The Beginner's Guide to the Birds and the Bees

by Sophie Hart

[Leah]

Last year I read and thoroughly enjoyed The Naughty Girls' Book Club by Sophie Hart, despite it's Fifty-Shades-esque cover (thankfully it was NOTHING like that awful set of novels). So I was super excited when Sophie announced her second novel would be released in September, and I was even more excited when I saw the fabulous people over at BookOuture were the ones publishing the novel! I was even more delighted to see the stunning cover of The Beginner's Guide To The Birds & The Bees, and I couldn't wait to get stuck in! As soon as it appeared on Netgalley, I downloaded it and I knew it was going to be my next read, because I just loved Sophie's writing first time around!

The Beginner's Guide To the Birds & The Bees is all about a sex therapist (and no, it's not dirty, and it's not what you think) called Annie Hall (yes, really) who helps couples when their relationship hits snags (preferably of the bedroom variety) but doesn't have the best relationship track record herself, after a disastrous relationship early in her twenties. Until the guy in the office next door, Jamie catches her eye (and mine, to be frank). We're also introduced to three of the couples Annie has sessions with - Linda and Roy, a couple in their 50s whose love life has ground to a halt; Nick and Julia, trying to get pregnant, but Nick feels like that's the only thing they do these days; and Zoe and Simon, a newly-engaged couple who have decided a vow of celibacy is the way to go until they get married... If they can last that long, that is...

I really, really loved The Beginner's Guide To The Birds & The Bees. I was hooked immediately, Annie's job is something you don't always hear about, and it was interesting to see the way she handled the couples that came into her office- with care, and professionalism. I loved the fun acitivities she ran on a Saturday during her group therapy sessions, and I loved her burgeoning flirtation with the geeky Jamie (especially after she offended me for a tiny second, saying she didn't want a geek earlier on in the novel - there is nothing wrong with the geeks). I also liked the peek into the lives of the three couples Annie takes care of, most especially Zoe and Simon. They're a cute, young couple, excited about their life together, and their vow of abstinence was cute. I didn't expect to enjoy Julia and Nick's portions as generally baby talk isn't for me, but it worked, because thankfully it wasn't as obsessive as I expected. I was most surprised by Linda and Roy, bless them, they were so lovely and it was so lovely to see them re-discover their love for each other.

I absolutely raced through to the end of The Beginner's Guide To The Birds & The Bees. Sophie Hart has quickly become one of my favourite authors and she's only released two books, which is super impressive. She's one of those authors who manages to make the third-person narrative be warm, friendly, and as if you really get to know your characters, she really injects personality into her writing, and I love her for it. I didn't want the novel to end, and I was really surprised to check how far along I was and see I had reached 91%, I was so sad it was just about to end. It's a FABULOUS read, probably one of my favourites of the year so far, and it'll be a long time before I forget this novel! I am so, so disappointed that it's over, and I just wonder how soon the next Sophie Hart novel will be out, because this one was a triumph!This review was originally posted on Girls Love To Read