Overall it's a cute story, I enjoyed this book although didn't think it had much details about the characters and I couldn't identify with them. Easy to read so great holiday read.

I found this book boring and the writing style slow but it may be due to the fact that romance is not usually my genre of choice.

3.5/5stars

This is the first sapphic holiday romance that I have read & I love how cozy it is!! I do find that some of the romance itself especially at the beginning was unrealistic & some of the dialogue towards the end was a touch cliche, but with the suspension of reality, I would say overall a very cute read! I would definitely reread this in the winter time!

DNF. Was really unable to connect with this title. It is hard to put my finger on why but I tried to read it several times and was not drawn in.

I’m a huge fan of Hallmark Christmas movies and this book gives all those vibes in a wonderful queer way. Honestly the way Courtney Kae describes the setting takes me there and makes me feel like I am a witness to every event that happens.

God this book was so extremely average, I was almost brought to tears.

One thing that I am getting so tired of is books being marketed as "romantic comedies" and proceeding to have exactly zero comedy. This book literally says "laugh out loud" in the blurb and not once did anything remotely funny happen. Not. Once. Please, publishing, don't just use romcom as some blanket term for a contemporary romance. There is "contemporary romance" for that exact reason.

But even the romance in this was not on the mark. The two characters never even spent time reconnecting over their many years without speaking. It was just "omg I hate her" to "omg I want to bang her" with nothing in between. And even when they did start banging, there was no development beforehand. They were basically frenemies with benefits tbh. They spent all their time either bickering or banging.

Also, there was nothing even Christmassy about this book. They literally mentioned Christmas only at the very end, and yet I was under the impression this was a Christmas book. The entire point of a Christmas book is that Christmas plays an integral role in the storyline and it simply did not in this.

All in all, another disappointment.

It was cute. There wasn’t a ton of substance. It reads just like a cheesy hallmark movie, but that was what I was looking for. I never really felt like I liked the main character, but I did like the other characters in the book. I would read more from this author but it is not at the top of my list.

A major controversy in the tabloids has put Morgan's event planning career on shaky ground. She returns home to organise a significant event at a nearby Christmas tree farm and ends herself speaking to Rachel, her ex, again after a long absence. This book was really adorable. The chilly, snowy location, Christmas trees, amazing chemistry between the leads, and I also really liked the friend group were all there and correct, which is what I look for in a good Christmas book.

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was so entertaining i love the second chance trope with spice and the author showing reconnecting after years and how they made everything work out at the end. It was so wholesome yet had amazing spice scenes. Amazing diverse characters. an amazing plot and cute small town background amazing holiday romance book 🫶

if you’ve been wanting a spicier Hallmark vibe!

A cute read that I wish Hallmark would actually make into a movie! All the holiday goodies with a wlw couple and set up for even more Fern Falls magic!

I was unable to get invested in this story. The beginning was scattered and I could not get in to it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This was sweet, but for some reason ‘second chance romance’ is never my particular cup of tea. I do appreciate the deep elements of parental trauma that were addressed, I just never got as invested as I wanted to. Fern Falls Book 2 was much better imo.

A queer romcom in Hallmark-style, perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston? Well, I needed to read this book when I read that!

This is such a funny and heartwarming story during the holiday season. Second chance and friends to lovers are my two favourite tropes and I love that this book had them both. I loved the setting in Fern Falls and of course at the tree farm. I want to live there!

I love In The Event Of Love so much. There's nothing better than a holiday romance, and this one includes two women falling in love instead of the classic man and woman love story. The past relationship between Rachel and Morgan adds just the perfect amount of tension, while keeping the reader rooting for their happy ending.

The queer Hallmark Christmas movie that I’ve always wanted.

In the Event of Love, Morgan returns home to Fern Falls after a rather public and disastrous tabloid embarrassment. She needs to regroup and figure herself out. She’s not expecting to meet back up with her former best friend/crush Rachel Reed.

Adorable and heartwarming, this second-chance romance makes you want to be in this small town to experience the magic of the Christmas season. The characters feel real, their stories unfolding in a natural and well-paced way. A GREAT cast of secondary characters, too!

Lift the epilogue, and I would have loved it even more. No matter what, I’m excited for the next Fern Falls book!

4 stars.

Event planner Morgan Ross reconnects with her childhood best friend—rediscovering her dream girl and herself along the way—when she returns to her hometown for the holidays In Courtney Kae’s In the Event of Love, Fern Falls #1. It’s a well-written mix of friends-to-lovers with a touch of second-chance romance. Although, technically, Morgan and Rachel’s romance never advanced past revealing their feelings and sharing a first kiss before their lives imploded during their senior year of high school. Kae’s colorful description makes her characters and story come to life in your mind. The novel’s quick pacing and mostly lighthearted, humorous tone, with a bit of angst, combined with her description, characters, and natural-sounding dialogue, make it a page-turner.

Kae creates a world that values diversity, filled with fascinating characters from different races, religions, ethnicities, sexual genders/identities, and sexualities. I love how they reflect open-minded loving respect for people based on how they treat others, their actions, and their hearts. She deftly develops her characters through humorous, sweet, emotional interactions and lively dialogue. I like Rachel, Morgan, their friends, and the townsfolk. They’re genuine, quirky, and funny, but not without their share of angst and drama. Kae develops Rachel and Morgan’s connection and evolving romantic relationship with chemistry-filled, sweet, sexy, steamy, humorous, colorful, and intensely emotional interactions, banter, and love scenes. In Morgan’s first-person POV, the author tells their love story by interweaving flashes of memories with the present.

Morgan Ross’ career as a Los Angeles event planner trajectory hits a snag after she ends up in the tabloids after a night out. She makes a strategic retreat to her hometown and the people that broke her heart seven years ago for the holidays. But it’s mostly to escape her mistake because she’s avoided going home for years, unable to face them or her past. When she slips and falls in the freezing mud, her rescuer turns out to be the primary source of her heartbreak, Rachel Reed—her first love and childhood best friend. Rachel runs her family’s tree farm now. Her family’s struggling tree farm remains the only business between Fern Falls and the corporate greed destroying the whole town’s livelihood. To save the Reed farm, Morgan resolves to plan her best fundraiser ever. Can Morgan maintain her professional distance long enough to pull it off and resist the pull of a heartwarming holiday happy ending with Rachel?

A clever, creative, successful event planner, Morgan puts all her energy into her work, ignoring her personal life and her badly broken heart. Morgan is aloof, self-isolating lonely, and afraid to trust or let anyone get too close to her. Burdened by profound self-esteem issues, she carries the weight of the past with her everywhere she goes—despite trying to escape it by running away—unable to view it through mature eyes. While she’s relatable, Morgan’s a frustrating character to root for because she tends to wallow in the past and the fear that drives her issues and avoidance of her hometown. It almost makes her incapable of moving forward. Compared to
Rachel, she’s a bit immature. Despite struggling with her own stressful personal/family issues and baggage, Rachel is sweet, steadfast, kind, resilient, and resolved, with a forgiving heart. She’s also an incredibly talented artist. Somehow, Rachel is still irresistibly beautiful and even more sexy to Morgan than all those years ago.

The author nicely captures the feel of small-town life and community—how entwined their lives are and the fishbowl nature of life in a small town. But she also explores how townspeople love each other, coming together to help one another. A fast-paced read with an evenly balanced lighthearted, nostalgic, yearning, emotional tone, In the Event of Love is a sweet, sexy, humorous, steamy, and angsty small-town, friends-to-lovers, second-chance romance, exploring themes of friendship, letting go of the past, self-discovery, forgiveness, belonging, discovering what makes you happy, and coming home.

CW: Alcoholism, abandonment issues, self-esteem issues.

Advanced review copy provided by Kensington via Netgalley for review.Event planner Morgan Ross reconnects with her childhood best friend—rediscovering her dream girl and herself along the way—when she returns to her hometown for the holidays In Courtney Kae’s In the Event of Love, Fern Falls #1. It’s a well-written mix of friends-to-lovers with a touch of second-chance romance. Although, technically, Morgan and Rachel’s romance never advanced past revealing their feelings and sharing a first kiss before their lives imploded during their senior year of high school. Kae’s colorful description makes her characters and story come to life in your mind. The novel’s quick pacing and mostly lighthearted, humorous tone, with a bit of angst, combined with her description, characters, and natural-sounding dialogue, make it a page-turner.

Kae creates a world that values diversity, filled with fascinating characters from different races, religions, ethnicities, sexual genders/identities, and sexualities. I love how they reflect open-minded loving respect for people based on how they treat others, their actions, and their hearts. She deftly develops her characters through humorous, sweet, emotional interactions and lively dialogue. I like Rachel, Morgan, their friends, and the townsfolk. They’re genuine, quirky, and funny, but not without their share of angst and drama. Kae develops Rachel and Morgan’s connection and evolving romantic relationship with chemistry-filled, sweet, sexy, steamy, humorous, colorful, and intensely emotional interactions, banter, and love scenes. In Morgan’s first-person POV, the author tells their love story by interweaving flashes of memories with the present.

Morgan Ross’ career as a Los Angeles event planner trajectory hits a snag after she ends up in the tabloids after a night out. She makes a strategic retreat to her hometown and the people that broke her heart seven years ago for the holidays. But it’s mostly to escape her mistake because she’s avoided going home for years, unable to face them or her past. When she slips and falls in the freezing mud, her rescuer turns out to be the primary source of her heartbreak, Rachel Reed—her first love and childhood best friend. Rachel runs her family’s tree farm now. Her family’s struggling tree farm remains the only business between Fern Falls and the corporate greed destroying the whole town’s livelihood. To save the Reed farm, Morgan resolves to plan her best fundraiser ever. Can Morgan maintain her professional distance long enough to pull it off and resist the pull of a heartwarming holiday happy ending with Rachel?

A clever, creative, successful event planner, Morgan puts all her energy into her work, ignoring her personal life and her badly broken heart. Morgan is aloof, self-isolating lonely, and afraid to trust or let anyone get too close to her. Burdened by profound self-esteem issues, she carries the weight of the past with her everywhere she goes—despite trying to escape it by running away—unable to view it through mature eyes. While she’s relatable, Morgan’s a frustrating character to root for because she tends to wallow in the past and the fear that drives her issues and avoidance of her hometown. It almost makes her incapable of moving forward. Compared to
Rachel, she’s a bit immature. Despite struggling with her own stressful personal/family issues and baggage, Rachel is sweet, steadfast, kind, resilient, and resolved, with a forgiving heart. She’s also an incredibly talented artist. Somehow, Rachel is still irresistibly beautiful and even more sexy to Morgan than all those years ago.

The author nicely captures the feel of small-town life and community—how entwined their lives are and the fishbowl nature of life in a small town. But she also explores how townspeople love each other, coming together to help one another. A fast-paced read with an evenly balanced lighthearted, nostalgic, yearning, emotional tone, In the Event of Love is a sweet, sexy, humorous, steamy, and angsty small-town, friends-to-lovers, second-chance romance, exploring themes of friendship, letting go of the past, self-discovery, forgiveness, belonging, discovering what makes you happy, and coming home.

CW: Alcoholism, abandonment issues, self-esteem issues.

Advanced review copy provided by Kensington via Netgalley for review.Event planner Morgan Ross reconnects with her childhood best friend—rediscovering her dream girl and herself along the way—when she returns to her hometown for the holidays In Courtney Kae’s In the Event of Love, Fern Falls #1. It’s a well-written mix of friends-to-lovers with a touch of second-chance romance. Although, technically, Morgan and Rachel’s romance never advanced past revealing their feelings and sharing a first kiss before their lives imploded during their senior year of high school. Kae’s colorful description makes her characters and story come to life in your mind. The novel’s quick pacing and mostly lighthearted, humorous tone, with a bit of angst, combined with her description, characters, and natural-sounding dialogue, make it a page-turner.

Kae creates a world that values diversity, filled with fascinating characters from different races, religions, ethnicities, sexual genders/identities, and sexualities. I love how they reflect open-minded loving respect for people based on how they treat others, their actions, and their hearts. She deftly develops her characters through humorous, sweet, emotional interactions and lively dialogue. I like Rachel, Morgan, their friends, and the townsfolk. They’re genuine, quirky, and funny, but not without their share of angst and drama. Kae develops Rachel and Morgan’s connection and evolving romantic relationship with chemistry-filled, sweet, sexy, steamy, humorous, colorful, and intensely emotional interactions, banter, and love scenes. In Morgan’s first-person POV, the author tells their love story by interweaving flashes of memories with the present.

Morgan Ross’ career as a Los Angeles event planner trajectory hits a snag after she ends up in the tabloids after a night out. She makes a strategic retreat to her hometown and the people that broke her heart seven years ago for the holidays. But it’s mostly to escape her mistake because she’s avoided going home for years, unable to face them or her past. When she slips and falls in the freezing mud, her rescuer turns out to be the primary source of her heartbreak, Rachel Reed—her first love and childhood best friend. Rachel runs her family’s tree farm now. Her family’s struggling tree farm remains the only business between Fern Falls and the corporate greed destroying the whole town’s livelihood. To save the Reed farm, Morgan resolves to plan her best fundraiser ever. Can Morgan maintain her professional distance long enough to pull it off and resist the pull of a heartwarming holiday happy ending with Rachel?

A clever, creative, successful event planner, Morgan puts all her energy into her work, ignoring her personal life and her badly broken heart. Morgan is aloof, self-isolating lonely, and afraid to trust or let anyone get too close to her. Burdened by profound self-esteem issues, she carries the weight of the past with her everywhere she goes—despite trying to escape it by running away—unable to view it through mature eyes. While she’s relatable, Morgan’s a frustrating character to root for because she tends to wallow in the past and the fear that drives her issues and avoidance of her hometown. It almost makes her incapable of moving forward. Compared to
Rachel, she’s a bit immature. Despite struggling with her own stressful personal/family issues and baggage, Rachel is sweet, steadfast, kind, resilient, and resolved, with a forgiving heart. She’s also an incredibly talented artist. Somehow, Rachel is still irresistibly beautiful and even more sexy to Morgan than all those years ago.

The author nicely captures the feel of small-town life and community—how entwined their lives are and the fishbowl nature of life in a small town. But she also explores how townspeople love each other, coming together to help one another. A fast-paced read with an evenly balanced lighthearted, nostalgic, yearning, emotional tone, In the Event of Love is a sweet, sexy, humorous, steamy, and angsty small-town, friends-to-lovers, second-chance romance, exploring themes of friendship, letting go of the past, self-discovery, forgiveness, belonging, discovering what makes you happy, and coming home.

CW: Alcoholism, abandonment issues, self-esteem issues.

Advanced review copy provided by Kensington via Netgalley for review.

#bookreview In the Event of Love (Fern Falls #1) by Courtney Kae

🤔where did ya come from?🤷🏼‍♀️
- eARC from NetGalley and the publisher (Kensington)

😍the good stuff😍
- Reads like a Hallmark Christmas movie except queer 🏳️‍🌈
- I loved the community and Morgan finding her way back to her small town.
- This made me look forward to Ben’s romance (I was only a quarter of the way into the book before I marked the next as TBR!)
- Morgan’s misunderstandings with her dad and their relationship improving
- The event and all the small businesses getting involved.

🫢my complaints🤫
- The romance fell flat for me. I liked the idea of it, but idk it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t feel like there was chemistry and it felt kind of forced to me.

☺️the tropes☺️
- Second chance

⚠️the warnings⚠️
- a little spicy 🌶️

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This was a super fun book! The romance was cute and engaging, the smut was great. I really enjoyed the main character's development throughout the story. And watching all of her relationships become stronger was great too.

The only thing stopping me from loving this was the small town setting, but that's because I grew up in a small town and hated it. Which is why I'm not taking any stars off, because it feels unfair to do so.

I am very excited to read the sequel!

7.5/10
Was this predictable? Yes
Was this cute? Yeees.
Was this a queer version of every Hallmark movie? Absolutely.
Does it leave you a warm fuzzy feeling that you cant quit? Hell yeah!!
Am i completely biased to utopias where homophobia doesnt exist? Also yes.

Yes, it goes through all the Hallmark-holiday tropes: independent workaholic goes back to hometown during the holidays escaping a blunder, to crash (quite literally) with their first love and they reluctantly have to work together in order to save the town from a big corporation while rekindleling their love. Did i miss something?
This could be the exact same plot of a 100 movies but the way the author made such an inclusive little world while resolving really smoothly the third act break-up (being this a second chance romance, previous issues came afloat not feeling forced), made it stand out for me. Also, i am super biased to a found (or refound) family with all those cozy vibes.

At beginning it gets a bit difficult to connect with the MC because she is really closed off, even to the reader. Thank god i didnt read the praise and the blurbs because i dont feel this was a slowburn. They rekindle quite quickly but take things slow. It's true there's an early would they, wouldnt thet from early with a lot of almost, but things dont do happen until you're halfway through.