Birding With Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb

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The inspiration behind the Hallmark Channel movie Adventures in Love and Birding.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Primary Genre: Romantic Comedy

Blurb: A divorcee embarks on her “year of yes” and crosses paths with a shy but sensitive birdwatcher who changes her life in this charming rom-com that is perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Ali Hazelwood. Newly divorced, almost-empty-nester Celeste is finally seeking adventure and putting herself first, cliches be damned. So when a friend asks Celeste to “partner” with his buddy John for an event, Celeste throws herself into the role of his temporary girlfriend. But quiet cinnamon roll John isn’t looking for love, just birds—he needs a partner for Tucson’s biggest bird-watching contest if he’s ever going to launch his own guiding business. By the time they untangle their crossed signals, they’ve become teammates…and thanks to his meddling friends, a fake couple. Celeste can’t tell a sparrow from a swallow, but John is a great teacher, and the hours they spend hiking in the Arizona wilderness feed Celeste’s hunger for new adventures while giving John a chance to practice his dream job. As the two spend more time together, they end up watching more than just the birds, and their chemistry becomes undeniable. Since they’re both committed to the single life, Celeste suggests a status upgrade: birders with benefits, just until the contest is done. But as the bird count goes up and their time together ticks down, John and Celeste will have to decide if their benefits can last a lifetime, or if this love affair is for the birds.

My Thoughts:

Celeste is divorced and is on a journey of discovery to find out who she is after losing herself in her marriage. She shows up at a park to meet with a guy who's squaring up with his ex. She believes she's supposed to be acting as his new partner, only to find out it's actually his partner in a birding contest. But that's after she's already told his ex that they're dating. Celeste agrees to compete in a "Bird Binge" with John, bird watching for 42 days to find as many species as possible while also being his fake girlfriend. Might as well bring him along to a few events as her fake boyfriend as well, right? 

This book kicks immediately into high gear hilarity. The female MC's personality is so refreshingly all over the place in the beginning. John is a quiet introvert who enjoys woodworking, hiking and bird watching. He comes off as so gentle and caring. They cannot be more opposite but learn to work together well. Both MC's aren't interested in dating due to baggage from their previous relationships but of course, the seem to end up developing an undeniable chemistry that they just cannot run away from.

While I loved both of the characters I have to say that by the end of the book, Celeste was just pissing me off. The argument she has with Morgan (her daughter)... it seems like her daughter has a better grasp on Celeste's life than she does. John is damn neared flying around this book in angel wings. He is a golden retriever if I've ever seen one. Even when he does act like a dick, I'm cheering him on for some reason. I forever picture him in plaid. I do not know why and please do not ask me to explain. John's bestie Chris and Celeste's bestie Maria are excellent side characters. They bring an extra comedy element into the story and draw out the main characters a little bit more since their communication can be quite shit sometimes due to their baggage. The Arizona setting is lovely and perfect for the story.

The ending actually turned out way cuter than I imagined it could have turned out. Great light hearted romcom!

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