Such a wonderful read. I wasn't expecting it to be a closed door romance but I found the concept to be unique. It wasn't a new favorite and it took me a bit to get into it, but it was sweet and special for the holiday season.

Right book, wrong time.

I went into “Season of Love” thinking it would be another light, fun holiday rom com. Heads up, it’s not.

There are tough topics in this book, from death of a family member, to past abuse, grief, and alcoholism, don’t let the pink cover fool you.

I did love the found family trope here, but we can also mix in the classic miscommunication trope.

Also - I felt like it just kind of dragged at the end while we settled up all the plot lines.

I saw the summary of the book and knew I had to read it immediately. I flew through this book and it got me out of a bad reading slump. I loved the plot and how the book unfolded. The characters were well-written and I loved the main couple.

Why did it take me so long to read this? Season of Love is emotional, romantic, super cute, and tons of fun! I loved the premise, all of the characters, and the holiday vibes!

When Miriam’s Great-Aunt Cass dies and leaves Cass her Christmas tree farm, she has no plans of actually staying and running the tree farm. What she doesn’t expect is the farm was also partially left to the manager, Noelle, AND the farm was failing. Now she has to learn to work with Noelle, who is her complete opposite, and find a way to save the farm.

I loved all of the holiday joy in this book - I loved the Jewish representation in what has been a sea of Christmas themed holiday books. Plus a Christmas tree farm is one of my favorite holiday book settings! Noelle and Miram’s relationship was complicated in many ways, and seeing their journey was especially beautiful because of the complexity. While they were really forced together due to the death of a mutual loved one, yet the trauma they had each experienced in their lives kept them from letting each other in. To see them slowly work through the trauma, let their walls down, and begin to trust each other, both in business and in love was so great.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advance copy.

This was my last read of 2022, and while I loved the premise of this book, some of the character work left a lot to be desired.

First, I usually love an enemies to lovers story and a grumpy love interest, but Noelle was just flat out mean. I get that she has trust issues, but the way she’s painted a picture of Miriam before she ever meets her, and then is completely rude to her over and over again was really disheartening. Noelle does this several times during the book, and while it’s likely a trauma response, I feel like the immediate forgiveness after each of these incidents (and even Miriam blaming herself for Noelle’s meanness) was really toxic and made it hard to root for them as a couple.

Second, this book didn’t fall into the romcom genre for me. It seemed like more of a drama, especially with all the discussions around emotional abuse. I don’t mind reading a heavier book, but it definitely felt like it was pushed as a light holiday read, and ended up not being that at all.

Despite these issues, I’m still glad I read the book and feel like I would recommend it to others with the caveat that it’s a heavy read. I loved the Jewish and queer rep in this book, and hope to see more books like this published in the future.

I liked the concept of this story as well as its diversity. However, I wanted more depth. At times the story seemed rushed - as was the slow flame of attraction between the two potential lovers.

I wanted to close out the year with a review of Season of Love. Thank you to @foreverpub for my #gifted copy.

Miriam Blum has started making a life for herself. She's engaged a lovely South Carolinian socialiate and her art career is thriving. Then, she finds out her great-aunt, Cass has died and quickly returns to the farm for the funeral. Miriam finds out Cass left part of the farm to a very hot, fat, lumberjack butch named Noelle and the business is failing. The two of them have to work together to save the farm!

There is delightful representation of Jewish faith and I love the comedy of having a Jewish family owning a Christmas farm. Noelle is also fat which is great to see fat, queer Jewish rep!

What I particularly loved about this novel is the character development and growth. We start the novel with Miriam Blum who appears as though she has it all - beautiful finance, and thriving art career. But that facade is slowly peeled away and see Miriam's healing journey. The same is true of Noelle who is managing the challenges of her parent's death, the death of Cass and her sobriety. Both of these character change and growth throughout the novel.

The romances are handled with care. Love is never presented as a "cure," and love does magically heal the trauma. Both works through their issues together. The 3rd act conflict (that we all expect with a romance) was authentic and true to these character's journey. So many times the author uses the famous miscommunication trope - but their conflict was meaningful and clearly lead to a deeper connection between both of them.

I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it! My only complaint is that the cover suggests a light-hearted rom-com but this book packs an emotional punch. This is a story about healing from familial trauma, learning to be vulnerable again, and finding love in chosen family.

When Miriam Blum’s great-aunt Cass dies, she goes back to visit her family for the first time in 10 years. While there, Miriam learns that she has inherited Cass’s Jewish-run Christmas tree farm with her cousin and the grumpy manager of the farm. On top of that, they learn that the farm is in danger of going under. Noelle Northwood is the manager of the farm. She doesn’t trust Miriam since she’s come back after being away from her family for so long. All that Noelle knows is that Miriam wasn’t there when her family needed her, so she really doesn’t want to fall for her. Noelle, Miriam, and Miriam’s cousin Hannah have to work together to put aside their differences to save the farm.

This was a fun holiday rom com! I loved all the quirky characters. They were all distinct and had their own storylines, which leaves open the possibility of more books in a series.

The characters celebrated many holidays from October to January. They celebrated both Jewish and Christian holidays. Miriam’s family was Jewish, but since they work at a Christmas farm with Christians, they also celebrated Christmas all together. It was fun to see so much celebration in a holiday story!

Season of Love is a fun holiday story!

Thank you Forever for providing a digital copy of this book.

4 stars

A Christmas tree-farm run by Jews, in a town called Advent. What could be more interesting than that? Cass Carrigan was a larger-than-life eccentric figure whose passing has forced her niece, Miriam to return home after years of estrangement. Miriam has a cozy life in Charleston, with her fiancé Tara and her antique upcycling business. But, cozy doesn't mean fulfilled and their engagement is more of a business deal than a love match. The cracks in Miriam's life start to show when she returns to Carrigan's and finds out that she has inherited one-fourth of the place. Can she let the tree farm die and go back to her life in Charleston? Or is there more in store for her?

There is so much great representation in this book - Jewish tradition and a whole spectrum of LGBTQIA+ characters. I just felt that the book was longer than it needed to be, or I would have given it more stars.

Thank you Forever/Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Season of Love gives off Christmas amd holiday vibes also with some Jewish rep. It was a quick read but also focuses on some more serious topics (content warnings for past abuse, grief, parental estrangement, alcoholism, death of family member).
After the misunderstanding and miscommunication between Miriam and Noelle, I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow and seeing how they would save the Christmas Tree Farm.
Personally I prefer my holiday books to be more lighthearted, but Season of Love shows the reality that could be behind some families during the holidays with their past & current traumas.
Thank you Forever and NetGalley for my copy.

SEASON OF LOVE by Helena Greer was a heartfelt romance that I really enjoyed this holiday season. I was completely invested in the cast of characters and rooted for them all the way through to the end. What a delight!

A super sweet romance with a Jewish MC and a fat butch love interest - both of which are rarities in mainstream romance novels that I've seen! I loved so much of this novel - the B characters were engaging and funny, the storyline was well crafted, and the chemistry felt believable. The only thing that I was disappointed by was the fade to black scenes (personal preference) and the fact that Hanukkah was glossed over almost completely it seemed. I would have loved to see more of that in the work!

What a delight, full of holiday cheer and hard truths and love. So much love, and so many kinds of love, and forgiveness. I adored Miriam and Noelle, and I need Hannah and Levi's story ASAP!

Season of Love by Helena Greer was one of my very favorites. Miriam is forced to return to her family Christmas tree farm after her Aunt Cass dies. Aunt Cass leaves part of her Jewish-run tree farm to Miriam who steps in to help revive the struggling business.

I loved the small town Christmas setting of this f/f romance. The interwoven backgrounds of trauma and the effect on Miriam and Noelle’s romance made this so much deeper than a lot of romance.

I liked that Miriam found her passion again and gained support from her found family to move forward with her life.

Mark this one down for your holiday list next year! I am hoping we see Hannah and Levi’s story next.

Thank you to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the e-arc.

This was another quick Christmas read!I really liked the romance between the characters and the plot! I look forward to trying another Helena Greer book in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

This is the perfect sapphic holiday romance to indulge in this winter. I laughed, I cried and I enjoyed myself so much. You get a lovely small town romance between two women that are complete opposites, but their chemistry and attraction to one another is inevitable. There’s nothing I love more than a slow burn romance between a sunshine and a grump. Especially in a holiday romance. I also loved & appreciated the Jewish rep. Aside from the romance, there is a lot of growth and healing with the MCs. There is mention on past trauma, emotional & financial abuse that was experienced and how it was overcome. Which makes this read that much more important & special. Seeing the pain they’ve suffered to how they healed, found love and a new found family, definitely touched my heart. I absolutely loved and recommend this book. At the beginning of the book there is a page dedicated to content guidance/trigger warnings, which I appreciated very much.

Season of Love is Helena Greer's debut novel, and I can't wait to see what she writes next. This was impossible to put down.

Miriam inherits part of a Christmas tree farm (Carrigan's) from her great aunt who just passed away. She has been to Carrigan's in years, a decision she made for her own mental health. In coming back for the first time in years she has a lot to work through. I thought this was really well done, sometimes Miriam made beautfiul progress, but there were also set backs.

Noelle has worked at Carrigan's for years, and also inherited part of the Christmas tree farm. She wants nothing to do with Miriam, but secretly is into her. She also has things to work through, before her and Miriam can get their happily ever after.

Miriam's whole family is Jewish, so there is a more heavy presence of Jewish practices, Christmas is really more of a background in the story. I loved the blend that was achieved here.

I loved the Jewish and queer rep in this Hallmark-esque holiday romance. How can you not adore a book with a Jewish heroine named Miriam who falls for a Christmas tree-loving lumberjill named Noelle?!

Season of Love has something for everyone - enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, dysfunctional family dynamics, Christmas, Jewish traditions, a cat named Kringle and lots of drama with a chaser of humor. I really hope we get a sequel with Hannah and Levi's story....

Thanks to Forever for the copy to review.

What an absolute delight of a slow burn, found family sapphic romance. SEASON OF LOVE is set at Carrigan's Christmasland tree farm, a Jewish owned and operated small farm in upstate New York. Miriam and Noelle are such unique characters unpacking and healing from their own deep childhood traumas--Miriam an abusive and controlling father who mangled her painting career and Noelle alcoholic parents who never chose her first. While this book is a beautiful romance and mostly follows the romance plot arc, it is also deeply about Noelle and Miriam's own journeys of healing and their missteps along the way. It is about forgiveness and choosing to grow alongside and hold space for each other's faults.

Carrigan's was such a beautiful setting and honestly felt like a character in and of itself. I so wish it were a real place and will be chasing the feeling of togetherness and quirky inclusion that encapsulated Carrigan's each and every holiday season.

I absolutely loved seeing a sober main character in a mainstream queer romance.