If you're into witty humor, clever banter, and some serious steam, this book is for you. Chelsea, struggling with family baggage, is urged by her therapist to tackle a list of challenges for the year. Along with her best friend, Elizabeth, they make it a fun competition—with some serious consequences for the loser. When Chelsea meets two strangers at a bar, she sees the perfect opportunity to check something off her list: being brutally honest with a stranger, while Elizabeth lies to hers.

What starts as a simple challenge turns into a deep connection between Chelsea and Bas, but her trust issues from a painful past make things complicated. Can she overcome her fears and trust Bas, or will she fall into the trap of her own self-doubt?

The one thing I liked about this book was the friendship between the two best friends. I love the idea of a list to get yourself out of your comfort zone. But the romantic relationship in this book screamed toxic relationship- so much hot and cold, touch and go energy from the main characters. She wanted him but didn't want him and half of the book was just her being indecisive and him trying to convince her that he was good for her. The other half of the book was sex- which wasn't bad. Also, the epilogue had me ticked off- they hadn't been together long enough for that next step!!

"Holding Out for a Gyro" by Mary Ann Marlowe is a delightful romantic comedy that brings humor and heart to the forefront. The story follows the journey of a quirky protagonist navigating love, friendship, and self-discovery in a vibrant setting.

Marlowe's writing is witty and engaging, filled with charming dialogue and relatable situations. The characters are well-developed, each bringing their own unique quirks and challenges to the narrative, making their interactions both entertaining and genuine. The exploration of love in unexpected places adds a light-hearted yet meaningful touch to the plot.

Overall, "Holding Out for a Gyro" is a fun and uplifting read, perfect for those looking for a heartwarming romance infused with humor. Marlowe's talent for storytelling shines through, making it a delightful escape for readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Holding Out For a Gyro by Mary Ann Marlowe!

Chelsea and Elizabeth are best friends who keep each other on their toes with what is basically a best friend bucket list. For every crazy thing one person adds, the other adds a safer version. But either way, they are trying to get each other out of into the dating world.

Their relationship is a perfect Galentine’s read, and we end up getting to watch two couples fall in love, although the majority of the story focuses on Chelsea and Basil— and I highly dislike the nickname Bas so I refuse to use it.

This contemporary romance has fun and friendly banter, but not really a romcom. I’d label it more of just a romance or a women’s contemporary.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amara/Entangled publishing for the #giftedcopy. All views are my own.

This was a fast read by a new to me author. The title is what made me pick this one!

Thanks so much for the digital copy of this one in exchange for an honest review!

It was cute! For a light and fun read, this is the one. I loved the atmosphere and vibes and wanted so much more. Still a fun time.

This gave me major sisterhood vibes, and while I absolutely loved Chelsea and Elizabeth and their friendship, the ending of this novel fell flat.

The emotional growth was there and very well written but this book just simply did not do it for me. It unfortunately did not hook me in and I ended up DNFing it. This book looked really promising and heck — that’s disappointing even for myself who loves, lives and breathes romance novels.

Hoping to give this author a second chance with a new release later on.

This had a lot of potential and I liked the leads mostly but it sort of petered out in the end and lost me.

I was really excited to read this book, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. I loved the friendship between Chelsea and Elizabeth and how they both pushed each other to be the best versions of themselves. The chemistry between Chelsea and Basil just didn't feel genuine to me. It made it difficult to continue reading.

The synopsis of this book reminded me of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 and the vibes were definitely there. I had such a fun time reading this I will definitely be adding it to my physical shelves soon.

Mary Ann Marlow writes fabulous and unexpected romances. This I've is no exception. I adore her writing style and this another wonderful treat. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

From the cover to the characters, I just had a good time with this one. The lemons on the cover were perfect, I found it endearing to learn the symbolism behind them in the story.

The concept of the yearly challenge created by Chelsea (FMC) and Elizabeth (BF) was so fun! Marlowe’s integration of each activity/goal into the story was so clever. I was eager to see how the character’s experiences changed as the book progressed shenanigans and all. Overall, it was zesty, spicy, funny…it had all the ingredients of an entertaining romcom!

I spent most of this book trying to decide how I felt about it. lt took me a few tries to really get into it, but I am glad that I stuck with it!
Chelsea is such a complicated FMC, and one that I related to on her personal level, so a lot of her issues and insecurities I understood, even if they frustrated me.
Basil was such a delicious (he would appreciate the pun) MMC, and I loved that he was flawed too. He had become stagnant and unhappy and had to figure out how to move forward and get what wanted.
What really solidified this book for me was the emotional growth that both characters have, and that everything was completely perfect.
Also, I adore cooking and loved reading all the food descriptions! And the spice that was in here(it wasn’t a ton, some would say just right) was great.

I really this would've been the book for me! It took me months to get through this and I never really felt all that hooked into the characters or storyline. I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but this definitely wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting Greece to play a much larger plot in the setting than it actually did.

The characters also fell a bit flat for me. Potentially because it seemed like they just weren't communicating properly at all. It seemed like they just wanted each to read their minds the majority of the time.

Bonus points for the punny title, I will always gravitate towards a book with a cute cover and punny title.

This book has dual POV: (1) Chelsea, who suffered from severe emotional abuse at the hands of her father, and carried the damage from that childhood into her adult life. That early experience naturally impacts all of her relationships, but especially with men; and (2) Bas, a Greek American who has felt like a disappointment to his proud Greek parents.

As you might expect with that backstory on the MCs, this book is not a full out rom-com, so it’s better to not go into it with that expectation. With that said, this book has stellar and copious use of puns, which are laugh out loud funny, and also the cause of a lot of eye rolling while reading, but in a good cheesy way. I felt that this actually helped lighten the story up, since it does actually involve some otherwise heavy topics.

Can 2 commitment-phobic individuals, albeit for different reasons, find any common ground? Is home a place, or a person? What would you be willing to risk for even a chance at a forever love?

My thanks to the team at Entangled and NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review, and my rating, are entirely my own.

Excellent book, love it! Looking forward to more from this author! Apologies for the lateness of my review

A laugh out loud romcom. I enjoyed the story and the romance. I found both MCs to be funny and witty. The book had good banter and sass. It is a perfect feel good romcom guaranteed to have you laughing.

I had high hopes for Holding Out for a Gyro after a promising start, but it ultimately didn’t meet my expectations. Chelsea and Basil's relationship felt overly repetitive and frustrating; their back-and-forth left me exhausted. While both characters had their stubbornness, it often turned into misunderstandings that dragged on too long.

I found myself more invested in Elizabeth and Evan’s relationship, which felt more balanced. Additionally, the cover suggested a strong Greek setting, but most of the story took place in the US, with the Greece element only appearing late in the book.

The ending felt unconvincing due to the constant bickering over commitment, making their resolution hard to believe. I also took issue with a line comparing Charlottesville to a dangerous neighborhood in Beirut—it felt unnecessary and out of touch.

On the upside, the incorporation of Greek culture and endearments was a nice touch, showcasing the author’s effort in that aspect. Unfortunately, despite its charm, the book didn’t resonate with me as I had hoped.

Out today, a fun romcom with reverse Grumpy/Sunshine (She’s the grump, he’s the ☀️). The story starts with best friends Chelsea and Elizabeth and their Yearly Challenge list. Each chapter starts with one of the challenges from the original list and I loved that part of the story. While the story is focused on Chelsea and Basil, there separate bit of a love story with Elizabeth, and brings together a great friendship vibes for these besties. It’s a perfect read for the last few weeks of summer. 💛