“Buried in Friendship” is the debut novel from fantasy author T.M. Mayfield. Mayfield bills this cozy read as taking “elements from D&D, LoTR, The Hobbit, and Stardew Valley and mix[ing] them together before adding a splash of Gilmore Girls to create the perfect cozy fall read.” If there’s one way to get me interested in a book, it’s mentioning both Lord of the Rings and Stardew Valley.

Sign. Me. Up.

The Blurb:

When Eilaen gets a mysterious letter in the mail indicating that her grandfather has left his farm to her upon his passing, she heads out with her best friend Kaida for a new adventure. She doesn’t know anything about farming, but she’s willing to give it a shot. The charming Fae-next-door named Jareth doesn’t hurt either, even if he’s a little bit grumpy and doesn’t know the meaning of personal space.

But when trouble occurs on the farm, will Eilaen be up to the task of putting the effort into fixing things or will she hightail it back to where she came from? Eilaen never would have thought that figuring out the farm basics would be the easy part of this adventure. But a halfing’s gotta do what a halfling’s gotta do, and she just hopes it’s sorted out by dinner time.

The Review:

I’m still fairly new to cozy fantasies, but I have adored what I have read so far! This one was a lot of fun, and was a great autumnal read. The plot itself was very low stakes, unless you consider spilled milk, ruined pastries, or loose pigs to be high stakes. It’s such a clean, sweet read, and appropriate for teen and adult readers alike, in my opinion. I felt much more of the Stardew Valley influence over the other listed influences, which actually made me really happy. There are neighbors to meet, festivals to attend, birthdays to celebrate, markets to prepare for, and lots of vegetables to harvest.

If you love friendship in your books, then this will be such a lovely read for you! There’s actually little to no romance in the book; instead the book focuses on the main character’s growth and friendships. There are so many fantastical creatures in this world and town, including orcs, fae, elves, gnomes, halflings, and probably a ton more I’m forgetting. There’s magic (garden and baking magic!!!) and it fits the characters and the story so well.

Final Thoughts: This is such a sweet, sweet book! If you love cozy fantasies and a focus on friendship over romance in your books, then this just might be the book for you. I eagerly anticipate the next book in the series, Dusted in Snowflakes, that comes out in February. “Dusted” sounds like it mighttt have a touch more romance, which makes my romance-loving heart happy.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

“Buried in Friendship” releases on November 1, 2023. Preorder it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Find it on Goodreads and check out its Kickstarter!

Thanks to the author for an advanced copy of the book for review!