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moonyreadsbystarlight's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a neat holiday romance. There was more emotional depth around the events that are described in the blurb than I thought there might be, which was a nice surprise. There was a realistic amount of mess and grieving as well as discussion of trauma. I really loved that other friendships and community were also a big part of the book, not just minor characters shoehorned in.
I liked so much about this, but there were parts of the writing that just weren't for me. I can't describe it much without spoilers or just talking for longer than a book review should be. Even still, it was a good read!
And for those who care, the spicy scenes are fade to black. So, while there's plenty of lusting, this may be good for folks who aren't super into heavy sex scenes.
I liked so much about this, but there were parts of the writing that just weren't for me. I can't describe it much without spoilers or just talking for longer than a book review should be. Even still, it was a good read!
And for those who care, the spicy scenes are fade to black. So, while there's plenty of lusting, this may be good for folks who aren't super into heavy sex scenes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Death, Cancer, Grief, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Fatphobia, Antisemitism, and Drug use
softstuff513's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The readers voices annoyed me, and the main character annoyed me. I did like how Jewish it was. You don’t see that often. And cass reminded me of my great aunt…. Also ended on a really random cliffhanger? (Not a spoiler because the cliffhanger is unrelated to the rest of the story) Is there supposed to be a sequel? The pacing was really weird… felt like it rushed through some parts, and characters kept popping up it was hard to track if they were there the whole time or are flying in and out of state…???
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Grief
lisacanteven's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow this book. I was expecting a light and airy holiday romance. I'm not big on Christmas, so the Jewish rep meant I would get a holiday romance without Christmas. I did definitely love that it actually spans from Halloween to January. I don't enjoy any fall and winter holidays, but I do love the seasons so this was the perfect story.
I immediately fell in love with all the characters. They are so deep yet so lovable. I want to know all their stories. And hopefully I will get to. I really felt like Miriam's character was take so much from my own experience. When you have made someone feel like a character was written for them, you have succeeded. In this case, Helena did this with Miriam for me. The issues Miriam had with her mom were completely different than mine, yet the consequences were very similar. Thank you, Helena.
Please read this book for such a real yet gentle and beautiful look into adults coping in the best ways they know how. Things can get messy, but they can be fixed with some healthy communication. I think this book does a great job of demonstrating how we can have respect and leave room for people's traumas, but we can still expect them to grow. I just loved this book.
I immediately picked up the next book, For Never & Always, because the ending was perfect. The build-up to the next two characters' stories was so good. I am in a chokehold for their book.
I immediately fell in love with all the characters. They are so deep yet so lovable. I want to know all their stories. And hopefully I will get to. I really felt like Miriam's character was take so much from my own experience. When you have made someone feel like a character was written for them, you have succeeded. In this case, Helena did this with Miriam for me. The issues Miriam had with her mom were completely different than mine, yet the consequences were very similar. Thank you, Helena.
Please read this book for such a real yet gentle and beautiful look into adults coping in the best ways they know how. Things can get messy, but they can be fixed with some healthy communication. I think this book does a great job of demonstrating how we can have respect and leave room for people's traumas, but we can still expect them to grow. I just loved this book.
I immediately picked up the next book, For Never & Always, because the ending was perfect. The build-up to the next two characters' stories was so good. I am in a chokehold for their book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, and Grief
miap09's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
warlocksarecool21's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Overall, I liked what this book was trying to do, but I don’t think it was executed that well. The strongest part for me was Miriam’s starting to heal from her trauma and the idea of a family coming together in their grief to save something they love. I appreciated seeing the complexities of their family dynamic and also the celebration of Jewish culture and traditions. The characters were strong, I liked Miriam and a lot of the side characters but I struggled a lot with Noelle. My main issue was that I felt that neither Noelle or Miriam were ready for a relationship. They had a lot of shit to work through and both need to go to therapy before getting together. (I know at the end they planned to go to therapy but it kind of felt like their love fixed everything instead of actually working through their issues). I appreciated the attempt of the story’s message that even if you experience trauma that you still can hurt people and need to be held accountable but how it went about that was really frustrating to me. I thought Noelle was really hard on Miriam (and projected a lot of insecurities on her) and that it wasn’t her place to get involved with Miriam’s relationship with her family. Their relationship was really frustrating to me in that aspect. I kind of didn’t like Noelle for a lot of the book bc of how she made her flaws and insecurities other people’s problems and it made me uncomfortable due to similarities to someone close to me that I won’t delve into here. I think there was a way to healthily incorporate a relationship into this book but what we got caused a lot of unnecessary angst and frustration for me. The ending for Miriam and Noelle was sweet but I wasn’t entirely sold on their relationship. That aspect of the book wasn’t for me but maybe others will like the messiness of it. I also struggled with the pacing and length as well. The beginning took so long to set up and by the end of the second part I was ready for it to be over.
Definitely read for the exploration of trauma, grief and healing but the relationship isn’t stereotypically fluffy like you’d expect. I might pick up any sequels if they follow the other characters because some of them were really interesting and hopefully I’ll like them more.
Definitely read for the exploration of trauma, grief and healing but the relationship isn’t stereotypically fluffy like you’d expect. I might pick up any sequels if they follow the other characters because some of them were really interesting and hopefully I’ll like them more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Addiction, Chronic illness, Grief, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Death
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Death of parent
megj23's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Death of parent and Biphobia
caseythereader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Child abuse, Abandonment, Cursing, and Death
Moderate: Alcoholism and Death of parent
Minor: Antisemitism and Sexual content
mrbnatural10's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Abandonment
orchidd's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Addiction, Death, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Cancer and Abandonment
rorikae's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Seasons of Love by Helena Greer is a cute holiday romance about a Jewish woman who inherits her great aunt's Christmas themed inn and one of the women who works at this inn.
Miriam Blum hasn't been home to Carrigan's for 10 years, ever since a particular incident with her abusive father caused her to push her entire family away. This included her great aunt Cass, one of the most important people in her life and who's Christmas themed inn she'd visited yearly since a child. When Cass suddenly passes away, Miriam is called back to Carrigan's, where she has to face the family she has been avoiding. While there she meets Noelle Northwood, who works at Carrigan's tending the Christmas trees. Struggling with their grief, feelings of abandonment, and familial trauma, the two begin to feel something for each other while also working to save the inn that brought them together.
Seasons of Love is an extremely cute Sapphic romance steeped in its two characters strong personalities. Miriam is an artist trying to find her footing while Noelle is dealing with a family that left her long ago. Greer does a great job of exploring both women's personal histories while they also come to know each other better. The story is full of fun and also complex characters, a wonderful Christmas inn that I want to stay at, and so much heart that it's oozing from the seams. If you're looking for a holiday romance, I highly recommend this one. I will note that it is a closed door romance, which was the only thing that left me disappointed about the entire book. I can't wait for the series that this kicks off as this story does a good job of setting up the next couple that will be followed. I can't wait to read more of Greer's books as she is clearly a wonderful writer who creates fun, poignant stories.
Miriam Blum hasn't been home to Carrigan's for 10 years, ever since a particular incident with her abusive father caused her to push her entire family away. This included her great aunt Cass, one of the most important people in her life and who's Christmas themed inn she'd visited yearly since a child. When Cass suddenly passes away, Miriam is called back to Carrigan's, where she has to face the family she has been avoiding. While there she meets Noelle Northwood, who works at Carrigan's tending the Christmas trees. Struggling with their grief, feelings of abandonment, and familial trauma, the two begin to feel something for each other while also working to save the inn that brought them together.
Seasons of Love is an extremely cute Sapphic romance steeped in its two characters strong personalities. Miriam is an artist trying to find her footing while Noelle is dealing with a family that left her long ago. Greer does a great job of exploring both women's personal histories while they also come to know each other better. The story is full of fun and also complex characters, a wonderful Christmas inn that I want to stay at, and so much heart that it's oozing from the seams. If you're looking for a holiday romance, I highly recommend this one. I will note that it is a closed door romance, which was the only thing that left me disappointed about the entire book. I can't wait for the series that this kicks off as this story does a good job of setting up the next couple that will be followed. I can't wait to read more of Greer's books as she is clearly a wonderful writer who creates fun, poignant stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Abandonment, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent