Small town romance, sapphic love, spicy level 3, then this is for you...loved this so much!!! Very Hallmark-like- so a good palette cleanser in between heavier reads!

❄️BOOK REVIEW ❄️

Synopsis: With her career as a Los Angeles event planner imploding after a tabloid blowup, Morgan Ross isn’t headed home for the holidays so much as in strategic retreat. Breathtaking mountain vistas, quirky townsfolk, and charming small businesses aside, her hometown of Fern Falls is built of one heartbreak on top of another . . .
Take her one-time best friend turned crush, Rachel Reed. The memory of their perfect, doomed first kiss is still fresh as new-fallen snow. Way fresher than the freezing mud Morgan ends up sprawled in on her very first day back, only to be hauled out via Rachel’s sexy new lumberjane muscles acquired from running her family tree farm.
When Morgan discovers that the Reeds’ struggling tree farm is the only thing standing between Fern Falls and corporate greed destroying the whole town’s livelihood, she decides she can put heartbreak aside to save the farm by planning her best fundraiser yet. She has all the inspiration for a spectacular event: delicious vanilla lattes, acoustic guitars under majestic pines, a cozy barn surrounded by brilliant stars. But she and Rachel will ABSOLUTELY NOT have a heartwarming holiday happy ending. That would be as unprofessional as it is unlikely. Right?

Review: I’d see raving reviews of this book all over Bookstagram since it was released so I was eager to read it. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to connect to the characters and that meant I wasn’t invested in the story. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what or why, but I might try and pick this up another time. I still recommend though! Even though it wasn’t for me, it might be for you!

I'm a huge sucker for holiday romances and "In the Event of Love" is no exception! The story of a city woman coming home to her small town during the holiday season can't be beat. It's not hard to root for Morgan and Rachel throughout the entire story and their relationship and chemistry is one of my favorites. Once you read the book, once you'll be ready to read it again and again!

I really wanted to love this book but the writing just wasn’t there for me. The setting seemed cute enough but I couldn’t get past the major issues

‘In The Event of Love’ is pure hallmark channel Christmas bliss. Morgan is the big city event planner who has her career explode and flees back to her almost impossibly charming(but diverse and progressive in a way hallmark would never allow) hometown of Fern Falls. There she reconnects with Rachel, her one time childhood best friend turned crush, who is an honest-to-god sexy lumber-Jane(complete with flannels, beanies, and muscles) who runs a CHRISTMAS TREE FARM. It turns out the Christmas tree farm is soon to be the victim of big city corporate greed, unless Morgan can bring the town together to save it. You’ll love the quirky but loving beanie clad townsfolk almost as love as you’ll love Morgan and Rachel. ‘In the Event of Love’ is the Hallmark Christmas movie improved (and perhaps perfected) and an absolutely delightful holiday read.

This one didn’t work for me. 😔
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I thought it started off really strong with event planner Morgan accidentally kissing her client’s fiancé. I was excited for the drama and fallout. Instead, Morgan heads back to her small hometown, Fern Falls, and things got reeeeealllllyyyyy slow.
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As soon as she runs into Rachel, her ex, they’re immediately back in love and can’t live without each other after not seeing each other for YEARS. 🧐🧐🧐🧐 It didn’t feel true to me. The characters didn’t really have much depth and I didn’t find their relationship believable.
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It was also boring. 😫 The entire middle was just spice and declarations of love. And trying to plan an event to save the tree farm (😂) but it felt secondary to the spice.
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The last 20% or so was somewhat redeeming! We finally got some Christmas vibes, and I really enjoyed Morgan’s reconciliation with her dad. The friend group was cute too, but I just didn’t buy the romance.
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I appreciate the arc and send my thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley!

Sweet second chance romance - my favorite trope! I loved the small-town vibes, very cozy mystery. I would recommend this to all my romance reader friends.

This book is full of charming small town vibes and involves a second-chance trope, which generally isn't my go to trope, but I did enjoy this one and felt the chemistry between the characters felt genuine . The festive feels make it a perfect cozy book nook read. All around great holiday wlw romance!

I really couldn't vibe with the author's writing style, so I DNFed this book after the first chapter. I don't think this author's writing style is for me.

SO glad to see more Sapphic romances hitting the mainstream market! This one is very much "what if a Hallmark Holiday Romance -- but with LESBIANS?" (And is, therefore, a thousand times better than any of the current Hallmark Holiday Romances, lol.) We get the high-powered, big city gal with big ambitions and the small/hometown childhood best friend/crush-turned-LUMBERJANE set up -- how could it get any better??? Sure, it's extremely trope-y, but it's tropes done WELL, and is just such a fun read.

In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae is an adorable second-chance holiday romance that I was excited to dive into after reading a similar book; Make the Season Bright. While it had all the cozy winter vibes I was hoping for, there were a few aspects that left me wanting a little more.

The story follows Morgan Ross, an event planner whose career in LA is at risk of falling apart, forcing her to retreat to her hometown of Fern Falls. There, she comes face-to-face with Rachel Reed—her former best friend and first crush—who now runs her family’s struggling tree farm. When Morgan learns the farm is at risk, she steps in to help, but of course, old feelings resurface, leading to a romance full of holiday charm.

The found family and queer friendships in the book were a definite highlight, and I loved how the winter setting felt festive without being overwhelmingly Christmas-focused (which was perfect since I read this in February). Unlike some holiday romances that lean into a full-on Hallmark feel, In the Event of Love had a more grounded, small-town charm that I really appreciated.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Morgan and Rachel, but I started to struggle to connect with them towards the end of the book, which started to become heavily rooted in miscommunication. In particular the epilogue didn’t really work for me—I’m not sure if it was the pacing or the emotional buildup, but I felt the connection between Morgan and Rachel lacked a bit toward the end of the book which meant I wasn’t as invested anymore.

Overall, while this one didn’t completely blow me away, it was still a fun and cozy holiday romance with great queer representation. If you’re looking for a lighthearted winter read with a charming small-town setting, this is worth picking up!

Thank you to Kensington Books & NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In the Event of Love was incredibly heartwarming. I would recommend this book to adults or young adults as opposed to middle school students. I enjoyed the story and while some of it was pretty predictable, it made the story comfortable and easy to read.

So so cute!!!!! The characters were well fleshed out and the writing style was very easy to get through. Courtney Kae always writes the sweetest romances ever, I’m so happy I was able to read this

An easy, cozy, friends-to-lovers sapphic read! Overall this reads like a holiday Hallmark, but it’s the perfect winter read and has a slow burn romance. Some plot points/scenes read a little bit slower, but the setting and characters are sweet with the right amount of spice!

*In the Event of Love* by Courtney Kae is a sweet, charming romance with a cozy holiday backdrop. The story follows two women, Rhiannon and Malia, as they navigate their feelings for each other while dealing with past wounds and present insecurities. The slow-burn romance is heartfelt, and the chemistry between the leads is undeniable. However, the pacing felt uneven at times, with some moments dragging on too long. The writing is solid, though the character development could have been deeper. Overall, it's an enjoyable, feel-good read, but it doesn't quite reach the emotional depth it aims for.

This is the Sapphic Hallmark book we have all been waiting for! A cozy read that has good built up tension between the two leads with a realistic storyline. The side characters were enjoyable and well developed. It had the perfect amount of conflict without it being stressful or depressing to read. A wonderful holiday read!

I've been having so much fun with holiday reads this year! I finally got to this one, and really enjoyed it!

This had some holiday magic, but also felt realistic- and I loved the balance of that! I was rooting for both MC and loved the journeys they went on.

Very charming small town f/f second chance romance! A lovely, feel-good holiday read in the vein of Hallmark holiday movies (but queer) -- cute and light and entertaining.

This was a very cute and cozy and wonderful holiday sapphic romance. And look at that cover!? I hope we get more books from this author.

It was a really cosy and Christmassy read. I really felt how the characters cared and loved each other and the twists and turns throughout the book. Would definitely read another book from Courtney Kae again.