I really enjoyed this book! Ben and Adam were very cute, their story was very sweet and comforting, and this was just a very simple, fun, easy holiday read. I really enjoy Courtney Kae's writing style, and her books never fail to make me smile. I recommend this one if you're looking for a quick, cute, light romance!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh man, it was so nice to be back in Fern Falls! I was able to read an advanced copy of Kae's first book and this one was just as anticipated for me. I absolutely LOVED Ben. He's everything that I look for in a character and his voice and personality just leapt off the page. His character contrast alongside Adam was great. The anxiety rep spoke to my soul and honestly, this is a book that I've gone back to reread.

I can't wait to see what comes next from this author because both of the books I've read from her have been outstanding!

This was actually really cute. I didn't expect to like this the way that I did. I loved the tension between the two characters and the character development. Would recommend to everyone

A friends to lovers MM romance set in a small town is exactly what I was looking for! This book was sweet, charming, and easy to want to keep reading. very hallmark vibes but in a good way, it works for our two MMCs. Another great book by Courtney Kae!

This was not for me. It did not feel like it was told from an authentic voice. It’s a cute concept, just not engaging.

YESSSS!!! The perfect sweet and easy romance for summer!
Can't wait to see what the author comes out with next!

In The Case of Heartbreak is the follow up to In The Event of Love, built in the beautifully open and queer world of Fern Falls. Ben and Adam's story is funny and sweet, as sweet as Ben's cinnamon rolls.

I was entertained the whole way through. - lots of funny scenes and lots of family drama too. Courtney Kae's writing live in a world I wish I lived in too.

I wanted to love this one. I really enjoyed the first Fern Falls book, In the Event of Love, and was excited to see what a second book, a m/m friends-to-lovers romance, could bring to the table. Unfortunately, this just wasn't the book for me. At least for the first quarter of the book (the part I read) there is an extremely implausible legal narrative driving the plot that as a lawyer I just couldn't stomach. Combine that with the overly emotional romance arc, and it just wasn't my cup of tea. I, sadly, ended up DNFing this one. Several of my friends really enjoyed this one, and many of my hang-ups were personal, so I'd still suggest giving it a try, and I plan to continue trying books in this series/by this author.

Thanks to Kensington for my ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 stars - 6/10

This was such a sweet, romantic follow-up to Kae's first book, following some of our favorite characters, in our favorite town. A delight!

A great follow up to the original story and especially if you enjoyed the first book and wanted to know where the other character’s stories went from there. Missing the holiday vibes of the first book since it’s set during the summer which I think takes away from the novelty of the book but still a good read with lots of laughs.

This was a cosy, emotional and funny escape from reality.

Ben, owner of the café in the quaint mountain town of Fern Falls, is taking part in a national competition on live TV. During the filming, the crew captures an embarrassing moment between Ben and his long-time crush Adam, a musician. To make matters even worse, Ben's estranged father suddenly pops up again to claim Ben's cinnamon roll recipe is actually his, endangering Ben's place in the competition. Luckily Ben can run away to his grandmother's beach-side property for weeks of birthday celebrations for grandma's 80th. Unfortunately, grandma loves to meddle, so guess which musician will be performing at all of her birthday celebrations and sharing a house with Ben?

I adored the setting of Fern Falls in the first book, but it makes absolute sense for Ben and Adam to leave the small town and have their romance set at the beach. That said, a lot of the story felt very contrived and over-the-top. The "older woman is a party animal" caricature has been done to death. Grandma is seemingly dealing with some financial troubles, but Ben and his mother still don't intervene when her birthday parties only get bigger and bigger.

But, putting reality aside for just a minute, the book does what it promised: it delivers a sappy and sweet romance that'll make you forget about the real world for just a bit.

I had very high expectations because I loved In the Event of Love. This book didn’t quite hit the same. The relationship felt hollow, there didn’t seem to be the same build of a relationship. It was hard to connect with Ben and his narrative felt disjointed. It was also missing the Christmas magic and as much as I loved GMa’s parties, there wasn’t enough of that magic the first book had. I think this one just wasn’t for me

Loved this book! Courtney Kay is one of my auto-buy authors now. If you want a summer read, read this! If you want a Christmas read, read her first book In The Event of Love! Definitely recommend!

Courtney Kae has done it again! The Author continues building the Fern Falls world and her bubbly, sweet romances are just what the doctor ordered. Her books are like drinking hot cocoa with marshmallows and a shot of Fireball. Soothing, comforting and SEXY. If you've ever wondered what happens when a cinnamon roll MC hooks up with a hot rock star (and the subject of unrequited love), pickup In The Case of Heartbreak. I appreciated the love and encouragement of the supporting characters of the novel as well. It was refreshing. Hallmark should take note, this book would be perfect for a MM romance. Or maybe Netflix for the open door sex scenes (we love to see it)! Highly recommend.

This was a middle-of-the-road read for me. I did not dislike it, but it was not my favorite, either. Something I did like about this book was the overall ensemble of characters and how they interacted with each other. You could tell how much everyone cared about Ben specifically. He seemed to be struggling throughout the book from previous trauma, and that mental health rep was nice. Especially at the end when Ben recognized that he needed time for himself if he was ever going to be ready for a relationship. In other books it sometimes feels as though a main character relies too heavily on the love interest in order to heal, so this was a refreshing change of pace.

In the beginning chapters of the book, up until the MMCs get together, the inner monologue of Ben was getting to be a bit repetitive. I was tired of hearing about Adam and his random bandmates that he was jealous of. Miscommunication or lack of communication ends up being a large part of the plot of this book, and those are some of my least favorite tropes simply because if one party had just spoken up, this would not have been a problem.

Overall, I would say this was a worthwhile read. Kae did set up the next book well, and I would genuinely love to read that story! The spice was not too detailed for those who may not be into that, and it was not a large part of the overall plot, in my opinion. Would maybe not recommend to those that do not like having miscommunication/lack of communication as a plot point.

Title: In The Case of Heartbreak (Fern Falls book #2)
Author: Courtney Kae
Summary: Ben has been baking his mother’s cinnamon rolls at the family café for years. He’s been quietly in love with Adam Reed, his musician-slash-mechanic neighbor, for just as long. But Ben’s done waiting behind the pastry case. Despite his fear of failure, he’s entered a make-or-break competition to build his recipes into a national brand. He’s going to take charge of his business instead of nearly tanking the café—again. And he’s going to finally confess his feelings for Adam. ON LIVE TV.
Except his big plans get punched down before they even half-rise. Soon Ben is dashing down the coast to his grandma’s 80th birthday party on the beach, hiding his broken heart in Maywell Bay, California. Sun, sea, and fresh breezes should blow in something new—except they don’t. They blow in Adam Reed, grinning like a pirate and stealing the show as the musical entertainment hired by Grandma for her big bash. Grandma’s signature Heartbreak Tea is the only remedy, and Grandma’s tea could take the paint off a fence.
But there’s a burn of truth along with the booze in his bottle, and Ben has a decision to make. Can he take the sweetness in front of him, and brave the bitterness that comes after? Or is a little sea salt just what this cinnamon roll needs?
Copy provided by @netgalley in exchange for honest review.
Likes: Courtney Kae is an incredible storyteller and I’ll read anything she writes! I loved the Hallmark-esque feel of this book. Friends to lovers is a solid trope.
Dislikes: There were many layers to the plot and they all had to share the spotlight.
#InTheCaseOfHeartbreak #NetGalley #KensingtonBooks #FernFalls #CinnamonRolls #LGBTQIA+ #MLM #bookstagram #queerbookstagram #romance #booksbooksbooks #fiction

Tropes:
- Friends to Lovers
- Reality Show
- Queer Romance
In the case of Heartbreak is A sweet romance that I quickly flew through with an ​​Absolutely amazing story. I healed. I sobbed. I laughed. I screamed.

Ben would prefer to stay behind the scenes, and behind the counter, of his café in the town where he grew up. Determined to put his café on stronger financial footing, however, he enters a televised competition which, if he wins, will allow him to expand nationally. He also plans to use an episode of the show to finally declare his feelings for Adam Reed, who he's quietly pined for over the course of several years. But nothing goes according to plan, and Ben's worried he will be kicked off the show and is no closed to letting Adam know how he feels. Soon Ben is on the way to the beach town where his beloved grandmother lives for her 80th birthday. His grandmother, though, has a surprise -- she has hired Adam, a musician, to play at her birthday party. Together in the magical beach town, Ben and Adam finally connect in ways they never have back home. But Ben can't leave all his problems behind, and the magic he finds at the beach is soon threatened by the pressures he has with his business and his family.

This is a charming and highly entertaining book. Ben and Adam -- and Ben's grandmother -- are terrific characters, engaging and with much going on beneath the surface that brings depth to this heartwarming and funny story.

Highly recommended.

Ben is trying to save his bakery, his grandma's state and keep away from his father; dealing with all of that is rather difficult since he is also navigation his feelings for Adam!

Ben is dealing with so much, I liked how he was comfortable asking for help with his mental health! Adam is amazing with Ben, beautiful couple.

I loved the discussion questions at the end, great for book clubs!

Head to Maywell Bay for this angsty and emotional queer romance with a reality tv show setting. Courtney is the queen of MM romance, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. The deep emotional trauma that was touched on hit me right in the feels; the journey the two characters have gone on and now together gives me that cinnamon roll feeling. This was a sweet, emotional romance that shouldn't be passed on.

Tropes:
- Friends to Lovers
- Reality Show
- Queer Romance

Thank you so much for the ARC of in case of heartbreak.. All thoughts are my own.