I feel like the three year hype for me to finally pick up this read was not worth it. Whilst there were some aspects I really enjoyed, it fell a bit flat for me. 

Here's what I liked:
-The beginning of the story and the ravelling of what couldn't be unravelled. I also thought that the writing within the first few chapters was stunning. 
-The small town setting, always a win for me 
-Christmas references and vibes (although it wasn't really a Christmas read...)
-Easy to read and sink in to. 

Here's what I didn't:
-I felt like the friends to lovers wasn't great. I'm usually so fine with this as a trope but I wasn't convinced that it had been 10 years and neither had made a move. 
-Only one perspective. I think this novel needed duel perspectives, see previous point. 
-The Christmas Tree Farm, I didn't understand what was there, how it operated, how Beckett and Layla fit into the picture, it took me ages to piece this together and it became distracting (seemed like they were convenient side characters for sequels). 
-Estelle's sense of belonging and her relationships (especially within the town) seemed inconsistent. 

Overall I think I need to give romance a miss next year (for the most part) and also stop buying it. It's genuinely not a genre I am enjoying reading at the moment so may be take that above review with a grain of salt. 

"And isn't it silly to love the way someone's things look like next to yours? Little bits and pieces of lives lived in parallel." pg 24. 

I can't remember where I purchased my copy - it's been too long!