I fear I will never shut up about this book and that it quickly will become one of my comfort reads. Chip does it again with his phenomenal storytelling! I loved “You and I, Rewritten” so I knew this one would be just as good and it definitely delivered! You can tell he really put his heart and soul into this book. I loved Theo and Asher’s story. I laughed, I cried, I squealed. My god I didn’t want it to end! Easy 5 stars ⭐️ ❤️😍

Oh how I love the sweetness that is Asher and Theo and this book! With the reality tv competition angle of this strangers to lovers romance, there was not a moment where I wanted to put it down. The subtle tension between Asher and Theo while they’re figuring their feelings out is delicious, and I just about died every time.

I’m not sure there will ever be a day where the one bed trope does not hit. It was PERFECTION here. Watching the shift between Asher and Theo from their discomfort in the shared bed to a longing for the other was delightful. I am team #thasher for life- on and off their reality show Epic Trek.

Something really special about this book was the storytelling of Theo’s military experience and his forced coming out. It made me angry (as it should!) and highlighted a specific part of being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community that needs to be spoken about more. Justice for younger Theo, and justice for all who have that moment taken away from them.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the opportunity to read and review this book! I received a free advance copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was so excited to receive an e-arc of this after seeing the synopsis! This gay rom-com had me in a chokehold the entire time I was reading. They meet at the perfect time for both of them and despite the speed of the start giving me a bit of whiplash, I loved that we slowly got to know more about both Asher and Theo. Finding out the boys’ respective histories gradually gave you more reasons to root for their happy ending. Not to mention the spicy scenes!! 😍🔥 Overall this book flew by and I was sad to be done with it. Wouldn’t be mad to see more of the minor characters in the future 👀

I loved this! I was hooked from the beginning, and couldn’t put it down. Asher and Theo’s story takes a whole new view on fake dating. Not only do they jump in head first together as complete strangers, they tackle hard obstacles and challenges as well, on television. They not only learn about one another as time goes on, but they discover things about themselves along the way too. The banter and slow burn between them was great, their story was full of fun and emotion. One of my absolute favorite parts about Asher and Theo- the way they communicated with one another - it pulled at all of my heart strings. I laughed, I cried and I just over all enjoyed this read so much,

Thank you to Chip Pons, Putnam Books & NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Uh oh, I'm falling in love!!! This is all I could think of while reading the book. I could not put this book down because I loved Asher and Theo’s story so much that I just needed to know what happened to both of them. Without spoiling too much, it was such an amazing read for that ending.

CHEESESTICKS!?! So stinking cute as a backstory for how you met someone and then to use it as a check-in is absolutely cuter and so heartwarming. As someone whose relationship started because of food talk this just made me giggle and from that moment I was instantly hooked and ready for this flight of emotions. Theo and Asher took “fake it till you make it” to heart and honestly, I couldn’t be happier with how the story played out. Seeing them both show so much vulnerability and so much care for each other made the whole thing much more real so much easier to root for them as they competed. I’m a sucker for animals, but that whole scene with the elephants made my heart skip so many beats. That was such a cute move on Asher’s part. That alone should have me swooning for him and professing my love on the spot. But let us not forget those spicy scenes. I mean from the shower science to their first time? Like omg, just the intimacy alone was amazing but wow!

I felt so bad for Asher at the start cause like wtf what kind of person dumps someone before their flight!?!? But that quickly went from sad to angry for Asher because of his 100% gross narcissistic ex. So when that nasty ex came back and pulled that stunt I completely felt what Theo was feeling and I was screaming at Asher for not stopping his ex and punching him. I’d throw hands on TV if that happened to me. My heart broke after that for both of them because it was a big ass misunderstanding on both Theo’s and Asher’s part. If only they had stopped and talked, but I get it. Everyone’s emotions were high. It was so nice seeing Theo go back to his family and really work on himself and then bam! Asher comes in all knight-in-shining armour style. I legit almost cried at that scene.

This book had it all, at least for me, that makes it such a cute romance that you can’t put down and just want to dive into and cheer on the main characters. I would recommend others read it and listen along to the playlist that Chip provided because it makes such a great soundtrack. Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the Arc!

A game show based romance with fake dating?! Sign. Me. Up. and it surely did not disappoint. Theo & Asher romance was everything; the chemistry, great banter and an overall swoony worthy story that had you bought in. I loved the writing style, a plot that was engaging and keeps the reader engaged the whole way through. Characters were so well written, with complexities that were done with grace and many people will be able to relate to, while getting the fuzzy feels of a good romance. This is a new auto buy author for me & 5 stars!

Theo and Asher had a fantastic meet, cute chemistry, and apparent physical attraction from the beginning.

Competing together on an around-the-world reality show, there was lots of opportunity for fake dating moments to turn into real feelings. I loved the attention to detail in each local. Each date/ challenge/ activity Theo and Asher were doing reflected the location and genuinely felt like a book where they were traveling.

I thought there was a good balance between the reality show moments and Theo and Asher having time alone to build their relationship. The book's pacing worked really well!

The premise of being on a reality show allowed their evolving feelings to feel real and made their shared connection very believable. I loved how mozzarella sticks played into their story and the way they approached the lead-up to discussing heavier topics.

The secondary characters were really well done, particularly the way Theo and Asher interacted with their competitors, Jenn and Ellie. They were the perfect foils for Theo and Asher.

I loved how down bad these two were for each other. I am a sucker for character characters lasting after each other, especially within a closed proximity/fake dating situation. Chip Pons can write some spice, and that shower scene was excellent. Also, YAY, let's normalize the use of prEP.

I really enjoyed the moments when Theo was able to communicate with his family. It really added to the book to see his vulnerability and understand more of his backstory. Theo’s arc with his family and their love of him were some of my favorite elements!

The last third of the book felt a little rushed, and while I loved the resolution of Theo’s arc, I feel like the book would’ve benefited from seeing how Asher dealt with the fallout of the trauma. It felt like there was room for nuanced feelings, and I was left wanting a little bit more.

Overall, this was a fun, flirty trad pub debut, and I cannot wait to read Chip’s next book(s)!

3.5- rounding up

This book had me hooked from the very first page! There was so much going on from the very beginning and I loved it. I thought it was going to be so much more cringe than what it was I actually enjoyed it so much more than I thought. It was a lot more realistic and unexpected. I loved how it was so detailed when it came to describing the show.

Th author did such a great job on their back stories and the mental health aspects, and how we treat our Vets. I just found it to be such a great story on self love and self worth that doesn't often get told and we need more of.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC on exchange for an honest review, as always all words are my own.

Overall: 4.25/5
Spice level: 2.5/5
Tropes: fake dating, reality TV, forced proximity, one bed, strangers to lovers, opposites attract

This was a cute story! I really loved the chemistry between Theo and Asher. Theo's golden retriever, go with the flow energy was exactly what Anxious Asher needed in his life.

In this reality TV, adventure-based plot, the pacing was fast, but not difficult to follow.

There was great character development and a unique plot. I really enjoyed this new to me author.

Chip wrote an absolute stunner with this one!!! I loved the romance, travel and location settings, side characters and family, and the concept of The Epic Trek. The spice was well-written and I was engaged in the story throughout.

The only thing I didn't like was the 3rd act conflict, it felt a bit out of left field and didn't 100% make sense. It also annoyed me personally lol, I hated Asher's ex! But the conflict didn't detract from my overall love for the book and the characters. I highly recommend this one and am so honored to have received an ARC!

I loved “You and I, Rewritten,” so was so excited to receive an ARC of Chip Pons newest book.

Asher and his long term boyfriend Clint are checking in for their flight to do an Amazing Race style reality show when Clint drops a bomb: not only does he no longer want to do the show but he also wants to break up.

While drinking away his woes at the airport TGIFridays, Asher meets Theo, a pilot who had just been grounded for the month because of flying too many hours. Theo agrees to come on the show as Asher’s boyfriend since he has nothing else to do for the next few weeks and is looking for an adventure.

What follows are challenges around the world while Asher and Theo fall in love. I absolutely loved these two guys. They were both guarded but kind and honest and knew how to apologize.

This would have been a 5-star for me if Asher hadn’t literally just been dumped by his boyfriend of SEVEN years. I just could not get past being with someone for that long and just jumping into something that turns out to be your HEA. Other than that detail, the book was pretty perfect.

I received this Advanced Readers Copy via NetGalley. It releases on June 10, 2025.

Add it to your TBR if you like the following:
-crabby/sunshine
-golden retriever energy
-open door scenes
-reality show challenges

When the opening quote is credited to "Dr. Taylor Alison Swift," I automatically am like "oh, this one is going to be super pretentious." And it 100% was! This book glossed over the meet cute, claimed a pilot carried poppers in his carry-on (they're flammable), there were way too many pet names, and did not do justice to the Amazing Race inspiration. The author is a little too in love with his story, if that makes sense.

But, like, parts of it were still really good. Pons can definitely write the spice, and he does a nice job of including a balance of queer trauma with a heaping dose of queer joy. I also liked Jo, Ellie, and Jenn as side characters. You can tell that Pons put in a lot of his favorite things in this book (i.e. Ben and Jerry's, elephants, La Tomatina, etc.), and it was nice to see his own queer joy on the page.

I'm trying not to be a complete asshole, so that's why it's three stars. But as an Amazing Race fan, this one was NOT IT. The challenges were stupid, the incompetence of the two leads pissed me off, and the social media elements read as someone who has never been on social media (which I know isn't true of Chip Pons). I get wanting to make it your own, but when it is so clearly ripped off a real show, at least do it justice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Fantastic read. Chip does a great job of creating likable characters whose relationship builds naturally through well written events using a fun travel game show premise.

Asher Bennett creía que su relación iba bien hasta que lo abandonan justo antes del reality show de la competencia mundial de viajes, The Epic Trek. Theo Fernandez es el único piloto que nunca se ha tomado vacaciones. Mientras se pregunta cómo disfrutar de su nuevo tiempo libre, se topa con la oportunidad perfecta. El chico guapo que le "robó" sus palitos de mozzarella en su restaurante favorito de la terminal tiene una repentina vacante para una pareja... en un reality show televisado a nivel nacional.

La trama con un toque de aventura fue entretenida, pero simplemente creo que no logré conectar con los personajes y el desarrollo de la relación.

3/5⭐

4🌟 This story was beautiful! I loved Asher & Theo so much. From the meet cute over mozzarella sticks to the steamy shower scenes, this story had me rooting for this couple so hard. The premise of the book kept me engaged and I loved the forced proximity aspect of the book.

What’s inside:
MM Romance
Fake Dating
Forced Proximity
Emotional Depth

The cover, the book, the characters are all best! 🩵🩵

Reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram will be posted on June 10th, 2025. Links included below to my overall profile where the review will be shared.

This book is everything I love in a rom-com 🥰 it grabs you from the very first mozzarella meet-cute, and doesn't let go.  As Asher and Theo travel the world and get to know each other, and fall for each other, you feel like you're falling right along with them.  Seriously, this book made me laugh, cry, and squeal with giddiness!  But along with all the fun and adventures these two have, there's some heavier topics woven in that I thought were handled really well, and that balance made the book even better.

PS/ If you saw me giggling and blushing in the coffee shop while reading this... no, you didn't 😘

Winging It With You releases on June 10th, and you absolutely don't want to miss it! Now, excuse me while I go and find some mozzarella sticks!

A completely delightful, wild ride of a book. I adored it! This fresh take on a reality TV romance, complete with two heroes I was rooting for from page one, had me hooked right through to the end.

I'm rounding up to four stars on this, because I do think it's better than three.

Let me start with a pet peeve that may be utterly unimportant to other people: I can cope with "cum" as a noun. It's not my fave, but fine. As a verb, though... please leave that to p0rn. Just ew. (As I said: I may be the only person on the planet who feels this way.) Also, "cumming would literally solve all my problems right now"? Really?

Now, the story. I was all in with the implausible rom-com premise. No problems there. However, if you're going to write a book about a reality show, I think you need to flesh out the show better, rather than having it be something that's kind of going on in the background while you talk about your MCs. For example, is Jo supposed to be assigned just to Theo and Asher? Like, each couple has their own liaison (not to mention driver)? Because she sure seems to have a lot of time to spend on them (as does Arthur, the driver)... but we never see any similar people for the other couples. And then, with occasional exceptions, the other couples and the challenges are pretty much invisible. Yes, spending more page space on the "reality" of the show would leave less room for the main romance, but authors need to find a way to balance those demands.

As for the romance, I liked seeing the characters grow and heal over the course of the book. But all that healing made the miscommunication/breakup that much less plausible. I won't go into spoilery details, but... seriously?

So, all in all, I liked the characters well enough, but this isn't something I'll be going back to reread.

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

HUGE thank you to Chip Pons himself for this ARC. This was undoubtedly one of my favorite reads of the year so far. I was giggling, kicking my feet, and hollering at the love (and let’s be real, the SPICE BABY) that flowed through this one. I’ll leave it at that for now, and I gotta say - this is a MUST-ADD to your tbr when it comes out in June. Do it, you won’t be sorry!

Things I loved:
-Exploration of grief and processing all life throws at you
-Exploration of vulnerability, trust, and knowing you deserve good things
-Theo Fernandez, period.
-Asher’s relationship with Ellie
-Twist my arm, the spice!!

Winging It by Chip Pons was an absolute WIN for me! From the very first page, I was hooked. A high-stakes reality competition, wild challenges, and a fake dating trope? Say no more...I’m so in! I absolutely adored Asher and Theo. Their chemistry was electric, their banter had me grinning like an idiot, and their romance was just the right mix of sweet and swoony. There were so many moments that had me kicking my feet, and I lived for their dynamic. Both characters were so well-developed—layered, complex, and incredibly easy to fall in love with. First-time Chip Pons reader here, and yep, I’m officially obsessed. This fangirl is a fangirl for life, and I need more from him ASAP!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my opinion and review!