This was a fun book to get the holiday reading vibes started. While it was pegged as a Hallmark type romance, it is open door.

Morgan has to slink back to the town she left without a look back, after a scandal with a celebrity. An accident on an icy road leaves her smashing into a sign and into the arms of her best first kiss Rachel. She finds her family tree farm not doing so well, and after learning the Inn she is staying in is struggling as well Morgan agrees to help with a fundraising event.

Reconnecting with her friends has been the highlight of her trip, but finding out what happened with Rachel just might finally give her closure. Or a new beginning.

My only issues were that they jumped back into a relationship really quickly and the miscommunication from the initial relationship. Otherwise it was a fun light holiday read with a fun friend group, a towns second chance with a David and Goliath corporate takeover.

Such a wonderful holiday romance following Morgan, an event planner from LA, and Rachel, her teenage years sweetheart who owns a Christmas tree farm in their tiny home town.

Morgan is such a relatable character. I connected with her from page one and only found her thought process and decisions more and more relatable as the story progressed. She’s strong, with so many walls built up to keep herself protected from further heartbreak. Whether that comes in the form of a romantic relationship, communication with her father, or remembering past events through a lens of self-doubt and misunderstanding.

After a scandal in LA, Morgan takes on a small event fundraising job in her home town, a place she hasn’t returned to in six years, in the hopes of saving her reputation and gaining the promotion she desperately seeks. But having to work with Rachel, the only person she has ever truly loved romantically and then left for LA after feeling betrayed, isn’t what she had in mind.

There was a section just after half way where the paced slowed a bit and felt a bit dragged out, but it quickly picked back up and overall didn’t affect how much I enjoyed this book.

A beautiful story about community spirit, love, self-acceptance and mending broken bonds. This is a wonderful holiday romance, with a touch of spice thrown in, that will have you smiling and rooting for Morgan the entire time.

3.75 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for an arc of this one.

When event planner Morgan gets herself caught up in a scandal, she returns to her hometown to run a charity event to try and save face as well as take a break. But little does she know the event is for the business of her ex-best-friend and first crush, Rachel. This book is absolutely made for people in love with Hallmark Christmas Movies who want some happy queer romance in their lives and I'm here for it.

First of all, can we point out how absolutely gorgeous this cover is. Give me a poster of it to decorate my house with at Christmas time! This was really cute. I would be lying if I didn't say it made me cry at one point. It is incredibly cheesy, but if you know you're getting into that cheesy holiday romance, you can smile along with the cuteness.

There were a few sections that things got a little too cheesy for me and ended up being less my style. The epilogue made me cringe a little with its cheesiness. This is totally fine for a romance, but it took me out of the story a little bit in a couple places because it was just so much!

Morgan and Rachel's second chance love story is super adorable. The small-town winter setting was so cute and made me want to curl up with a mug of hot cocoa even though it was the middle of summer.

Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Abandonment, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Car accident

HALLMARK -ESQUE READS I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE GAY! SLAY! childhood best friends to lovers and second chance wlw? set during christmas? yeah babe. you got me. the inclusion in this book with not just the wlw mains but the side characters too? yeah. cannot wait fo rben and adam's book either OMG i love them sm thank u for this courtney kae i love u

thank u netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review <3

synopsis:
With her career as a Los Angeles event planner imploding after a tabloid blowup, Morgan Ross isn’t headed home for the holidays so much as in strategic retreat. Breathtaking mountain vistas, quirky townsfolk, and charming small businesses aside, her hometown of Fern Falls is built of one heartbreak on top of another . . .

Take her one-time best friend turned crush, Rachel Reed. The memory of their perfect, doomed first kiss is still fresh as new-fallen snow. Way fresher than the freezing mud Morgan ends up sprawled in on her very first day back, only to be hauled out via Rachel’s sexy new lumberjane muscles acquired from running her family tree farm.

When Morgan discovers that the Reeds’ struggling tree farm is the only thing standing between Fern Falls and corporate greed destroying the whole town’s livelihood, she decides she can put heartbreak aside to save the farm by planning her best fundraiser yet. She has all the inspiration for a spectacular event: delicious vanilla lattes, acoustic guitars under majestic pines, a cozy barn surrounded by brilliant stars. But she and Rachel will ABSOLUTELY NOT have a heartwarming holiday happy ending. That would be as unprofessional as it is unlikely. Right?

2.5 rounded down to 2 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

In the Event of Love is a holiday sapphic romance about going back to the place you fled from only to realize your heart has been there the whole time. Morgan Ross left her hometown, Fern Falls, after becoming estranged from her father, leaving behind her only family and friends- most devastatingly of all, her best friend/crush, Rachel Reed. After a catastrophe at work, Morgan heads back to Fern Falls to host a fundraiser to save Rachel’s struggling family tree farm.

The romance centers Rachel and Morgan, who used to be best friends but had a falling out and then were distanced for some time until Morgan returned to Fern Falls. While this book had the potential to be really sweet (!!!!!!!!) (and it was in some ways), I just didn't feel that there was enough exploration of the connection between the two love interests, Rachel and Morgan. All of their relationship hinged on versions of themselves that they were years before- and while it’s so valid they would still care for each other, it just doesn’t make sense that they would not get to know these new versions of themselves. They mainly go back to things from the past, and while discussions of the past and reconciliations were very necessary, there wasn’t any development of their current selves. That made it really difficult for me to connect to them as individuals and as a couple. I was also really peeved off by Morgan. While I understood a lot of why she was behaving the way she was, she would say that she had changed and understood what went wrong before- only to act AGAIN in the same immature and selfish way. The main conflict in the book was basically a repetition of the original conflict that happened when they were teenagers which just felt really :/ this story just fell flat for me sadly! I love holiday romances and love cheesy stuff but I just didn’t connect to these characters and their relationship </3

IN THE EVENT OF LOVE is a sapphic, small-town romcom full of light. if you're looking for a queer book that feels like a hallmark movie, this is it. i absolutely adored the second chance romance, the setting, and all the characters. equal parts humor and heart, this was a delightful read that was full of hope while still exploring more difficult topics through it's characters.

This was such a great read. Second chance romances are one of my favorite tropes and mix it in with a cozy mountain town during the holidays? My favorite hallmark movie in a book! This was such a breeze to read and the ultimate addition to your holiday TBR!

3.5 stars for this queer Christmas romcom!

After a scandal that involves accidentally kissing one of her clients and a social media outrage Morgan returns to her home on a mountain Fern Falls to organize a fundraiser that she hopes saves her career and meanwhile reconnects with her old best friends and the girl she loved as a teen.

I really liked the characters and the setting, Fern Falls felt like a warm embrace but not completely perfect-which made it more real in my eyes. Morgan's fear of not being good enough was very relatable and the glimpses of the other characters struggles and relationships I enjoyed as well.
The only things I'd criticize are the pacing and the predictable plot. Considering this is a cheesy Christmas rom com like we watch them on the screen, I understand the latter issue though.

I think if this had been dual POV I would have loved it even more, considering I was missing a bit of insight into Rachel's mind. I am excited to see if any of the other couples get stories in this universe, because it feels like there are endless possibilities!

3.5 stars

My first thought when I discovered In the Event of Love was: *A Hallmark-style holiday romcom but with steam and queer characters? Sign. Me. Up.*

I’m a huge fan of cheesy, sweet, and heartfelt Hallmark movies, but I always wish a) there was more than one chaste kiss at the end, and b) there was better representation in general, but especially when it comes to queer characters. This book delivered on all of that - the sweet, the steam, the heartfelt moments, and the diversity of characters.

This book had everything you’d expect in a small-town romance: fun festivals and events, charming businesses, second chances, and an eclectic and eccentric bunch of townspeople who know and love each other and are willing to work together for the common good. I love second chance romances and the found family trope, and this did both of those so well. I enjoyed the cast of characters, and I appreciated both Morgan and Rachel’s growth.

If you’re looking for a fun festive read that’s both sweet and spicy, with plenty of moments that will make you smile/laugh and tug at your heartstrings, be sure to pick up In the Event of Love this holiday season.

I had to DNF this at 30% because the writing style is just not for me, I can't focus for longer than 1 page and I can't get into the story.

This book definitely reminded me of a Hallmark movie and was generally just a fun read. Highly recommend it if you are ever feeling the Christmas spirit or if you just want a cute, sapphic rom-com!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read an ARC of this book! I knew just from the premise I would absolutely love this book--and I was not disappointed. This story is a balm to the soul.

This was hard to keep reading.
It's not badly written, it's just that the MC is so utterly infuriating and pretty unlikable.

Her 'feel sorry for me' vibe is only maxed out by her denial of any wrong-doing. Then flip-flopping into self blame that never really feels honest, and completely detaching herself from what's going on, while still also entwining herself in the lives of people and a place she's trying to be aloof about. It's maddening!

Like I get it, it's supposed to be a wake up call for our MC Morgan, and her coming to terms with hurt from the past, and growing the heck up - realizing others have their own demons to fight and deal with too... But It just never seemed to really get that far, or feel convincing.

There's your typical spitting dagger moments between the long lost couple, then the tentative trying to work together, then the penultimate confessionals, and the trying again. All very standard operating procedure for a rom-com - Which is fine, but I just felt a complete detachment of emotion.

It's really hard to root for someone so shallow, and inconsiderate. She literally keeps repeating the same mistakes, and it's tedious. I don't understand why anyone even keeps giving her more chances. It was all forgiven, glossed over and 'fixed' a little too easily, time and time again - all without her having to do much more than apologies. She desperately needed that reality check, and 'come to Jesus' moment, that we never got. That Christmas Carol moment that makes it all click. It just never happened.

It just wasn't satisfying, or amusing. It didn't feel Christmas cheery, either. It felt sarcastic and self indulgent. and very much your 'standard operating procedure' of Rom-Com with no real heart.
About a person who needed to learn something, but never really did? And yet still won out, despite the odds and hurt she gave other, while she never seemed to truly step up or learn, or make amends, so I felt bad overall.

As always, check it out for yourself. I just may not be the right audience for this story.

2.25.
I have mix feelings about this book. I want to like it for being a sapphic hallmark romcom. However, it felt absurd for like 80% of the book while 20% is steamy spicy scenes as fillers.

The whole plot just felt make-believe. Character development instantly happened with no real growth, it seemed like they just adopted a new personality.
I was anxious about the fundraiser and corporate overtake plots that just conclude too nicely. Everything seemed to work out instantly. And they jumped the gun in the epilogue that makes everything seems unbelievable.

Writing style wise, it was ok-ish. It felt dry and factual instead of descriptive. The timeline is a bit confusing.
Honestly I didn’t find Morgan that interesting, she seemed so immature and have low self esteem, but at the same time she was also confident and strong headed. Her character just seemed unbelievable. Rachel was the most interesting one.

The chemistry between Morgan and Rachel at the beginning was confusing to me, they went back and forth between hating and teasing each other like best friends. And since we only get Morgan’s POV, it’s more like hating and lusting after each other. Then the progression of their relationship was odd too, I just had a hard time believing that they should be together.

I was disappointed that it left me such a bad aftertaste when I finished reading.

You can not get me to stop watching Christmas romance movies during the season and this book was just like those in all the best ways. The big city back to small town feel was great. The tension was there along with the family drama. In this story we have an event planner and a a woman who owns a tree farm. They have to work together to save the farm and the town. There was spice in this book so I do recommend it be read by mature audiences and those that enjoy spice in their romance books. I personally related to Rachel in the book and sometimes wished it was from her perspective. A great story and one I want to reread over the holidays!

This was a cute FF second chance romance. It’s festive and heartfelt with a town full of quirky characters that will make you feel right at home.

There’s a lot to unpack when we Morgan and Rachel. They each carry a lot of baggage and there’s no shortage of obstacles for these two.

‘She peppers kisses along my hairline, my cheeks, my neck, whispering lovely things into my skin.’

I liked their chemistry and the pull between them - when Rachel and Morgan love - they love big. It’s sweet and endearing with a good amount of steam.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

it’s tricky to know where to start with this one, because I don’t often review things here that I don’t love. However, in this case I do want to highlight this book partly because we see so few queer holiday stories, and also because I can identify specific things that I didn’t enjoy that are about my own personal taste and preference. This is definitely not a terrible book, and I’ve been seeing lots of great reviews for it, so if you think it sounds good and you don’t mind some of these things that grate on my nerves a bit, then it might still be a good read for you.

Let’s start with some of the things I did enjoy…

Obviously the queer rep. Many (most?) of the characters were queer, including the bisexual main characters and a trans woman of colour who was the mayor of Fern Falls. I also appreciated that this wasn’t about anyone’s coming out story – it was about queer people loving and living their lives.
The book included some of my favourite tropes, including second chances, returning to small home town from the city, friends to enemies to lovers, found family, and a big ‘save the town’ event.
It is set in winter and the setting has cosy snow vibes. I felt like this one was probably more Christmas-adjacent rather than specifically Christmassy, but I liked that other holiday were mentioned too.
There’s a fun ensemble cast (I understand some of the friends and family will have their stories told in the following books in the series).
The event that Morgan and her friends plan was sweet and fun.
It felt sex-positive.
The food and drink! There were so many delicious pastries and beverages mentioned that really added to the cosy vibe for me!
Now a couple of things that I didn’t love so much..

It sounds weird to say because Morgan and Rachel were childhood friends being reunited, but their relationship felt quite ‘insta-love’ to me. I didn’t feel like there was a lot of development of feelings, and (at least from Morgan’s perspective) it seemed to be based very much on physical attraction rather than deeper feelings.
Something felt a bit disjointed to me about the way the story unfolded. The first three quarters of the book were very lusty and focused on the building physical tension between the women, and then the last quarter felt like a different book that had the more heart warming/Hallmark-y plot points of the event and some other cheesy/sweet moments.
The entire book is told in Morgan’s first person POV, and I think I could have used a break from her. She is quite self-involved and it felt like a lot of our time in her mind is spent rehashing an event from her past and admiring Rachel’s bottom.
I found some of the dialogue and some of the description of the sex scenes really cringey.
Everything felt quite superficial and surface level to me – I didn’t feel like we really got into anyone’s true feelings about the world or each other. Again, this isn’t necessarily an issue for a fun escapist read, but personally I think I would have liked a bit more. This was especially the case when the book touches on some serious issues like the loss of a parent (off the page) and alcoholism.
So there you go. Lots of mixed feelings on this one – not terrible, and yay for more diverse rep in romcoms, but also a few points that didn’t quite hit it for me.

In The Event of Love is a Christmas Hallmark movie in a book! A second chance romance with two strong, endearing women just trying to find their way in the world after significant loss. Rachel and Morgan have such spectacular chemistry, I’m surprised my pages weren’t melting. With the beautiful scenery descriptions and romantic gestures, the writing held my interest throughout. And of course, you throw in a save the town Festival, and it’s the perfect holiday read.

After an incident with a client, event planner Morgan Ross needs some good publicity. While her boss wants her to relax, she views her long awaited return to her quiet hometown for the holidays as an opportunity for redemption. But the fundraiser she’s been asked to organise was the idea of a friend she’s long since lost touch with, and is in aid of her childhood best friend and first love, Rachel Reed. Will they be able to work through their past problems in time to save Fern Falls’ beloved tree farm? Or will the appeal of money from developers steal the heart of the town first?

This was the coziest holiday read that warmed my heart even without the heat of August. We have the sweetest postcard-looking town and small businesses that I can picture perfectly, a second chance romance, friends and family reuniting, all the coffee and the snow and the big gestures of love (and also some 🌶, in true adult book with illustrated cover fashion). It was truly funny and romantic and also handled the ways past and present struggles with parents still affected these characters in their adult lives.

It’s described as a Hallmark kind of narrative if it were more queer inclusive and that’s exactly what this is! I love to watch cheesy Christmas romance movies with my mom over the winter, and reading such a queer normative book with a plot in the same vein just made my heart so happy. There were two bi MCs, achillean SCs, and a trans SC to name a few, and that inclusion is what is so lacking from those otherwise quite warming films. I loved the central friendship group (definitely have a soft spot for baker boy Ben, my beloved) and actually put my iPad down to smile a massive smile at the ceiling when a line towards the end made me remember there is a whole sequel coming! I get more of them!

I’ve never been able to relate when people talk about their book boyfriends, but I will tell you for free that (precious, head-over-heels lumberjane) Rachel Reed made my heart absolutely ache and if I don’t find her or become her for someone else then what am I even doing with my life.

In the Event of Love is a touching rom-com that celebrates romance novels and love in all its forms. It is about community and puts queer people and romances firmly at the heart of the story where we belong. This book really captures the magic of the holidays and the pride and joy of togetherness, showing up for each other and creating something special with family and friends.

I’m so looking forward to a wintry re-read! And I should probably stop saying the word ‘heart’ so much.

Blog:
This is a thoroughly queer holiday romance for your holiday needs. It has the returning to my small town from the big city to try to save a small business trope. It also has the second chance love trope.

The two main characters in this sapphic romance are BOTH (!) bisexual (and say the word), which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before in a romance. There’s a secondary male character who I think is bisexual, although it’s possible he’s gay and has dated women in the past (no one ever says which). There’s another secondary gay character, and a trans woman of color. The owner of the business Morgan works for is a woman of color. A tertiary character is a woman of color married to a Jewish man. Chrismukkah happens briefly. There’s also a pine tree decorated for a mix of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

The sex scenes are steamy and on-screen (all f/f), and there were at least three? Maybe more? I lost count. There’s also one ahem, self-love scene, which I honestly skimmed over because that’s not something I’m personally into reading. I appreciate that it did move the plot forward and wasn’t pointless though. (The character essentially clears her head in this way and then is able to solve a problem she’s been puzzling over).

The one thing I didn’t like was how alcohol is handled in this book. Rachel (the love interest)’s dad has alcoholism. That’s absolutely fine to include. In fact, it’s generally something I’m happy to see. But the representation of this struck false. The main thing that really bothered me is how Rachel interacts with alcohol herself. The book establishes that she’s traumatized by her dad’s alcoholism. It tore the family apart in high school. He’s been in and out of rehab that her and her brother pay for. Her mom left the family after Rachel (the youngest) graduated high school. Rachel routinely drops by her dad’s apartment (that she and her brother pay for) to check for signs of alcohol. YET she STILL drinks regularly. Not occasionally. Regularly. Most people I know who’ve seen this much of the negative impacts of alcohol won’t even allow it in their homes, let alone go out drinking themselves regularly.

Plus, there’s the whole instigation event to Morgan coming back to Fern Falls. (I don’t consider this a spoiler because it happens in chapter one). She gets wasted out at a bar and accidentally kisses the fiancé of someone whose wedding she’s organizing. He’s “in disguise” because he has a hoody on, but we all know she’d have recognized him if she wasn’t drunk. Anyway, everyone knows about this because the news wrote it up. We know Rachel knows about it. She still goes for Morgan. No way. No adult child of an alcoholic would set themselves up like that. I overlooked it because it’s a cheesy romance, but this is not a realistic depiction of an adult child of an alcoholic who’s actively engaged in their recovery. Adult children of alcoholics tend to fall either into the camps of also alcoholics themselves or sober. Rachel falls into neither. I feel weird complaining about realism in a holiday romance novel, but this is real life for a lot of us, and I disliked it being used as a plot device poorly. Alcoholism is serious, and Rachel wouldn’t be casually getting drunk with some love interest who’s only home because she became a hashtag while doing something drunk. In fact, I think this was a missed opportunity for some real bonding. They could have been at a town event and both noticed they were drinking hot chocolate. Rachel reveals the stuff about her dad. Morgan reveals she’s decided to dial it way back with the alcohol after possibly losing her career on that night out. Instant believable bond. But no….they just share spiked drinks.

All of that said, I still gave it four stars because this is a fun holiday romance. It’s not supposed to be that serious! And the bisexual rep is so uncommon and needed. I just wish the alcoholism/adult children of alcoholics rep was just as well done.

Instagram:
Mo was very pleased to see so much flannel rep in In the Event of Love. His person was pleased to see a sapphic second chance romance between two bisexual women PLUS with all the vibes of a Christmas Hallmark movie. If you’ve yearned for a queer holiday movie, look no further than this. (A fair warning tho....it’s *ahem* got at least 3 open door scenes).
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review!

#bookalicious #booksinthewild #avidreader #bookaesthetic #whatimreading #bookrecs #plushiesoninstagram

GoodReads:
This is a thoroughly queer holiday romance. It has the returning to my small town from the big city to try to save a small business trope. It has second chance romance.

The two main characters in this sapphic romance are BOTH (!) bisexual (and say the word), which I don't think I've ever seen before in a romance. There's a secondary male character who I think is bisexual, although it's possible he's gay and has dated women in the past (no one ever says which). There's another secondary gay character, and a trans woman of color. The owner of the business Morgan works for is a woman of color. A tertiary character is a woman of color married to a Jewish man. Chrismukkah happens briefly. There's also a pine tree decorated for a mix of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. There's a lot of diversity in this book.

The sex scenes are steamy and on-screen (all f/f), and there were at least three? Maybe more? I lost count. There's also one masturbation scene, which I honestly skimmed over because that's not my style. I appreciate that it did move the plot forward and wasn't pointless though.

The one thing I didn't like was how alcohol is handled in this book. Rachel (the love interest)'s dad has alcoholism. That's absolutely fine to include. In fact, it's generally something I'm happy to see. But it struck me reading it as written by someone who researched it, not someone who's lived it. It struck false. The main thing that really bothered me is that Rachel is traumatized by her dad's alcoholism. It tore the family apart in high school. He's been in and out of rehab that her and her brother pay for. Her mom left the family after Rachel (the youngest) graduated high school. Rachel routinely drops by her dad's apartment (that she and her brother pay for) to check for signs of alcohol. Yet. YET she STILL drinks regularly. Not occasionally. Regularly. Most people I know who've seen this much of the negative impacts of alcohol won't even allowed it in their homes, let alone go out drinking themselves regularly. Plus, there's the whole instigation event to Morgan coming back to Fern Falls. She gets wasted out at a bar and accidentally kisses the fiance of someone whose wedding she's organizing. He's "in disguise" because he has a hoody on, but we all know she'd have recognized him if she wasn't drunk. Anyway, everyone knows about this because the news wrote it up. We know Rachel knows about it. She still goes for Morgan. No way. No adult child of an alcoholic would set themselves up like that. I overlooked it because it's a cheesy romance, but this is not a realistic depiction of an adult child of an alcoholic who's actively engaged in their recovery. Adult children of alcoholics tend to fall either into the camps of also alcoholics themselves or sober. Rachel falls into neither. I feel weird complaining about realism in a holiday romance novel, but this is real life for a lot of us, and I disliked it being used as a plot device poorly. Alcoholism is serious, and Rachel wouldn't be casually getting drunk with her girlfriend.

But I still gave it four stars because the bisexual rep is so uncommon and needed. I just wish the alcoholism/adult children of alcoholics rep was just as well done.

*I received a free copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*