Having fled a relationship and a previous life she would rather forget, young teacher Jennifer Stevens throws herself into a demanding new job at Brentwell Primary. Charged with marshalling a group of unruly eight-year-olds to the autumn harvest festival, her only solace is the peace of nearby Sycamore Park.

As the evenings draw in and the leaves begin to fall, will new friends, delicious autumn treats, and a possible new man on the orange-tinted horizon help Jennifer finally come to terms with her past and begin to look forward into the future?

This novella was a disappointment. I expected a sweet autumn romance, but there was hardly any romance to be found. I nearly DNF’d it around the 40% mark because it felt more like contemporary fiction. The romance doesn’t really kick in until about 60% of the way through, which I think is too late for a story like this. It wasn’t quite what I thought it was going to be.

The first half was slow and somewhat dull and boring, and I struggled to connect with the characters, some of whom I found quite annoying. There were several subplots that I didn’t care about either. However, the second half did become more interesting, which prompted me to finish the book.

I should note that this is a very British story. Set in England, it uses a lot of British slang and terms, which made me stop reading a few times to look up their meanings. Additionally, I didn’t appreciate how plus-size characters were portrayed; I found it insulting and disrespectful. It’s easy to see why many reviewers have labeled this author as fatphobic.

Ultimately, it was just an okay story. I did enjoy the seasonal descriptions of the weather, the park with its changing leaves, and the harvest festival. I also appreciated that it was a clean read without any spice or foul language. But aside from that, it felt lackluster. I won’t be continuing with this novella series, nor do I think I’ll read more from this author. Personally, I don’t recommend this novella, but if it sounds appealing to you, maybe give it a try. You might enjoy it more than I did, but there are definitely better fall romances out there.

**This book is part of a fall romance real-time reaction episode, which you can listen to here.