This book found me at exactly the right moment—when I needed something tender and grounding. Kershaw crafts a rivals-to-lovers story that feels like coming home, wrapped in the crisp embrace of harvest season.

I was completely rooting for Eloise and her desperate love for the family farm. Watching her fight to save everything she cares about while falling for the guy who might ruin it all? My heart couldn't take it. Nick frustrated me at first—this MBA hotshot thinking he can waltz in and solve everything—but he genuinely cares about preserving what matters, and that changed everything for me.

The apple orchard setting is perfection—finally, a fall romance that isn't drowning in pumpkin spice! Every scene drips with golden light and county fair magic. The emotional beats hit just right, though I craved more time in their happily-ever-after.

This is comfort reading at its finest—the kind that makes you believe in second chances and small-town dreams.


Vibes We Are Tracking:
🍎 Rivals-to-lovers with heart
🏡 Saving the family legacy
🍂 Autumn festival magic
💫 Finding love where you least expect it

I'm so glad I picked this book as one of my autumn reads this year. It was cute, it was cosy and it gave all the autumn vibes you hope for when picking up a book to read at this time of year.

I loved the main characters and the concept of the strangers to rivals to lovers. I thought it was well done and well written. This is the second book I have read from this author and it wont be the Last. I related so much to the main character Eloise.

I liked that autumn wasn't the main plot in the book as I usually find that some autumn books make autumn the main plot. This book took me out of a reading slump which I'm so happy about. Apple Of My Eye is a cute, cosy autumn read. I absolutely loved this book and I'm excited to read more from this author.

*Thank you NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for providing me this Arc in return for an honest review*

The premise of this book was so cute, and it absolutely delivered on the cozy small-town fall vibes with its dueling apple farms setting. It felt like watching Jess and Rory in Gilmore Girls Season 3 with their “will they/won’t they” dynamic.

That said, the pacing often felt rushed, like binging a season of Gilmore Girls on 2x speed and skipping a few episodes. For example, between chapters 7 and 12, three weeks pass, and suddenly the characters have a closeness that is told rather than shown. Small details, like Nick remembering Eloise’s lavender latte (p. 110), left me wondering if I had missed a scene.

Unfortunately, I did not love their relationship. It leaned heavily on Rory and Jess vibes, but since these characters are adults with graduate degrees, the immaturity and pettiness felt especially frustrating. Eloise, in particular, lacked emotional maturity. Her reaction to Nick’s first taste of success (p. 179) came off as selfish and childish. It is fine to feel conflicted, but outwardly resenting him made her hard to root for.

On a more niche note, as someone who works in marketing, I struggled with how simplified the business subplot was. The “solution = social media” trope (cue Elle Woods’ “what, like it’s hard?”) felt too easy. By chapter 14, three weeks in, Nick is only just taking his first video? It did not feel realistic.

Overall, the premise and setting had great potential, but the rushed pacing kept me from connecting with the characters or savoring their relationship. By the time we reached the happy ending, I was more relieved than satisfied.

Apple of my eye is the kind of book that wraps you in a warm blanket of autumn charm and small-town sweetness. Claire crafts a delightful rivals-to-lovers romance between Eloise, determined to save her family’s apple farm, and Nick, whose final project threatens her plans. I loved how the story balanced cozy vibes with emotional depth. It’s not just a romance; it’s a celebration of community, tradition, and finding love where you least expect it. If you’re craving a feel-good read with seasonal flair, this one’s a treat!

Thank you so much Claire and to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this lovely autumnal book. I couldn’t put it down! I’m looking forward to reading more of Claire’s work!

Apple of My Eye by Claire Kershaw is an emotional, heartfelt read that beautifully blends family drama, secrets, and self-discovery. 🍎✨ From the very first chapter, I was drawn into the lives of these characters and found myself completely invested in their journeys.

Claire Kershaw has such a natural way of writing relationships — both the messy and the tender moments feel authentic and relatable. The emotional twists kept me hooked, and just when I thought I had the story figured out, another layer was revealed.

There are a few slower sections where the pacing dips slightly, but the payoff is worth it. This is a story that stays with you long after you’ve turned the final page — heartfelt, poignant, and beautifully told.

If you enjoy emotional, character-driven reads with secrets at their core, Apple of My Eye is definitely worth picking up. 🌿📖

Fell in love with the cute cover and liked the well plotted and heartwarming plot
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Eloise is back home to save her family’s orchard. Nick is finishing his MBA with a project that could launch his career—revamping her rival farm. Between fall festivals, apple pie contests, and county fairs, competition turns into sparks, and sparks into something sweeter than cider.

This is the perfect book to kick off the autumn season—utterly irresistible, cozy, and immersive. From the moment I opened it, I felt like I had picked it up at exactly the right time: the end of summer, the days growing a little shorter, the gentle shift toward fall. It even inspired me to bake apple pies—such was the pull of the story!
The plot is beautifully portrayed—light and easy to follow, yet full of charm. Each character feels unique and authentic. Eloise and Nick are wonderfully matched: different enough to create sparks, similar enough to feel like they belong together, with a delightful reverse grumpy x sunshine dynamic. Their growth over the course of the story is convincingly shown, though by the end, the “wanting and not wanting” tension was a touch drawn out for my taste.
The atmosphere of the story is perfectly captured. I especially loved how the author depicted life on a working apple farm—the effort, the challenges, and the simple joys of daily labor. It added a layer of realism that made the cozy, romantic moments feel even more grounded.
There are also some spicy scenes, balanced with genuinely sweet, romantic interactions. Nick is utterly charming, warm, and irresistibly endearing. The ending was unexpected in a satisfying way, and overall, this is a book I would wholeheartedly recommend—cozy, romantic, a little spicy, and perfectly suited for a crisp autumn day.

Tropes:

Sustainable agriculture theme
Friends-to-enemies-to-lovers
Golden retriever/cinnamon roll hero
City boy turned farmer
Fall vibes
Slow burn romance with a touch of spice
Small-town charm
Pop culture references (Gilmore Girls galore!)

I picked Apple of My Eye by Claire Kershaw for its fall vibes and slow-burn romance, and it’s a cozy, heartwarming read.
I like the the charm, though it has some flaws.
Eloise, a new agricultural grad, comes home to her family’s apple orchard in Carnation, a small hilltop town. Her love for sustainable farming—seeds, soil, worms, pruning apple trees—is really interesting, and I learned a lot about apple farming and why family farms matter to communities. Then Nick Russo, a Stanford business grad who smells like mint and cinnamon, arrives for his MBA project, and their enemies-to-lovers dynamic kicks off with some tension and sweet moments, like in the laundry room scene.
The small-town setting—fall festival, apple pies, rope swings, and JJ the chestnut horse (named after Joe Jonas, so cute!)—feels like Gilmore Girls. I loved Eloise’s mom’s romance book club; it adds such a fun, quirky touch. The dual POVs are great, with Eloise’s lists being super relatable and Nick’s cinnamon roll vibe (he’s sweet, supportive, and cooks with his mom) feeling warm. As a foodie I enjoy the gnocchi tomato soup, bagels, buttery bread.
The first half is quick and fun, but the second half slows down with a forced third-act breakup over Nick’s TikTok campaign mix-up. The rivalry felt unnecessary—they could’ve just talked it out. Eloise’s tension with her brother Linden, who’s in finance while she saves the farm, is relatable but needed more depth. Still, the fall festival, recipes at the end (yay!), and pop culture nods (Luke Danes!) make this perfect for fall readers.

This book is perfect for fans of fall themes, small-town romances, enemies-to-lovers, and Gilmore Girls vibes.

The Apple of My Eye by Claire Kershaw

Eloise has returned to her family’s farm with a plan to save it and prevent her parents from selling it. The neighbouring farm, The Parkers, is also in financial difficulty, and Eloise has applied for a loan to buy it. Nick, from San Francisco, also has a plan. He needs a final project to complete his MBA in business, and rescuing Parker's farm fits this perfectly. However, this makes Eloise and Nick Rivals.

Amongst an autumnal backdrop of brisk mornings and beautiful sunsets, apple picking and farmers' markets, Nick and Eloise can’t help but feel the temperature rising between them, giving way to some steamy adventures.

This was a book I requested on NetGalley because the romance genre is one I don’t read enough of, and unfortunately, this book reminded me why. There was no depth to these characters or the plot whatsoever. I could tell you how the whole story was going to pan out after twenty pages. Can we please have romance stories where the characters have some personality, where the story actually goes somewhere and is not predictable and cheesy?

The cover has a cosy, homely autumn feel, and the descriptions of the farm, the smell of pies and apples, the cold mornings giving way to fresh afternoons, highlighted by the changing colours of the leaves, are the reasons for the two stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK for an ARC of this book. The Apple of My Eye is published on August 28th.

In my autumn era so was absolutely over the moon to be approved to arc read 'apple of my eye'.

- cosy and autumnal 🍎🍂
- likeable characters
- slow burn
- romance with rivalry

This was the perfect book to get a blanket, cinnamon latte, and have girlmore girls in the background

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I loved reading this book.

Eloise is back in the home and the apple farm she loves and is determined to keep it going.

Nick wants to do well in his chosen career and thinks that when he completes his MBA project he’ll be on his way to making it a success.

The project means helping a farm, which is right next to where Elosie lives with her family.

When she finds out what he’s there for, the determination she had when she arrived is brought to the forefront even more. But, it’s not as easy as she thought and what happens next, they both never expected.

I loved that the story had all the autumnal settings, like baking apple pies, festivals as well as the setting of the story.

Will Eloise be able to keep her farm going and what will that mean for Nick and his plans? And what will it mean for the romance that is blooming for both of them?

I highly recommend this book.

Cute, cosy, and autumnal! This book transported me straight into an autumnal village paradise. Everything you want, imagine and love about the 'ber' months all in one book!

To me, this felt very much like a YA version of the 'Dream Harbour' series in the best way. A story about Eloise coming into her own and realising her dreams.

I love the friendly competition between Nick and Eloise, and I felt their characters were written beautifully. Demonstrating how people grow and change into the best versions of themselves in the correct relationship.

My one snag was that I felt the pace was slow, not much happened, and then all of a sudden, everything happened. I felt it needed more padding out, and charcaters such as Evan and/or Betsy could have mode depth.

But this was a beautiful, heartwarming coming of age book with all the apple pie and jam you could ever want!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bonniebooksuk for the chance to read this ARC!

Review on goodreads now and review on bookstagram coming up soon!

I really enjoyed this book, I thought the fact it was set on a farm was really fun and interesting. Even more fun and interesting when you add in the main characters.
The relationship between the two characters started with lust that never really went away, even though they were 'rivals'.
The female main character was portrayed as really tough and strong and I like that we learned to strive towards her own goals.

And I really enjoyed how food oriented it was (It made me hungry), the author even featured recipes at the end of the book which I thought was super sweet!

Apple of my Eye- Claire Kershaw 🍎🍏🍂🍁
I am very into cosy romances right now and even more so as the gorgeous season of Autumn approaches. I'm absolutely loving how seasonal romance fiction (especially Autumnal themed) is having a moment. I am here for this. I am a cosy girl at heart and was keen to get my mitten covered claws into this book.
I will admit it did take me awhile to get into this book, it was a bit of a slow burn for me. I liked the farm setting of the story and Kershaw also provides knowledge of real challenges that face farmers in the modern world whilst developing Nick and Eloise's love story too. This is your typical enemies to lovers trope.
Lou has finished college and has come home to take care of her parents and try to save her beloved farm. Nick, almost finished business school, takes on the challenge of trying to save another farm in danger. This farm turns out to be a rival farm for Lou's and her entire plan for saving her family farm depends on this farm failing.
Determined not to get involved with Nick, Lou holds fast to her principals and tries to focus on her own plans to save her farm but it proves harder than she imagined when she gets to know Nick better and also he's hot AF. Who will win in the battle of the farms and will Eloise give into her growing desire for Nick?
I like this book but I didn't love it. It definitely grew on me the more I read. I found the characters to be absolutely adorable. I particularly love the 2 sets of parents and of course Nick's mom too. It definitely gives you the warm and fuzzies which we all need as the start of the Fall temperatures creep in. I LOVE that Kershaw included some recipes at the end of the book, especially the Autumnal themed ones. A classy touch.
Thank you as always to @netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book and it's a refreshing break from pumpkin spice. I love the autumnal aesthetic but sometimes they can feel a little bit like a tickbox exercise of clichés. This is not the case here though! The small town vibes feel real and the information behind the farming element feels extensive but also doesn't bog you down. It makes the book feel like it's written by someone who knows a lot more behind the scenes and I found it really interesting!
The characters were fun and they all felt like individuals, my only negative was I didn't like Nick to start with as he was a bit 'finance bro' and I don't really enjoy reading red flag men. BUT the reality was he has a lot of green flag energy and was really sweet but I had to stick with it a bit for that to come out.
Overall a fun autumnal read to get Inthe mood for the best season.

What an utterly gorgeous book. I hadn’t come across this author before but I will be searching out her back catalogue. I loved how strong willed both Eloise and Nick were, both striving for what they thought was best. The Parker’s and Anderson’s were a joy to meet and the setting was just magical, who wouldn’t want to take a visit there. Thanks netgalley

Thank you to Zaffre Books & Claire Kershaw for the ARC! I absolutely loved this book! From the storyline to the characters, it kept me hooked from start to finish. Since fall is my favorite season, I couldn’t wait to dive into this one, and it didn’t disappoint. If you’re looking for a cute romance and want to get into the fall spirit, this is definitely one to pick up. I can’t wait to get the physical copy on my shelf!
It gave me everything I want in a romance: real struggles, snarky banter, and an ending that left me smiling. This book makes you want to linger in the couple’s story a little longer. Fans of rivals-to-lovers romances with plenty of banter will definitely enjoy this one!

Eloise finishes college and heads back to her hometown to try to help her parents farm. Where she then meets Nick an MBA student whose project involves helping Eloise's neighbors farm. Loved how this started off as rivals and worked its way over to lovers, you can't deny the chemistry these two have and the witty banter between the two of them was hilarious. I was also a fan of how it focused on apple farms as opposed to pumpkins. (something different but still keeping the fall theme!) If you're looking for enemies to lovers and a story that involves the love of family then let the town of Carnation whisk you away to everything Fall ! 🍁🍂🍎

Thank you to Zaffre books & Claire Kershaw for writing wonderful fall love story that had me smiling the whole way through and for giving me the chance to read the ARC 💕

Apple of My Eye by Claire Kershaw was such an enjoyable read! I have so many great things to say about this book, but it’s hard to talk about without giving away spoilers.
What I can say is that I really enjoyed Lou and Nick’s relationship — from the highs to the lows, their journey felt so real and heartfelt. It’s a modern love story that takes you through all the emotions but still delivers that satisfying HEA at the end.
And as a fellow “list girl,” I absolutely loved that little detail woven into the story — it made it feel extra relatable and fun.
A lovely, heartfelt romance I’m so glad I picked up.

This was an adorable and sweet book that made me fall in love with fall all over again,the characters weee sweet and I was kicking my feet with every page turn