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!

This was a really heartfelt romance, I enjoyed it! I will definitely be reading more books from this author in the future.

There was life before this book and after this book, and I’m so glad I live in the after. Hannah never ceases to make me feel connected to her characters whether through a silly one liner or a driving plot point. This book is crisp fall air, freshly washed sheets, love at its finest.

Thank you Dell for this e-arc!!

Hannah, your writing is just out of this world. The way you the did the teaching trope was actual perfection. Milo is too hot and makes sense why he’ll only ever be fictional. Prue is everything. I loved her right away. They both brought out the best in each other. I did love how fast he fell and how hard he did. The pacing was exactly right I was sat the second I started this. I don’t think Hannah will ever do wrong in my book. I hope we get more Nadia and Aleks cause I am obsessed with them as well. I’m so glad I was able to read this early! Also I will be getting a “go, question, and find” tattoo 👏🏻


“You can decide someone doesn’t have a seat at your table without hoping that they starve.”
“But how wonderful and tragic and lucky is that?”
“It means you are my biggest adventure yet.”
“It means you are my home”

AHHHHHHHHHHHH 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵

oh my god oh my god oh my god!!!! i finished this in less than half a day (i had to stay up until 2am to finish, but i digress) because it’s SOOOO good!!! milo, my bi tattooed king, is soooo hot, and prue is such a sweet, caring freak in the sheets 😅 ok but no, i loved these characters so much. like, too much, and now i’m sad it’s over 😩😭

i had nooo idea how effin spicy this was going to be, but wow was i pleasantly surprised 😏😏😏 spice was like 4-4.4/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

(Thank you, Ballantine | Dell, NetGalley, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

People Watching by Hannah Bonam-Young absolutely stole my heart. From the very first chapter, I was hooked by the chemistry between the characters—it was electric, emotional, and so deeply genuine. The connection they share is the kind of slow-burn magic that had me giggling, crying, and blushing all in one sitting. The banter was to die for, the emotional depth felt real, and yes—the spice was chef’s kiss perfection. It added so much intimacy and vulnerability to their relationship, and it never felt forced or overdone. I truly felt like I was watching their love story unfold in the most beautiful, real way. If you love a romance that makes you laugh, cry, and fall head over heels in love with the characters, this one’s a must-read. Hannah Bonam-Young just gets it.

I just love Hannah Bonam-Young and her writing 🥹🥰

People Watching was such an enticing quick read for me, I found myself putting other books down to focus on this story 😅 But I was drawn into this little world almost immediately, and couldn’t stay away.

The thing I love most about Hannah’s writing is that she feels so thoughtful and intentional with her portrayals of real-life issues, whether that be a physical or cognitive disability, past trauma, family issues, etc. She takes care of her characters, as well as her readers.

I loved Prudence and Milo, especially as a couple. They feel like such complements to each other, the missing puzzle piece in their lives 🫶 I do think their could have been slightly more flushed out for Milo’s character, but maybe that’s me just wanting more lol.

I’m so excited to talk up this book and this author (or keep talking up this author!) 🩷

The fact that I got to read one of my most anticipated romance books of 2025 early means the world to me. I fell in love with Hannah’s book last year and I will devour anything this woman writes. So big thank you to Dell Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

People Watching isn’t just a romcom, it’s also a touching tribute to the lengths people will go to help their families. This may seem like a weird thing for a reviewer to say. But I see so much of my mom in Prue. My mother has been in Prue’s shoes. Sacrificing her home, and mental and physical wellbeing to take care of a parent with Alzheimer's. I can also see my mom in Prue’s dad with her desire to not hold me back due to family limitations. I wouldn’t be where I am if my mom hadn’t made that sacrifice. So because of that this book truly touched me in a way that not many other books have.

Prue is a phenomenal main character and I think many will relate to her. She’s different, but not in the typical stereotype way. She’s smart and extremely realistic. Many would not make her same decisions. In fact they would say she’s being overly difficult or naive. I think it’s the opposite she’s loyal and pragmatic. Then we have Milo our MMC. I really enjoyed his character. And I honestly didn’t think I would. I thought he was going to be a playboy and push Prue to make different life choices. I’m so glad Hannah proved my early theories about him wrong. Milo is a golden retriever and our boy went down hard for Prue. And let me tell you I loved every minute of it.

To top it off Milo and his family were so interesting and complex. Honestly my biggest complaint was I wanted to deep dive more into their dynamics and their struggles. But hopefully based on what the book is hinting we’ll see more of them in hopefully Nadia’s book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone. 4⭐️

People Watching by Hannah Bonam-Young is a quietly powerful romance that thrives on character depth and emotional honesty. Despite taking place over a relatively short span of time, the story never feels rushed. The relationship between the main characters unfolds with a natural rhythm, allowing their vulnerabilities, humor, and connection to shine through. Their conversations feel real, their chemistry undeniable, and the emotional pacing is so well done that it’s easy to forget how quickly everything develops.

What makes this book stand out is the way it balances emotional heaviness with moments of levity and tenderness. The characters are flawed, relatable, and written with such care that their growth feels deeply personal to the reader. It’s a book that sneaks up on you—quiet and steady, but with a lasting impact. If you love contemporary romance that leans into character development and authentic connection, this is one to savor.

Absolutely fell in love with this book! Was such a quick cozy read! Perfect book to read in the fall!

There’s no doubt about it—People Watching is a knockout romance that’s bound to top many readers’ “Best of 2025” lists. With razor-sharp wit, raw emotional depth, and scorching chemistry, this book grabs hold of you from the first chapter and never lets go. At its core is a deeply moving love story wrapped in themes of healing, self-worth, and emotional growth.

Milo is the ultimate chaotic soft-hearted MMC—funny, flawed, and completely unforgettable. His journey from self-loathing to emotional vulnerability is powerful and tender. Prue, on the other hand, is a fierce and relatable FMC whose voice leaps off the page. Together, they create a dynamic that’s electric, intimate, and profoundly human.

The slow-burn romance doesn’t hold back on the spice once it kicks in, and it’s some of the best written on-page chemistry we’ve seen in a while. Expect banter that simmers, scenes brimming with consent and emotional connection, and yes—moments that will leave you breathless.

Perfect for fans of character-driven romance with heart, heat, and humor. If you love layered, emotionally resonant stories with standout leads and unforgettable tension, HBY delivers ANOTHER must-read.

This book made me laugh and cry simultaneously. I sat down to “read a couple of chapters” and read the book in almost one sitting - I was interrupted by my real life. The characters are so well written, I felt like I knew them. The plot’s in this book are sweet and heart wrenching all at once. I happy cried and sad cried. I related to the characters while also remaining fascinated by them. I highly recommend this book.