Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an e-Arc in exchange for my thoughts.

alright alright alright in the event of love is THE book!!!! this is the gay hallmark movie i’ve been dreaming of my whole life! a sapphic, small town, second-chance, holiday romance where they fight for said small town!!!! morgan means everything to me and i would duel anyone who hurts her. rachel MF reed is the lumberjane of my fantasies <3 <3 <3

courtney kae is a talent in and of herself and i cannot wait for all their subsequent works to follow. pls pls pls read this xoxo

This is one I was really excited for... a queer Hallmark-esque romance novel set at Christmas time? It checks a lot of boxes for me. Unfortunately, I was less than impressed and ended up skimming the entire end of the book after the midpoint. I felt like the main character was really unlikable, Rachel was pretty dense, and a lot of the supporting characters just felt like copy and pastes. Really, the only two characters I liked were Johanna (Morgan's boss) and Ben. I'm assuming there will be a sequel about Ben, but I'm not sure I'd read it. The writing style was pretty meh and overall, I thought this one was just pretty boring and had a lot of random side plots just thrown in to "spice it up" without much actual motivation for those elements. Disappointing.

I LOVED this book! It’s described as a queer hallmark movie, and it completely shows up as such.

This book is great for people who love love and romance, conflict then second chance and a bit of a steamy sapphic love! The two main characters Rachel and Morgan had chemistry and made the story.

The small-town feel was exactly what you’d expect in a hallmark movie scene. I would recommend this to anyone who’d like a sweet romance that was a quick read!

This was cute! I liked the build-up at the beginning, given the strained backstory between Morgan and Rachel. I felt like the majority of their relationship boiled down to lust, though, and with the exception of one scene, I didn't get the sense that their connection was very deep? They ended up getting together more quickly than I expected, which was a bit of a disappointment, because a lot of the tension died for a bit. Don't get me wrong: this was a cute and fun read, and I love Kae's writing style! I just didn't feel a whole lot when it came to the central relationship.

Read this if you enjoy:
*Second Chance Romances
*LGBTQIA+ Rep
*Hallmark Christmas Movie Vibes
*Small Town Setting

Overall this is exactly what I expect from a cozy Christmas book. For a debut I think it was a great start with room for growth. I didn’t enjoy the conflict/misunderstanding in the beginning of the book and there were minor things that I wish could have been removed from the story but I think this will be a great holiday read.

So in rare fashion it's only been a few days since I've read this and I still can't remember a lot of the details. This book is cute and it's very much a rom-com, but it isn't necessarily memorable.

I enjoyed the story while I was listening to it and it's one that I would recommend as a low angst holiday read, but it's not going to blow your mind.

I don't think that all books need to be revolutionary and not all stories need to pack a huge punch, but I do wish that our characters had a little bit more depth to them.

We get two sapphic bisexual main characters which is amazing and small town romance with a side of party planning and saving a local business. It's cute.

4/5 ⭐️

This debut novel is a cute and cheesy second-chance romance with a sapphic Hallmark Christmas movie feel!

In the Event of Love follows our two main characters, Rachel and Morgan. These two women grew up in a small, close-knit mountain town. However, right after their high school graduation, Morgan and Rachel have a falling out. Morgan ends up moving to LA and becoming a successful event planner with many high-profile clients. After seven years of no contact, Morgan returns to her hometown and reconnects with all of her old friends, including Rachel. Things are awkward in the beginning because of their history, however their chemistry is very apparent and things start to heat up from there.

I really think the side characters made this story so much more intriguing and I especially loved Ben, Adam, and Whitney and hope to see more of them in the following installment. Additionally, the representation in this book was great and many of the side characters were very diverse as well. Although a lot of this book was wholesome, the conflict that Morgan and Rachel have towards the end of the book kind of left me cringing with how it all played out. I just wished the execution of the conflict was handled differently because it made me feel like Morgan’s character development really took a step back. After the conflict, the ending seemed pretty rushed but overall, I liked the story and am looking forward to reading the next in the series!

Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

After a night out jeopardizes her career, Morgan Ross is forced to go back to Fern Falls for the holidays to lay low. As if going home after cutting everyone out of her life to move to LA wouldn’t be embarrassing enough - she arrived with a bang, literally, she crashed into the sign of her childhood sweetheart Rachel’s farm. After a lot of back and forth Morgan finds out that the farm is in need of saving and she decides to use this opportunity to save the farm and with it, her career.

What made me want to read this book in the first place was the strong Hallmark vibes it gave me, as Hallmark has been my guilty pleasure since I was 15. And it’s sapphic? Win, win.

I think what I enjoyed most about this book was the small town vibe, and the comforting sense of community it gave. All of the background characters were so personable and willing to help out with the farm which was lovely to read. This story, like most Hallmark movies, isn't particularly showstopping or original, but it has heart, and sometimes that’s all you need in a book.

I enjoyed Morgan as a main character. She’s stubborn and kind of self centered, but she grows a lot in this book which was nice to read. I don’t feel like I got to know Rachel that much. She and Morgan had few conversations as adults, so it feels like the versions they love and know are them as teens, not them grown up.

The ending felt a little rushed, and some of the turns the characters took didn’t really make any sense to me and it was quickly brushed off as a “christmas miracle”, which… I guess?

Overall I think this was a decent read and I bet I would enjoy it even more around christmas time.

Rating: 3,5 stars, rounded up.

I was NOT prepared for the emotions this one was going to make me feel. File this under ‘books that have made me ugly cry’. ITEOL for short, this book has a very hallmark rom-com/dramedy to it, but if that isn’t your thing, don’t let that turn you away! ITEOL covers several themes that hit close to home, but I think they’ll resonate with most readers. Rachel, Morgan, Ben, Adam, and the others will take you through the heartbreak of first loves lost, escaping places where they never felt they belonged, and reconnecting with those who stayed behind. Don’t forget the raw nerve of family relationships that have struggled for years. Morgan and Rachel are two characters that I’ll remember for a while, and I’ll be on pins and needles to read the next book in the series, which follows more characters from the Fern Falls universe.

This ARC copy of In the Event of Love by @court_kae was generously provided to me by @netgalley. #lgbtq #lgbtqia+ #pride #wlw #sapphicromance #queerbookclub #queerbookstagram #queerrepresentationmatters #lesbianromance #lovestory #literature #fiction #lgbtqfiction #firstlovetrope #fernfalls #iteol

This is a sweet holiday romance. The plot is reminiscent of a Hallmark movie but with great queer representation and an acknowledgement of many religions.

Morgan returns to her small town after a career mishap. I grew to like Morgan, as I learned more about her past and came to understand her choices. And I adored Rachel throughout. She stayed in their hometown and runs her family tree farm. The chemistry between the two is fabulous and steamy. And it's a great second chance romance.

I recommend this book to all who enjoy the big city girl returning to a small town and finding love along with community and holiday spirit. And to all who wish that story were more inclusive. This fills such a need for holiday books.

Thank you to Kensington and a Goodreads giveaway for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Absolutely charming holiday story! I would absolutely watch this if it was made into a movie!

We follow Morgan who works in LA as an event planner. Certain events transpired and her boss told her to take a break while things settle down. She goes back to Fern Falls where she grew up to help the community with a fundraiser. Morgan has so much history in this place, including leaving behind her crush Rachel. Will she be able to help out the community, fix things with Rachel and get her job in LA back?

I really liked everything about this story UNTIL we got to the miscommunication part near the end. Things were going great and then they weren’t? And then we get a (in my opinion) pointless chapter of her back home and a party that I unfortunately skimmed through. HOWEVER, I still give this book a 4 stars because it was just so cute and I love Morgan and Rachel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy. This honest review was based off my experience reading this eARC, which in no way biased me. All opinions are my own.

This is what if we took a classic holiday Hallmark movie and made it into a book. AND MADE IT QUEER. Which honestly the potential was there, but it fell a bit flat for me.

We’ve got a lot of good things going for this book:
- Small Town
- Second Chance
- Best friends to lovers, to strangers to hesitant partnership, back to friends to lovers.
- All the diversity, PLUS BOTH THE FMC AND LOVE INTEREST ARE BI.
- Nicely done spice

Things that could have used some work:
- very slang-y, but honestly it was pretty easy to ignore.
- I mean its like a cheesy holiday movie so all the loose ends are resolved/wrapped up and tied in a bow by the end.
- The pacing, it had a slow start and middle, and it seems like everything was jam packed into the end.
- Everything was very predictable, like I knew before I hit the first quarter of this book almost everything that happened.
- Yikes the conflict. That’s all I will say on that front. If you know, you know.

All in all it was an okay time, but I found myself bored more often than not. 2.5 stars rounding up to a 3. August might be a BIT too soon for the holiday romances for me.

This was super cute! I'm not in the biggest reading mood right now, which is why it took me a few days to get through this book, but in any other circumstance I probably would've finished this in one day. It was just a great, easy, fun read and it managed to get me excited for winter and snow... which I didn't think was possible because I hate the snow and I usually don't want to be thinking about it in August! But this book just got me in the right mood!

It is exactly as it advertises itself: a Hallmark-esque, steamy, holiday romance. So if that's what you're looking for, this is the perfect read for you!

I noticed some of the comments saying that there was *too* much sex in this. Yes, there are a few sex scenes, and sure, the characters are definitely horny for one another. But considering that they're both extremely attractive women, they have a long history together, and they are in the middle of rekindling a deep friendship as well as a romance... they're having exactly as much sex as I would expect them too. I agree that the writing wasn't perfect; I've definitely read some books with better, more interesting sex scenes. But the full title of the book is literally: "In the Event of Love: A Sweet and Steamy Christmas Rom-com!". So how could there be TOO MUCH sex? There were maybe 3 steamy scenes in the book, and it took like half the novel before they even kissed. I'm not complaining about any of this, I think it was exactly what I was expecting and hoping for in a holiday romance! This is more of a response to some other comments I've noticed.

As I mentioned, I think some of the writing wasn't perfect. I feel like it kind of pushed the limit of what is an acceptable amount of clichés. I also think some of the scenes were a bit rushed, which took me out of the story a little. However, all that considered, I sobbed like a baby reading this... Maybe I'm in a particularly sentimental mood, but this book made me smile, laugh, giggle, cry. It was overall just a super fun read and it is now my goal to find someone who will be as obsessed with me as Rachel is obsessed with Morgan.

Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a super cute, classic, holiday romance!

Source (ARC): Kensington Books

This book reads like a Sapphic Hallmark Christmas movie. It was cute and wholesome and somewhat steamy.

Rachel and Morgan have loads of sparks firing between them and Rachel is so naughty all the time around Morgan. It was super cute. However, I do feel like their story is lacking a bit. It seems their whole relationship was based on their childhood. We didn't see them get to know each other after not seeing each other for 7 years. I think I would have enjoyed the story a lot more had they have gotten to know each other better. But, their focus was really on the fundraiser.

At first, Morgan got on my nerves. It seemed like she was constantly playing the victim, and I can't tolerate that behaviour. Once she got rid of that mindset I started warming up to her a lot more.

The small town vibes were adorable and I loved Ben and Adam. I can't wait for their story next.

Queer representation was a big part of the book and didn't just apply to the two main characters, which is awesome! There was also other forms of representation, which I always love to see in books.

Despite enjoying most of the book, there are two aspects that really affect a book rating for me. The first being how long it takes me to finish the book. If it takes me more than a few days to finish a book, it already loses a star as I clearly wasn't captivated by the book. Unfortunately, In the Event of Love took me quite a few days to finish. The second aspect is the ending. The ending of In the Event of Love seemed rushed and that just left me feeling that the book was unfinished and not fulfilling.

Thank you to Kensington Books, Netgalley and Courtney Kae for this advanced reader copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington books for providing a copy of this book to me in exchange for my unbiased opinion. I went into this book thinking it was going to be a hallmark Christmas book and that is definitely what I received. I actually hate cheesy holiday movies but since this is a sapphic one so I had to read it. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. A couple of things that I enjoyed in this book were the side characters, and the cute stars hollow (from girlmore girls) like vibe that the small town gave off. I thoroughly enjoyed the friendship arc of Ben and Morgan that progressed throughout the book. It was a charming friendship. The genre of this book is rightly known for having some very unrealistic events happening but I thought the events were realistic. This book's targeted audience is definitely adults or people who love cheesy hallmark books. I definitely would say this was my ultimate favorite book of all time, but I would rate this a solid four-star read. I would recommend this book to people who love cute happy sapphic romance books, Alexandria Bellefleur lovers and hallmark movie lovers.

cw; alcoholism, alcohol, death of parent, cancer, sexual content, car accident

I said it on my review for the audiobook and I’ll say it here too, this book is like the best version of a hallmark movie. I loved every single bit of it!

Thank you so much to Courtney Kae, NetGalley & Kensington Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book will be published on August 30th.

"Romance novels should be flaunted with pride."

After a scandal with a client, Morgan retreats back to her hometown to get a well deserved break from event planning. Though workaholic can't stay away from planning too long, she gets tricked into planning a fundraiser to help save her childhood best friend's business from the big business that has been taking over. Morgan did not leave her hometown on the best of terms so she has to work to rebuild her relationship with her old friends and family. One relationship she was most unsure about was with her former best friend turn crush Rachel Reed. It was a rocky start but once they had a heart to heart things fell into place.

"I want to be overwhelmed by you. All of you."

Ya'll this was a great book to kick off the start of the new holiday releases! This book had everything I needed in a queer romance. This has been labeled as a queer Hallmark movie and honestly it does. My Hallmark viewing has declined over the years (just not enough time in the day) but if they were like this, then perhaps I would make the time to watch more.

I was really excited to have read a second chance romance. It's not a trope I find myself reading a whole lot of and I loved it. Of course there was some force proximity which is a favorite trope of mine. I was rooting for Rachel and Morgan throughout the book and knew that they just had to have their happily ever after. Also the SPICE in this was so hot!!

I would never have thought from the way this was written that this was a debut book. Setting the stage in the beginning of the book felt a little long (very well could've been my mood) but as the book went on the dialogue/interactions, the descriptions were crafted so well.

I am looking forward to the new book in the series & can't see where the characters from Fern Falls go!

4.75

A sweet rom-com about second chances and following your heart, all under the loving holliday's spirit!

Morgan is a bit of a mess, and that gave a lot of humor to the story. Her road towards understanding her heart's true desire was very emotional and sweet.
Both Morgan and Rachel had a lot of emotional baggage to deal with and I think that maybe they might have started to deal with it earlier in the story.

I found that in the end things happened a bit fast, but as far as 'grand gestures' go, that one topped them all.

Whitney was my favorite character! I also liked Ben a lot and I wished he had more scenes. I was really glad to find out he's about to star his own romance novel and will get the chance for a happy ending with Adam too!

I really enjoyed this sweet, swoony, and steamy sapphic rom com. Morgan is a event planner for the rich and famous, when a scandal threatens everything she’s worked for. She’s forced to take time off and heads to her home town to plan and event there to distract her. From a crash when she arrives in town, things continue not to go her way. It turns out the event she’s hired to plan is for her former best friend and person she’s always had a thing for; Rachel Reed. They start from there they left off at the end of high school, working to repair their relationship and save Rachel’s family farm. This had so many sweet moments: I really liked how Morgan and Rachel could easily turn to each other and both wanted to put the work into their relationship. I enjoyed some of the small town antics and seeing the holidays at Fern Falls. I really liked Ben and the hints of something with Adam. I saw there is going to be a second book focused on Ben and Adam and I can’t wait!

I really, really enjoyed this dual POV, spicy Hallmark movie-esque holigay romance!! Big city girl Morgan is told to take a break from her Event Planning job in LA and returns home for the first time in years. While there she reconnects with her former best friend/first love Rachel and also comes to terms with long carried grief over her dead mother.

I loved the small town charm and all the cozy holiday vibes with some delightful open doors scenes you won't find in any real Hallmark movie! Perfect for fans of Lovelight farms, Kiss her once for me or Season of love and great on audio with two narrators. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital copies in exchange for my honest review!