Chick Magnet - Emma Barry
This romance follows Nicole and and Will. After a disastrous, very public internet breakup, Nicole needs a fresh start. She moves herself and her flock of chickens across the country to her grandmother's hometown. There, she meets Will - her neighbor and local grumpy vet. He has certain opinions of Nicole and her chicken YouTube content - specifically about her lack of advocating for vet care. While the two initially butted heads, they find themselves spending more time together through the coincidences of small town life. I enjoyed so many parts of this book, but it just didn't come together for me. I've seen a ton of folks loving this book and I think that's great since most of my issues are entirely personal preference. My main issue that might just be a me-thing is that Covid is a pretty significant part of this book. Nicole's internet stardom started when she lost her job due to Covid, she got into backyard chickens, and wanted to share/encourage anyone who was also getting into backyard chickens since Covid. Also, Will's vet practice is going through some tough financial times due to Covid and the post-Covid economy. This is the first book I've read where Covid was such an integral part of the plot and I'm just not in the right mood for Covid to become that much of a part of the books I read. I loved Nicole and Will as separate characters and I thought their initial friction was super believable. They have a bit of a grumpy-sunshine dynamic going on, but both have some pretty significant baggage going on that they're working through with support from each other. I loved the small town setting and how Nicole's personal connection to the town was played out. While I liked Nicole and Will as characters, I did find myself not feeling the chemistry between them all the way. I thought their flirting was fantastic and the chemistry for their makeout sessions was *chef's kiss* but when they actually got together and started a relationship I wasn't feeling it. I liked their chemistry so much more as friends who sometimes made out for a while and that is so weird. But, again, I've seen so many folks loving this that I think this just wasn't the book for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC. Expected publication date is January 24, 2023
Beard in Mind - Penny Reid
This is the fourth book in the Winston Brothers series and follows Beau Winston. After seeing his twin and older brother happily pair up with their loves from the previous books, Beau is ready to settle down. But when Shelly, a straight talking beauty who glares at everyone but shakes hands with no one starts working as a mechanic at his shop, Beau is confused at how one woman can infuriate and intrigue him at the same time. As he and Shelly slowly start to warm up to each other, he starts to catch onto little details about her. And when those little details bloom into the full complexity of Shelly Sullivan, Beau knows he doesn't want anyone else. But when they both have some unexpected family situations pop up, Beau and Shelly will need to navigate supporting each other while also dealing with their own issues. I overall enjoyed this read, but it felt different than the other Winston Brothers books so far in the series. We still get the Winston family dynamic and some small town antics, but I found those aspects to be overshadowed by the more serious topics of mental health and the increases of tension with the local motocycle group. I think Reid did a wonderful job handling these more sensitive topics but it wasn't as light and fluffy as I was expecting from the previous 3 books in the series. I don't think these more serious topics are out of place in a lighter romance like the Winston Brothers series, necessarily, it just wasn't what I had grown to expect over the past 3 books. This is also a long read - around 400 pages - and I don't think it quite found the balance between the romance plot and the other plotlines. It felt like the first 60% of the book was focused on the romance and then the last 40% was focused on these other plots. This split made it read very much like a middle book in a series where we needed to get all of this new information for the overall series story arc to progress but fitting that information into this book felt a little out of place. I did love the romance in this and how much character development we get with Beau and Shelly. I loved the amount of relationship building in their platonic and familial relationships as well. This story mainly takes place at the same time as Beard Science, so it was fun seeing some of those scenes from Beau's perspective. I think Beau and Shelly's relationship felt well-earned and realistic in that they didn't get magically better or their problems magically solved just because they're in love. The way Shelly's OCD and her therapy journey were woven into the plot was wonderful and didn't feel like just an add-on or afterthought like can happen with some stories.
TW/CW: self harm (discussions of past behavior), parent death from cancer, infidelity, family estrangement, domestic violence (discussions of past behavior), mental health - OCD.
A Guide to Being Just Friends - Sophie Sullivan
This is the third book in the Jansen Brothers series and follows eldest brother, Will, and Hailey. Hailey is new to town after a horrible breakup and is focused on making her business a success. After their initial encounter goes terribly wrong, Will goes into her salad shop to apologize and the two strike up an unlikely friendship. Neither one are looking for a relationship - each for their own reasons - but they both could use a friend. As the two spend more and more time together over the following months, they grow closer but also let the other see parts of themselves they normally keep tucked away. But when feelings inevitably grow, can they become something better than friends or will they end up brokenhearted and alone? I absolutely adored this read. It is slow burn, friends to lovers perfection! Sullivan spends a good time building up their friendship and developing their characters separately as well as together and it pays off spectacularly at the end. As this is the third and final book in the series, we do see a good amount of the previous 2 couples which is always fun. I loved Hailey's friends-and-family support system and how the narrative supported her building her own support system in this new town before jumping into a relationship. I thought the hurdles in the relationship were realistic and handled well. I loved the declaration at the end (which made me cry) and how much these characters really came together in the end.
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC. Expected publication is January 17, 2023.
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