Publisher's Weekly Review
This sassy bit of seasonal fluff has a 1990s rom-com vibe; only heroine Miriam Blum's Instagram stardom anchors Greer's debut in the present. Miriam is an aspiring artist in a lukewarm, odd-couple engagement that enables her to hide from both her past and her feelings. When the death of a beloved great-aunt sends her back to the scene of much childhood joy and heartache, she expects to sit shiva and scoot. She certainly does not expect to meet Noelle Northwood, a big curvy butch woman who, with Miriam's cousin Hannah, has been running the great-aunt's Christmas tree farm for the past five years. Even more shocking is when Miriam learns she's inherited a share of the business alongside these two--and bankruptcy looms. Everybody's got opinions about the situation, and much of the book consists of snappy dialogue airing said opinions as resentment evolves into teamwork and budding love between Miriam and Noelle--until Miriam's past threatens to intervene. The emotions are sitcom deep, and some of the shtick is a bit much, but there's plenty of fun to be had. This goes down like frothy eggnog amid the holiday bustle. Agent: Rebecca Podos, Rees Literary. (Oct.)
Kirkus Review
When she inherits her Jewish great-aunt's Christmas tree farm in the Adirondacks, Miriam Blum faces her difficult past and embraces a new love. Miriam hasn't been to Carrigan's Christmasland in a decade. Because of her father's emotional abuse, she cut ties with her past and didn't look back. When she learns her beloved great-aunt Cass has died, she returns to New York to sit shiva, intending to stay for just one week. Her plans are upended when Cass' will reveals that Miriam has inherited part of the tree farm and inn, and the place is in financial distress. Noelle Northwood, manager of the farm, doesn't think Miriam deserves to be an owner after having been absent for so long. Still, Noelle and Miriam have a common goal of saving the place, so they work together on a plan. Attraction is instantaneous between the women, even when they frustrate each other. As the season progresses from one holiday to the next, Miriam and Noelle work through their grief and trauma and start to find solace in each other. This slow-burn, closed-door romance focuses on the emotional growth of the characters. Aspects of identity are important to the leads' characterizations, including their queerness, Noelle's sobriety, and Miriam's Jewish faith. Miriam's personal growth as she faces her past is the most compelling aspect of the story, sometimes overshadowing the romance. Much of the pacing is slow, particularly at the beginning, but readers are rewarded with a charming setting and compelling characters for a cozy, wintry delight. A warm, queer romance with holiday cheer and emotional depth. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
DEBUT Queer Jewish artist Miriam Blum cut all ties with her family a decade ago and moved to Charleston, SC to escape her father's emotional abuse. Unfortunately, that also meant breaking contact with her beloved aunt Cass. She always meant to go back to Christmasland, her aunt's upstate NY Christmas tree farm, to make things right, but now Cass has died, and Miriam didn't even know she'd been ill. When Miriam travels to Christmasland to sit shiva, she reconnects with her cousin Hannah and meets Noelle Northwood, the farm's manager. Though the attraction is immediate and intense, it seems doomed from the start. Noelle hates Miriam for the way she disappeared when her family needed her while Miriam hates Noelle for taking Miriam's place in the family. When Cass's will is read, the three women find out that they've jointly inherited the failing farm, and they'll have to put their disagreements aside to save it. VERDICT This steamy contemporary f/f romance features likable flawed characters with rich, realistic backstories. Secondary characters are equally developed and highly entertaining, and the overall love story is by turns heartbreaking and delightful. Recommended for general purchase.--Heather Miller Cover
