Why we’re excited
Nadia Kablukov comes back to her hometown to help her older brother open a brewery, and his business partner is Aleks, the boy next door who was her closest friend and her first love. Working together on a project, they slide back into old habits while knowing she plans to leave again.
Second in Hannah Bonam-Young's People books after People Watching. It reads as a standalone with a new couple, so no need to go back first. Pick it up if you like second-chance romance with family baggage handled seriously, and a hero whose anxiety gets as much page time as the flirting.
On our most-anticipated list since 22 October 2026. See all the most anticipated books →
What to know about People Pleasing
People Pleasing is Book 2 in the People series. Start with Book 1, People Watching (we have reviewed it). We have reviewed 1 of the series so far.
Hannah Bonam-Young is a familiar name here: 2 of Hannah Bonam-Young’s books have full reviews, averaging 4.3 out of 5. The one we rated highest is Out of the Woods (4.5★); the most recent is People Watching.
Readers have saved it often enough to put it at No. 3 on our list of January 2027’s most-anticipated releases.
From the publisher
A sexy and emotional romance from the New York Times bestselling author of Out on a Limb and People Watching about two childhood friends reconnecting, healing from their past, and falling for the people they’ve become.
Nadia Kablukov does not want to go home, and neither does her brother Milo. But when their eldest sibling, Nik, calls in his emergency favor and enlists their help with opening his new brewery, they both head back, dreading the memories of their difficult childhood. For Nadia, this means facing her former next-door neighbor, her once best friend, and first love—Aleks.
Nadia knew Aleks was going to be around—he is Nik’s business partner, after all—but seeing Aleks standing on her brother’s front porch, all handsome and smiley, she realizes her feelings for him are not entirely gone.
Aleks longs for simpler days, when Nadia was only a stone’s throw away and life was less overwhelming. So, when she offers to help him with a project at the brewery, he’s eager to accept. Despite the time and distance between them, Nadia and Aleks find themselves falling back into old routines. Aleks is still able to see through Nadia’s hardened exterior and she’s still able to get him out of his ruminating thoughts like no one else can.
As feelings resurface and grow to an unmanageable point, they’re faced with Nadia has never considered moving back home and Aleks has never considered leaving. So giving in to anything more between them will only cause more pain when it’s time to say goodbye again, right?
Description supplied by the publisher.
We haven’t read People Pleasing yet. When our review goes up, it will replace this page.
