In book one of this series, we see struggling Christmas tree farm owner, Stella, ask her BFF Luka to pose as her fake boyfriend. Why, one might ask? Because Stella entered a contest with an influencer to gain publicity for the farm and potentially the $100k prize, but on her application she painted the location as the picture of romance that she ran with her boyfriend. Of course, these two have been pining over each other essentially since they met, taking the friends-to-lovers trope into what my good friend @twiceuponabook calls "idiots-to-lovers" territory. Full of holiday cheer, pining, and a bit of mystery, this book is a solid read through-and-through, and a definite must-read for KU subscribers. If it weren't for our heroine's bit of idiocy at the very end, it would have been a 10/10, but we must dock a point off for the pure cloud of denial Stella stayed in way too long. I cannot wait to read the rest of this series!

Thanks to Berkley for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

Lovelight Farms by B. Borison, published by Berkley Publishing Group is the first book in the new Lovelight Series. The book is a stand-alone without a cliffhanger.
Stella is the proud owner of a christmas farm. Her dreams came true, but now she's failing, needs help like yesterday. So she decides she needs a fake boyfriend because of reasons and who shall the choosen be? No other than Luka, her best friend since forever.
A witty and fun read, exceptionally well written that gripped me right from the start.

A fun friends to lovers romp that happens to read like a Hallmark movie. Stella has a Christmas tree farm and to keep it in the black, she enters a social media contest, but may have mentioned she had a boyfriend who co-owned the farm with her. Her BFF, Luka steps in to play the role of said boyfriend - only it becomes harder to tell where the pretending ends for both of them. Lots of humor and heartfelt moments in this book, with some great secondary characters whose story will come as this this is the start of a series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Chelsea at Berkley for a re-read of this lovely book in time for its updated release in June 2023. It reads like a comforting mug of cocoa, a warm hug of a book.

Back in December I was sorely in need of a nice seasonal listen, as the year had been tough. I was like "yes i will listen to this short, adorable Christmas fluff centering around fake dating friends to lovers". And then Lovelight Farms hit me like a train.

This book SERVED.

It was unexpectedly full of incredibly well-written, drawn-out sexual tension, and eventually very hot scenes. Cozy, sexy, low-conflict. It was great. I don't know when else I've read friends to lovers done quite so well.

Tropes- best friends to lovers, fake dating, small town, slow burn, Christmas vibes, found family, single 1st person POV, amazing secondary characters

This book is sweet and cute and lovely<33
I absolutely a fan of friends to lovers, fake dating & this book does it so well💖

Thank you for the review copy

I was looking forward to a low-key, Hallmark style romance, but was quickly turned off by the main character's naivete. She bought a business but had no knowledge of its significant debts. And her business sense to become solvent is to enter a social media contest. Yeah, sure.

Style-wise, first person, single POV didn't work for this story.. Just way too stuck in her head.

eARC provided for review via NetGalley.

Oh, wow, kudos to whomever discovered this author because SHA-ZAM they are GOOD. Like, so good I am ready for the next 10 books. Give me more.

Lovelight farms is everything I wanted it to be and more. Fake dating, humor, romance, badass female protagonist, dreamy Christmas tree farm setting.. I only wish I had read this in the holiday season. And if we're talking wishes, I'd love to read a similar book with a pumpkin patch setting

This was, undoubtedly, my favorite Christmas read of the year. ❤❤

Christmas tree farms? ✔
Slooooooooow burn romance? ✔
Fake dating? ✔
Kittens? ✔
Adorable side characters? ✔

4.5 Stars: Stella Bloom has loved Christmas tree farms since she was a child and her mother took her to this Winter Wonderland. She always dreamed of owning her own Christmas Tree farm and when she got the opportunity, she purchased one and named it Lovelight Farms. She has been having problems and is in danger of losing her business, so she enters a contest run by influencer, Evelyn St. James. Evelyn is well known as someone who helps small and family run businesses. The problem is that Stella lies. She says that she and her boyfriend bought and run the farm together. Now she has to find someone to be her fake boyfriend. Enter, best friend Luka Peters, who has just moved back to town. The funny thing is that both of them have loved the other for years, but never said anything for fear of ruining their wonderful friendship. Of course, Luka agrees when Stella asks and their fake relationship heats up their feelings to one another. Unfortunately, Stella signed that everything she put on the form was true, so eventually is disqualified, but the time they spend together filming before the truth outs brings them closer together.

This was another fun romance with great characters, a wonderful setting and fun storyline. This is a trilogy and although it is set on a Christmas Tree Farm at Christmas time, it can be read anytime. This is a story that shows how a small community comes together to help and support one of their own. Sending people to show up as customers at the farm, figuring out who was responsible for the vandalism and what to do with the "raccoons/cats" found in the barn, I laughed many times and swooned at others. The storyline of a Christmas tree farm that was the center of the winter activities in a small town was well done. With great descriptions of food, activities and decorations I can't wait until I can take my grandkids to the one closest to me. There are two partners in the venture and I am hoping their stories are highlighted in the next two books. As far as the romance goes, there are a couple of steamy scenes, but not too bad, however, I did skim them.

This cute Christmas romance was so well done. An adorable small town romance complete with side characters to love as well. Christmas trees, hot cocoa and stoke. Kisses made this book a 5 ⭐️!!!

Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and this one is a perfect example of why it works in a romance. As much as I enjoy the banter of your typical enemies to lovers tale, I find the slow burn, the transition from friendship to love much more rewarding. This gave all the feels, and the atmosphere in this book is chef's kiss. The Christmas setting, the tree farm, the fairy lights, the hot cocoa... they all succeed in pulling you into this magical, fairytale world. And at its heart, you have two people, two friends falling in love.

This will be one of my go-to holiday romance recs-- it is as heartwarming as opening a present, and as tender and magical as the first snow of the season. Highly recommend!!!

Oh sweet niave Stella and her secret pining for Luca.

This has the hallmark Christmas vibes you want. Friends to lovers, a perfect small town, and of course a Christmas tree farm! I loved how supportive the town was of this relationship and I feel that should have been sign number one for Stella. Honestly the one and only thing that drove me crazy in this book was Stella’s denial of what was right in front of her. It was a slow burn to get her to talk about her feelings with Luca, but they had been waiting on this conversation for almost 10 years at this point so I guess a few more weeks wasn’t really that long in the grand scheme of things. I loved how supportive Laya and Beckett were and that they were there for both Stella and Luca. I almost wish we got some “bro” moments between the guys because it would have been just precious!

This book is all from Stella’s POV and thiugh I wish we heard from Luca more we did get a little epilogue from his POV and I think it helped round out how I imagined he would think about Stella. I loved them together and can’t wait to kee going back to Lovelight Farms!

“Luka filled the empty places in my life slowly, carefully, with his easy smile and stupid jokes. He brought me back to myself. And it’s been that way ever since.”

Stella and Luka. She owns the Lovelight Farms, but business hasn’t been doing well. To save the farm, she enters a contest but on the application, she lies by saying she owns it with her boyfriend to make it more romantic. The only person who agrees to fake dating is her best friend, Luka.

I’ve already read this last year but of course I had to get the newest cover! I absolutely love this book and can’t wait to read the rest of the Lovelight series! <3

🎄READ IF YOU LIKE🎄:
- best friends to lovers
- fake dating
- small town: Inglewild
- forced proximity
- Christmas tree farm
- grilled cheese & hazelnut lattes
- secret mutual pining
- pine tree air fresheners
- all the winter vibes
- slow dancing in the kitchen

cw: death of loved one, grief, parent abandonment

Thank you to @netgalley and @berkleyromance for the copy!

I am not sure where to even start because Lovelight Farms was absolutely perfect. It had everything I love in a romance: slow-burn, fake relationship, forced proximity, friends to lovers, Christmas and the best female and male protagonists I have read in a long time. I am not exaggerating when I say that I adore Luka and Stella (his La La).

Stella met Luka shortly after losing her mother, literally crashing into him, at the time she describes herself as floundering in her grief and feeling lost.

"My mom had just died and I was - sort of floating along. I stumbled off that step and he caught me, made sure I had my footing. He's sort of been holding me steady ever since."

They developed a quick friendship and have been best friends for nearly a decade and it is obvious to everyone that they are in love with each other yet neither has been willingly to take the first step. It all changes when Stella, in a desperate attempt to save her tree farm, signs up for a contest and lists Luka as her boyfriend.

Obviously, Luka agrees to help her by pretending to be her boyfriend, but they soon realize that neither is pretending. Luka is very obviously all in, but poor Stella has suffered loss and rejection before and she's terrified of doing anything that would potentially cause her to lose Luka.

Luka was the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful cinnamon roll in the history of romance novels. His friendship, love and devotion for Stella was swoon worthy. He was also very obviously in love with Stella, she just needed to realize that Luka would never abandon her, whether she returned his romantic feelings or not, she would always be his best friend.

"I'm not gonna leave, La La. I've still got plenty of trees to give you. As long as you want me around, I'll be here."

Lovelight Farms is officially my favorite holiday read and one of my favorite reads this year. I cannot wait to read more from B.K. Borison, because I am obsessed.

This was SUCH a great book!!! Very lovely holiday read, although I would have loved it even if it wasn’t winter. Stella and Luka are so wonderful together and I absolutely adored the side characters. Diving immediately into the second book!!

trigger warnings: sexual content, anxiety, death of parent, grief, theft, harassment, alcohol

Friends to lovers has always and probably will always be my favourite trope and it's because I find books like these. The level of tenderness, care, understated love and affection, and all that ushy gushy nonsense that is infused in every page of this book is what I LIVE for in romances.

Stella and Luka have ten years of history of being friends, supporting each other, and everyone around them knows that they're in love with each other except these two buffoons refuse to see it. Idiots to lovers at it's finest. The catalyst for their romance is Stella lying about having a boyfriend on her application to have her Christmas tree farm featured on a small business influencer's page. So she asks Luka to step in so she doesn't have to come clean about lying.

Now this book is limited to just Stella's POV and you'd think that what we get is Stella pining while Luka is proceeding in business as usual best friends fashion. OH NO. NOOOOOOO. What we get is Stella missing neon light billboard sized signs that Luka is as gone for her as she is for him, maybe more. It's not even frustrating, it's just funny. The slow reveal of their history and significant moments alongside their current timeline of time spent together rife with tension was done so perfectly. All their significant moments layer together so perfectly.

The introduction to the small town in which Lovelight Farms is situated was also so incredibly done. You'd think that spending time on building a small town community worth caring about would take from the time dedicated to the romance but nope. It's all just perfect. You're invested in the town so early that it's easy to tell exactly who is up next for a romance in this series. I know it won't go on forever but my god do I want every single fool in this town to have a love story written. It's just so soft.

“My best laid plan, your slight of hand”

Everyone else stand down. This book was written for ME! Friends to lovers is by far my all time favorite trope and I was at first hesitant when I saw it paired up with one of my least favorite tropes, fake dating. But Borison blew me away with this book. I am Luka and Luka is me. I want more more more more. This book made me giddy and silly and my heart was in it from the very first page. I love each and every character and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series🥹 .

I hope to one day be this in love. They are the standard and this is by far one of my all time favorite romances. It was perfect in every way. BRB gonna go make myself a grilled cheese!

LISTEN. LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW.

There are not sufficient words in any language for how much I love Luka and Stella and the whole Lovelight Farms Crew. I’m moving there and I’m going to live in a cute little tiny home on the property and wait for one of the truly phenomenal men that Becs writes to fall in love with me and we will live happily ever after.

Please I want to go to there.

(Also, having been madly in love with the Lovelight Farms men for some time now, I feel like we’re all screaming crying throwing up popping confetti cannons for this book deal - SO WELL DESERVED)

Friends to lovers is my absolute 2000% favorite, and fake dating is my favorite, and Luka is my favorite, and this book is my favorite. If you need me don’t need me because I’m just going to keep rereading for the rest of my time on this mortal plane.

Have I mentioned there are no words? I am absolutely feral for this book/world/man/energy.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Stella probably shouldn’t have lied on the application. Even if it was only sort of a lie - after all, she DOES own Lovelight Farms, and it IS a charming and delightful and dreamy wonderland of holiday cheer, and her best friend Luka IS… not technically her boyfriend.

But he could be - at least could appear to be for the sake of the publicity and massive cash prize that would come with Evelyn St. James falling as much in love with Lovelight as the inhabitants have.

So when Stella asks Luka - who has been her rock and her world for as long as they’ve known each other - to pretend to be the loved-up couple she casually (and not-so-accidentally) claimed they were… he says yes a little too easily. Because Stella may have had Luka in mind when she submitted her application, but it looks like Luka has had her on his own for even longer.

Everyone has been reading this book and I can totally see why. As soon as I started it I knew it was going to be a good fit. It really was a cute, comforting read. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and this was a good example of why.

The writing itself was charming. I’ve been trying to make it a point to highlight on Kindle whenever text resonates with me and I found myself highlighting a lot in this book. This felt like a Hallmark movie without any of the forced interactions. Everything felt authentic and real.

I know the story’s about Stella and Luka, but I couldn’t help falling in love with Beckett as the story went on.

If you haven’t read it yet and want a cute romcom to cleanse the reading palate, this is a perfect choice. I can’t say enough good things about it and I can’t wait to read whatever this author writes next.