First off, big thank you to Mary Ann Marlowe, Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for sending me a digital ARC copy of this book!

I needed a break from the tandem read of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Mass.
My mind was going numb from the longer chapters of TOD and I needed something quick, fun, and easy to read so I checked my email and happened to see a message from Entangled letting me know there were a few ARC's that I could request. A few days later I had an email with a link to download Holding Out For A Gyro.

While I much prefer fantasy romance over regular/contemporary romance novels, I actually found myself thoroughly enjoying this book. I had similar issues with my dad as the main character Chelsea has with her father, just not ever to that extent. Initially, I had a hard time with the MMC's name... Basil Stavros? I was GIGGLING right out of the gate! But as time went on, the more Bas grew on me and it's safe to say that I feel like I have my own personal Bas at home! I will most definitely be trying those Chai cookies that he made. ;)
I do have to admit that I found Chelsea to be annoying sometimes and I even yelled at my phone!
There are a few times when the author wrote a word or two in greek and because of my settings I couldn't see it, so half of my yelling "What did he/she say?!?" was my own fault.. lol.
The list that she makes with her best friend Elizabeth, corresponding with each new chapter made it so, so easy to get through and the ending? Chef's kiss. My heart exploded! I was so incredibly happy to see our girl's growth in the end!

There are a few quotes that I feel compelled to share because they remind me of Nesta Archeron early in ACOSF:
"Sex and alcohol calmed the beast, at least temporarily."
"Give me mind-blowing sex, not a soul mate."

Other quotes that I liked/thought were funny:
"I couldn't outrun my demons within delivery distance of a Domino's."
"drinking her in with Mr. Darcy levels of longing"
"His hands worshipped me like I was a goddess- Athena or Aphrodite. And here he was, my Adonis. I dipped my fingers into his waistline and slid the fabric down to release the mythological beast."
"We'd always laughed at fools who'd fallen into my Venus Man Trap..."

I rated this book 4 stars because I thought it was a fun ride!
The spice was spicing (for the most part- I could have done with a bit more descriptive scenes).
The characters were all relatable for me in one way or another and I could really put myself in Chelsea's shoes.
Will I recommend this book to others? ABSOLUTELY!! I already have actually!! I can't wait to get a physical copy if one comes out!

This one was a tough read for me. The premise could have been great as a meet-cute set up, but fell almost instantly flat because the characters didn't really bring anything to the table. What started as (possibly) a coming of age/getting past trauma/he-falls-first story just became tedious.

In short:

The characters don't really develop and I found what was meant to be quirky allusions to tragic pasts to just be tiresome. That is a shame because books that tackle those issues are much needed.

I didn't really feel any chemistry between either of the represented couples, an issue exacerbated by the FMCs dedication to not maturing an ounce in how she approaches the idea of even being in a relationship. The lack of chemistry made most of the relationship progression also hard to get into.

The biggest one for me is that the resolution requires everyone to act "out of character" and by that I mean "do exactly what they claimed they would NEVER do." As a reader, I worked too hard for these two dingbats to just roll over to the exact patterns they were looking to avoid. Maybe I just need more than "true love makes it all fine" from my romances these days.

All this being said, I have written zero books so this being a miss for me doesn't mean it wont be a five-star read for another romance reader.

Let me start by saying I really enjoyed the challenge/bucket list format for the chapters. I thought that was a great tie in to the plot. I also loved the dual love story for both Elizabeth and Chelsea. However felt that the structure was clunky and the book what went longer than needed?

I have been provided with a review copy of Holding Out for a Gyro from NetGalley for an impartial review. I was just drawn into this story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. I was so disappointed to turn the last page and I immediately wanted more. I can’t wait to see what's next from this author.

This book was so addictive! I loved the Greek background and the romance was top tier. I enjoyed the writing immensely!

Thank you to Entangled Publishing for sending me a copy to review. I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately I did not. I really did not like the way that Basil almost seemed to try and force and manipulate Chelsea into a relationship (at the beginning), and Chelsea seemed really selfish and didn’t want to communicate or try anything. I understand the trauma of her backstory, but the selfishness of her behaviour was not enjoyable for me.

Another book with a super cute cover and premise that unfortunately fell flat for me. I was really into this book at first- I mean who doesn't love a bucket list and a ML who is in love with love? Sign me up! I love how Chelsea and Elizabeth supported each other as friends recovering from trauma and pushing each other to be a better version of themselves. However, once the guys were introduced it went kinda 'meh' from there. Chelsea was a kind of irritating character, and I am unsure whether the intent for a FMC with family trauma was meant to come off in a selfish and uncaring way. I know trauma responses are different for everyone, but Chelsea was almost a walking contradiction when it came to this and her therapy. I was also surprised when I found out these characters were supposed to be around 30 because it did not seem that way at all. As much as I enjoy characters who love love, Basil was a bit too insta-lovey for me, especially since he was calling Chelsea 'my heave' and 'my love' after a few times they had sex. Not to mention that the smut scenes were very weak as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Trauma, friendship, heartache, a list and a bet and a HEA all lend to the building blocks of this book. I loved the idea of a checklist for the characters to complete, as it set up each of the chapters well. I also loved that there seemed to be two love stories within this one rom com. One between the FMC and MMC and one between both of their beet friends. I did feel at times that Chelsea the FMC was a bit annoying and immature at times and had me feeling bad for Bas. The spice of the book was there but not prominent. I enjoyed the banter between characters and of course the HEA.

🌶️🌶️/5
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Thank you NetGalley and Entangled publishing for the eARC!

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an early copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn’t get into it. Chelsea seemed extremely immature and selfish. I know she has trauma but she was just unbarebale. Bas was somewhat likable but he also just wouldn’t take no for an answer and kept pushing Chelsea and it just rubbed me the wrong way. They both expect too much and too little from one another and it just made me not really like the story.

I don’t know. Maybe this just isn’t the book for me.

2.5 rounded to 3.

Holding out for a gyro by Mary Ann Marlowe is about two best friends that push each other to live their life to the fullest by making a check list. They each meet love interests thanks to the list and the book walks us through both their stories. I liked the list of tasks in the beggining, it made the book more interesting.
I really liked Chelsea’s and Basil’s meeting and how they gravitated towards each other. Chelsea started to irritate me in the middle of the book when she kept rejecting him, but at the same time she didn’t want him to stop. It was fine in the beggining of the book, however it started to get old after a while. She kept saying that she didn’t lead him on, but she did and reading her reasons was annoying. Her whole character became annoying in the second part of the book, she kept expecting him to drop everything for her and chase her even though she wasn’t accepting their possible relationship. She kept acting really immature and treated Basil poorly.
Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book early! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was amazing and flowed incredibly well it hit all the points, the plot was steady and not confusing, the characters had depth, and the timeline flowed well

Unfortunately this one is not working for me but I feel incredibly grateful to have had access to this. I like entangled publishing a lot but I’m not a fan of the dialogue in this book and it’s hard to follow.

1.5 stars ⭐

this took me so long to finish because I just couldn't click with any of it. the male main character, Basil, has the worst case of “pick me” syndrome i’ve ever seen. And the female main character, Chelsea, was almost just as bad. in retrospect, they are perfect for each other because they both are so one dimensional.

here are some things that most irked me:
- “He sometimes paid the price for his devastating good looks” cry me a river lmao
- the word epicenter was used for you know what
- this man has the worst case of insta love. what besides her body, was so amazing about her that you cared about her opinion so much? all he can talk about is how beautiful/hot/sexy she is yet gets pissy and hurt when anyone else does the same to thing??
- Chelsea expected Basil to read her mind 97% of the time like girl just communicate!!!
- The way Chelsea’s deep rooted family issues/trauma were magically solved (aka no longer existed?) by being in a relationship with Basil is so insane to me

Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an earc in exchange for my honest review!

I really liked the checklist format of this story, the one created by the two best friends, Chelsea and Elizabeth. I thought that it was an interesting way to form the narrative and shape each chapter. Kind of like having an outline while also being a plot point. I am also a big fan of dual POV, which this one has, because I get to see the emotions both sides are experiencing. Chelsea comes from a traumatic past and I liked how patient Basil was with working around that and helping her grow. I found Chelsea frustratingly stubborn sometimes with it though, but I know everyone deals with their trauma differently, and she basically stonewalled. So that’s something to look out for: very stubborn FMC but because of traumatic past. It’s not really a trigger warning, but I know that can turn some readers off. I did enjoy the self exploration and discovery aspect it led to, for both Chelsea and Basil, showing them that they are more than what their parents were or expect them to be. They’re not their parents.

Thank you Amara, Entangled Publishing, and NetGalley for the arc!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Entangled Publishing, LLC, for this book.

I typically love all Entangled books, but sadly this one seemed to not be as up to the five star rating as most of their books. Maybe because the past several books from them have been so fantastic.

The characters in this book seemed poorly developed and just seemed to grate on my nerves. The actions of Chelsea were so childish and I did not like her at all. Why would Basil fall in live with such a rude and conniving person? But then, he wasn't much of a prize himself. Chelsea just ruined this story for me.

Sadly just can not recommend.

In "Bas," I found a compelling narrative with a captivating protagonist, but my enthusiasm waned due to my dissatisfaction with the female main character. Her constant whining, petulance, and immature behavior overshadowed the potential for personal growth, despite the challenging circumstances she faced in her upbringing. The dynamics of her relationship with Elizabeth, rather than fostering maturity, appeared to exacerbate her irritating tendencies.

In all honesty I didn’t really love this book, I really wanted to though! I just thought the plot of the whole story fell a bit short. The spicy scenes felt a bit rushed to me. But the duel love story was good! I loved the friendship between Elizabeth and Chelsea. Them going through finding love together was nice.

It's unfortunate, but I could not get into this book. I was optimistic at first based on the description; I loved the idea of two friends challeging each other to do things (and the relationship between Chelsea and Elizabeth was the best part of the book). However, I honestly could not stand Chelsea as a character. She was immature and mean, and while I know she had a tragic back story that does not justify how she treat Basil. I also was not a huge fan of Basil as he did not really listen to Chelsea when she would tell him things, and came off a little manipulative. It makes it difficult to root for a couple in a romcom when neither of them are appealing to a reader. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the beginning of the book. I liked 3 of the 4 main characters. Then I started to get pretty annoyed with Chelsea. Who doesn't want a hot guy that loves them and also cooks amazingly? She was being ridiculous. Basil shouldn't have given her the time of day after the way she acted.

This cover had me hook, line & sink.

The start was strong - two best friends on a night out. Enter two cute guys, some banter and the perfect opportunity to cross a couple of tasks off their 'Year Long Challenge' list. Add a dash of angst and some good writing - *chef's kiss* Oh - and I did enjoy the travel aspect too.

But then... I don't know what happened. In a nutshell: this is a love story about two people who should most definitely not be in any sort of relationship. One has so many unresolved scars they do nothing but push the other way (in some really nasty ways). The other who is so blinded by their desperation to be in love that they completely forget their own worth, or stopped to listen to the boundaries set by the other.

🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩 Plus there a major red flag in this book that went completely unresolved. Swept under the rug and I'm not here for that. The MMC did something that gave me a real ick. He then runs off, wants to freeze his feelings for the FMC, then starts moping after to her again.

Just not the story for me. Something was lost in translation from the cover and blurb. Loved the writing though. Would read more by the author.