Stella Bloom’s Christmas tree farm is in trouble. She enters a contest with a social media influencer in hopes of winning a cash prize, but in her application, she lies to make her story seem more romantic and says she runs the farm with her boyfriend. Only, there is no boyfriend in the picture. Enter Luka Peters, Stella's longtime best friend who is up for the fake dating rouse. But what happens when feelings get involved?

Lovelight Farms was a great friends to lovers with romance a trope I enjoy. It’s a fake dating story with some good pining. For a debut book it’s good and the story cute, helped me get out of a reading slump. The characters were relatable and this first book delivered a foundation for the upcoming books in the series which is promising.

Even though I enjoyed this book, I did feel like the story dragged at times, scenes were too long that I lost focus and certain conversations between Stella and Luka were repetitive. The romance and chemistry between the main characters was fab though.

Overall a good story. Gave me all the feels. They were absolutely adorable 🥰

Thank you to Dreamscape Media & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this audiobook ARC

This is the cutest holiday romance book ever. The narrator’s voice is so smooth and appealing to the listener. She delivered the story with such ease and it’s just beautiful.. The author has an amazing story-telling talent and I think that the development of the characters is top notch. This story is funny, sweet, smells like Christmas and will make you swoon.

“𝘓𝘶𝘬𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺, 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 𝘫𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.”

𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖: In an attempt to save her Christmas tree farm, Stella enters a contest that would have her farm featured. In her entry she lies about having a boyfriend so she asks her best friend Luka to step in.

𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒: I really enjoyed this one! The setting was adorable being on a Christmas tree farm. I loved the friends to lovers and the fake dating tropes as well. Not only did I love Luka & Stella but I loved all of the supporting characters as well. It was so easy to fall in love with this story and this couple. Overall, I really enjoyed this one. The one thing I didn’t love was how Stella reacted when Luka finally poured his heart out to her. Other than that, this book was a delight and I can't recommend enough – especially when the winter month’s come along and you’re looking for a cute rom com.

*Special thank you to dreamscape media, netgalley, and BK Borison for an ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lovelight Farms, by B. K. Borison, is a sweet, feel-good, rather insightful story with a strong, independent, flawed female lead who carries her past hurts with her, and an ideal, kind-hearted, clear-thinking male lead. The two are life-long friends, but perhaps dates to be more if they find the courage.

Stella Bloom is the owner of Lovelight Farms. She is fiercely proud of her achievement in making this tree farm a success, but as of late, the farm is beset with difficulties and mishaps. As a result, the farm is now hemorrhaging money, and Stella’s sole plan is to save it is by winning a social media contest with it’s $100,000 reward. To increase her chances of winning, and because she knows the influencer judging the contest is a hopeless romantic, Stella claims to run the farm with her boyfriend and true love. But there is no boyfriend, only a long term best friend. As the two engage in a fake dating relationship, true feelings rise to the surface, and although things might not turn out as planned, maybe the results are even better.

Lovelight Farms is a very steamy friends to lovers story, in fact a large portion of the content is made up of steamy scenes. It is also surprisingly sappy, almost like a spicy Hallmark movie. I did question Stella’s refusal to pursue the causes of the farm fiascos, as well as her stubborn insistence to not give into her feelings for Luka, though the author does a sweet job explaining some of that in the conclusion.

I listened to the audio-version of the book and the voices were fine and perfectly suitable to the characters they played, but almost a bit too smooth for my liking. The conclusion was tender and heart-warming, and many will love this story, but there just wasn’t quite enough non-graphic content to make me love it..

3.5 out of 5. a super sweet , yet absolutely predictable Christmas Romance story. I had this in very high expectations as my bookstagram world had recommended it very highly. I really enjoyed it and my Christmas loving heart was very happy, its just not the best romance Ive read. Its in the very solid, glad I read and had a blast doing so category. My main issue with this book was that I did the audiobook and half the narrations felt mechanical. Like it was a computer. I don't know why it was, because half the book felt ok but it was just not the most enjoyable listening experience.

Great book!!! It was light, entertaining, warm and fuzzy, and had a great pace. All the charms of a rom-com. Loveable characters. Well written. I really enjoyed that it was a story from beginning to end. I also liked that it wasn't extra, meaning the purpose was to show a moment in time for Stella and Luka's love story and it did just that. Supporting characters were wonderful. They were different and had personality and were a great addition to the story. There was just enough of them to give purpose. Not to mention, Lovelight Farms was the perfect quaint setting for a romance. Highly recommend. Easy and sweet read. A great escape. Thank you B.K. Borison. Definitely a fan.

Pippa Jayne did a fantastic job with the narration.
Also, the book cover is perfect.
I can't wait to read the next one!

Thank you Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the arc.

got the audiobook as an arc through NetGalley.

This has to be my favorite audiobook I’ve heard . The narrator did such an amazing job. I could listen to her for hours and hours.

The story itself was a magical holiday wonderland from fall all the way to Christmas. I loved the first half of the book. The angst and uncertainty was heartbreaking . At some point the story started to drag and it lost pace and that’s when I got Inpatient.

Still highly recommend . Such beautiful writing and fun town full of quirky characters to get sucked into.

This was a great slow burn friends to lovers book! Loved the Christmas setting, and Stella and Luka were very cute. A charming holiday read.

A adorable friends to lovers trope. All Stella wants is to save the Christmas tree farm that she has been in love with for as long as she can remember. It is her happy place. If only things would stop going wonky. With high hopes of saving the farm and herself, she enters a contest in hopes of winning a great deal of money and becoming a favorite of the internet influencer who is judging the contest. A win win except that she lied just a little bit on the application and now must produce her imaginary boyfriend. Her BFF Luka is recruited and the hilarity begins! Its a fun romp to the expected and very sweet funny HEA. I listened to the audiobook of this title. I'd have rated this 4 stars, but found the narration distracting.

I absolutely adored this book until 92% of the way in. This has all of my favorite tropes, fake dating AND friends to lovers. They even had to share a bed at one point!

I loved Stella and Luca. They have so much history quietly circled each other while building a friendship for years. Both had dealt with their unfair share of tragedy and struggle but both also grew and matured throughout this story.

I just wanted to scream and shake Stella at 92% in…. She was making ridiculous decisions and refusing to believe what Luca is telling her and building her own dumb timeline of events in her head. It was ridiculous. If I had been reading my physical copy I would’ve chucked it out the window.

I typically love a dual perspective romance but this is just from Stella’s perspective which I do understand but I wish we had known more what Luca was thinking throughout the story.

So much to love about this one… and I will definitely be trying book two next.

The power of this book is in the descriptive writing. I felt completely immersed in the story. It was as if I could smell the pine trees, feel the crisp fall air, hear the sounds of the ice skates, and taste the baked goods. I never wanted to leave Lovelight Farms. Stella and Luka have been friends for a decade ever since she ran into him in town...literally. What Luka doesn't know is that Stella has loved him ever since that day. They have a friendship for the ages with that easygoing banter and knowledge that the other will always be there for them. Yet, Stella is hesitant to ask Luka to pose as her fake boyfriend when she enters a contest on social media. She's not sure she can keep her feelings separate from her desire to save the farm.

I loved these two. This was a situation where I loved them just as much as friends as I did as romantic partners. The absolutely beautiful way they formed a friendship and were there for one another is sigh worthy. Add in the chemistry that they have and it's pure magic. Luka is super sweet and solid and steady and everything you could want in a guy. Stella is zany and vulnerable and so very good that I wanted her happy ending so desperately. Plus, I fell in love with the town, their friends, and their family. I could not get enough.

BK Borison, I am now a forever fan. I will write absolutely anything you write. The audio is well done, although I did feel Stella on audio sounded older than Stella in the book. That being said, it was still just as enjoyable and I love the option of being able to have the audiobook on hand. 5 amazing stars!

Lovelight Farms in Stella’s life and she will do anything to save it. Even if it means lying to win a huge cash prize.

I read these books out of order and started with in the weeds. I definitely liked the ‘In The Weeds’ characters better.
I listened to the audiobook and unfortunately didn’t love the narration. At the beginning it felt like some of Stella’s one liners were very schtiky, like an awkward joke at a bad comedy club, and I think it was the way they were read. Not sure if the tone changed or I simply grew accustomed to it because by the end I didn’t notice it anymore.
I thought it was a little unrealistic how clueless Stella was, especially considering Luca was pretty upfront with how he felt.
But this friends to lovers was still cute. And I would continue on with the series

What a sweet story for Christmas time. The concept of the contest that Stella enters is great though I could have done with less of the of waffling romance. I did however enjoy the mystery aspect that was had in the story. This was a good light read for Christmas time and I recommend it.

Struggled through this audiobook purely because I didn’t like the narrator. I find that’s pretty rare with me, I’m not usually bothered if I don’t absolutely love the narration performance, but something about it was too serious or mature or something. Overall it’s a good romance but didn’t make me swoon quite like In The Weeds. I would recommend it to romance readers, especially during the holiday season, but def check out the print or ebook formats.

This book was a victim of my reading slump! I apologize for not being able to listen to this book before the archive date. I will listen/read this book closer to Christmas however and I'll come back and update this review.

I absolutely adored this book. Fake dating, friends to lovers, what’s not to love. It really was just a wonderful story overall and I couldn’t get enough. The narration was also wonderful. Highly recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️.75/5

About the book:
‪In an attempt to save her Christmas tree farm, Stella Bloom enters a social media contest that could help her gain publicity and win a cash prize. The only problem is she lied on her application and said she runs the farm with her boyfriend. Thankfully, her best friend Luka is back in town and would make the perfect fake boyfriend. What could possibly go wrong?‬

Review:
- This book was so cozy and sweet! It pretty much had everything I love – friends to lovers, fake dating, small town romance, wonderful supporting characters, and some unexpected steam!
- The setting was truly magical. It reminded me so much of Stars Hollow on Gilmore Girls.
- Stella’s internal struggle really captured the uneasiness that happens when you fall for your best friend and don’t want to risk losing your relationship by taking a chance on love. The third act breakup drove me slightly bananas (gotta love the miscommunication trope), but I get it. The feeling of losing your best friend because of romantic feelings is complex territory. It takes a lot of strength to open up yourself and be honest about your feelings. It was really nice to see her eventually lower down her walls.
- Luka’s endless support and small acts of love warmed my cold, cold heart. He is a keeper.
- Anywho, I recommend reading this you are looking for a holiday romance book that isn't 100% focused on Christmas (I believe it takes place from October-December).

Read if you like:
- Best friends to lovers
‪- Fake dating‬
‪- Small town setting ‬
- Slow burn
- Found family
- Holiday romance

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for sending me an audio copy of this book!

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version. A cute romance story. Perfect for the upcoming Christmas season. If you like Hallmark type love stories this is perfect for you.

Heat Factor: It’s not not sexy, but the vibe was definitely in keeping with the cover art
Character Chemistry: Stella and Luca have been in love for NINE YEARS but refuse to a) admit it and b) do anything about it
Plot: Thirty-year-old woman is incompetent at both entrepreneurship and love, figures out how to do both during the course of this book
Overall: I was not a great audience for this book, but there are many people who will totally love it

This book went on my TBR after I saw someone being excited about it last year. I mean, it has a fake relationship between best friends. I love that stuff. Also, it has one of those absolutely gorgeous covers by Ink and Laurel. And then NetGalley had the audiobook up for request so I thought, “Now’s the time!”

And here we are.

So. A couple of “me” problems.
I am SUPER over the single POV romance novel. Maybe this is something I should have expected or learned when I switched from exclusively historical romance, which is almost always written in 3rd dual/omniscient POV, to primarily contemporary romance, which currently seems to favor 1st person dual/single POV. But if a single POV romance is a hallmark of contemporary romance, then it can jump in a lake. The romances that are served by a single POV are 1) slooooooow burns, like the narrator is confused about the possibility of attraction because there are extremely subtle clues, not sweet little kisses every day and sex on the couch and 2) stories that involve one MC withholding information from another MC such that the reveal of that information provides a dramatic twist for the relationship. Neither of which scenarios is the case for this book.
I am SUPER not excited about protagonists who actively work against their own best interests. This is often a fault of mine, because I get irritated regardless of whether or not the characters are behaving in character. In this case they really are true to character, but I still don’t like it. Other people really feel seen when a thirty-year-old protagonist is finally figuring out that asking for help is okay when they’re overwhelmed by responsibility. Or that taking a risk might reap a greater reward than protecting oneself against one’s fears. I do not feel seen, I feel irritated. Characters who are aware that they’re making bad choices but can’t help themselves, I like. Characters who are complete boneheads, I do not. (This is more a me problem than point 1 because it’s exclusively a preference thing, not a structure thing.)

Okay, so, Lovelight Farms. Stella met Luka shortly after her mom died. She was 21. Nine years later, Stella and Luka are best friends. She lives on her new Christmas tree farm in a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and Luka lives in New York but comes to visit Stella often, particularly since his mom also lives in the small town. Stella has been in love with Luka for nine years, and the only reason anything changes between them is that she’s also a very irresponsible business owner who has entered a contest for a 100k cash prize that will resuscitate her failing business. What does Luka have to do with this contest? Well, Stella said that she owned the farm with her boyfriend. Who does not exist. Because she fantasizes about Luka being her boyfriend but doesn’t actually want to do anything to make Luka her boyfriend because changing the status quo that is (very doubtfully) working is scary. Luckily, Luka agrees to be her fake boyfriend. He more than agrees.

Couple things here:
I said Stella is an irresponsible business owner. Look, I get she’s new to this job. She wants to see the best in people. But she’s running her business into the ground, depleting her personal savings to the point that she has no money and eats too much ramen, and jeopardizing all her employees’ jobs. Because bad things just…keep…happening at her farm. You know what a business owner does when a shipment goes missing? She gets on the phone with the vendor and figures out WTF is going on and how to fix it. When an entire field of pumpkins is destroyed? She files a police report so she can submit an insurance claim for damaged property. Or if I’m wrong about the insurance, at least so there’s a record of non-natural damage being done in case it becomes an ongoing issue. HELLO?! It isn’t until after the pumpkin patch vandalism occurs that she even thinks to install cameras, and when one alerts her phone one night and she sees a hooded figure smashing the camera, she’s like, “Really? Are you sure?” when Luka tells her to call the cops. Are you running a business or a fantasy land, Stella?

I was not impressed with her incompetence that bordered on airheadedness.

Second, Stella has been in love with Luka for nine years, and her excuse for pining for almost a decade with no action whatsoever is that if something were going to happen it would have happened already. This is probably the primary space we should have gotten a second POV, because we have an idea of why Stella’s in stasis (woman’s a scaredy cat), but we have no idea why Luka is as well. Why he finally takes this opportunity to make his move. What are Luka’s fears and motivations? We just don’t know. But he goes from being Stella’s platonic bestie to being a first rate boyfriend in about thirty seconds. He’s no Bonny Tarleton, but he lays his cards on the table pretty early on, not only acting the part, but suggesting to Stella that they spend the week of fake dating as a trial period of real dating. And just…how self-delusional do you have to be not to realize that people don’t give people they’re not interested in multiple sweet little hello kisses because the first one wasn’t enough?

I was not impressed with Stella’s unwillingness to trust Luka, either with the truth of…almost any of her problems OR with her heart. There’s commentary about things that Luka has done for her in the past, but there’s not a ton of on-page textual evidence to support that Stella is willing to trust Luka. You know what the foundation of a good relationship is? Trust. Does Stella trust Luka at all? Not with asking him to be her fake boyfriend. Not with the circumstances of the farm. Not even about calling the police while there is an actual trespasser acting maliciously on her property right in the moment. Why am I supposed to believe that she suddenly does trust him with everything at the end? She’s been invited to Thanksgiving at his house FOR NINE YEARS and doesn’t go because it’s too close to what she actually wants her life to be like. If she’s withholding that much of herself from the relationship they already have, is it actually the best and most important relationship in her life?

Anyway. Women sabotaging themselves is not my jam, but if it’s yours, there are a lot of people who are totally squeeing about this book.

Structurally speaking, I wanted to note that the pacing is slow. This is a gentle small town romance, and I don’t think Pippa Jayne’s narration was the reason that I felt things weren’t really moving. Her voice is somewhat somnolent, but it was in keeping with the sentence structure and pacing of the story. I listen to books at the fastest pace I can and still have the narration sound normal, so I was listening at 1.25x speed, and I still felt like I was lazily wending my way down a scenic, slow-moving stream. There were a few moments that I felt Jayne’s emphasis was on the wrong word or that she hadn’t emphasized the action in a sentence or scene quite the way it seemed it should have been, but it was a very dulcet narration.

Even though there were several secondary characters I really enjoyed, I probably won’t continue the series. It’s just not for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report. (November)