In Case of Heartbreak is a sweet story of two people finding love while also trying to heal from the emotional scars of their childhoods. This is the second story in the Fern Falls series and it has made me want to go back and read book one.

This books was given to me through NetGalley for an honest review.
I wish I liked this more. The premise was solid. The set up was there but everything felt rushed/superficial to me. Ben was a hard protagonist to like, which can be attributed to his need for character growth. To me he came off as whiny instead of deeply hurting. Adam was fine as a love interest, I honestly cared more about his growth than Ben’s.
Overall, I appreciated the queer representation and how well it was done. The story was a quick read and I did feel the ending was fulfilling.

3,5 stars rounded up!

Ben Parrish has been baking his grandma's cinnamon rolls at his family café for years and has entered a competition to show off the recipe, and he's setting out to buy out the family business for himself. During a live-taping of the show, he's friend-zoned by his lifetime crush, Adam Reed. To make matters worse, an Instagram post coupled with a cease and desist letter from his narcissistic father claiming the recipe as his own is making the show question his character. Good thing his grandma's two-week-long 80th birthday bash in his favorite beach town can be his escape! Well... until he gets there and his grandma hired Adam as the musical entertainment.

I absolutely adored Courtney Kae's first book, In the Event of Love, so I HAD to read this. Being introduced to Ben and Adam in the first book, I was super excited to read a whole book about them. Their chemistry fell a little short for me, sadly though. A lot of the plot hung on miscommunication, which is not my favorite, and I felt like other than them being good friends there wasn't a lot connecting them so I would have loved to hear more about why they were such a good match. Ben's wacky grandma was hands down my favorite character - the craziness she brought to the table added a lot for me and made me like the book more! And bonus points for queer and mental health representation!

All in all, this was a cute LGBTQ+ romance, and the cozy sunshine-y vibes were perfect for a summer read! Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

Do you want a queer rom-com book? This is it! Im obsessed with Courtneys writing. This book was much fun I read it in one sitting. Both of the characters had my heart! Great summer/beach read.

Ben owns a bakery, but after an appearance on a live TV show, his past comes back to haunt him and to make demands. At the same time, the crush he has on his friend from childhood seems increasingly impossible, and in (a)n (failed) attempt to get over him, he escapes his small town to celebrate his grandmother's 80th birthday.

What follows is a story of family, love and just overall fun, summery vibes. Underneath it all lurks trauma from both Ben and Adam's past - something they learn to trust each other in.

At times funny, romantic and swoonworthy (spoiler: the concept of "courting" is very much one I need MUCH more of), it also deals with parental abandonment, neglect and abuse.

I wanted to wholeheartedly adore and enjoy this, but I was never completely swayed by the romance, and the writing was a bit over the top and repetitive for some of the scenes. Between bouts of cringing and secondhand embarrassment, there were elements of the story I enjoyed (read: the, at times, A+ healthy communication and Bridgerton references)

This book is just full of cinnamon rolls- of both the literal and figurative variety. It’s a super sweet romance- I liked even more than In The Event of Love! Adam and Ben are super believable, and I’m a huge fan of ‘it was always you.’ I appreciate the emotional growth.

But, to be real, G-ma 100-% steals this show.

Ben Parrish’s life was looking up when he joined a national baking competition and then everything kinda goes downhill from there. From his childhood crush friend-zoning him on live TV, working through childhood trauma from his father, to his G-ma’s 80th birthday he has a lot going on in a short amount of time.

This book is filled with good humor and lovable characters. There is great therapy rep and there is good communication between Ben and Adam. I loved the setting of this book. It gave all the warm small-town vibes with a café/bakery setting. I will say it did seem a bit over the top at a few times or just came off dramatic at times. Ben and Adam both working through past family trauma and trying not to do what their families did to them. It got a bit angsty for a moment but it was resolved so cutely and ended well.

Honestly, G-ma was just out there living her best life. I loved her so much; she was hilarious and I want to be like that when I’m her age, she was a big mood.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this e-ACR in exchange for an honest review.

Ben and Adam have been best friends since childhood, right after Ben was found lost in the woods. Ben has unresolved trauma from that event, mostly stemming from his father leaving after he was found and the media attention he received. So, his mother is a little shocked when he signs up for a televised bake off show. But, he wants to put the past behind him and hype his small town cafe, so it can withstand the test of time. Too bad when the television crew visit his small town they imply he is dating Adam and Ben is humiliated in front of his whole community. So, he turns tail and runs to his G-Ma's birthday celebrations. Unfortunately, he cannot outrun Adam, when Adam is part of the musical act for the weeklong event. Is there any way to repair his broken heart, be honest with his best friend, and confront his father (who is trying to claim ownership of Ben's famous cinnamon bun recipe).

Courtney Kae writes the heck out of a love story, infusing it with so much emotion and heart. When the two leads are together every moment is wonderful, the book feels like a tender moment, a long hug. Especially when Ben and Adam are being open and honest with one another. These two so earnestly love each other, but are so scared of losing such an important friendship. Ben is terrified of the people he truly loves leaving him (like his father did) and Adam could not stand if Ben were to reject him. So, they hover so close to true intimacy, never quite crossing the line. When they finally do breach it, they realize how silly they have been. How much this relationship can heal the both of them. However, I do so appreciate that Ben realizes he needs to love himself in order to love Adam the way he deserves to be loved.

The real emotional backbone of this novel was the depression and anxiety that Ben continues to manage throughout. He goes to therapy, he takes moments when he needs them, and he is honest with Adam about those needs. Ben's father is such a terrible person and you just want to bubble wrap Ben to keep him safe from his emotional manipulation/abuse/blackmail. To use his son's hard earned fame to try and steal some for himself, and then to try to take Adam for his musical ability. The man is gross!

But you also have G-Ma and her sassy elderly friends, all of whom seem to like to meddle. You have Ben's extensive family that work hard to push past barriers and help out where they can, sometimes more than they should. You have Ben's mother who is caring and kind, who tries her hardest to cushion the world for Ben, but then realizes maybe she hid too much of the truth from him. And you have the friends in Fern Falls who drop everything to help Ben and Adam, because they are so truly loved by everyone around them.

Yes, this book is super sappy, and there are tears, but it is so refreshing and honest and kind to its characters. There is also lots of humor to balance out the trauma and sadness. I recommend this book if you are a big fan of gooey happily-ever-afters. Which I am!

This book was soooo cute! I loved their love story, and I love how the author handled the tough topic of childhood trauma. I will definitely be looking for more books of Courtney Kae's asap!

Ben is a fantastic main character. I hadn’t read the book before this one (In the Event of Love) but I was able to jump right in and learn about the characters. Ben’s baking skills sound amazing, and learning about the relationship between Ben, Adam, and their group of friends was a great way to spend a weekend. Ben and Adam made me immediately pick up In the Event of Love, and I didn’t feel like I missed anything reading them out of order!

**Thank you for the ARC. All opinions are completely my own.**

2.5 stars.

This book was so meh and teetered on the edge of “not good.” I was very disappointed by the lack of cozy vibes that were promised.

There is little to no chemistry between the main character and his love interest. The villain is one dimensional. Even the grandma, who is supposed to be a quirky and fun character, turns out to be super boring and stereotypical of every other whimsical maternal figure in modern romance novels.

TLDR; You can skip this. Not enough smolder and chemistry.

My 2nd book by Courtney Kae and it was so great! I was rooting for this two in the previous books and I am so glad they got their own love story. So cute and funny! This was wonderful.

This was a lovely second instalment in the Fern Falls series!

A perfect read for summer, made me very hungry🤣

I don’t usually like friends to lovers but thought it was done really well in this book & it was really cute seeing the relationship blossom! Ben’s G’Ma is my hero tbh and was easily one of my favourite characters.

Courtney Kae is the reigning monarch of steamy queer Hallmark romance! Just as she did with her debut novel, In the Event of Love, she brings the softest, sweetest, most hilarious small-town romance vibes to her sophomore novel, In the Case of Heartbreak. Struggling cinnamon roll baker Ben has the chance of a lifetime to showcase his mountain-town bakery on a televised baking competition. He’s even managing to keep his anxiety under control – until longtime crush Adam walks away from him, right in front of the cameras. His eclectic grandmother’s multi-day blow out birthday bash seems like the perfect place to hide while his wounds heal, but wouldn’t you know it, Adam is the last-minute replacement in the live band. What happens next is the purest combination of hot and healing I’ve ever read. If you’d like to see two people who are damaged but still hopeful, hurting but always kind, afraid but unable to help themselves from falling in love – then this is the book for you. Courtney Kae handles sensitive topics with deep compassion and gentle care, and the beating heart of this book is the idea that we all deserve a happy ending, no matter where we start from.

This was such a gentle, sweet book. It does deal with some childhood trauma, which can be intense, so be warned about that. Filled with a zany grandma I fell in love with, a bakery, a musician, and a two week birthday bash, this book was a lot of fun.

I was super excited for this book as I really loved Adam and Ben’s story line in Courtney Kae’s first book In the Event of Love. I think Kae did a wonderful job handling the issue of mental health but that’s about all I can really say positively about this book. I feel like it was missing all of the charm and the heat her first book. The closed door spicy scenes differed from the first book in a way that felt incongruous as well and I really don’t know why? All in all after reading In the Event of Heartbreak I was left feeling wanting, which is weird because the book definitely dragged.

CW: child neglect, mental/emotional abuse, depression, anxiety, alcoholism, parental abandonment, divorce, stroke, parent with narcissistic personality disorder

I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

After getting sort of rejected by his long-time crush on national TV, Ben travels to Maywell Bay to hide and celebrate his grandma’s 80th birthday celebration. Yet, when Ben’s crush, Adam, arrives as part of the musical entertainment for the celebration, Ben navigates his relationship with Adam while also dealing with his absent father threatening to ruin Ben’s shot of making his bakery a success.

In the Case of Heartbreak is the rom-com filled with fluff and pining you’ve been looking for!

Kae really provides a cozy, small town setting for In the Case of Heartbreak and their writing reflects that setting. In the Case of Heartbreak felt like a nice hug after a long day and it was easy to get right into the plot. I also really liked the cast of characters that Kae created for In the Case of Heartbreak and I feel that the cast dynamics worked well for this book.

I liked Ben as soon as the first page and I really related to him as a character. Ben goes through a lot of growth in the book and I think Kae did a great job with addressing Ben’s mental health struggles throughout In the Case of Heartbreak . Ben is such a likable character and you simply can’t help but root for him throughout the book.

While Kae writes this book with several darker content regarding to both Ben’s and Adam’s backgrounds, I ultimately think Kae leaves the reader with a sense of hope after reading In the Case of Heartbreak and handles this content with care (they even include an author’s note that explicitly talks about the content warnings and I also listed those content warnings in my review as well).

Now, the real highlight of the book was Ben and Adam’s relationship. I could write so many paragraphs about how cute their relationship is and how they were meant to be together and how Adam is one of the best book boyfriends I’ve ever read. You could tell very early on that there was something special about their relationship and time after time you can see that they were perfect for each other. You also get to see their relationship grow and I loved all the pining there was In the Case of Heartbreak .

If you are looking for a cozy, summer rom-com that makes you believe in soulmates, you will absolutely want to read In the Case of Heartbreak.

Ben Parrish, a pastry chef, has big dreams of moving his bakery to San Francisco. He entered a competition to show off his own recipes. While on camera, an embarrassing moment happens between him and the man he has been in love with his whole life - Adam Reed. Adam is a musician, a mechanic, and Ben’s neighbor. After being embarrassed and thinking Adam will never reciprocate feelings, he took off to his grandmother’s 80th birthday party on the beach. Thinking he will have time alone to deal with his heartbreak, he finds out his grandmother hired Adam to play at her party. Can Ben fix the issues caused from the disaster on camera? Will he tell Adam how he feels, finally? Will Adam ever feel the same way?

This is the second book in a series, the first one called In the Event of Love. I love the first book and the characters in the book, which made me want to read this one. I usually mostly read sapphic fiction, but I loved the writing style of the author, Courtney Kae, so I decided to read this one.

I loved the relationship/friendship between Ben and Adam. They’re very different in certain ways but I feel they compliment each other very well. I know some people don’t like the best friends to lovers trope, but I do and I love Ben and Adam together, any scenes with them together made me smile while reading.

There aren’t a lot of sex scenes, but the one with Ben and Adam baking? I loved it. You can tell they have a very sensual relationship and I love that. I feel that a lot of authors don’t delve deep enough emotionally with male characters. But I loved that Courtney Kae wasn’t afraid to have her characters show their emotion and talk about their feelings.

Ben’s mom and grandmother (G-ma) are supporting characters and I love them. Ben’s grandmother loves meddling in his sex life (and even gives him sex toys). She is so funny and probably one of my favorite characters. Ben could be an annoying character to me at times, but I also understand that the trauma he went through when he was younger affected him a lot.

Like I said before, I usually read mostly sapphic fiction, but I loved this book. It made me want to try reading more books like this. This is also the type of series where you don’t NEED to read the first book before this one. They have a lot of the same characters (Morgan and Rachel from the first book are talked about a lot in this one) but anything you NEED to know about the first one is explained in this one.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for sending me a free early copy in exchange for an honest review!

I liked the premise, but this dragged on a bit. The characters were alright. It was a closed door romance for the most part...I think maybe one scene where what they were doing was spelled out. It wasn't my favorite book, but I may try to read something else by this author in the future.

"My feelings for you are not fragile" is just living in my head rent-free now. Courtney Kae has done it again with a beautiful story in a beautiful setting with beautiful (and interesting) characters. It's a world that I want to live in even after I finish the book. A place where all kinds of people and all kinds of love are accepted without question or challenge. I loved Ben and Adam, as well as Badam. G-Ma definitely stole the scenes she was in though, good for her! She gave a great counterpoint to the heavy issues and trauma the characters needed to work through. Thanks for this gem, Courtney. I'll be sharing this with pleasure.