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delgasta's review against another edition
I got 3 chapters in and was so annoyed by how everything was handled. Darcy seemed annoying and somehow better than everyone else. I could see myself getting more and more annoyed so I gave up.
booketofbooks's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up
I have mixed feelings about this debut romance about two lost people trying to figure life out and finding solace in each other. The meet disaster in this book was top notch (who can beat being rescued by a woman from a bear??). When Darcy saves Teagan during his stay at a wilderness therapy retreat in Montana the two hit it off and Teagan ends up offering Darcy a job as his 'sober companion' back in the real world.
What he doesn't tell Darcy is that he's NOT an alcoholic (though his mother was). Instead, he suffers from extreme anxiety and panic attacks and was hospitalized in the past because of it. Darcy too is floundering from not having finished her degree, largely in part to having undiagnosed dyslexia.
Together in the city Darcy and Teagan grow closer while also realizing Teagan's sister, Sloane, needs serious rehab help herself. Sloane is a fun character that reminded me a lot of Alexis from Schitt's Creek. Where this book lost a star rating from me was the miscommunication and lying Teagan does about his true condition. I didn't love that he hid what was really going on from Darcy.
Overall though the disability and mental health rep in this book was excellent, Darcy is a kick ass female main character and the whole premise was unique and fresh. The narration by Savannah Peachwood was also well done and I would definitely read the next book this author writes. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and @prhaudio for complimentary digital copies in exchange for my honest review!
I have mixed feelings about this debut romance about two lost people trying to figure life out and finding solace in each other. The meet disaster in this book was top notch (who can beat being rescued by a woman from a bear??). When Darcy saves Teagan during his stay at a wilderness therapy retreat in Montana the two hit it off and Teagan ends up offering Darcy a job as his 'sober companion' back in the real world.
What he doesn't tell Darcy is that he's NOT an alcoholic (though his mother was). Instead, he suffers from extreme anxiety and panic attacks and was hospitalized in the past because of it. Darcy too is floundering from not having finished her degree, largely in part to having undiagnosed dyslexia.
Together in the city Darcy and Teagan grow closer while also realizing Teagan's sister, Sloane, needs serious rehab help herself. Sloane is a fun character that reminded me a lot of Alexis from Schitt's Creek. Where this book lost a star rating from me was the miscommunication and lying Teagan does about his true condition. I didn't love that he hid what was really going on from Darcy.
Overall though the disability and mental health rep in this book was excellent, Darcy is a kick ass female main character and the whole premise was unique and fresh. The narration by Savannah Peachwood was also well done and I would definitely read the next book this author writes. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and @prhaudio for complimentary digital copies in exchange for my honest review!
marilynw's review against another edition
4.0
Bear with Me Now by Katie Shepard
Teagan Van Zijl, is handsome, charming, and way too serious for his own good. But the seriousness came from having an alcoholic mother and from having to raise his little sister from the time he was twelve years old. He took this task seriously because he had to take it seriously. Their mother was all about parties and booze and Teague and his sister, Sloane, were on their own.
Years later, twenty two year old Sloane has dragged a drugged Teagan to a wilderness therapy retreat. Sloane is there because she needs rehab due to cocaine abuse. Teague is there because Sloane doesn't want to be there without him. Teague had been in the hospital due to a vicious panic attack and wasn't even clear headed when Sloane swept him away to this expensive Montana rehab resort. He has a non profit charity to run and it's hemorrhaging money. He needs to be back at work but he wants to do what is best for Sloane and he's still reeling from his "not a heart attack, panic attack instead" diagnosis.
Meet Darcy Albano, who has flitted around working bottom rung manual labor jobs in wilderness areas while having spent over a decade trying to get her degree. Something is not right with her understanding of the written word and it's slammed doors in her face all her life. Now Darcy won't even try for jobs that require paperwork, her confidence when it comes to work and school are at rock bottom and her dreams of becoming a park ranger are just that, dreams. But through a major amount of misdirection and miscommunication, Darcy is now going to be Teague's sober companion. How does Teague end up with a sober companion that he doesn't need, for an affliction he doesn't have, while his real needs are being swept under a rug, leaving him more fragile than ever?
Yeah, so these people don't say what they need to say to each other. Teague and Darcy have life long trauma and they are going about things all the wrong ways. But that's life, even when unearned, shame, guilt, embarrassment, and the need to fix others can keep one from getting the help needed. These two are so attracted to each other, the chemistry is so right, but Teague's one little lie and Darcy's jumping to way too many conclusions makes this a romance that may be bound to end way too soon. I hurt for both Teague and Darcy and wish they could really be honest with each other but both feel they have too much to lose to show themselves completely. There is humor here, there is a bear and other wildlife, but the serious issues are what make the story so interesting for me.
Pub Apr 25, 2023
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.
Teagan Van Zijl, is handsome, charming, and way too serious for his own good. But the seriousness came from having an alcoholic mother and from having to raise his little sister from the time he was twelve years old. He took this task seriously because he had to take it seriously. Their mother was all about parties and booze and Teague and his sister, Sloane, were on their own.
Years later, twenty two year old Sloane has dragged a drugged Teagan to a wilderness therapy retreat. Sloane is there because she needs rehab due to cocaine abuse. Teague is there because Sloane doesn't want to be there without him. Teague had been in the hospital due to a vicious panic attack and wasn't even clear headed when Sloane swept him away to this expensive Montana rehab resort. He has a non profit charity to run and it's hemorrhaging money. He needs to be back at work but he wants to do what is best for Sloane and he's still reeling from his "not a heart attack, panic attack instead" diagnosis.
Meet Darcy Albano, who has flitted around working bottom rung manual labor jobs in wilderness areas while having spent over a decade trying to get her degree. Something is not right with her understanding of the written word and it's slammed doors in her face all her life. Now Darcy won't even try for jobs that require paperwork, her confidence when it comes to work and school are at rock bottom and her dreams of becoming a park ranger are just that, dreams. But through a major amount of misdirection and miscommunication, Darcy is now going to be Teague's sober companion. How does Teague end up with a sober companion that he doesn't need, for an affliction he doesn't have, while his real needs are being swept under a rug, leaving him more fragile than ever?
Yeah, so these people don't say what they need to say to each other. Teague and Darcy have life long trauma and they are going about things all the wrong ways. But that's life, even when unearned, shame, guilt, embarrassment, and the need to fix others can keep one from getting the help needed. These two are so attracted to each other, the chemistry is so right, but Teague's one little lie and Darcy's jumping to way too many conclusions makes this a romance that may be bound to end way too soon. I hurt for both Teague and Darcy and wish they could really be honest with each other but both feel they have too much to lose to show themselves completely. There is humor here, there is a bear and other wildlife, but the serious issues are what make the story so interesting for me.
Pub Apr 25, 2023
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.
labraden's review against another edition
3.0
When Teagan Van Zijl suffers a panic attack that lands him in the hospital for a week, his sister Sloane decides to take him somewhere to get help. She chooses a wilderness retreat in Montana that specializes in addiction therapy. Teagan tries to tell everyone that he is not an addict, but nobody believes him, especially Darcy Albano, the retreat handywoman. After she saves Teagan from an accidental encounter with a bear, Darcy is appointed as Teagan's sobriety companion, which creates a much closer relationship that prompts him to take her back with him to New York.
There are just way too many things going on in Bear With Me Now. All of the main characters have so many problems that it seems impossible for them to find any kind of normality. In addition, the story goes from the wilderness in Montana to the world of institutionalized fundraising in New York without settling any of the concerns raised at either location. What adds to the confusion is implausibility of the events that occur throughout the novel. Also, addiction, severe anxiety, and dyslexia are treated as plot devices rather than the serious problems that they are. Overall, there are many good things that are unfortunately buried in the maelstrom created by the overabundance of issues and events in this story.
There are just way too many things going on in Bear With Me Now. All of the main characters have so many problems that it seems impossible for them to find any kind of normality. In addition, the story goes from the wilderness in Montana to the world of institutionalized fundraising in New York without settling any of the concerns raised at either location. What adds to the confusion is implausibility of the events that occur throughout the novel. Also, addiction, severe anxiety, and dyslexia are treated as plot devices rather than the serious problems that they are. Overall, there are many good things that are unfortunately buried in the maelstrom created by the overabundance of issues and events in this story.
hgriffin93's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
alliecat1915's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0