From operating a business together, discovering themselves, heartbreak and finding love - three best friends go through life together. I truly did think it sounded intriguing.

It might be an unpopular opinion as The Hummingbird Sanctuary has quite an impressive rating on Goodreads but I ended up DNFing at 62%. I made an effort but didn’t find myself really grasping what was happening a lot of the time or just didn't care. It’s not a horrible story, just not for me, unfortunately.

Subject advisory: sexual content

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books Inc., for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

*4.0 stars on StoryGraph*

This was a really great read and I am thankful to be given the chance to read it. It has a wide variety as it’s cast and I see a lot of different women represented in it. None of it felt forced to me or unnatural and was introduced amazingly - props to Erin Zak! The only thing that brought it down was that at points it felt a bit forced and unnatural - and only in the first couple of chapters. I think that the way the character’s relationships and history was introduced created this unnatural feel. However, as soon as everyone had been introduced and the story truly began, I loved the writing style and the way the characters talked to one another. The book read really well. In all honesty, I didn’t expect the way things ended but I loved it all the same.

Thank you again to the publisher and the author!

The description of this book caught my attention, but unfortunately it did not deliver in the way I hoped. In the first few chapters we are introduced to three best friend/business partners, who seem to both dislike each other and be rather bad at running a business. I could not get over the second scene, where Eleanor is explaining to Olive that the project that has literally just been finished is tremendously over budget, and that she (Olive) apparently did not listen to her (Eleanor) at all over the course of, I assume at least a year, that it took to build it. Did no one write a budget? Did she have glue in her ears up until the author caught up with them? That tone carried throughout the book, of choppy moments that didn't make sense, dislikable characters with trust issues, and feelings that we were told about, but went against what the characters actually said and did.

I will say, I appreciated that this book tried to be intersectional and queer, and was very female-focused. It had some similar vibes as Netflix's "Sweet Magnolias", so if that's your jam you might like this one. It did not, however, work for me.

I’m not sure where to begin with this one, as it missed the mark for me on a few levels. I’ll say it’s a cool concept for a story and the structure is interesting (there are articles woven through and multi-POV), the sanctuary itself sounds like heaven. Sign me up!

First POV can create a really intimate feeling but in this case it didn’t work for me because the three women’s voices were too similar. One of the only distinctions was that Hattie drops a lot of F-bombs, but I wasn’t sure why. Then there are the love stories. One of them was instantaneous and I spent the whole book trying to figure out why- to no avail. Another one I was really rooting for until it veered completely off course. The one that was supposed to be most prominent was the most developed but I didn’t believe the chemistry. I liked the idea of one of them being asexual but that fell by the wayside and could have been explored more thoughtfully. In the end that character seemed more demisexual but that loop wasn’t closed. And then there’s the sexy bartender who’s tossed aside like day old wine; I felt bad for her. And there’s a lot of drinking to drown feelings, which ok, but it seemed like a lot without going all the way there. Good thing was that one character especially had a well developed arc that was interesting to follow, and the body positivity was great to see. Ultimately, I felt the book was pro women but didn’t shed the best light on them, maybe that’s the point- that we’re all complicated.

Short summary: 3 best friends run the Hummingbird Sanctuary together and are thrown into disarray when a journalist and her two friends descend on the resort for 4 days while reviewing it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot, in good conscience, finish this book. I tried several times to push through it so I could write a solid review, but at 61%, I finally have to call it quits.

This book is riddled with stereotypes, including POC vernacular that made me—as a Black woman—cringe. One of the FMCs is a Black woman and the author’s choice of AAVE made me uncomfortable. It was there at times, missing at others, and the way she decided to use it within the dialogue just felt like a, “hey, don’t forget she’s Black” reminder and not a true sense of her character.

The first twenty percent of this book is boring info dumps. There are unnecessary details, zero plot development, and what feels like a million character intros. Plus, there are contradicting statements and repetitive details everywhere. For example, we learn something about the group, then there’s a fake article added to the chapter that just repeats everything we just learned, and vice versa. I would have enjoyed one or the other. (Preferably nix the faux clippings because they took me out of the story.)

The cringe dialogue also ripped me out of the story. These women kept saying things like, “You’re so f***ing hot” over and over and over again. Ufff... No. There’s also a scene detailing every step of a meal being prepped and, holy hell, I thought I was going to throw my Kindle across the room.

I think this book should have been written in one POV or told in a series because I did not like the way it was set up. Focusing on three different women and their three different love lives, meant the author leaned heavily on instalove/“sudden uncontrollable feelings” for most of the women, and their character development throughout the story felt jerky.

If I do happen to finish this book in the future, I will come back and edit my review, but until then, I cannot recommend this book.

(I have received an ARC through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and left voluntarily. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy.)

Three women. Three friends. Three journeys. Olive, Eleanor and Hattie.
Fifty year old Olive dreams of establishing a resort for women. When she convinces her friends Hattie and Olive (who has been secretly in love with Eleanor forever) to make her dream a reality, they find themselves co-owners of The Hummingbird Sanctuary.
Over the course of a weekend, with the arrival of resort visitors Sunny, Judy and Mabel a journalist intending to do a feature story on the resort, their lives will unexpectedly change. The strength of their friendship will be upended and tested in bits and pieces. Joy, secrets, quirks and personal dramas are revealed and brought to unparalleled heights.
The strength and pace of Erin Zak’s writing kept me engaged and wanting to know more about these fascinating women. It is emotional, revealing, a testament to friendship and the human spirit. I loved every moment I spent at the Hummingbird Sanctuary …. Highly recommended.
Thank you Net Galley, Erin Zak and Bold Stroke Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

While there was many things about this book that I liked, there were far more that I did not. To start with the positives: it was primarily well-written, a quick read, with an interesting cast of characters who were primarily women (a preference of mine).It features three main characters, ranging in age from mid-thirties to fifty, which is an underrepresented section of the queer woman population in literature in my experience.

That said, the first character you’re introduced to, Olive, is absolutely insufferable. I don’t understand how one person was interested in her, much less two or three. She goes on a journey to better understand her sexuality when she’s introduced to the idea of asexuality, but if wasn’t handled well in my opinion, because towards the end of the book she “discovers the feelings she’s never had before.” The pop culture references ranged from potentially dating the book to downright cringy. My biggest issue however, was how the author wrote poc. The two non-white characters were specifically written with stereotypical dialogue. The Hispanic director of maintenance, Juan, which is a red flag in general, peppers in Spanish within his conversations with Olive, which makes it seem the author has never spoken to a bilingual person. Olive’s black business partner, Hattie, randomly uses AAVE, such as when she is sleeping with a woman who says “aunt Flo is with her” and Hattie replies “"Why she always gotta ruin shit?”

While this may be a novel others will enjoy, there were too many moments when I cringed for me to have marked this up as a good read.

The premise of this story is interesting: three friends open a mountain resort together and work through their individual problems while also tackling the issues that arise with the resort too. Unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me though. It was so difficult to keep track of the three main characters because they were all so similar, and then three new characters were added in which muddied things even more. The friendships and relationships fell a little flat for me and the story just wasn't as interesting as I had hoped. Erin Zak is a good writer, I just wish the characters were a little more diverse and the character concepts/personalities a little more fleshed out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for the ARC to review.

I, unfortunately, was not the target audience for this book. Despite the fascinating plots I just was unable to connect with the characters with how dis-similar they were to me and the life stage I was in. The disconnect was worsened by the jumpy weighting style. As interesting as each woman was we never stuck with each to make their POV stick out, and jumping from character to character made the plot feel disconnected at times. The Romances did also feel forced at times with how little time we were able to spend with each of the six characters. The theme of still being able to find yourself at any age was something I don't always find in the fiction I read and was a refreshing change of pace. I might not have been able to fully enjoy it now but I look forward to re-reading it later in life.
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my 5th book by Erin Zak. Three best friends open a sanctuary catered to women. A resort that is a getaway for women that leaves them relaxed. I lived on Colorado for a couple of years and the mountains are breath taking. You get to read 3 different POV’s and get an understanding of their friendships before any kind of romance begins in the book. There is some insta love which was weird but, the story is still heartfelt.I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not really sure how I feel about this one. It's well written. It has a decent storyline...but I think my big complaint is that it should have been 2 or 3 books instead of jumping around to the three main characters all the time and each one written in first person so it because tough to remember who was who.

The Hummingbird Sanctuary is a different kind of romance. The plot revolves around 3 owners of the resort. Hattie, Olive and Elanor. They are main characters which also includes 3 secondary characters who show up to review the resort. They are Sunny, Mable and Judy. There are a lot of emotions, drama and heartbreak involved in the story. My only criticism is that keeping track of the characters was a little challenging.
I recommend this book for romance readers.
I received this book as an ARC from Goodreads

Erin Zak never fails to disappoint! This book gives you the ‘feels’. The characters had me howling with laughter with the banter between them. The storyline is entertaining and different to what I've read in the past. What more do you need?

I've given the hummingbird sanctuary a 4/5

Read if you love
-colorado scenery
-independent women
-friendship


This is my first read by Erin Zak and while I loved the concept of the book it was a bit confusing for me. I love that the story is told from three different perspectives but sometimes that was a bit difficult to follow and fell a little flat at times. I loved the Colorado mountain side setting and could picture riding my bike or eating with the main characters but found myself wanting more from the story. I did really love how each character seems to find themselves as the story goes on and although this wasn’t a favorite for me would be interested in more of Zak’s work

3.5 stars

I am a fan of Erin Zak books which I have thoroughly enjoyed, but unfortunately The Hummingbird Sanctuary was not one of those books. From the description this book had the potential to be something great but the execution fell flat for me. There were three main characters, Olive, Eleanor, and Hattie, and atthe start of the book they had alternating points of view in different chapters. This was difficult enough to keep up with, and as the book progressed the points of view became alternating within chapters. This became very convoluted and confusing.

In addition, I really formed no ties to any of the characters. The speed at which the characters fell for their three respective visitors (one pairing was thirty nine hours) felt overwhelming and unrealistic and the entire pairings take place over four days. Finally, although I am usually not bothered by swearing, the use of vulgar language did not seem to serve the story the many, many times that it was used. 2 stars

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Damn, this book… Ever since I started reading Erin Zak’s books (I still have two of her earliest to read), she’s never failed to make me feel. Like, a lot. And that’s fantastic since as I keep saying, this is why I read, to feel.

As one character puts it, this book is about “a group of six women who are all clearly fighting battles inside themselves”. Over the course of a weekend, all their lives will change. Three of these women – Mabel, Judy, Sunny – are visiting the resort, The Hummingbird Sanctuary, which the other three – the main characters – own together.

First is Olive, a fifty-year-old widow, who imagined a resort geared toward women and got her best friends to help her turn the dream into reality. Eleanor, 47, has been in love with Olive for the fifteen years they’ve known each other, resigned to the idea that Olive is straight and not interested in her that way. To quote Hattie, the third best friend, “she’s such a Pisces (…) Artistic, funny, loves her naps, and will cut someone right out of her life if they become too much for her to handle”. At thirty-five, Hattie is the youngest of the three best friends and the only one who isn’t a complete mess, even though meeting Judy shatters her to some extent. But only so that she can build something new, something unexpected. She’s a Leo, she’s flamboyant, she likes to show off, she knows her worth. She’s also a Black woman surrounded by white women.

Three women – each strong, independent, vulnerable in her own way –, three journeys. And three romance arcs at once. And because there are three stories, all intertwined, Zak can break the rules, mix tropes, take her characters on all sorts of roads. Nothing is written in advance because yes, there’s romance, but there’s not only one romance. With two MCs, you know you’ll get a HEA or at least HFN. With three + three? Anything is possible.

All three MCs are fantastic, complex, flawed, exciting. Zak tells the story from each MC’s POV, in first person. And each voice is distinct, each character has a very recognizable personality. When I had to put the book down mid-chapter and picked it back up hours later, I never had any doubt about who was talking. They’re all different, unlikely friends in this way life has of bringing together people who, on paper, shouldn’t fit but are actually perfect for one another. Among other things, these three are tied by their shared grief over losing their mothers. Zak’s The Road Home was never far from my thoughts, this story feels like what happens after.

I feel like I say this often too but I love when authors write their books in the same universe, even if all they do is mention a place or a person from a former book. There are a few Easter eggs here that made me feel at home right from the start.

Despite a few things that escaped proofreading in the ARC I read – a character has two different last names, 2021 is mentioned even though everything else is in 2022… – and that were hopefully fixed in the final version, despite the instalove that I chalked up to the place being magical (which it is, in a non-paranormal way), my heart says this book deserves 5 stars. And I tend to follow my heart, at least when it comes to books.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

This book was challenging at the beginning as I always struggle to remember which character is which and this book has 3 MC's. So the first chapters it was mainly me navigating and trying to keep up who was telling the chapter and what their part was at the sanctuary.

After that it was a smooth sailing as all 3 characters are so very endearing despite being so very different. It also shows why the sanctuary works so well, they compliment each other, not only at work but also personally.

Eleanor has my heart as she is such a sweet loyal person.

Now where do I go to book my reservation at this resort? I would love to go there.

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book because I used to live in Colorado. However, this book did not do it for me.

There are a multitude of characters and quite a bit of partner swapping. The backdrop is wonderful. It focuses on 3 friends who pool their resources together and buy a resort that they restore. When they open, they cater mainly to women looking for place that will take care of them. All is going fairly well until 3 women doing a story on the resort descend and throw all the friends into uncharted territory - their hearts and possible relationships.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A well written engaging three-person perspective story. It about three women who are friends and co-owners of Hummingbird Sanctuary. As the story unfolds it touches on friendship, secrets, lost, love and a bit of drama ensued. I must admit that I was a little apprehensive at first, but it turned out to be a great read overall.
4.5 stars and I recommend.

I received an ARC copy from the publisher Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you

This was a very good book and very well written by Erin Zak. It started out as an ok read and by the time the epilogue came around it became exceptional

It took several chapters to get into the swing of 3 main characters and three 1st person points of view. Sometimes I would need to scan back to figure out which character was speaking.

The three main characters are Olive, Eleanor and Harriet. We learn about each of their pasts and how they have all suffered heartache. They are great friends in Chicago and decide to pool their money and build and create a sanctuary for women in Colorado. The hummingbird becomes there symbol of freedom and peace. They grow as people throughout the story and each finds their true love

ARC received for an honest and voluntary review.