Winging It With You by Chip Pons
Narrators: Lee Osorio and Michael Crouch
Rating: 4 stars
Steam: 2 chilis
Pub date: 6/10

Thank you to Putnam Books for providing me with an early copy, and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook.

After being dumped moments before boarding a flight for “The Epic Trek,” a reality show where contestants compete in different locations (like The Amazing Race), Asher Bennett finds himself nursing his heartbreak with mimosas and mozzarella sticks at TGI Fridays. That’s where he meets Theo, a charming and very attractive pilot who's been forced to take a vacation. One awkward moment and a shared plate of snacks later, they agree to team up and pretend to be a couple for the cameras.

Chip Pons has totally nailed the sweet spot between heartfelt and hilarious with this story. What starts off as chaotic and funny quickly turns into something deeper. Asher and Theo have amazing chemistry, but what really makes this story shine is how emotionally honest and vulnerable it gets. They’re not just falling in love, but also figuring themselves out along the way, and it’s so satisfying to watch.

The audiobook is perfection. Lee Osorio and Michael Crouch absolutely kill it with dual narration that brings all the warmth, humor, and tension to life.

This M/M romance is sweet, swoony, and just a total joy from start to finish. Highly recommend if you're in the mood for big feelings, fun adventures, and fake dating done right.

I really enjoyed this book! The premise of this book had me immediately intrigued. The dynamic between Asher and Theo was really strong and realistic as they navigated the Epic Trek. The emotional depth of the characters was really impressive as well.

Your honor, I loved it. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Sweet, sexy, fun, adventurous, and swoonworthy, with a touch of reality tv drama and taylor swift references. I mean come on, what more could you want from a summer romcom?!

I had so much fun reading about Theo & Asher’s whirlwind love story! From an airport meet-cute over mozzarella sticks to fake dating while globe trotting on an ‘Amazing Race’ style reality tv show, this book was filled to the brim with queer joy and made you believe in leaps of faith!

I went in expecting just cake & dessert but was pleasantly surprised when I got the full MEAL. It had this perfect mix of light and sexy moments mixed with some real depth and love. Both characters grew a lot individually while also learning to share their vulnerabilities and love with each other which helped the book feel so well rounded and even more beautiful.

Thanks so much to Penguin Group Putnam and the Chip for the advanced copy, I can’t wait to get my hands on a paperback for my shelf too!

An absolute joy to read. I had so much fun! Winging It with You is a queer romance that centers around Asher and Theo, two lovable and strong characters that complement each other so well.

Asher’s boyfriend signs them up as a couple to participate in a globetrotting reality tv competition (think The Amazing Race). When they get to the airport, his boyfriend dumps him and tells him that he’ll never be able to do the competition without him. As Asher sits in the airport TGI Fridays, he meets Theo, a pilot who has been forced on a mandatory vacation after logging too many monthly flying hours. Theo ends up becoming Asher’s partner in the reality tv competition, acting as his boyfriend.

As they go through this competition together as a team, the lines between what’s fake and what’s real in terms of their relationship start to blur. I loved how you’re rooting for Asher and Theo to not only get together, but to win the competition to accomplish their goals with the prize money.

Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

If Chip Pons writes it, I will love it, and Winging It with You was just further proof of that. Spectacular! Give me 14 of them right now!

Thank you Putnam Books for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

Somehow I haven’t read any of Chip Pons’ writing before and that is a shame because I’ve found a new favorite author! I really enjoyed this romance that takes the characters around the world on a reality show kind of like The Amazing Race.

Synopsis: ”Asher Bennett thought his relationship was just fine. Until he’s unceremoniously dumped at the Boston airport ahead of the world-wide travel competition reality show, The Epic Trek. Armed with only a ticket and righteous indignation, Asher finds the closest solace he can: a mimosa and mozzarella sticks combo at an airport TGI Fridays. Still, Asher is determined to find a new partner and luckily, right in front of him is a smooth-talking airline pilot ready for takeoff. Theo Fernandez has been grounded. He’s the only pilot that has never taken a vacation and the edict has been passed down: prove you're prioritizing a work-life balance or say goodbye to your wings. As he struggles to bask in his new downtime, without reconnecting with his family, he stumbles upon the perfect opportunity. The handsome guy who "stole" his mozzarella sticks at his favorite terminal eatery has a sudden opening for a partner . . . on a nationally televised reality show.Theo and Asher buckle up to fake date for the cameras, but as they do the undercurrents of attraction make them wonder if their on-screen chemistry hints at something bigger. Do they have the courage to leave behind their baggage, and wing it together for another chance at love?” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Concept—I LOVE The Amazing Race and have always been fascinated by the behind-the-scenes aspect of things, so I had a lot of fun reading this.

The Writing—I loved Chip Pons’ writing, especially the banter between characters. It was delightful!

The Characters—Asher and Theo are now my friends. I loved them.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

First Half Pacing—It took me a little bit to get into it but once I was invested, I loved it.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 3/5 Overall Rating: 4/5

Thank you Putnam for the gifted digital ARC!

I am so honored and excited to have gotten to read Chip's sophomore novel early. And it did not disappoint one bit!

The banter, the emotions, the SPICE 🥵 it was everything you could want out of a romance book and so much more. As a reality TV junkie, I LOVED the reality show aspect of the plot as well. Though there was one character who was particularly punchable... but I digress. I laughed out loud and teared up SEVERAL times (swipe for two of my favorite from each instance) .

Chip has definitely cemented himself as a force to be reckoned with in the romance book world. I am FULLY SAT for his shadow daddies book coming in the summer of 2026. (It's a NEED)

5⭐
2.5🌶

First Class. No delays. Direct flight. Window seat. <-- That's how Winging It with You feels to read. An adventure, for sure, as well as comforting and dare I say titillating.

I loved Theo and Asher right from the start. Sure, they didn't share their mozzarella sticks with me, but I forgave them for that in the end.

The character chemistry between our MCs is authentic and playful, allowing them to grow together through each challenge and hotel stay. Going from total strangers to (fake) lovers on a reality tv show to (real) lovers both on screen and off, over just a few weeks? Seems wild, right?
Because it is. And Chip brought Theo and Asher's wildness together beautifully.

WIWY also touches on subjects that will tug at your heart strings. The depth and emotion throughout the fun and laughs is well balanced and plays a key part for both MCs, and I think its clear that Chip worked assiduously to bring these matters to their story.

Overall, an excellent contemporary romance read and an excellent book to snag for your next plane ride or trip to the beach!

**Thank you so much to Chip Pons and Putnam for a copy of WIWY and the opportunity to leave my honest, voluntary review! All thoughts and opinions are my own!**

I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end. The story and everything the characters go through kept me interested throughout the story. A great MM romance!!

4.25 ⭐️

I absolutely adored Chips debut novel, 𝙔𝙤𝙪 & 𝙄, 𝙍𝙚𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣. When I received the eARC approval from Netgalley for 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄𝙩 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙔𝙤𝙪, I literally squealed! It has absolutely been worth the wait. The reality competition was so much fun, but the relationship that ignited between Theo and Asher was the real star of the show! The romance felt so real, and the way these two opened up to one another had me in a puddle. My heart was 100% invested from beginning to end.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩:
⇢Reality TV Romance
⇢Strangers to Lovers
⇢Fake Dating
⇢MM Romance
⇢Biomedical Engineer x Pilot
⇢Only One Bed
⇢Good Boy
⇢Dual POV

📍𝐼𝑡’𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑘𝑖𝑠𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼’𝑚 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡, 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑘𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑜 𝐹𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑧 𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑝 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢.

📍𝐼𝑓 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑡𝑜𝑔𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒. 𝑀𝑒𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑜, 𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑟 𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑦, ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛.

🌟💖 This. Book. Was. EVERYTHING. 💖🌟

I’m still floating after finishing Winging It With You by Chip Pons! 🥹✨ This story wrapped my heart in a cozy little blanket and refused to let go. Fake dating? ✅ Reality TV travel adventure?? ✅ Two soft, sweet boys just trying to find happiness??? BIGGEST ✅ EVER!! 😭

Theo & Asher completely stole the show (and my heart 💘). From the moment they met, the sparks were undeniable. 🔥 Opposites in the best way, they balanced each other out so beautifully and grew so in sync you’d think they were soulmates. Watching them fall (so hard!!) and try to stick to the “rules” was adorable, emotional, and deeply satisfying. 💞

What truly made this book shine was the heart Chip Pons poured into their backstories. You could feel it on every page. Asher’s journey of rediscovering himself after molding his identity for others was powerful 💔➡️💪. And Theo’s fear of being “too much” or “not enough” for his family?? 😭😭 That reconciliation scene had me full-on sobbing. They saw each other in ways no one else had, and became each other's safe place. It was magic. ✨

If you're craving a swoony, joyful, heart-healing romance, this one’s for you. I adored every second. ❤️

📺✈️💕 Soft boys. Big feelings. A fake dating setup that turns into so much more.

💖 Huge shoutout to Chip Pons and GP Putnam & Sons for sending me an early digital copy of Winging It With You!

This is my perfect kind of romanced read where the characters are KIND and willing to be emotionally vulnerable!! It was also such a fun plot concept- Asher is dumped in the airport right before departing for a whirlwind reality TV competition show (think, Amazing Race). He needs a new partner, and airline pilot, Theo, just happens to be forced onto a work break due to exceeding his flight hours. Is it crazy to pair up with a stranger you meet in an airport to embark on an international trip while posing an in-love couple? YES! Did Pons make it work? Absolutely.

Asher and Theo have some missteps, but each of them is willing to communicate and commit to their fake dating scenario to win the prize money, and when they both catch real feelings, it was a joy to watch them work through their past relationship issues to wing-it with a new partner. I loved the fast-paced reality TV show plotline, I adored Asher and Theo’s opposites attract chemistry, and was delighted by the tension and delicious on-page spice! This is the perfect escapist pool or beach read for all romance lovers!

Chip Pons is the author who made me fall in love with mm romance that are fuzzy and kind and feels right when you read them because there is so much honesty and purity in the nature of the characters built.

This book is what I needed over the weekend to get over my slump!!

⭐️Rating: 4.5/5
🌶️Spiciness: 2/5
🔥Spice quality: 5/5

Review: “Maybe all this-meeting Asher in the airport and competing together-is perhaps where life was meant to take me. Both of us.” This story was the absolute sweetest. If you love fake-dating, slow burn, and MCs finding comfort in each other before they realize they’re in love, this is the book for you. Chip did an amazing job writing a multilayered love story that didn’t avoid difficult topics, but still had love and joy as the driving force. Watching Theo and Asher heal from their prior relationships while they grew together was just 🥹, And when they finally get it together and get together… pheww❤️‍🔥 This was an easy read with the perfect blend of adventure, heart, and spice. And I’ve never cried reading the acknowledgments before!! Damnit! Available June 10th🫶🏼

Thank you PutnamBooks, Chip Pons, and NG for the ARC!

Okay so I love Chip (from bookstagram) and I loved his debut indie novel You & I Rewritten so much so I knew I would laugh, swoon, and cry at his first traditionally published book as well, and I was so right!

First, this was such a fun and creative plot, like the Great American Race tv show that I used to watch growing up so it made me a bit nostalgic. Nothing like a good competition to bring people together! Second, I find it really difficult with a lot of romance books to get to know and love main characters beyond surface level and thus buy in to their love stories. The only authors that have ever been able to make me feel a deep connection between characters enough to invoke my own emotions and have that buy in have been Abby Jimenez, Colleen Hoover, Ali Hazelwood, Sarah Adams, and Emily Henry (sometimes). BUT ALSO CHIP! Chip is such a talented writer that I really felt all the feels and the deep, raw emotional connection of the MCs leaping off of the page which always makes the romance (and spice) so much better! Finally, his modern writing style and humor is so top notch. He is definitely one of the best up-and-coming romance writers and I am SO excited to see what he continues to traditionally publish in the future!

Thank you SO MUCH to Chip, Putnam, and NetGalley for the e-galley. And PRHA for the advance audiobook, but I opted to eyeball read this one instead!

When Asher is dumped at the airport by his longtime boyfriend as they're about to board a plane to participate in a reality show competition, he has a chance encounter with Theo, a pilot who is told he needs to take a month off and find a better work-life balance. Asher basically bets him to be his partner on the show and they set off around the world on a series of challenges with the public voting every week to see if they'll stay. In the meantime, they're fake-dating to play up the situation for the audience but sharing a room and spending all their time together quickly makes them realize how attracted they are to each other.

This was such a cute, fun, STEAMY story of strangers to lovers and if you're a fan of reality shows, you'll absolutely love this! I thought Asher and Theo were so charming and I loved reading their story!

Arc review: 5 ⭐️
#Thasher 5ever

This was a forced-proximity-spontaneous-fake-dating-travel-competition-found-family-it’s-REAL-to-me-hot-AF-book-boyfriends-friggin delight

✨ARC REVIEW✨
I had so much fun buddy reading this gem over the weekend, and I still can’t stop thinking about it! 💖 Winging It With You by Chip Pon (out June 10, 2025!) completely swept me off my feet. From the first scene at an airport TGI Fridays (yes, really) to the final moments of the whirlwind travel competition, I was hooked.
Asher and Theo? Instant favorites. Watching their relationship evolve from fake dating teammates to something deeper was the most delightful emotional slow-burn. 🛫 Their banter had me grinning like an idiot, and the moments of vulnerability? So real, so raw. Every new challenge on The Epic Trek had me guessing and gasping — it was like The Amazing Race met a queer rom-com with a heart of gold.
This isn’t just a romance; it’s a celebration of growth, connection, and mozzarella sticks as a legitimate coping mechanism 🧀🍹. I fell in love with the characters as they fell for each other — and I’ll be shouting about this one until every bookstore puts it front and center. 🌍📚
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Full five stars and a place on my favorites shelf.

this was super cute!!! it’s a fast paced read and i loved the concept of the reality tv element. i love how asher and theo met over mozzarella sticks at the airport (iykyk). i will say there were moments when i felt both pov’s blended like i had to be like “wait who is the pov again” because they felt similar. overall, i do recommend you check this out because it was a fun read, and very spicy!!!!

Chip Pon’s “Winging it With You” takes the “strangers to lovers” trope, tosses it into a blender with a generous helping of cuteness, chemistry, and reality TV antics (think “The Amazing Race”), and somehow ends up with something that feels fresh and genuinely fun.

The premise definitely requires a little suspension of disbelief—unless you're as effortlessly charming or handsome as Asher, one of our leads. After getting dumped right before filming a reality show, Asher ropes in a total stranger, Theo (a burnt-out pilot with his own baggage), to pretend to be his boyfriend on camera. Wild? Yes. But the book leans into it in a way that makes you just go with it.

What really works here is how the relationship builds. It’s got heart without getting too cheesy, and the emotional beats feel earned. Plus, the spice? Yeah, it’s spicy. In all the best ways. There were definitely moments that had me blushing, but it’s handled with care and never feels over-the-top just for shock value.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC — I had a blast with this one.