I wanted to read more festive reads this Christmas that my festive TBR is now as long as my normal TBR. I decided to start with this one because it is the most talked about one and the one that has been on my festive TBR for the longest time. I was disappointed with it, it was kind of festive but with all the hype, it didn’t live up to it.  

This book is about Stella and in an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a child, she enters a contest with insta-famous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the huge cash prize, she might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There's just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on the application and said that she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only . . . she doesn’t have a boyfriend. Enter her best friend, Luka. He has come home for some hot chocolate, and somehow got a farm and a serious relationship in the process. Will their fake love affair save Lovelight Farms in time for Christmas?  

I loved the small-town vibes and how everyone was worried about Stella and how they were willing to help her to save the farm, they could have done it without calling the influencer, but you know. I loved the side characters more than the main characters in this book – Beckett, Dane, Layla, Luka’s mum. I love them. They were so funny and caring but at the same would hard hitting with the truth when it was needed – like when the farm was in financial trouble, but she didn’t say anything. I liked the tough conversations especially about grief with Stella losing her mum and Luka losing his dad when they were younger. They both dealt with their grief differently – Stella, bought the farm that she had happy memories with her mum, Luka, didn’t talk to anyone about his dad ever. I was more interested in Beckett’s relationship with Evelyn and if that’s going to carry on and who was messing with the farm and I know it wasn’t for a sinister reason, but I would have loved for it to be for a sinister reason.  

Stella is so stupid and drove me nuts. With friends to lovers, it’s usually banter and the conversation, Luka was practically declaring his love and she’s just like “hahahaha, yeah nice joke.” Are you kidding me? She needed glasses. Like everyone’s reactions should have been a clear indication of how Luka was feeling. It shouldn’t have taken a video from an influencer to tell you that you are both staring at each other with heart eyes to realise this. The third act breakup in one chapter and then fixed within the next two annoyed me. I was so buzzed that this was going to finish without a third act breakup and then he confessed everything, slept together, making plans about the future and she is going on about not wanting a friends with benefits, like girl are you serious right now? I wanted to tell Luka to run for the hills, but he’s wasted nine years of his life trying to get the girl.  

I have no clue who is the main character in the next book, but I pray it’s either Beckett, Dane or Layla. But I'm worried about going into this book and it’s not going to be a priority for me to carry on with it.