This was a very strange romance. I thought the idea of it would be very fun, but the execution didn’t do it for me. The characters were also very off and I couldn’t connect to a single one of them. Also for being so worried about your sister’s drug problem, I don’t feel like he actually did anything to try and help her?

This book deals with a lot of hard topics but it also had the aspect of being fun and light hearted! I was concerned about the wilderness rehab and how it would all play out and how I’d feel about it. But, it was actually good!

To be honest I really didn’t like the lying about alcoholism for the majority of the book. The treatment for his issues were very well done.

Thank you Berkley Publishing for this gifted ebook.

This book looked so cute and I love the punny title. But that’s about all I liked in this book. Darcy and Teagan meet while Teagan is attending a wilderness therapy camp in Montana; he’s there for treatment for panic attacks but Darcy works with him for what she thinks is alcoholism. This miscommunication runs through out the book and really made no sense to me. He tries to explain several times, but Darcy does not listen.

Teagan is high up in his family’s foundation and must go back to NYC. He has hit it off with Darcy and he hires her to come with him as a sober companion (even though he doesn’t need it). They begin a relationship despite Darcy thinking she’s there as support which just seems immoral to me.

There’s a little nature thrown in for fun, but overall this is a hard pass.

I won’t be reviewing this on my Bookstagram.

There were a few parts of this book that I enjoyed - it was a really well done representation of anxiety and learning challenges - but they were outweighed by the parts that REALLY didn't work. The fact that Teigan lied to Darcy about being an alcoholic, the fact that Darcy as his "sober companion" was so strict about somethings but had no problem sleeping with him, the fact that Sloane was essentially left to spiral were just all huge ethical red flags for me that made this book unenjoyable.

I’m so torn about this book, because I thought it was genuinely funny in parts, and I liked the main characters. But I hope no one reads this and thinks it’s a realistic or healthy portrayal of dealing with substance abuse. The sober companion aspect of the story is unethical and problematic, there’s no mention of therapy, AA is barely discussed, and the sister’s drug habit is brushed aside like it’s no big deal. But I do think this author has a lot of promise, especially with dialogue, and would read her next romance.

This book wasn’t for me. Darcy the FMC would not listen to Teagan to save her life. It drove me absolutely insane!! The bear attack had potential to be a really fun meet cute that felt funny or lighthearted (it’s a romcom for crying out loud), but instead set the tone for the whole book.

I did enjoy the Montana setting and the wildlife education element, but the shift to them going back to New York felt off. When we got to the steamy parts I really checked out. I didn’t feel any chemistry between the two. The whole time it seemed like Darcy was just using Teagan for a place to stay and a way to get ahead. She also felt really forceful about sex which left me feeling uncomfortable.

okay, this book was so adorable!! i know a lot of people did not like this one, but i really really did! it was so fun and sweet and precious! thank you so much to netgalley for letting me read this one early!!!

I'll admit, the cover is what drew me to choose the book. I was also interested in the book blurb when it mentioned there was a mental health aspect to the story. I definitely think that is prevalent in today's society so I was all on board to read it. However, when I began, I realized that this book hit home closer than I thought, bringing up my own childhood traumas and I could no longer continue reading.

This will not affect my decision to pick up future books by the author, this one just wasn't for me. I give props to the author for tackling some tough subject matter and wish them the best.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙮 𝙗𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙆𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙙.

📍 Read if you like:
• Opposites Attract
• Mental Health Discussion
• The Wilderness
• Montana

I had such high hopes for this book, especially with that cover - that bear immediately brought me in. It has opposites attract trope that I enjoyed and the Montana setting was interesting!

Also, there was a lot of talk about mental health, which I still don’t know how I feel about. It was sorta done poorly and I felt so terrible for Teagan when they didn’t believe him. The way Darcy treated him and gaslighted him was so frustrating to read about.

While I understand and appreciate the talk about “addiction” I really don’t think it was talked about in the best way possible. I get the humor in the story, but some moments just didn’t sit right with me.

I liked the idea of the wilderness and trails, but also the cover is so misleading - don’t expect the book to focus a lot on the bear (I know, so disappointing!)

I mainly had issues with this book and the way it deals with some of the topics in it. I liked the premise and wanted to love it so much - the mountains and Montana setting were so intriguing - but the overall story just wasn’t for me.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley Romance for the review copies in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Panic attacks/disorder, alcoholism, addiction, mental illness

This cover immediately grabbed my attention, and I mean, how could it not? But from there, I felt like it was a bait and switch situation. I was really hoping for more bear content honestly. 🐻
I was hoping there would be more time spent at the retreat, because I adored that part of this book. I wasn't anywhere near as interested when they were back in the city.
This book still had it's fun moments, and definitely had some spice 🔥, but I was hoping for more nature and bears 🐻🐻🐻
⭐⭐⭐

Maybe the middle of an impending anxiety attack was the wrong time to read Bear With Me Now, but it turned out to be the exact thing that I needed. Katie Shepard is terrifyingly masterful at describing the nauseous hurricane of anxiety, especially as it pertains to interpersonal relationships. Bear With Me Now did bring me to tears, but, if we’re being honest, I’d been putting off the emotional release. Overworked, fresh from the psych ward, and holding the daunting financial straits of his dead mother’s foundation at bay, Teagan will do whatever it takes to keep his younger sister Sloane and his new “sober companion” Darcy alive and well. Darcy, an aspiring park ranger relegated to groundskeeper at the froo froo health retreat that Teagan and Sloane check into, doesn’t mean to, but she can’t help thinking that someday Tiegan will overextend himself for her and both of them will crash and burn. And then there’s the thing with the bear…and the beaver (the animal, not Darcy’s)...and the otters… Aside from being genuinely hysterical, especially Kristen’s take on health smoothies, Bear With Me Now probes into the experience of an elder sibling being a parental figure, adult dyslexia, the damages of family addiction, and all of the terrifying consequences of letting someone into your life. Don’t be alarmed by the premise– the bear faces no consequences.

I enjoyed this book. I liked that the first part took place at a wilderness rehab. It is an original setting. Teagan and Darcy had an odd dynamic since Darcy had the role of sober coach for the largest part of the book. It also ended quite abrupt. I wish there was an epilogue.

In Bear With Me Now, want to be Ranger Darcy is instead taking care of the wealthy at a wilderness rehab ranch. Which is where she meets Teagan, who has been whisked to the camp for a month of rest after a panic attack landed him in a hospital.

This is a cute read. While half the story takes place in New York City, the other half takes place in the wilderness and I highly enjoyed all of Darcy’s wilderness facts! However, for being a light romance, this has some fairly heavy topics such as mental health, death, and addicts. Shepard portrayed these topics well, which certainly made the characters more relatable.

BUTTTT….

As likable as both characters are, I never felt any chemistry and their relationship didn’t have an organic feel to it. Something about the way it all meshes together didn’t work for me. I can’t put my finger on, but I loved all the individual parts of the story, just didn’t love the way it all came together.

I would have liked this book more if it was 100 pages shorter. It was repetitive, especially with Darcy’s misconception that Teagan wasn’t an alcoholic. Teagon tells her multiple times that he wasn’t an alcoholic especially when he doesn’t seem to display any of the normal behaviors, and she is extremely dismissive of him. I couldn’t get behind the ‘miscommunication’ and found it increasingly frustrating and I don’t think constantly reminding a recovering alcoholic that they’re a recovering alcoholic is the best choice, but I don’t have experience with that so maybe it is?

If you’re looking for a cute wilderness read with lots of animal references, give this with some heavier topics give this debut a shot.

Favorite Quotes:

He had a dimple in his left cheek, and the lopsidedness of his mouth made it appear that he was holding half a smile in reserve rather than fully committing to the expression.

Teagan is not a horny mistake. I am not going to lay his pipe, even though I totally could, and that would probably fix all his substance abuse issues, add five years to his life, and show him the very face of God. No. I’m helping him. Therapeutically.

She should have said something, Darcy decided. Next time she’d make a scene. She didn’t really mind making a scene, and she sensed that the women at this event would consider it a tragedy if the entire evening passed and nobody made a scene. It might as well be Darcy.

So she twined her arms around his neck and turned her face up to his. “If this is talking, I can’t wait to see you argue,” she said.

You’re that first cup of coffee that gets me out of bed in the morning. You’re the song on my playlist for the drive home. You’re every good thing that I promise myself to get through the day.

My Review:

I enjoyed this tale, the characters were all of the total mess variety, yet authentically complicated while tickling my gray matter to know more about them. The storylines and writing style were lively and humorous with perceptive descriptions and situations that put vivid images behind my eyes and a frequent grin on my face.

This was such a sweet love story. As someone who has panic attacks, this was such a refreshing and caring take on anxiety. Teagan goes on a wilderness retreat and is saved from a bear by Darcy, who winds up unexpectedly tangled in his life. He may not have been honest about what he's going through, and when Darcy goes back to the city with him, it's not under the most truthful of terms.

Reading the above, while all true, caused me to raise my eyebrows upon starting this book, and if the characters weren't so darned lovable, it wouldn't have worked. This premise shouldn't work! And yet, it DOES. All the credit to our author, who made me root for Teagan despite some decisions that had me cocking my head, while she had me falling for Darcy, who can rescue me any time (and I'm straight... maybe).

While the book has serious moments, and excellent disability rep, I lived for the heartfelt, quiet lines, and the humor that was carefully woven in. This was an utterly unexpected, joyful romp that I will reread. I plan to read more of this author as soon as I can!

Teagan and Darcy. He’s a charity executive and she’s a therapy program handywoman. Check out the list below for the deets!

✨ THINGS AND STUFF ✨
-wilderness therapy retreat
-meet cute under the jaws of furry death 🐻
-family dynamics
-mental health rep
-dyslexia rep
-silent auction & art
-forced proximity
-friends (with benefits) to lovers
-takis!
-#IsThisAKissingBook: open door.

Thank you Berkley Romance for the free book!

This book was so much fun. I love the "meet disaster" of Teagan having to be rescued by Darcy - it was the perfect start to an outdoors-y wilderness romance. The characters were also so real and raw at points - I loved getting to see them when they were vulnerable and come out of the other side better together for it.

I was really interested in reading this book because of the atmosphere and cover. It is marketed as a cute romantic comedy that involves the wilderness and animals. However, I felt that this book was way more emotional than I initially anticipated.

Teagan and Darcy are an unlikely match. He struggles with social anxiety and what appears at the beginning, a substance use disorder. Darcie is looking to help rehabilitate but is given the job as a handywoman instead. Ultimately their paths cross and Teagan pursues Darcy persistently.

It hurts my heart to say, this was not the book for me. I feel like any book written about mental health/substance use- I am overly critical of. Having worked in the field for 5+ years, I hardly ever see it represented accurately and ethically. I'm not really sure where the research came into play for this book but felt rather lacking.

This was an interesting story. I loved the idea of a therapeutic retreat for a meeting place. Darcy was good at what she did, was strong and intelligent as well. Teagan was caring, truly wanted to help his sister. He sort of disregarded rules to do as he pleased. I felt that the story was dragged out a bit too much, a little repetitive, and slowed down the story. I had trouble staying in the story.

I received a copy through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

This book HIT! My first Katie Shepard book and it for sure won't be my last. This book was so freaking funny and I loved these characters. It took me a while to get into but overall I had a great time reading this!