My Boyfriend is a Bear by Pamela Ribon

Nora is just like any other woman in her mid-twenties. She works a job she hates, hangs out with friends, and has been through more bad relationships than she can count. She perhaps finds her true love in the most unlikeliest of places: a literal 500 pound American black bear who, after scaring her in the woods, returns something she dropped. Kind, considerate, big, and fuzzy, she must convince her friends, family, and even herself, that this is more than just an extreme rebound: it’s true love.

Calling Ribon’s book an oddball comedy-romance would be doing it a serious disservice. Nora and “The Bear” (as he is always called) do normal couple things: get dressed up, go on dates, hang out with friends, go to parties etc. Their relationship has ups and downs, twists and turns, and doubts from both about the validity of their potential together. Except, The Bear is a bear. The book never tries to hide this fact, nor does anyone doubt what he is. Most of the comedy comes from the sheer absurdity of this as we watch The Bear get a job to support himself and Nora, but we also see him comfort Nora after her cat dies. There’s some real quality insight into not letting others opinions stop you from living your best life, and living life for yourself even if that means not being with the people you care about the most. If you can bear the odd imagery, this book is a fun little story with plenty of cute to satisfy.