A long time has passed since I requested this title and my tastes have changed. If I come back to it in the future I'll edit this review!

An inn with a dwindling patronage, a family with financial hardships due to overwhelming medical bills and a man who wants to open a bar across the street from her family's inn. A friend to lover's romance. Could it possibly work? A multicultural romance that I enjoyed.


I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

When you were looking for charming steamy, small-town romances, this is a series for you. Once again, I fell in love with love and sweet briar. All of the side characters, as well as the main heroin, heroin, or charming, and made this a delightful book to read. I hope to return to Sweet briar soon.

The pacing is well-balanced, with moments of tension and heartwarming scenes that will make you smile. Overall, The Inn on Sweetbriar Lane is an engaging and enjoyable read that will leave you feeling uplifted and inspired. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a cozy and heartwarming book to curl upwith

I absolutely loved this book! It’s such a sweet story and so well written. I loved the cozy, fall vibe… there’s even a fall festival! I thought the characters were well written and I appreciated the diversity in a small town romance.
I would definitely recommend to anyone who is looking for a sweet, cozy read. Good for any time of year, but especially good if you’re looking for a comfy, cozy fall read.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this title, but my reading interests have changed. I will not be finishing this book, but look forward to others in the future.

This was a cutie-patootie enemies-to-lovers romance that warmed my heart. I loved June and Clay’s chemistry and their dynamic, as well as how they both grew and evolved throughout this book.

I also loved how Chin allowed readers to see both the quaint, heartwarming aspects of small-town life, in addition to heavier issues, like racism, homophobia, etc. That made Blue Cedar Falls less idyllic and more real for me.

I definitely recommend this great read!

The first 75% of The Inn on Sweetbriar Lane was a solid 3 star read for me but that last 25% really got me.

June is running her family's inn in Blue Cedar Falls when Army vet Clay comes to town to open a bar to honor his fallen best friend. From the beginning June annoyed me and after the big fight I truly couldn't stand her. Clay had his issues but the author never just skipped over his PTSD and abandonment issues and made it out that June was not in the wrong with how she acted and she faced no consequences. I pretty much just gave this a 2 star review because I finished it but I won't be recommending this one.

This was such a sweet small town romance read. This is the perfect book to read in the fall. It has all the autumn cozy vibes in it. It’s also part of a series, which means more fun to come! I highly recommend checking this one out!

A solid 3.75 stars for me.

I really enjoyed the premise for this book. Small town romance where the June’s family’s Inn is in desperate need of help, and a grumpy loner Clay who moves to the small town to honor his friends last wishes.

I’m just coming off book lovers and I’m pretty sure this is the book they were talking about. 😉

Overall is a good enemies to lovers, grumpy romance read. Although if you don’t like alpha-holes you may want to think before diving into this one, because Clay is really something in the beginning. But as small town romances do, the HEA can’t be very far behind.

This was such a sweet lovely read. Small town romance, will they won’t they, everyone in everyones business and two main characters (June and Clay) who only want to do the right thing by their family and loved ones. Clay is a vet who is grumpy on his very best day and wants nothing more that fulfill his best friends dream now that he is no longer here to do so. June only wants to pay off her mothers medical bills and save her B&B. Its a fun romp to their obvious and eventual happily ever after. Highly recommend this book and author.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a sweet, entertaining book. I loved how the town came together and helped everyone out! I learned not to hold everything in and ask for help! Which wasn’t the goal of the book. Lol. I would definitely recommend this book!!

June Wu is helping her family run a local inn, but there is a situation that could shut it down for good. Enter in Clay, who has just moved into town to fulfill a promise to a former resident/friend to open an establishment on the Main street of the town. June and clay butt heads at the beginning, but that doesn't last long, and the two try to navigate their feelings for each other.

This was such a cute enemies to lovers story that was also heartwarming. There was great chemistry between the characters, and I'm hoping the other sisters also get a story. Very good job.

I received a copy of the book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review

Oooh such a good one! I feel like the cover doesn't give off the steam level you'll find in this book so be prepared! If enemies to lovers is your thing along with a small town, well written characters and a good storyline then be sure to pick this one up and find out about June and Clay and whether together they can save Main St. A fun, quick and steamy read.

I had heard such good reviews on this book and really really wanted to love it. Alas, I didn't. I ended up not finishing as the main male character, Clay, was just too angry for me. Honestly, he really aggravated me while I was reading and soured the entire experience. I get that the author was going for enemies to lovers, but this was just too much. I did enjoy June's family dynamics and would have preferred to read about that instead.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for providing me with the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

this was a cute small town romance that really brought the heat! I wasn't sure about Clay and his extra grumpiness, but paired with June, they were so fun to watch on page. The community in the town was so fun. The journey from Clay's initial plan for the bar to what it became was so rewarding. It had everything you want in a small town romance, but all the heat and steam you usually miss.

The Inn on Sweetbriar Lane by Jeannie Chin is the first book in the new contemporary romance Blue Cedar Falls series. It appears so far that this will be a contemporary romance series that will change the main characters with the setting being the common theme. This first book of the serie is an enemies to lovers romance changing the point of view between the characters.

June Wu loves her family and her small town of Blue Cedar Falls where she helps run her family’s inn. Things have been tight lately for June’s family with her mother’s health problems which have added to their bills. Just is hoping the upcoming Pumpkin Festival will help bring in more guests and the income they need but that isn’t going to happen with all the noise coming from their new neighbor.

Clay Hawthorne had a good buddy in the military with him that didn’t make it home so he has a dream now of honoring his friend by opening a bar in his hometown, Blue Cedar Falls. Clay knew that the town may not be overly welcoming with his dream of a bar on mainstreet but he’s ready to take on the town’s business association to make his friend’s and now his dream come true. What Clay didn’t expect was June Wu who showed up on his doorstep.

The Inn on Sweetbriar Lane by Jeannie Chin had all the ingredients to be a lovely contemporary romance but this one fell a little short in my opinion. I loved the small town and could just picture the ruffled feathers in some of the residents and should have fallen in love with the romance too however the author went a little too far with making an “enemy” in Clay to fit the trope in my opinion. The guy just started off a jerk and after that I just couldn’t fall into rooting for him despite the heartbreaking story that should have warmed him to me making this one turn into a just so-so story by the end.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Sweet small town romance. Incredibly diverse and I wish that all small town romances are. The conflict felt forced at times and enemies to lovers is not always my favorite trope. But I did enjoy reading this book.

LOVED this one and it’s diversity representation! This isn’t your usual small town, white washed romance. Yes, it’s a small town but it’s full of diverse characters with real life issues. It’s authentic, adorable, and steamy. This is a strong start to a new series and I’m excited to see where this goes! 4⭐️

The Inn on Sweetbriar Lane by Jeannie Chin
Source: NetGalley and Forever
Rating: 4½/5 stars

The Bottom Line: June Wu is one of my favorite character types, the girl who can’t stay out of her own way in order to make some headway in her life. June and her family are up to their butts in debt, but June refuses to ask for help, she simply waits for a solution to fall into her lap. As Fate would have it, the solution to June’s problems is also the greatest pain in her butt.

Clay Hawthorne has a single-minded focus that has him working all hours of the day and night. He couldn’t care less that his hammering and power tool activities are driving away the customers from June’s bed and breakfast. Despite the best neighborly efforts of the lady across the street, Clay is having none of the fitting in and helping others. He’s going to build his little bar and to hell with everyone else! Except, life in a small town is all about fitting in and helping your neighbors and if Clay wants to bring his bar into reality, he’s going to need the help of the pest across the street.

As it turns out, June and Clay are a power couple who both refuse to acknowledge such idiocies. For each to get what they respectively want there is going to have to be cooperation and a little flexibility. Oh, and there should also be some mind-blowing sex! There should definitely be that last bit. Oh, and there should also be a gang of scraggly bikers hell-bent on helping their friend 😊 From one extreme to the next, June and Clay begin to make a path that will not only see Clay’s dream come true, but increase business for the entire town, June’s B&B included.

In all, I really enjoyed this true enemies to friends to lover’s romance. Y’all know my love of small-town reads and that certainly factored into my liking of this story. However, the greatest draw would have to be June and Clay and their ridiculous games, shenanigans, and refusal to admit the obvious. I found a load of humor in this read and that always ups the star rating for me.