A funny romance, a found family love story, a great holiday read! Love that this covers Christmas, Hanukkah, sobriety, family issues, and love so well.

What I Liked: Despite featuring two characters with deep, emotional trauma, this book still managed to be light and hopeful. I loved that Greer decided to write a faithful Jewish character and that Christmas, while always in the background, wasn’t the main focus. I loved that Noelle was a proud Butch character, something not seen often in romances, and that everyone else wasn’t a cookie-cutter romance character. The mutual respect Miriam and Noelle have for each other was a delight to read and the theme of generational trauma was well-written and thoughtful.

What I Didn’t Like: I don’t like it when authors over explain things because I feel it takes the reader away from the world the author is trying to create, but in the case of this book, I think some more information would have been beneficial. There were times when I thought I had missed something or that this book was part of a series because characters were mentioned that weren’t in the book and moments that happened in the past I felt needed some context. There was also a bit of a repetitive nature to the story, especially towards the middle, with scenes of Miriam and Noelle seemingly having the same conversations over and over. There were just too many scenes of them weighing the pros and cons of getting together that when they finally do, I was almost over it. I also had trouble buying their relationship in the end because there isn’t much build up to the romance and their getting together felt rushed.

Who Should Read It: Those looking for a no-traditional Christmas romance will want to pick this one up, as well as fans of romances that aren’t afraid to deal with heavy topics

Review Wrap Up: Not all holiday-themed romanced need to be about Christmas, nor do they need to be light and fluffy and this book proves that you can have a holiday story that deals with heavy topics while still managing to bring the festive cheer. This won’t be for everyone-the trauma may be too much for some-but if you want to take a chance on something different this season, you should give this book a try.


Favorite Quote: “She realized she’d forgotten what it felt like to have someone who had been with you for all of your past, who understood who you’d been at every point of your life.”

“You have a deeply strange soul, and it’s pretty incredible.”

“Sometimes we’re too ashamed of our secrets to tell them to the people we most want to love us.”

The thing I enjoyed most about Season of Love was how it managed to be both festive and still very grounded. Miriam’s and Noelle’s relationship to Carrigan’s was more about having a sense of “home” because of the company they keep there and their connection to Cass (the deceased previous owner), and not because of the “magic” of the holiday. Having a Jewish character who grew up working around Christmas trees infused the story with matter of fact-ness was that was refreshing. I also appreciate that all the characters had real problems and real emotions to work through, dealing with past trauma and more recent grief. There were no easy answers for anyone, which I appreciated. That being said, I do think the book was perhaps a bit too ambitious in scope, and by trying to devote enough time to properly flesh out all of the characters and plot lines, the overall story and pace may have suffered a bit under that weight. For example, the book devoted significant time to Miriam working through relationship issues with 3 different people (her mother, her cousin, and her fiancé) not to mention her trauma from her father’s abuse, and navigating her budding relationship with Noelle. As much as I enjoyed both Hannah and Tara as characters, their roles could have been cut down and still been impactful. There were also several side characters competing for time and attention. I’m not sure if we got to know Noelle as well as we did Miriam as a consequence. I’m also not sure if the romance changed the characters as much as being at Carrigan’s did. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just also points to the fact that other characters (Carrigan’s included) took up more space in the story than the central relationship did. Perhaps that is why I ultimately had trouble at times staying fully invested in their relationship? I’m not sure, I’m still trying to pinpoint. Overall it was a good debut, and I look forward to more from this author. We chose this book as a selection for our December book club. I look forward to getting other’s thoughts about this book!

Clearly I read a different book to everyone else

- no character depth / development

- every main event has a bunch of buildup and then it fizzles out after 1 page

- literally no chemistry between the two protagonists

- far too many characters who mostly felt interchangeable

- it took forever to read and virtually nothing happened. Just a whole bunch of words on pages

- the dialogue was not how people talk. half the time it felt like the characters were spouting lines from a therapist??

- it just sucked all over. the only thing I liked was the bi woman x lesbian rep but I didn't even like them! I didn't care about their relationship and tbh they were better off apart!

MIRIAM AND NOELLE HAVE MY ENTIRE HEART

I was promised sapphic love and a hallmark movie in book form and it DELIVERED holy cow!!!! Miriam is an artist who left her aunt’s farm 10 years ago and never looked back…until her aunt passes away unexpectedly and she decides to go home. Luckily for Miriam, her dad remains absent but unluckily, her eccentric aunt left her Jewish great-niece a fourth of a share of her christmas tree farm and inn. Sharing the inheritance is her cousin Hannah, her childhood best friend Levi (who is absent still), and Noelle the tree lady. Noelle resents Miriam for leaving her wonderful family, abandoning them when they needed her most- until Miriam arrives and Noelle can’t resist falling more and more for her. They have a lot to deal with including impending bankruptcy, Miriam’s fear of her father, getting the cousins on board with their plan for Carrigan’s, Hannah’s devastation over Levi breaking her heart, not to mention their grief about losing their North Star, Cass. It was chaotic and full of holiday goodness and healing and falling in messy love and I loved every single second. And the COVER! So festive!

Especially enthralling to me were the side characters and the found family aspect of this story. The Matthews family are the best surrogate parents, the Green family are adorable, and Cole is the best friend we all want and need. The DEPTH. The LOVE. I couldn’t have found a better story to read going into the holiday season!

Season of Love is s novel written by someone named Helena that is about a Jewish woman who inherits a Christmas Tree Farm. This had my name written all over it. (Both literally and figuratively).

First off, let me say that I loved that the book was broken into sections by timeline of Jewish holidays. As someone who works in a synagogue, this is totally how my brain works, and it made me smile. There were mentions of Hanukkah and Miriam's synagogue peppered through the novel, but there wasn't much Jewish content in the novel. I was surprised at how little of the novel actually centered around the Christmas season and how Hanukkah didn't get more focus.

The reader gets a beautiful sense of the found (and some blood) family present at Carrigan's. It's clear that Cass created a warm environment that attracted people. However, the platonic love between Miriam and her friends Cole and Hannah (who is also her cousin) almost overshadow the romance that Hannah has with Noelle. I rooted for Miriam and Noelle all the way, but I found Miriam's other relationships more compelling.

There is something so satisfying about a romance novel about a Jewish-owned Christmas tree farm. I enjoyed reading Seasons of Love, and I hope that the team at Carrigan's gets a sequel. (I mean, the end of the epilogue is a cliffhanger...)

Great, well-embodied characters and really vivid scene-setting. A good balance of fluff and fun alongside the more serious elements. I look forward to reading more from this author!

I read this in a day! I absolutely loved everything about it! What an amazing Jewish Christmas F/F love story! Set just outside of the small town of Advent Carrigan’s has everything you need for the holidays! From a fresh cut tree, to fresh baked Jewish pastries!

Greer does an excellent job of tackling how past traumas show up in relationships and how to overcome them by facing them head on, trusting in yourself and leaning on those who show up for you. I absolutely loved Miriam and Noelle’s story! I can’t wait for Hannah and Blue’s debut!

I really wish Carrigan’s was a real destination, as I’d love to meet this charming cast of characters!

Miriam Blum returns to her hometown after her beloved aunt Cass passes away. She is shocked that Cass left her as a part owner of Carrigan’s, the tree farm that Miriam used to love to visit when she was younger. Upon learning that Carrigan's is struggling, she decides to stay and finds herself at odds with Noelle Northwood, who takes care of all the trees on the farm. Noelle wants Miriam to leave, but the latter is determined to prove her worth. I enjoyed the romance in the story. I also feel that a big star of the book was Carrigan's itself. The way Greer writes about the place makes it feel like a home that anyone would be lucky to experience!

I thought for sure this was going to be my next favorite holiday read. So much information is thrown at the reader so fast that made me wonder if the whole book would be like that. Unfortunately it wasn’t. I felt the best part of the story was in the first 30%. The rest felt like filler. Still a cute read, but needed more fire and less filler.

Rating: 4

OMG! This book was SO cute. I wanted a book to get me into the holiday mood and this one was perfect for doing that. I loved both of the main characters. They each had their own issues and differences but when they came together they complimented each other well. This book had me smiling so much which hasn’t been the case during my books lately. It really felt like a breath of fresh air. It also truly made me want to visit a Christmas tree farm! I’ve never actually been to one but I’ve always wanted to. Even though this book was super sweet it did cover some heavy topics so please check out the trigger warnings just in case. I liked that the author made her characters have what some might consider flaws because it added more backstory and depth for them. We see the characters grow throughout the story which was nice to see and it also makes the reader feel more invested not just in the romance but in the characters individually. Overall, I would definitely recommend this one. I think it would make a super cute Hallmark movie! It was well written, the pacing was on point, and it will get you excited for the holidays.

Thank you so much for the gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book. It is a sappic FF romance about a family that is thrown into upheaval when there is a death and the Christmas Tree farm is left to a group of people to try and figure out how to run together. There are old wounds that need to be healed to save this farm and bring unity back to the famly. I also enjoyed that it was a Jewish family that ran the Christmas Tree farm, it was interesting to see how the provided Christmas for the community but celebrated their own faith in the family. I loved this book and it might be a holiday season yearly read for me,

I enjoyed this debut from Helena Greer. It’s a FF holiday closed-door romance, featuring a fat MC and a Jewish MC for whom Judaism is actively practiced on the page.

When her aunt dies and unexpectedly leaves her part of a Christmas tree farm, Miriam Blum heads to the Adirondacks. While there, she meets Noelle Northwood who has been managing the tree farm for ten years in Miriam’s absence. They’re thrown together to save the farm, work through their grief and family baggage, and fall in love.

I appreciated the found family element of this book a lot, particularly in light of the grief and trauma Noelle and Miriam are navigating. The Christmas tree farm plot is starting to feel a bit overplayed, but that felt like subplot amid the other storylines going on here. The pacing felt off to me at times and I found myself skimming through the last 20%. I did like the setup for perhaps a second book about Hannah and Levi.

Content warnings: Miriam’s father is emotionally abusive and manipulative; Noelle is an alcoholic but is sober on page

Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Sapphic romance set on a Christmas tree farm? Eat your heart out Hallmark! This sweet queer romance features lots of mutual pining and forced proximity.

This book was so charming and heartfelt. It was hard to read in some places because I could relate to Miriam’s pain from dealing with an emotionally abusive parent, but I like that the book didn’t shy away from her trauma.

Season of Love felt more like a book about Miriam finding herself and less of a romance, but the mutual pining between Miriam and Noelle was really sweet if not a bit on the side of insta-love. Overall, this book was really fun and genuine and gives me lots of warm Christmas fuzzies.

Thank you to @ReadForeverPub and @NetGalley for the ARC!

“What is all of this for, except making our wildest dreams come true?”

SEASON OF LOVE is like a Santa/elf fic but with a lesbian Christmas tree farmer and a bisexual Jewish artist. This is a very sweet slow burn sapphic romance, the pairing at first prickly then tender, but was a bit of a miss for me personally in some ways.

Things I liked:
- “We gotta save the family farm” trope
- Another addition to the gay do therapy canon
- Fat butch rep! With an actual fat butch illustrated on the cover!
- Superficially Christmas-y and deeply, beautifully Jewish
- Much healing of childhood wounds
- Snarky meddlesome older women and a very perfect very fluffy cat

Things I didn't like:
- The switch from annoyance to acknowledging feelings/openly pining was too quick for me; it felt jarring and anticlimactic
- Tonal shifts were jumpy sometimes, from comedic to heavy to downright absurd (still don’t understand why cocaine needed to be involved)

Thanks to Forever Books for the review copy!

Content warnings: addiction/alcoholism, death of a loved one, grief, abuse (from a parent)

This book was so sweet and sexy and heartfelt and super creative and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was so impressed by the way the trauma that the characters in this book had lived through was handled, as well as the beautiful combination of jewish traditions and christmas traditions were displayed. All of the side characters were just as enjoyable as the main ones. Overall I would HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone who likes cheesy sapphic holiday rom coms (which, come on, should be everyone).

This was LOVELY! I loved the slow burn to whirlwind romance vibe, and the personal growth demonstrated by both characters was amazing. I loved the side characters too, my only gripe was that there were too many names to keep track of with not enough context given around each one (Ask me who the Rosensteins are and I fully would not be able to tell you). But like where’s my Noelle?!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It put me in a Christmas mood!

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH! As a Queer Jewish person it was so refreshing to see that in a holiday romance. I'll share more on Goodreads, but thank you for the opportunity to read this story!c

A👋🏻queer👋🏻Jewish👋🏻romance👋🏻 Need I say more?? Okay, I'll say a little bit more!

This book is fun, and cute, but it is deep too. It deals with some heavier topics (emotional abuse, alcoholism, grief, child/domestic abuse, toxic relationships) so be prepared for that going in.

I am impressed that this is a debut! Despite the heavier topics (so much family trauma) I really enjoyed this holiday read. I was joking for amore lighthearted read, but I still liked this one, especially the small town vibes.

"I love you, immensely, overwhelmingly." 💕

𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧: Helena Greer
𝙋𝙪𝙗 𝘿𝙖𝙮: out now!!

Thank you Read Forever Pub / Grand Central Publishing for this e-ARC!