Birding with Benefits

By: Sarah T. Dubb

Narrated by: Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, Evan Sibley

The inspiration behind the Hallmark movie Adventures in Love and Birding.

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.

Critic reviews

"Narrators Mia Hutchinson–Shaw and Evan Sibley are a winning team in this charming romance...For listeners, it’s all a delight."

A Lovely Story of Self- Discovery and Falling in Love Again After a Painful Past

I couldn't stop listening. Absolutely loved their story. It gave me all the feels. So relatable, as I'm currently 40.

Great story

Loved the strong characters and especially the birding. All of the female characters are strong and relatable. Loved it.
Teachers in general are celebrated and I appreciate that.

Fun vacation book

Very funny and engaging, with just enough tender moments, an enjoyable listen for summer vacation.

Perfect Story

This was such a sweet story. One of my favorite reads of the year. It is so hard to find romance novels with characters over 40. This book perfectly showed where they were in their lives but didn’t make it all about how old they were. I am a birder and really enjoyed the descriptive aspects of the book. It was cute, perfectly nerdy, and definitely worth the credit.

This has it all ✨💦🔥

I loved the premise of this book right out of the gate. I was hooked the moment Celeste walked through the park & confidently strides up to John, ready to be his fake date. This has friendships & birds & the great outdoors & very real feeling/difficult situations to sort through. The romance is hot. I fell in love with the supporting characters. Everyone was clearly written with care & love. The narrators for the Audible version were très magnifique 💋 🤌🏼
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️