2.5 stars (rounded up because the writing was good)

Personally, this was a slog to get to for me because I did not get the chemistry between the two leads and a lot of the plot felt very jumpy/staccato - like nothing really flowed together. I know not everyone will feel like that but man, this book did not mesh with moi.

So, this was different from any book I’ve read recently. I picked it up because of this line in the blurb:

"From Emma Barry comes a clever romance about a hot veterinarian and a chicken-loving influencer who can’t help but ruffle each other’s feathers."

Did I know what a chicken influencer was before I started to read? No. Do I know now? Why, yes. I also know more about chickens than I ever thought I would.

Chick Magnet begins with the FMC, Nicole Jones, moving to the town where her grandmother grew up to get away from a gaslighting, mentally abusive ex. She meets the MMC, Will Lund, when one of her chickens gets out of her yard. The two don’t exactly mesh well at first, but they do finally coral the chicken back into its safe place.

Will is the town’s grumpy, standoffish vet who has a ton of problems of his own, not the least of which is that his practice is about to go belly up after the hard times of the Covid shutdown. He has no time or inclination to get to know the chicken influencer who has romanticized bird ownership and turned it into what he believes to be a fad. But he’s watched Nic’s videos and can’t help but be a little mesmerized by her charming personality.

I had no idea going in that the plot and conflict on Will’s part would revolve around Covid and the shutdown. I’m not sure I would have picked it up had I known. But it did bring to the spotlight the many small businesses that were affected by the pandemic. Nic on the other hand is an influencer that makes her living posting TikTok videos about chicken ownership and I don’t believe I’ve read a romance with this as the main character’s profession. All of this makes for an original read.

Nic and Will do have a sweet romance. I started wondering at like 25% when Nic would wrangle Will into doing videos with her and if this would be the thing that saved his practice. And I was partly right, which makes for some fun times with the two of them. These two have chemistry and a slow burn getting to know you and falling into bed. Will has to get over this sense of failure that his business is about to close, and Nic has to learn to trust again after the disaster of her previous relationship.

This book does have a small-town vibe with many colorful secondary characters, including the animals both of them care for.

Chick Magnet is a grumpy/sunshine romance that is also an easy, fast read. If you’re looking for something a little different in the contemporary romance genre, this might be for you.

I am not the right reader for this book, but I think the people who are will absolutely adore it. I read about 25 percent before determining this book is not for me.

I tend to gravitate more towards the light and fluffy end of romance, and the title and blurb both made me think this book would deliver. The first chapter, where the two MCs meet and have an epic chicken hunt in the rain strongly reinforced that feeling.

But then we start to get to know Nic and Will, and they are both deeply lonely, sad people. Nic moved across the country to where she knows no one to escape her manipulative ex, who humiliated her on social media and ruined her relationship with her best friend. Meanwhile, Will has been slowly isolating himself from his family and friends in order to protect himself from the shame of being unable to keep his small town veterinary practice open. He doesn't even feel comfortable with his own family, where his hotshot younger brother is constantly belittling his profession.

No one deserves happiness together more than these two, and I skimmed ahead to see that that happiness is hard won and a long time coming. But the journey to get there is just so sad and lonely, and I'm not in the headspace where I can read about that.

Honestly, this book reminded me of how I felt reading Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn. It was beautifully written and I desperately wanted the two MCs to be happy because they were both so, so sad and lonely. That book wasn't for me, either, but if you loved it, I think this book will deliver a similar feeling (though I should note the two books are otherwise very different — this one is a small town romance with dual POVs).

I also wanted to add that it was rather disorienting reading this because covid clearly happened (this is not a contemporary that pretends covid never happened), but it also makes it sound like the pandemic is over? Because it is very much not, as much as people might want it to be. It was just something I found a bit jarring while reading, so I thought I'd mention it.

I received an arc of Chick Magnet from the publisher via Netgalley

This was honestly a delightful, though a little angsty read. When it became clear there would be some big COVID themes, I was a bit worried. However, I found the focus on the pandemic's economic impact to be insightful and thoughtful. It made sense for the story and served as an appropriate backdrop for Nic and Will's story. I thought both characters were very well drawn and had interesting and strong back stories and character development throughout the book. Plus, it was funny and sweet and very hot!

Chick Magnet by Emma Barry is a sweet small town romance packed with hilarious moments and deeply emotional.

She’s a chicken influencer and he’s the grumpy town vet and together they make such a fun sunshine and grumpy dynamic. After a public breakup she decides to move to a small town and wedges into his life and a friendship despite his best efforts to stay away from the pretty and bubbly chicken lady. This book had a lot of emotional moments like moving on, life changes and you adapt to it and that it’s okay to not be perfect and fail sometimes but you always get up and find that life has something better for you. I loved their friendship to lovers dynamic because you see how they are more similar than they seem and how they perfectly go together and balance each other. This book was so cute and sweet and I think if you’re a fan of small town romance books , you will definitely enjoy this. I loved how the author developed their relationship and the epilogue was so sweet.

This was one of the sweetest romances I’ve read. I thoroughly enjoyed the chemistry between the two lead characters and the fun premise (especially the first time they met). Something about this read was so breezy, I finished it in no time. I appreciated that the conflict of the story was dealt with in a mature way and didn’t drag on for longer than it needed to. The only reason I knocked off the last point was because even though I appreciated how true to the characters the ending was, I wish a few details had been elaborated on a bit more (mini spoiler) such as the engagement. That being said, I think the last bit of this book was a good way to wrap up their story.

⋆˙⟡♡ this was such a good read! chick magnet is a fun romance set in a small town featuring a sunshine chicken influencer and the grumpy veterinarian next door.

now, i know there are so many fans of tessa bailey's it happened one summer. i fully believe if you loved that book, you're going to adore this one. though i do want to mention that the steamy scenes in this one are a bit fade to black? they're not described in details so yeah ihos is def MORE smutty but i felt like the relationship in chick magnet gave brendanpiper vibes so hard!!! will, the hero, will literally kiss the ground the heroine walks on. also we love a romance hero who misjudges the heroine on their first meeting and then feels so bad when he realizes he was 100% wrong about her lmao. love the angst and grovel!

.‎♡‧₊˚〰. nicole is a chicken influencer. what does this mean? her whole brand is taking care of chickens on her backyard. THE CHICKENS ARE SO CUTE I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!????? they have each a different personality and they're so funny, i really loved how the relationship between nic and the chickens was written. this book is filled to the top with cute animals! THE ADORABLE METER IN THIS ONEEEEE ???? CHEF KISS. will adopts a kitten and he talks to it and they're so cute together ♡

i love that nicole literally brightens will's day each and every time. he even says it! he is so far gone for her and he knows it. at first he doesn't want to acknowledge it, but oh boy, it's too late by then. nicole has completely taken part of his life at that point. we love a he falls first romance hero!!!! nicole doesn't want a relationship so soon after her breakup with her a$$hole ex. she feels that she cannot be trusted to point out red flags in a new relationship. so, even though they have insane chemistry, she time and time again says this is just casualllll but girl.... you're just lying to yourself lmao. they're so cute together, are next-door neighbors, help each other constantly, and are always there for each other. NICWILL <33333

This was such a charming, funny, heartfelt romance, and I loved every moment of it. In fact, it's a sign of how lovable it all was that I - a person who has never, EVER been tempted to have a backyard chicken - now remember all of the different chickens' names and personalities and loved every one of them. Emma Barry keeps chickens herself, and writes about them with loving detail that absolutely works.

Most of all, though, the romance SO totally worked. Nic is a charming, cheerful YouTuber who shares her backyard chickens with the world in funny, helpful videos; Will (her new neighbor) is a grouchy, depressed vet who's struggling to keep his practice afloat in the wake of the pandemic. Clearly, they both love animals, but in their first meeting, they argue passionately over animal welfare in a way that actually makes sense. One of the things I really loved in this book is that Nic and Will argue thoughtfully about important things. They both make good points, and they both actually listen to the other, respect each other's points, and then amend their thinking to reflect it. At one point, when Will realizes that his grouchiness has gone too far and made him say/do things he shouldn't - basically, that his depression has gotten out of control - he decides, voluntarily and without prodding from Nic or anyone else, to get help from a therapist.

Because of all of that, I absolutely believed that their relationship would work, long-term - and oh, there's so much wonderful humor and tenderness between them, too, as they share long, twilit conversations on their porches over a deliciously long slow-burn of a romance. In those long, private conversations in the darkness, they both start to really see each other in a way no one else ever has. Also, Nic's chickens are hilarious, Will's own new pet is adorable, and the two of them just make each other better, in the best possible way.

This is the first romance I've read that really included covid as an issue, and I thought it was handled very well, in a way that felt true to life and realistic. There are also other serious issues included, especially in Nic's gradual recovery from her ex-boyfriend's gaslighting. But it's all managed with a perfectly-handled lightness of touch that mixes humor and kindness with the hard stuff and builds a really swoon-worthy ending for Nic and Will and the whole lovely community around them.

I liked Emma Barry's earlier novels, but this one I absolutely LOVED - and I'll definitely be re-reading it! It was just lovely.

This was such a fun romance. What a brilliant and unique premise. I don't think I've ever read a book about a chicken lover. Nic and Will were so lovely and flawed. I've been having a really rough time this year, and Chick Magnet was a fun story that really hit all the feels I needed.

Yes the title is a pun and that’s basically why I wanted to read it and also because the blurb was one of the most ridiculous I had read for a while: a chicken influencer! A. Chicken. Influencer. I’m 100% with the hot vet in my derisive scepticism of that as a genuine money making career. Chickens aside I thought this would be a fluffy sort of thing but it turned quite intense quite quickly everyone is coming apart at the seams. There was a lot of psychology talk and failing business talk and situational depression talk and gaslighting talk all very important issues I agree but there wasn’t a great deal of lightness to off set it. There was hardly any chicken shenanigans and no chicken romance at all. Disappointing. This was ok if a bit issue heavy.

Fun and flirty, a solid small town romance without the fluff or silliness some of these stories tend to have. Real people finding their way, and you know, chickens too. A great weekend or vacation read, ofr just to unwind any time.

I read this book in one sitting and I did not want it to end. i loved Nic and Will, what's not to love about a surly veterinarian? This was my first Emma Barry book but it definitely won't be my last. I wasn't thrilled when I realized COVID-19 was mentioned but the story and the characters and story made up for that in my opinion.

This book was a breath of fresh air! A very unique romcom that had me laughing and swooning.
This is about an influencer whose known for her chicken flock (yes, you read that correctly) and a veterinarian. A different concept for a romcom that I have yet to see. It sounds weird but it works. I thought the chicken influencer job made for an interesting story and the heroine was pure sunshine. The hero was a grump which is my catnip. These two together were sweet. I liked their banter and how their romance developed.
I would recommend this for readers of Mariah Ankenman and Avery Flynn.

This book was so much more than I expected. I expected something light, maybe bordering on silly. A woman internet famous for her videos about her chickens meeting a surly vet? In the hands of. a lesser author it would be more of a campy read that I would end up rolling my eyes at more than once. I forgot the kind of author that Emma Barry is because nothing in this book made me roll my eyes.

Nicole is indeed internet famous because of the videos she shoots of her chickens but she has also just gotten out of a troubled relationship, lost her best friend, and moved to a new town where she knows exactly no one. Her affection for her chickens almost had me planning a coop of my own before I remembered that I live in an apartment in the middle of.a city. Will is absolutely a surly vet. However he also has business problems that are keeping him steeped in anxiety and a family that does not seem wholly supportive,The two meet under less than perfect circumstances but as neighbors and animal lovers, they cannot avoid each other for long.

A slow burn romance with well developed characters who actually communicate with each other, I am so glad that I read this one although I wish I had taken my time and had more pages to spend with these characters.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Do not let the cover or blurb fool you like it did me! I thought This was going to be a cutesy kind of rom-com, boy was it not.
Yes, Nic is a chicken YouTuber and Yes, Will is a grumpy vet but that’s not what the story is about. Set in a post covid world real life issues occur and deep real emotions are portrayed. I cannot Get over how much I loved Will and empathized and understood all his feelings. This is a story about finding your person when you don’t want them, but need them the most. I’ve never read anything by this author before but she will definitely be a one-click buy from me for sure. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to receive a copy!

Book provided by Netgalley for honest review.

I'm not going to lie, I was drawn in by the title and the cover, but I enjoyed the book. It was a cute story and it was a quick fun read.

A Five-star read that will ruffle your feathers in the best way possible. This was my first read by this author, but it won’t be the last as I loved the style. There was something about all of the chickens that just warmed me, I loved how it was shown you can be helpful but still cause damage. I love how we got to know the real Chick Nic, her struggles and her past and how she gets to be the woman she is now. This was such a great story, and the struggles really did pull you along and keep you hooked as to how they would come out. This is such a deep and entertaining story, it really did make me smile and I am so excited to see what I will read next by them.

I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I thought I’d do, in some books I just instantly connect with them but sadly this wasn’t the case. I didn’t find the plot interesting, I thought that I would but again it sadly wasn’t the case. I stopped reading at 16% because I just didn’t want to force myself to read it, the book just wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC and the opportunity to review this book!

c/w <spoiler> depression (diagnosed, obtaining help) animals hurt (off page but talked about) stalkery ex, death of Grandmother (off page and years before the book but discussed) financial distress Covid-19 impacts </spoiler>

This was my first Emma Barry book and oh my! What a book. This book spoke to me on so many levels and I identified most with what Will was going through. We all have our struggles since Covid-19 but this one was really close to home for me.

I loved Nic and her chickens haha

Nic and Will both recognise that they want each other but for reasons hold back. These were two lonely souls in a world of hurt and they managed to find their way to each other and help each other heal.

I bawled... a lot through this book. I also stayed up until 2am finishing it. I was invested in the characters and the outcome.

Chick magnet by Emma Barry publishing January 2023. When a financially struggling veterinarian who has had a crush on a YouTube chicken lady finds she has moved into his neighborhood. How can he keep his distance and his grouchy demeanor.? Will their romance be a rotten or a golden egg