This is my first Erin Zak book. While I liked the concept, I never got invested and was frankly quite bored. The plot only got interesting at chapter six, but even at that, I still felt bored. In addition, it was confusing with the 3 POV’s. I feel this book would have been successful as a series for each lady. There is a LOT of swearing, like a bit more than necessary… I’m not sure how long the timeline in the story is, but love bombing and *SPOILER* proposing to someone you only just met?? Thank you to NetGalley & Bold Strokes Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a big Erin Zak fan and I couldn’t wait to get my paws on her latest “The Hummingbird Sanctuary”

This book can be best described as an ensemble narrative all told in first person. There are three main MCs, Olive, Eleanor and Harriet who run a resort catering specifically for women. The story begins with the trio getting ready to open up a new venue at the resort and also greet three VIP guests who are about rock their worlds.

If you’ve read Zak’s other books, like “the other woman” or “falling into her” you’ll know she’s no stranger to creating stories about complex relationships, highlighting the lesbian degrees of separation. In this one, there’s complex relationships, mixed in with hidden feelings, second chances, guilt, questioning your sexuality all shaken to reveal MCs who despite looking successful and put together are really a hot mess inside. The majority of the story transpiring over a period of just 5 days gives the narrative an urgency that catapults it to its breaking point where the characters are just brutally honest with each other trying to deal with what they said or heard from each other. It feels messy, it feels uncomfortable and I think that intent is captured perfectly by Zak.

Also kudos to Zak for bringing color and ace focus, I very much appreciate authors who take the time to bring representation in their books . Oh and also can I just say thank you for Olive who has curves. Many of us have them and it’s wonderful to see it in a book expressed so beautifully.

There are lots of characters in the book and I loved seeing Judy from Falling into her get her redemption arc. But balancing 3 mains, with their love interests and a bunch of side characters is not easy and at times I did feel it to be a little distracting. There isn’t enough time to get a deeper handle on who these women are. So maybe this could have been two or three books instead of one giving more focus to a smaller set of characters and one romance at a time?

Overall I enjoyed this story and the twisting narrative, certainly took me by surprise towards the end and I liked it the more for it. 4🌟s

Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a Zac fan, but this just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

So the premise of this is that the three MCs, Olive, Eleanor and Harriet, all run a women’s sanctuary together. They’re having a big opening of their latest venue and being interviewed for this. Olive is somewhat recently widowed, and has the largest share and manages the place. Eleanor is the business manager and Harriet is the chef. The interview set up allows the other three characters to arrive, Mabel, the journalist doing the article, and her two friends, Sunny, a B-list actress and Judy, who I didn’t realise til part way through was the character I couldn’t stand from Falling into Her, and I honestly didn’t enjoy her character any more here.

So, the three newcomers pair off with our existing ladies, Olive, who up til now has thought she was straight hits it off with the asexual Sunny; Harriet and Judy experience insta-lust/love; and Mabel is actually Eleanor’s high school girlfriend who stomped her heart into a million pieces. There’s also the other complication of Eleanor also having been in love with Olive for years.

There’s a lot going on in this book, too much really, there’s just not enough time to give proper weight to everything that happens. For the first half of the book I wondered why Zac hadn’t written this as a trilogy (like Brayden’s Tangled Valley series) to give the relationships some space, but towards the end I could see why that wouldn’t have worked. I still think the Harriet/Judy storyline could have either been left out, or made its own book to give the other storylines more breathing room.

The main issue I had with this was that I didn’t find any of the MCs or supporting trio particularly engaging, and I found Olive very hard to take, so couldn’t see why either woman wanted her. For all that the MCs were supposed to be close, I actually found their relationships with each other kind of toxic. Sunny was my favourite character and I’d actually like to read more about her.

I can’t really say any more without giving away what happens, but I wasn’t particularly enamoured with the way any of the relationships ended up. First time I’ve read a book with multiple pairings where I haven’t liked any of the HEAs. 3 stars

I’m a fan of this author’s other books but this one didn’t seem up to par for me. I had a hard time bouncing around from the three main characters point of views. Along with that comes the aspect that we never heard the potential significant others point of views. I would like if this book was done in a series with each main character getting their own book. It just all felt incomplete to me and I could never fully emerge myself in the story. However, it was well written and the dialogue/banter was really good.

I really enjoyed this book, it is beautofully written with a heartwarming storyline and well developed characters that are relatable and that I have taken them to my heart. I loved the setting of the resort and it is somewhere that I would love to vacay in. This was both a heartwarming and a heartbreaking read at times and I couldn't put it down. I loved it

• The Hummingbird Sanctuary
• Author Erin Zak
• Hummingbird Sanctuary
• MC Eleanor Fitzwallace & Harriet Marshall
• MC Olive Zyntarski


We start this story off with three friends, who three years earlier leave their Chicago lifestyle and head to Colorado. There they open up a beautiful luxury resort for women, The Hummingbird Sanctuary.

Olive, Harriet and Eleanor all play an integral part in keeping the resort running, even though they’re up against internal battles. What you see on the outside isn’t always on the inside. Everything is not what it seems to be.

I want to break down the three main characters.

Olive Zyntaraski is 50 years old. She was born and raised in the city of Chicago. After her husband died, she decided to take on a new venture and open a resort focusing on women. A peaceful place for women to regroup and take a break. Olive oversees the resort. She describes herself as “a real pain in the ass. Hard to handle. Difficult. Mean. Bitchy. Bossy. All the words that would have never been said if I was a man. I’m a perfectionist and driven to the point of madness some days. The idea that something I have poured my entire soul into could fold with one false move keeps me up at night”


Eleanor Fitzwallace “is classically beautiful: high cheekbones; full, perfectly shaped pink lips; sea green eyes; naturally arched eyebrows; long honey-blond hair. Oh, and her skin practically glows.” She’s 47 and left her job at Synergy in Chicago and now handles marketing for The Hummingbird Resort. Elenor is bored with her life. She also holds secret feelings in her heart for someone.

Hattie Marshall “ is loyal to a fault, even when she should walk away, and if provoked, she will not back down. Probably why she’s such a phenomenal chef. She doesn’t put up with anyone’s shit, and she never leaves until the job’s done. She would have made a fantastic spy or assassin” Hattie also left Chicago and her executive chef job at the Cat’s Pajamas to run the kitchen and restaurant at the resort. Harriet is one of a kind, she loved her craft. The restaurant gives her adrenaline and life, even during the stressful times. She is a beautiful Black Queen, who learned everything from her grandmother. She has so much confidence and that is refreshing.

The weekend that the amphitheater opens at the resort, we are introduced to three new characters who come to spice things up even more. Judy a late in life lesbian, producer and mother of two. Mabel is a journalist who is doing a story on the restoration of the Hummingbird Resort. Sunny a self proclaimed B actress. They arrive on a helicopter and each get involved with each of the main characters. While I don’t want to give away to much of the story, we see Olive and Sunny connect on a deep level. They both have the same desires. Harriet and Jody have an instant connection and the sex scene is wildly hot.

We also get to see a secret come to light. (I didn’t see this coming at all!) Nothing in this story ends the way you think it will.

Some thoughts:

I loved how the author called the resort Hummingbird, referring to all their lost mothers.
My mother has passed away and this part of the story really touched me. It’s a beautiful way to keep their mother’s spirit alive.


The book speaks to how important women are to this world as a whole. Our mothers , aunts and grandmothers, sisters have saved a lot of us. Taught us valuable lessons. My mother told me everything you need is already inside of you. Looking back at that now, I realize she was right. This book touched my soul in a lot of ways. It’s a beautiful story. . Just beautiful!!!


I want to say that the author is truly magnificent!! I was at a loss for words when I finished.
This book is beyond spectacular. Erin Zak you have out done yourself
with this book .

I received an ARC from Bold strokes books through NetGalley!Thank you to Bold Strokes Books!! 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a PERFECT read for Spring! The cover is gorgeous and it is cohesive to Hummingbird Sanctuary resort. This is a multi POV story of 3 best friends Olive, Ellie, and Hattie who purchased and run a Colorado Resort together. One weekend with guests will changes everything! I laughed and cried! (I absolutely wish this resort was real because I would totally book a trip!) This is a LGBTQIA read and it was absolutely enjoyable! Did I mention they have a cute retriever named Lizzie! Oh, and Ellie's favorite books are Handmaid's Tale and Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo...so we are practically best friends!

Erin Zak knocks sets the bar Rocky Mountain High with this novel. This is a complex story about three women, best friends and business partners all near fifty. Olive, Eleanor and Harriet left Chicago three years earlier to establish a resort on the western slopes (west of the continental divide) of Colorado. The resort is run by women for women (and some men) to come and refuel, relax, rest and renew themselves. Olive runs the resort, Eleanor is in charge of marketing and Harriet is a master chef and runs the restaurant. All three women still are searching for what they want in their lives. They live together and know each other thoughts almost before they are spoken and don’t hesitate to call out each other on things. The story follows them during a week when the resort is opening a new event amphitheater and has a magazine writer interviewing them for a major article. The writer and her two friends are three VIPs for the week and causes each of the owners to rethink their lives, futures, friendships and loves.

I’m not going to give specifics and spoil the storyline but at times each of these women are a hot mess and other times wonderfully supportive and kind. Zak gives representation to lesbians, bi and ace characters. And there is plenty of steaminess too. I didn’t love every decision or action made by the main characters but I was rooting for everyone to find happiness. This characters are so much richer than I was expecting. It is a wonderful mix of women’s fiction with emphasis on romance. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. (4.5 stars)

So before last year I hadn't read any of Erin Zak's books, but when I found her writing I consumed several of her books and became a big fan of her writing- particularly her two books Breaking Down Her Walls and The Road Home. The way Zak writes loneliness and pain really hits me and gets me in my feelings, and her resolutions are satisfying. So I was excited to read her first book since I found her work- The Hummingbird Sanctuary.

The Hummingbird Sanctuary follows three best friends Olive Zyntarski, Eleanor Fitzwallace, and Harriet Marshall. Each of them are battling their own private demons while running a luxury resort in Colorado's Rocky mountains. One weekend changes everything when another trio of guests visits the Sanctuary, each of them throws Olive, Eleanor, and Harriet off in their own unique ways.

I think the best way to think of The Hummingbird Sanctuary is three novellas all together, and told chronologically. The chapters will jump around the POV character so we can get the perspective of all three main characters as they interact with each other and their guests. Each character knowing the others so well helps with giving depth to all three mains.

I did enjoy all three stories told here, though as a second chance romance fan I did love Eleanor's storyline the most. But all three are really interesting- and Zak brought real emotion out of the characters which is what she does best in her writing.

I really did enjoy this book. Part of me wonders what an individual book for each character would look like and this be a series instead of it all in one, but I think this works well too. 4.25/5

This book had me feeling every single emotion but an overarching theme of hope and joy.
‘The Hummingbird Sanctuary’, sounds like such an ambitious book from the outset, detailing the stories of three, independent women. Olive, Eleanor and Harriet have united to create a resort in Colorado in memory of their mothers. The successful business has become known as a safe haven for primarily women, where they can let loose and relax. The symbol of the hummingbird represents many positive aspects such as joy, healing and good luck; themes that Zak effortlessly ties into all of the women’s journeys across the book.
I love a novel with a great character arc; I want to see growth and evolution and this is present in abundance! At the beginning all three women have certain aspects of their lives under control, they are talented, confident and beautiful in their own rights. I adore the way Zak crafts Olive, Eleanor and Harriet individually as there is balance and equal representation for all of them. This is one of the trends I have picked up on from reading several books by Zak; she always celebrates all women and lifts them up in her writing.
One personal aspect I really especially admired in ‘Hummingbird’ was the inclusion of lesbian, bi and ace characters; it is so rare to find a romance with a realistic journey of acceptance of asexuality anywhere on the spectrum. Zak expresses it beautifully and weaves it into an ending that I didn’t realize I was rooting for all along. On top of juggling all of these plot devices and characters, the inclusion of a set of secondary characters really sets Olive, Eleanor and Harriet onto their individual paths to healing their past emotional scars and fulfilling their own happiness.
I found this book full of unflinchingly, flawed women. I left the sanctuary inspired and optimistic that from pain comes growth, and after the darkness always comes the light.

There’s this quote from the book that sums up my experience of reading this romance, -“the Hummingbird Sanctuary is special, because it’s so far from ordinary”. Normally when you have a 3 friends scenario it turns into a 3 books series but not this time. No, this is a series in one and that makes it fast paced and exciting. Not your ordinary setup but I enjoyed reading it immensely and I definitely recommend a read.

The thing I love most about NetGalley is that I get out of my comfort zone and read books I normally wouldn't go for. The Hummingbird Sanctuary was definitely different than most books I pick up. I liked the general idea and premiss of the novel, however, I just never felt drawn in or connected. I am excited to see how everyone else relates to it after it's published!