Butter You Up: A Grumpy Sunshine Romantic Comedy

“Butter You Up” is the second book of the “Farm 2 Forking” series, a multi-author series set in the same world, the Bedd Fellows Farm in New York’s Catskills, and features a member of the Bedd family. Liz Alder’s contribution to the series is Alex Bedd and Molly Perkin’s story and their story picks up soon after the first book ended, which Ethan and Lia’s story. Alex has farming in his blood and is running a neighboring dairy farm, Udderly Creamery. Molly is on a cross-country trip, but she needs to make a pit stop because she needs work done to her van, and she found a place to park-and-stay on the Bedd Fellows farm in exchange for labor, something Gran thought up. Molly also needed to find a paying job and applied for the store position at Udderly Creamery, and she got the job there. Alex, though not admitting it at first, only had eyes for Molly, which his friend Kit picked up on it right away. It was great to watch Molly and Alex get to know each other and see their relationship grow into something more. She sensed there was some family drama going on and tension between Ethan and Alex, who have unresolved issues. I am loving the cohesiveness going on in the over arc of the series, with the Bedd family drama and am curious to see how it will all play out in the end. This story is a great addition to the series, and has the perfect balance of drama, witty dialogue and humor, heartfelt emotions and steamy romance. This is my first book written by Liz Alden, and I enjoyed her writing style, her plotting and world building are fantastic, as are the character growth and development. Thank you for the wonderful story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧  Alastair Haynesbridge and Erin Mallon do an amazing job bringing these characters to life and do so with a complete understanding of who they are portraying, giving each a voice that is fitting. They are believable in every role, and nailed it as the two leads, grasping every aspect of their personalities with Mallon’s Molly, a perfect ray of sunshine and Haynesbridge, more solemn with a side of grumpiness as Alex. They were just as amazing performing the roles of the secondary characters, too. The pacing and tone are just right for the story and they handle the dialogue naturally, wit included. You could hear how much heart they put into their work as they capture all the characters’ emotions and have you feeling each one. They are entertaining storytellers and a pleasure to listen to. Thanks for another wonderful listen. 

Audio review
Narrated by Erin Mallon & Alistair Haynesbridge

This sweet charming read sucked me back into the Fork Lick small town world once again. Molly’s traveling the states in her van, stopping in Fork Lick for a few months to make some money for van repairs. Broody and quiet dairy farmer, Alex, needs someone to man the farm’s retail store and Molly’s up for the job. Opposites attract as the chemistry builds between these two.

I loved how Molly gradually broke down Alex’s walls. And with her help he started to mend the rift he had with his family. Molly, meanwhile, struggled with the desire to stay but an obligation she had to finish her US driving trip and getting back to her ill father. This added tension and angst to their romance and I was all for it.

Despite a fast-paced story that moved along, I struggled to get into it in the beginning as part of the first person female narrative chapters had a bit too much filler for my taste. Describing the small things about her morning routine that, to me, were not necessary. Yet as the story progressed with Alex and Molly becoming a couple that went away. Revisiting the Bedd siblings and their family dynamic continues to gradually unveil the complexities of all the siblings, good and bad and I loved that richness.

Butter You Up is book 2 in the collaborative Farm to Forking series by 5 separate authors.

Erin Mallon and Alistair Haynesbridge narrates this highly entertaining story. And as it’s book 2 I can really start seeing how well they gel together in the story. I loved Erin’s portrayal of Molly’s free spirit and her struggles to find a place where she belongs. Alistair does a wonderful grumpy -cinnamon roll Alex and gradually transforms to a softer side with Molly. I truly enjoyed this.

This was a short, cute, fast-paced romance set in farm country in upstate NY. I loved the relationship that grew between Molly, a sunshiny vanlife traveler looking for a place to spend the summer to recharge her batteries and her bank account, and Alex, a quiet, inwardly sweet but surface grumpy dairy farmer whose roots run deep in the community.

While their growing attraction was lovely to read, just as important to the story was the healing of the somewhat fractured relationship between Alex and his grandma and siblings, who collectively own the farm next door. Years ago, as a teen, Alex’s relationship with them fractured after strong words were exchanged between him and his grandfather. Now that his grandfather is gone, it’s time for the family bonds to truly heal, with Molly stepping in to help.

Along with MCs that I loved as a couple, there are also fun puns on farm and town names, adorable baby goats and calves, an interesting look at life on a modern farm, and a sweet doggy with her own pink princess bed. I could practically feel summer dripping from the pages of this book. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.