Book Smart Kate

Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

by Sarah T. Dubb (June 4, 2024) – Many thanks to @netgalley @gallerybooks and @sarahtdubbwrites for the opportunity to review this AMAZING book.  Below is my honest review.

Married young, Celeste felt like she had lost her identity to her marriage. Now in her early 40s with a daughter about to graduate from high school, Celeste has spent the last few years since her divorce embracing a quest to find herself through new projects, classes, and adventures. This “say yes” attitude is how she finds herself heading to a park to meet a stranger needing a partner. She could be someone’s fake girlfriend for an afternoon. However, John didn’t need a fake girlfriend. He needed a partner for the annual birdwatching competition. Quiet and contemplative, John wasn’t looking for a phony date, but when Celeste proclaims herself his girlfriend to his birdwatching ex, he can’t undo the lie without looking absurd – and he does need a birding partner. This is how Celeste and John find themselves on a 42-day birdwatching journey, which will become a transformative moment in their lives. Over the weeks, they grow from strangers to friends to friends with benefits and begin to explore if the walls they put in place for their protection keep them from the joy they desire.

If you are thinking, “Yeah, bird watching isn’t sexy,” I promise you that Sarah will change your mind. I can barely explain how much I loved this story. Celeste and John are both working through what they want from a “second act” after leaving long-term relationships that weren’t healthy for them. John’s quiet, reserved nature makes him fear that he’ll never be enough for anyone, and Celeste’s ex-husband always scolded her for being “too much” in their marriage. The gentle, caring (but make no mistake, SPICY) way that Sarah explores these characters will leave you aching for them to break through their barriers and find love. Please read this beautiful book about a bold woman and a quiet man who each sees in the other someone who helps challenge and unlock new aspects of themselves.