Bubbling up with Helena

• Title: Hers for the Weekend
• Author: Helena Greer
• Publisher: Forever
• Release Date: 8/27/24
• Genre: Romance
• Age Range: Adult
• Rating: ★★★★
• Publisher’s Summary: The relationship is a lie but the sparks are real in this laugh-out-loud, sparkling rom-com where a no-nonsense lawyer fakes a relationship with her barista to avoid going solo to her ex-girlfriend’s wedding. No-nonsense lawyer Tara Sloane Chadwick is perfectly fine with going to her ex’s wedding—the break-up was congenial, and Tara is nothing if not well-mannered. But after one too many reminders of her dismal dating track, Tara panics when asked if she’ll need a plus-one and declares she’s bringing her new girlfriend. One Tara is seriously single. Thankfully, Holly, the waitress she’s been crushing on, happily offers to be her fake date . . . Only Holly’s offer isn’t quite selfless—she’s been lusting over Tara for ages, but Tara only dates women she can marry. And Holly has no interest in settling down with anyone or in any one place. A temporary arrangement is the perfect Holly and Tara can enjoy a no-strings fling for the wedding and part ways after. However, between sharing kisses and hotel beds and cuddling under the mistletoe, Tara begins to dream of a life with Holly in Charleston . . . just as Holly starts wishing she could travel with Tara by her side. Soon, neither can see a future without the other, but can they find a path forward where they both can thrive?  

It has been so miserably hot here in the NYC area that a romance set around the Christmas season was EXACTLY what I needed. Hers for the Weekend is just as charming as Helena Greer’s two earlier books in the Carrigan’s series.

Carrigan’s is a magical Christmas wonderland (run by Jews, of course) in upstate New York. The entire series is straight out of a Hallmark movie. Tara even acknowledges that at the beginning of Hers for the Weekend when she mentions that she feels like the fiancée with the high powered job that the main character leaves behind at the beginning of a Hallmark movie.

I love a series of interconnected romance novels. The reader gets to learn what happens after the “happily ever afters” of Seasons of Love and For Never and Always. It’s special that we get to be a part of Miriam and Noelle’s wedding after reading about them falling in love in Seasons of Love. Of course, Levi and Hannah starting a family is also a fun revelation for those rooting for them after For Never and Always. Readers so rarely get that insight, and I was excited to get more time with these characters.

There is something so warm and fuzzy about the found family of the Carrigan’s crew. It is clear how much they mean to one another. Cole even says that it doesn’t feel real that he has a boyfriend until he introduces himself to Tara. It is also remarkable how kind and welcoming Miriam is to Tara, her ex-fiancée, and her ex-fiancée’s new “girlfriend.” The clear love between the members of this group makes it even sadder that Tara doesn’t seem to recognize how much she means to them or feel worthy of that care.

I enjoy a good fake dating trope. It is so cute that Tara starts the book with a crush on Holly before they agree to a fake dating arrangement for the wedding. It set up that there was some feeling there from the beginning. I will say that I got very frustrated with Tara and Holly and their stubbornness. They are so convinced that they can never be together to a level that I started to lose patience with. It did leave me wondering how they were going to get to the happily ever after I knew was coming.

There are so many fun little allusions in Hers for the Weekend that made me smile. My favorite is a reference to “Where You Lead,” the Gilmore Girls theme song and Tara revealing that she’s been watching Gilmore Girls to catch up on TV she’s missed. I also loved the brief reference to Stevie Budd of my beloved Schitt’s Creek. Those particular moments felt tailor made for this television nerd.

There is never a bad time for a little holiday romance magic, and Greer is nailing that genre. I’m hoping the series continues, and that I get to spend more time at Carrigan’s with the special group of people there.