Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

In Bend Toward the Sun, two broken people find each other (and themselves) in Pennsylvania wine country. Rowan McKinnon’s life has taught her that love does not exist, so she invests herself in her friendships and in her botany studies. After her dissertation unexpectedly needs revisions and delays her postdoctoral plans, Rowan reunites with her friends in rural Pennsylvania to lick her wounds and determine her next steps. While there, she finds herself drawn to a local abandoned vineyard and vineyard owners’ son— Harry Brady. Dr. Harry Brady has returned to his family’s vineyard after losing a patient and subsequently losing his romantic relationship in the emotional fallout. Both wounded in their own ways, Rowan and Harry gravitate towards each other and help each other rebuild after their experiences with trauma. As they draw closer, Harry wants to explore their budding relationship, but Rowan’s convinced that romantic love never lasts.

Giving a brief synopsis for this novel doesn’t do the story justice because I wouldn’t say that Bend Toward the Sun really has a capital-P plot. Rather, it’s a character-driven novel that takes itself and its characters’ journeys seriously. It’s not a rom-com; it’s not a fun beach read; and it’s very different from other romance novels that are being published by mainstream traditional publishers at the moment. However, it’s a beautiful and very real story of two people who fall in love and find their way back to themselves even as they begin building a life together. This book isn’t in a hurry, and, for some, the novel’s reliance on introspection, dialogue, and angst may make it a bit slow. For my part, I really appreciated that it took time to let the characters and the story breathe and to let these relationships develop organically. I haven’t read a mainstream romance like this in a long time (maybe ever?), and I find that this story and these characters have stuck with me long after the last page. This book is very cinematic, and, as I was reading, I found myself picturing how a movie with these characters would look. Hopefully we get the chance to watch a Bend Toward the Sun film in the future. This was a wonderful read and will make a strong addition to our collection. 4.25 stars.

Rowan has been burned more than once in her young life and now goes through the motions without any expectations- that way she can’t be hurt.

Harrison lost a piece of himself when he couldn’t save a child under his care. He’s closed down and refuses to let anyone- even his family- in, that is until a force of nature named Rowen McKinnon enters his life and sheds light into his darkest corners.

“There have been times in my life where the only thing getting me out of bed in the morning was the stubborn curiosity about what might happen that day.”

Bend Toward the Sun- Jen Devon

Set against the background of a beautiful old vineyard in need of love, this is the story of two people who are broken but can’t resist the siren’s call of attraction even as they fight to keep their hearts intact. The characters are complex, the family dynamics heartwarming, the romance steamy- all the things you want in a good love story!

3.5 Stars

This is a hard one to review because I really liked a lot of it, but I also struggled with the pacing. It felt really slow in some parts which made it harder to read. With that said though, I loved the message of the book of forgiving yourself and making peace with the past by not letting it control your future. I also loved Rowan and Harry's relationship, the good and the rough. In the end I found this to be a solid story, but just not a favorite of mine. I hope to see books about some of the other Brady's in the future.

I requested this ARC without knowing much about the book. I put it off for a bit, but finally decided to read it. I wasn't expecting to get into it. Well…I was wrong!

I devoured this book in 24 hours between work, sleep, and home responsibilities.

Both Rowan and Harry are coming out of relationships that have left marks on them. Harry is also struggling with a trauma from work and Rowan seems to be stalling with her work. She goes to work for his family and the two have an instant connection, starting with a party where they meet prior to her coming to work for his family. However, Rowan wants a no-strings arrangement and Harry wants more.

What I loved:
second chance romance
Rowan's growth
Rowan's friends
the Brady family
the dance

The vulnerability of the characters and how hard they both fight for what they want, both for different things at different times is both frustrating and amazing. I am SO glad that I didn't continue to push this book aside. Even now, I can't stop thinking about Rowan and Harry!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Loved everything about this story. Engaging read. Real feelings through likeable characters. I fell in love with the family and can’t wait to read the *hopefully others in this series!

The story was about Rowan and Harry helping each other out from life's big obstacles and to rebuild their lives. She was trying to publish for her PhD in Botany and he recently lost a patient. Harry's family hired Rowan to help them with their new winery as he recovered from his loss and hopefully heals. Both healing, recovering from old/ fresh wounds they both helped to restore Harry’s family winery while falling for each other. I had a hard time getting into this book. Honestly, all the description of plants, flowers, wine, and greenhouse stuff was so boring to me. I had to skim over all of that. Though to be honest gardening was never my field of interest. My other grievance was the slow pace of the romance. Don’t want to spoil too much but I like my romance to begin much earlier. Due to that the story kind of lagged in the middle. Then when things started to pick up I realized I actually disliked Rowen. She was annoying and at times awful to poor Harry. Honestly, I didn't understand why he tried so hard with her. I loved Harry and his siblings. Duncan was probably my favorite character. That being said, the ending was cute and I liked how it turned out. Overall, it was a okay romance that I believe others could appreciate.
I received this copy from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and the characters were very believable. I enjoyed the botany details and the sweet way the characters developed, especially Rowan. I would love to read another story about this family by this author.

Easily one of the best books of the year for me.

This is my preferred contemporary romance. No hijinks, no pop culture reference, no superficial conversations. This is all emotions and angst with gorgeous writing.

It’s mostly an internal conflict with not much of a external plot. Rowan doesn’t do serious because of past baggage and relationship. Harry can’t do anything but serious. The stakes were there from the start. Watching these two fall in love and know each other completely in and out was mesmerizing. What made this a gorgeous romance was the small romantic gestures and touches that seemed small but was monumental for their relationship. I liked how it spanned over a year. Devon knows how to write that romantic yearn.

Even the third-act breakup was perfection. Because they knew a lot about the other, they knew exactly where to hit for the most feels. I like messy characters that don’t say the right thing to each other.

Some gripes are Harry’s reason for leaving OB/GYN. It seemed unrealistic that Harry hadn’t experienced a single death in his residency. Maybe it could have been more nuanced by being on *his* own that crushed him. Another is some of Rowan’s inner monologue felt repetitive especially parts about her grandma and childhood. And while I loved the vineyard aspect, some of the details went over my head.

*ARC review

When I was approved to read this book early, I was excited because the cover was so beautiful. I have not read this author before, but let me tell you, I am now a HUGE fan of Jen Devon!

I was able to get into the characters and setting of the boom very quickly. The characters were enjoyable from the get-go. Having the main setting being a fixer-upper winery was also brilliant and engaging.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishing house for being able to read an advanced copy of this book.

I was really excited for this book and it was a bit of a let down. I did enjoy that there is a strong female lead who is not dependent on a man to save her and was driven by her education. The story just felt that it surrounded too much around the wine/ property or learning about the vineyard and not enough about Rowen and Harry’s love story. 3/5 ⭐️ Because the last 5 chapters did captivate me.

I love a book with great family dynamics- the coming together and working to help a business and you can genuinely feel how close knit a family is and the love there. The main character, Rowan is a little quirky and has some oddities as she loves being with plants and nature more than people, but then it’s that much sweeter once she starts letting Dr. Harrison into her life. I’m also a sucker for any story about wineries!

Rowan McKinnon doesn’t believe in love. With a botany PhD, two best friends who embrace her social quirkiness, and some occasional one night stands, she thinks she has everything she needs. But she is hiding a life of emotional hurt from the past. The only love she’s ever known came from her grandmother Edie, who taught her to care for all things that grow.

After a chance encounter at a future winery, Rowan takes on the restoration of the property’s abandoned vineyard, immersing herself in nurturing the grapes back to their former glory—and trying not to think about Harrison Brady, part of the Brady family clan owners of the vineyard.

An obstetrician profoundly struggling after losing a patient, Harry Brady is struggling from loosing a patient. He is no longer practising and recovering from a broken relationship. Harry leaves LA to emotionally recover at his parents’ new vineyard in Pennsylvania. He’ll work to get the place ready to open, and try to figure out his life.
As the two meet and get to know each other they do everything they can do deny their deep connection.

This is A powerful, emotional novel about the power of love, friendship and healing. The characters are relatable all dealing with their own demons. You find yourself rooting for them and feeling their pain. This is a great book if you want a deep beyond the surface romance. Thank you NetGalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This romance had a lot of depth. Mental health was tackled in here, as well as trauma and grief. Both characters come such a long way and you can't help but feel for them in their journey, and root for them as they find each other.

Top notch romance! I would say the gem of this book is its characters. You cannot help BUT root for Rowan and Harrison. It's emotional and poignant, and packs a punch.

If ever, my only complaint is that it takes a while to fall in love with Rowan as a character. She is extremely prickly, and very detached, and as a reader, you start to really feel for Harry because he is all in. He wants a relationship with Rowan. All the strings. But Rowan keeps on resisting, (until the end, of course) but it's done in such a long, drawn out way that I can't help but wonder why Harry is that in love with her in the first place.

The ending ties up beautifully though, and be warned, you may shed a tear or two.

This a beautifully written and hearfelt story about love, loss and finding your way. I loved all the very funny one liners they made laugh and sometimes shocked me.

I liked how Dr Rowan Mc Kinnon was a botanist and taught you things along the way. I liked the her fierce friends and how candid they talked to each other.

I liked the tension and energy between Rowan and Harry and how it was very discriptive and gave you a full visual,

I liked how the Brady brothers bantered with her other and wished to be able to play a game of team Tag.

This book was like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day giving you all the warm fuzzy feeling just a sheer delight to read and entertain you.

Harry is a hopeless romantic and Rowan romanticizes everything but love.
I love that this story took place over the course of months rather than being crammed into a few weeks.
The book was cozy and had just the right amount of spice. The friendships and Harry’s family were all so endearing. This was a really enjoyable read!

Good god the angst! This book oozes it out of every single page. It’s a beautiful journey of two broken people trying to fight their magnetic attraction. It captivated me right away and if never let go.

Jen Devon’s writing is beyond gorgeous.
The setting is stunning (you will feel like you’re basking in the sun at a beautiful vineyard.)
And there’s science (straight to my STEM loving, nerd heart.)

My poor pandemic brain can only take so much intense emotion on a page and I felt Jen Devon did an excellent job of making the reader pine along with the characters, then give us an emotional break with banter and humour.

It’s a truly wonderful romance. I give it all the stars!

This gives Netflix meets Hallmark in the best way possible. The pining love interest. Emotionally unavailable main character. The world building. The secondary characters being flawless.

This could be off putting to some since it reads syrupy-sweet (hence the Hallmark comparison). Also okay the lead is low key trash until you get her whole back story at like chapter 30 which is so many levels of annoying. But I still give it 5 stars 🥳🤍

Bend Toward the Sun by Jen Devon is a wonderful, deeply emotional story of how two people navigate their evolving romantic relationship. Rowan McKinnon is a botanist with a troubled past who is struggling with postdoc life when she is hired to help restore the Brady family vineyard. Harrison Brady is returning home after struggling with the loss of a patient. Together, they explore their growing feelings for one another while helping each other cope with their inner demons.

This is a very emotionally heavy story with a great deal of angst from both characters. While that can make it a bit hard to read, it was also such a beautiful telling of the nature of love. Rowan's past heavily influences her behavior through most of the book, but the reader gets to see the subtle changes in her as she opens herself up to Harry. Harry is a lot more emotionally available and open to exploring his feelings with Rowan. Although both characters are very different emotionally, they are both relatable to the reader. Their interactions with one another were so real that I know I will be thinking about and processing this book for quite some time.

This book is very immersive and the environment that was created within the story was beautiful. The Brady family along with Rowan's friends were some excellent side characters that definitely added an entertaining and light-hearted element to the book. I am very much looking forward to reading successive novels which will hopefully be based on some of the minor characters. I highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially readers of women's fiction, general fiction, and romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Bend Toward The Sun by Jen Devon was such a beautiful story. I love a book that is so well written especially from a debut author.

This is a perfect contemporary romance, it is not cliche or gooey, it feels real. The characters are written to be believable and relatable as were the secondary characters, they were also very well placed.

The descriptions of the vineyard were stunning and lush and the location was a major draw to my love of the story.

I hope to read more from Jen Devon in the future