Can you really find love on a reality show?

Synopsis

Welcome to Bumblebee Barn, home to wonderful animals, stunning views and spectacular sunsets – and resident young farmer, Barney.

While Barney loves his life at Bumblebee Barn – a farm that has been in his family for generations – he’s struggling to find someone to share it with. The early mornings quad biking through muddy fields and the long hours looking after the crops and animals are proving to be a deterrent to finding love.

So when his sister, Fizz – desperate for Barney to find his soulmate – sees an advert for Love on a Farm, a new reality TV show to help farmers find love, he has nothing to lose by applying. Afterall, he isn’t meeting anyone suitable down the traditional route and surely he won’t be picked anyway…?

Thrown into the chaos of reality TV, Barney could never have expected that his whole life would be turned upside down, with buried secrets to be uncovered and his heart on the line. With his family and friends rooting for him, could the magic of Bumblebee Barn heal his broken heart and help him find love on the farm?

My review

Barney has always wanted to work at the farm that has been in his family for generations. But owning a farm, even one as magnificent as Bumblebee Barn, isn’t only sunshine and rainbows. And now more than ever, is Barney longing to find someone to share his life with, even if the hard work isn’t really just anyone’s cup of tea.
So when his sister Fizz persuades him to apply to participate in a new reality show, to help farmers to find love, what has Barney to lose?
And television producer Amber is there to reassure Barney that this reality show’s focus is definitely on finding love, and is absolutely nothing like all the other realty shows on television. But what happens when visions shift, and perhaps love can be found for real, only not in the way Barney or Amber expected? 

My dearest Jessica, 

Do you know that I recently got another job? And like you for sure know, those first weeks are very hard, as you have to start from scratch, and when you return home after another chaotic day, you just want to get a rest? 

So if you know all the above, why on earth did you write an another WONDERFUL book that I just couldn’t put away???
I needed my sleep as I was exhausted when I could finally shut down the computer at work and get home. But noooooooo, you just let me stay awake for hours, hours which I could sleep, reading page after page after page.
Well, I guess I could be glad that Belgium didn’t run out of tissues? 😊 

While this is a brand new series, I loved seeing glimpses of Hedgehog Hollow, seeing my dear friends again, even if the focus wasn’t on them.
The whole focus was on Bumblebee Barn, and Barney and his quest for love. And just like with Hedgehog Hollow, I have fallen completely in love with Bumblebee Barn! 

First of all there is Barney… I never thought that another fictional character could steal another piece of my heart, but he for sure did!
He loves being a farmer, he is a great brother, and an amazing (grand)son. He is one of kind, and while I understand the hardship of working on a farm, I just couldn’t comprehend how he could be still single. If I knew he was, I would have gone to Bumblebee Barn and show him that he and I would be a perfect match! 😊 

But it’s also clear that something happened to him in his past that left him heartbroken, not allowing him to fall in love again.
And while the author for sure took her time to make the great reveal (thanks for that Jessica…), when the story was out, my heart broke for the poor man… 

Being single myself for too long, I could understand wanting to give the reality TV show a shot. If nothing else worked in the past, why not give a show a chance? 

This story isn’t only about Barney… Because Amber is the television producer of the reality show. And I liked it how integer she is. She loves being on the countryside, and only works as a producer in shows she believes in. And I could see why she accepted on being on the show, as she was reassured that the focus would be on actual finding love and not creating scandal. 

However, the novelty of the show isn’t the only reason Amber accepted this job. She does tis to be closer to her little sister, who is filming far from home after something ominous happened a few years ago. 

Of course, as a reader we know how we want the story to end, and exactly with whom Barney will find love.
But I found it sweet to see how both Barney and Amber wanted to make the show work, despite their growing attraction.
And reading the bits where they were alone, those moments that from far could seem insignificant but to them were so meaningful, important, well, they made my heart just melt. Because it’s in these small, little moments that we see someone’s real character and we can see what is right in front of us. 

I adored Barney and Amber, but what I also absolutely liked in this book, was how close they both were to their families. No matter what had happened in the past, every member was there when needed. That closeness of each family warmed my heart…and then there is the backstory of where the name ‘Bumblebee Barn’ came from… that for sure was a bittersweet tale!  

Jessica Redland just did it again, she wrote an amazing, marvellous story, about people who are so real, who deserve to find love because of how great they are on their own, but also how amazing they would be together.
This is for sure a slow burn, but that only shows us that it takes time to open our eyes and see what’s around us. But also that it takes time to heal a broken heart (on several levels). However, no matter how long it takes, in the end, it’s worth the wait (and the lack of sleep 😊)!