A cute small town story that seems right out of Hallmark. The secondary character outshone the main love interests. The love story itself seemed a bit forced (when you have a boyfriend who is long distance and you don't trust him, what are you doing girl?) It was cute and I would like to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was a super cute romance. I really loved how despite the cutesy cover and sweet name, the book touched on some hard topics. I enjoyed the family dynamics of this story, the small town and the holiday vibe.

I would definitely read another book from the author!

I enjoyed this book from the very first page. It’s relatable, fun, entertaining with a very engaging writing style and the witty dialogues. Plus, the banter and chemistry was chefs kiss good too!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review (SPOILERS AHEAD!).

Summary of the plot:

In this book, we follow Eadie, someone who works with models for a living. She returns to her small hometown in Indiana to help her parents run their cafe for six weeks as her father gets a heart pacer placed inside of him and her mother gets her hip replaced. After that, she's returning to her luxurious life in New York with her handsome model boyfriend and model best friend. However, when she gets there, she finds out that the general manager is none other than Reid-- ex best friend and someone who bullied her (sorta, but I'll get into that later). Eadie and Reid kind of butt heads a little before they settle into a comfortable routine in trying to figure out how to get the cafe back on its feet.

Thoughts on the book:

I would give this 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. Overall, it was a decent read, but I wasn't a huge fan of the romance. But let me start off with what I did like: the family aspect. As stated before, this family has some health and financial issues, so there's already a lot of tension between family members. Eadie's father wants to run the cafe but isn't in the best health to do so. Eadie's mom wants to just retire already but can't given the financial situation with the cafe. Eadie hasn't really been there for her parents and doesn't really talk to them much when she was living in New York. I think the tension between the family members was very realistic, especially as problems continue to pile on top of each other.

There were also other minor things I liked, such as Eadie's love for bugs and spiders, the redecorating scenes, etc. But the family aspect was something that I really liked the most.

Now, my problem with the romance... First of all, I really didn't like how the characters in the book (not the author, the characters) were sort of promoting cheating. When Eadie first arrives into town, people ask her about her relationship status, in which she tells people about her model boyfriend. But then people continue to say stuff like "but Reid is so cute" and "Reid has eyes for you". In my opinion, I don't think this was needed to propel the romance forward. If anything, it made it more annoying.

I also didn't like how Eadie didn't process her breakup with her model boyfriend and kind of jumped into a situationship with Reid, at least not until later. And I'm not sure why Reid thought they were a thing. And then, Eadie freaks out for two chapters before realizing she's in love with Reid. I honestly don't understand the appeal of Reid as a love interest.

Overall, this book was a decent read and I'd be interested in seeing what else the author publishes.

Would I recommend this book? Sure.

First I'd like to thank the author for this arc . Thank you author for this lovely experience.

The characters are VERY well written they're flawed & relatable
First we have our Main character Eadie
There's a lot to unpack here . Eadie is kinda insecure because she was bullied in high school which made her make some wrong decisions as an a adult so this book talks about her problems like her relationship with Hayden and how she was paranoid a bit because of her insecurities
However she a lovely character even tho I didn't agree with some decisions she made I think she was very honest with herself and others
Also She had an obsession with bugs which was the cutest thing even tho I am NOT a fan of bugs 😭

Then we have her love interest Reid
He was sweet and caring l like him
My only complaint is the I would've loved to read his pov as well to really connect with him you know

The banter & chemistry between them was great !
The romance was there it started a bit later on because she had a boyfriend and even when the romance started she was still dealing with her own issues so just a heads up if you're expecting romance only

So if you're looking for sweet romance & a journey of growth this book is for you

*3.5 🌟

I do love a Christmas story and this one was cute. We follow Eadie as she goes home to help her family’s cafe. Her parents need help due to some medical issues.
This is a story from Eadie’s perspective. I have to say, she did bother me sometimes. She was bossy, rude, and sometimes just all over the place. I do understand her to some degree but it was still a struggle. She moved to New York after getting bullied in high school. She becomes a model and has a model boyfriend. She has a difficult time trusting him and asks her friend to watch him, but let’s just say that doesn’t go as planned.
When she comes back home, she finds one of the bullies working at the cafe. At first she is just plain rude to him but as times goes on she seems to have a softer side to her.
Will Eadie and Reid ever get past what happened in high school and become friends? What will Eadie do when her time is up and she has to go back to New York?
This is a quick, cute, Christmas story! Check it out!

So beyond excited for this one! I love the revenge on the bullies type story and I cZn definitely relate to the taking care of parents issue. I think it is going to resonate so much with readers looking for. a cute cozy novel about love, family, and second chances.