People Watching made me laugh, cry, and swoon throughout! Bonam-Young writes such beautiful and realistic contemporary romance and I devour each and every one. The way she wrote Prue's story with such empathy and care, it was clear that Bonam-Young did everything in her power to be respectful of individuals living with Alzheimer's. This book quickly became one of my favorite reads and I look forward to making it an annual fall re-read.

It has been a hot minute since I’ve felt so conflicted about a book. I really liked certain aspects of this story, to the point where I got emotional and cried. However, I was also heavily turned off by some behaviors early on.

What I Liked:
• The Depth - While this book centers around a trope I typically don’t enjoy (more on this below), it was, thankfully, not all there was to the story. A lot of topics were explored, from childhood abuse and trauma to loved ones with Alzheimer’s and other difficult diagnoses.
• The Characters - I enjoyed diving into the sibling dynamics between Nik, Nadia, and Milo, the marriage between Tom and Julia, and the one between Nik and Sef, and Prue’s relationship with her parents.
• The Unexpected Connections - They were surprising, fun to read about, and made the development of the romance sweeter for me.

What I Struggled With:
• Early Milo - He came off too pushy in the beginning and made some comments about himself, and others regarding sex with Prue (which seemed to be his main focus towards her), that turned me off his character. I understand he’s intended to be this adventurous and flighty, yet charming, person who loves sex and that we learn the psychology behind his life choices later on, but taking out the part where he seemingly tries to talk Prue into kissing him and a few other remarks could allow him to still read playful and flirty without being forceful.
• The Imbalance (and a Trope) - Having Milo with 200+ partners in comparison to Prue’s virginity seemed excessive. This goes with the section above, but I feel like Milo’s introduction to us was intended to show him in one extreme so that his development throughout the story packs a bigger punch in the end. I didn’t think it was necessary, and the same result could’ve been achieved without doing so. I’ve also long been over the “inexperienced, virgin FMC who is fundamentally changed by an experienced (and arrogant) MMC” trope, and I think because this seemed like an extreme representation of that, it irked me more than usual. Prue also regarded herself in a “less than” way a lot in comparison to Milo, and it bummed me out.
• The Instalust - I really would’ve loved more moments of them getting to know each other and doing more basic yet sweet things. Prue makes comments about how they talk all night and she listens to Milo’s adventure stories, but we don’t get to experience it. I think adding in those moments together where we see them connecting outside of physical desire and intimacy would’ve made the very quick and intense feelings they develop more realistic.

I never really know if ARCs go through substantial edits based on reader feedback prior to publication, but if they do, and this one chooses to tweak some of what turned me off, then this could easily be a five star read for me.

📚 People Watching
✍ Hannah Bonam-Young
📖 Contemporary Romance
⭐4/5
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️
📆 Out 9/9/25!

➡ He's in Baystown, Ontario for a few months just to help his brother get his brewery up and running. She's there permanently helping her father run the local store and care-taking for her mother with Early Onset Alzheimer's. She's long since given up on dreams of leaving town and it's all he ever does. He's been around the block a few times. She's never dated. Despite them being complete opposites, Prue and Milo find something in each other that's beyond the page and as they experience firsts together, it will make them both wonder if they can make something beautiful that lasts.

🙏 Thank you to Dell Romance, NetGalley and the author for an advanced digital copy of People Watching. All opinions are my own.
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🎯 What I loved: This was definitely Bonam-Young's spiciest book to date and I was SO here for it! I'm a huge Beatles fan and my middle name is Julia, named for the same song as Prue's mother which was a sweet personal connection. I liked the incorporation of Milo's Russian roots and his desire to build a relationship with Prue's parents felt really special.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: There were a lot of tender moments in this book that were ruined for me by the overuse of a nickname. It's honestly one of my biggest romance pet peeves and having the word 'Killer' in every other sentence dulled my reading vibe. I also felt like Prue was a bit one-dimensional. She was generous and had a little bite during banter but was otherwise dry- I wanted her to get to a place where it was fine to stay at home but where she was still ambitious and I didn't get that.
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Read if you love:
*tattooed MMC + innocent FMC
*Beatles references
*opposites attract
*spice lessons
*small-town
*friends with benefits to more
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See also: Say You'll Remember Me, Practice Makes Perfect, Business or Pleasure

This was everything I have come to expect from a Hannah Bonam-Young book, which is a whole lot of feelings. As with her previous novels, the focus here is not on a high-stakes, life or death story, it's centered around two very normal people trying to navigate how to be functioning adults in the 21st century. Bonam-Young deftly handles the complexities that come with taking care of loved ones, navigating romance, bisexuality, consent, and finding connection where and when you least expect it. Definitely a star on the rise.

I really loved the emotional depth and connection between the characters in People Watching. The story had so much potential and heart, but it felt a bit rushed at times. I especially wanted more backstory—Milo’s journey in particular felt confusing and underdeveloped. Still, the writing was beautiful, and the themes hit hard.

I was hoping to love this book, but I struggled to connect with the characters and their rushed, surface-level romance. Despite heavy themes like caretaking and self-discovery, the plot felt underdeveloped and the emotional depth wasn’t there. Still, the moments with Prue’s mother were heartfelt and a highlight of the story.

Heat Index: 7.5/10

—sex lessons!

—highly emotional men

—quietly everyday human drama

—dude might as well grow gills down there

The Basics:

Prue is dealing with the fact that her mother's early-onset Alzheimer's may keep her in town longer than her father (who wishes for her to spread her wings)—might want. Milo is visiting for a mysterious family emergency, and he doesn't intend to stay any longer than a few months. What begins as a friendship quickly sparks into something more when Prue, in an effort to prove that she can spread her wings AND help care for her mother, decides to get rid of her pesky virginity... with a man who avoids commitment like the plague and can't stay in one place. This is friends with benefits at its finest. Until it isn't.

The Review:

Hannah Bonam-Young is just... really good at writing feelings. This not a high-conflict book. But it is a high-FEELINGS book, and what conflict we have is so human... and so normal... that it should be Not Caroline's Thing.

And I don't say that to diminish the intensity and trauma of experiencing a family member, especially a parent, suffering from Alzheimer's disease. I say that because I, as a reader, often find that these types of normal, everyday conflicts either hit too close to home (which is less common) or are dealt with in a way that feels kind of distant and too mild to keep me engaged in the book.

Bonam-Young doesn't deal in trauma porn here. In many ways, there's a practical logic and acceptance to the manner in which Prue deals with her mother's illness (among other things). But it is hard, and the book doesn't shy away from that, and in many ways it focuses on how much time and "young years" Prue lost as she's cared for her moth. Which she doesn't regret! But it's hard, and I think a lot of people can relate to that.

And I think a lot of people can relate to the sense that... nobody is forcing you to do this. Prue's dad, a lovely supporting character, doesn't expect her to give up everything to help him—quite the opposite. But SHE feels the need. She's pressuring herself. She's being unfair to herself.

Prue is reclaiming her youth and curiosity and freedom, while Milo is growing the fuck up. The contrast is really fun, and he's the kind of manchild hero who threads the needle. A lot of us deal with manchildren in our daily lives, and it's not super cute. They're challenging to write. But Milo's arrested development isn't over the top, and it makes sense. He's a wanderer, a bit of a contemporary rake—but less in a "I'm taking advantage" kind of way, and more in a "I really appreciate people's bodies and making them feel good... and not forming deep attachments" kind of way. He's aware of how much it sucks to have people fall for you when you can't reciprocate, but BOY does he fall head over heels for Prue.

It's a little too easy at points, and maybe it shouldn't work for me—but God it does. Because I just liked these people. I liked watching them fall in love, I liked watching Prue access her feelings a bit more while Milo is a feelingsplosion at any given point in time. I liked the supporting cast. I'm not usually into small town romances, but I liked this small town, too!

It's gentle, it's a little introspective, it's (shudder) wholesome—not sexually, to be clear. But I really ate it up, and was just so engaged with these two falling, and falling HARD.

The Sex:

This is a sex lessons book, and it has among the best sex lessons scenes I've read in a while. I've been a bit disillusioned with virgin heroines as of late, but Prue maintaining her virginity makes perfect sense, and it's both a big deal in that she wants to lose it, and not a big deal in that it doesn't feel... fetishized, I guess? Milo is caring about introducing her to sex and ensuring she's on board with everything (this book does consent so well—the dialogue isn't clunky and the check-ins feel natural) but he's not sitting there like "IT'S A MIRACLE" "UR AN ANGEL" "OMG I SHOULDN'T TOUCH YOU". He's mainly just surprised, because he's so attracted to this woman, he can't imagine why she hasn't slept with anyone yet.

The sex scenes are ridiculously hot. The oral sex especially? Just ridiculously good, on both sides. One of the things I really enjoyed here was how vocal they both are, especially Milo. He's a stammering, whimpering, moaner, and it's not that he's like, bowled over by these BRAND NEW ACTS (his body count is... significant, though nothing unbelievable). He's just Like That. And it's great.

Also, I really liked how casually and consistently Milo's bisexuality is handled. Just really good sex and sexuality in this novel, all around.

The Conclusion:

It's hot, it's emotional, it's tender. The ending doesn't tie everything up in a bow, and in some ways, it's the type of ending I feel I would often dislike? But Hannah Bonam-Young is just really good at writing characters who make decisions that feel authentic and real and right for them. She makes me believe in this shit, and isn't that the point?

Thanks to Dell and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was hoping to love this book, but I just couldn’t connect with the characters. They seemed too one dimensional. Even with all their background stories, I just wasn’t feeling it

I am a huge fan of Hannah Bonam-Young— Out on a Limb and Out of the Woods are some of my favorites.

I feel like this plot had a lot going on that never got fully fleshed out — caretaking for an aging parent, reliving some childhood trauma, sick family member. Both MC’s are also on a journey of self discovery. The focus was on Prue’s inexperience in life and relationships/sex and Milo’s incredible amount of experience. Their relationship felt surface level and lacked the emotional depth of her previous stories. I also struggled with the power imbalance in this relationship. Their relationship moved at incredible speed also— and felt too insta-love, but purely based on physical attraction more than anything.

I needed more vulnerability and depth to their relationship, and a more developed plot. I will say, I really loved the story of Prue’s mother and how everyone came together to care for her. It was really sweet.

This was my first time reading a book by Hannah Bonam-Young. I was immediately turned off by the story within the first chapter. Milo, our male main character, proudly describes himself as a “bisexual slut” and talks sexually to his vehicle. Conversely, our female main character, Prue, is a virgin, trapped in her small town caring for her mother with early onset Alzheimers. While the book is supposed to be about Prue “finding herself” while grieving her mother; I found her relationship with Milo toxic and borderline abusive at times. Prue’s mother having Alzheimer’s and her being potentially moved to a memory care home was the best storyline within the book. However, it suffered when her father’s illness was introduced.

I did not enjoy reading this book and would not recommend it to readers. I felt that the characters were unlikable/unredeemable. I also believe there were too many storylines that took away from the main plot. I gave the book ⭐️/5.


Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Prudence is in her early twenties, living a simple life in her small Ontario town. She works at her father's gas station, takes care of her mother who is struggling with the early stages of Alzheimer’s, and overall keeping to herself. Milo, is Prue's complete opposite. He has traveled the world, seen so many place, been with so many people, experienced life in every way he can. Milo arrives in Prue's touristy town because of his brother, who has called all the Kablukov siblings home. After a tense meeting, it soon becomes clear that theres a spark between the flirty Milo and the closed off Prue. They put that tension to the test when they enter into an agreement for sex lessons, no strings or feels attached of course.

Positives:
Milo is confident in sex, but a bit shy and unsure when it comes to relationships (platonic, familial, and especially romantically). He struggles with the trauma of a bad childhood and being back with his brother, who has seemingly 'moved on' only worsens it. I really appreciated a leading man who is so open and honest, if only to himself, about his feelings and struggles. I think his chemistry with Prue was pretty good. Their banter was fun and charming. While their relationship was a bit quick, I didn't find it lacking. But that is totally a me thing, many other reviewers disliked it.

Negatives:
I think the third act conflict and ending was a bit of a let down. I mean, not many people like a third act breakup, but this one felt a little unnecessary. It also bugged me just who was apologizing and begging for forgiveness. The ending made me really question if I understood the message of this book. To me, this was a book about learning to open up and ask for help even if you "can do it all by yourself". I also feel like her mom's illness was a weak point. Now, I don't know if I'm asking for the author to be detailed and graphic about the mom's struggles, but I do think it felt very tertiary to everything else in the book. We don't really see Prue taking care of her besides one, maybe two scenes, at the beginning and then it's dropped to off hand mentions in texts. While I think that the intimacy between our characters was generally well done, I do wish it was actual, you know, lessons. But instead Prue was the best at everything she did.

Overall, I have some mixed feelings. Milo felt like a much stronger character than Prue. I'm writing this review a couple of days after finishing it and am really struggling to remember scenes from Prue's perspective. But I really liked HBY's writing and already have Out on a Limb on my shelves so I can read it soon!

This took a while to finish. MMC didn't feel authentic and the nature of the relationship made me cringe throughout. I was hoping for a more atmospheric setting and didn't feel transported anywhere at all. 2 Stars.

Love me a good Hannah Bonam-Young and People Watching was no exception! A cute romance with some more serious topics sprinkled in, this is peak romance and I couldn’t recommend more

Such an emotional read! Prudence and Milo had the sweetest romance. I am in love with the setting and I was surprised how well the store flows taking into account the characters never leave the same few places (Prue and Milo's homes). The whole book leans all of its weight on the feelings and the author makes it work perfectly. 10 out of 10!

she won me over in the end. it was gorgeous! i love characters with growth!! i’m excusing hypersexual milo in the beginning… hannah is my savior she can do no wrong!

This is Hannah's best one yet! The yearning, the romance, the chemistry, ugh...just so, so good. And you know what else it was? Sexy. This book was fuckin' sexy.

Yeah so I don’t like this book. At all. My first HBY book and it’s so disappointing, sorry.
My problem starts and ends with Milo, that boy is something else, I get that he’s a “slut” or whatsoever, but making his whole personality revolving around sex, and, may I say, his…passion for it, I guess. I felt like he’s been acting like a brat especially with Prude. Oh, and I wanted to read more about his arts and his love for it, that would’ve made his characteristic appearance more appealing to me.
The first half of the book was enjoyable, we get to learn about the characters and how their relationship starts, but everything started going downhill when the smut started, because when the smut started, it didn’t stop, which made me like Milo even less.
Did I mention the nickname he gave her? The nickname was so so weird, it ain’t cute.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange of a honest review.

I've been a big fan of Hannah Bonam-Young and have loved many of her previous books... unfortunately, this one missed the mark for me. I wasn't a huge fan of Milo and never really felt a connection to his character. Prue was difficult to get a read on, because she seemed to flip from naive, young, girl to a vixen in no time at all. The sexual content in the book felt exaggerated and unnecessary at times. I'm afraid the deeper message of the characters' journeys and growth was lost amongst the graphic scenes. I'm all for some spicy romance, but this seemed to be more than that. Prue and Milo were both searching for missing pieces of their lives and seem to have found it in each other, but it felt a little too insta-love and out of touch for me. Bonam-Young's writing is strong and lovely as ever, I just didn't connect with the characters in this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine | Dell for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is an incredibly sweet book about two unlikely people falling in love while dealing with some incredibly difficult family issues. Prudence and Milo meet after he moves back to town to help with his family’s new brewery. Prudence lives next door, working in the family store while tending to her mother who has Alzheimer’s. Prue is a virgin with no life besides taking care of her family and Milo is a wandering soul who has quite the body count.

I am a big HBY fan and I think she writes amazing but realistic and grounded characters. I really enjoyed both main characters here and I felt like they did have a strong connection even though they did not know each other very long. This book was also a super quick and easy read for me which I always enjoy. It deals with heavy subject matter but it also injects a lot of humor and fun moments and it gives the book a good balance. I wish we got to see Milo and his siblings more and see how they overcome their parental issues. Perhaps in the next book?

Overall this book was sweet but also kind of spicy. I wish the ending wasn’t so abrupt but I also had a really good time reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine and Dell for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley and Dell for this ARC!

I recently discovered HBY and I have to say I absolutely love her books. The way she writes the MCs is top tier!

The trigger warnings in this book did not fully prepare me for the emotional roller coaster that I went on. While at times the relationship felt rushed, others times it just felt meant to be. It’s crazy of me to say but maybe it was fate, their lives were so interconnected before they even met.

I really hope this is another duology situation like her other books are. I felt like Prue and Milo’s story was just beginning!