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Helena Greer: Season of Love (2022, Grand Central Publishing) 5 stars

When Miriam Blum unexpectedly inherits part of her eccentric aunt's Christmas tree farm, she has …

Really a good read; not just the trope-remix that it sounds like from the description

5 stars

I didn't read this immediately because I've read kind of a lot of holiday romances lately and they can be frustratingly formulaic, but it turned out to be quite good!

The central conflict wasn't just about the characters failing to communicate or trust or whatever. When the characters did have difficulty it was (1) very plausible, given their backstories, and (2) something they processed with a decent level of emotional maturity. It also showcases a really lovely and supportive found-family.

Overall, the book nicely skated the edge between trope-y and sincere. It could be described as a holiday homecoming romance between an artist who's famous on social media and a butch christmas tree farmer, which makes it sound like pure trope remix. But! It's also a romance between a recovering alcoholic and someone fleeing an abusive parent, which sounds way darker than it is. It's both of those, and it's amusing and entertaining and serious and sweet.

Also the secondary characters are entertaining and well-developed. I am eagerly awaiting Greer's future books to read all their stories.

@kg6gfq “… which sounds way darker than it is.”

I know what you mean by that. I deeply appreciate how some romances tackle weighty subjects through their protags’ histories and issues, and yet don’t make it about darkness, but rather about real people. Watching them heal—sometimes only partway even—is immensely wholesome. And dare I say it, literary.