I picked up this book because it’s about birdwatchers! Dubb’s novel offers a fun and unique take on a beloved pastime–these birdwatchers know how to have a good time! Overall, the book’s birdwatching scenes are memorable and, other than a few over the top moments and some unnecessary drama from the heroine, the story is lovely.

The story begins with humor when Celeste meets John at a park at a mutual friend’s request, thinking he needs a fake girlfriend for an event to make an ex jealous. It turns out what he really needs is a partner for a bird-watching tournament. Luckily, Celeste is up for trying new things and thinks this will be fun. John appreciates her enthusiasm, even though she doesn’t have any birding experience, plus it’s too late for him to find a different partner – so the game is on and the fun begins!

Celeste and John are both in their forties and newly divorced and neither is ready to start a new relationship. John is one of the sweetest male leads I’ve seen and he’s what made this book stand out. One of the teams they end up competing against in the bird tournament is his ex and that adds to the fun – Celeste is really competitive especially since the ex had cheated on John. (Boy was the ex a fool!) It’s a six week competition and they get together on the weekends to birdwatch. John also does woodworking–Celeste thinks he smells like a fresh pine tree which sounds delightful. Celeste teaches middle school and she asks John to come with her to some of her teacher’s socials and things get spicy as they enjoy getting to know each other.

Some of Celeste’s family have told her she can be overbearing and controlling and I agree with her family. She thought she knew what was best and, at times, it was hard to watch. This dynamic causes some angst and third act drama with her family, especially her daughter who is graduating from high school and they don’t agree on what she’s going to do next.

One thing I appreciated about this story is that Celeste and John were both honest with each other from the start about what they wanted in their relationship (it started out casual) and I couldn’t wait to see how they would proceed once the contest ended. (I won’t give anything away here except to say they have a delightful HEA.) I would like to see more of John’s best friend Chris who worked with endangered baby snails – so sweet!

I really enjoyed this book. Dubb makes the Tucson area come alive in this book and I loved reading about their romance. But the best thing in the book is John. He wants to be a professional bird guide and he was wonderful to listen to when he talked about birds and other creatures. His dream is to help people see all the beauty around them, not just rare birds. He’s the best. If you love sweet heroes and reading about spending time in nature, you will love this winner of a romance.