June Wu is trying to keep it all together -- running the Sweetbriar Inn, helping her family through a difficult financial time after her mother suffered a stroke and medical bills keep piling up, and trying help the town's struggling Pumpkin Festival . To top it all off, the person who bought the told quilt shop next to the inn is turning it into a bar and making all kinds of noise gaining noise complaints from the few customers she has left. When June goes to confront the noise maker, she meets ex-soldier Clay Hawthorne who is working to open a bar on main street to fulfill his best friend from the military's dreams, since he can't fulfill them himself. While their first meetings are confrontational and full of yelling, they soon realize they can help each other and form an unlikely partnership. Will their tension turn to sparks? Will Clay get his bar and June be able to help her town and her Inn?

This book was charming and the I love small town romances. I loved the story with Clay and Bug and how he was coming to fulfill his friend's dreams. There was so much tension between the two main characters at first it was fun to see then start to work together and see a romance form. The parts where Clay interacted with Bug's family and niece were so sweet and melted my heart. Overall though there was so much going on with this story. Between Clay's back story and the story with June and her family and then everything going on with the town and the festival there was just a lot of moving parts. I would have enjoyed this story more I think it was a little more streamlined. On the whole this was an enjoyable small town romance read and I am grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy .

This book was a cute and classic love story! I really enjoyed June’s character. Overall I found this book enjoyable but slightly dragging in parts. I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet romance that also has unexpected depth.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Clay is an ex-soldier and lands in Blue Cedar Falls to build a bar in honour of his friend. June owns the inn across the street.

A classic enemy to lovers trope. Enemy to lovers is not my favorite but I still enjoyed myself.

I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

The Inn on Sweetbriar Lane ended up on my radar thanks to the publisher offering me a copy, based on it being similar to some of the prior review copies I’ve received from them. I was immediately intrigued to see it was a small-town romance with an Asian lead, given you don’t often see them at all in these types of stories.

I immediately was drawn to June. She is a bit overbearing, but I love that she really cares and does what she can to help those close to her. I loved June’s family dynamics and there’s a real sense of history there.

I wasn’t sure about Clay at first, but I warmed up to him over time. He’s dealing with a lot, coping with PTSD and the loss of some of his friends he served in the military with, and I appreciated how well that was handled.

I liked the romance between the two of them, and how they initially were in opposition due to wanting different things, they get insight into each other’s perspective upon getting to know each other.

This is a sweet romance with a dash of spice and an infusion of culture that sets it apart from similar titles in the genre. If you love small-town romance, I definitely recommend giving this a try.

Thank you to Forever Publishing for a complimentary review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

June runs an inn, Clay is grumpily opening up a bar across the street, there's a pumpkin festival everyone is preparing for tp help increase tourism into their town. Because of these things I had really high hopes heading into this book after loving my last forever small town romance, but unfortunately this one didn't hit it out of the park for me.

I found June to be very solo focused, and unable to acknowledge that she was not in charge of every little thing her family does. If her mom wants to sit at the front desk of the inn and watch the day go by, then let her!

Clay, as a recent retiree from the army was grumps for good reasons, and I cold understand his rough edges, but I still wasn't his biggest fan.

I did enjoy watching June family interact. The women are clearly bonded together after their shared history, and Ned, the step father, was just fantastic. Ned was my favourite part of the whole book.

The descriptions of the town and the people who lived there were also a highlight.

Even with these bright spots, I had a lot of trouble getting through this one, but if you're into the small town sunshine/grumpy tropes, then this one could be for you.

I always love trying new me authors. Sadly I don't always love them but then I remember that someone out there will and I move to the next. When I do move on sometimes I find an author that I really like and writes the way that works for me. Thanks for what happened with this story. When I saw the cover I knew I'd have to try it. You guys know me and small-town romances. I love them.

Right off the bat this one drew me in and kept me there. I liked June right away and saw a bit of myself in her. She comes off very controlling but really wants to do whatever she can to help those around her that she cares about. Sometimes though she takes over where she really should just support. Yes, that's a problem but only a small one.

Now Clay isn't what I'd call welcoming. He's kinda a jerk, but a jerk I sort of like. Crazy right. He was so rude to June when they first meet and then has to go to her for help and say he's sorry. Poor Clay. The man has a ton of guilt laying on her shoulders and at times it makes him act small and unlikeable. I want I liked about him is his growth throughout the book. He starts off a little unlikeable but grows into a person you'd call a friend.

These two don't have it easy. Both their personalities are not easy ones. They really have to work at being together sometimes and that's fine, life is all about work. I liked how the author didn't make them both just perfect for each other without having some tension.

This is a wonderful story that makes me look forward to the next one in the series. It's a great start to a new series.

Thank you to the publisher for my print and audio review copy. All opinions are my own.

Hey there new fun cozy romance....how you doin?

Sigh, a new series for me in my beloved North Carolina....yes, please.

I adored this book. It had it all for me.

Great flawed characters.
Sweet little small town.
Great chemistry.
Not too steamy that I won't recommend it to everyone...despite their steam restrictions.
A series....a brand spanking new series. I love series. (I'm secretly hoping for all the sister's stories.)
A Marine...nuff said. I love Marines. I adore mine in particular...but....mmmmm. Love them.
A pumpkin festival. Small town festivals of any kind for that matter.

This is a fantastic Fall read. Specifically if you go through Fall in the South. Grab it. I'll wait. Let me know your thoughts when you do :-).

There will be women melting over the main guy, Clay, but I'm not one of them.

June has been juggling many responsibilities: her family B&B, her mother's hospital bills that come from a stroke, and trying to keep her dying small town alive. Then Clay, an ex-soldier, buys the vacant store next door from the B&B and plans on turning it into a bar designed to upset people in town. This is more problems for June. But no matter how many times he yells at her, she can't help but want to get in his pants.

I hated Clay. Hated. He's the type of snob who thinks that since his interests cost less means that he's not a snob. He has issues from being a soldier and having his best friend die in his arms. Problems that I really, really wish that he saw professional help over. He mentions seeing a psychiatrist (who he of course refers to as 'shrink') once and then ran away. He's not nice. He makes decisions about his bar to see how upset people can get. When he finally does things to appease people, he worries that he's being changed against his will. Apparently, he has sweet moments with June but I couldn't find them.

June, though, I liked. I loved her family dynamic and I wish that more of the book was about them instead of Clay's hatred of diplomacy. Her family saved this book for me. They were very cute and supportive.

Do I have to mention that I didn't care for the romance? Well, once and June and Clay have sex after lusting after each they decide that instead of having open communication about their lives and stresses, they'll just continue having sex and pretend that's what makes a relationship. Of course, this stupidity explodes in their faces and then a grand gesture makes it better.

Side note: when Clay says that his bar is for real people and country music will be on the jukebox, I got "Pandering" by Bo Burnham stuck in my head. It's a song about how country music is very formulaic. If you haven't, you should listen to it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the chance to read an early copy of this book! Extra special thanks to Dana from Forever who reached out and knew exactly what would draw me in -- normally I would have passed over this book thinking it was a sweet romance or women's fiction, but her email sold me in three sentences: "Don’t let the cover fool you, this one does have steamy scenes. This romance also has Asian, interracial relationships, and LGBTQ+ representation. Jeannie Chin is biracial Asian-Caucasian and is passionate about the diversity she was able to portray in this small town."

So, yes. This is not a sweet romance, there are a few steamy scenes and some great chemistry between the two protagonists even before those scenes. The book talks about diversity in a small town, what it can feel like to stand out, and does have some discussion of racism and homophobia (there is a coming-out subplot that goes sideways at first, be ye warned). And even though this small town is filled with adorable shops, there's some discussion of the economic realities that addressed my usual annoyances with small town tropes (like a magical idyll with a street full of cupcake shops that are somehow supported 100% by quirky locals).

I also really enjoyed the opposites-attract, grumpy/sunshine aspect between our hero and heroine. Clay is so grumpy and prickly that even his chapters are hard to read in the beginning, but you get to see how he got where he is, with discussion of foster kids, military service, and PTSD. I maybe overidentified with our heroine June, who is a bit of a control freak and is trying to fix everything for everyone but with such good intentions! I loved the emotional growth we see in both of them, and we have a great cast of secondary characters forming a community (with maybe some hints at future books!).

This book upended my expectations for what a small town romance can be, and I'm so delighted I gave it a try. Jeannie Chin is an author to watch!

This was a really sweet and poignant small town romance. June is a woman with a lot on her shoulders. She feels that she is personally responsible for the financial well being of her family after her mother had a stroke 9 months prior. After the whole town starts to lose profit because a highway cut into their tourism revenue, she doesn't know what to do. The last thing she expects is the tattoed veteran who buys the old quilt shop across the street to want to open up a dive bar across from her family's inn.
Clay wants to open this bar in his war buddies memory. He always talked about his small town, and how he wanted to build a dive bar that everyone could be comfortable in. Clay was comfortable in solitude until he starts to interact with June, and get to know her and her friends. He slowly starts to open up, even though anyone he has ever opened up to has left him in one way or another.
This romance does a great job of bringing in culture, diversity, and all of the quirks of living in a small town. It also brings in love and acceptance that is hard for some people to understand, including our characters.

This is an absolute little gem of a book. You think this is going to be a straightforward cozy romance (which I love mind you) and then it adds more unexpected layers. It is a cozy romance and just a little bit more. I think the most unexpected element for me was the fact that this was not afraid to touch on PTSD and veteran service. It surprised me. I do not know if this will become or is meant to become a series, but I do feel like there is a wealth of topics here still to explore that were brought up in this book.

I have not related to a main character so strongly in a while as I did to to June. She is clearly an Enneagram One. I see you, girl. I recognize my own kind. While her actions were sometimes frustrating, I got them. I understood her motivations and her actions. The chemistry between the two main leads here is absolutely charming. In fact, the entire read is absolutely charming. Like I said, this is a gem.

If this becomes a series, I am 100 percent in. I would adore a story about June's sister, Elizabeth. I am just putting that out there into the world. This book mildly reminded me of Chloe Liese's books. I cannot pinpoint any one thing that made that comparison obvious to me except the feel and vibes are similar. That is unhelpful I know, but I really do think if you have enjoyed Liese's books, you might just enjoy this read. They both are comfort romances in the best way.

This was a really sweet story. June is a perfectionist who is single handedly trying to keep her family’s inn afloat while dealing with her mother’s medical bills piling up. Clay is a grumpy ex-soldier who came to town to build a bar to honor his late friend, and tick people off. Sparks fly when Clay and June meet and are on opposite sides of the issue of a bar going up on Main Street. I enjoyed watching Clay and June fall in love, and grow as people throughout this story. There was some great LGBTQ+ and Asian American representation in this story, with some great storylines developing from that. A great story. I received an ARC from netgalley, and this is my honest review.

Quick, light romantic read. In addition to the romantic story, there are story lines about family, friendships, diversity, war, loss, acceptance and perseverance. This is the first time I've read anything by this author, so I'm not sure if they normally use so many different themes, but to me it could have been softened a bit. No need to throw it all into one book.

I'm sure others will really enjoy the story and take many parts of it to heart, it just didn't resonate with me.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

A sweet small town novel featuring a diverse cast of characters! June and her family are struggling to keep their inn going and to pay the bills after her mom's stroke, Clay, a veteran with PTSD, has come to town to fulfill the dream of his dead buddy by opening a bar- right next to the Inn. The town isn't thrilled about the bar and the outsider and neither is June initially but then these two find common ground. It's kinda trope-y but it's also fun, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This one made me smile.

June Wu and Clay Hawthorne had me at first sight! These two opposites had this electric pull between them that was undeniable!

This small town romance followed these two as one worked to save her business while the other worked to build his. They each had very complicated reasons for what they were doing and were stubborn as all get out about a lot of their thinking. This of course made for some fun banter, bickering, and megawatt sparks. I loved the diversity of the cast and how quickly the author created a community I wanted to keep reading about!

Looking forward to more from this author!

Small town romance. Own voices author. Chinese American heroine. Ex military hero. They get off to a bad start. Misunderstanding abound. Lots of secondary characters.

Anyone who likes small town romances will like this one. Just not for me.

If you're a fan of small town romance, The Inn on Sweetbriar Lane will probably hit all the right notes for you. It's a hit-or-miss trope for me, and in this case, I felt like I'd read it before.. All that felt fresh was better/more racial and LGBTQ+ rep. Main character June is Chinese American and has a friend who is trying to come out to her parents. Clay has Black and Filipino military buddies.

June helps to run her family's inn in North Carolina, while also dealing with their money issues after her mom's stroke. Clay is a vet who served in Afghanistan and is pursuing his buddy's dream to put a bar on Main Street in town. It's ruffling feathers with the busybodies on the local business association. Located just across the street from the inn, it instantly puts the two at odds with each other.

Ultimately, I didn't really find myself pulled into their romance. It was fine, just probably not for me.

CW: foster system experience as a kid, estranged bio dad, guilt / loss of a friend during military service,

Small town? Check.
Enemies to loves? Check.
Grumpy hero? Check.

This was just the Hallmark-esque book that I needed in my life, and with so much more diversity than a Hallmark movie. I loved how sweet this book was, but also how genuine the issues in the characters lives were at the same time.

Thank you NetGalley & Forever for the ARC!

Clay Hawthorne is an ex soldier who is gruff, grumpy and handsome. After wandering the country he has come to Blue Cedar Falls the hometown of his soldier buddy Bug. Bug didn't come back from Afghanistan and Clay has decided to build the bar that was Bug's dream. June Wu is Chinese-American and her family runs a B&B across from the future bar. They are drowning in medical bills from her mother's hospital stay. She feels her family is depending on her to take care of things as she always has done. After clashing with Clay she convinces him he will do better fitting into the town that fighting against it.

This is a sweet and easy romance where both characters need to bend and grow a little. I think I was extra sympathetic with Clay's rough demeanor after spending the week watching US military trying to leave Afghanistan on tv. I did think some things were unrealistic but maybe that's because I live in a city where getting a liquor license can take over a year, instead of two weeks. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review. (3.5 stars)

This book was so good! I loved the enemies to lovers trope, these two characters had a lot of clashes and chemistry. I also appreciated the subject matters of mounting medical bills and PTSD that were represented.

The small town setting is one of my favorite parts of romance books from Forever Publishing and this didn’t disappoint.