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Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Book Review: Season of Love

By Melissa Amster

Thanks to her thriving art career, Miriam Blum finally has her decoupaged glitter ducks in a row—until devastating news forces her to a very unwanted family reunion. Her beloved great-aunt Cass has passed and left Miriam part-owner of Carrigan’s, her (ironically) Jewish-run Christmas tree farm.

But Miriam’s plans to sit shiva, avoid her parents, then put Carrigan’s in her rearview mirror are spoiled when she learns the business is at risk of going under. To have any chance at turning things around, she’ll need to work with the farm’s grumpy manager—as long as the attraction sparking between them doesn’t set all their trees on fire first.

Noelle Northwood wants Miriam Blum gone—even if her ingenious ideas and sensitive soul keep showing Noelle there’s more to Cass’s niece than meets the eye. But saving Carrigan’s requires trust, love, and risking it all—for the chance to make their wildest dreams come true. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

If Jean Meltzer and Alison Cochrun paired up on a novel, Season of Love would be the final product. However, it's also a very unique and heartfelt story with lots of quirkiness throughout. I enjoyed the Jewish references while feeling like I was experiencing a Hallmark Christmas romance movie. I liked Miriam and Noelle and enjoyed seeing both their perspectives. There's a lot of enemies-to-lovers "will they, won't they?" going on between them. The supporting characters were a lot of fun too (with the exception of one who doesn't actually show their face), especially Cole. (And even Cass, posthumously.) Carrigan's would be a fun and festive place to visit, that's for sure! I liked the Rent references at one point, which I'm sure inspired the title. 

My only issues were that the story felt slow at times and it could have ended a lot sooner than it actually did and still wrapped up nicely. I also wanted to see Miriam's dad receive major karma. The epilogue felt like a weird loose end that wasn't necessary to further the plot. 

This is Helena Greer's debut and it was a strong one. I'd be interested in reading whatever she comes up with next.  In the meantime, bundle up and get cozy with this sweet, Sapphic rom-com!

Side note: I did not know who to cast in this one, but I hope that if Hollywood ever does make a movie, they cast people who fit both culturally and who are LGBTQ+ (for the roles that require it). 

Thanks to Forever for the book in exchange for an honest review.

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