Thanks to the author and Penguin for the ARC!

3.5⭐️ rounded up.

This was a really cute forced proximity story about a guy who gets dumped en route to a travel competition show and has to scramble to find a new partner.

Asher and Theo were very cute together and I enjoyed their chemistry. The transition from getting to know one another to attraction/physical intimacy felt rushed to me.

This is the second book I got to read from Chip. I already liked the first one, “You & Me, Rewritten”, it was a great book - it gets even better when you remember that it’s his debut - and sometime ago I read in his Instagram profile that he used to read all the reviews he’s gotten and that he took his time learning from them to improve his work, and I have to say that he’s clearly done it because he took this second book to the next level.
I loved “Winging It With You”. It’s the type of romcom that you click with right away, and you just can’t stop reading it. It was lovely, funny, heartwarming and beautiful. It shows how you can find true love and a happy ending even in the most unexpected ways. The characters were well developed and written, and it was impossible not to fall in love with them or relate to them or to do both things (in my case, I could see so much of myself in Asher - and I’m pretty sure the man of my dreams looks a lot like Theo right now).
I was very pleased reading this book, I’ll definitely recommend it to my friends and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Chip!

Expected pub date: June 10, 2025


This was my first book by Chip Pons, so I wasn’t sure what to expect—but it turned out to be absolutely amazing. The story takes place during a game that spans several weeks, where contestants face challenges to win a million-dollar prize—a concept I loved since I haven’t read anything like it before. Theo and Asher’s fake dating made it even more interesting.
The romance between Theo and Asher had me swooning! Both characters were so well-written and complex. The ending was absolutely perfect for their story, and the epilogue seemed to hint at a sequel. Hopefully, that happens—I can’t wait to see them grow even more.
This was definitely a 5-star read. Chip Pons is now an auto-buy author for me, and I can’t wait to check out his debut.
Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC!

It has been far too long since a book sucked me in and held me tight by all my emotions to the point that when it was over, I couldn’t let it go. Winging It With You did that for me and I couldn’t have loved it more. This book takes place in an “amazing race”-esque show, which makes the plot so exciting. And the “fake dating” is done so well, because we truly get to see Asher and Theo go from complete awkward strangers to friends to more. It’s such a beautiful relationship arc.
WIWY had me giggling out loud, tearing up, clutching my pearls (jk, I was DYING for those spicy scenes)…all the feels. Chip Pons knocked it out of the park with this book and I cannot wait to see what he puts out next.
PS- the spice is perfection. I definitely felt like a fly on the wall, which is everything I hope for in a good open-door romance. Chefs kiss, no notes.

I loved this so much. Asher and Theo have my whole heart, and I adored both the literal and figurative journeys they both went on. The lush places they traveled to for the reality show swept me away, but not as much as their tension and romance did. The emotional beats felt real, raw, and earned. The ending had me kicking my feet and so happy!

What an honor it is to fall in love with Asher and Theo so early! The spice was perfect (although we all wish we could wish for more) and the story had so much love and heart into it. It felt personal and it felt like I was interrupting!!!!!!

You can tell Asher and Theo really needed each other. And I’m throughly obsessed to see a (possible?) sequel if there is one. Becuase I need the weeding! The future kids! The development of their story.

They make love feel real and they make love real easy.

Thank you, Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley, for the eARC!

Rating: 5/5 🌟

What an absolutely fun and cute story! I loved the "Amazing Race" TV game show setting that was the book!

Asher's world just shattered when his long-term partner left him at the airport before they were supposed to take this trip of a lifetime. Enters heartthrob/golden retriever pilot Theo, who enters into a bargain with Asher over a basket of mozzarella sticks without knowing what he's got himself into! (Leaving it at that! Read the book!)

Theo must be protected!!

I’m always a big fan of the forced proximity and fake dating tropes. Luckily, WINGING IT WITH YOU did an excellent job with both tropes and I loved Asher and Theo’s story. Both characters seemed so real with great depth and I want to be friends with both. Recommend. Round up to 4.5 stars.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this. Asher and Theo were so damn precious and the limited but impactful spice scenes were great! Just really loved this. Will be reading whatever else Chip releases 🫶🏻

I loved every second of reading this book! Thank you so much Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC! I’m a sucker for fake dating close proximity romance books and this one has everything! I loved Asher and Theo and all this adventure had for them! The steamy scenes were 🔥😈, loved them! Bravo Chip, this story was so fun and I loved all it had to offer! I’ll be recommending to everyone!

An enjoyable friends to lovers romance set against the backdrop of an "Amazing Race" style television show. When Asher is dumped at the airline counter moments before he and his boyfriend are set to take off for The Epic Trek, he heads to the airport bar to drown his sorrows. While there, he runs into Theo, a recently grounded pilot who has been ordered to "have fun" and offers up his time to Asher. There is very little that is unpredictable about the relationship that develops between Asher and Theo, but they each have their backstories that make them hesitant to take the leap from faux romance for the cameras to real romance for each other. Through in a pushy producer and a manipulative host, and things get a little bit messy along the way.

One weird thing I have to point out. It was a little freaky that the Fernandez family address is actually the address of our close friends. I always assumed authors fudged street addresses a little bit, but I guess not.

Overall, this was a fun read. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

If you enjoy romantic comedies, you will love *Winging It With You* by Chip Pons. This delightful book combines elements of fake dating with a reality competition vibe similar to Alison Cochrun's *Charm Offensive*.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and believe it would be the perfect read for spring break or a summer beach read. Even vacation-deprived readers (like Theo) will appreciate the globetrotting, whirlwind adventures featured during their travel contest.

Moreover, it’s a well-written, well-paced, engaging story filled with spice and romance, sincerity and humor, as well as love from both biological and chosen families. What more could you ask for?

I highly recommend this charming read. Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the advance copy.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

3⭐️

Theo and Asher are so cute! I love the setting of how they meet and them going onto a gameshow together. It prompted so much cute banter and chemistry building.

If you play Stardew Valley you know any man named Clint is a walking red flag. Like why was he not impressed by Asher's job and accomplishments? What??

I feel like the ending conflict could have been resolved in the moment, but I appreciated the following scenes and how we got to know more about Theo and his family. Theo is my favorite.

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot.

What an absolutely charming read! The way Asher & Theo have so much emotional depth. Chip Pons wrote characters that feel like the most genuinely kind and real people, who you’d want to be best friends with, and are rooting for right from the beginning. Watching them grow over the course of the different challenges and cities they visit for the show was a fun backdrop to tackle some serious issues too. Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam & NetGalley for this ARC.

So I have to admit, I’ve never been a big fan of reality tv, so I wasn’t sure this book would be for me, but it definitely was! Chip did such a beautiful job showing us the hearts of these characters, and showing us such a fun adventure! I loved Asher and Theo individually, and I adored them together. They were so sweet and swoony and vent in the adventure of a lifetime together. Such a fun way to start a love story!

What a gift. Chip's sophomore novel was everything I hoped it would be. I will officially be taking all of my reality TV shows in the form of a book, thankyouverymuch.

I loved Asher and Theo's story so much. Theo was a little on the crazy side to hop on a plane with a stranger, but you know what? It works. I can only imagine how much fun Chip had writing their adventures - and you can tell on page how much he cared about these two. I loved every page of this and I can't wait to share it with everyone I know.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC. <3 <3 <3

DNF at 17%

Okay, the story might be a nice one, but I’m writing stories myself right now, and I learned that one of the rules to make your writing show instead of telling is to limit the number of adverbs,

But boy, oh boy, Chip Pons is Mr. Adverb himself. I jumped from probably to finally to quickly to instantly to nervously to coolly to visibly to skeptically to gently to abruptly to typically to intensely to quietly to many, many, many more, and I found out that I was only looking for adverbs instead of reading the story. So yeah, I quit.

Please check out other reviews if you want to read this one!

4.25 ⭐️

As a fan of reality TV shows and The Amazing Race, the premise of this book pulled me right in. The fictional reality show in this book was a really fun setting for this love story. The writing in this book and the characters took me a little bit to get into, but when I was in, I was IN. Theo and Asher are adorable in this book and I found it very enjoyable watching their connection grow throughout this book and all of the scenarios they were thrown into. This book also manages to have some third act conflict that isn’t totally frustrating for the reader, which was a plus for me.

DNF @ 49%
This was such a fun premise! I really related to the specific hurdles both main characters were facing. Unfortunately as much as I enjoyed the characters, I didn't believe in the emotional development. The characters had strong motivations but I didn't believe that they really knew each other by the time the "I'm in love" realizations happened. This book may have not worked for me but I'm sure others will love the reality TV aspect because the stakes are high and the characters are sympathetic. I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on this author because I bet I will enjoy his future books.