Picking up a new author for the first time is always anxiety-inducing and I mean that in the best way. Sometimes, you never know what you’ve been missing.

That’s the case with Julie Olivia. While she’s become a favorite for many romance readers, I had yet to read a book of hers until If It Makes You Happy.

This was originally self-published before Berkley picked it up and decided to republish it. The book was released on September 2nd and we’re going to share the cover below so you can see that it’s an ode to fall and all those cozy stories we love during the season.

With that being said, I’d like to thank Berkley for giving me an ARC so I was able to read and review this one.

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Despite the cute cover, this story begins on a sad note as the main character, Michelle is reeling after both a divorce and losing her mother. To try to make things better, she agrees to take a leave from her job and run her mother’s bed and breakfast in Vermont.

At first, it’s clear Michelle is in over her head. Not only is she not personable, but she’s more about the business side of things. While that’s not bad, it doesn’t make guests want to stay very long. Coupled with her city-girl mentality, she doesn’t want to fall in love with this small town and her sunshine single-dad neighbor, Cliff.

Even though Michelle doesn’t want to accept his help, she finally agrees to let him help out and it ends up being the best thing for her. While I don’t want to give away too much about the plot, the two end up striking up a friendship which eventually turns into more.

The thing that I adored about this book was just how alive it felt. Despite the large focus on grief and losing a parent, Julie Olivia made these characters feel so real. I felt like I could walk into Cliff’s bakery and seeing him making cookies or scones for the local or see Michelle running the bed and breakfast.

Aside from Cliff and Michelle, the side characters are excellent including Cliff’s daughters, Michelle’s dad and sister and even, her dog, Rocket. If you’re looking for a romance that screams fall and feels like a cozy warm hug, then you need to snuggle up with If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia.