People Watching

I absolutely loved this - it was somehow both one of the softest AND spiciest romances I have read to date. I loved watching Milo and Prue’s relationship build, from what started as a physical attraction to a deep emotional connection. I also loved all the side characters (fingers crossed for an Alexs and Nadia book!) and how it really was an entire town coming together to support the Welches (and MANS brewery!)
My favorite quote “To him, I am a special, watchable, fascinating, beautiful thing worth creating art about.”

I got to meet Hannah on her book tour for this novel, and she is so adorable! I also listened to the audiobook and loved the narrators. This is a small town romance, Milo the newcomer into town, and Prudence the town sweetheart. Milo and his sister come into town to help their brother who is opening a brewery. They had a rough childhood, but they don't really discuss what went on. Prue helps her dad at the gas station they own, and she helps with her mother who has early onset Alzheimer's. The things they have to go through every day to make sure she is taken care of is so heartbreaking. When Milo and Prue find that he has a past where her mom was a big part of his life, they find that they were always meant to meet. Cute story, can't wait for the next one!

HANNAH BONAM-YOUNG DOES IT AGAIN.
Y'all. I've been having a little bit of a tough time with books lately. I read a lot of books in August that I liked, but none that captured my attention quite as quickly as People Watching did. I read 40% in one sitting, something I haven't done in MONTHS.
Hannah Bonam-Young writes flawed characters, in the best way. Milo is always on the move. He had a terrible childhood, and that makes him scared of slowing down for even a minute, in fear of what happens when he does, disappointing people if he stays too long, and also so that the past can't catch up with him. Prue is the opposite - she know exactly where her roots belong, but she's a little lonely.
Prue's mom has early onset alzheimer's, and Prue's taken on a caretaker role for her, alongside her dad. Her life revolves around her parents, and on the side, her poetry writing. Milo's brother has used his bat signal (only one per adult, the 1-1-9 signal) to summon the siblings together to help open his new brewery in a small town. Milo rarely visits, and Nadia is similar. Nik has a whole bunch of kids and one on the way and a wife he adores, so it appears that he "made it" out of their childhood with the least amount of trauma. But as the siblings come together, there are some stilted, honest conversations about the abuse they suffered at the hands of their parents, and that opens doors for more honest (re: emotional) connection in the days that come.
Luckily for Milo, when his van, Bertha, barely makes it into town, the first person he meets in Prue, and he's instantly smitten with her. Prue is a lot more closed off, and their brand of soft and hard, black cat and golden retriever energy works SO WELL for this budding relationship. Their worlds connect in ways that no one could have seen coming, and what their friendship becomes is something so special.
I don't want to give too much away, because I think part of this story's magic is in the slow reveal of every emotion, peeled back like an onion, one layer at a time.

It still has a lot of strengths including the style I have come to expect of Hannah, e.g., the characters who are flawed but lovable, the relationships you are rooting for, the writing that pulls you into the story. I also loved the town and am excited to read Nadia’s story!
However, my biggest issue with the book is the characters didn’t feel fully thought through so their actions were hard for me to understand. For example, Milo clearly had trauma from his childhood but it was never really discussed, even when it impacted his relationship with Prue, yet we were supposed to believe meeting Prue helped him change so dramatically (e.g., talking about emotions, wanting a relationship, willing to stay in one place and prioritize other people). Another example is with Prue, were her personality was told more than shown (e.g., she went to a different high school to get space to grow but it wasn’t effective). I personally would have enjoyed the book being longer to give space to go into Milo and Prue’s motives and thus further helping their characters come to life.