Single Dads Club by Therese Beharrie is a dual-perspective, non-toxic, slow-burn romance that I could not put down. Yes, this is a romance story, but it also talks about deeper topics like fatherhood, family issues, and a lack of parental influence in the formative years.

Meet Rowan. He becomes a single father to Declan, his young son, and uproots his life to move to the small coastal city of Sugarbush Bay in South Africa. There, with the help of his grandmother, Rowan hopes to give his son the childhood he never had. Meet Delilah. She is a former-heiress-turned-server, determined to make self-improvements and life-improvements. She introduces Rowan to her brother, Matt, and they form the Single Dads Club.

I adored the slow-burn romance between the couple. Beharrie beautifully illustrates the challenges and rewards of parenthood, especially for single parents, with her writing style thus producing captivating characters you cannot help but love. I found many similarities between the tight-knit community and my upbringing, making this story an authentic read from a BIPOC perspective.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC of this book.

This is a really thought provoking book about the romance that emerges between a single father and a barista in a small, close knit town in South Africa. The author did a wonderful job of fleshing out the characters and showcasing their thoughts and fears.

Rowan is a single father with a healthy relationship with his child's mother, Mckenna. I enjoyed seeing them work together to raise Declan and how Mckenna was the one to return to work rather than Rowan. Rowan's fears about being a good father and taking care of a tiny human being seemed very real and relatable.

While Rowan was a lovable lead character, Delilah was a different story. Her issues and background story seemed lacking compared to the pressure that Rowan was under. Delilah presented younger than her age and the issue with her past seemed superficial.

The romance between the two leads, Rowan and Delilah was a but odd. Delilah forms a crush on Rowan from the moment she first saw him but then it took a very long time for more to develop so the pacing felt off. I didn't really believe the chemistry between Rowan and Delilah, though they were fully fleshed characters in their own right.

I loved the writing in this book, but something about the characters didn’t draw me in nor keep my attention. I think that the permise behind the book and the tropes were nice. But i felt as if the main characters were really unlikeable and you couldn’t relate or form a connection with them, Also, I wish there was more romance in the plot to be a balance with the self discovery aspect. All in all, it was a quick and fun read!

Firstly thank you to Montlake for gifting me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is a In this a funny romance that kept me entertained the entire read. I love the single dad trope and this delivered in every possible way!

So I absolutely loved most of this book, but got so frustrated by Rowan at times. The cast of supporting characters was very clever.

This was such a good read! The angst between the characters, the slow burn, and the character growth throughout the book were exactly what I enjoy. Very well written, easy to read, and gripping from beginning to end. Can't wait to read other books by this author!

This was a sweet and fun read. I have first hand experience with how your past can shape how you function in a relationship and all of Delilah and Rowan’s fears were so relatable. I am so glad they found someone to see beyond their protective shields and show them how much more life could be when they let happiness in, and felt that they deserved it!

I LOVED THIS! The cover, the title, the characters, the story, it was all perfect to me. I really enjoy a single parent trope and this was done so well. Sometimes it can be difficult for me to have children in stories but I was fine with it! It also really made me want to visit beautiful South Africa!

Black love a it finest! I adored this story! It had wonderful character development and such a great connection between the characters. I can't wait to read more of Therese's Beharrie's work!

3.5 stars

The writing was good and the story quite simple (was glad for the minimal drama!), though for me, I had expected a more romance than self-discovery plot overall

<b>The Good</b>
Both Rowan and Delilah are interesting lead characters. We really get to see how their past leads their present actions and learn to understand them. Rowan was especially relatable to me as someone with social anxiety. I really enjoyed their separate growth and dealing with their personal trauma.

<b>The Bad</b>
The big issue with Delilah's past being an issue was hard for me to take seriously. Judging someone for being a socialite in the past and coming from money when you knew they were a nice person in the present was hard for me to take seriously. It just felt irrational. Though their characters had depth and real potential, their relationship itself lacked enough chemistry for me to root for them to be together. I think for the amount of issues they had it made it hard for me to believe in their love and root for their relationship. Especially since most progression was one step forward two steps back and usually required outside intervention for it to be resolved.


<b>The Rating</b>
I give this book a <b>3/5🌟 rating.</b> While lacking in the romance department, it pulled on my heart-strings with its amazing characters.

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Rowan becomes a single father to Declan, his young son, so he uproots his life to move to a small, coastal city in South Africa in hopes of giving his son the childhood he never had.

Delilah is a former heiress and now a server who is working in a café which is where she meets Rowan and Declan. She is determined to make improvements to herself and her life. Rowan is hesitant to get involved with anyone due to his past history, so it is up to Delilah to reach out. She does this by introducing Rowan to her brother, Matt, which sparks the Single Dads club. The more Delilah helps Rowan, the more he understands that family isn't necessarily dependent on blood ties.

What I loved most about this book apart from the slow burn between the couple is that the author is incredibly talented at illustrating the challenges and rewards of parenthood!!

My honest review is given in exchange for receiving a free ARC from Netgalley.

I enjoyed this book, I liked the way it was told from a different angle - single dad struggling to find his way rather than single mum. I loved the way a group of men formed a support group round him, I thought that part of the book was described really well. And the ending was lovely. I would definitely recommend this book, thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy x

I love Beharrie, I really do. But her constant tease getting steamy omg they’re about to… nope jk this book is actually a giant tease is upsetting after a while 😂 I loved the vulnerability of Rowan and how hard it is to be a new parent. And Delilah is lovely and I get her supreme desire to help after the pain her mother inflicted on so many. BUT ROWAN GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD AND DO THE LOVELY WOMAN!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This one I requested randomly and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I loved the single dad trope, the location and the overall storyline! It was great!

I know we shouldn’t judge a book for it’s cover, but JUST LOOK AT THAT ONE! It’s so pretty i love it.
I judged correctly.
This book was effortlessly good. The characters were so easy to get attached to, the talks about the fears of parenthood were well written and i loved the romance between Rowan and Delilah.
I also liked the dual POV, the writing for both characters were really well done.
I would definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a quick and simple romance.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest book review.

2.75 stars. Starting off with the positives about this novel, simply, I find that Therese Beharrie writes very well, and her characters are very likeable. There is nothing 'wrong' with this book, it just did not hold my attention. I typically take 1 or 2 days maximum to read a romance, this took me 6 days, I just wasn't enthralled by the story-line. I liked Delilah, the FMC, a lot and she was my favourite part of this book. I will definitely be reading more books from Therese Beharrie as I know I enjoy her writing style, just this book was not my cup of tea.

Such a heartfelt, easy read!

I absolutely adored the character of Rowan - he just made my heart melt/shatter into a gazillion pieces!

This whole book just conveyed everything I love about romance novels, from the start until the very end.

Such an easy follow & a proper lil heart warmer!

Single Dads Club is a small town romance set in South Africa with themes of community, second chances, and family.

This book sadly did not really work for me as a whole, but I’ll start with what did.

First, I liked that Rowan is a conscientious and involved Dad who wants the best for his son. He even purposefully gets out of his own comfort zone to make sure that his son has the best childhood possible. The fatherly love was endearing.
Second, I liked that the community came together to help the other characters in the story.
Unfortunately, those redeeming factors didn’t overshadow the overall experience for me. The pacing felt super slow with unnecessary details shared about the characters’ inner dialogues. And while I appreciate the idea of overcoming one’s past, the fact that both main characters had major family trauma that influenced every decision felt heavy handed in a light-hearted romance.
Not to mention that open door is not for me (I wish romances came with content warnings!)
Finally, one aspect that really bugged me (and maybe this is an unpopular opinion) was that Rowan made his son the complete center of his world, to an unhealthy extreme at times. This does get addressed toward the end, but it felt too late at that point.
Overall, I did not enjoy this reading experience and would not recommend, but I suppose every book has its reader. I was just not the reader for this one.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced review copy.

Single Dads Club was cute - I liked the characters, and the town was absolutely charming. Now that I'm thinking about it, it feels like a reverse Gilmore Girls... Rowan is a single dad with rich, absent parents who moves to a quaint little town to raise his son close to the only family that cared about him. He meets Delilah, another character with parental issues, who is trying so hard to make up for the crimes her mother committed. Both of them let their issues guide how they live their lives, until they figure out they love each other.

The plot was a little slow, and I found myself frustrated that Rowan and Delilah ruminated so much on the same thoughts - it felt very repetitive, and not like the author was trying to do something (rumination is a symptom of anxiety) but more like she needed to fill in some space or forgot to edit it out. Despite the slowness, it was a cute story and I'm curious if Therese Beharrie is going to make this into a series focusing on the rest of the single dads - Lucas, Corey, and even Matt??