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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
Released : 11th September
Thank you to Bedford Square Publishers for the ARC
Thank you to Bedford Square Publishers for the ARC
I have never been more excited to get an ARC! If you don’t know Hannah Bonham-Young has quickly become one of my auto-buy authors after discovering her next year - and I was super intrigued about this one as it has moved away from her usual art cover style, wondering whether it was marking the start of something new.
In the quiet tourist town of Baysville, introverted Prue has built a life of routine, working at her father’s gas station, writing poetry, and caring for her mother with Early Onset Alzheimer’s - until an enigmatic drifter named Milo rolls into town in a battered van. Drawn into his free-spirited orbit, Prue strikes up an unlikely friendship that quickly turns into a bold, no-strings arrangement. Their chemistry deepens and life pulls them in unexpected directions, both must decide whether they’re ready to take the leap from comfort to something real.
HBY’s writing is romance with a literary feel to me - and in the first 20% of this it felt much more sitting on the literary side of the fence to me which I was loving - and then… the spice was way more descriptive than her others when it hit and caught me completely off guard!
Over the past two months I’ve been feeling unimpressed by almost everything I’ve read - this was something I found a lot of joy in lapping up. It was very very close to being a 4 star read but as I drew towards the end - there were a few things that put me off.
- Milo's first reaction to Prue is imagining her naked, then we kind of slow burn backwards a little, just seemed a little odd in retrospect
- Milo, pegged as a Bisexual but it didn't feel like it came into the story at all and was kind of a tickbox for something of diversity. Maybe it's not an issue but it also didn't play a part either.
- Prue seems to have struggled with confidence in able to lose her virginity - yet she dives pretty headfirst into letting a man who has slept with ~200 people?
- I feel like their bond was built a little on him helping with his previous connection to Mrs Welch and they needed to establish a bit more common ground between the two characters to build a more convincing relationship.
- The book was pretty short and I thought it had room to play with more narrative about Milo's relationships with his siblings and struggle with his parents - his background felt a bit looser to Prue's.
I think the chapters were a little longer than normal than we see in HBY books, but despite that it was still a fast page turner for me - and the epilogue was so sweet, possibly my favourite part of the book and I almost never say that!
I’d already booked signing tickets for HBY in London for this launch too - so I can’t wait to add this to my shelf physically when it comes out!
I never want to be inside this man’s mind again. It was gross.
I’m so disappointed. HBY’s last three books were absolute hits for me, but this one just didn’t work. Dare I say, there were simply too many things happening—too many problems—and it felt cumbersome to keep track of everything. Pure and Milo just didn’t work for me. I couldn’t see how they formed a connection as such vastly different people. The relationship felt rushed and, at the same time, didn’t make sense.
I was genuinely touched by the author’s note about a town that means so much to her, and how this was her love letter to that place and the family that brought her there. It resonated with me, as I have my own special town where I take my family every summer. But I couldn’t figure out how this book conveyed that. The town felt like an afterthought to the story.
I wanted to love this. I expected to love this. But it just didn’t work for me. I do hope for a book about Milo’s sister—she seemed quite interesting—and I’ll definitely continue reading this author. Everything else has been stellar.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the advanced copy!
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
hannah bonham young’s back catalogue has been on my tbr for ages and i’ve never gotten round to it, so when i saw the arc of this on netgalley (thank you ……….) i jumped at the chance. this was also my first ‘autumnal’ read of the year and i was really looking forward to it.
immediately felt a connection with prue’s character although i initially found miles a little more difficult to like (im really not sure him having a POV added to the book here…)
feels like a sunday afternoon in september read
i don’t know if im being stupid but i really don’t understand the ‘killer’ nickname, maybe this is a cultural thing with the author being canadian and me being from the UK but i do also think it was overused somewhat
dnf @ 35%, i found it quick and easy to read and did consider finishing just for the sake of it… but i really can’t stand the ‘experienced male’ ‘infantalised 25 year old virgin’ trope. miles POV detracted from the story for me - he made me very uncomfortable.
sad
I was not expecting People Watching to be this sad. I really wanted to like this book, but it just kept getting sadder and sadder the more I read. It just wasn’t for me and I really hate that. 🫣
I was given an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.
I was given an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.
note : the mmc is the most manwhoring manwhore that has ever manwhored
and the fmc is a virgin of course.
we gotta keep the disgusting misogynistic balance
this is so disappointing coming from the author of out on a limb
and the fmc is a virgin of course.
we gotta keep the disgusting misogynistic balance
this is so disappointing coming from the author of out on a limb
Read This Book If…”Invisible String” is one of your favorite Taylor Swift songs!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
People Watching by Hannah Bonam-Young
Genre: romance
Spice Level: 4/5🌶, 3-4 explicit scenes
Setting: small vacation town in Ontario
POV: dual, 1st person, present tense
Tropes: bad first impression, sex lessons, virgin, “good girl”
My Thoughts:
This one is definitely a tearjerker! Between the mom with Alzheimer’s, his family history, and the overall tenderness, you can expect to shed a few tears.
However, there were plenty of fun and steamy moments to balance it out! I loved having a more experienced MMC giving lessons to the FMC (although we did lean pretty hard into the slutty bisexual stereotype at the beginning). These two had insane chemistry, in both their banter and in the bedroom.
I tend to prefer romances with more external conflict, and this one was definitely internal. Even by small town standards, these two were very much in their family-only bubble. I loved all of the side characters, but would have loved to see a bit more of the town. I’m hoping we get that in the second book in the series!!
Memorable Quote: “So yes, Milo and I are in love. And, no, we’ll probably never admit it to each other. But how wonderful and tragic and lucky is that?”
Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy!
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for this eARC!
This was a good book! I’ve only read one other of Bonam-Young’s books, but I saw her in conversation with Lyla Sage semi-recently and the way she spoke about writing, and romance novels in particular, pushed me to finally pick up “Next of Kin” and request this eARC. I definitely was not disappointed. I’m normally a little skeptical about reading virgin FMCs, but the communication between Milo and Prue was top tier. My concern normally lies in the power imbalance, but her being super transparent and him being super clear made that a nonissue.
This book was a lovely exploration about figuring out what is important and what you really want out of life. I really enjoyed the conversations between Prue and her dad about where she was going with her life. Also, I liked the contrast between Milo’s family wanting him to stay and Prue’s wanting her to leave.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, family is definitely my kryptonite—you want to make me cry? Throw in heartfelt conversations between siblings, parent/child, anything, and I’ll sob. So this book definitely got me.
I also love a good small town romance; it’s just such a cozy, comforting vibe. And Bonam-Young did it pretty well. I would’ve maybe liked to see a little more of the extended town and people, but I still really liked the setting.
This will be another great fall read! Definitely recommend picking it up when you can!
This was a good book! I’ve only read one other of Bonam-Young’s books, but I saw her in conversation with Lyla Sage semi-recently and the way she spoke about writing, and romance novels in particular, pushed me to finally pick up “Next of Kin” and request this eARC. I definitely was not disappointed. I’m normally a little skeptical about reading virgin FMCs, but the communication between Milo and Prue was top tier. My concern normally lies in the power imbalance, but her being super transparent and him being super clear made that a nonissue.
This book was a lovely exploration about figuring out what is important and what you really want out of life. I really enjoyed the conversations between Prue and her dad about where she was going with her life. Also, I liked the contrast between Milo’s family wanting him to stay and Prue’s wanting her to leave.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, family is definitely my kryptonite—you want to make me cry? Throw in heartfelt conversations between siblings, parent/child, anything, and I’ll sob. So this book definitely got me.
I also love a good small town romance; it’s just such a cozy, comforting vibe. And Bonam-Young did it pretty well. I would’ve maybe liked to see a little more of the extended town and people, but I still really liked the setting.
This will be another great fall read! Definitely recommend picking it up when you can!
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Hannah Bonam-Young and Bedford Square Publishers for giving me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.
I didn’t know I needed a quiet, reflective romance until this story reminded me. This book has such a soft, intimate atmosphere. It’s not loud, not dramatic… just beautifully real.
Bonam-Young captures emotional vulnerability with so much grace. The characters feel raw and human, and even though the plot moves at a slower pace, it never felt dull. I think this one will sit especially well with readers who appreciate introspection in their romance reads.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Death of parent
Minor: Grief
Focuses on realistic emotional growth and caregiving in a nuanced, respectful way; grounded romance.