People Watching by Hannah Bonam-Young (Sept. 9, 2025) Thank you @dellromance and @prhaudio for the #gifted advanced listening copy. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year because… well, it’s HBY. 💛 #prhaudioinfluencer
Prudence Welch’s life is rooted in family. She runs the family store in small-town Baysville, writes poetry in her cozy a-frame studio behind her parents’ house, and helps her dad care for her mom, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s when Prue was just nineteen. But as her mother’s illness progresses, her dad begins to worry Prue isn’t living the life she truly wants.
Milo Kablukov lives untethered, never in one place for long. When his brother calls for help, he lands in Baysville – temporarily. Meeting Prue stops him in his tracks, but her life is here, and he’s only passing through. Still, an unexpected friendship blooms. Then Prue asks Milo for a favor – a spice lessons favor. What starts as a playful arrangement becomes something deeper, forcing both to consider where their hearts truly belong.
HBY has this gift for crafting worlds and characters you can’t help but love, and she’s done it again with Baysville. I already want another visit (and if Milo’s sister doesn’t get her own book, we’re going to have words). I’m usually not a “teach me” trope fan, but here it’s tender, organic, and deeply tied to who Prue and Milo are (poet and artist), each with passions that shine through every page. The contrast in their upbringings and family lives adds so much emotional richness, making their growth as individuals and as a couple feel earned.
🎧 Audiobook Thoughts: Victoria Connolly (Out on a Limb) and Brandon Francis (Battle of the Bookstores) are absolute perfection in this dual narration. Their chemistry makes the emotional beats land even harder. (10h 21m) Side note: they also team up for For the Show, which I cannot wait to listen to!
Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🎧 Audio: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🔥 Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Book Smart Kate 