I had very high expectations because I loved In the Event of Love. This book didn’t quite hit the same. The relationship felt hollow, there didn’t seem to be the same build of a relationship. It was hard to connect with Ben and his narrative felt disjointed. It was also missing the Christmas magic and as much as I loved GMa’s parties, there wasn’t enough of that magic the first book had. I think this one just wasn’t for me

Loved this book! Courtney Kay is one of my auto-buy authors now. If you want a summer read, read this! If you want a Christmas read, read her first book In The Event of Love! Definitely recommend!

Courtney Kae has done it again! The Author continues building the Fern Falls world and her bubbly, sweet romances are just what the doctor ordered. Her books are like drinking hot cocoa with marshmallows and a shot of Fireball. Soothing, comforting and SEXY. If you've ever wondered what happens when a cinnamon roll MC hooks up with a hot rock star (and the subject of unrequited love), pickup In The Case of Heartbreak. I appreciated the love and encouragement of the supporting characters of the novel as well. It was refreshing. Hallmark should take note, this book would be perfect for a MM romance. Or maybe Netflix for the open door sex scenes (we love to see it)! Highly recommend.

This was a middle-of-the-road read for me. I did not dislike it, but it was not my favorite, either. Something I did like about this book was the overall ensemble of characters and how they interacted with each other. You could tell how much everyone cared about Ben specifically. He seemed to be struggling throughout the book from previous trauma, and that mental health rep was nice. Especially at the end when Ben recognized that he needed time for himself if he was ever going to be ready for a relationship. In other books it sometimes feels as though a main character relies too heavily on the love interest in order to heal, so this was a refreshing change of pace.

In the beginning chapters of the book, up until the MMCs get together, the inner monologue of Ben was getting to be a bit repetitive. I was tired of hearing about Adam and his random bandmates that he was jealous of. Miscommunication or lack of communication ends up being a large part of the plot of this book, and those are some of my least favorite tropes simply because if one party had just spoken up, this would not have been a problem.

Overall, I would say this was a worthwhile read. Kae did set up the next book well, and I would genuinely love to read that story! The spice was not too detailed for those who may not be into that, and it was not a large part of the overall plot, in my opinion. Would maybe not recommend to those that do not like having miscommunication/lack of communication as a plot point.

Title: In The Case of Heartbreak (Fern Falls book #2)
Author: Courtney Kae
Summary: Ben has been baking his mother’s cinnamon rolls at the family café for years. He’s been quietly in love with Adam Reed, his musician-slash-mechanic neighbor, for just as long. But Ben’s done waiting behind the pastry case. Despite his fear of failure, he’s entered a make-or-break competition to build his recipes into a national brand. He’s going to take charge of his business instead of nearly tanking the café—again. And he’s going to finally confess his feelings for Adam. ON LIVE TV.
Except his big plans get punched down before they even half-rise. Soon Ben is dashing down the coast to his grandma’s 80th birthday party on the beach, hiding his broken heart in Maywell Bay, California. Sun, sea, and fresh breezes should blow in something new—except they don’t. They blow in Adam Reed, grinning like a pirate and stealing the show as the musical entertainment hired by Grandma for her big bash. Grandma’s signature Heartbreak Tea is the only remedy, and Grandma’s tea could take the paint off a fence.
But there’s a burn of truth along with the booze in his bottle, and Ben has a decision to make. Can he take the sweetness in front of him, and brave the bitterness that comes after? Or is a little sea salt just what this cinnamon roll needs?
Copy provided by @netgalley in exchange for honest review.
Likes: Courtney Kae is an incredible storyteller and I’ll read anything she writes! I loved the Hallmark-esque feel of this book. Friends to lovers is a solid trope.
Dislikes: There were many layers to the plot and they all had to share the spotlight.
#InTheCaseOfHeartbreak #NetGalley #KensingtonBooks #FernFalls #CinnamonRolls #LGBTQIA+ #MLM #bookstagram #queerbookstagram #romance #booksbooksbooks #fiction

Tropes:
- Friends to Lovers
- Reality Show
- Queer Romance
In the case of Heartbreak is A sweet romance that I quickly flew through with an ​​Absolutely amazing story. I healed. I sobbed. I laughed. I screamed.

Ben would prefer to stay behind the scenes, and behind the counter, of his café in the town where he grew up. Determined to put his café on stronger financial footing, however, he enters a televised competition which, if he wins, will allow him to expand nationally. He also plans to use an episode of the show to finally declare his feelings for Adam Reed, who he's quietly pined for over the course of several years. But nothing goes according to plan, and Ben's worried he will be kicked off the show and is no closed to letting Adam know how he feels. Soon Ben is on the way to the beach town where his beloved grandmother lives for her 80th birthday. His grandmother, though, has a surprise -- she has hired Adam, a musician, to play at her birthday party. Together in the magical beach town, Ben and Adam finally connect in ways they never have back home. But Ben can't leave all his problems behind, and the magic he finds at the beach is soon threatened by the pressures he has with his business and his family.

This is a charming and highly entertaining book. Ben and Adam -- and Ben's grandmother -- are terrific characters, engaging and with much going on beneath the surface that brings depth to this heartwarming and funny story.

Highly recommended.

Ben is trying to save his bakery, his grandma's state and keep away from his father; dealing with all of that is rather difficult since he is also navigation his feelings for Adam!

Ben is dealing with so much, I liked how he was comfortable asking for help with his mental health! Adam is amazing with Ben, beautiful couple.

I loved the discussion questions at the end, great for book clubs!

Head to Maywell Bay for this angsty and emotional queer romance with a reality tv show setting. Courtney is the queen of MM romance, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. The deep emotional trauma that was touched on hit me right in the feels; the journey the two characters have gone on and now together gives me that cinnamon roll feeling. This was a sweet, emotional romance that shouldn't be passed on.

Tropes:
- Friends to Lovers
- Reality Show
- Queer Romance

Thank you so much for the ARC of in case of heartbreak.. All thoughts are my own.

In the Case of Heartbreak is a sweet Hallmark-movie-esque type of story, a companion book to In the Event of Love, which I read (and loved) last year. In the last book, we got a winter wonderland type of a setting, and now we're following the characters we've already met for some summer fun.

In the Case of Heartbreak opens with Ben, a baker, as he's filming the first episode of a reality TV Show he's a part of, and follows him into an awkward interaction with Adam, his friend (who he's in love with). Ben walks out of that situation feeling utterly humiliated, as it's now commemorated on camera that Adam "rejected" him. As if that's not stressful enough already, he receives a cease and desist letter from his estranged father regarding a family recipe he's using on the show. He's trying to put worries aside as he goes to his grandma's week-long birthday celebration. However, his grandma has ideas of her own, and she's hired Adam's band to play at her parties, so Ben is forced to confront his feelings and the situation at hand.

I will skip the long intro to my thoughts and start off with the things I enjoyed. This is a friends to lovers romance, and I thoroughly enjoyed the main characters and the romance. I really loved seeing Ben and Adam interact and have no complaints directed at the "core" of the story. I also really enjoyed seeing all of the characters from the previous novel, as well as Adam's grandma, I thought she was great.

Some things I enjoyed slightly less was the fact that there seemed to be one too many things happening at all times. In a different setting, perhaps this would've worked better, but as is it felt like things were overlapping but not actually connecting. As well as the storyline regarding Ben's father, which seemed overly dragged out and dramaticised. There were a lot of times I felt like the issue at hand could've been solved by Bell talking to someone, instead of internalizing everything.

Overall, this was a sweet, feel-good story, and I would definitely recommend it, especially if you've read In the Event of Love, and want more of the Fern Falls crew!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

A sweet romance that I quickly flew through. From beginning to end, the progression was evenly paced but still engaging, and I was constantly on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next! I definitely will be keeping an eye on this author in the future 🩷

This book was fantastic. I didn't love the first in the series but decided to give this a second chance. I found the characters more relatable in this novel. I really enjoyed the baking, the second chance romance, and the fun queer rom com. Gave me vibes like Alexandria Bellefluer.

It's been a couple weeks since I finished this and that's on me for not writing a review sooner, but I cannot remember anything about this book. I do remember that when I was reading it I posted on my Instagram stories but not liking it So I'm going with that.

I think generally I feel the same way about this one as I do the first book by this author and that is ambivalent. It's fine it was cute it's whatever but I didn't love it and it's not memorable. I also was really disappointed by the lack of baking in this book. If you're going to have a character in an apron described as a baker I want some actual baking. Now that I'm sitting here I can vaguely remember that I think there's just too much going on. I didn't love the romance and this one just wasn't for me.

Absolutely amazing story. I healed. I sobbed. I laughed. I screamed. Courtney rights and amazing story and they're one of my favorite humans and authors. 🖤

I have been looking forward to Ben and Adam’s story since I read In the Event of Love and we got that little tease about them.

Oh, what a sweet book Courtney Kay has written. It’s clear from the very first page that she cares so deeply about these characters and this story. It is earnest and heartfelt from the jump, and that carries through the entire book.

Ben is the sweetest gooiest cinnamon roll of all the cinnamon rolls and there are times when you want to just give him a hug and tell him to get out of his own head. He’s so loved by so many and needs to just remember that! This is partially why the third act falling apart of it all didn’t sit right with me. There was so much that could have easily been done or said.

But overall, Kae is able to get to a cathartic moment for readers, writing words that they need to hear to heal old wounds. That’s what Kai does best.

3.5 stars rounded up

i loved Courtney's first book but within minutes of this one, I was bored. And annoyed. There's something about hearing bookstagram lingo in books that annoys me to no end and I just couldn't continue after the words "my found family" appeared in the first chapter. Maybe I'll give it another try one day but not today.

Courtney Kae has a talent for keeping me awake and making me cry over her characters. I found myself wishing I could be in this book the whole time I was reading it. Ben and Adam are amazing characters, both feeling very well fleshed out. Their storyline felt true to them, as well as true to the world they exist in. I also liked the continuation of characters that had been introduced and focused on in the previous book. Even though In the Case of Heartbreak follows the events of In the Event of Love I feel like it would've been easy to jump into this one without having read the first. I think Kae did a great job pushing the bounds of the typical romance script. All in all, this was a lovely read and I've already recommended this book and its predecessor to a couple of friends who I think will enjoy.

I absolutely loved this steamy fun romcom! It was so much more spicy than I thought it would be. Won’t be my last by this author!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this advanced copy.

This was such a romantic book, I love their relationship and the conflict.

I really enjoyed In the Event of Love and was so excited for In the Case of Heartbreak, but I just didn't enjoy it. The book felt so chaotic and some of the plot lines just didn't make sense or felt unnecessary. I really like Courtney Kae as an author and I'll be eager to read her other books, but this just wasn't it.

Thank you so much for the eARC though!