The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore
Dream Harbor #3
Rating: 3.5/5
Spice: 2/5
Primary Genre: Holiday Romance
Trigger Warnings: I don’t really think that there are any, if you disagree let me know in the comments.
Favorite Quote:
‘You’re a big dog person, I take it.’
‘They’re better than people in every way.’
His laugh was low and deep and did absolutely nothing for her.
‘I agree.’
Plot 3/5:
Rich Georgia peach named Kira buys northeastern Christmas tree farm, although she is grumpy and hates Christmas. Very sweet guy named Bennett who’s home for the holidays tries to help her fix things that she doesn’t want any help fixing.
Tropes:
• grumpy x sunshine
• small town
• forced proximity
• one bed
The Good:
* I loved the town hall meeting vibe, it was very Gilmore Girls-esque. Honestly, there were a few things that gave off Gilmore Girls vibes and I wasn’t hating it. The book club in particular seemed to give off the townspeople of Stars Hollow vibe. Dream Harbor seems like a very cute little town.
* I love the grumpy/sunshine trope and this book is oozing with it. Kira and Bennett were giving Luke and Lorelai but in reverse. Kira had the grumpy Luke vibes and Bennett had the cheerful Lorelai vibes.
* Once Bennett and Kira get the heat going, the flames are fiery hot. I did not see that coming from this book! She said the book would be spicy in the introduction so I expected open door. While there isn’t a ton of it, it’s quite spicy! At least, more so than I’d expect from a Christmas book.
* I really liked the mystery element tie-in of the previous farm owner’s supposed treasure, there was always something happening in this book.
The Meh:
* I didn’t dislike a ton about this book but one thing that did get on my nerves was the third act break up. Those irritate me to no end.
* I found Kira’s character’s lack of an ability to communicate like an adult to be very frustrating but in retrospect, given how she was raised according to the book, that makes sense.
Bottom Line:
This is a fun, light hearted Christmas/holidays romance book. I found it to be a great mood booster and it got me excited for Christmas, which is crazy because it’s not even Halloween yet. This is sure to grow even the grinchiest heart. The characters and town are unique and quirky, and you’re sure to catch yourself laughing while reading this. Now, can we option this out to Netflix instead of Hallmark for the movie so the spicy scenes stay in?
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