Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This book, the sequel to In the Event of Love, is an Achillean romance between Ben and Adam who were introduced in the first book.
Ben is a baker appearing on a reality show when his estranged father publicly declares that Ben has stolen his family recipe for Bens signature cinnamon rolls. Ben believes he will never get to be in a relationship with Adam the musician he has loved for years. Broken-hearted by his fathers schemes, Ben flees to
family members in LA for distance and healing.
I am giving this book 3.5/5 stars. I enjoyed this book as a fluffy, sweet love story. It’s not super spicy and is a more fade to black spice story. While I did enjoy the first book more I enjoy when authors are willing to write a series that ventures out from just one particular gender dynamic for romances.
I will absolutely look for more books by this author!

Y'all know I love a queer romcom to pieces, but I just don't think I was the target audience for this one. While there certainly were some steamy scenes, the romance between Adam and Ben felt really rushed. Most of the time it felt like I was being told that Ben was a cinnamon roll or that Adam was sexy, rather than being shown it. Plus the plot made little to no sense and skimmed over the juicy bits. Why did Ben lie when he was younger? Why did the competition show drop him so fast? I feel like there were so many missed opportunities here for it to become something MORE.

*Thank you to Kensington and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Adam & Ben!
If I could give them each five stars, I so would! Courtney Kae does it again with a tooth-rotting fluffy romance between friends! I appreciate the way she handled some of the heavier topics. I was so coxy, and romantic & just plain lovely. I enjoyed every moment with them and can't wait for more from Courtney Kae!

Rating: 2.5
I didn't really care about anything happening and the relationship could have happened immediately if Ben ever let Adam speak. Also, Ben's dad was one of the worst people I've ever had the displeasure of reading about.

Thanks to @netgalley @kensingtonbooks and @court_kae for the early look at In the Case of Heartbreak.

This was such a cozy, sweet romance between baker Ben and musician Adam. It had a lot of Schitts Creek feels in the best way. They had such a sweet relationship that made you root for them.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Tropes: small town, baking competition, friends to lovers, LGBTQ+ rep

Just as heartwarming and beautiful as the first book!

Ben has a lot going on. Just when his bakery is gaining national attention, he gets rejected by his lifelong crush Adam and Ben's toxic father re-enters his life. When he escapes to his grandmother's house for her birthday celebration, Adam is there too.

The mental health rep is just top notch in Kae's books, and Adam and Ben are so sweet!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Years worth of pining, miscommunication, all the insecurities, sexy baking and one meddling G-ma made this a perfect summer read. Not too heavy, not too light, but just right.

In the Case of Heartbreak is a tooth-achingly sweet queer romance that provides a nice little bit of escapism. The thing that I can’t get out of my head though, is what Courtney Kae says in the author’s note -
“In all my novels, I love to imagine a world that is kind to queer people, unquestioning, unchallenging. A place where we don’t need to explain, defend, or prove ourselves.”
I wish that I could have a dozen more novels that are written with this sentiment at their core.
The good: The characters are diverse and delightful – really a testament to the kinder world that Kae dreams of while writing. Kae also writes the most sappily sweet romance imaginable – if sappy books are not your thing, this will not be your thing. If they are? Then this will hit the spot. Our main character’s insecurities and anxieties are relatable, but unlike some other romance novels, it never seems like these make him unworthy of the love that he desperately wants.
The not as good: It did seem like some tropes were a little heavy-handed. At times, it felt like it was trying to be a little tongue-in-cheek, but just missed the mark on that. The reality show itself was a little hit and miss for me as well – it just didn’t feel as fully fleshed out as it could have been.
Overall: Sappy and delightful, and I’m swayed by how lovely the author’s philosophy in writing is.
3.5 stars - I liked it but could have liked it more.

The premise of this pulled me in. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite as good to me as I thought it would be. There were a few things that threw the story off for me but I am glad I finished it.

Courtney Kae writes the absolute sweetest couples! Ben and Adam have my whole heart and I loved every second of watching them discover their love for one another. This is the perfect summer beach read, just make sure you have some cinnamon rolls on standby!

Generally I am generous with any queer romance, but the writing and plot in In the Case of Heartbreak by Courtney Kae was just so bad I have to just be brutally honest here. The writing, first and foremost, is so clunky. Kae stops to describe every single person's skin and hair color in the most awkward way possible, like we all go around thinking, "oh! there's my cousin with the umber skin and dark black pixie cut hair..." The descriptions of people and places were unbearable. The romance was also preposterous. Even though Adam and Ben had a few cute moments, their relationship came out of literal nowhere, unless I missed something in the previous book. But in a queer rom-com series like this one, most writers are pretty good about allowing them to be a one-off (see: Ashley Herring Blake's queer romcoms). And, ultimately, there wasn't even a real climax. The romantic leads never had a tortured parting (there was a parting, but it was weirdly unemotional, I think), and the other conflicts around Ben were resolved in a most ridiculous way. I'd be willing to check out another of their books, but this one has kind of already turned me off.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I loved book 1 - In the Event of Love, and I wish I reread it to see if the author left bread crumbs for Ben and Adam because it's been a minute so I cannot remember specifics! Still I enjoyed getting back to Fern Falls and these characters and reading the cutest friends to lovers story. Ben and Adam were just so sweet, but heads up it felt a little insta-love-ish to me. Normally I hate that but it worked here, and again I feel like I needed a book 1 reread so it wouldn't have felt insta-love. Also, I really enjoyed seeing therapy represented by seeing Ben in a session and then even implement what he learned in his life! Now I need one of Ben’s cinnamon rolls!!!

Ben is a baker who has secretly been in love with his friend, a musician/mechanic Adam Reed, for years and when Ben’s family cafe is picked to enter into a televised competition that would make his cinnamon rolls a national brand it’s the chance to finally confess his feelings to Adam on live TV.... except things don’t go well and now Ben is dashing away to get over Adam while celebrating his grandma’s 80th birthday party on the beach... except who followed him there and is the main music act?? Adam... and Adam has a few things he definitely wants to tell Ben before Ben runs off... To throw more drama into the mess, Ben is also dealing with his dad trying to defame him and ruin his relationships, the very same father who hurt Ben when he was younger and left Ben’s family left turned upside down. Ben has been working on his insecurities ever since, trying to not only help his family but make sure everyone around him is happy... yet what he needs to focus on is learning to make himself a priority and love himself. Can Ben find a way to be with Adam and sort out his own family drama or will it all get too complicated? When I say I ADORE ADAM AND BEN I MEAN IT WITH MY WHOLE HEART. This was the sweetest book ever, their romance was SO CUTE and the COMMUNICATION and CONSENT was so so good and I can’t stress enough how soft and sweet this romance was. Seriously this book was just so sweet and I loved seeing Ben go on a journey of learning to love himself and opening himself up to getting help and prioritizing his own needs and wants. So yes, READ THIS BOOK, add it to your tbr, and pick up some cinnamon rolls and coffee cuz you’ll definitely be craving it while reading this book!

*Thanks Netgalley and Kensington Books, Kensington for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Did I love this book? Yes.
Did I also spend half of this book drowning in a puddle of my own tears? Also yes.

Ben was one of my favorite characters from In the Event of Love. So naturally when I heard that his story would finally be told I was ecstatic. I expected to enjoy this book but I didn’t expect to see my own journey with mental health/childhood trauma in the pages of Ben’s story. The mental health rep in this was just so well done that I could spend half of this review talking about it. Also, I’m always a sucker for positive depictions of therapy and Jessica sounds like the best therapeutic fit for Ben.

I think some of my favorite moments in the book were just the times that Ben gets to be happy. There are little moments when he’s with Adam that he gets to just live a little and forget the chaos around him. One of my favorites was just as simple as Adam making Ben coffee in the morning. The smallest gestures always mean the most and these two just work together so well.

I also need to give a special shoutout to G-Ma and her meddling, without her who knows what Ben’s love life would look like. G-Ma and her unhinged book club were the comedic relief I needed. Oh but be sure to steer clear of the heartbreak tea.

Ultimately this was everything I wanted it to be and more.

Now… please tell me it’s Whitney and Tanner’s turn next.

This book is really cute. I loved the characters, Adam and Ben, in the previous book, “In the event of love” and I was in a urge to know them better. I want to know their story. And it’s worthy the waiting. I really fell in love with Ben and Adam, with their relationship, with their trauma and healing, and the beautiful path they took together!
I love them so much, I will read another ten books about them, for sure! I want to know every details about them and the other people in their beautiful town. Damn, I want to live in that town and be their friend!
This books is really lovely and you can just love it!

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for the arc!

4.75 stars. I resonated with Ben so much. The depression, anxiety, constantly feeling like you’re not enough, like you don’t deserve good things, all of it hit me deep in my soul. I teared up so many times. The way he’s treated by his father also struck a nerve. No one should have to go through that. Especially with a parent. Seriously, Ben’s dad can fuck off.

The communication between Ben and Adam was EVERYTHING. Talking through problems and misunderstandings like grownups. Even their “breakup” was handled well. Yes, Adam didn’t talk to Ben about turning down the tour. But when Ben found out, they did talk it all through. Sure Ben was still dealing with his insecurity of not being enough for people to stay but he was aware of that. They needed the time apart to grow and fully heal.

G-ma is everything I want in a grandparent. Amazing. No notes. Ben’s mom is the supportive parent we all deserve. All she wants is for her child to be happy. I love them both.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank-you to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Courtney Kae for the eARC.

While the first in this series, IN THE EVENT OF LOVE, was a bit of a let-down for me, I did enjoy this book more than its predecessor. A fun, quick, easy read that works pretty well in case you're in need of a palate cleanser. It does deal with some parental abandonment and narcissistic behaviour from a parent, but the fun, lovable, and kooky characters far outweigh that particular plot line.

At times this was a bit of a frustrating read because, for a book that had some of the best communication I've personally ever read between characters, it also had some of the absolute worst. There were so many times I wanted to grab the characters and shake them while screaming "LET THEM FINISH TALKING!!!" or "JUST GO TALK TO THEM!!!" in their faces.

Overall, I think this book was definitely enough for me to not give up on Fern Falls should there be more additions to this series.

“My feelings for you are not fragile.”

✨Thank you for letting me part of your Cinnamon Roll Street Team. ✨

I love Fern Falls and this is another great edition. Just love baking shows though this is more a prep and the press prior.
A childhood crush, unrequited love situation with the baker and the town mechanic/rock star. But those feelings might be reciprocated if the paparazzi and other insidious outside forces stop interrupting them.
Loved the forced proximity, one cottage and major gma meddling to get them together during her birthday get together.
Oh man makes me miss my gmas something awful. Her and her crew were definitely a fun addition. Ladies rolling in it and she's #goals.
There were also parental trauma issues left behind for both Ben and Adam for those parents who left for different reasons. They had a loving parent to take care of them but that one who left caused a lot of deep seeded fear of rejection and abandonment. And of course they had to be processed to start a new relationship. Especially since Ben's Dad is back to cash in on his new fame.
Loved all the fun events, sweet moments, and communication in their relationship as well as with his family.

Read if you like:
🍥Small Town Romance
🍥Childhood Crush
🍥Cinnamon rolls for Cinnamon rolls
🍥Pan rep

Thank you kensingtonbooks and court_kae for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

MY RATING 4,5/5 STARS

“I proudly take my place as an Adam Reed groupie.”

I read In the Event of Love, the first book in the Fern Falls series, last year and had a great time reading it so I was super excited to delve into this one, and it did not disappoint.

Ben and Adam have known each other since childhood, and through the book we slowly see the two come together after a misunderstanding where Ben thought that Adam had rejected him on live TV. However, through some communication, the two are able to form a beautiful relationship while also focusing on the theme of consent, which is always one of my favorite things to read about. I especially loved the quote: ““God you make consent extremely sexy.” “Consent is sexy.””

Ben struggles with anxiety and depression and often feels like he is not good enough no matter what he does, but as the book goes on, we slowly see him grow and begin to heal from some of his past traumas. As such we also see Ben go to therapy, where he learns to process some of the many things that are currently going on. Additionally, we see him be able to rely on his wonderful support system in not only his family members but also his amazing friends back in Fern Falls.

This book generally hit me right in the feels multiple times, and I was also ready to jump into the book and fight a very certain character.

Thank you to Courtney and Kensington Books for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

in the case of heartbreak by courtney kae: 4 out of 5 stars

i took a “which in the event of love character are you” quiz and got ben and was immediately like nah ben is too loveable. which is probably a very ben reaction.

TURNS OUT, even without the same trauma ben experienced, our reactions and worries and fears and anxieties are similar. i could relate to ben not wanting to add more to anyone’s plate (except in the form of pastries) (i’m so funny) and thinking he could solve every problem himself.

quick synopsis, ben has made it pretty far on a baking show but something embarrassing happens between him and adam reed, his friend who he has been in love with forever. (adam is rachel’s brother from in the event of love.) ben is grateful to escape to maywell bay, a beach town where his grandmother has a house and is throwing an elaborate birthday party for herself. except obviously ben’s family likes meddling and adam’s band is performing during the big party events and adam is staying in the same little cottage as ben.

and THEN ben’s dad starts pulling some bullshit which starts tugging at the strings of ben’s trauma and he starts unraveling. this has so much romance, and could easily have been weighed down, but courtney has written a story that balances the sweet and the bitter—how many food puns can i put in here—and watching ben start to love himself and think himself worthy of good things was lovely.

i don’t bake but now i want a little cinnamon roll charm 🩷

the only reason i rated this a four instead of a five (my heart exploded and i cried, which is the sign of a good romance imo) is because of the use of sage. white sage is used by certain indigenous peoples of turtle island and is now over-harvested due to spirituality and witchcraft becoming more trendy. many cultures have their own cleansing burns (different woods etc), and since intention is an important part of cleansing i think simple incense or a candle works.

this book comes out 7/25 and i definitely recommend it. thank you kensington and netgalley for an earc and to courtney and their team for a physical arc