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.