This queer romcom was so good! Both Asher and Theo were easy to like, and getting with of their points of view really made me love them more! This was my first book by Chip Pons and I was not disappointed!

The book starts out with a bang of heartbreak, so instantly you start rooting for Asher to show his ex that he’s better off without him. The reality television aspect along with fake dating was super fun as well! I’ve never read a book that was about people filming a TV show, so this was a fun experience. The friendships they form while filming as well as watching the feelings blossom between Theo and Asher were so good and felt extremely genuine. And the spice was spicing! Easy 5 star read for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for giving me the opportunity to read an eARC of Winging it with You by Chip Pons in exchange for my honest review.

DNF. The author’s writing style is not for me—the first chapter was quite unbelievable in my opinion, and I didn’t enjoy the dialogue.

This book was fun and heartfelt and hard to put down! Asher and Theo deserve every good thing. And now I want mozzarella sticks, thanks Chip!!

OH. MY. HEART.

I wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting into with this one, but wow! I was hooked. The cover immediately caught my eye (yes, I do judge a book by its cover sometimes), and once I read the description: an Amazing Race style reality show plus fake dating?! Say less. I knew I was about to devour this book. AND LET ME TELL YOU I DEVOURED. IT.

From the very first chapter, I was locked in. Then came the mozzarella sticks meet-cute (yes, mozzarella sticks!) right after a bit of delicious drama, and I knew I wasn’t putting this down.

Asher and Theo? Utterly adorable. Their chemistry crackles off the page! Asher’s the slow-to-warm, slightly guarded type, while Theo is more of a charming, go-with-the-flow guy and together? Magic. Their dynamic was the perfect blend of sweet, swoony tension and natural connection. I was grinning like a fool every time they interacted.

But what I really loved is that this book isn’t just fluff and flirting, it’s got depth. Amidst the banter and laugh-out-loud moments, there’s genuine vulnerability and self-growth. Theo is juggling that tricky work/life balance, while Asher is on a journey to realize he deserves someone who truly sees and celebrates him. Those emotional beats added such richness and heart to the story.

Chip Pons knocked it out of the park with this one. It’s fun, heartfelt, and absolutely charming from beginning to end. A total delight!

What do you do when Mr. Definitely Wrong dumps you before a reality competition set around teams? You find Mr. Right for Right Now. Then you dive headfirst into the competition and….falling in love. This story was a sweet love story filled with self-reflection, growth, and finding the best of each other and those around you. A fun and easy read!

winging it with you | chip pons

3.5⭐️

This was a fun book!

The premise (two strangers pretending to be boyfriends to compete in a reality adventure competition!) was unique, the destination settings were fun, and I loved the characters.

Something was missing for me in their connection and the growth of their relationship, which is why the three stars, but l'd still recommend if you're looking for a fun spicy adventure romcom!

THINGS TO LOVE:
+ reality adventure TV
+ airport meet cute
+ mozzarella sticks
+ forced proximity
+ fake dating
+ forced proximity
+ spicy spicy
+ softies

Super fun, cute and fast read! I loved their character development and the side characters were equally fun to hang out with. Great amount of spice to go along with the insta-lust!

“I’ve been thinking about how many chances to step outside my comfort zone I’ve said no to…how much of my life I haven’t been living.”

I can’t tell you how excited I am that I have a new book by Chip Pons to gush about. This book is perfect from start to finish, and the journey that Asher and Theo go on is as adventurous as it is life-changing.

I’m a sucker for fake dating, and here Asher and Theo have to do it on television which adds to the overall pressure. While it’s awkward at first, it’s clear from the moment they meet that there is an underlying attraction. They have to sell it for the cameras, but the more they open up to each other the more real their feelings become. But the way their relationship grows is so beautiful. They share these incredible experiences that start to shape them as people.

The growth in this story is nothing short of outstanding. Asher realizes how much of himself he changed in his precision relationship. How much he stopped living. And being with Theo makes him realize how much he wants to change that. Theo’s made work his whole life, neglecting himself and his family. He’s a precious baby angel and when he finally goes home to his family, it made me emotional. It’s just so beautifully written.

Everything about the reality show is also done so well that I could picture exactly what was happening. It also adds so much to the overall story, and the balance between the show moments and the romance is perfect. The show takes them to incredible less where they get experience so much together, and I think that works to bring them together. And don’t even get me started on the elephants.

“But isn’t that what you do when you’re madly in love? Throw yourself headfirst into each other with everything you’ve got?”

It was so easy to fall in love with Asher and Theo, and even easier to root for them. They’re relatable and genuine, and seeing them both realize that they’re not pretending just made me giddy. I loved this so much, it’s almost hard to put into words.

"...I know without any reservation or nagging uncertainty that if you're lucky, home can be a person."

What can I say, Chip Pons has done it again! I read his self-published debut a few years ago and have been so excited for his trad pub debut! Happy to report that it did NOT disappoint.

Asher and Theo's story has all the tropes I love: fake dating, forced proximity, one bed... as someone who doesn't read a lot of romance, I could tell from the get-go that I would love this one. How better to create tension than putting two strangers together, pretending to to be boyfriends while competing on the world's biggest reality TV show?

I loved both Asher and Theo as characters. They both had trauma to overcome (a favorite of mine when it comes to character development) and they managed to find answers in each other. Their relationship developed so beautifully, and so did their relationships with the little found family they gathered throughout the book. I loved Theo especially, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for a gentle giant.

If you're looking for a book with a high-stakes meet cute, fake dating, yummy spice, a competition a la The Amazing Race, a golden retriever boyfriend, and two soulmates learning to love themselves again, I highly recommend Winging It with You!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars for sure! I fell in love with the two main characters quickly and pretty much devoured this book. The premise was fantastic and it was executed wonderfully. It was the perfect mix of sweet and steamy and I fully bought into this love story. I only wish I could have more Theo and Ash in my life!

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this advanced copy.

I just really enjoyed this book overall. I wasn’t familiar with Chip Pons, I’ve never watched Amazing Race, but none of that mattered. I was instantly drawn in to the two main characters and the circumstances that set them up to partner for the reality show. Were there some situations that required a little suspension of belief? Of course! But it’s fiction and it held my attention so that didn’t matter.

This isn’t a book about travel, so the destinations were mostly a backdrop. It was more about the characters and how they were each stuck in a personal rut, how they got there, and how they helped each other get unstuck. There were also some well-written side characters that added to the story. This was sweet, funny, romantic, with a couple of very steamy scenes thrown in. I’ll definitely check out more by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC!

Asher and Theo are so perfect together. I loved how a series of unfortunate or rather fortunate events brought them on the journey to self discovery and true love. This was such a lighthearted and wonderful story.

It’s really hard to sum up this novel because there is so much to say! I am not the type of person to pick up a MF or MM romance novel and just read it in my spare time; but, this was a funny, light hearted, and charming read from bookstagrammer Chip Pons.
Our story starts with Asher who is a little down on his luck after being dumped by his long term BF at the airport terminal. Asher and Clint were on their way to compete in a reality game show which was all Clint’s idea. After the heated break up, Asher finds himself drowning in Mimosas and embarrassment at the airport’s TGI Fridays. He is determined to compete without Clint but he needs a partner since this is a team competition. This is where Theo enters. Theo is a pilot who was just put on leave from his job for working too much. Needing to take a break and show he has a healthy outside of work life, he meets Asher and our adventure begins.

This book centers around taking that leap of faith and doing something out of character; because let’s face it, some of us run on autopilot and let the world pass us by because we are comfortable. Pons’s writing style is smooth and clear with each chapter being a different perspective from our main characters, Asher and Theo. I enjoyed this style of writing but found myself getting frustrated with both characters. There was so much tension, both emotional and sexual, between these guys that you would need a damn chainsaw to cut through it. The novel wasn’t overly sexual and the spicy scenes were a damn RELIEF after all the banter and tension that was built up. That ending though had me in tears.
I think Pons executes this novel perfectly and delivered a love story that felt raw and real and honestly it’s the love story we all want to happen to us.
I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Oh. My. Lanta. This book gave me all the feels. I devoured it within 24 hours because I simply could not put it down. 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙔𝙤𝙪 was truly such an enjoyable read and the meet cute was everything.

“𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘺, 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯.”

The MC’s are both so freaking lovable and I will ship them forever and ever. Their chemistry is undeniable and the way they navigated their relationship from fake dating to more was utter perfection. Asher + Theo are tangled up in each other in all the best ways. I was constantly kicking my feet over every little look, interaction, or touch. And the La Tomatina scene?! So much fun. I could gush about this charming romance nonstop. It was wonderful. I really cannot wait to read more from this author.

"𝘈𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘯."

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛ:
💙 Fake Dating
📺 Reality TV Romance
✨ Queer Joy
🫶🏼 Forced Proximity
🛏️ Only One Bed
💚 “Good Boy”
🛩️ Pilot x Biomedical Engineer
🥰 “Wait…Is This Real?”

A huge thank you to Chip Pons & Putnam Books for providing me with an ARC of 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙔𝙤𝙪!

This was a good idea and had some fun side characters but I had trouble really connecting with the mains in this one. Add in a travel backdrop to any story and normally I'm all about it, but here it just felt almost like an after thought. These guys travel all over the world to compete in an Amazing Race style reality show but I can't name one spot they stopped at that left me feeling like I was REALLY there. I'm not sure what it was but I didn't click with the writing here but that said, maybe it was just me?

Good premise, decent execution. The first chapter hits the ground running and you’re immediately immersed in the story. The reality show elements felt pretty disjointed at the beginning, I didn’t really understand the premise of the show or when you get eliminated or how frequent eliminations are. I liked Theo & Asher, but liked them the most through the other’s POV. The POV writing style also felt kind of similar? There are also some important & heavier topics in the plot that are handled and discussed with care. Ultimately, I think this has good bones and just needs a little more fleshing out and it will be a great romance novel. You can tell that the author’s heart is in this and the queer joy on the pages is palpable.

Thank you to Putnam & Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Omg, this book is so good. I had no idea what to expect when I picked it up and could not stop reading. Asher and Theo are so good together. I adore how it went from fake dating to the real thing. The growth is so strong and the backdrop of the show was so cool! I also liked the amount of spice bc it went from kisses to more and I was like this is so well done. I also loved Theo and his family! Genuinely just such a good queer romance.

I loved this!!!! As someone who loves Amazing Race, this was so fun! although, I could’ve done without the snakes 😂😂😂. I loved Asher and Theo’s story and didn’t want it to end

This was so cute! I love a good fake dating trope and Winging It With You did it well. After getting dumped at the airport, Asher now has to find someone (preferably before his flight boards) to replace his ex as his partner on a world traveling challenge show. While drowning his sorrows in mimosas and mozzarella sticks at the airport TGIFridays, he finds that person. Asher and Theo had chemistry from the start, but watching the way their interactions turned from “for the camera” to “for us” was really sweet and well written. The side characters, film crew and other contestants on the show, were well written, some more than others. The ability to write characters that I absolutely hate is something I admire in authors, and Chip Pons absolutely did that with Dalton. Slimy game show host character was strong with this one.
Overall I really enjoyed this book even though some of the challenge show aspects didn’t feel overly believable, and the ending felt a bit abrupt. It was still very cute and the chemistry between Asher and Theo was worth the read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

let's just say, you had me at Ashley Tisdale...

this was super cute, but I didn't necessarily love it.

there were a lot of "ah ha" moments despite nothing happening plot-wise to warrent them; like, Asher is literally philosophizing the second his 7-year relationship is over. I don't care how self-aware you are, that kind of revelation doesn't happen in just a couple hours... same thing happened with Theo at a different point. tbh, the characterization worked best for me from each other's perspective—I feel like I really got a sense of who Asher was from Theo's POV and vice versa; their actual voices in their own chapters felt very similar and unidentifiable.

I also really enjoyed the side characters, especially Jenn and Elise, but we barely got to see them. at most, we saw Jo and Arthur and even they didn't always feel super concrete. plus, the author completely glossed over the actual competition show aside from a few odd challenges. I was hoping for a literal "Amazing Race"-type chapter breakdown, with full on descriptions of the challenges, places, etc. only a few of them were fleshed out, and even then, it was still hyperfocused on Asher and Theo; I was desperately craving some omniscient POV by the end of that climbing challenge...

lastly, the third act conflict was a) super obvious and b) seriously frustrating, and kinda proved to me that the both of them hadn't really learned to trust each other. look, I know they've only been together for 3-4 weeks, but they literally decided, verbally stated, that they were done pretending?? so where was the trust??? and how could Theo just walk away like that!? if you knew your partner has anxiety, why in god's name would you walk away from them during such an emotionally challenging moment, especially when it's literally being broadcast to the public?? it felt like such a cop out for Theo to just skip town and leave Asher to pick up the pieces... idk, maybe I'm feeling a little incensed because I struggle with panic attacks and felt so. hard. for Asher in that moment...

anyway, my overall reading experience? pretty good! my vibe takeaway? pretty ok. I've not had the opportunity to read much M/M romance, so this was definitely a step in the right direction.

solid 3 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️