REVIEW: Bear with Me Now by Katie Shepard

In Bear with Me Now by Katie Shepard, Teagan Van Zijl knew he was under a lot of stress, with his job running his family’s failing charity foundation and watching out for his younger sister Sloane, but he lives in New York. Stress is the name of the game. It all proves to be too much, though, and Tegan gets whisked to the ER after a debilitating anxiety attack where he’s given meds, a stern talking to, and an anxiety disorder diagnosis. Sloane steps in when he’s released, taking them to a wilderness-retreat-slash-rehab-facility in Montana. The fresh air is wonderful. The yoga, group therapy, and oddball smoothies, not so much. But his saving grace–or more like saving angel–is Darcy Albano. She swoops in to rescue Teagan from a bear attack and then convinces him to try her wilderness therapy to fix his problems.

‘He was greedy for more details about the woman he only knew for being brave and funny and not interested in him.’

As someone who’s training to work for the Park Service in her off-time and who thought she’d be leading wilderness hikes at the retreat full-time, Darcy spends a whole lot of her day schlepping things around the camp and fixing everything. So, when the opportunity to truly help someone–Teagan–lands at her feet, she jumps at the chance. Okay, so he still isn’t admitting he’s an alcoholic, but Darcy will find a way to help him heal. Somehow. She feels like they’re finally making headway when he and Sloane have to go back to New York for a job-related issue. Darcy accepts Teagan’s offer to accompany him home and become his sober coach. Little did she realize that she’d not only fall even further for the kindhearted guy and his cool sister, but that they were holding back the truth of Teagan’s real problem. And Darcy’s not sure she’s equipped to deal with the lie of omission or the fundamental differences in their lives.

‘Sometimes this job was a lot like being a preschool teacher. Sit down. Eat your snack. Don’t put that in your mouth; it’s poison.’

In Bear with Me Now, author Katie Shepard entertained as she paired two unlikely (but lovely) people together, put them in every dangerous, awkward, hilarious, emotionally draining situation you can imagine and then ended it all on a fitting and oh so satisfying note.

‘She felt a surge of protectiveness, even if the only person Teagan needed to be protected from was himself.’

Content Warning: View Spoiler »Wild animal attack, alcoholism & drug use, fatal alcohol-related car crash, anxiety disorder detailed, child neglect, cheating (secondary cast). « Hide Spoiler

I wasn’t really sure what to expect out of this debut rom com. Obviously there would be laughs and sparks of attraction. But author Katie Shepard shook things up in a good way with her characters and the overall storyline compared to how I thought things would go. She took the traditional roles–alpha male and heroine in distress–and flip flopped it, so our heroine Darcy was the badass and our hero Teagan was (at first) the one in need of rescuing. And it worked. They were definitely an opposites-attract couple with a severe lack of communication, which could be frustrating. Seriously, I wanted to shake them both a few times! Especially with the lies of omission after a misunderstanding. But there was also a wonderful friendship and a whole lot of respect between Teagan and Darcy that smoothed out those rough moments.

I have a sneaking suspicion some readers will want Teagan to be more forceful, to make more decisions for himself as opposed to always helping others first, but I found it to be a charming aspect of his personality. His backstory was as grim–in different ways–as Darcy’s was. And it meant Teagan had taken on the responsibilities of an adult at a very young age. I adored the care and love he showered on his younger sister Sloane, who, in her own spoiled but comical way, was a good person under the privilege and excess. Darcy might have come from a totally different background, but she got the dynamics between brother and sister pretty quickly. And it was nice to see her respect that bond, to only want to nurture it instead of stepping on Tegan or Sloane’s toes.

Darcy herself was very much like Teagan in that she took everything on her shoulders, almost in a martyrish way at times. I loved her tenacity, though. And how she figured out ways to rise above her personal struggles all while just hoping that someday she’d find her place and the person (or group of people) where she belonged. Darcy’s dry sense of humor made me like her even more. Between that and her absolute love for the wilderness and the animals who made it their home, it sealed the deal for me and of course for Teagan as well.

QOTD: Bears, wolves, beavers, and even otters, this story had it all. Have you seen any animals in the wild locally, or at a zoo, national park, retreat, safari, etc.?

Book Info:

Publication: April 25th, 2023 | Berkley |

Love makes life a little wilder in this romantic comedy by debut author Katie Shepard.

After a panic attack puts him in the hospital, charity executive Teagan Van Zijl is dragged by his sister to a wilderness therapy retreat in Montana. Lost in the woods while absconding from midafternoon meditation, Teagan is nearly eaten by a bear before his rescue by a furious angel in muddy hiking boots: the program’s handywoman, Darcy Albano, who was mostly worried for the bear.

Darcy thought she was going to work as a trail guide when she was hired onto the camp staff but ended up cleaning and hauling instead—merely the latest screwing-over she’s endured since her ex stole her car and her parents ruined her credit score. Teagan becomes the silver lining she didn’t expect, a man clearly going through something yet willing to commit to Darcy’s unique brand of wilderness education as the cure for what ails him.

After weeks in the mountains with Darcy, Teagan doesn’t want to return to New York without her. He hires Darcy as his sober companion—a position he doesn’t actually need filled and for which Darcy is completely unqualified—hoping she can help him figure out a way to move forward. But once they get to the city, all Teagan can think of is how to confess the truth without losing her. Together, they begin to imagine what their lives might look like if they could depend on each other for help—even in outrunning a bear.