This is such a perfect winter read. It has all the hallmarks of, well, a Hallmark Christmas Movie - my faves! - with some extra spice. Like the most perfect hot chocolate. It's not the spiciest book I've ever read so it was like the perfect level. AND IT'S A WLW story. Last year, I remember trawling through Goodreads list looking for a Sapphic Christmas story and I found it like, 10 months later. The only disappointment was that I read it outside of Christmas but that's all on me 🤣. I was full on crying at the end 💗

This is a cute, feel good queer romcom and it’s bound to be a great book to snuggle up with next to a fireplace on a cold winter night. The whole “big city girl gets a second chance with her small town first love when she offers to help save her Christmas tree farm” thing screams Hallmark movie and it definitely reads like one too- cute, funny, and a little sappy, with some spice thrown in to heat things up.

The story does get a little slow in the middle but the ending more than makes up for that. Overall, I enjoyed reading about Morgan and Rachel and their second chance at romance.

I also loved the friend group in this book and I hope every single one of them gets a book of their own!

I adored this book! The Hallmark vibes were impeccable, and I got all of the steam, emotional growth, and aww-inducing moments I crave. It went all-in on the pining and second chance, and the sweet love story was exactly what I needed to get me ready for all things holidays. The town itself felt like a character and I'm ready to pack my bags to move on up to Fern Falls. While the book tackles some heavier subjects (CWs for family member's alcoholism and past [off-page] loss of family members) the topics are included in a caring way and don't, by any means, take away from the lighthearted, low-angst storytelling that I look for in holiday media. SUPER refreshing to have a queer story told without the queerness or barriers to being queer being the plot. The characters were queer, everyone was cool with it, it was fab. I would absolutely recommend this as a cozy wintertime read.

Morgan and Rachel’s story will wrap you up in a warm holiday hug. It has everything a cozy holiday romance should, including incredible holiday drinks, a cozy (and nosy) small town community, and an incredible show of friendship and love in tough times. This will be my top recommendation this holiday season!

The most comforting holiday book I've ever read touched my heart. It has a nice romance, endearing characters, and a fun yet straightforward plot.

It's about community and places gay people and romances right where we belong: at the centre of the narrative. The festive spirit, camaraderie, pride in being there for one another, and making something special with loved ones are all beautifully captured in this book.

Sapphic romances are bias, and I appreciate Courtney's writing style in this novel.

It sounds like Ben and Adam's story will come up next in this series, followed by Whitney and Tanner's, and I can't wait to see what happens.

After reading the description for this book, I was really excited about reading a sappy and hallmarkesque queer romance. But, I frequently had to force myself to keep reading. There were definitely entertaining portions that gave me hope about loving this book, but something just fell flat. Maybe it was the pacing of the story that threw me off or the narration style. I like Morgan's character a lot but wish I could have seen more of Rachel's perspective. Even though I didn't love this story, I appreciate the queer representation as well as the mountain vibes. I think this story would have been more impactful with greater character development and exploration.

I adored this book. Set just before the December holidays, Morgan has a snafu with her work and brings some negative publicity to her event planning company. Her boss, while understanding that it wasn't Morgan's fault, insists that Morgan take some time off to recuperate. Besides, she hasn't taken time off in years.

Morgan utilizes an event in her hometown as a win-win to show her boss she's taking time off (but not really) and improving her image. She hasn't been back in years and she has to face the people she's been avoiding.

She runs into an almost girlfriend/best friend Rachel pretty much immediately after getting into town. She wavers about if she should stay to do the event, or bail at the first sign of trouble. In finding out more about this event, she reconnects with some old friends Ben and Adam (Rachel's brother), as well as making some new friends. She also reconnects with her dad as they've had a disjointed relationship for the last few years.

Morgan slowly works on rebuilding relationships and finds that her crush on Rachel is very much in the present. I enjoyed seeing them discover the current versions of themselves and work through some of the past as well.

I would definitely recommend this one if you're in the mood for a small town, sapphic romance around the holidays. I'm definitely planning on checking out the next book in the series as well.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I was so excited for a fun holiday read in the middle of summer, but I picked up and put down this book so many times. It's not a bad book by any means but I realized by roughly halfway (45-50%) into the novel I wasn't hooked on the couple's chemistry? I felt like we weren't seeing a lot of connection but rather a lot of lust.

I don't mind steamy scenes, nearly every romcom I read has them, but I think I didn't care for the scenes because I wasn't rooting for the couple?! We as readers understand they have past history but there isn't much happening in present day between them that I could possibly visualize their satisfying second chance love story.

I also received an ALC (audiobook) copy and have no complaints about the narration. I just think the pacing of this novel and the way the romance was going wasn't working for me.

If I gave half stars, it would be 2.5, as I'm mostly disappointed, I didn't enjoy this more.

This book was so cute!! I absolutely love hallmark Christmas movies. The cookie cutter formula for them never ceases to bring me joy even though I pretty much know exactly what’s going to happen in each one of them but that’s part of the joy of them, I think. My only complaint is that there just isn’t nearly enough queer hallmark Christmas movies. While they have become more progressive in the last few years, there’s still such a hole in the market for them and it makes me really sad. But this book fills that hole in a perfect way! It has all of the joy and ridiculousness of the most love hallmark Christmas movies but it is so unapologetically queer and I loved every second of it! Morgan and Rachel were both flawed characters with such big hearts and getting to see them find their way back to each other was just so beautiful. Also Fern Falls just seems like the most magical place and I can’t wait to read Ben and Adam’s story next year to get to live in the town again! Definitely recommend this one for any hopeless romantic and Christmas lover out there!

2.5

I'll be honest, I had high hopes for this, a sapphic hallmark-esque holiday romance. What more could a person want? Apparently, quite a bit more.

Generally, I'm not big on first-person POV, but something about the writing here was even less enjoyable than usual. Maybe it was because I found the MC slightly annoying, I honestly don't know.

I also found the characters pretty bland and I didn't care for their backstory at all. The MC was constantly going on about her issues and going "... if it weren't for Christy." My god woman, not all your problems are caused by a woman who was in your life for a year, like give it a break. And I found the main couples chemistry to be lacking.

The end of the book was also insanely rushed. The last two chapters, plus the epilogue plot wise went by so quickly, so much was happening and the resolution wasn't that good.

I did enjoy the small town setting, that was cute. Other than that... not much else.

So all in all... was not a fan, but it was not the worst thing ever.

I was laughing out loud and rooting for Morgan (our MC) from the first chapter, and I was thrilled by Kae’s mix of friends-to-lovers and second-chance tropes (an ideal pairing for a queer romance!). The book’s basic premise––Big City Gal returns to her hometown where she mends fences and inevitably falls for someone she used to know––is similar to Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, though ITEOL leans more ~Hallmark movie~ and the characters don’t feel as emotionally complex.

Sometimes you realize halfway through a romcom that you are not this book’s ideal reader. That even though you’re drawn to a romance’s premise, this specific story lacks, for whatever reason, the balance of elements that draw you to the genre or to storytelling in general. I don’t believe there’s a single, perfect way to write romance. The Hallmark format is one way to do it, but it’s just not the version for me (right now––you never know!). With that in mind, here’s what I wanted from Kae’s book that I acknowledge the ~ideal reader~ might not need: more of Morgan and Ben’s friendship on the page, more tension sustained through the middle of the story, a more complex resolution for the central conflict. I also wanted to see Ben and Adam’s romance develop, though I suspect that’s what Kae’s next book is about. (Perhaps combining the Morgan/Rachel and Ben/Adam romantic plots into a single book would have helped some of the structural/tension issues?)

This was my first book by Courtney Kae, and I’ll likely check out her next (I can’t help it––I want Ben and Adam to be happy!). In The Event of Love was sweet and gay and Fern Falls has definitely filled the Bright Falls-shaped hole in my heart. If you love Hallmark movies and you’re eager for Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail, this should be your next read.

This was my first time reading this author and I'm not sure if I would read anything else by her. I thought this story was cute and simple, but the lack of the other perspective made it hard for the readers to really like the characters. I don't know how to describe it, something just felt off about this book.

Heartwarming like cup of hot cocoa.

Morgan comes back to the town and people she ran from 7 years ago to find much more than she expected.
I'm a sucker for a small town romance, add in the sapphic magic and I was sold from the get-go.

Old friends find their way back to found family and first loves find a second chance.

While that sounds pretty wonderful, I found a few things got lost. Communication is what we needed to warm up this holiday season, and it was sadly nowhere to be found. And while I understand the tried and true tactic of introducing and segueing into you next book, it shouldn't feel rushed and out of place like it did here.

"In the Event of Love" starts off with a millennial social media drama to rival Don't Worry Darling - and only escalates from there!

You wouldn't think that a celebrity scandal, work drama, and crashing into a farm's sign could lead to an endearing love story - or maybe you could, if you're a fan of Hallmark romances! But despite the main character being a hot mess for the first few chapters, she does find her way to being to romcom Heroine we're all rooting for. And while the main couple is lovable, I fell in love with the setting of Fern Falls and the inhabitants of it's town more than anything.

One of the things that did stick out awkwardly was the approach to sex scenes. While some moments were endearing and steamy, others felt vague or stilted, especially with some of the language used. This may be my own preferences speaking, but the language used in these moments felt at odds with the beautiful prose around it and took me out of the story multiple times.

I am looking forward to future stories in this universe, and hope to revisit Fern Falls again soon!

3/5
thanks to kensington books and netgalley for the arc!

very cute hallmark esc christmas sapphic friends to not talking to lovers story! this book was good, but it just wasn't my favorite - i thought that the main character was a little annoying at times. i think that this book is great for someone else though, and i would recommend it to anyone interested!

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was *chef’s kiss*. I’m officially a fan of small town sapphic books, which have second chance romance, found family vibes, lumberjanes, Christmas themes…basically all the goodness. I’m obsessed! Courtney Kae you did such a fantastic job with this! I can’t wait for what comes next!

This is a glorious debut for Courtney Kae. This book has all the coziness of a Hallmark movie and all the steam a reader could want from a romance novel. I absolutely adored her characters and her voice (especially Morgan's!) and I can't wait to read more from her! I can't wait to make all my friends read this book around the holidays!

Cute cuteness with a Christmas holiday background. This read focuses on what is most important in life; work life or family life. It is even nicer when you can have a balance. Morgan Ross, event planner extraordinaire, kinda looking for love but career has her all tangled. Rachel Reed, tree farm owner, with a big heart longing for someone to love and she knows who she wants. The small town setting is wonderful as well as supportive friends and family. Even the non-supportive folks are not to awful. Enjoyable cheesy small town read.

this was a feel good story for me. i found myself wanting to read it cuddled up by the fire with some hot cocoa. i found myself also in love with Rachel Reed. i loved the hallmark movie feel and the inclusivity of the cast. 10/10 perfect for the holiday season.

A perfect addition to the holiday romance classics. I enjoyed this one, some parts that dragged a little although it didn't seem too long. Will definitely read the next in the series.