Oh I loved this small town romance. Let me begin by saying the introduction of this story had me laughing so hard my sides hurt. It really was the best possible way for these to ladies to reconnect. I found this story to be so interesting with some twists I didn’t see coming but they definitely added some angst, drama, and hilarious moments to the story. Both sets of parents had some oh crap moments. I loved how everything came together for Cori and Liz in the end. They were adorable together. This was a cute story that I quite enjoyed. I honestly didn’t find it slow at all, I found that there was always something going on. Worth the read.

I have always thoroughly enjoyed all Georgia Beers books. This one was no different. I enjoyed both of the MC’s and the journey they both go on. You can expect this author to produce solid books with solid characters. This book felt very trope heavy but I think it was done in a way that made sense. It was a cute read, with a small amount of angst, a few surprises, and a lot of candles. (The audiobook is also very well done)

Thank you to Bold Stokes Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another solid and very entertaining romance from Georgia Beers. Her romances are like Hallmark movies, we can guess the basic structure, but that’s where the similarities end. Her characters are always interesting and engaging, they have fun personality quirks, the secondary characters always add to the meat of the story, and the situations and blockades they encounter are always unique. I would recommend this book to any romance reader looking to escape to a small town in upstate New York for a few hours.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for providing me with an arc copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Liz has to move back home after she gets laid off and her mom has a surgery that puts her on rest for a few weeks, leaving her sister to need help in their B&B. Cori is a local business owner who creates her own merchandise and strives to give local artists a place to show off their craft. Reconnecting after high school, Liz begs Cori to be her fake girlfriend for a week so she doesn’t look like a failure in front of her ex boyfriend. Cori agrees and the two ladies start spending a lot of time together. Their feels might not just be for show.

Right off the bat, Liz is me and I am Liz. Spiders=death. I, too, would crash my car before I let a spider touch me. Liz is currently feeling like a failure because she doesn't know where her life is headed. This is relatable to so many people and definitely struck a chord with me.

Then we have Cori. She is a crafty, introverted businesswoman who loves her pets like they're her children and would do anything for some quiet. Cori is also a super relatable character for me.

It started out kind of slow, but once we got to the fake dating stuff I was all in. I was definitely expecting more spice or for them to hook up sooner, but this was a bit of a slow burn.

This was a super cliche Hallmark-like book, but I eat those right up. And it's not often that you can get your favorite cliche tropes with LGBTQ+ characters so this was a fun and refreshing read for me.

So many times these fake dating tropes are all about making someone jealous or so you don't show up at the holidays alone, and while I do understand those, I related more to Liz and her incessant need to prove that she is not a failure, even though she's the only one that thinks she is.

At one point, Cori's whole world seems to come crashing down on her and I wish in that time we could have gotten more of her thoughts and feelings. It felt like the narrative was more focused on Liz, but I really wanted more of those deep feelings with Cori when everything first goes down. It's definitely something that you won't see coming, but it makes so much sense.

This book takes place around thanksgiving and Christmas time so it would be perfect to read this time of year. Overall, this book was beautifully put together and Beers did a great job of putting emotion on the page. I will definitely be on the lookout for the next queer romance from this author.

Playing with Matches was an absolute delight to read! The storyline and the plot are so different from what regular romcoms provide. Cori, quiet and shy small hometown girl is working at her small local business while Liz, cheerleader moves for college comes close to running into Whimsy, Coris store. The two have an instant connection that ends up leading to a fake dating - real dating scenario. The writing is so fun and full of relatable and funny anecdotes. Just as well, the christmasy and winter vibes totally fit the mood of the December month! It put me right into the perfect christmas mood. The character development and the love was genuine and real. And the side characters and their development was incredibly thorough and deep. I loved this read!

There is so much going on here than the blurb would have you expect at first glance, from the Hallmark holiday romance vibes to all of the family drama, there's a lot more going on under the surface of this fake-dating trope.

For me, a fake-dating scenario lives and dies by how it starts and how it's found out; Liz and Cori's fake dating starts out with both of them already catching an interest and a hint of second-chance, and as the week they just need to make it through goes by, they become more and more comfortable with each other, realizing how much they like spending time together. Then, around the 60% mark, it all comes crashing down, which feels early for a fake-dating trope, but especially since it is possibly the most dramatic and messiest reveal and seemed to come out of the blue from multiple angles. This opens the door to other dilemmas and quite a lot of whiplash as to what the characters are all worried about in this moment. For a small town fluffy holiday romance, it sometimes feels like four different disasters are looming at any given moment, and I kind of wish it had only focused on one or two so that we could have seen more of Liz and Cori's relationship and their personalities, rather than having to deal with the newest thing on their plates.

Overall, it was cute and cozy and a nice addition to the sapphic small town shelf, even if not one that lingers with you.

Good start and I like the way the early chapters about the mains have different vibes reflecting the mains differing personality.
Have enjoyed the book and was totally surprised by one plot twist tho in retrospect, the clues were there. Not sure reading someone's journal is the way to go!
63% and life has got in the way of my reading but it made me realise I've hardly lifted my head from this book! I even forgot it was a Georgia Beers. The banter between characters is typically enjoyable but there is a depth or heart or something that reads fresh. (That is not an insult to her other books at all but this is more!) This more moves from a 3.5 to 4.

JUST...WOW! Georgia Beers is a fantastic writer, and this story is absolutely beautiful! I adore the chemistry between the two main characters. Cori and Liz are so sweet together! I also really love the way Ms. Beers describes Liz's family dynamic. It's very relatable to have a sarcastic younger sister in the family! Thank you for writing another home run story. I always enjoy the charm of a small-town tale. Keep up the great work, and I am sincerely looking forward to the next one. THANK YOU!

Thank you to #BoldStrokesBooks and #NetGalley for a free ARC of #PlayingWithMatches by #GeorgiaBeers for an honest, spoiler-free review! This book comes out on December 12 and I absolutely recommend pre-ordering and picking up your very own copy!

Let me start by saying it was the most pleasant surprise to start reading this book and realize it is a Holiday Romance! The synopsis gave no indication that this takes place during Christmas, and as someone who LOVES reading Holiday books during December, I was so happy by this realization!

As for the book, if you love the fake-dating trope with a sapphic twist, then this is the book for you! Even though it’s a fake dating book though, it was light on the need to lie/manipulate. You could tell from the beginning that the girls truly liked each, and everyone else could determine that as well.

There was, instead, a larger plot that you find out in the middle, the drives the conflict narrative. I also thought we’d get out of this book without the dreaded third act break up, but also, there is one thrown in briefly at the end.

Overall, I enjoyed the time I spent reading this romance! It was sweet, wholesome, sapphic, and lovely! I also LOVED the fact that our main characters were in their 30s, and were still working on finding themselves in a way. It’s the perfect cozy romance to read during the Holidays!

I have not read a book by this author before and I'm glad I stumbled over this book! If you are looking for a cozy sapphic romcom to get into winter holiday spirit, I recommend to read this book!
I found the two main characters very likable, and the development of their relationship believable. The story has all the tropes (fake dating, coming back home to small town, family secrets) and I also liked all the side story lines.
There is just one small detail that kept bugging me throughout the whole book. We never really know what Liz' profession is. In general that would be okay, when the focus of the story is on the characters, but one big plot point was that she left her home town to study and work in a city, that she lost her job there and is trying to get a new job. And it is always stressed she wants a job "in her field" but it is never said what her field even is. I think the first time it is mentioned is 90% in the book when Liz' mum says she could probably get a job in marketing or advertising or sales. And that vague sentence , plus again a mention that she is good at helping Cori with the marketing in her shop, is all we get about what she actually works (and then in the epilogue she suddenly starts a completely different job and no one talks anymore about how she wanted to have a job "in her field"). I found that very weird, that she also never talks to Cori about it, in contrast to how we get to know Coris work in her shop and her candle making in such detail.
Apart from that detail though I enjoyed the book a lot!

I loved this small-town setting and slow burn romance. This book feels like the Christmas movies you come home to every year. It feels like a warm cup of coffee on a rainy day, sitting by the Christmas tree. I adored this cutesy romance and would recommend it!

This book feels like one of the good Hallmark Christmas movies that I didn’t know I needed. It was a very nice surprise, because even though I knew I was in for a treat, this being a Georgia Beers novel and all, I was not expecting the sweet Christmas movie vibes.

All that’s left to say is that I recommend this novel if you’re looking for a sweet romance. It’s Georgia Beers, you’ll love it :)

After a slow start, mainly as I was expecting the fake dating aspect to happen earlier on in the plot, I really got into Liz and Cori’s story.

Liz returns to Crimson Valley unemployed, single and living back with her mother to support her families Bed and Breakfast after her mother’s operation. Everyone is aware of Liz disdain for returning to the small town she grew up in especially Cori who secretly crushed on Liz throughout high School. When Liz meets the groom of the wedding the B & B is hosting, and discovers he is none other than her ex, she grabs the closet person to her, Cori and introduces her to Justin as her girlfriend.

This was a cute, wholesome read, the characters and the character development were my favourite aspects. I loved the multiple relationships spotlighted throughout and I really wasn’t expectation the twist with Cori’s family.


Read if you enjoy:
-Small Town Setting
-Fake Dating
-Holiday Seasonal Reads
-Sapphic Romance

Thank you Netgalley, Bold Strokes Books and Georgia Beers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

i love love love a good holiday sapphic romance. 

this is the definition of hallmark movies but make it better. 

Liz is the marketing city girl who has to come back home as she gets fired and has to help the family business and surprise surprise, she meets Cori again. A CANDLE MAKER-CRAFTY LESBIAN. and her dog, bear. 

i loved it. kicking, giggling, smiling. 

it has everything you would want. 
- family drama
- romance drama
- fake relationship
- a dog
- smut but not too much
- it's a small town in the middle of a forest
- whimsy shop!!!

I love a sweet Christmas romance and this is definitely a favorite for me for 2023!
Though I still have a few to read.

Liz is having a streak of bad luck!
She was fired and has to go back to her hometown to help the family!
She feels like the ultimate loser!
Then she finds out that she has to help out at her ex's wedding!
The only bright spot is Cori, who has changed so much since school and is so incredibly beautiful and sweet!

After an eternity, Cori sees the person she had a crush on for years at school again. Namely the most popular girl in school, Elisabeth Brennan. Both of them meet again and again and the chemistry always seems to be right! But that can't be right, can it?

Liz and Cori are just extremely adorable!
Her story is heartwarming and full of furtive glances and moments!
The aspect of the fake relationship really shook things up a bit, at the moment when you thought everything was going super smoothly for these two lovebirds.
But no, no, no!
There is not only one a big thing coming, but a lot more!
I don't want to reveal any more!
As always, Georgia Beers created a wonderful story with a lots of feeling and emotions that I could feel!
The romance between Liz and Cori has a special quality and I like that it develops slowly! But then it's so hot!
Definitely recommended!

Thanks to Georgia Beers and Bold Stroke Books for the ARC!

Classic Georgia Beers. It’s fun, the characters are messy and real, the writing flows like a dream. A fake dating, small town romance to keep you warm this winter.

I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Liz Brannon just got sacked. She was supposed to be at the top of her game, living success after succes but instead, she is returning back home to the tiny town of Crimson Valley with her tail between her legs and no idea who she actually is. Liz sets up in her old room and helps out her mom and sister with the family’s B&B. The only bright side is that she keeps running into the cute woman she can only vaguely remember going to high school with.

Cori Stratton never left her home town in the Adirondacks. She took over her mom’s souvenir shop and built a quiet life of making candles and selling products from other local artists. When her high school crush turns up on her doorstep in the most ridiculous way, her life will never be the same. Especially when said crush ropes her into pretending to be her fake girlfriend for a week. Fake has never felt so real.

This is a story that just calls for a roaring fire, a blanket, some scented candles and a nice glass of wine. Georgia Beers does what she does best: creating lovable characters with human flaws and messes of their own creation. The story takes you by the hand and curls up beside you on the couch. It’s so very obvious these two characters belong together.

The way Liz supports Cori when her life falls apart is everything. They are such different people but somehow create space for each other to be exactly who they are, without questions or pushing to be someone they’re not. It’s heartwarming to read about two people excepting a person as a whole.

There is some lack in communication but it never drags on to the point of being unbelievable. This book is one of those stories that could easily exist in the actual world.

Beers does an excellent job in transporting you to a wintery small town. Describing the cold and crisp air like they actually fill your lungs. And it wouldn’t be a Beers book if a dog wouldn’t be one of the most adorable, fluffy side characters.

If you would find a copy of Playing With Matches wrapped under the Christmas tree, it would set you up warmly for the cold winter months. Enjoy!

This is a small town, fake relationship with hues of second chance.
Liz grew up in a small town and left as soon as she could. She’s now back a little deflated, jobless and single, to help her sister run the family B&B while their mum recovers from surgery. She runs into Cori on her first day home. Cori, who had a crush on Liz throughout high-school. And when the wedding the B&B is hosting turns out to be Liz’s ex she grabs onto Cori and their fake relationship.
This is a book that has all the ingredients to make it a great read, including family drama, surprises and some Christmas snow.
Free ARC via NetGalley

3.5 stars.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books, Inc and Netgalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Cori Stratton, small-town girl, works at small gift shop that's her entire world. Although, when real estate owner of the building gives her notice that the building is going to be put on the market, she panics.

Elizabeth Brennen, the landlord's daughter and Cori's high school crush, has to come back home because nothing has been working out in her favor where she'll help at her mom's B&B for a wedding. Her ex-boyfriends and first love's wedding, to be exact.

The collection of tropes in this book is incredible yet, it's all worked in nicely that you don't mind. Ranging 'fake relationship', 'small-town romance', a bit of 'forced proximity,' and the 'return to hometown'. This gives you that adorable, ultimate sapphic Christmas hallmark movie feel that should be paired with the perfect wine; depending on your choice of snack, of course. I definitely felt like I should be making my own candles along with our main characters.

There is just one part where the fake romance is revealed, it doesn't fully explain how that person knew and that left me a bit annoyed unless she just knows the main character that well yet, their relationship is pretty strained throughout?

This is a very easy read to help get you out of reading slump or if you're just in the mood for some simple romance. A low spice book, just about one scene.

A cute wintery romance in the Adirondacks. I liked the small town setting and the characters. Cori is lovely and I wish I could visit her store. Liz was fine too but I was hoping for more. I had a hard time believing the mess she made. The chemistry was there but was slow and didn’t payoff the way I’d hoped. I also had trouble following some of the timing. It was cute, I flew through it, but not my favorite.

Short summary: Liz isn’t home for long. She’ll be there the most she needs to be to help her family and find a job and then she’s definitely leaving the small town she fled after high school. But then she meets Cori, and the town doesn’t seem quite so bad anymore.

Thanks to Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

There’s something wonderful about a story that has just enough angst to keep you honest mixed with a few beloved tropes. The return to small town, the fake relationship, and even a little twist. What I really enjoyed was the careful layering, like a good entremet dessert, which brings in all of these elements one bite at a time. We have Elizabeth/Liz, not exactly triumphantly going back to her hometown to help out the family business while mom is recuperating. She’s got success/failure issues. Then there’s Cori, the quiet and bookish classmate from long ago who had an unknown-to-Liz crush back in high school. Cori never left town, and loves it there as the owner of a local store that showcases local artists and her own beautifully made scented candles. In a moment of WTF, Liz creates a situation that has her in a fake relationship with Cori. As to the fake relationship, many elements are in full swing and we’re happy to follow along as the drama unfolds and then really unfolds! But we get there, cheering for them all the way.