I absolutely loved Out of the Woods by HBY and it instantly made me a fan of her. I've been waiting for months for this book but unfortunately it did not hit me the way I wanted it to. The chemistry felt forced, the characters seemed bland and the mmc disgusted me.

Thank you Dell for the arc. I was excited for this one but there were so many things I didn't like and I had to stop reading. The sexual content, storyline, & relationship between the two main characters in this was so uncomfortable and I just couldn't continue on with the story anymore.

While this is probably my least favorite of Bonam-Young’s works, I still loved every second of it. She has such a way with words honestly. The way in which she can craft a story with 3 dimensional characters leaves me speechless. I will read anything and everything she’s ever written, and I have.

In regards to this specific story, I love Prue and Milo so much. During the third act conflict, I was initially annoyed with the way Prue acted, but they resolved their issues in a very easy, healthy way. The couple’s ability to communicate was probably the best part about this book.

Milo has perfected his damaged bad boy vibe. But when he arrives in his brother’s new hometown and sees Prue, the small town’s darling, he knows he’s in trouble. Milo has been traveling the world trying to escape his childhood trauma while Prue has clung to her home and parents who she loves and adores with everything she has. They couldn’t come from more different backgrounds. When Prue’s mom, Julia who is suffering from early onset dementia recognizes Milo as one of her past students it throws a wrench in Prue’s plans to avoid Milo. And seeing Milo spend time painting with her mom makes her unwanted attraction to Milo grow. But can Prue make Milo want to stay or will he run as soon as he has the chance?

HBY has done it again. I thought Out on a Limb would forever be my favorite book by her, but People Watching is spectacular. Very different but emotional and heart wrenching all the same. The book has cozy small town vibes and family trauma that brings siblings together. I’m hoping for Nadia and Aleks love story because I feel like we need more information on Milo’s backstory. I think that’s my only complaint really. Is we didn’t get the full story there but I have a feeling that Nadia’s story is next and will cover that? Please?!? I need to return to these characters.

Dual POV
Small town
Tatted artist bad boy
A van named Bertha
Steamy 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

A tender, cozy romance focused on family, friendships, and falling love. What else could you ask for? (And yes, there's some spice too!)

This book was hard for me to read, as I'm not a huge fan of books focusing on dementia or Alzheimer's. However, I did feel like it was handled with care and there was a lot of discussion on the stress such a diagnosis puts on a family. What I really enjoyed was how Pru and Milo connected, even if their first meeting was just by happenstance. I love that he calls her Killer, his slutty little mustache, and how Pru finally blossoms when she has to consider who she is outside of her mom's caretaker.

I want to curl up in a rocking chair, wrapped in a blanket, watching the sun rise in Baysville. Give me Nadia and Aleks's book in my veins now plz.

A great new read by the illustrious Hannah Bonam-Young. Readers are going to fall in love with Milo and Prudence, along with their titilating romance. Full of heartbreak, breath-taking love, care, and real-life scenarios, this is going to be yet another top novel for lovers of Bonam-Young's books.

Hannah Bonam-Young my beloved, you have done it again!!! When B.K. Borison said “you guys aren’t ready” SHE MEANT IT!!! What an emotional, sweet, spicy romp! I adored this book from front to back and I wish I could pluck Milo and Prue from the pages and be best friends with them

Disappointed is the only word that comes to mind. I picked this up because I’ve loved Hannah Bonam-Young’s previous books—Out on a Limb especially felt full of heart and sincerity. But People Watching felt like a different author entirely.

The emotional depth just wasn’t there. Prue’s story had the potential to be incredibly moving—a young woman navigating caretaking, small-town life, and rediscovering herself—but it never truly landed. Instead, the plot leaned too heavily on physical attraction and surface-level tension, with little time spent building a believable emotional connection between the characters.

Milo, while positioned as a charming, free-spirited foil to Prue’s quiet life, came off more pushy than endearing at times. Their relationship moved too fast to feel meaningful. The imbalance between their life experiences—he’s seen the world, she’s barely left town—only made it harder to invest in their connection. I found myself more frustrated than intrigued.

The nickname “Killer” was used so often it lost any charm it might have had, and the third-act conflict felt contrived, resolving just as quickly as it appeared.

There were moments of promise. The portrayal of Prue’s mother’s Alzheimer’s was compassionate, and a few of the side characters brought warmth to the story. But overall, it lacked the emotional resonance I’ve come to expect from HBY’s work.

More steam doesn’t mean more impact. I wanted vulnerability, growth, heart—this book gave me none of that.

This is a really cute autumnal romance and whilst it’s not my favourite by Hannah, I’ve found myself highlighting so many beautiful quotes that will stick with me. I love the overall message of this book and the plot. The way Milo teaches things to Prue and the way Prue teaches Milo stuff about himself was really cute. It was just missing something but i can’t put words into what it is which i frustrating. But still in the middle of a reading slump it was a really well appreciated reading.
My one disappointment was the tittle. I like what it means but i wish we had more of these “people watching” scenes and references throughout the book. It’s only vaguely spoken about.

time of dnf: 22%

unfortunately i could forsee my dislike and i fear i don’t have the best experience with HBY’s work since her books seem to max out at a certain level for me and this one did that in record time


thank you to netgalley and ballantine/dell for this arc to review nonetheless!

I am so sad to say that I didn’t finish this one. I couldn’t get into it so I put it down and revisited a few weeks later. It just wasn’t for me. The characters were flat and felt like they didn’t belong together.

Hot, funny, and very heartbreaking and heartwarming. Milo and Prue are different in ways that feel larger than life, but their chemistry is fantastic and so effortlessly sexy. Despite that, they have a complexity and a humanness that bring them back down to earth in a way that feels grounded and natural. The book was fast and brought you right into their little town—a great summer read.

I do want to be best friends with Nadia.

Thank you to the publisher and thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review this e-ARC. Full review will be available soon

This was a sweet little story. It wasn’t to much or to little. It made me want to keep reading but it also wasn’t something I went out of my way for. One of those nice things to read at the end of the day.

Very mixed on this one. Some of the heavier aspects of the novel were very well fleshed-out (Prue's mother's dementia, for example, felt very real and was handled extremely well). Other topics were glossed over, like Milo's childhoood trauma. Because I never understood the full scope of his trauma, it didn't feel satisfying or altogether believable that his love for Prue was able to transform him so radically. The setting and side characters were lovely, and the relationships between Prue and her parents - past and present- were real and very touching.

I am so grateful to have been able to read People Watching as a beta reader! To be able to see the bones of a story Hannah is crafting feels so special! I can’t wait to follow this story every step of the way!
Milo and Prue are so special and both unlike any HBY characters I have read. I love her ability to put her unique voice in all these different stories but still, sound like her. Prue's journey with her mom and dad makes my heart ache. It’s so foundational to who she is and makes me love her character so much. Milo, the Sweet, hot man you are! The exploration of Milo’s need to run alongside seeing him fall in love and choose to stay was beautiful! I love family dynamics a romance I think it fleshes out our characters, and Milo’s siblings was no exception. I loved how reluctant to friendship Prue was, but we got to see with her all the reasons Milo was worthy of letting her guard down. Two artists In love was special to read. I am so excited to enter a new HBY world and already have hopes to see some of these side character get a story! I feel SO LUCKY t0 read these stories!

WOW this was excellent. I just adore everything Hannah Bonam Young writes and this was no exception. Simultaneously sweet, spicy and emotional, this was truly a heart wrenching journey. I loved Prue and Milo. Their chemistry was just off the charts and WHEW - I was clutching my pearls at some scenes!! Loved how family oriented the plot was and how delicately themes around illness and past trauma were handled. Overall a complete 10/10!

First of all I want to send a HUGE thank you to dell romance and Hannah for sending me a copy of this early!! When I say I was shocked to get this one, that would be an understatement.

[4.5] this was my first time reading one of hby’s books (I listened to the rest of them…doubters) and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, like I was hooked from beginning to end, not wanting to stop in between.

As someone who heavily related to Prue in this book, in more ways then less, I really appreciated the brutal honestly she took throughout and how that developed into such a trustworthy and loving relationship with Milo. The family aspect of her life hit close to home as someone who is a huge homebody and would do anything for my parents.

Milo, OOH a man that yearns! I love finding stories where the man falls first because you know that they have so much love to give and that allows for a book to flow in a way that it doesn’t the other way.

I truly loved reading this book and hby has quickly become an auto-read author for me since the beginning of this year, nadia and aleks story soon pls??

Thank you again endlessly to Hannah and Dell for gifting me a copy to read early, I’ll forever be recommending this one 🙂‍↕️

Five stars all around. People Watching has great emotional depth while still also giving A+ flirting and spicy moments. This is certainly HBY's strongest writing yet and I can't stop thinking about these characters! People Watching is perfect for fans of:

- small town romance
- friends to lovers
- sex lessons
- complicated family issues (TW: mmc grew up in abusive household; fmc has a parent with early dimentia)
- bisexual characters
- heavily tattooed, adventuresome, very "experienced" artsy mmcs
- sweet, introverted, poetic souled fmcs

People Watching is great for Carley Fortune, Abby Jiminez and BK Borison readers.

⭐️: 5/5
🌶️: 4.5/5

WOAH!! This book definitely made me emotional!! The fact that the conflict came so late in the book, made me think that it wasn’t going to work out. I was scared and I couldn’t put it down!! I love Milo and Prue soo much!! I am jealous of all the confidence Prue had despite never being with a man. We definitely need a second book.. Maybe highlight on Nadia and Aleks.. come on HBY!!

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.