A moving and sweet contemporary romance novel. Loved the small town setting—it felt very authentic, as if it could have actually existed.

I heard a lot of buzz about this holiday romance, so I was expecting to love it, but I wasn't too keen on the characters as the book went on. There was a bit too much manipulation for me to truly enjoy the characters realizing their feelings for each other, but it was still a fun read overall.

This book read like an elevated version of a Hallmark movie - it was like a warm hug and made for perfect winter reading. I really loved the chemistry between Stella and Luka - even in their early moments they were too cute together. I also loved the Gilmore Girls vibes from the small town the book is set in. The side characters were super fun and I can't wait to read more of their stories. My only complaint was that the book dragged a tiny bit in the middle - the miscommunication was just a bit too unbelievable after a point.

I wonder if spicy Hallmark-esque Christmas books is a holiday subgenre? Lovelight Farms by BK Borison is a contemporary romance that absolutely feels like a Hallmark movie but with some adult scenes. This story is about two best friends who fake date in hopes of winning a contest and getting the money needed to keep Stella's Christmas Tree Farm from going under. Stella is a finalist in an influencer's contest. The winner gets $100,000 which would be enough to put her back into the green and keep the business going.

Unfortunately, several elements are conspiring against her business - trees not growing right, destroyed crops, missing decorations. Still, Stella has hope. Just one small detail -- she put in her contest essay that she was in a relationship but she's as single as can be. However, her best friend Luca helps her out and agrees to fake date her. Now, the whole town is so excited that the two are FINALLY dating. Stella just might be catching feelings for Luca too -- more stronger feelings than the ones she already had.

Overall, Lovelight Farms is a really enjoyable read. I found that I liked Stella and Luca. I also liked two of the side characters who it looks like are getting their own books in the series- Stella's business partners as well as her brother. I do wish I had focused enough to be able to read this during the actual holiday season rather than March. However, the setting is wonderful, the plot is low stakes for the most part, and the spice isn't overwhelming.

On A Scale Of One To Buddy The Elf, How Much Christmas Spirit Does Lovelight Farms by BK Borison Have?

Seeing as how Lovelight Farms by BK Borison is set on a Christmas tree farm, I for sure think this book does not lack in Christmas spirit. We even get to experience Halloween, Thanksgiving, and  the lead-up to Christmas. I liked that there's ice skating in this book -- plus some unique small town characters. If you want a book that is charming and romantic - this is the one.

This is one of my top three holiday romance recs of all time!

If you like books featuring…
CHRISTMAS TREE FARMS
Friends to lovers
Baked goods to make you drool

Great for fans of…
Hallmark films
Holiday Romance by Cat Walsh
Sarah Adams (but with spice)

I enjoyed this title and think a lot of people would love it but it felt a little generic for a contemporary romance novel. I know a lot of people loved this and the series.

This was just the most delightful book! So delightful that I read the entire series in 4 or 5 days last week. It was just the perfect amount of sweetness, steam & spice, and low drama for me! I was fully invested in Stella & Luka. It isn’t in-your-face Christmas, just Christmas adjacent, and I loved it!

Omg, this friends to lovers holiday romance was pure perfection- I loved every minute of it! The Christmas tree farm was a perfect setting, making me feel like we were in a Christmas movie :)

Luka was an amazing leading man, and I’ll now forever swoon when I see tree air fresheners!

I really am shocked it took so long for me to pick up this series, buttt as my reading tastes have shifted over the last couple of years, I felt it would be a better match for me to read this series around the holidays. While the aesthetic was right, I just don't think it was for me. Borrison writes cute, Hallmark-worthy books and I understand why others love them so much! Just not my cup of holiday tea, unfortunately.

Stella Bloom owns Lovelight Farms, a Christmas tree farm that is struggling after a series of mysterious events. To save the farm, Stella submits an application to a contest to be featured on the social media pages of Evelyn St. James. The prize comes with publicity and $100,000. Evelyn will visit each applicant to make her decision. However, to make her application more appealing, Stella said that she owns the farm with her boyfriend, even though she’s currently single. She asks her best friend, Luka Peters, to pretend to be her boyfriend during Evelyn’s visit. Their fake dating escalates into a relationship that is what they’ve both always wanted.

This was such a sweet story. Stella and Luka were a great couple. I loved how they were friends and then had to “fake date” their way to a real relationship. I would have liked to see more of their visit with Evelyn. There was one surprise when she arrived, but I think there could have been more funny moments. Evelyn did speed up the romance though, which made for a cute ending.

Lovelight Farms is a fun Christmas rom com!

Thank you Berkley Romance for providing a digital copy of this book.

Content warnings: death of parent, parental abandonment

This was a fun holiday, friends to lovers story. While somewhat predictable, I enjoyed the story and found that I was able to relate to the feelings of the main character. I would definitely read the next book in the Lovelight series!

I wanted to read this because of all the hype around these books. Unfortunately, this wasn't for me - I'm not too fond of a miscommunication trope - I think this story could have been cut short with a simple conversation.

I got bored with the main character Stella, because it was just the same over and over again meanwhile, had she just told people what was going on, she could have loved her problems quicker

I typically love a friend to lover, but this took too long, and I needed more communication.
If someone loves that, I am sure they would love this romance- just not for me.

I wanted to like this book. The story seemed great, nothing wrong with the characters; however, I just didn't get into the story and the characters didn't feel whole to me. I didn't finish this book after several pick-ups and put-downs, I'm giving up.

This is hands down one of my favorite reads of the year. Stella enters a contest to save her Christmas tree farm and to make the place have a more romantic feel to it, she lied on the application and said she owns the farm with her boyfriend…. a boyfriend she doesn’t have. But no worries because in comes her amazing best friend Luka to save the day.

I am literally obsessed with Stella and Luka. The fake dating + best friends to lovers trope was EVERYTHING and more. They were the cutest and I adore them so much. Also Luka was such a cinnamon roll and he made me swoon almost every time he spoke.

If you are a hopeless romantic like me, you will adore this book. It made me so giddy and put the biggest smile on my face. I love this book and these characters with all of my heart. I will be forever thinking about this book and couple.💛

“I’m going to hold her hand when she needs it, tuck her close when she needs that too. I’m going to love her in all the quiet ways, the slow ways, the loud and obnoxious ways.” 🤧

The tree farm. The friends to lovers. The spice. This book was the perfect way to start my holiday season. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

Absolutely in love with B.K. Borosin and this precious #romanceread. If you love friends to lovers, Christmas tree farms, and Italian food - this one is for you. I will 100% be #reading the rest of this #bookseries.

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Stella is a Hallmark movie dream: a beautiful woman still grappling with the loss of her mother who invested her insurance payout following her mother’s death in her dream business venture: a cozy, open to all, Christmas meets Narnia picture perfect postcard Christmas tree farm in her small town.

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After a string of mishaps, vandalism, and curiously undelivered shipments, though, in addition to her generosity and refusal to charge an entrance fee, Stella’s dream appears to be on the brink of financial ruin. She receives a seemingly miracle that might save her, though, when she is chosen for a spot in a contest hosted by a travel social media influencer, the grand prize being an enormous cash prize and social media attention that could result in a financial saving grace.

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The problem? To sound more picturesque Stella wrote in her application that she ran the farm with her long time boyfriend - something she does not, in fact, have. Prior to the influencer visiting, Stella hatches a plan to fake-date her long time bestfriend, Luka - who she also happens to be unequivocally in love with. And thus, the show begins.

•Fake dating
•Friends to lovers
•Small town romance

The cutest holiday romance 🥹
I loved that the MCs were true best friends to lovers. Luka was the perfect book boyfriend. He is caring, knows how to communicate and is always there for Stella.
This starts closer to Thanksgiving but there was still plenty of Christmas sprinkled in. If you love a good Hallmark movie then you’ll love this. I don’t watch Hallmark movies and I still loved it so much. You get a glimpse at the side characters and immediately get invested in their own stories which makes you want to continue the series right away!

Thank you @berkleyromance for the free book.

I really wanted to love this as I know so many do. fake dating is not a trope I enjoy but sometimes it can be done well. unfortunately that was not the case in this one for me. I found the characters flat and difficult to feel like I was rooting for, and the story moved very slowly.

I switched between it and the audiobook! This was such a cute holiday read/listen! I love the fake dating trope & friends to lovers trope so this was a great one since it had both! Definitely read this one this holiday season!

This book was so enjoyable! My expectations were high because of the hype surrounding the book, but they were definitely met. It was cute and steamy, and the romance between the characters was very sweet. The romance wasn't too big as there were also other incidents happening, which made for a nice breather in-between. Can definitely recommend this one!