If you let go of your disbeliefs to enjoy that a whole town can keep a secret of this magnitude, then you'll enjoy this romance. Sweet, low stakes love story.

Thank you, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever

After the surprising loss of her estranged grandparents, Emma inherits the family farm. While her life is in Atlanta, hours away from the small town, her mind drifts back to the space and the secrets that lie within it. When her circumstances change, she drives back and takes on the role as “farm owner”, trying to learn about her family’s past and the role it plays in the community. She’s met with weary glances, tough chores, and a handsome horticulturist, She slowly pieces together the secret of the farm and is caught in a dilEMMA of what to do with it. This story and the conflicts were unique! I had a fun time meeting the townspeople and watching the love story develop. I was hoping for a reunion at the end! Was a fun read!

Yes it's trope-y what with the insta-love thing (which gets steamy) but this has an unusual big heart at its center. Emma's world blows apart just as she inherits a farm from the grandparents she didn't really know. She also inherits Dan, the farm manager, and the hopes and reliance of most of the town of Green Acres. Dan, the hot Brit horticulturalist has a bit of unfair darkness in his past but he's aces for the farm and for Emma. No spoilers from me about the secret of the farm or Dan. Emma's ex is truly awful but the people in town are truly nice, and you will find yourself rooting for Emma and friends. I liked the diversity. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good storytelling made for a very good read.

3.5★

I really enjoyed how Lucy Eden set up this city fmc x small town farm life mmc. I think that there was some great moments of fun small-town moments that made it easy to see how someone to come to love the town. I wish that there was some more development in regards to Emma and her family, it felt super rushed and after finishing it feels like there is something missing there. Dan and Emma together was fun, very cute and I enjoyed seeing their relationship blossom. I left the book feeling like I wanted to read some more in regards to Dan as a character, he felt a little flat at times if he were to stand on his own but the way that him and Emma worked together was very cutsey and they had me melting at times so it made up for it in my opinion. A good small town read if you are looking for one!!

This was SO cute, and I am glad I had the chance to read it! I think it would be a perfect March or April read.

This was so cute!! I’ve read a couple of Lucy Eden’s other books over the summer, so when I saw this was her first traditionally published book! I was so excited to get to read it! The perfect small town romance!! I loved Emma and Dan so much! And this quirky small town with a little secret was filled with so many wonderful people, I loved getting to meet them all!

It was REFRESHING that Emma was so willing to try and learn about the farm before she made any decisions. And listen I LOVE enemies to lovers!! And I love when a woman comes back to her hometown just to sell whatever property she’s been left and the guy has some special attachment to it so he puts up a real fight - I LOVE IT. But this was like the opposite?? Like yes Emma was coming back to help her family business and Dan did have a strong emotional attachment to the farm… But Emma was sweet!? And Dan was SWEET! And they got along SO well!! And he helped her find people who could answer questions about her family and let her help on the farm even though he knew it was going to be a disaster! It was WHOLESOME from the start?? And it was SO GOOD!

They were PERFECT! They’re just two people who ran away to the farm and never looked back. I loved watching Emma figure out where she was going. Her life kind of fell apart at the beginning of the book, but it also was just the start! She had so many choices to make and so many options open to her! And watching her figure it out, and figure it out with Dan!!! It was so much fun!

Thank you so much to Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

After inheriting her estranged grandparents’ farm, city girl Emmaline Walters is thrust into the unpredictable world of country life and a sizzling attraction to the farm’s manager, Danesh Pednekar. As she navigates mistakes, secrets, and a town’s well-kept conspiracy, Emma must decide if love and a rural life are worth the risk to her heart.

Love in Bloom is the first book I’ve read from Lucy Eden. While the plot intrigued me, I ended up having mixed feelings. The story is told entirely from Emma’s perspective which I liked and it was great seeing her character growth. Dan’s backstory was also compelling, but I felt their insta-love developed too quickly even though their chemistry was sweet by the end. The story’s pacing was inconsistent. There were some parts flew by with little description while others dragged. Additionally, some of the side characters felt underdeveloped and I wish their roles had been more clearly defined. A few issues were resolved too easily and some characters had abrupt personality shifts which didn’t flow well for the story. Lastly, the “secret” behind the farm felt underwhelming and somewhat odd. Overall, this was a decent read.

This book was just super odd. It ended up being super preachy about medical marijuana, of all things? I wasn’t convinced by the romance between the MCs either because the FMC breaks up with her boyfriend of 10 years and is making out with the MMC like 2 days later. Also, the ex-boyfriend turns out to be a total villain. I just really don’t know what to think about this other than “not for me.” Cute cover though.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC!

+Small town romance
+Fish out of water
+Black and South Asian representation

Our main character, Emma Walters, is having the worst day ever. In just twenty-four hours, she manages to break up with her boyfriend, get fired, and inherit a farm in the middle of nowhere — Green Acres, Georgia. Since her life is in shambles she escapes from Atlanta to the farm.

The locals are friendly but they’re hiding something, and they’re not too sure about our city girl, Emma, trying to run a farm. No one is as unsure as Dan Pednekar, the attractive farm manager who she butt heads with from one day 1 (technically, before that). Lucy Eden writes a delicious tension between our main characters: a mix of annoyance, sparks, spice and banter that I really enjoyed.

As Emma digs deeper, she realizes there’s more going on in Green Acres than meets the eye. The farm doesn’t actually seem to sell anything, and there are shops like Four and Twenty *cough* cough* Blackbirds down the road. When the farm—and by extension, the town’s livelihoods—are threatened, Emma has to step up, figure out what’s going on, and maybe even save the day.

Lucy Eden brings Green Acres to life with quirky characters, witty dialogue, and enough charm to make you wish you could pack your bags and move there yourself. Love in Bloom is the perfect cozy read that will make you laugh out loud but also touches on more serious themes like parental relationships and discovering your roots. I really enjoyed spending time with these characters and can’t wait for what’s next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Grand Central Publishing for the eARC! Love in Bloom is available now for pre-order and will be published on November 12, 2024.

This book was cute. I found the main character slightly irritating, but the story got a bit better. Some parts of it were not believable.

Emma has the perfect life, until she doesn’t. A series of unfortunate events leads to Emma having to face the truths long buried, including the things she’s hidden from herself. Dan is a MMC who can cook and who works with plants! He’s also a MMC who has been burned before and is terrified he’ll be burned again.

Emma is forced to figure out who she wants to be if she isn’t also trying to be the one everyone else needs. This book is full of life lessons everyone needs to - how to ask for help, how to speak up for yourself, how to give grace for the broken parts of others. I think this book would do well with a 5 years in the future epilogue, because it felt like Emma has some unfinished business.

This book had all the city girl, small town feels. I will say at some points the plot is a little wild, but if you don’t mind a little drama and slightly unbelievable conflict, you’ll like this one.

Thank you to the author, Forever, and NetGalley for this book to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I adored Love in Bloom. I really, truly did. As a Gilmore Girls fan, it felt like I was journeying through a fresh, cultural version of Stars Hollow. It was familiar yet very unexpected at times. Like most small-town stories, the characters had bonds like a close-knit family. They had a secret, though, and it was one that, after thinking back, was hinted at from the start, yet still made me say, “OH, this is what we’re doing. Okay,” once it was revealed. Very unique!

Emma and Dan’s relationship was very sweet. I love that they had their own, special-to-them method of connection in the form of chess. While the characters paired well together, they were also strong on their own. Emma wanted to prove herself to the town while also finding herself and deciding what she truly wanted in life. Dan had her back at every turn while being a caring and hardworking pillar for the town. The supporting cast was interesting and felt dynamic. It was delightful.

If you like Gilmore Girls or Hallmark (but on a spicier level) this is the novel for you. A perfect fall read!

Thank you to Forever Publishing for the advanced copy!

This was a ride in a very fun way. I loved how protective this small town is. So much. I loved all of the dynamics in this book and the drama. Emma and Dan are my new faves, they chemistry was great and I was here for their antagonism at the beginning.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While I have loved this author's writing in the past, this book was a good read, but not a great one for me.

What is tricky with rom-coms is there will be a group of readers who love implausible antics and conflicts and other readers (like me) who always want believable storylines. Some parts of this story crossed over into "why wouldn't she just..." and "that's funny but would never actually happen" territory.

Readers who like a steamy, small town rom-com with exaggerated plot points for entertainment will love this book! But I just moderately liked this book.

I got about 60% into this book but I just had a really hard time connecting with the heroine. She would say something as fact and then have a few paragraphs later on that contradicted what she already spent a few paragraphs telling us. In the end this one wasn’t for me.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC!

Such a cute small town romance story. Loved how we were able to see the growth of Emma and Dan, as individuals, a couple and business people. The secret about the farm really took me by surprise and warmed my heart!! It was hard for me to get into at first but once I got used to the writing style and got a handle on the plot/characters, I enjoyed myself.

Love in Bloom is a fun, steamy, rom-com that features a city girl who inherits her grandparent's farm in a small tourist town. With the farm, comes a charming yet awkward horticulturalist that sets the tone for a heartwarming journey. Emma fully immerses herself into the farm life and has some hiccups along the way. There is a big of intrigue as Emma learns more about her estranged grandparents and their farm. The slow burn in this book had me pulling my hair out!! This is perfect for fans of slow burn with a small town charm. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Instagram review will go live 08-Nov-2024.

I was so excited for Lucy Eden's debut trad romance, and I went in completely blind because I have loved all of her indie books. I think that was where I went wrong here. Because the entire premise of a town hiding a secret medical marijuana grow op is so wild and almost out of touch in 2024, especially for a Canadian reader. Given the fact that marijuana has been legal in Canada for over 5 years, and is legal in basically 80% of the USA for medicial use, I simply could not get past all the references to the grow op being like Breaking Bad... it was so insane that I struggled pretty hard with the entire concept.

I loved Dan and Emma and their relationship. I loved the way that Emma found herself and grew into the person that she was meant to be. The found family of the town was excellent and I loved the community aspect. The premise was simply too bonkers.

This was a funny and cute small town romance in which a city girl in transplanted to a farm (see what I did there?). I loved the humor of this book--the bloopers a city girl makes in trying to become familiar with the farm she now owns. Emma also discovers that she not only inherited a farm, but a really cute horticulturist seems to come with the farm.

This was pretty steamy, pretty funny and pretty romantic! There is every feeling imaginable felt by Emma in the story that will have you headed for the hills in hopes of finding your own Dan.

Thanks to Forever Publishing for the copy. All thoughts are my own.

Review posted to Goodreads 10/31/24

In a turn of events, Emmaline inherits her grandparent's farm... along with its secrets. Coming from the city, she's faced with some tricky decisions, all while in close proximity to the hot farm manager.

Let's start with the good:
- the cover is so so pretty
- the secret the whole town is in on adds an unique layer to the story
- some parts were pretty humorous
- i liked the conflict and resolution

And now the not so good:
- the fmc calls the mmc "sexy" at least 15x in the first chapter.. which might be 15x too many
- the characters are fine, but leaves you wanting more for their development
- overall a little boring and uninspiring

I don't think I'm the target audience for this, but I think Lucy Eden has the potential!

Thanks Forever Pub for the ARC!!