A fun sweet and perfect summer story. Ben and Adam lead this romance with such a sweet and passionate vibe. A lovely summertime vibe and a beautiful love. Must read.

Kylie may have said Padam, but Courtney said Badam…

Ben Parrish has only ever been in the spotlight once before - when he got lost in the woods as a child and his face was all over the news. It’s not somewhere he thought he’d be again until Take The Cake National are filming in Peak Perk Cafe and putting Ben’s delish cinnamon rolls in front of the masses. Everything is going swimmingly, despite Ben’s anxiety, until a moment between Ben and his lifetime crush Adam goes wrong on live television. Luckily, Ben is escaping from Fern Falls for two weeks for his grandmother’s birthday extravaganza - two weekends of all-out parties and spending time with his mother and g-ma. What Ben wasn’t expecting was to be cottage-mates with Adam, who was invited to perform with the band by his meddling grandmother. Now the pair are forced to confront their feelings for one another and see if their Fern Falls crushes can make it in Maywell Bay and beyond…

The moment Courtney teased the mutual attraction between Ben and Adam in the previous book, I knew she would be delivering a fabulous story for them, and that she did! There’s something about a friends-to-lovers and forced proximity romance that I just cannot get enough of.

I’ll be completely honest - I did struggle a little to get into Ben and Adam’s story. I think it was a mix of it having been almost a year since I read the first book and the majority of the story taking place away from Fern Falls. One of the reasons I LOVED Morgan and Rachel’s story was the magic of a holiday romance in Fern Falls, and while there was definitely the magic of a summer romance in Maywell Bay, it just took a little to get back into the world that Courtney has created.

Don’t get me wrong though, Ben and Adam’s relationship was so freaking sweet, just like Ben’s cinnamon rolls, and I just wanted to protect them at all costs. But also, Courtney wasn’t afraid to turn up the heat just a little, which was like the sprinkles on top.

Since we were away from Fern Falls, we didn’t get to see that much of Morgan and Rachel which I was a little bummed about, but we do get a nice little update about them, which I always appreciate. And I don’t know if Courtney’s planning a third Fern Falls book, but I wouldn’t mind see Whitney get a happily ever after too…

Courtney beautifully outlines the trigger warnings at the start of the book, which includes resurfaced childhood trauma from neglect, mental and emotional abuse from a narcissistic parental figure, as well as anxiety and depression. Despite this, Courtney handles these topics well, especially when it comes to the healing process and moving forward.

Get ready for a summer romance that will have you pining for your forever crush by the seaside!

Courtney Kae has done it again. Pulling at my heartstrings and bringing me back into this Hallmark-esque, romcom feel of a narrative. I absolutely adored it!

Trigger Warnings: past stroke, therapy, past missing child, past parental abandonment, cursing, marijuana, alcohol, divorce, absent parent, anxiety, depression, narcissist, sex

Representation: They/them pronouns, Bisexual, mental health, Pansexual

In the Case of Heartbreak is a queer rom-com celebration of summer love, as a cinnamon roll of a pastry chef finds his indie rocker crush suddenly within reach. When his hometown crush suddenly returns his affections at a seaside celebration, pastry chef Ben Parrish must find a way to pursue his dream of moving his bakery to San Francisco, without losing the love he’s always wanted.

Ben has been baking his grandma’s cinnamon rolls at the family café for years. He’s also been quietly in love with Adam Reed, his musician-slash-mechanic neighbor, for just as long. Ben is done with waiting behind the pastry case and so he has entered a make-or-break competition to show off his own recipes. He’s going to buy his overprotective family out of the business. And he’s going to ask Adam out. TONIGHT.

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. 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?

Salty cinnamon rolls? Ew. Ben would never.

Wow! I absolutely adored this book! The writing is sexy and funny, as well as raw, painful, and healing. The storyline is very steamy, but also reminds you that it will always get better. The author handles such heavy topics with grace and humility. I love how they constantly remind the characters and the readers that you deserve every good and wonderful thing.

I loved how different this book is compared to other friends-to-lovers stories! The main couple provide your HEA early on, which allows the author to explore being in a relationship and all of the twists and turns, as opposed to only coming together at the very end. All of the characters in this story are awesome! They are messy queers and such relatable humans! The author creates a place where you are “safe to examine the messy, painful, hard things—and learn to believe how very worthy of love we are.” I found myself in both main characters and the raw honesty from their individual childhood traumas is fantastic. The mental health representation is very good and often feels like my own inner monologue. Also, I fricken love g-ma!! She is so funny and actually all of the side characters are amazing! (minus Ben’s dad, iykyk)

I think this book is extremely important for so many reasons and I hope it reaches the hands of anyone who also needs it! Courtney creates a world that is “kinder to queer people, unquestioning, unchallenging. A place where we don’t need to explain, defend, or prove ourselves.”

I am such a sucker for the childhood friends-to-lovers trope and this book does it perfectly! Small town Hallmark type stories are my weakness and "In the Case of Heartbreak" delivers on every aspect. I did not read the first Fern Falls book but you dont have to to enjoy this one. The town and its people are set up again in a way that is easy to understand for new readers and we are immediately able to fall in to Ben's story and follow him through all of the trials coming his way.

It definitely has many layers to it where one bad thing after the next happens to poor Ben but it delivers on the HEA and wraps everything up quickly and cleanly. I'm giving it 4.5* because I enjoyed the love between Ben and Adam and the rest of the plot was interesting enough (even with so many different focal points). I will definitely be reading the first book of Fern Falls now and any more that come my way!

A really adorable, tender romance! Courtney Kae is a brilliant newer voice for queer romance, and this one was just as good as her first. Charming characters and a warm, supportive family made this just incredibly sweet and enjoyable..

Actual rating: 3.25/5

I was looking forward to this book since I read the first one last year. Adam and Ben’s story was sweet with a good amount of angst. I really liked how much mental health was brought up throughout the book, and how the author showed Ben working through his trauma and finding a way to accept love. The support from Ben’s family and friends was lovely to see. Also, the attention to good communication in all sorts of relationships that we get at the end was very refreshing and appreciated.

It certainly is a beautiful love story. I just had a few problems with the plot when things started getting a bit repetitive, and so some of the drama felt unnecessary. Nevertheless, I think a lot of people will enjoy this cute small town romance.

enjoyed this, but not quite as much as the first one! i was still rooting for adam & ben, however i wasn't as invested in the tv show plot as much as the relationship plot.

This is the most darling cinnamon roll of a book! See what I did there.. 😉

Truly, I adored every second of this romance. It was tender, sweet, heartfelt, and packed with moments that had me swooning!

I am excited to add this book to my shelves and will be pushing this series on all my friends!

In the Case of Heartbreak by @court_kae is the ✨perfect✨summer read. Beautiful beach side setting, cinnamon roll pastry chef chasing his dream, long standing crush finally reciprocates feeligns (I GASPED at that first kiss), an eccentric legendary grandmother, and a baking competition. Courtney is amazing at balancing heart, heat, and REAL romance jump off the page. Congrats on this amazing follow up to on of my top holiday reads last year: In the Event of Love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest feedback.

‘In the Case of Heartbreak’ was a beautifully sweet MM romance. Our MC (Ben) is a baker in Fern Falls who has had a lifelong crush on the local mechanic/guitarist. They end up sharing a cottage together for a couple of weeks at Ben’s grandmother’s home while celebrating her 80th birthday and romance comes calling. 

While I loved the queerness in this story and Adam’s sweet words and hilarious commentary, I wish this one had also taken place in Fern Falls where we could enjoy the country setting more. The setting and background for this story felt very conflicted at times and a bit confusing, but the romance itself was very sweet. I’m looking forward to the next couple in Fern Falls finding love!

If you need a pining, cute, slow-burn romance for the summer, this book will definitely fit the bill!

3.5 stars

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an E-ARC copy of this book.

Unfortunately, this was not the story I was expecting and just wasn’t for me. I absolutely loved the first book in this series but I feel like the author changed way too much from what was good with her first book.

This story didn’t focus on the relationship between Ben and Adam enough, I found there to be too many plot points and not enough relationship. There also was barely any spice and I was struggling with that considering how spicy the first book in the series was. It was one of the reasons I wanted to continue this series.

I also think Adam was a little too perfect of a love interest. There wasn’t enough tension between them for me and it seemed like Adam was always saying the correct thing which felt very unnatural.

I did love the diversity, the setting, and every moment between Adam and Ben. I just wish we got more of those.

I really enjoyed this small town, second chance, queer romcom featuring both actual cinnamon rolls and one of the best fictional ones!!

Lots of summer vibes, heavy on the family drama but FULL of swoony moments between a baker trying to save his family's cafe and an aspiring rock star slash mechanic!!

The queer rep was fantastic and treated so naturally - which was lovely to see! We don't learn until more than midway through that Ben is bisexual and Adam is pansexual.

Highly recommended if you want a feel-good story full of a great cast of queer secondary characters, supportive (mostly) family, reality tv x Rockstar romances, California sunshine and open door spice.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. Perfect for fans of authors like Roan Parrish and Timothy Janovsky.

This is a sweet, Hallmarky m/m romance set in small town California. There were some sweet scenes between the protagonists, quirky supporting characters, and cute little towns. The main character was a little to angsty for me at times, but overall it was an enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the advance digital copy.

A really sweet read with a beautiful small town community!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Ben runs his family café and bakes his famous cinnamon rolls daily. He’s entered a reality tv competition to showcase them.

Plans start to fall apart when Ben’s rejected by his long-time crush, Adam, on live tv. He also gets some trouble coming from his father (who abandoned him as a child).

Ben takes off for 2 weeks to Maywell Bay, to see his Grandma for her 80th birthday bash. Of course, Adam is there (as a musician in the band for the party).

Most of the story takes place at Grandma’s, as Ben and Adam figure out their feelings for one another, and Ben figures out one family issue at a time.
_______________________________________

I enjoyed this book, but I wouldn’t really call it a romance. While there was a romantic element as part of the story, it was more about Ben’s journey with his family and past trauma. The romance part was really sweet - seeing Adam and Ben come together, and how much they appreciated the little things they dreamed of doing with one another.

I would love to live in a place like Fern Falls! While I am a straight cis white woman, I appreciate the openness and diversity in this town, and how it’s not a “thing.” Everyone is accepted for who they are, no matter their identity.

I could relate a lot to Ben in his anxiety and insecurities. I was laughing a lot and saying - that’s totally me - often.

What you’ll find in In the Case of Heartbreak:
⭐️ LGBTQ+ romance (mm)
⭐️ Childhood friends to lovers
⭐️ Longtime crush
⭐️ Forced proximity
⭐️ Cinnamon rolls & cinnamon roll heros
⭐️ Mental health rep (anxiety)
⭐️ Sex positive Grandma (G-ma)
⭐️ Found family
⭐️ Small town
⭐️ Disability rep
⭐️ Single POV/first person
*make sure to check trigger warnings!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

dnf at 33%. i really enjoyed the first book in this series but unfortunately i couldn’t finish this one. it wasn’t particularly bad but i just didn’t manage to get into this book like i did for the first installment. it’s really fast paced and has a bingeable potential, i just wasn’t into it that much

The story was enjoyable and fit the bill for a fun, mm romance. The setting and events were fun, even if not always super realistic.
The author's tone/writing style isn't always my cup of tea, but I'm sure it works well for many people. If they liked In the Event of Love, they will probably love this book as well.

2.5
I wish I'd enjoyed this more, but I had a hard time connecting to Ben and Adam's relationship. The first half dragged on because they wouldn't talk to each other and in the second half they were just 0 to 60, acting like high schoolers but making decisions like they'd been together for years. It was a fun read, though, and super quick and was truly just a matter of me not connecting with it.

This was a good lazy Sunday read, we get to follow Ben who is a passionate baker and who has been love with Adam for some time but after a rejection he high tails it out to his grandma's to celebrate her birthday, G-Ma attempts to make things right for Ben by inviting Adam to play at said birthday party. Ben has to navigate this along with the sudden appearance of his not so great dad. Overall it was a cute read, a coat romance with big feelings for poor Ben who was going through a lot all at once. I wouldn't say that the actual romance was the highlight of the book it almost felt like it took a back seat to everything else but it was still an enjoyable book.

3.75/5

In The Case of Heartbreak was both extremely adorable and deeply emotional. I loved Ben and I just wanted to give him the biggest hug throughout the time I was reading! This book is told from a single POV set in a beach town, Maywell Bay. We accompany Ben after he is put in an awkward situation where he is shown on live TV being rejected by the one man he’s had a crush on for years, Adam Reed. On top of that, he receives a threatening letter from his DAD trying to blackmail him at the height of his recognition for being a contestant in a baking show that could push him to real success in his field. He escapes to his grandmother’s mansion to help prepare and celebrate his G-ma’s 80th birthday. Expecting a reprieve, he runs into his crush Adam at the festivities because Adam is now the lead in the band G-ma hired for the celebration. Both staying at the comfy guest cottage on the property, Ben and Adam are forced to face their feelings and figure out how they can be together with all Ben isn’t saying to Adam.

I really loved Ben and Adam together! There were so many missed opportunities between these two characters as they navigate all that happens to Ben in this story. When they were finally honest with each other and shared their truths, it was beautiful! The moments where these two actually talked to each other made me swoon and I was giddy with how happy I was for them! I wanted much, much more of their happy times. There is a courtship that we get little bits of and I just expected more romance after they admitted their feelings for each other but it was still quite sparse.

Ben definitely gets the award for the most family problems one person can have. This character took an absolute beating and we got a front row seat. I would say that 60 percent of the book is introspective with Ben, finding his strength and courage to find solutions to the problems of his life. Many of these problems were direct consequences of how he handled the situations, which is not very well. As I mentioned, he faces many terrible circumstances because of his family. I would say this book reads more like a fiction piece with a romantic subplot. Miscommunication is used heavily to stretch the romance plot out and it didn’t work for me. I was very irritated with how easily they could “forget” they were about to profess their love for each other. Kiss already!!

Courtney Kae really knows how to create beautiful settings and powerfully joyful scenes that grip my heart and stay in my memory. Her writing feels so immersive at times, I swear I was sitting in Maywell Bay. I love how diverse her cast is and the representation she incorporates seamlessly into this tale. I also really love how she included amazing representation of depression and anxiety with a great relationship between Ben and his therapist. Though I was conflicted on Ben’s familial relationships in this book, the found family Ben has in Fern Falls is fantastic! We don’t actually spend more than 20 percent in Fern Falls though. The rest of the time we are in Maywell Bay. I seriously disliked his family and I felt like everyone around him lied to themselves and each other, a lot. Also, no one respects privacy or boundaries and that did trigger me at times. Ben, tell them to back off and mean it if it’s making you uncomfortable. It made me very uncomfortable.

My critique of the first book that the ending is resolved too easily also makes an appearance in this book as well. The problems Ben faced in this book all seem to go away at the very end in the most anticlimactic way. With how much Ben suffered in this book, I really wanted something equally as intense to get to a resolution.

I was very excited to go back to Fern Falls after how much I loved Morgan and Rachel’s story, In the Event of Love. This book feels different in tone and style. There were many amazing moments in this book that I loved so much, but it was much heavier with the complex family drama and childhood drama. The author’s note at the beginning does let you know all the content warnings, which I appreciated. In the Case of Heartbreak just read like a different book from what I was expecting from the blurb and cover. Though I didn’t dislike this book, I would not recommend this as a romance to anyone. I would recommend this to someone I think would enjoy an interesting fiction piece that follows one bisexual man who has extensive legal troubles and unresolved childhood trauma trying to decide what he wants from his life. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this advanced copy for review!