4⭐️

**Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the eARC**

What do you do when your boyfriend has just dumped you, stolen your ideas at work, caused you to get fired, and your family is calling for help? You go home to the family inn and orchard for a place to stay and to lend a hand. Ellie does just that. She puts her event planning skills to work and focuses on turning around the business. She reunites with an old friend, Aiden, and finds herself face to face with old and new feelings.

The way I could not put this down is astounding! Such a fun, cozy fall read. All I wanted to do was cozy up with a pumpkin spice latte and one of Sera’s apple cider donuts for the book! There’s good pacing, great depth of character, and just an overall fun vibe. Would totally recommend for a quick, immersive, fun read!!

It's a cozy romance set in a small town and surrounding a festival. But, I also didn't care. Every character felt like they were just there to play a role, not as if they were actual people. It didn't fell like there was anything I'll remember about it. But, I can also see why people like it. There's a smalltown charm to it and, like the synopsis says, I do see it being great for anyone who liked the Pumpkin Spice Cafe.

I loved this book! When Ellie’s world imploded, she does what she needs to do. She retreats to the strength of her family. Her boyfriend dumps her and steals her work. As she was living with him, she lost her home and she gets fired because their boss assumed she had stolen his work on the project. When her mother enlists her help with planning the orchard festival for their inn/apple orchard, she agrees to put her event planning skills to work and give herself somewhere to get back on her feet. Aiden is a childhood friend that she grew apart from and is staying in the small apartment her mother planned for her to stay in while working there. It has close proximity, friends to lovers tropes going for it. I love that the friendship has time to grow and develop. The attraction also grows. There’s so much more to Aiden than she thought. There was so much that I loved about this book. The characters are multi-faceted and the sense of community is warm and inviting.

The coziest fall read. I felt like I was in an episode of gilmore girls in the best way possible.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this e arc copy

This was the perfect cozy fall book! You can picture exactly how the inn smells, and how the orchard looks. Absolutely love the characters! Will be looking forward to more books from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read the ARC.

Thank you to Avon & Netgalley for the eARC!

3.75 stars rounded up!

What a cute read, perfect for the upcoming autumn season! I think this book will be perfect for lovers of cozy & sweet romances.

I love a second chance romance trope, especially when it's paired with hometown sweethearts!! Ellie & Aiden's banter was so fun and the slow burn romance was everything!!

I loved getting to see Ellie fall back in love with her hometown (and Aiden), the author did an amazing job at creating the dreamiest town full of the coziest fall vibes!!

& did I mention there is the cutest pug named Pumpkin in this story? literally what more could you ask for!!

I cannot get over how PERFECT this book was. It got me so excited for fall.. especially living in New England. (I’m sad the Honeycrisp Orchard Inn doesn’t actually exist). Ellie’s family owns the inn as well as Aiden’s family, Ellie and Aiden grew up together and she moved to Manhattan to pursue her job in event planning. This was the best slow burn ever 🤤 (also Aiden is hot & spicy). Absolutely loved the writing, I laughed multiple times and smiled throughout the entire book. It was heartwarming. I loved the plot of the story, all the main characters and the side characters. Just a wonderful read. I’m telling everyone now they need to pre-order this book because it’s going to be the book of fall 2025! I loved all the Gilmore Girls references as well. Thank you so much HarperCollins publishing and Valerie Bowman for letting us read this. Absolutely loved it and will forever recommend!

The Honeycrisp Orchard is brimming with small-town charm and cozy fall vibes! This sweet friends-to-lovers romance had me hooked and the banter was delightful! A perfect autumn read!

The Honeycrisp Orchard Inn was a fun, cozy read that definitely gave all the fall vibes (think pumpkin spice, apple pie, and small-town Gilmore Girls). The romance was sweet and light: childhood friends → strangers → lovers, with a forced proximity setup that worked well. I also appreciated that the spice level was on the low er side and easy to skip if you prefer your romance on the cleaner side.

That said, I did have a few issues. The writing sometimes felt redundant, with certain details and emotions being explained multiple times, which really slowed down the pacing of the book.The dialogue also leaned a little too childish at times, especially for characters who are supposed to be in their thirties?

Overall, it’s not perfect, but if you’re looking for an easy, seasonal rom-com to curl up with in autumn, this one will give you exactly that 🍎✨

If you are craving fall and pumpkin spice and leaves and apple cider, The Honeycrisp Orchard Inn will pull you right into this cozy romance that very much gives Gilmore Girls vibes.

Ellie is an event planner who hits rock bottom when she loses her job, her boyfriend and her housing all in one morning. She ends up returning to her parent's inn to regroup and help them plan the Harvest Festival the inn desperately needs to succeed. Aiden, her childhood friend, is already working on the Harvest Festival and at the orchard. While things start out rocky between Ellie and Aiden, soon they become a great team.

I thoroughly enjoyed this lighthearted fall read. The inn and orchard made the perfect setting and it was so fun to imagine the fall festival. I enjoyed Ellie and Aiden's flirtation and liked their love story. I loved the shared apartment forced proximity aspect. I will say Aiden did confuse me at times, and I felt he could've been fleshed out slightly more. I liked all the fun side characters (and animals!) that rounded out this small town.

Tropes:
* Childhood friends to lovers
* City girl returns to small home town
* Forced Proximity
* Small town romance
* All the fall vibes!

4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super cute romance and the first book of the series. I had such a great time reading this book and wish I could do it again for the first time. There are no notes for the cozy fall vibes that this book was giving me. Ellie (FMC) and Aiden (MMC) had the slowest of slow burns, and I was here for it. The banter and tension had me craving more. What I loved was that it felt like it encapsulated the pull of a small town, and I felt like I was living in it.

Additionally, reading this felt like a love letter to Stars Hollow, which made me fall in love with this book even more. The only thing I would critique would be that it’s single POV. I believe that all romance books should have dual POV, especially when you have the grumpy MMC, since you get to read his mind when he changes his opinion of the girl.

Read if you like:
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Small town
- Forced proximity
- Single POV

Another great fall read! If you live childhood friends to lovers, forced proximity, and a small town feel where the cozy inn is on an apple orchard-then this is the book for you! This story was so cute! What I loved is how the author described the setting. The orchard seems expansive. It has different barns for food, drink, dancing plus the inn and several green houses large enough to nurture entire trees! One thing that let me down was the female main character. She seemed very self absorbed. She was only about how much money she could make. She seemed to steamroll everyone’s ideas and when feelings were hurt-she would apologize but do it all over again! However, the entire feeling of the book was so cozy! I highly recommend!

Childhood friends work together to save their families' shared property of inn and orchard by throwing a huge Harvest Festival in a quaint Long Island town, and find something extra along the way.

Look ... 'tis the season, amiright? It's mid-August, and I want to be snuggled up under a cozy quilt and some hot tea with the scents of autumn floating around me. And The Honeycrisp Orchard Inn delivers that vibe!

This was an atmospheric, lighthearted, slow burn romance that truly had me kicking my feet and giggling. I loved our MCs, Ellie and Aiden, though I wished we had just a bit more conversation from Aiden, as he is the silent type. The friends and family that surround our MCs were so much fun, and I can already see (or at least I'm hoping!) where the series will go next. And I love a couple of animal sidekicks thrown in.

Think Gilmore Girls with a little more adult content. Cause there were some ... #spicy scenes that were a delight.

This is my first time reading a childhood friends romance story, and I think this may be a new favorite trope. The pining. The newfound desire. One of our main characters was doing a lot of realizing!

I had so much fun reading The Honeycrisp Orchard Inn. I am looking forward to the rest of the series as well. If you enjoyed reading, or are interested in reading The Pumpkin Spice Cafe series, or love watching Gilmore Girls, this is definitely a book you want to add to your TBR.

My thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me access to an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Well, everyone, looks like we made it into another East Coast fall romance book. Am I upset? Maybe slightly.... I really wanted to give this book five stars as I did with, "The Cinnamon Spice Inn", which actually inspired me to read this one. Now, there were multiple things I wasn't too sure about in this book. I have to say the main character, Eleanor... or Ellie? Has a lot of insecurity issues and is kind of a bit selfish. Her dialogue alone was extremely cringy... I couldn't tell if she was being serious with the things she was saying or if the author was trying to make a joke. Ellie seemed to be very millennial coded that tried extremely hard to be a gen z, if that makes sense. She also a tendency to and way too much banter with the reader, which at times it did pull me out of the story. I understand it was more so banter with Ellie herself... but there was too much internal thoughts where it was just getting way too distracting with the actual story dialogue.



Well now you heard my rant. How about we actually met our characters a little bit. The story follows Ellie Lawson, event planner extraordinaire. She had everything she's every wanted. Her dream job in the heart of New York city, a boyfriend, an awesome apartment and of course, Starbucks every morning before work. Ellie had everything she wanted, until one day when her whole life came crashing down. It was a nice crisp September day; the leaves are turning color, and the scarfs are being pulled out. Just in time for the pumpkin spice lattes. Ellie and her boyfriend Goeff make their way into work not knowing this might be the last time. Ellie is going over her presentation a hundred times in her head for a very special client, Bolt Hotel Group. She was tasked by her boss to present revolutionary ideas for the new client they are trying to win over, and if anyone can do it, its Ellie. She makes her way nervously to the meeting room where she sets up her gadgets and presentation slides. The presentation goes extraordinary well and is pleased to hear that her boss is requesting to see her in his office. She definitely thinks she got the client, or even better, a raise after a job well done! Come to find out, she's being fired. For what you ask? For stealing Goeff's event ides, every single one, the same ideas she's been telling him about every day at home for a month. She tries to plead her case and save her job but quickly realizes that there is nothing she can do nor say, that will get her out of this. Oh, and to top it off, Goeff breaks up with her because he can't be seen around her anymore.



Poor Ellie is out of a job, a home, and a boyfriend. She calls her mom and is on the next train out to Long Island and the Honeycrisp Inn. She doesn't tell her mom much about what's going on, expect that she just got done with a huge project and, that she wants to spend some time at home. Her mom thinks this is a fantastic idea, considering Ellie doesn't visit much at all anyway. She tells Ellie this is amazing news and that she can help with the Autumn Harvest Festival. Ellie agrees to help and arrives at the hotel that night. She grabs the keys from the front desk girl, Charlotte and lets herself to the upstairs apartment. After a long day of traveling and let downs, she's excited for the rest and to see her parents in the morning. She opens up the door and is quickly greeted with a man in a towel. That man turned out to be Aiden, the stubborn attractive son of the orchard who is currently occupying her planned refuge. Turns out that Aiden grew some nice muscles and a six pack since the last time she saw him. Ellie had a crush straight away, and it seemed that he did too. Aiden explains that he's happy to see her again and that she will be in town for the Harvest Festival. This is the first time Ellie gets word that he's also planning on helping at the event. If Aiden thinks he can throw a better festival and party, then Ellie can... he better watch out.



This book for the most part was pretty fun to read. Annoying? a little yea. I really feel like Ellie is kinda disrespectful to her parents and treating dementia as a joke. She sent her parents an online dementia test because her mom forgot to tell her Aiden was in the upstairs apartment. Fun fact: no one told mom, and the dad forgot. Ellie takes it upon herself to keep bringing up dementia instead of actually recommending a doctor and taking it seriously. I guess if you take a google test and pass it, you're in the clear! I think Ellie has a lot of growing up to do and maybe a "come to Jesus" moment would be beneficial for her as well. I rated this book a generous 3 stars. I also had an issue with Ellie acting like she cared about Aiden all of sudden. It's like as soon as she saw that he's buffed up and filled out she suddenly acts like she's had this lifelong crush on him for years... when she literally said that she hasn't thought about him since she was 14 when they stopped hanging out in high school.



Alright, alright I'm done ranting. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC and I really hope to see Valerie come out with some more works.

My thanks to the publisher and author for the unexpected ARC of this book. Note that the opinions given in this review are entirely my own and are freely expressed.

I am exactly the person this book is meant to appeal to: a certified fall girlie, a Gilmore Girls diehard, a small-town romance junkie, a dog lover, and a frequent consumer of apples. If you, too, fall into any or all of these categories, this book will probably be as much of a delightful little reprieve for you as it was for me.

Ellie is the kind of FMC who is easy to root for. Getting the entire story from her perspective makes it feel natural to align with her, to be on her side, to want her to have what she wants. Though she certainly makes a few missteps along the way, she’s hard-working, determined, a little sassy, and well-intentioned even in her more misguided moments.

Aiden is the quintessential small-town romance hero—a local boy turned successful business owner/apple farmer whose loyalty runs as deep as his roots. Although he is bit two-dimensional in the grander scheme of the story, I truly loved his easy-but-anxious nature, his devotion to his work and home and community, his responsible dog parenting, and his ever-growing belief in Ellie.

Populated by a host of secondary characters who are loving and supportive and a cast of kooky townspeople in the background, this book is all things lighthearted, comforting, and quirky. I will admit that some of the jokes did not land (the last line of the final chapter actually made me cringe a little bit), but overwhelmingly, the fun and funny take center stage in this novel. There were a handful of moments where I was struck by a feeling that the author was trying too hard to get the laugh or emphasize the quirkiness of this wholesome community. Moreover, there were a few references or uses of “slang” that I fear will very quickly date this book and diminish the shelf life of its charm (not to mention pare down its potential audience) but nothing so egregious that it threw me off for more than a moment or two.

While this book is perhaps a little light on the realism, trending decidedly more in the direction of a seasonal Hallmark film than a realistic romance novel, that makes it all the more ideal for those in the market for a cozy, low-angst read as we head into the fall season. I’ll be curious to see if we get more from this Harvest Hollow world, and I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on this new-to-me author going forward.

3.5 ⭐️

This book felt like the literary version of stepping into an apple orchard on a crisp October afternoon. It was sweet, cozy, and just the right amount of spark for the fall season. 🍂✨

Ellie and Aiden’s story had me hooked from the start. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and Valerie Bowman delivered it with all the charm and banter I could hope for. Their chemistry was undeniable, and I loved watching their relationship unfold against such a charming small town setting.

What really stood out for me was how fun the writing was. It’s witty, warm, and had me laughing in between all the sweet and cute moments. The story balances comfort and spice perfectly, like apple pie with a dash of cinnamon kick.

Such a delightful fall read! I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Valerie Bowman, and Avon for the eARC of this book.

Gah! This was everrthing I wanted to transition into my fall reading season. Apples, cider, sweets, haybales, and all the Gilmore Girls references. Not to mention small town, childhood friends to lovers! Add in a bit of spice, and this book was un-put-downable for me. Excited to see what other stories come out of this quaint Long Island town! There were some serious laugh out loud moments, and I thought the humor is this book was absolute perfection. Thank you so much for the ARC!

This was so cute! Definitely a Hallmark movie in book form—though way more spice than you’d ever find on Hallmark. Cute love story, cute animals, all the Fall vibes.

This is low stakes Hallmark channel romance with a little more heat, and I loved it. When Ellie loses her job and her boyfriend, along with having to leave their (his) apartment, it makes it easy go back home to the Honeycrisp Orchard Inn and help her parents and childhood friends (including the boy next door, now a very hot farmer - the abs!!) with the fall festival to end all fall festivals. There’s a pug in pjs, some possibly magic cider donuts, and a lot of solid farmer abs. Sheer delight.

Put this book on your fall TBR RIGHT NOW!! Seriously like a hallmark movie and gilmore girls got smooshed into an apple orchard together.

I need a cider.

And an apple man.