Sadly, after trying and trying, I have concluded that this author is not for me. I chalk that up purely to my brain because there’s a lot I intellectually like here, but I have had a difficult time getting swept away in the story. I am putting this down as a DNF but wouldn’t discourage others from reading.

I ended up DNF this book because the more I read the more annoyed I was at the characters and story in general. Which is a shame because on paper this sounds like the perfect book for me but sadly didn’t hold up to the hype.

This one was really sweet, and an excellent holiday queer romance. Its closed door nature was also nice, because I don't need the explicit scenes to enjoy the story. I think it was well written, and I look forward to more from this author in the future. It just gave me the best Christmas romance vibes.

I had picked this up and put it down several times. I usually adore holiday romances, but for some reason, this was just not working for me. Pluses were that it reminded me of a Hallmark holiday movie which is a fantastic thing in my book, but I think there was too much drama for me. I am a lover of low drama. I know there are readers who will love the tropes and drama, though.

This was sweet but angsty book. I went in knowing nothing about it expect that it involved a Christmas tree farm, so I wasn’t expecting it to be about two characters who have a lot of trauma and trust issues coming together and trying to make it work. I enjoyed the book, although I think it was a bit repetitive at times with how much they went over their feelings, a little more could’ve ended up on the cutting floor to make it tighter. But I was entertained and the side characters were fun and engaging, which I’ve notice lately isn’t as common on newer contemporary books. I’m looking forward to the next book.

Great book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The characters and plot were realistic. I would Recommend this book to others.

#SeasonOfLove:

First off, if you’re not singing Rent, who are you?

I tried doing a Christmas in July, but it’s now May, a whole two years later and we’re still nowhere with the book I started and put down several times.

Was it cute? Yes. Did I like what I read? Absolutely. Did I still throw it away like Andy did with Woody whenever Buzz Lightyear came into view and said “I don’t want to pay with you anymore?” Guilty.

Here I am to do a review to give it justice. I said I was Andy in the review, not Jesse’s previous owner (that monster)

I swooned, I squealed, I kicked my feet up with giggles. It’s a good romantic holiday fun. Is it your typical run of the mill holiday romance? Yeah, but it’s still enjoyable for sure.

Every year, I intend to read a bunch of queer holiday romances in December, but I don’t usually follow through with it. The holiday romances that I have read were often flops, which doesn’t help. This year, I gathered together my collection of sapphic holiday romance novels and sampled each one. I ended up picking Season of Love because I clicked with the first few pages the most, and I’m so glad I did.

When I think of holiday romances, I think fluff. So I was a little trepidatious about diving into this one, because it is not the lightest of romance reads: it’s fundamentally a story about grief, trauma, and the damage that comes with it. Even the romance starts with a lot of tension: despite being immediately attracted to each other, Miriam and Noelle immediately bump heads, to the point where Miriam thinks Noelle hates her—which isn’t entirely inaccurate, at first.

Even when they are able to get past that initial tension, Miriam and Noelle do run into (believable) road blocks in their relationship. Their trauma has resulted in them having clashing instincts, like Miriam wanting to run at the first sign of danger, and Noelle fearing abandonment. They have to work to overcome that—but they are also compatible and have a lot of chemistry, so it felt worth it.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that this tension and darkness just added depth to this holiday love story, though. Maybe that’s why I was having such bad luck picking up Christmas romances: I actually don’t need it to be all fluff to enjoy it.

Season of Love also has an interesting contrast in its setting: the Christmas tree farm that Miriam, Noelle, and Miriam’s cousins inherit is a Christmas wonderland of over-the-top decorations, just outside the town of Advent. It’s dripping in Christmas charm. But it’s run by a Jewish family (Miriam is Jewish), which adds more depth to the setting and doesn’t let it become too cloyingly Christmas.

Another aspect I loved about this story is right there on the front cover: Noelle is a fat butch woman who Miriam is incredibly attracted to. Despite reading a lot of lesbian and sapphic books, I still don’t see fat butch women celebrated as love interests very often.

That leads me to my only, very minor, complaint: this is a closed door romance, which normally I don’t mind, but we spent so long hearing about the sexual tension between them that I was a little disappointed to have it resolve in a fade to black scene, especially because fat butches have so little representation in romance and erotica.

I’m really glad I read this over the holidays, and as long as you’re up for a holiday romance that isn’t pure fluff, I highly recommend it.

Season of Love is a great holiday read! It’s light with just the right amount of angst and emotional pieces.

The characters are easy to feel for. They’re realistic and relatable. The writing style was easy to read and perfect for this kind of story.

Can’t wait to read more of Helena Greer’s work! Thanks NetGalley and Forever for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are way own.

This was excellent!!! The characters were so unique and well rounded. I didn"t ever want to put it down.

✨ PRINCEMAN REVIEW ✨

📝 Miriam wanted to avoid all things with her family until her great-aunt passes and leaves her the Christmas Tree Farm. Unfortunately, the business is at risk of going under, and Miriam is forced to work with Noelle--the grumpy farm manager. Noelle wants Miriam to leave. She wasn't involved before, so why should she be now?

What I 🤍:
🎄 Christmas Tree Farm
🕎 Jewish Rep
💞 Close Proximity
💪 Strong Friendships
🏔️ Handling Grief

I ADORED this book! It's the absolute perfect combination of a small town romance with character growth. Every single character I fell in love with, and the romance was believable. I wish I could travel to Carrigan's, and I felt this should be a Hallmark movie.

Overall, this story is perfect for those wanting the sweet, feel-good holiday romance with an emotional punch.

Season of Love has everything I love about a cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie, plus a quirky cast of queer characters that I fell in love with. I wanted to hop into the book and spend a holiday season at Carrigan's. This is definitely going to go into my annual Christmas book re-reading rotation.

When Miriam’s great-aunt Cass passes away, she inherits a one-fourth of her Jewish’s family’s Christmas tree-farm. Miriam has spent the last few years avoiding her father, so she plans to sit shive, avoid her parents, and get back to her real life as soon as possible. When she finds out that the farm is in risk of going under, she must work with her cousin and Noelle (the farm’s grumpy manager). Noelle Miriam to leave but her ideas might just save Carrigan’s - and they might just fall in love.

I listened to the audiobook, and I really enjoyed this! I liked it more than I thought I would - like if I were describe it in one word: heartwarming.

This was a really sweet sapphic slow burn with a Jewish MC who inherits a Christmas tree farm.

I did a hybrid read and I absolutely loved both of the narrators.

I’ve never read a book before where one of the characters is already in a fake relationship at the beginning of the book and honestly my mind was so blown and I loved it.

Steam: Kissing only/closed door

Thank you to the publisher for the finished copy of this book.

✨ Review ✨ Season of Love by Helena Greer

Absolutely loved this book! A Jewish family running a Christmas tree farm - a total delight! I loved Miriam's wacky art, her supportive ex, Noelle's ax-swinging butch flannel, and just all of the adorableness of these friends and family members banding together to figure things out.

This book puts a lot of weight on mental health, healthy boundaries and relationships, and healing trauma from the past. I loved how open the author and characters are about these topics and made it feel really warm and authentic even with the tough topics.

On top of that the whole Christmas tree farm + Jewish family celebrations was truly a delight of a mash up. I jumped right into her sequel after this one and will be following her writing from now on!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4.25)
Genre: f/f contemporary romance
Setting: rural NY

Thanks to Forever and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

Season of Love was an emotional story with Hallmark vibes. I appreciate including the Christmas and Jewish holidays in this book. We need more books like this!

A very endearing holiday romance containing so many topics you don't see often together in books - LGBTQ+ representation, family trauma, plus-sized character, Jewish culture, Christmas trees, and more! This is the first book of this kind that I read and I liked the way the author developed the characters and the heavy themes about family. I also really enjoyed how much culture plays a role in this book.

This was very different for me and I enjoyed it. Thanks so much to the Forever team and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book!

3.5

I really had so much fun with this story overall. It did take a me a minute to connect with the characters though so that knocked some stars off.

The slow build of their relationship really was delightful though.

Season of Love by Helena Greer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
…
This book was heavier than I thought it would be but it was still somehow lighthearted. Miriam experienced family trauma that caused her to leave her hometown. She goes back only after learning of a death in the family and discovering she is now part owner of their Jewish-run Christmas tree farm. The family is religiously Jewish and practices the faith while celebrating the beauty and decorations of the Christmas spirit. While trying to save the farm, Miriam also meets Noelle, the manager who she can’t help but be extremely attracted to. This book is light on the spice and filled with found family, love, and support. I enjoyed the characters, Miriam’s growth, and the beauty of the town coming together to save the farm 🎄. |Brit|

I absolutely LOVED this book. Season of Love is basically a giant warm hug and I'm so happy to have read it. I really loved watching Miriam and Noelle work through their issues and grow as people both together and separately. The family feelings as well as the romance hit JUST right in all ways. I'm so excited to read more from this author in the future.