After what wasn't a heart attack but sure felt like one, Teagan finds himself in a psychiatric hospital until his little sister, Sloane, bustles him off to Big Sky, Montana. Imagine his confusion to discover that she has checked them into a bougie rehab, which addresses a slightly different health concern than what he's facing. Turns out that both of them have been handling their mom's death in non-ideal ways for the last couple of years, so while Teagan isn't convinced that the resort's crystal meditations, multiplicity of yoga events, and group therapy will do anything for Sloane or for his own busy, out-of-control thoughts, he doesn't feel he can abandon the girl he once tried to raise to head back to his normally scheudled workaholic life in New York.

Darcy's dream to be a park ranger (or to have a steady career of any kind) is taking a circuitous route. From the Navy to hospitality work, Darcy's seen it all. On this latest job for the rehab center, she's been relegated to handyman jobs when she was certain she'd been hired to lead nature excursions. She stresses about finishing her college degree in what spare time she has, worries about her next gig, and fears a future where she doesn't achieve her dreams... all while babysitting some rich people on a cleanse of questionable scientific quality.

When Darcy saves Teagan from a bear attack on a hike he decided to take alone, completely unprepared, it's a memorable first encounter. She chews him out, takes him to the ER, and absolutely forbids him from bringing the bear into his account of what happened lest said animal become the target of an extermination. Teagan is a bit smitten. So used to caring for everyone else and trying and failing to hold it all together, it's nice to have someone drag him out of danger, yell at him, and tell him exactly what to do, step by step.

The miscommunication here is somehow both hilarious and frustrating in its stages. Darcy has good reason to suspect Teagan has a substance abuse problem... given that he's been checked into rehab. Her confidence on that point gets more questionable after he flatly denies it on multiple occasions, but a) she already knows he came to the resort after a hospitalization (thank Sloane for that tidbit) and b) people with an addiction are known to deny it, so we can cut her the tiniest bit of slack there. When Teagan finds out that his position at his deceased mother's foundation is being threatened in his absence, he prepares to rush home. Desperate for him not to lose all the progress he's made on his mental health after a month cut off from his primary stressors, Sloane suggests Darcy accompany him as a "sober companion." She hates her job, anyway, and has a major thing for Teagan, so what could go wrong? It's at that point that Teagan decides to lean into Darcy's misunderstanding and let her come along for the ride.

Their romance features some cute moments. Both are a mess but in complementary ways. For Teagan, depression and a panic disorder have gotten so debilitating that his life fell apart, but he still can't admit that he's gone wrong somewhere in taking care of himself. For Darcy's part, an undiagnosed learning disability makes school feel like an insurmountable challenge-- one that has her questioning her self-worth and ability to see college through, despite her dedication and passion.

Unfortunately, instalove vibes are hard to overcome for me, and this story's got them. Add in the lie haunting our couple and the mixed signals around Darcy's supposed responsibility for Teagan's health, and I wasn't completely sold. Another trope that can so quickly go south is a fling with a set end date. I dislike how that veers into the territory of a couple mourning their relationship, such as it is, before it even ends, maybe even for the duration. Bittersweetness is not the defining characteristic I seek in a romance novel or really any book. This is one of those stories that falls into the trap.

I do think there's something important here after all the final act drama has settled. A relationship is offered without any conditions for Teagan getting "better." I think that's a powerful approach to mental health, which is such a winding road and so frequently out of our control despite treatments and best efforts. This isn't a story where a character feels they have to be mentally sorted out to love someone or be loved in return. I hope we see more of that in the genre moving forward. Thanks to Berkley for my copy to read and review!

Such a cute romance. I loved the characters loved their story. The chemistry was cute hot and on pointe. Cannot recommend this book enough.

This was the very definition of okay read but not memorable for me.

It was fine? But I know in a week if you ask me anything about it I'll barely remember the MC names...

It was cute and not offensive but I also wish that there was a bit more exploration into the mental illness side of things.

I think this could be a good read for someone looking to just want something that is easy to read and be entertained by.

Not necessarily for me but may be for you!

Teagan is hospitalized for panic attacks and his sister whisks him away to an alcohol addiction wilderness rehab under the guise of helping him get some care while also addressing other issues the siblings have since the loss of the alcoholic mother. Teagan feels like he is at rock bottom but all he does is go into work at a job he hates and forces his way through social events. His meds have made everything fuzzy but bearable until he meets Darcy. She is strong, fiercely independent and stocked up on every kind of wildlife podcast you could imagine. Their mutual interests in each other allow Darcy to go home to NY with Teagan and see how he lives while allowing Teagan to confront his life’s choices and become someone Darcy relies on.

I enjoyed this book and Teagan and Darcy. It was a fun exploration of mental health and also the wilderness. I don’t know that I found it to be the most memorable long term but I enjoyed the experience while reading it.

This was such a fun summer read. I recommended this to many library customers who were looking for a vacation read! I read this one while on a National Parks trip and it was perfect.

Sadly, this one didn't work for me. I didnt like the use of a fake addiction as a plot device. It felt icky, and it put me off to the other things going on within the story.

This was a DNF for me, I just couldn't get into the characters and storyline even though it sounded like a lot of fun!

I LOVED this book and will definitely be reading everything that Katie Shepard writes. I love that they take chances after their mother's death and I love a happily ever after.

This is...pleasant? But I was expecting a lot more, especially in terms of mental health rep and the way it was addressed.

The entire premise was a little silly - a sober companion for panic attacks? really? - but the bonds formed between Teagan and Darcy were real. The way he had her back when no one else did was dreamy.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I requested the library that I work out purchase this title. I love how it covered the topics of mental health but also had me laughing out loud at multiple times.

First of all I LOVE this cover and really wanted to love the book just as much. This book had a lot of heavy topics - which when tackled well can tell a very compelling story. Unfortunately I did not connect with the characters or the storyline.

Wilderness therapy is a concept I never heard of before but was fascinated in after reading this one! This one was a really unique concept and so entertaining!
Thank you #berkleypub and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Thanks netgalley for my copy of this book.

This one was almost a DNF for me, but I really don’t like doing that. Overall this one was fine and is a great book with awareness about mental health struggles. I didn’t love it though.

2.5 stars.

Thank you so much @BerkleyRomance for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 25 April 2023)

SYNOPSIS | Teagan is dragged by his sister to a wilderness therapy retreat in Montana and whilst there he has a very close encounter with a bear but is thankfully saved by the groundskeeper (Darcy).

WHAT I LIKED:
- the advocation for wildlife preservation
- the cover

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- a huge portion of this book is based on the male MC misleading the female MC about why he is at the wellness retreat. There is miscommunication and then there is straight up lying.
- that they even have a romantic relationship when she is supposed to be acting as his sober companion
- that Teagan decides to stop taking his medication (which he very much needs) because it's affecting his sexual activities with Darcy
- the entire conversation around mental health, panic disorders, alcoholism and recovery
- Darcy was extremely annoying and pushy & Teagan gave off massive doormat energy so ultimately I just couldn't root for their relationship

🐻 BOOK REVIEW: Bear With Me Now 🐻

SUMMARY: After a panic attack lands him in the hospital, Teagan’s sister checks them both into a wilderness retreat…for substance abuse. Not particularly interested in taking 12 steps he doesn’t need, Teagan takes a lot of solo hikes, which lands him in the path of both a bear and Darcy Albano, a retreat staffer and nature enthusiast.

This book was interesting…

I liked it! Teagan was a super sensitive hero, which you don’t always see in books/movies. His mental health struggles and past family drama were handled so delicately…which is why it felt EXTRA weird that he allows Darcy to mistakenly believe he’s an alcoholic for almost the entire book. 😬 (I mean, there’s miscommunication trope, and then there’s *miscommunication* trope.)

Regardless, I found this to be a sweet, contemporary story of two people finding one another and deciding to make it work.

You can expect:

🐻 Forced proximity
🐻 Mental health rep/dyslexia rep
🐻 Tough gal/soft boi
🐻 Semi-sweet – thoughtful but with funny parts

First off thank you to NetGalley for the complimentary ebook to read and review.

The book cover and synopsis completely drew me in but unfortunately that’s about where it stops. This book had so much potential but it just fell flat. So much miscommunication and lying between characters that just annoyed me.

Thumbs up for the book cover, thumbs down for the story.

Fun and similar to the experience I imagine I would have if I went on a woodland meditation retreat.

I’ve been seeing so many mixed reviews for this debut, which was part of the reason I held off on reading this book for so long, but I wanted to see where I fell, so I finally decided to both read and listen to the ebook and audiobook formats.

After reading, I can see why the reviews were so mixed on this romcom. The way the mental health storyline was handled, along with the theme of lying and brushing it aside, could really be hurtful to some.

However, I did enjoy the romance side of things, and really loved the great outdoors setting of Montana, the National Parks and the awareness of the impending extinction and care of the animals that roam them.

*many thanks to Netgalley, Berkley, and PRH Audio for the gifted copy for review