Scan barcode
lizzie_b99's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is a great friends-to-lovers novel. It's very trope-heavy, as you might expect from the Hallmark movie type plot, but it is very cute. Luka and Stella's relationship is really sweet and intimate. I would have liked to see a bit more of their families, I think, especially during the epilogue, to see how their romantic relationship impacts their other relationships.
I've only read Christmas romances rarely, but I think this is a good intro to the genre! I'd be interested in reading the other titles in the series to see the other characters' stories (and maybe some cameos of Luka and Stella).
I've only read Christmas romances rarely, but I think this is a good intro to the genre! I'd be interested in reading the other titles in the series to see the other characters' stories (and maybe some cameos of Luka and Stella).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, and Cursing
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Cancer
nicolecurlsuptoread's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
š§ + š± ā¢ Listened on audio while reading the e-book.
āļøāļøāļøĀ½ ā¢ 3.5/5
š¶ļøš¶ļøš¶ļøš¶ļø ā¢ 4/5
š Youāll dig this if you like
Ā» Fake dating
Ā» Slow burns
Ā» Friends to lovers
Ā» Unrequited crushes (for both!)
Ā» Found family
ā I struggled a bit with this book. Listening to the audio while reading with my eyes is usually a great experience, but there were some significant differences between the audio recording and e-book which were jarring and confusing. I would recommend the written version over the audiobook if itās accessible for you, even just for the epilogues. There are two extra chapters in the written version.
ā I didnāt like Stella very much through the book; she defined obtuse, and I couldnāt connect with her. Luka saved the story for me, as did Beckett and Layla. Even though I didnāt love Lovelight Farms, I will read the following books because I want to see how their stories play out.
ā Stella and Lukaās relationship was what redeemed this story. The little pieces of themselves theyāve shared over time and missed opportunities. Love masquerading as close friendship for a decade, with a now or never opportunity. This was a great way to shape friends to lovers.
š What stood out
Ā» Beckett becomes a cat dad without hesitation and is immediately crowned the chosen one by mama cat and her kittens. Cue swoon!
Ā» The thread of the pine air fresheners š²
Ā» Firefighters and townsfolk volunteer as official North Pole representatives to take wish lists from kids so no child has to sit on a strangerās lap. š
š Moments
Ā» Luka asks Stella to slow dance in the kitchen; itās how his parents argued/ had big discussions ā¤ļøā¤ļø He admits he thinks itās so his dad "could politely restrain his mother". I think it would be tough to stay angry while dancing in a hug.
š« Triggers: debt, parental abandonment, death of parent to cancer. Please check warnings.
āļøāļøāļøĀ½ ā¢ 3.5/5
š¶ļøš¶ļøš¶ļøš¶ļø ā¢ 4/5
š Youāll dig this if you like
Ā» Fake dating
Ā» Slow burns
Ā» Friends to lovers
Ā» Unrequited crushes (for both!)
Ā» Found family
ā I struggled a bit with this book. Listening to the audio while reading with my eyes is usually a great experience, but there were some significant differences between the audio recording and e-book which were jarring and confusing. I would recommend the written version over the audiobook if itās accessible for you, even just for the epilogues. There are two extra chapters in the written version.
ā I didnāt like Stella very much through the book; she defined obtuse, and I couldnāt connect with her. Luka saved the story for me, as did Beckett and Layla. Even though I didnāt love Lovelight Farms, I will read the following books because I want to see how their stories play out.
ā Stella and Lukaās relationship was what redeemed this story. The little pieces of themselves theyāve shared over time and missed opportunities. Love masquerading as close friendship for a decade, with a now or never opportunity. This was a great way to shape friends to lovers.
š What stood out
Ā» Beckett becomes a cat dad without hesitation and is immediately crowned the chosen one by mama cat and her kittens. Cue swoon!
Ā» The thread of the pine air fresheners š²
Ā» Firefighters and townsfolk volunteer as official North Pole representatives to take wish lists from kids so no child has to sit on a strangerās lap. š
š Moments
Ā» Luka asks Stella to slow dance in the kitchen; itās how his parents argued/ had big discussions ā¤ļøā¤ļø He admits he thinks itās so his dad "could politely restrain his mother". I think it would be tough to stay angry while dancing in a hug.
š« Triggers: debt, parental abandonment, death of parent to cancer. Please check warnings.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual content, Abandonment, Cancer, and Terminal illness
Minor: Alcoholism
literarypenguin's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I am glad that I dove headfirst into this series with no knowledge before hand! This is becoming one of my favorite romance series I have ever read!
The friends to lovers trope was the best I have read in this book! The friendship between Luka & Stella is so realistic. It was really believable and the progression of their friendship into a romance was very believable as well. I loved their friendship and how honest they were with each other, how they both understood each other so well. They know each others ups and downs, highs and lows. The dancing in the kitchen scene really got me, it was beautiful and precious in all the best ways!
Stella as a character was great! Her background with her family with her mom and her father was equally parts warm hearted and sad. How she had to make herself resilient and her fear of abandonment was valid. She had every reason to be this way after everything she went through since she was a child. That is why I thought Luka was perfect for her, he broke down her walls and reassured her that just because she loves people doesn't mean they are going to be gone the next day. Her resilience to live her dream of owning a Christmas Tree farm was awesome to see and I found myself rooting for her several times throughout the book.
Luka was a wonderful male lead character. I adored his family, all his aunts and his mother were so sweet and loving! The part about his dad was also sad but heartwarming. He was very funny as well many of his lines in the book had me laughing! His willingness and love for Stella was cute. I liked how involved in Stella's business he got and how he supported her through every decision and moment.
The town itself is such a character as well! All the residents of this town were great and they had such big personalities. My personal favorites were Sheriff Dane, Beck, and Layla. The kittens were so adorable as well! How Stella grew to love this town and everyone in it just shows how important relationships in small towns can be.
I loved this series, the Christmas vibes, the romance, and the story! I can't wait to read all the books in the series and continue the cuteness!
The friends to lovers trope was the best I have read in this book! The friendship between Luka & Stella is so realistic. It was really believable and the progression of their friendship into a romance was very believable as well. I loved their friendship and how honest they were with each other, how they both understood each other so well. They know each others ups and downs, highs and lows. The dancing in the kitchen scene really got me, it was beautiful and precious in all the best ways!
Stella as a character was great! Her background with her family with her mom and her father was equally parts warm hearted and sad. How she had to make herself resilient and her fear of abandonment was valid. She had every reason to be this way after everything she went through since she was a child. That is why I thought Luka was perfect for her, he broke down her walls and reassured her that just because she loves people doesn't mean they are going to be gone the next day. Her resilience to live her dream of owning a Christmas Tree farm was awesome to see and I found myself rooting for her several times throughout the book.
Luka was a wonderful male lead character. I adored his family, all his aunts and his mother were so sweet and loving! The part about his dad was also sad but heartwarming. He was very funny as well many of his lines in the book had me laughing! His willingness and love for Stella was cute. I liked how involved in Stella's business he got and how he supported her through every decision and moment.
The town itself is such a character as well! All the residents of this town were great and they had such big personalities. My personal favorites were Sheriff Dane, Beck, and Layla. The kittens were so adorable as well! How Stella grew to love this town and everyone in it just shows how important relationships in small towns can be.
I loved this series, the Christmas vibes, the romance, and the story! I can't wait to read all the books in the series and continue the cuteness!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Cancer
allingoodtime's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book gets a lot of praise, as does the rest of the series. At least thatās what Iāve seen. I greatly enjoyed this story, but there were a few issues I had. I really wish this story would have been a dual POV. I donāt think the single POV served any purpose while I think dual POV could have added so much to this story. Thatās just my preference and opinion though.
I love the friendship/relationship Stella and Luka share. They are true ride-or-die friends. Yet it drove me nuts that Stella was so obtuse when it came to Lukaās reciprocal feelings. I think she did a much better job of hiding her true feelings from him than he did from her, yet she was clueless. The man basically spells it out for her and stillā¦crickets. It was frustrating as the reader to feel it was just being used to lengthen the story. But I did love these two together, especially when they were letting the walls down and acting on their true feelings.
There was still a lot about this book that I liked. Iām curious about all of the side characters and want to see where things are going for them, so Iāll be reading at least one more to see how this authorās writing progresses. I believe this was her debut so there is a bit of grace there. I did care about the characters and the story, I just felt certain things were drawn out too long more for the page count than the actual story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Cancer
kylasmv15's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Sexual content
Moderate: Grief and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol, Cancer, and Emotional abuse
courtneyreadsitall's review
medium-paced
2.0
āAnd isnāt it silly to love the way someoneās things look like next to yours? Little bits and pieces of lives lived in parallel.ā
I honestly donāt think I liked this book at all. The book leads up to this contest for the farm to earn money and the character coming for the contest is barely in it, the contest was barely in it. I felt like the first 2/3 of the book was building up for this and then it was barely mentioned. jThe worst thing about the book is the main character. I found her so annoying.
1. Those two were never best friends and they excessively said they were but I donāt know two best friends that sleep cuddled up against each other.
2. Some of the dialogue was awkward and not realistic.
3. The part I disliked the most was when Luka professed his love for Stella. Stella spent this entire book talking about how she has unrequited feelings for Luka and they finally have sex and itās great and the next day he says āI wanna be your boyfriend, for real. Iām in love with you.ā And she denies him and tries to say his feelings are confused because of the fake dating arrangement and heās like āno Iām IN LOVE WITH YOU and have been for a long time and I agreed to this fake dating to see if youād take a chance on me or if there was a chance youād feel the same way. Did you expect me to have sex with you and then everything go back the way it was?ā And sheās like yeahā¦ WHAT? Youāve spent 200+ pages talking about how you love him and he doesnāt feel the same and when you find out he does, you deny him?
The whole thing made me very frustrated.
Overall, not a great read for me.
I honestly donāt think I liked this book at all. The book leads up to this contest for the farm to earn money and the character coming for the contest is barely in it, the contest was barely in it. I felt like the first 2/3 of the book was building up for this and then it was barely mentioned. jThe worst thing about the book is the main character. I found her so annoying.
1. Those two were never best friends and they excessively said they were but I donāt know two best friends that sleep cuddled up against each other.
2. Some of the dialogue was awkward and not realistic.
3. The part I disliked the most was when Luka professed his love for Stella. Stella spent this entire book talking about how she has unrequited feelings for Luka and they finally have sex and itās great and the next day he says āI wanna be your boyfriend, for real. Iām in love with you.ā And she denies him and tries to say his feelings are confused because of the fake dating arrangement and heās like āno Iām IN LOVE WITH YOU and have been for a long time and I agreed to this fake dating to see if youād take a chance on me or if there was a chance youād feel the same way. Did you expect me to have sex with you and then everything go back the way it was?ā And sheās like yeahā¦ WHAT? Youāve spent 200+ pages talking about how you love him and he doesnāt feel the same and when you find out he does, you deny him?
The whole thing made me very frustrated.
Overall, not a great read for me.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent and Cancer
ambercunningham's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-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? No
5.0
This is the book that got me into romance and cemented my favorite tropes. The secret love that Stella and Luka have for each other? Unmatched.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Alcohol, Cancer, Sexual content, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
shaipanda's review
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
I absolutely loved thisss - would have 100% read it in one sitting if I hadnāt had work in the morning
The relationships between the characters felt real and fleshed out and I really believed in the couples tho I wish weād gotten a bit of a closer glimpse into at least one of the side character romances that are briefly mentioned
Overall so so glad I finally got around to reading this I had a great time :)
The relationships between the characters felt real and fleshed out and I really believed in the couples tho I wish weād gotten a bit of a closer glimpse into at least one of the side character romances that are briefly mentioned
Overall so so glad I finally got around to reading this I had a great time :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol and Abandonment
Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, and Alcoholism
rickireadss's review against another edition
4.5
you literally got me when it says the book is fake dating & best friends to lovers!! LITERALLY LOVE THESE TROPES SO MUCH. and oh my gosh, b.k. absolutely DELIVERED in giving all the best parts of besties to lovers that i love - the angst, the mutual pining, āiāve always been in love with youā, āi donāt want us to ruin our friendshipā AHHH. i had the best time, i LOVED the side characters (and canāt wait to read their books!!), and loved the small town so much.
ā ļø: death of parent, grief, abandonment, cancer, alcohol
ā ļø: death of parent, grief, abandonment, cancer, alcohol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Alcohol and Cancer
immovabletype's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I can see how this won't be for everyone. it's slow-paced and for the most part low conflict. innately so given this is friends to lovers, but the author also mostly* nips misunderstandings in the bud by actually having her characters communicate. (I don't mind miscommunication, it's human, but the lack of it here makes sense given the kind of long running intimacy the author is trying to build.) for my part, I loved this. friends to lovers is my jam, and I really, really jive with the writing style, the way Borison lends detail to action in a way that makes the characters come to life so vividly. the relationship feels complex enough that I feel like I could reread this and get things out of it that I didn't the first time, which isn't something I'd generally say about romance. weirdly, I really connected with our main character's business ownership woes and how it can be hard to balance your vision with financial realities. the steam was very, very hot even though it's probably a 4/5 spice level. my only quibble is that I always have to suspend my disbelief when the ensemble cast is overly invested in the outcome of the relationship, and there's a lot of that here. people are just not this invested in other people's romantic relationships unless they're your mother. it's silly hijinks in a novel that otherwise feels fairly grounded, so it pulled me out of the atmosphere a bit. however, it's still very cozy and lovely and sexy, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
* there is a third act conflict/"break up" but the misunderstanding involved is rooted in the characterization.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Alcohol, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Cancer