Cover Image: Season of Love

Season of Love

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Member Reviews

I go through phases where I think I’ll never enjoy another romance novel, and then something like Season of Love comes along. The world desperately needs more books with a hot, fat Christmas-tree-farmer butch who falls in love in a charming town full of misfits gathered by an extravagant, eccentric meddler whose influence carries far beyond the grave. The world also needs more books about a big-haired Jewish bisexual crafter who orchestrates a deeply satisfying fuck you to an abuser. Last, but not least, the world needs more books featuring Kringle the cat. I can’t wait to read some sequels about the rest of the Carrigan’s crew finding love.

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Season of Love is a sweet romance between Miriam, a bisexual Jewish woman and artist, and Noelle, fat butch lesbian who works at Miriam's childhood haven- her late aunt's Christmas tree farm. It takes place around the fall-winter holidays, starting before Halloween in October and ending at Tu B'Shevat in February. The story explores themes of chosen and found family, trauma and abuse from families of origin, learning how to be vulnerable and open oneself up to love.

I really appreciated reading about the complicated parental relationships (to say the least) both Miriam and Noelle had/have, especially at this particular moment in my life- it's always a good reminder that family dynamics are. It had all the magic of the holiday season, while still not being a *Christmas* book, which I also really respect.

It felt like there was quite a bit of telling rather than showing for the first half of the book, which left me wanting more as it felt harder to connect with the characters for the first while. I also wish it'd built up more with outward chemistry rather than a switch from despising each other to openly lusting after each other in the first third or so of the story. Along with them admitting their feelings for each other quickly, the third act break-up also seemed kind of sudden and somewhat forced. It was understandable, but felt super dramatic. Then again, it's a romance and no one ever said sapphic feelings were small!

I wish it hadn't been fade to black, because the chemistry between the two left me wanting more more more. I get that not every romance can be spicy, but they talked about their lust for each other and orgasms and sex that it really wasn't a clean romance- my thirsty ass needs those sex scenes!

I absolutely loved the fact that Noelle is butch- of course I was swooning for the butch LI right alongside Miriam- and having a bi & lesbian pairing. While I can't personally speak to the Jewish rep, the setting of a Christmas tree farm with mostly Jewish characters, putting on a twist on the classic and all-too-common holiday" aka Christmas romance, was super clever. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I definitely recommend it to those who want a feel-good holiday romance that also digs deeper and isn't centred around Christmas. So many warm fuzzies! 3.75 stars

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A perfect holiday book!!!!!!!!!!!! This is what I want to read: a queer book with diverse love interests (AND PLUS SIZED REP!!!) that isn't just Christmas themed but HOLIDAY themed! So good. We need more like this!

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Season of Love was not exactly what I expected it to be. From the premise I was expecting a hate-love Sapphic relationship between two characters who were still trying to figure themselves out individually. Unfortunately for me, there was just way too much telling involved with their relationship. I was never allowed to actually feel for the two characters and be shown how they truly felt about each other because I was always being told how it was going to be.

The characters of Miriam and Noelle did not seem fleshed out to me, especially Noelle. Like I understood that she was a grumpy person with trust issues but honestly, she was just flat out mean. She created a pretty toxic dynamic between herself and Miriam before even meets her. Yes this probably is a trauma response for her being afraid of getting hurt but, to me there is never an attempt at growth from her. All incidents where she had been noticeably rude or confrontational are swept under the rug, usually with Mariam blaming herself. This just didn't sit well with me.

Mariam had alot of explaining to do because of the way she had left and hadn't spoken to her great-aunt or family in years. From the beginning, she knew that this was not going to be an easy return. She finally had to deal with what had happened to her while also trying to understand the grief of losing a loved one. When she was younger, Mariam experienced mental abuse at the hands of her father. This abuse played a role on who she was to become as a person; and why she had elected to cut herself off from everything that she loved.

Mariam was never fully about to explain what had happened and what had caused her to make the decisions that she made. I mean, she did but it was always just told to me as a reader. I never actually felt involved in her storyline or growth. This was difficult for me as a reader as I usually am able to find some sort of empathy for the characters but in this case I really felt like I was left on the outside looking in. Season of Love does have diversity throughout its story but overall I just couldn't delve into all of it as much as I would have liked to. From the way the characters were written to their actions and behaviors, something just felt really off for me.

Rating: 2.5 Stars

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As a non Jewish person, this was an eye opener into the experiences of others. It was really interesting to see the culture and the traditions represented in this book, as I never knew much about Jewish people. A very well written book!

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A lovely holiday romance. This story is tender and memorable and very enjoyable. Cute and a great romance.

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Season of Love is a sweet and festive sapphic romcom full of epic pop-culture references, characters you can't help but root for, and soft love stories! A perfect wintery read!

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This book was absolutely perfect for the holiday season with the exact right amount of pining for each other and surprise displays of affection. I would %100 recommend this book and bonus it’s queer!!!

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Overall I enjoyed this one but wow it was long. I struggled with a good chunk of the middle as it felt like it went back and forth a few too many times. It felt like it could have been at least 80 pages shorter.

I loved the Christmas tree farm, the Jewish family and their traditions weaved in throughout running a Christmas tree farm, the found family, the working together to save the business in their gaming members honour. I loved the relationship with Noelle and Miriam- even though there were many ups and downs.

I loved the side characters, especially Cole, and truly all of the characters brought something special.

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Such a wonderful read. I wasn't expecting it to be a closed door romance but I found the concept to be unique. It wasn't a new favorite and it took me a bit to get into it, but it was sweet and special for the holiday season.

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Right book, wrong time.

I went into “Season of Love” thinking it would be another light, fun holiday rom com. Heads up, it’s not.

There are tough topics in this book, from death of a family member, to past abuse, grief, and alcoholism, don’t let the pink cover fool you.

I did love the found family trope here, but we can also mix in the classic miscommunication trope.

Also - I felt like it just kind of dragged at the end while we settled up all the plot lines.

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I saw the summary of the book and knew I had to read it immediately. I flew through this book and it got me out of a bad reading slump. I loved the plot and how the book unfolded. The characters were well-written and I loved the main couple.

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Why did it take me so long to read this? Season of Love is emotional, romantic, super cute, and tons of fun! I loved the premise, all of the characters, and the holiday vibes!

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When Miriam’s Great-Aunt Cass dies and leaves Cass her Christmas tree farm, she has no plans of actually staying and running the tree farm. What she doesn’t expect is the farm was also partially left to the manager, Noelle, AND the farm was failing. Now she has to learn to work with Noelle, who is her complete opposite, and find a way to save the farm.

I loved all of the holiday joy in this book - I loved the Jewish representation in what has been a sea of Christmas themed holiday books. Plus a Christmas tree farm is one of my favorite holiday book settings! Noelle and Miram’s relationship was complicated in many ways, and seeing their journey was especially beautiful because of the complexity. While they were really forced together due to the death of a mutual loved one, yet the trauma they had each experienced in their lives kept them from letting each other in. To see them slowly work through the trauma, let their walls down, and begin to trust each other, both in business and in love was so great.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advance copy.

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This was my last read of 2022, and while I loved the premise of this book, some of the character work left a lot to be desired.

First, I usually love an enemies to lovers story and a grumpy love interest, but Noelle was just flat out mean. I get that she has trust issues, but the way she’s painted a picture of Miriam before she ever meets her, and then is completely rude to her over and over again was really disheartening. Noelle does this several times during the book, and while it’s likely a trauma response, I feel like the immediate forgiveness after each of these incidents (and even Miriam blaming herself for Noelle’s meanness) was really toxic and made it hard to root for them as a couple.

Second, this book didn’t fall into the romcom genre for me. It seemed like more of a drama, especially with all the discussions around emotional abuse. I don’t mind reading a heavier book, but it definitely felt like it was pushed as a light holiday read, and ended up not being that at all.

Despite these issues, I’m still glad I read the book and feel like I would recommend it to others with the caveat that it’s a heavy read. I loved the Jewish and queer rep in this book, and hope to see more books like this published in the future.

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I liked the concept of this story as well as its diversity. However, I wanted more depth. At times the story seemed rushed - as was the slow flame of attraction between the two potential lovers.

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I wanted to close out the year with a review of Season of Love. Thank you to @foreverpub for my #gifted copy.

Miriam Blum has started making a life for herself. She's engaged a lovely South Carolinian socialiate and her art career is thriving. Then, she finds out her great-aunt, Cass has died and quickly returns to the farm for the funeral. Miriam finds out Cass left part of the farm to a very hot, fat, lumberjack butch named Noelle and the business is failing. The two of them have to work together to save the farm!

There is delightful representation of Jewish faith and I love the comedy of having a Jewish family owning a Christmas farm. Noelle is also fat which is great to see fat, queer Jewish rep!

What I particularly loved about this novel is the character development and growth. We start the novel with Miriam Blum who appears as though she has it all - beautiful finance, and thriving art career. But that facade is slowly peeled away and see Miriam's healing journey. The same is true of Noelle who is managing the challenges of her parent's death, the death of Cass and her sobriety. Both of these character change and growth throughout the novel.

The romances are handled with care. Love is never presented as a "cure," and love does magically heal the trauma. Both works through their issues together. The 3rd act conflict (that we all expect with a romance) was authentic and true to these character's journey. So many times the author uses the famous miscommunication trope - but their conflict was meaningful and clearly lead to a deeper connection between both of them.

I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it! My only complaint is that the cover suggests a light-hearted rom-com but this book packs an emotional punch. This is a story about healing from familial trauma, learning to be vulnerable again, and finding love in chosen family.

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When Miriam Blum’s great-aunt Cass dies, she goes back to visit her family for the first time in 10 years. While there, Miriam learns that she has inherited Cass’s Jewish-run Christmas tree farm with her cousin and the grumpy manager of the farm. On top of that, they learn that the farm is in danger of going under. Noelle Northwood is the manager of the farm. She doesn’t trust Miriam since she’s come back after being away from her family for so long. All that Noelle knows is that Miriam wasn’t there when her family needed her, so she really doesn’t want to fall for her. Noelle, Miriam, and Miriam’s cousin Hannah have to work together to put aside their differences to save the farm.

This was a fun holiday rom com! I loved all the quirky characters. They were all distinct and had their own storylines, which leaves open the possibility of more books in a series.

The characters celebrated many holidays from October to January. They celebrated both Jewish and Christian holidays. Miriam’s family was Jewish, but since they work at a Christmas farm with Christians, they also celebrated Christmas all together. It was fun to see so much celebration in a holiday story!

Season of Love is a fun holiday story!

Thank you Forever for providing a digital copy of this book.

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4 stars

A Christmas tree-farm run by Jews, in a town called Advent. What could be more interesting than that? Cass Carrigan was a larger-than-life eccentric figure whose passing has forced her niece, Miriam to return home after years of estrangement. Miriam has a cozy life in Charleston, with her fiancé Tara and her antique upcycling business. But, cozy doesn't mean fulfilled and their engagement is more of a business deal than a love match. The cracks in Miriam's life start to show when she returns to Carrigan's and finds out that she has inherited one-fourth of the place. Can she let the tree farm die and go back to her life in Charleston? Or is there more in store for her?

There is so much great representation in this book - Jewish tradition and a whole spectrum of LGBTQIA+ characters. I just felt that the book was longer than it needed to be, or I would have given it more stars.

Thank you Forever/Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.

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Season of Love gives off Christmas amd holiday vibes also with some Jewish rep. It was a quick read but also focuses on some more serious topics (content warnings for past abuse, grief, parental estrangement, alcoholism, death of family member).
After the misunderstanding and miscommunication between Miriam and Noelle, I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow and seeing how they would save the Christmas Tree Farm.
Personally I prefer my holiday books to be more lighthearted, but Season of Love shows the reality that could be behind some families during the holidays with their past & current traumas.
Thank you Forever and NetGalley for my copy.

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