I love HBY, but this was a miss for me. This was very insta-love. Prue and Milo’s relationship had no depth, just sex. The continual mentions of how much sex Milo had (200+ partners!) was gross, especially when Prue was a virgin. I thought at times Milo was too pushy (like when he wants to kiss her, she says no, and he says he knows she wants it).

A lot of this book revolves around trauma. Prue’s mom has Alzheimer’s and she is one of her caretakers. I have mixed feelings how some romance are portraying this recently. And Milo comes from an abusive family. I didn’t love how that was addressed either.

Maybe this will be a better fit for other readers! I am interested in Nadia and Aleks though! Second chance is more up my alley.

Hannah Bonam-Young has done it again. A bi chaotic disaster MMC + a warm hug FMC, tattoos, CONSENT, sex lessons, small town, artist + poet!

People Pleasing up next, yes please!

I refuse to believe that the author of one of my favorite romances is the same person who wrote this. I thought over and over about how to write this review but I’m literally speechless about how much I hated this book from start to finish. I swear I’ve never read characters this bad 🫥

The mmc, Milo, doesn’t have a single thought that isn’t about sexualizing her from the very first time they met, plus he’s the most emotionally unavailable person I’ve ever seen. The fmc, Prudence, has zero personality and is just SO boring. They both act like they’re 15 at most and considering they’re supposed to be 25+ that just feels kind of pathetic to me. Their relationship is so bad I honestly don’t even wanna talk about it.

I really wanted to love this book bc I’m a sucker for small town romances but even trying REALLY hard I unfortunately didn’t even come close to liking it. Thanks NetGalley & Ballantine for the arc! 🤎

Hannah is so wonderful at creating dynamic characters that actually take the time to express what they feel. I feel like I know her characters personally, and I’m already looking forward to the next in the series!

The instant romance wasn’t my favorite, which is disappointing because I normally love anything Hannah writes but it just fell flat for me towards the end.

This was a sweet read that intertwined some heavier topics such as parental illness and past childhood trauma. Milo and his siblings were a great dynamic (would have loved to read more on them), but overall the insta love between Milo and Prue was simply okay…

eARC Netgalley

People Watching is a heartfelt, character-driven romance that beautifully balances emotional depth with charm and humor. The chemistry between the protagonists is magnetic, making their connection feel both authentic and deeply earned. Set against the charming backdrop of the Muskokas, the story gains an added layer of warmth and coziness that enhances every scene. Loved it!

#indigoemployee I loved this read!!! My favourite by this author so far, I was hooked from page one!! I love Milo so much, he’s my favourite of her love interests in all HBY books so far!

I was sadly disappointed with this book. I loved her other books so much. I gave them both 5 stars. This felt way too lusty and then suddenly turns to love? And then the added trauma of her mom PLUS her dad? It was too much. The author also made a character bisexual but there was so reason that had to do with the plot for him to be bisexual. It felt like pandering to make it feel inclusive without actually doing that.

This was such a cute and spicy read. It takes place near Muskoka and brings out all those small town vibes that you love. Milo and Prue’s story is incredibly sexy but also wholesome with how they get to know one another but also figure out what the other one wants. It is centred amongst some pretty heavy family themes but HBY handles that really well along with their love story. I think it was also a nice setup for more to take place in this little world. I want Aleks and Nadia’s story next! But I also wouldn’t mind a book for Nik and Sef’s beginning before they settled down in this small town.

This book felt like a soft, aching melody that I didn’t want to end. The author’s writing has such a gentle, lyrical quality that made every emotion vivid and raw. I loved how the romance unfolds with a slow burn and real vulnerability, especially in how they navigate their fears and desires without rushing. The themes of healing, stepping out of your comfort zone, and finding unexpected joy felt so authentic and heartfelt. The mix of sensuality and emotional depth in their connection kept me hooked, making this more than just a love story but a journey of two souls daring to grow. It’s a tender, sexy read that celebrates messy, imperfect love in the best way. I absolutely adored it.

If the front cover says that it was written by Hannah Bonam-Young then you know you are going to have yourself a fantastic read and People Watching is just that. Prue lives in Baysville where she works at her father’s gas station and take care of her mother who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. I feel like this is the year for caregiver books as this is the 3rd of 4th one I have read that has released this year.
Milo is in town helping his family with their business that is about to open, a brewery. He is a commitment issues and will not settle down.
I loved it went an arrangement trope turns into love. It is something I will eat up every single time. But when you have Hannah writing it you know that there is going to be great character development. She puts her characters through a decent amount, whether it is on or off page.

I do think this is now my favorite by her. I never thought that I would like a MMC with a mustache but she made me! I can’t wait to add a physical copy to my physical collection.

Thank you to Ballantine for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Milo and Prue were a joy to read! Both characters felt very original. We love a man who falls first, and the spice is top tier!

Nobody, and I mean nobody, was anticipating Hannah Bonam-Young’s latest romance more than me. People Watching is small town comfort in the most literal sense, captured into one romance and with every single page I fell a little more in love. Following a poet stuck in her ways and an intrepid adventurer and (self-described) slutty bisexual finding new paths side by side, Hannah Bonam-Young continues to expand upon her talent for authentic, emotional romance. Like every single novel on her extensive backlist, People Watching doesn't hold back from depicting all the messy bits of life and falling in love. From the moment we are introduced to our duo Milo & Prue, it’s clear we are along for a chaotic ride. Prue, a poet and dedicated caretaker to her mother after her Alzheimer’s diagnosis has become far too comfortable living a life for others and not herself. Milo has spent his life running from the past, constantly seeking the next good time. But what happens when both of them stop running? People Watching is for all the late bloomers and caretakers who have carved themselves open for others finding their path, and finally choosing themselves without compromising their selflessness. Very much here for all the romances from Bonam-Young, as I am here for the continued romanticization of Ontario and the small town setting.

Hannah Bonam-Young writes hit after hit! I love how each story is brand new while still encompassing a similar feeling. Prue and Milo are a refreshing new couple that experience real life hardships while still showing up for each other. Milo is this bad boy who’s always planning his next move while Prue is the girl next door who’s always envisioned being with those she loves. In truth, Milo has more problems than he lets on and we see these tender moments where he lets his walls come down. These polar opposite find solace in each other as they navigate their trauma and hardships. A beautiful story that leaves you excited for what Hannah has coming up next!

I am beyond devastated but this just wasn't it for me. I really thought Milo would be my favorite, tattooed MMC but unfortunately he felt like a poorly drawn caricature of the "bisexual man-sl-t" HBY conjured up. Prue was, of course, the innocent virgin, wooed by the man with over 200 s-xual partners, and I felt absolutely no connection to her character. I thought the dialogue between the two was grating and awkward for most of the book. At 7%, I started writing a list of things that bothered me. The list ended up being way too long for me to really say anything redeeming about the story. At its best, it is a typical cookie cutter small town, out of town "bad boy" and the good girl who stayed home to take care of her mom. It is a story I have read a million times and while HBY is a favorite of mine, unfortunately this just didn't come alive for me. Everything just felt way too forced and like it was trying too hard. At its worse, it's an amaglamation of cliches and tropes that in the context of the story and characters felt, again, too forced. I just could not suspend belief that this was a real story or real people or a real situation. (I know they aren't. The point is when stories are good, they feel like they are real.)

I honestly got whiplash from the characters. Prue was trying to stay away from Milo then dares him to kiss her. Milo is the casual type yet on the next page says he was falling too deep and too fast. For these reasons I found their interactions to be a little superficial and jaded. They were trying way too hard to reject each other and then trying way too hard to pretend they weren't. There wasn't enough of a build between their relationship (he literally met with her 2 times before he's fantasizing about her) for me to even care when they were together. The surrounding plot (family, etc) was extremely boring. I found Milo to be the kind of guy that you wouldn't want to leave your daughter alone in a room with, not because of the tattoos, but because he genuinely does not understand boundaries or consent. When his brother asked him to keep his hands off of Prue, he says, "They have minds of their own" disgusting. Then he is constantly reading into Prue's blatant hesitation to kiss him and he calls her out on it. THEN, because Prue is a virgin, she is asking Milo to help her learn things. What 25 year old doesn't know ANYTHING about sex? Nothing? NOTHING? It felt way too infantilizing. And written by a woman... Ugh. Can we not? I was icked out from the beginning but that made it worse.

Not to mention there was a lot of attempting to convince Prue to kiss him. That's coercion. How did this slip by?

Then there were just sentences that I could tell HBY thought were poetic and pretty and unique, but they were just weird. She said something like a dull knife cutting into a loaf of bread. What exactly is that imagery supposed to signify? It felt like it was trying way too hard.

4.5 stars I don't typically read contemporary romance but had heard really good things about this author. I was not disappointed. I look forward to reading more from her in the future. Great mental health representation and everything felt really real and sincere.

I knew from the first chapter I was going to love this book. I knew from the second it was going to hit me in all the emotional places. Correct on both counts!

I've read several Hannah Bonam-Young books and enjoyed them all, and this is my favorite by far! It's romantic, tender, and vulnerable, digging deep into difficult emotions with characters you immediately fall for, while gently holding you along the way. It also effectively captures the romantic parts of small town life without making it out to be something it's not, which I deeply appreciated.

Also, as a side note, this book is incredibly horny. One of the horniest romances I've read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

Nothing Hannah writes will ever be bad, and People Watching CHANGED MY LIFE!!

I love how much fun I had reading this book and enjoying falling into a world that Hannah has written once more. The story and plot of this book, like oh my goodness, was it ever perfection. And the characters? The spice? I ate it up and left no crumbs. I was licking my plate for more with this book.

I could not get enough of these characters, and the tattoos on this man? Dear god, it's me Bella, how does one procure a man like this?? Because holy guacamole was this man the man of my dreams!

Loved this book so much!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC!

Thank you for the ARC!
Compared to previous HBY books I have read this one felt very surface level. I appreciated the complexity of the family relationships that were represented in this book but they were very surface level. Specifically, Milo’s backstory felt underdeveloped and sporadic. Milo’s character lacked growth and realistic healing/movement towards healing. The romantic relationship also felt underdeveloped and seemed based solely on their physical relationship. I wish their emotional connection had been developed further and their relationship given more substance. At the end of the book I was not convinced that their romantic relationship would last long-term.
Still, I flew through this book! I was entertained and the pacing of the story was good. Milo and Prue were likeable characters and there were lots of fun side characters!