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Birding with Benefits

A Novel

About The Book

A divorcee embarks on her “year of yes” and crosses paths with a shy but sensitive birdwatcher who changes her life in this charming rom-com that is perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Ali Hazelwood.

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.

About The Author

Photograph by Reneé Bibby

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. Birding with Benefits is her debut novel; she is currently working on her second romantic comedy. Visit her at SarahTDubb.com.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Gallery Books (June 4, 2024)
  • Length: 336 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781668037836

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Raves and Reviews

“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

“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

“This lovely debut about mature characters manages to be both comforting and sexy.”

– Kirkus

This book is unqualified joy! Blazingly sexy, razor sharp, and heartachingly real, Birding with Benefits sings with romance, weaving a thoughtful connection between mother nature and the human heart. I could write an entire field guide on what I adored about this book, but suffice to say, readers will absolutely relish watching the love between John and Celeste take flight!

– Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of The True Love Experiment

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. Written with incredible tenderness, breath-stealing tension, and healing moments of rediscovery, T. Dubb expertly imbues each moment between Celeste and John with such care and dimension that it’s hard to believe they’re not real. This will stay at the top of my all-time favorite list forever.

– Jessica Joyce, USA Today-bestselling author of You, With a View

Some of my favorite romances are the ones that allow me the most up-close, intimate look at two people falling in love, but also the opportunity to fall in love with the world as they see it. Sarah T. Dubb's 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

By turns pensive and playful, tender and steamy, Birding With Benefits is the sort of book that--no pun intended!--will take flight in the hearts of readers. John and Celeste are grown-ups navigating grown-up challenges in life and love, and yet their sparkling connection feels relentlessly fresh and hopeful. I can't wait for readers to root for their happily ever after in the exact way I did--this one is a gem.

– Kate Clayborn, USA Today bestselling author of Georgie, All Along

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! Her characters are clever, mature, and grounded, and the rich descriptions will have you ready for a hike in the Tucson desert. 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

“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

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