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Birding with Benefits: A Novel Paperback – June 4, 2024
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Newly-divorced, almost-empty-nester Celeste is finally seeking adventure and putting herself first, cliches be damned. So when a friend asks Celeste to “partner” with his buddy John for an event, Celeste throws herself into the role of his temporary girlfriend. But quiet cinnamon roll John isn’t looking for love, just birds—he needs a partner for Tucson’s biggest bird-watching contest if he’s ever going to launch his own guiding business. By the time they untangle their crossed signals, they’ve become teammates…and thanks to his meddling friends, a fake couple.
Celeste can’t tell a sparrow from a swallow, but John is a great teacher, and the hours they spend hiking in the Arizona wilderness feed Celeste’s hunger for new adventures while giving John a chance to practice his dream job. As the two spend more time together, they end up watching more than just the birds, and their chemistry becomes undeniable. Since they’re both committed to the single life, Celeste suggests a status upgrade: birders with benefits, just until the contest is done. But as the bird count goes up and their time together ticks down, John and Celeste will have to decide if their benefits can last a lifetime, or if this love affair is for the birds.
- Print length336 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherGallery Books
- Publication dateJune 4, 2024
- Dimensions5.31 x 0.8 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-101668037831
- ISBN-13978-1668037836
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Pensive and playful, tender and steamy…This one is a gem.” -- –Kate Clayborn, USA Today bestselling author of Georgie, All Along
“The slowly simmering romance that blossoms between plucky heroine and heart-of-gold hero results in some love scenes that are as hot as the desert sun in July.” ― –Booklist, starred review
“This romance is so soft and gentle… it’s worth tuning in to see how these birds of a feather find their way to each other." ― –npr
“Dubb pulls off the fake-boyfriend trope with ease and mines her own experiences with birding in Tucson to add authenticity… Dubb is a writer to watch.” ― –Publishers Weekly
“Read Birding with Benefits at your own risk—once you’re immersed in Sarah T. Dubb’s gorgeously drawn world, you’ll never want to leave….This will stay at the top of my all-time favorite list forever.” -- –Jessica Joyce, USA Today-bestselling author of You, With a View
“Birding with Benefits takes its time, will make you blush, will make you want to go BIRDING (I have never been so hot for birds in my whole life). My heart is about to explode after reading this beautiful book.” -- –Alicia Thompson, USA Today-bestselling author of Love in the Time of Serial Killers
“This lovely debut about mature characters manages to be both comforting and sexy.” ― –Kirkus
"An effervescent celebration of discovery. Heavy on the heat and tender as can be, BIRDING WITH BENEFITS expertly captures the thrill of finding love in a new season of life." -- –Livy Hart, author of Planes, Trains, and All the Feels
“Birding with Benefits is a joy from start to finish! Sarah T. Dubb is a fresh, fun new voice in contemporary romance, and I can't wait to see what she does next!" -- –Jen DeLuca, bestselling author of the Well Met series
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Celeste Johanssen had embarked on some rather outlandish activities in the two years since her divorce. She’d done skydiving, vermicomposting, and even a week of sleeping on her back porch every night—but they were nothing compared to her activity on this sunny Saturday morning.
She scanned the park for her date.
Her fake date.
He’d been described to her as “a quiet, sweet guy with a beard, straight out of an L.L.Bean catalog” who was in desperate need of help that morning. And if there was anything Celeste loved more than a new adventure, it was helping. She’d even arrived a couple of minutes early—a miracle for her, especially considering she’d stopped for pastries and caffeine.
In their brief texts, full of proper punctuation and capitalization, John had told her he’d be waiting in a gazebo on the southeast side of the popular park, which tracked with the bearded mystery man sitting there now.
“Whoa.” She stopped short, catching the pastry box with the bottom of her cup before it tipped all the way off her arm and onto the ground.
“He’s the kind of guy who will stop traffic to help a tortoise cross the road, then go home and build you a table,” his friend had said of John. The description had seemed absurd at the time, but she saw it now. Thick arms displayed evidence of manual work, and his auburn beard, glinting cinnamon and sugar in the morning sun, gave him a woodsman vibe. His skin had the soft tan of someone who spent a lot of time outside but always wore sunscreen. Large hands cradled a small, worn book tenderly, fingers rubbing at the corner of a page before turning it slowly. The reading glasses parked on the end of his nose didn’t hurt the tableau, either. John seemed a man balanced precisely on the edge between hard and soft.
Celeste began a careful walk across the crunching grass, remembering the most important rule of improv, simple words she’d scrawled onto a sticky note to join the others on her bathroom mirror.
Say yes.
People milled around the park, looking curiously up into the trees, as Celeste pondered which was the ex she was coming to deflect. Eight a.m. did seem an odd time for a date, but she’d been out of the dating pool for decades, so what did she know? When there was a new adventure to be had, Celeste rarely asked for details.
John’s attention was still on his book as she stepped into the shade of the gazebo, goose bumps appearing along her arms, left bare by her cotton tank dress. In her rush, she hadn’t grabbed a jacket, but soon it wouldn’t matter. April in Tucson meant chilly mornings and warm, perfect afternoons.
Celeste allowed herself one more long perusal of John, studying her subject in order to throw herself properly into the scene. The glasses and beard combined to give him a real librarian-in-the-wild vibe. If there was a calendar somewhere of ruggedly nerdy men reading, John could be any month of the year. Interesting that this guy, cords of muscle visible on his forearms where his sleeves were pushed up, needed protection from his ex.
Before she could make out its title, he flipped the book closed and stowed it in a backpack at his feet, then removed his glasses and tucked them into a side pocket of his pants. After a double take, he registered Celeste, his bearded jaw dipping as he did a fast sweep of her body, settling on her face as his brows pulled together.
“Hi!” Celeste stepped forward, arms pulled by the weight of the pastry box. She could have just gotten her standard cinnamon swirl, but she hadn’t known what John might like, so she’d played it safe by getting one of everything. “John, right? I’m Celeste, I’m here to—”
But her foot wouldn’t lift, and her movement stalled. A panicked look down revealed one of her white low-top Converse tangled in the loose laces of the other, and oh shit—
The pastry box went first, catching air. John caught the box with his palm, balancing it like a skilled waiter. Celeste’s hip hit something warm and soft, keeping her upright.
Hot liquid from each cup sloshed out of the lids, landing on Celeste’s wrists and forearms. At her wince, John released her, his jaw going tense.
Celeste shook her head, arms stinging. “Fuck, I’m so sorry.” She slammed the drinks onto the concrete table unceremoniously, swiping coffee from her arms. Something rustled in front of her, and then a soft, worn flannel hit her skin, traveling lightly down her right arm, then her left.
“You okay?” John’s voice was as low as she’d expected, considering the beard and big shoulders. A smooth baritone.
She nodded silently as their eyes met before he bent to shove his flannel into his backpack.
Laughing too loudly, Celeste shook out her arms. “I’m totally mortified, but physically unharmed. Thank you. I brought coffee. I got yours black but I have creamers in my bag if you need them.” Her eyes darted to the table. “And pastries. Way too many pastries.” She propped her foot on the bench to retie her laces and secure them with a triple knot. “I’m usually only half this chaotic, I swear. I’m a little nervous. I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“Oh.” John cleared his throat with a rumble. “You haven’t?”
“No, definitely not.” Did he think she made a habit of meeting strangers for a game of pretend romance? “Have you?”
John scrubbed at his beard with one hand as he narrowed his eyes. “Um, yes. Quite a lot.”
Intrigued, Celeste waited for more details, but he quietly studied her like the book in his hands minutes before. Chris had warned her that John was quiet, so she decided not to press. As his open palm reached for the coffee, her hip twinged with the memory of his firm catch.
She took a long drag from her cup, letting the hit of caffeine shock the memory out of her system. Cold permeated her dress as she slid onto the concrete bench. “So, Chris explained the situation to me. He said your ex would be here. Have you spotted her yet?”
John squinted. “You mean Breena? I haven’t seen her yet. What did Chris say exac—”
“Oh good. We have a little time, then. Should we get to know each other a bit before everything gets started?”
He only looked at her. Maybe if she went first, he’d feel more comfortable opening up. Celeste set her cup down, rolling her head on her neck, settling back into the purpose of her mission. “So, I’m forty-two. I teach language arts at a public middle school. I’ve got a daughter who’s headed to college next year, so I’m staring that empty nest right in the face, and to be honest, I like how it’s looking from here.” She tapped her fingers along the table, noting that her purple polish from the mom/daughter night she’d imposed on Morgan a couple of weeks before was chipping. “I love to read, I hike a lot, and I’m embarking on a bunch of hobbies right now. That’s how I met Chris, actually, at this painting thing the other night.”
John’s head cocked to one side. “You just met Chris the other night? I thought you two knew each other.”
“We do now. He’s the best!” She’d had a blast with Chris, painting their little teapots side by side at the sip-and-paint event she’d decided to hit up last minute. She’d gone alone, and while Chris had seemed to be there with someone, he and Celeste had started talking when he saw her copy of Dune sticking out of her bag. Before too long she was hearing about Chris’s angst at work and his guilt over messing things up for his best friend.
She pried open the pastry box, revealing the jumbled but largely intact goodies, and pulled out a scone before giving the box a push toward John in invitation. “He was really worried about you. Said he’d let you down, mentioned mating snails. I didn’t ask for details. It was serendipitous, honestly, because I was supposed to start this yoga class today but the whole series got canceled last minute. Apparently the energy wasn’t right.” She tore off a small piece of pastry and popped it into her mouth. “So, what about you? Chris said something about woodworking, I think?”
Chris had actually said that John was really good with wood, and she’d almost spit out her wine.
“Yeah.” John lifted a flaky croissant from the box and moved it from hand to hand. “I make some furniture, smaller stuff. It was a hobby but now it’s part-time work. I just lost my office job—”
He’d shifted his glance up as he spoke, easing toward eye contact, but now he paused and focused on something behind Celeste. She followed his gaze to a stunning woman approaching them. Straight black hair framed a golden face and dusted the tops of her shoulders, and toned legs stretched out of khaki shorts.
Celeste turned her attention back to John, whose jaw was tense. “This is her, right? The ex?”
John nodded and opened his mouth, but Celeste put down her drink and scone, sliding her body over until their thighs were pushed together. She visualized the note next to Say yes on her mirror at home.
If you’re going to do something, do it right.
She would have preferred more time to prepare for this part, including reviewing what level of intimacy he was comfortable with. But since it was showtime already, she went on instinct alone, hoping John was ready to follow her lead.
His body tensed as his chin dipped, his eyes tracing the line where their legs pressed together. She leaned her shoulder into his, reaching a hand out to extract the croissant from his worrying fingers and place it on the table.
“You’re hurting the croissant. It didn’t do anything wrong. And don’t worry, this is what I’m here for, remember?” Celeste straightened her back, smiling big. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to chat more before she showed up, but don’t worry—I don’t bite.”
With this, she slid a hand across his lower back, hooking it on the other side of his waist. The move brought their bodies flush from knee to shoulder. John was stocky and hard, a warm wall of muscle that filled her senses with fresh wood and sunshine. As the ex approached, Celeste dropped her other hand to his knee, rubbing a little circle with her thumb over the soft khaki fabric. All part of the act. She was here to show that John was hers.
For the next few minutes, at least.
And then the ex was there, hands on her lovely hips, looking down at John before brushing her eyes briefly past Celeste. “Hey, John.”
John seemed to have stopped breathing, so Celeste dug her fingers into his waist, finding some softness. He sucked in a sharp breath and cleared his throat. “Breena, hi.”
“Wasn’t sure I’d see you here today.” Breena’s eyes skirted over to Celeste again, lingering on the hand on John’s knee, before looking back to him. “But you made it after all. With someone new, it looks like.”
More throat clearing, then a rough, almost questioning, “Yeah.”
A beat passed in silence, the odd triangle throwing looks back and forth. If John couldn’t muster up an introduction, Celeste wouldn’t wait. She was here to help, after all.
She gave John’s knee a quick squeeze before shooting out an open palm toward Breena. “Hi.” Celeste pulled out the voice she’d perfected for the first day of every school year, the voice that said I’m ready to play nice, but don’t try to fuck with me. “I’m Celeste. John’s girlfriend.”
Product details
- Publisher : Gallery Books (June 4, 2024)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1668037831
- ISBN-13 : 978-1668037836
- Item Weight : 8.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.31 x 0.8 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #7,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #474 in Contemporary Women Fiction
- #856 in Romantic Comedy (Books)
- #2,702 in Contemporary Romance (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
![Sarah T. Dubb](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/S/amzn-author-media-prod/p1h6r98r77dc4fs13506dupdba._SY600_.jpg)
Sarah T. Dubb is a writer, public librarian, parent, and activist living the dream with chickens and desert tortoises in her hometown of Tucson, Arizona.
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What an absolute joy of a book to read! I wasn't sure about it at first, but I knew I loved Celeste from the get-go and John really grew on me. It's such a sweet book (but it's also spicy) and who doesn't love a good fake dating trope?
Celeste for sure is working through her own stuff. Being divorced, an almost grown child, and in your 40s are hard things separately, but to have them all happen at the same time is a doozy. I think all women will relate to the fact that at some point in our lives we discover that who we thought we were is different and that we've slowly changed ourselves to fit our partner in some way (it's a natural thing to do, but if it's not an evolution of both of you, it's no bueno). Celeste made herself smaller, quieter, and less than for so long that she's ready to get back to who she was and be unapologetic about it.
John is struggling with never feeling like enough. Everyone always seeing the potential in him and pushing him to be more, but never feeling like who he is now is enough. I also think this is something everyone will understand. It's good to have people to push you in your life, but we all need more of an encouragement than a push and we all can relate to not feeling like enough or that we're not living up to others expectations of ourselves even if we're happy with who we are and where we are.
This slooooooooooooow burn was full of so much angst I felt it in my spine the entire time! It was delicious. The two of them coming together and then finding it hard to walk away was everything. I love me a slow burn and this was it. I also liked the reversals Celeste is the Golden Retriever who's outgoing and needs to prove she's ready for John and John is the quiet, nerdy, man who just wants to love her even though she won't let him and pushes him away.
I spent my mornings in my backyard reading this book and felt like I was taking a birding lesson from John. I told my husband I want to get a bird book now so I can identify the birds in the backyard and maybe start going to some parks nearby to see what we can find.
Thank you, NetGalley and Gallery Books for bringing this book to my attention.
In the process of trying new experiences, Celeste meets Chris, a friend of John’s. Chris was supposed to partner with John in a local birding competition but had to back out because of an unavoidable work conflict. Chris feels particularly bad about letting John down because a partner is required to compete; and this will be the first year John will not be partnering with his ex, Breena. Although Celeste knows nothing about birding, Chris thinks her intelligence and enthusiasm will make her a good substitute and enable John to enter the contest.
Due to a communication mix-up between Chris and Celeste, Celeste arrives at the bird competition kick-off, thinking that this is a one-off and that she’s there to convince Breena and other birding colleagues that she’s John’s girlfriend. Even after Celeste realizes her mistake, she's still willing to partner with John during the six-week competition to see which team can identify the most birds.
Of course, this requires her and John to continue to pose as a couple when in public, although they are both sure in the beginning is that all they want is to be birding partners. Celeste and John are each still recovering from difficult break-ups. In her marriage, Celeste’s husband was constantly telling her that she was too much. In John’s former relationship with Breena, he was continuously meant to feel like he wasn’t enough.
John is a lifelong, passionate birder who dreams of becoming a full-time birding guide. He uses his time with Celeste to test out some of his ideas about guiding. Celeste convinces John to show up and act as her boyfriend at a few events with her teaching colleagues to get them to stop trying to set her up. As a result, John and Celeste spend a lot of time with each other and their attraction to each other grows. They discover that that they are just right together.
John and Celeste are easy to like and to root for. They’re intelligent, kind and have a sense of humor. The book flows well and is primarily structured around the 42 days of the birding contest. Because a lot of the scenes center on birding expeditions, the pace is slower than a lot of other contemporary romances, but is suited to this story.
One thing that seemed inconsistent was how oblivious Celeste was to her daughter Morgan’s plans for her future; and given how sensitive she was to upsetting Morgan, it seemed unlikely that she would react the way she did in public.
Overall, Birding with Benefits had charming characters with interesting backgrounds, meeting them felt like time well spent. Look forward to seeing what this author does next!
Thanks to #NetGalley and #GalleryBooks for the ARC.