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greatestheights's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Maybe I really just wasn't in the right mood for this. Friends to lovers and fake dating are usually two of my favorite tropes. Instead, I found myself...well, not HATING this, but maybe getting unfairly annoyed with the story and everyone in it? The town was just TOO quirky (think a modern-day Stars Hollow on acid). The characters were TOO charming (a grumpy farmer literally walks around with a kitten draped around his neck).The meet-cute was TOO cutesy (if a strange man asked me, apropos of nothing, to go get a grilled cheese with him, my answer would be a resounding no — and I say this as a lover of grilled cheese). The nicknames and inside jokes were TOO sickly sweet (Lala??? Said during the height of passion?!). The love interests were TOO oblivious (I'm sorry, but platonic best friends don't cuddle each other to sleep on the reg, Lala).
That said, there was nothing objectively BAD about this book, and in a different mindset, I might have been into it. But there were too many instances of eyes "darkening a shade" and insistent pulls in someone's lower belly for me to be into this.
That said, there was nothing objectively BAD about this book, and in a different mindset, I might have been into it. But there were too many instances of eyes "darkening a shade" and insistent pulls in someone's lower belly for me to be into this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
katie_p_adventures's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
I never thought grilled cheese would make me want to cry!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
chelseylb1988's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Stalking, Death of parent, and Alcohol
melissaslibraryy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
pinklilypad's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
azrah786's review
4.25
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was provided with a digital copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: death of parent, cancer, grief, infidelity, abandonment, alcohol, sexual content
--
I’m late to the party but you bet I am now well and truly on the Lovelight bandwagon!!
Lovelight Farms was an absolutely delightful book.
This is a friends to lovers romance where two best friends pretend to be a couple for a competition in order to save a Christmas tree farm. Now friends to lovers is a trope that can be a hit or miss for me but the overall vibe of this book sounded like a fun time and I’m so glad that I gave it a chance because this was definitely a top tier friends to lovers story – I loved Stella and Luka so much!!
Plus the additional fake dating aspect, the small town setting and found family between the main group of friends all came together so well!
**I was provided with a digital copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: death of parent, cancer, grief, infidelity, abandonment, alcohol, sexual content
--
I’m late to the party but you bet I am now well and truly on the Lovelight bandwagon!!
Lovelight Farms was an absolutely delightful book.
This is a friends to lovers romance where two best friends pretend to be a couple for a competition in order to save a Christmas tree farm. Now friends to lovers is a trope that can be a hit or miss for me but the overall vibe of this book sounded like a fun time and I’m so glad that I gave it a chance because this was definitely a top tier friends to lovers story – I loved Stella and Luka so much!!
Plus the additional fake dating aspect, the small town setting and found family between the main group of friends all came together so well!
“And isn’t it silly, to love the way someone’s things look like next to yours? Little bits and pieces of a life lived in parallel.”
Not only does Borison’s writing easily draw you into the story and these characters’ lives but also the setting. I would move to Inglewild in a heartbeat, it seems like such a wonderful, cosy and homely place, nosy townsfolk aside. I loved that for such a short story you get to not only experience a heart-warming romance blossom between two people who love each other but for it to also happen in a town that is so lived in. Also I’d honestly say this is one of few books where I’ve felt the pacing and the overall length was perfect. It wasn’t too long as to drag the story out and not too short either as to feel like everything was too sudden.
I loved all of the characters. Stella pretty much has the whole town as a support network but the smaller more tight knit group of Beckett, Layla and of course Luka was so wholesome too. How everything played out had a sense of plausibility to it when taking into account the backstories that we are told over the course of the book and the dynamics between the characters. I really loved how threaded through everything was this message of allowing yourself to rely on those around you who care for you, to allow yourself to lean on the shoulders they put out for you.
“Leaning on other people doesn't make your achievements any less yours, La La."
Stella herself was a great character, somewhat relatable somewhat annoying in how much she second guesses everything but Borison wove her story together beautifully. It’s one packed full of emotion and will surely touch your heart too.
Coming backs to the romance side of things though, Stella and Luka were so perfect together. You can expect great banter alongside beautifully tender moments and a dash of spice but also those classic, messy moments that will have you facepalming. For the most part it’s that frustration that these two idiots are so obviously in love with each other to the point the whole town ships them but they just want to keep playing out their little game.
Anyways everything about this book had me smiling and feeling like that heart face emoji and I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the books in the series!
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer and Terminal illness
jacquy's review
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
aliteraryescape's review
emotional
funny
reflective
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism and Death of parent
chronicallybookish's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Quick Stats
Age Rating: 18+
Spice Level: 2/5
Over All: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Special thanks to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.
This book was a ton of fun. It was such a heartwarming read and just what I wanted it to be when I picked it up. I only have one complaint—that I didn’t read it during the christmas season! Because, damn, am I wishing I could go wander around a christmas tree farm in the snow, sipping hot chocolate.
Stella is a main character you can’t help but love. She’s incredibly relatable, and her voice is distinct and engaging. I connected to her instantly, and it was all too easy to get invested in the things she was invested in: her farm, her found family, and her relationship with Luka.
I also loved Luka. He was sweet, swoony, and sexy. Everything a book boyfriend should be. Not to mention, his chemistry with Stella was visceral. I loved every interaction between them. Not only was there a playful heat, but there was a solid emotional foundation between them that only grew as the story went on.
I was a little concerned when the third act blow up went down. Stella’s thoughts and feelings on the matter had the potential to be really annoying to read about for a long period of time, but it wrapped itself up within a chapter and a half, which negated that issue.
There were a couple of inconsistencies, I suppose would be the best description, that I noticed. Stella talked constantly about how she moved around constantly when growing up and how she never set roots or made friends, yet she also repeatedly referenced growing up in Inglewild, and said in one point that when she was a kid, she and her mom often came to Lovelight Farms. Those types of statements were in opposition to each other. They could have been reconciled with a quick explanation somewhere or other—and maybe there was one that I missed, but it kept catching my attention.
The other thing that confused me was when she was supposed to have bought Lovelight Farms. For the first several chapters, I thought she’d been running the business for the past few years, at least three, no more than five. However I think she mentioned about 20% in that she had only bought it one year ago. This confused me because she references “usually running the farm was like this” or “typically, during this time of year I’d be doing that”, but that it was different this year because of money trouble. If she’d only experienced one year here, there wouldn’t really be a “usually” or a “typically”, there would just be a last year. She also just seemed to have too much experience running a farm for it to have only been going on a year.
Those are both really minor things, but every time there would be a mention of either I’d be momentarily drawn out of the story to try to reconcile it. However, it was always very easy to get drawn back in, so it isn’t too much of a complaint.
All in all, this is a sweet, feel-good read. It’s the perfect Christmas-time book, but it’s also fun any time of the year. I fell in love with the whole cast, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series and watch all of my favorite side characters get their own happily ever afters.
Age Rating: 18+
Spice Level: 2/5
Over All: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Special thanks to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.
This book was a ton of fun. It was such a heartwarming read and just what I wanted it to be when I picked it up. I only have one complaint—that I didn’t read it during the christmas season! Because, damn, am I wishing I could go wander around a christmas tree farm in the snow, sipping hot chocolate.
Stella is a main character you can’t help but love. She’s incredibly relatable, and her voice is distinct and engaging. I connected to her instantly, and it was all too easy to get invested in the things she was invested in: her farm, her found family, and her relationship with Luka.
I also loved Luka. He was sweet, swoony, and sexy. Everything a book boyfriend should be. Not to mention, his chemistry with Stella was visceral. I loved every interaction between them. Not only was there a playful heat, but there was a solid emotional foundation between them that only grew as the story went on.
I was a little concerned when the third act blow up went down. Stella’s thoughts and feelings on the matter had the potential to be really annoying to read about for a long period of time, but it wrapped itself up within a chapter and a half, which negated that issue.
There were a couple of inconsistencies, I suppose would be the best description, that I noticed. Stella talked constantly about how she moved around constantly when growing up and how she never set roots or made friends, yet she also repeatedly referenced growing up in Inglewild, and said in one point that when she was a kid, she and her mom often came to Lovelight Farms. Those types of statements were in opposition to each other. They could have been reconciled with a quick explanation somewhere or other—and maybe there was one that I missed, but it kept catching my attention.
The other thing that confused me was when she was supposed to have bought Lovelight Farms. For the first several chapters, I thought she’d been running the business for the past few years, at least three, no more than five. However I think she mentioned about 20% in that she had only bought it one year ago. This confused me because she references “usually running the farm was like this” or “typically, during this time of year I’d be doing that”, but that it was different this year because of money trouble. If she’d only experienced one year here, there wouldn’t really be a “usually” or a “typically”, there would just be a last year. She also just seemed to have too much experience running a farm for it to have only been going on a year.
Those are both really minor things, but every time there would be a mention of either I’d be momentarily drawn out of the story to try to reconcile it. However, it was always very easy to get drawn back in, so it isn’t too much of a complaint.
All in all, this is a sweet, feel-good read. It’s the perfect Christmas-time book, but it’s also fun any time of the year. I fell in love with the whole cast, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series and watch all of my favorite side characters get their own happily ever afters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death of parent
samone2's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Cancer and Alcohol