Overall, this was a sweet story and a super simple, easy read. It gives all the small town vibes and the MCs are very sweet and have a lot of character growth. The story is absolutely character driven and not plot driven at all - that’s not an issue for me. BUT i felt overall it lacked a bit of spark and entertainment in the story.

The biggest plot point is her grandparents ran a marijuana farm. I didn’t mind that, but it felt like due to the lack of plot it was mentioned literally every other sentence once it was found out by the FMC.

I think that the basis of the book is good, it just fell a bit short for me.

Tropes:
-Small Town Vibes
-Spice
-GrumpyISH / sunshineISH
-Opposites Attract

I really enjoyed the narrators! They absolutely added to the story - I think i would have DNFed the digital or physical, so i’m glad i used audio!

I would recommend to my peers as a palate cleanser or a simple, easy read. I would consider read more by this author.

3 stars

This was a very cute story. I like the hero he was my favorite part of the story. He was sweet and funny.
I also liked that the small town was another character in the story. It felt lived in.
The heroine she frustrated me at times, but by the end, I was also rooting for her.
I didn't fully love the romance, which is the reason for the rating, but as an overall, it was a good entertaining read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really good audiobook. Wesleigh really enhanced the story as the narrator.
This was a really cute story with an interesting twist.
I would recommend if you like small town charm, where everyone knows your name.

thank you hachette audio & netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook! i’ve listened to audiobooks narrated by wesleigh siobhan before, and i really love her work! this was a sweet, small town romance with a twist i haven’t seen done before :)

This was a quirky book. I enjoyed the narration. The narrator was excellent. I enjoyed her range with the accent of the characters. The story was a little lacking for me. It was ultimately not for me. It was just ok.

Small Town Romance, kind of Enemies to Lovers, she inherits her grandparents’ farm. This story has it all! It was such a sweet read!

A fellow romance reader said it right when they said this is a Hallmark style read, with HBO level spice…lol. This was a unique small town read that I really enjoyed. Leslie Siobhan killed it as the narrator of this book! I have listened to other books she has done and she embodied Emma so so well! She also did a great job with Dan’s male voice and British accent! Emma is definitely a bit of disaster with everything falling about in her life all at once, while she also takes on the farm she inherited…and all of its secrets. I loved that Dan always showed up for her no matter what! He clearly adored her and his patience and grace with her was heart melting.

Emma is having the worst day ever driving to the will reading of her late grandparents, which also involves an awkward first meeting with farm manager, Dan. It also turns out she inherits her late grandparents’ farm and does not know what to do with it, since she’s been estranged from them for the past twenty five years. When her regular life blows up, she escapes to the farm to learn what she can about the past. She learns a lot about how to rely on others (like the handsome and kind Dan) and how to integrate into small town life. Plus, the farm has a bonus secret that explains the town’s reliance on it. Flirty, steamy, and emotional book. Loved it.

Cute lil small town romance ft. a black, executive, big city woman and the south asian, british, farm manager of her late grandparent's farm. Emma inherits her grandparents' farm in rural Georgia and when her city life falls apart, she moves onto the farm to give it a try. Long story short: this girl gets humbled, makes friends, falls in love, and helps save the town from big bad men! There's a lot of drama and it was stressing me out! There's tension between Emma and her parents, her ex-boss, ex-boyfriend, a developer trying to buy her farm, and even with the townspeople themselves (at first). And then there's the tension between Emma and Dan (the good kind of tension)! I loved their chess games, how they teased each other, conversations about her grandparents, and his constant need to save/help her. But, unfortunately, I did not like Emma's character at all. I felt like I spent too much time in Emma's head listening to her inner dialogue about how perfect Dan is from the beginning and it became quite redundant. There were other points in the story where I found myself rolling my eyes at how sickly sweet they were (like rubbing noses constantly!).

Overall, I think some might enjoy this book, and some will not, but it's worth a try!

4.5 stars!! This was delightful, charming, and light-hearted. The story kind of reminded me of a Hallmark Christmas movie set up: busy big city professional woman has life changing experience, moves to small town USA and falls is love with a sweet local.

Emma and Dans relationship is sweet and progresses at a nice pace. It doesn't seem to rushed or too slow. I loved getting to see some of Dan's culture throughout the book, though I do wish we got to see more of his family. His backstory is interesting and allowed me to really understand his character and ambition. Emma is a relatable character with her perfectionist nature. A strong FMC is always nice to see. She has some major character growth throughout the book. I like how Emma and Dan both had flaws; they weren't perfect the whole time. I wish Dan had more of a solid friend group like Emma especially since he seems so personable. The characters are well-rounded; they seem like they could be real people, not just characters straight out of a book. The predictable twist was made up for with the great storytelling.

One thing I especially loved about this book was the growth we saw Emma go through. Going from a fancy PR agent in Atlanta to working on a small town farm is a big change, and I'm glad that transitional struggle was shown. Her ambition is admirable and shows her stubborn personality. I love how rich her family history is and how it was shown. I'm typically not a fan of flashbacks in stories, but they were well done and added a lot of much-needed depth and backstory. Emma went through some really high moments and some really low moments, but she made it through. She is a smart character, and I love that aspect of her wasn't pushed aside in favor of romance. The side characters were great and had a lot of personality. This was an enjoyable and easy read with great characters and a fascinating story.

“My sole purpose in life in not to be somebody’s wife”

Spicy hallmark romance vibes

She’s incredibly smart but also incredibly oblivious.

Dan is perfect. We love our South Asian king ♟️

The BIPOC rep?!! Almost all the characters? I love to see it. Love that even minor characters are like the best friend who is a Latina. 🩷

The cute chess game they slowly play with each other was one of my favorite things
Like just know she said “I spent my whole life working hard, winning competitions, attending the best schools, scoring the best internships and working at a pr firm” but she doesn’t know how to brew coffee. It’s comical 😂

So much time goes by throughout the book. We are told “a couple weeks went by” several times and it feels more like time is going by slowly. Feels like the book is only taking place within a couple days but it’s been months.

Love the cute chess game they slowly play with each other

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

BEAUTIFUL. Zero complaints whatsoever. Such a heartwarming story.

Thank you so much to Hackett Audio & Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ALC & ARC review copies!

I had never read any of Lucy Eden’s books until this ARC, but I am SOLD! The writing was fantastic and touched on so many important themes. Grief, loss, healthcare issues, etc.

The story starts with Emma, finding out her grandparents have passed and left her their farm. Being from Atlanta, Emma has absolutely no idea how to run a farm. After some back & forth decision making, the true focus of this story is Emma’s character development. While adapting to farm life, she learns more about the small town and her grandparents impact that holds it together.
Emma also forms a tentative friendship with the farm manager, Dan. The way their attraction is written, it feels like they were ‘meant to be’ from their very first encounter. The steamy scenes are amazing and not over the top!

I adored the small town feel of the book and ALWAYS love a ‘fish out of water’ trope small town romance!

The audiobook enhanced the story so well & gave the best experience while I also physically read it!

City girl inherits grandparents farm
MMC grumpy farm worker
Family secrets and drama
Terrible Ex lawyer bf
Forced-close proximity
SMALL Town
Heavy topics with humor
Spicy


City girl loses her job, separates from her terrible boyfriend and runs of to her grandparents farm which she inherited but knows nothing about.
She finds out that this farm is much more than meets the eye. It's a staple in the community and helping save the quality of life of MANY townspeople (not giving the spoiler). She and the grumpy horticulturist working on the farm fall quickly head over heals for each other.
There's many obstacles and hurdles throughout this book with hidden family secrets and a huge secret the farm is keeping.

Thank you netgalley for this ALC!

What a charming, fresh, small-town romance! When capable, savvy PR rep Emma inherits a farm from her estranged grandparents, she plans to sell it - except after a series of disasters, it seems like a perfect place for her to lay low for awhile. While there, she gets to know the quirky townsfolk (and dashing horticulturalist) better, as she learns more about her grandparents, and how important their farm is to the community. Heartwarming, with well-rounded characters and full of snark and humor (not to mention FANTASTIC chemistry), romcom lovers are sure to enjoy this one! Highly recommend!

CW: death of grandparents, death of a sibling

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ALC and an EARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this rom-com. I had no clue that the twist was coming so I would say that this book was not predictable. I thought the twist of this book made it quite a unique rom com, different than other rom coms I have read, which I thought was clever.

I also enjoyed the audiobook version of this book and I thought Wesleigh Siobhan had a great narrator voice.

I would listen to more books narrated by Wesleigh, and I would also read more books by Lucy Eden in the future.

I ate up this rom com!

Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for the EARC and ALC!

My first Lucy Eden book & I thoroughly enjoyed it! Love in Bloom details the story of Emma, who much to her surprise, inherits her grandparents farm, even though her family has been estranged from her grandparents for many years. This takes her from her big time job as a publicist, to a small rural town full of its own quirks and unique individuals, some that may take romantic interest too 😉
As well as uncovers the town secret that no one saw coming 🤫

I really loved reading this book as it had a light feel to it, while also tackling some challenging topics and dynamics with such tact and respect! The characters in the small town are so witty and eclectic, which made for an additionally fun read too. The themes of family dynamics, medicinal needs, interpersonal relationships and unexpected love were so well done & kept me wanting to read more and more!

I also was able to listen to the book on audio as well, and I really enjoyed the emotion, sass & depth that’s as conveyed through the beautiful narration of Wesleigh Siobhan! Listening to the narration truly immersed me in the world of Green Acres, Georgia!

I was really looking forward to listening to this book, but the male narrator’s English accent was horrible and the female narrator was a bit annoying in my opinion. Nevertheless I appreciate the listening opportunity, thank you!

This was delightful, charming, and light-hearted. The story kind of reminded me of a Hallmark Christmas movie set up: busy big city professional woman has life changing experience, moves to small town USA and falls is love with a sweet local. I liked that the third act misunderstanding wasn't a frustrating lack of adult communication. I loved the side characters in this. While this isn't holiday centered, its got cozy fall romance vibes.

The narrator of this audiobook is Wesleigh Siobhan. Wesleigh has a real gift for narrating these types of stories. I'll definitely be seeking out other works narrated by her.

Thank you to Lucy Eden, Hachette Audio , and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

Read this if you like:
•small town romance
•estranged family/family secrets
•found family

This was a cute romcom with a hint of some mystery. There’s a little bit for everyone. I enjoyed the audiobook as it really brought the characters to life. Thank you Hachette audio for the ALC!!

This story has a great start and continues to build. Packed with action, emotion and some very loving community involvement. The way this group of people come together for a shared purpose and become a family is beautiful. Emma had a seemingly good life in the city, but she learned what life was really all about when she arrives at the farm and begins small town life. Dan & Emma’s relationship was so naturally organic, a refreshing pace. They built up with time, not overwhelmingly but with sincerity. I enjoyed this story a great deal.
The audio was such a pleasure to listen to. Voices with distinction and variety.