Title: In the Case of Heartbreak
Author: Courtney Kae
Series: Fern Falls
Source: Netgalley. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Genre: Contemporary romance.
Explicit? Yes, but you won’t complain.
Trigger Warnings: Child abuse, gaslighting, missing child
Release Date: July 25, 2023
Summary: When his hometown crush suddenly returns his affections at a seaside celebration, pastry chef Ben Parrish must find a way to pursue his dream of moving his bakery to San Francisco – without losing the love he’s always wanted…
Ben has been baking his grandma’s cinnamon rolls at the family café for years. He’s been quietly in love with Adam Reed, his musician-slash-mechanic neighbor, for just as long. But Ben’s done waiting behind the pastry case. He’s entered a make-or-break competition to show off his own recipes. He’s going to buy his overprotective family out of the business. And he’s going to ask Adam out. TONIGHT.
Except his big plans get punched down before they even half-rise. Soon Ben is dashing down the coast to his grandma’s 80th birthday party on the beach, hiding his broken heart in Maywell Bay, California. Sun, sea, and fresh breezes should blow in something new—except they don’t. They blow in Adam Reed, grinning like a pirate and stealing the show as the musical entertainment hired by Grandma for her big bash. Grandma’s signature Heartbreak Tea is the only remedy, and Grandma’s tea could take the paint off a fence.
But there’s a burn of truth along with the booze in his bottle, and Ben has a decision to make. Can he take the sweetness in front of him, and brave the bitterness that comes after? Or is a little sea salt just what this cinnamon roll needs?
Salty cinnamon rolls? Ew. Ben would never.
My Thoughts:
I love a nice cozy bakery. I love cinnamon rolls. And I particularly love both Adam and Ben, and G-Ma, and Ben’s mom. Ben’s dad? Well he can fall off a cliff. Seriously. What a douche canoe.
This book felt special the entire time I was reading it. It really did. There was something so wonderful about how Courtney Kae wove both Ben and Adam’s personalities into the storyline, and made me feel a great deal of sympathy for both of them, as well as angry on their behalves.
Ben really needs all of the hugs, and Adam should be there to give them to him forever and always.
They are both character with past trauma, as a lot of people have but I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to see the two of them try to work through it in a healthy manner.
The found family, and real family vibe of this book also made it special for me, showing how deeply friendships and love can help someone heal.
That being said there were moments where I just wanted to remind people that talking is a good thing to do, as so much could’ve been resolved between not only Ben and Adam, but also Ben and his G-Ma, Ben and his Mom, his Mom and G-Ma.
Speaking of G-Ma, forget her being what I want to grow up to be, I want to be her now. She is fabulous.
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