this cartoon cover fool you! This book was hot and spicy! This might be one of my favorite examples of best friends to enemies to lovers ever! I read it all in one day and the audiobook added a lot to my reading experience! Highly recommend this book! Can't wait for more books by this author!

Tropes:
-M/F Paranormal Romance
-Witch x Werewolf
-Childhood Crushes
-Best Friends to Enemies to Lovers
-Slow Burn
-Plus Size Rep
-So Much Banter

How to Help a Hungry Werewolf sounded adorable, and for the first half of the audiobook I was enjoying the platonic relationship between Cassie and Seth. That said, I did find it odd how much Cassie was still harboring hurt feelings from high school when she’s nearing 30.

I enjoyed the two of them testing Cassie’s powers, trying out potions and spells together, and trying to rebuild their friendship. All good things.

But then the mating bond storyline was thrown into the plot and that’s what the second half of the book became all about. Smut, but and more smut, and I feel like the plot from the first half of the book was lost somewhere.

After being so withdrawn and unsure about giving her trust back to Seth as a friend, the fact that she went full throttle into the mating bond, 0 to 70,000, I had a little bit of a hard time with, too.

That said, the steamy scenes are well done - and made it awkward to drive in town with my windows down.

There’s also a sentient microwave and a raccoon familiar, who were both absolute scene stealers!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC Audio Copy!

I was really looking forward to this book, it looked so cute and like a fun little romance. The FMC returns to her grandmothers how for the first time in years and run into her ex bff, who is the last person that she wants to see. However, he can not stay away for reasons.. It had so much potential to be a cute little love story and I am sure that it will have its fans, I am just not one of them. I just never could connect with either of the characters and did not really enjoy some of the choices that the FMC made throughout the book.

This story had its highs and lows for me. Some parts I loved, while others didn't resonate as much. I will probably continue reading the series for the talking microwave and the raccoon.

So this was a woot from almost the start. I LOL so many times. The narrator did a great job bringing Cass alive however I didn’t care for Seth voice. He sounded like he was in the 10th grade. Just super young and a little babyish. Other than that narration was good.
This is one of those cozy reads you just sit back and relax too. Little to no angst. The conflict is more on the light side even though bullying isn’t a light subject. It just the author wrote about it in a lighter way. I thinks allows the characters to have more room to talk about the issues and make the proper decisions for them.
The witchy vibe is more Marty Poppins to me like it’s all sweet and safe; unless someone poses a threat.
I think anyone just getting into paranormal romance and audiobooks would love this story. It’s fun, it’s light, and it’s cozy with some heat.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was good. The storyline was interesting and spicy but the female main character got on my nerves so bad I had a hard time listening to the book.

How To Help a Hungry Werewolf:

Thank you Macmillan Audio and SMP Romance for my gifted copies.

Honestly, i enjoyed this one. You have to get over the fact that the love interest fathomed the gal in school, but people grow and change. So yay growth yay change.

This was saucy. I loved Cassie and Seth. There is a lot of dirty talk as they don’t know if they can touch (werewolf probs, ya know?), and definitely your fill of spice. Audio was wonderful but keep those headphones on around kids if you don’t want to answer werewolf mating questions.

I feel like it was really long, like really long. We were in track for the plot and the side quest galore. I just wanted the plot. Regardless I loved the audio, the familiar (all familiars are life) and the forgiveness finally.

Out now!

Spicer than I expected, but that's what I get for judging a book by its cover. Several laugh out loud moments. Interesting story. Would love to read more in this universe.

Ultimately this was a really cute and enjoyable story, that said I had a really hard time getting past the transgression that occurred in the prologue and spent most of the story waiting to see if it would be thoroughly explained and honestly while it was to an extent, it still felt a little unforgivable to me.

Ok. This book is wild.

It starts off as a best friends to enemies story. Then an enemies to friends to lovers plus werewolves and witches! It’s a story about self discovery and magic…

And then transforms into a book about how, exactly, to get it on with a giant werewolf until the fun plot is gone. This book went from magical fun and mayhem to friends who dirty talk and explain to each other how to bang. Where did the plot go? 😭

I love a spicy book, but it has to serve the story.

♥️ But there is a cute raccoon witch familiar and a dorky couple. Oh and a magical kitchen!

Great beginning and ending. Strange middle. Good if you like a side of plot with your spice.

Opening with a prologue flashback of best friends falling out in high school, this supernatural romance dives right in with adult werewolf and former bully Seth Brubaker seeking help from his former best friend and the girl who bullied (accidentally? unintentionally?) Cassandra Camberwell while she’s back in town to put her deceased grandmother’s house on the market. He’s on the verge of changing, struggling to hold it together, and she’s conveniently–and unknowingly–just brewed up the perfect potion to help him subdue his beast. It’s Seth who explains that her grandmother was a cobble, but Cassie is a powerful witch. They team up to help her come into her magical ability, help him to rein in his beast, and join forces against their childhood bullies.

Cassie’s blossoming into a full-powered witch is akin to going through a second puberty and coming out, with all the delight, confusion, fear and acceptance. The world-building is imaginative and thoroughly delightful, from sentient microwaves (a nod to Talkie Toaster in Red Dwarf?) to a spelled vacuum cleaner (possibly a reference to The Wednesday Witch?). Allusions to gaming (Super Mario Kart), movies, and books abound, including a suggestion to treat sex like tennis (Friends With Benefits) and Cassie’s bicycle (The Wizard of Oz), and Seth tearing the mattress when they finally consummate their relationship (Breaking Dawn). These Easter eggs are fan service for geeks and pop culture enthusiasts. There’s also more traditional superhuman werewolf healing, cobbling together of magical healing salves, Minotaurs affably wandering the streets, a raccoon that adopts them, and fairies riding caterpillars and indulging in orgies.

Told entirely from Cassie’s unfiltered view, the dialogue feels real because it’s often awkward, cringe-worthy, repetitive, and wholly believable for the character–but this doesn’t necessarily make for a well-written book. The novel does come full circle in a very satisfying way, and learning just how Seth turned was unexpected.

Where many romances have conflict based on miscommunication, grudges, secrets, and lies by omission, it’s very gratifying that Seth wants to apologize and make amends, and that Cassie decides to trust him again, but it doesn’t feel terribly modern to want to befriend, let alone sleep with, someone who was cruel to you in the past. The chemistry between them is smoking, but plus-sized Cassie can’t believe this Alpha specimen would ever think of her as more than a buddy. The two of them are so insecure, it’s a miracle they ever get together, and when they do, the spicy scenes with Cassie VERY much enjoying the benefits of a werewolf lover (spoiler — no knotting, just big werewolf dick and long orgasms).

I always wish for approval for both the print and audio versions–it’s difficult to bookmark an audiobook or go back and skim something one might have missed in a moment of distraction. I found the voice of talented narrator Yael Rizowy a bit grating and too old sounding for the level of immaturity Cassie / the narrator for my taste. Seth sounded like an eager puppy dog / dumb jock most of the time–unless he was growly–and I’m not sure I would have read it that way on my own, in print (although I’m also assuming that direction came from an editor or producer or even direct from the author). She did vary the voices for the ghost of Cassie’s grandmother (although, the voice was different for each of the two communications from beyond the grave) and the bullies from high school with subtlety and skill. Listening to the audio also brings into hyper-awareness the repetition of favorite words (slick as overly used, and describing Seth as sheepish made me chuckle the first time, but by the fourth time was no longer clever).

Overall, I did enjoy the plot and the slow burn enough to push through, and I might have otherwise rolled my eyes and put the book down if the reader had not made it compelling, and then I was really glad I stuck with it. The cover art is gorgeous, and that, plus the title, is what drew me in. I found When Grumpy Met Sunshine a bit more polished; other werewolfy read-alikes include Bride by Ali Hazelwood (which I loved and yet to review), and Fan Service by Rosie Danan (which I recently finished and loved, and have yet to review).

I received a free advance listener’s copy of #HowToFeedAHungryWerewolf via #NetGalley, courtesy of #MacMillanAudio.

How to Help a Hungry Werewolf by Charlotte Stein is officially one of my favorite books of the year. Great character arcs, creative plot points, a swoonworthy relationship with funny characters and fantastical world building. It was sweet and spicy and adorable then spicy again.... it was just the right blend! Loved it so much! The audiobook was very well done with crisp, clean sound quality and the most perfect narrators. Instant auto-buy author for me, yup it was that good.

Not quite as charming as my last read from this author, and got off to a slow start, but ultimately told a fun story. It's spicy and fun.
The swearing was so profuse it actually became very distracting in the audiobook.

This was a fun and spicy paranormal read! The characters were very horny for each other for the whole book! Enjoyable banter, a himbo MC (with dubious beginnings), some dimwitted bad guys, and a hard won second chance romance brought to fruition. The plot was definitely scaffolding for the smut by the end of the book, but I was here for it.

This was so cute! It gave me similar vibes to the Yeeted a love potion at a demon book. It was cute and funny and just overall an enjoyable read!