Okaaaay Liz!!! I see you! This book gave exactly what it was supposed it. I enjoyed it a lot! I’m excited to keep reading more from this author!

This is a good book. The two main characters are Molly and Alex. Molly is traveling around the United States in a van, taking jobs. Alex runs a dairy. There is an instant attraction. Molly applies for a job, running the dairy store, she gets the job. They think up ideas to increase the business at the dairy store. They start dating. They fall in love.

This was such a cute and funny read. Molly was carefree, someone who got along with pretty much everyone, and really took to farm life. Alex came off as a grump at first, but I honestly thought he was maybe neurodivergent after a while of seeing his interactions with everyone he came into contact with. As someone who is neurodivergent, I felt a kinship with him since I saw myself in a lot of his actions. I thought he and Molly made the perfect couple and I really wish I had even more of them as a couple once they made it official.

I've read several other books by the author before and they're usually steamier, so this one surprised me a bit since it was pretty PG until closer to the end. I'd give this a 2 spice level max.

One thing I've noted before is that I absolutely HATE when an author makes you sign up for their newsletter/visit their website to read the epilogue. It's such a disservice to readers when you're forced to add yourself to their marketing list when they should just include it in the book to begin with as 90% of authors do. And I say that as a corporate email marketing professional/expert who works in email marketing on a daily basis. A bonus epilogue, sure, that's perfectly fine to make you sign up, and many authors do in fact use this acceptable tactic. But to force it to read the finale of the book, it's just annoying. Because of that, I didn't feel like I really had a decent conclusion to the story, only a HFN. This may have been a 5 star review otherwise.

First and foremost thank you to NetGalley and Liz Alden for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall: Solid 3.5 - 4 stars, fun read, really enjoyable main couple! 2 🌶️ spice level, on page scenes. #2 in "series", but standalone.

(Spoiler free!) Summary: Dual - POV, small town farm romance with grumpy x sunshine vibes, this short and sweet romance follows our extrovert van-travelling, Molly, and grumpy dairy farmer Alex. Small town chaos ensues, involving the Bedd Family dynamic, an adorably spoiled dog, and a sweet but steamy romance.

Short and sweet opinion: I ate this book UP. For me it is not often that I start and finish a book within 24 - 48 hours, and I did with Butter You Up. This small town, sweet but full of character romance hit the spot for me, especially as Grumpy x Sunshine is consistently one of my favorites. I love the dynamic Alden creates in her writing, the sweet but serious scenarios and the realistic yet funny characters.

In-depth opinion (Small spoilers possible): The characters are lovable and realistic, while having some depth added through backstories or struggles. Alden touches on a lot of heavier topics, from chronic eczema, to military related PTSD, to grief and family struggles. While I love seeing these dynamics on page and the depth they add to the character's histories, I wish Alden could have gone farther into some of them. Much of the book is surface level, and with the rich characters, I wish the pacing had allowed for more in-depth exploration of certain aspects. I love the story as it stands, but wanted more!

This was such a great story. I loved the epistolary format and the characters were wonderful. Will definitely be reading more from Alden!

Really cute romance with a small amount of spice which was mainly in fantasy. The 2 main characters were sweet and suited each other. I enjoyed the twists and the puns made the book!

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: HEA
POV: dual 1st person POV
spice: a few open-door spicy scenes
TWs: Crohn’s (side character), death of a parent, eczema, PTSD (war injury)
Kinky Content: dirty talk, finger licking good, fingering, oral
standalone: book 2 of The Farm 2 Forking series
final thoughts: Butter You Up has the same easy writing style as other Liz Alden books with a plot that moves at a good pace and didn’t disappoint! I loved the side characters in this story and the silly aspects like the town names and rogue animals.
This is definitely lower spice than other Alden books, but still steamy!
Is there anything swoonier than a tall, grumpy loner who is a secret softie who loves his dog, his best friend, and his employees? Molly was sweet, bubbly, and exactly what Alex needed to come out of his shell and face his past.

read this book if you love
🫡 big MMC
🧑‍🏫 boss/employee
👕 clothes scene
🥵 dirty talk
💬 epistolary
🤠 farmer MMC
🎣 fish out of water
😳 forbidden lovers
🏝️ forced proximity
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 found family
🎁 grand gestures
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 great side characters
😡 grumpy/sunshine
👦 he falls first and hard
🤫 hidden secrets
🛏️ “it’s just a fling”
🔀 opposites attract
😂 romcom
💓 slowburn
🏡 small town
💼 workplace romance

Liz Alden writes my favorite kinds of men!!

I think the storyline of this book is creative and modern, while still being wholesome and sweet. I’m also partial to a romance that’s gonna timeline. Molly has to leave the farm once Vaniel is fixed.

Alex is sweet and awkward and HOT HOT HOT. I just loved this book and would recommend to anyone who loves a baby goat feeding man.

*3.5

This was cute there just wasn't a lot of substance to it. I wanted it to be longer so that I could really get to know the characters. They were cute together but I wanted more.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I have loved all of the author's writing series collabs lately and this was just another super enjoyable installment in the farm 2 forking universe.

The grumpy sunshine aspects in this were so fun and I really enjoyed watching our MCs relationships develop throughout.

This book definitely makes me want to get back into my small town romance era.

I greatly enjoyed this funny romance. Alex and Molly were likable on their own, but even better together, and it was a pleasure exploring their budding romance. The pacing of the book was good, keeping me hooked all the way through. Overall, a wonderful romance. *I received an ARC of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.

Butter You Up is a grouchy/sunshine story. Molly is travelling around the country in her camper. She is having electrical issues, so she needs to stop somewhere for a repair. That’s how she ends up in Fork Lick. Now she is working for two different farms to make money to pay for the repair. She didn’t realize that she would end up falling in love with the small town and the family she is staying with. Alex runs a local dairy farm. Even though he lives and works in the same town as his entire family, he keeps himself separate from them for a lot of painful reasons. This is the story of two people who need each other.

I’ll keep this simple. This story made me smile. There is a spoiled goat names Baarbara. There is a reckoning between estranged family members. There is a tight knit small town. Plus, lots of good side characters. I enjoyed this story so much. It can be read as a stand-alone story. I will read more from this author in the future.

Butter You Up by Liz Alden is the second in her Farm to Forking series. It is a very cute story which takes place in Fork Lick, New York. It is about two brothers who are at odds, one working the family farm, the other managing the farm down the road, and Molly, who ends up working for both of them. The family farm is struggling under the debt left by Ethan and Alex’s grandfather and so Ethan is branching out from standard farming. Their first big foray is strawberries and so Molly is parking her van on their property in exchange for working the weekend strawberry festivals. But, she needs actual cash to repair the electrical system in the van and so she needs a paying job. Ethel, the matriarch and Ethan’s grandmother, suggests she go down the road to her other grandson, Alex’s farm stand, where he is looking for help. He and his friend, Kit, vet her and Alex hires her. Kit has been doing it, but he’s bored. He gets bored easily. He’s the comic relief in this story. Well, of course, Molly can’t leave well enough alone and she has to redo the farm stand as well as work hard to bring Alex back into the family. As expected, it all blows up in her face, and she leaves.

Molly is an interesting character. Raised by her single father, who has PTSD and a missing limb from Iraq, had always dreamed about traveling to all 48 continental states, but he is not well enough to go so that is what Molly has been doing. She says in close contact as she worries and she wants to keep him abreast of her travels. He turns out to be pivotal in this very different love story. Fun read. Thanks, Liz Alden, for that.

I was invited to read Butter You Up by Author Collective 20. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #AuthorCollectiveTwenty #LizAlden #ButterYouUp

Love me a man in flannel....just saying.

I was laughing so hard while reading parts of this. I loved the farm dog and all the baby goats <3.

This was a really cute and enjoyable read. I had a great time reading this and I would absolutely recommend this!

I can't wait to read more!

A great read, a grumpy and sunshine romance. Loved both characters and wanted everything to work out well for them. Looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

This was a short, cute, fast-paced romance set in farm country in upstate NY. I loved the relationship that grew between Molly, a sunshiny vanlife traveler looking for a place to spend the summer to recharge her batteries and her bank account, and Alex, a quiet, inwardly sweet but surface grumpy dairy farmer whose roots run deep in the community.

While their growing attraction was lovely to read, just as important to the story was the healing of the somewhat fractured relationship between Alex and his grandma and siblings, who collectively own the farm next door. Years ago, as a teen, Alex’s relationship with them fractured after strong words were exchanged between him and his grandfather. Now that his grandfather is gone, it’s time for the family bonds to truly heal, with Molly stepping in to help.

Along with MCs that I loved as a couple, there are also adorable baby goats, calves, and a sweet doggy with her own pink princess bed. I could practically feel summer dripping from the pages of this book. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Such a fun rom com…loved this book and it’s a great addition to the series. Filled with amazing characters, banter, small town shenanigans and love. I loved Alex and Molly's story and how they snuck around…even though the family knew they were into each other! The entire family is fantastic and add so many laughs and funny situations to the story. Looking forward to the other books in the series! Thank you for allowing me to read this!

This was such a fun read. Plenty of great banter, some LOL moments and fantastic chemistry. I loved grumpy Alex and sunshine Molly. It’s a guaranteed smile for me when the town curmudgeon falls for his opposite. I loved it!

This is book two in the Farm 2 Forking series. This is a fun Rom Com series set on the Bedd Fellows Farm. This was a humorous grumpy/sunshine romance with just the right amount of romance. So much is going on in this book that it keeps you turning the pages. Well-developed story line and characters. It pulled me in from beginning to end and held my attention. Great characters that you fall in love with. I really liked how the author built up the relationship between the two main characters. I was rooting for their happy ending through the whole book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was such a fun read, it’s sweet, complex and laugh out loud funny. Molly is such a free spirit who gives so much of herself to everyone. Alex is grumpy, dealing with his own business and family drama but the two have a dynamic relationship. Throw in some farm animals and spice and you’ve got Butter You Up.