3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
This was cute, a bit too insta-love for my taste. The author certainly has a way with words though, and everything was beautifully described, pulling you into another world entirely.

I love a good book found family, and this one did deliver on that front. Carrigan’s sounds amazing and magical, and the book painted the prettiest picture that made me want to visit!

I enjoyed the book’s emphasis on relationships including familial, friendly, and romantic ones. I wanted to like the relationship between Miriam and Noelle more than I did, but I found it rushed, and like the book didn’t really need it.

The story seemed to drag on a bit, and I felt like there were some serious plot holes and some parts of the story that were underdeveloped. I am curious though, to see where this group will go next. The epilogue left us wanting more, and made us believe that later books will deliver on that promise.

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Forever. All opinions are my own.

This will be posted online closer to release.

Thank you to @readforeverpub for this eARC on NetGalley! I read this in summer because that’s when I received this, but it is probably best read in the winter holiday season, especially if you like to do themed reading. I thought this was fun and cute, while also dealing with several heavy topics, including physical/emotional abuse and alcoholism.

Miriam cut herself off from her family about 10 years before the start of the book. She had a very understandable reason to do this, stemming from her dad’s abuse. More specific details of this are not revealed until fairly late in the story. She didn’t share everything about why she left with several family members, including her cousin, Hannah, so some people see her as flaky and prone to disappearing from people’s lives.

Noelle is a character who has lost both of her parents, but before losing them physically, she lost them emotionally. She is a recovered alcoholic and a big difficulty for her is letting people grow close to her and trusting them to not leave. She has a found family on Carrigan’s Farm. She finds a home in Cass Carrigan, Miriam’s aunt who dies at the start of the book, precipitating Noelle and Miriam meeting and the rest of the events of the story.

I liked all the side characters, except Miriam’s dad, who is the worst. The rest of them are such a great community and great friends. I loved Hannah and Cole and how the Matthewses loved everyone at Carrigan’s like their own children. It was so lovely how these characters all had each other’s backs.

This was a lovely holiday romance (with a lot of Christmas but from a Jewish perspective), with a great setting and great friendships, that I would recommend! It releases on October 11th. Let me know in the comments if you want to read this and if you like holiday themed stories.

This book was everything a cute romance novel should be, including Jewish and gay. It has elements of enemies-to-lovers and slow burn tropes, with a HEAVY emphasis on the slow burn side. It’s also all wrapped up in a neat little holiday bow, which is cuter than anyone could ask for. I loved how it really was a Jewish holiday romance and how it mentioned Sukkot and Tu BiShvat as well as the more universally known Passover and Hanukkah. I loved how going to synagogue was a regular thing for the characters, and I wish Miriam’s Charleston synagogue had been mentioned before the very end of the book — I think it would’ve been nice to know she’d found a Jewish community there when it seemed like she’d been entirely surrounded by Tara and her WASP-y family/friends.

The other reason I personally could only give this three stars is because it’s a little bit too much of a slow burn for me. I can enjoy some will they? won’t they? but there were times I felt like Miriam and Noelle were having the same internal battles over and over again and I just wanted to smush them together like Barbies so they could kiss already. But like, having those feelings was a lot easier because the book is about a couple of sapphics and we deserve both breakneck, full-speed ahead romance as well as OHMIGOD get in her pants already!!! romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: death of a loved one, grief, toxic relationship with parents, parental abuse (past), alcoholism (MC, and past parents)

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-f/f holiday romance
-workplace romance
-forced proximity
-jewish rep
-found family
-slooooow burn

While Noelle and Miriam do not get off on the right foot and both have trauma in their past, neither can help their attraction to the other. Brought together by the loss of someone important to both of them, both of their worlds are shook. This book addresses how hard it can be sharing your inner truths, your inner trauma, especially with the people who know you best. How people become stuck in safety and not wanting to rock the boat and how absolutely scary it can be to fall in love.

I adored Noelle and Miriam's dynamic. Fighting it for so many reasons but also desperate to learn more, have their people know and care. To share more about themselves, but also nervous to do it. Both Noelle and Miriam were just authentically themselves and I really appreciated how they looked life head on. Especially Miriam, facing her mother and how scared she was to come home, admit what she really wants out of life even if it's not the safe move. Angsty and with some twists and turns at the end and so many wonderful friendships, this was such a lovely read and I'm hoping we get to see more of the secondary characters find their HEA.

Steam: 1

This book was everything a queer jewish person needs in their life!!! I loved that the jewish part was a big part of the story because most books just mention it once then we never hear about it again. They handle the trauma of all the characters very well. I cried sad tears and many happy tears in this book and would recommend it to anyone who needs a sweet sapphic romance. I love love all the side characters and hope we get to hear more about them in another book!!!!! This is one of my favorite reads this year!!!

This book is AMAZING!! Queer Jewish love on a Christmas tree farm?!? It can't get better. Oh wait, yes it can- because the author wrote this SO WELL that it isn't a big reveal that the characters are queer, it's just them and their lives. It's so beautifully and perfectly done.

Fun holiday romance that I adored. This one was just what I needed and it was adorable too. Read this one if you want a quick feel good book that will keep you turning the pages.

This book was SO FUN. It was 1000% a hallmark movie, if those were more funny and sarcastic and self-aware and queer. I laughed out loud multiple times while reading it, and also cried a little bit. I got this as a NetGalley Read This Weekend ARC on PRIDE WEEKEND and thought i might not get through it bc i was busy being gay, but i sped through it bc it was so fun! Totally recommend.

TW child abuse and alcoholism
I enjoyed this Jewish holiday novel. I loved the secondary characters and I liked the way it wasn't centered around Christmas like quite a few Jewish novels are.
Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own

Miriam came back to her aunt’s Christmas tree farm after years away because her aunt died and she wanted to pay her respects. She ended up staying longer than planned because she found out she was inheriting 1/4 ownership of the farm. While there, she reconnected with her old friends and family, and discovered new friends along the way.

Noelle had been working at the Christmas tree farm for years and considered Miriam’s family and friends to be hers as well. She was initially upset on their behalf with Miriam showing up after years of silence, but got to know her and her reasons for leaving the longer she helped at the farm.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters in this story (fun, quirky, supportive) and hope to see more of them in future books.

I’m usually not a fan of love triangles, but the one in this book is done much better than others I’ve read. No cheating! There is discussion of past emotional abuse and alcoholism included in the book.

I'm a queer jew despite for queer jew romcoms, so naturally I was really looking forward to this. And overall, it was as expected. It had a really slow start and was boring until the 60% mark, and then it got really good. Even before that there were a few good bantering moments between the love interests. I'm just tired of Jewish romcoms having to involve Christmas. The Christmas tree farm aspect really reminded me of The Matzah Ball and not in a good way, but at least this book was blended better and had more Jewish holidays/traditions. I like the painting aspects and overcoming abuse in this book. The side characters were really lovable and I could see a sequel with two of them. tw for child abuse, grief