#bookreview In the Event of Love (Fern Falls #1) by Courtney Kae

🤔where did ya come from?🤷🏼‍♀️
- eARC from NetGalley and the publisher (Kensington)

😍the good stuff😍
- Reads like a Hallmark Christmas movie except queer 🏳️‍🌈
- I loved the community and Morgan finding her way back to her small town.
- This made me look forward to Ben’s romance (I was only a quarter of the way into the book before I marked the next as TBR!)
- Morgan’s misunderstandings with her dad and their relationship improving
- The event and all the small businesses getting involved.

🫢my complaints🤫
- The romance fell flat for me. I liked the idea of it, but idk it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t feel like there was chemistry and it felt kind of forced to me.

☺️the tropes☺️
- Second chance

⚠️the warnings⚠️
- a little spicy 🌶️

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This was a super fun book! The romance was cute and engaging, the smut was great. I really enjoyed the main character's development throughout the story. And watching all of her relationships become stronger was great too.

The only thing stopping me from loving this was the small town setting, but that's because I grew up in a small town and hated it. Which is why I'm not taking any stars off, because it feels unfair to do so.

I am very excited to read the sequel!

7.5/10
Was this predictable? Yes
Was this cute? Yeees.
Was this a queer version of every Hallmark movie? Absolutely.
Does it leave you a warm fuzzy feeling that you cant quit? Hell yeah!!
Am i completely biased to utopias where homophobia doesnt exist? Also yes.

Yes, it goes through all the Hallmark-holiday tropes: independent workaholic goes back to hometown during the holidays escaping a blunder, to crash (quite literally) with their first love and they reluctantly have to work together in order to save the town from a big corporation while rekindleling their love. Did i miss something?
This could be the exact same plot of a 100 movies but the way the author made such an inclusive little world while resolving really smoothly the third act break-up (being this a second chance romance, previous issues came afloat not feeling forced), made it stand out for me. Also, i am super biased to a found (or refound) family with all those cozy vibes.

At beginning it gets a bit difficult to connect with the MC because she is really closed off, even to the reader. Thank god i didnt read the praise and the blurbs because i dont feel this was a slowburn. They rekindle quite quickly but take things slow. It's true there's an early would they, wouldnt thet from early with a lot of almost, but things dont do happen until you're halfway through.

loved this and can’t wait to read it at christmas again, a perfect f/f holiday read should be a movie

Overall, an okay sapphic romance. The characters were enjoyable, although they seemed a bit flat at times, and the story was fine but lacked engagement.

Cute, sexy, funny holiday read. This book would have been better with a bit more diversity in the characters.

This is a fun, cute rom-com! Event-planner Morgan Ross returns to her estranged hometown after scandal in LA threatens her career. Reunited with her former best-friend-turned-crush, Rachel Reed, Morgan sets out to plan an event to save Rachel's family's Christmas tree farm as sparks fly between the two. I especially appreciated the development of secondary characters in this feel-good, found family narrative.

In the Event of Love is a sweet rom-com style story. Throw in a few popular tropes; second chance, friends to lovers, return to hometown, and its an easy to read, feel good romance. It's cute, funny, tropey, and set in a small town that needs saving from a ruthless corporation at Christmas time.

Unfortunately I didn't find myself very invested in the characters to want to see what happens next.

In the Event of Love is a sweet and spicy wlw romcom, perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and/or Sophie Gonzales.

This book is basically your typical Christmas Hallmark movie... Main character returns to their small hometown to put on an event that helps to benefit the business of the ex they never truly got over. The plot isn't exactly original, but it's still a fun and quick read. Don't let my comparison to a Hallmark movie fool you -- this book has some spice between the two bisexual female leads.

I am interested to see where Courtney Kae takes the Fern Falls series, with the next book out this summer.

This book is very cute. The Christmas vibes make me really happy. The plot is a little too simple, but this is a great Christmas romcom. A great sapphic Christmas romcom and this is even better!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Morgan isn’t heading home for the holidays after her career is starting to implode. Instead, she’s decided on more of a strategic retreat in breathtaking mountains full of quirky townsfolk. The catch, it’s in Fern Falls, her hometown where her crush, Rachel Reed still lives. Soon, she finds herself trying to save the Reeds’ struggling tree farm from some corporate greed.

I was really excited about this book. A sapphic winter romance sounded perfect. There was something about this one that simply fell flat for me.

The atmosphere was great. It had such a cozy vibe and really would make a great winter read for the atmosphere alone.

Beyond that, I really had a disconnect for this book that I can’t quite place. I could never connect with Morgan and since I couldn’t connect with Morgan, I found myself not able to connect with the romance. There seemed to be a lot going on that while it made for angst, which I do love, but the development for a number of those issues wasn’t there.

In the Event of Love was a decently cute read, but I don’t foresee myself picking it back up. This is one that I feel like a lot of people could enjoy, especially when they wanted a wintry read and to curl up with a warm drink.

I've tried reading this book over five times now, every time in different moods. Sometimes in a slump, others at peak reading speed, but I can't finish it. I've never once DNFed a book, but this is where I start. This book must’ve been enjoyable for some, but it's too fast-paced. Even if that works for the plot, it seems too clicjé, even for a hallmark fan like me. I might read another of the author's books, but this one didn't do it for me

Morgan Ross has the perfect job in event planning and is looking forward to a possible promotion from her job in L.A. to head of the soon to be opened satellite business in New York. Everything seems perfect, so she decides to finally let loose and blow off some steam. Only, which dancing with a stranger she makes a huge mistake and ends up caught in a tabloid scandal. To try to dust herself off, buy back favor from clients, and for a much needed break, Morgan returns to her hometown. A hometown she ran away from years earlier, with no dreams of returning. Hopefully, she can come in for her job, gain some much needed good publicity, and avoid the father she never felt cared for her and the girl who broke her heart.

This is like the quintessential holiday romance. It has everything you could want in a swoon worthy, snowy, tree capped Christmas town. Morgan is a workaholic avoiding her emotions and a painful past. She just goes through the motions and only seems to find joy in doing a great job. She has closed herself off from others for fear of rejection and it is actually quite sad. Her pain was so palpable on the page, I just wanted to wrap her up in a warm hug. So, even if it seems she was being overly evasive of her past and those in it, you begin to understand the real hurt and heartache she is trying to avoid.

Rachel Reed, the girl who broke Moran's heart, oh my gosh!!!! Her plaid, her tree chopping, her overall sunshine demeanor. This girl is a dream and it is completely understandable how Morgan fell in love with her in the first place. As you get to know Rachel a little better, you see cracks in her heart, the pain she has also endured. The reasons for her falling out with Morgan are heart breaking. These two women were fractured by figures they trusted and loved most. Unfortunately, their own past traumas lead to all of their misunderstandings and inability to truly communicate and be honest with one another.

I felt like I was in tears for these two women throughout this novel. Morgan's fears that she is not enough for anyone to actually want her, honestly had me welling up. This is a story that seems cookie cutter Hallmark, but is really an exercise in healing. Morgan has to confront her hard past in order to grow and to truly feel loved and love others in return. It was so beautiful and truly added to the romance of the novel.

I loved the found family that Morgan has acquired through the years. From her supportive boss, to her wonderful coworker, to her high school best friend Ben, and Rachel's older brother Adam. As well as, the confident bar owner (Tanner) and bubbly coworker of Rachel's (Whitney), who also has a fairy side hustle (honestly the best!). Morgan also has a wonderful motherly figure in the host of the B&B she worked at when she was younger, Mrs. Hart. This book is about a whole community working together to heal a town, and to heal the hearts of two women who truly deserve happiness.

There was a bit of cheese in there, but it would not be a holiday romance if there wasn't. But, don't forget, there was also steam, and not just from all the delicious sounding beverages either! A holiday must read in my opinion. Cannot wait for the next in the Fern Falls series.

A quintessential christmas romance! I LOVED Fern Falls and Morgan and Rachel and Ben and Adam and I'm so excited for the rest of this series!
I do wish this book was dual POV, because I feel like having Rachel's perspective during key moments could've really added to their chemistry and development. But I loved being inside Morgan's head and understanding where her hurt and fears come from.
All in all a fantastic debut from a debut author who surely has amazing stories to tell in the future! I can't wait for Ben and Adam's story!!

There’s not enough sapphic romance so when I got the chance to read this I was very excited. This book kind of fell in the middle for me. The romance was believable and had you cheering for the two but they story itself didn’t stick with me

Thanks so much for the opportunity to review this ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

This book is such a precious warm mug of hot chocolate, and it's perfect for wintry fun. I loved Morgan's sweet, spunky nature, and she's a relatable protagonist. I also love Kae's representation of bi, queer, and BIPOC characters. This reads like a sexy version of Hallmark with much more depth and heartbreak.

This is a very sweet novel! The plot is not the most intense, but it still keeps you interested and it's great for times when you want to read a book that's calmer!
Morgan and Rachel's romance was amazing! They are one of the best couples I've read about!
The ending was also pretty satisfying and I think fans of Hallmark movies will love this book!

I received this book for free from Netgalley for an honest review. Very cute and sweet. I'm happy I read it.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

This book was great, enjoyed.

This was a great second chance romance! I loved the secondary characters and the snowy small town. It was a cute and fun read! It was steamy and the characters had fantastic chemistry! It was cozy and a great winter read.