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marybsimp's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book was a roller coaster. They were together. Then they weren’t. Then they were. Then they weren’t. So many people get upset about a third act break up, but this had a breakup in every act. I just wish it was more consistent. It felt like the characters were in high school and every little thing was based on assumptions and no one was mature enough to say anything. One of those books that you finish and know the characters would in no way last. 3.5 stars and that’s being generous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
daniallreads's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think all I wanted was Christmas to be over by the end of this book. Don't get me wrong, it was the delightful Hallmark romance I needed in my holiday book, but it was just oh-kay.
Maybe I wasn't attracted to Max? Don't get me wrong, a man with a cute dog who can knit sounds like a great gig to me, but I like men who play hockey & play video games & don't feed their dogs gluten-free snacks.
Not the point Dani, stay focused... Let's talk about what I enjoyed about the book. It was freakishly adorable. We love a cute moment for the holidays. It has swoon-worthy adventures with hot cocoa & Christmas shopping & holiday music. Truly, it's has all makings for the most perfect holiday story.
I'd love to hear a cd of all of Sadie & Maxes holiday music. I loved that the book was focused on country music. It was a nice change of pace to read a holiday romance intertwined with one of my favorite genres! The nods to classic country Christmas songs were nostalgic.
I feel I need to take a moment to really shout out the sole moment I was really rooting on any character. TASHA MONROE is a saint and a gem! I can't get over the scene where Tasha comes to the rescue and really pulls Sadie out of her darkest time in Nashville. It made my heart happier than when Max & Sadie sang their Christmas duet.
The only issue is that it felt like a Walmart version of Daisy Jones & The Six.
I thought it was a cool spin to focus on country music, but I didn't really like Max & Sadie. Max was insecure. Sadie was constantly having to prove herself. They fought about it. Faked it. Things were fine. Then it all started over again when I was confident that they were finally going to be mature & say they love one another. Nope. One fake out. And then another. And another.
It felt like they were trying to imitate Daisy & Billys sexual tensions with the constant fighting, but it just didn't work.
I wanted it to be done so badly that I turned my audiobook to 2x speed. I NEVER do that.
I don't think I liked the constant immature miscommunication between the two.
And holy, don't even get me started on how uncomfortable it was reading about the character named Cruz McNeil. This man comes close to being more disgusting than Dolores Umbridge.
Oof, if this is what it is like to be in the spotlight, I'll take my ramen every day paycheck in a heartbeat.
I felt for Sadie's character & that no one seemed to help her. I feel for all the women who have to deal with slimy people just to show that they have a talent in showbiz today.
To come full circle after word vomiting all my thoughts into this review, All I Want for Christmas wasn't my favorite holiday read I picked up this year, but it does have its great moments.
Read this book for a grandma who you would want to adopt into your life, a gluten-free canine companion, a free trip to Nashville during Christmas, and a genuine message of friendship and resilience.
Thank you, Netgalley, Maggie Knox, and Penguin Random House for the advanced reader copy of this book!
Maybe I wasn't attracted to Max?
Not the point Dani, stay focused... Let's talk about what I enjoyed about the book. It was freakishly adorable. We love a cute moment for the holidays. It has swoon-worthy adventures with hot cocoa & Christmas shopping & holiday music. Truly, it's has all makings for the most perfect holiday story.
I'd love to hear a cd of all of Sadie & Maxes holiday music. I loved that the book was focused on country music. It was a nice change of pace to read a holiday romance intertwined with one of my favorite genres! The nods to classic country Christmas songs were nostalgic.
The only issue is that it felt like a Walmart version of Daisy Jones & The Six.
I thought it was a cool spin to focus on country music, but I didn't really like Max & Sadie.
It felt like they were trying to imitate Daisy & Billys sexual tensions with the constant fighting, but it just didn't work.
I wanted it to be done so badly that I turned my audiobook to 2x speed. I NEVER do that.
I don't think I liked the constant immature miscommunication between the two.
And holy, don't even get me started on how uncomfortable it was reading about the character named Cruz McNeil. This man comes close to being more disgusting than Dolores Umbridge.
Oof, if this is what it is like to be in the spotlight, I'll take my ramen every day paycheck in a heartbeat.
I felt for Sadie's character & that no one seemed to help her. I feel for all the women who have to deal with slimy people just to show that they have a talent in showbiz today.
To come full circle after word vomiting all my thoughts into this review, All I Want for Christmas wasn't my favorite holiday read I picked up this year, but it does have its great moments.
Read this book for a grandma who you would want to adopt into your life, a gluten-free canine companion, a free trip to Nashville during Christmas, and a genuine message of friendship and resilience.
Thank you, Netgalley, Maggie Knox, and Penguin Random House for the advanced reader copy of this book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Death, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
katelynprice's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a perfectly readable, enjoyable book (I did read it in one day after all). However, it leaned on the plot device of the main characters not communicating, and that just got irritating after a while. Also, while it was set at Christmas, it really didn't have all that much of a Christmas vibe overall. As a Tennesseean I found the Nashville references fun, and I was relieved that there wasn't a ton of focus spent on the reality show competition.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Death
Moderate: Addiction and Alcohol
kcbatts's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
kelly_e's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Title: All I Want for Christmas
Author: Maggie Know
Genre: Holiday Romance
Rating: 1.5
Pub Date: October 4, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Lackluster • Cheesy • Unrealistic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Sadie and Max are both contestants on the famed reality singing show STARMAKER. For Sadie, it's the big break she's been dreaming of. As for Max, he sees it as an opportunity to finally step out of the shadow of his father.
When they are paired up for duet week, fans of the show go wild for #Saxie. Their chemistry together is undeniable, and the show executives demand they remain a duo - on and offstage - or exit the competition. With their dreams on the line, each agrees to the preposition, the only probably being they don't enjoy each other company.
💭 T H O U G H T S
When I first read the synopsis, I was looking forward to reading this 2022 holiday release from the author duo known as Maggie Knox. The country music aspect, and the Nashville setting were what initially interested me, as did the holiday vibes. All I Want for Christmas started out solidly, but unfortunately ended up going off the rails rather quickly and being a complete miss for me.
I will start out with the good since the list is short - the concept, Max's dog Patsy, the fact that Max knit, and the backdrop of winter in Banff for a portion of the book. That's it.
And now for the bad. The plotline should have worked very well with dual POVs, yet the flow was significantly off and the pacing felt very odd. I never really got the enemies-to-lovers vibes, and the romance was extremely unbelievable. To make matters even worse, there's a real lack of character growth from start to finish, which left me rolling my eyes a few too many times.
Even with all of that said, my main issue was how the plot was based primarily on a lack of communication. It felt frustrating. Ultimately, there was so much potential for dialogue on the topic of death and grief, and the author duo failed to express that, instead choosing the route of grief as a taboo. No thank you!
To make matters worse, the audio version had several huge mispronunciations of 'Canadian' words, that it ended up feeling very amateurish. Given that the two authors are Canadian, I'd have expected those errors to have been caught.
In sum, I'd eaten way too much cheese by the time I got to the end, and it honestly felt like it wrapped up too nicely to be realistic. It also wasn't all that festive, which I'll admit was a let down. The idea had so much potential, but execution was poor. It may be time I give up on this duo, and focus on their individual works. And I'd highly suggest you do the same. In fact, Karma Karma Brown wrote one of my favourite reads of 2022.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the fake dating trope
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Life doesn't always play out the way you imagine it will but that doesn't mean that what you do instead isn't worth anything."
Author: Maggie Know
Genre: Holiday Romance
Rating: 1.5
Pub Date: October 4, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Lackluster • Cheesy • Unrealistic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Sadie and Max are both contestants on the famed reality singing show STARMAKER. For Sadie, it's the big break she's been dreaming of. As for Max, he sees it as an opportunity to finally step out of the shadow of his father.
When they are paired up for duet week, fans of the show go wild for #Saxie. Their chemistry together is undeniable, and the show executives demand they remain a duo - on and offstage - or exit the competition. With their dreams on the line, each agrees to the preposition, the only probably being they don't enjoy each other company.
💭 T H O U G H T S
When I first read the synopsis, I was looking forward to reading this 2022 holiday release from the author duo known as Maggie Knox. The country music aspect, and the Nashville setting were what initially interested me, as did the holiday vibes. All I Want for Christmas started out solidly, but unfortunately ended up going off the rails rather quickly and being a complete miss for me.
I will start out with the good since the list is short - the concept, Max's dog Patsy, the fact that Max knit, and the backdrop of winter in Banff for a portion of the book. That's it.
And now for the bad. The plotline should have worked very well with dual POVs, yet the flow was significantly off and the pacing felt very odd. I never really got the enemies-to-lovers vibes, and the romance was extremely unbelievable. To make matters even worse, there's a real lack of character growth from start to finish, which left me rolling my eyes a few too many times.
Even with all of that said, my main issue was how the plot was based primarily on a lack of communication. It felt frustrating. Ultimately, there was so much potential for dialogue on the topic of death and grief, and the author duo failed to express that, instead choosing the route of grief as a taboo. No thank you!
To make matters worse, the audio version had several huge mispronunciations of 'Canadian' words, that it ended up feeling very amateurish. Given that the two authors are Canadian, I'd have expected those errors to have been caught.
In sum, I'd eaten way too much cheese by the time I got to the end, and it honestly felt like it wrapped up too nicely to be realistic. It also wasn't all that festive, which I'll admit was a let down. The idea had so much potential, but execution was poor. It may be time I give up on this duo, and focus on their individual works. And I'd highly suggest you do the same. In fact, Karma Karma Brown wrote one of my favourite reads of 2022.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the fake dating trope
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Life doesn't always play out the way you imagine it will but that doesn't mean that what you do instead isn't worth anything."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Grief, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny
Minor: Cancer
⚠️ CW: death, death of parent, grief, sexual harassment, toxic relationship, misogyny, gaslighting, alcohol, cancerwellreadmegs's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A cozy romance perfect for this time of year.
Nashville & Milwaukee are key features in this book which made my bookstagram heart happy. (Follow @wellreadmegs if you haven't already) This was my book club's pick for December and it was lovely. I'm apparently continuing on with my fake-dating trope reads with this one.
Sadie and Max were both stubborn as hell which got a little annoying towards the end of the book because they were both getting in their own way and self-sabotaging. Aside from that Max and Sadie had some incredible moments - especially in Banff. It was exactly what you want in a Holiday romance.
Gran was the best character and she was so wholesome - especially when they went out with Max and Sadie. This book reminded me of the TV show Nashville - but a little less dramatic. But a lot of the same vibes.
I really enjoyed this read and looking forward to more cozy holiday reads.
Nashville & Milwaukee are key features in this book which made my bookstagram heart happy. (Follow @wellreadmegs if you haven't already) This was my book club's pick for December and it was lovely. I'm apparently continuing on with my fake-dating trope reads with this one.
Sadie and Max were both stubborn as hell which got a little annoying towards the end of the book because they were both getting in their own way and self-sabotaging. Aside from that Max and Sadie had some incredible moments - especially in Banff. It was exactly what you want in a Holiday romance.
Gran was the best character and she was so wholesome - especially when they went out with Max and Sadie. This book reminded me of the TV show Nashville - but a little less dramatic. But a lot of the same vibes.
I really enjoyed this read and looking forward to more cozy holiday reads.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Sexual harassment
jodierose14's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Grief, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
markedwithanm's review
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cancer and Sexual assault
catreads247's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This one was cute and good, but nothing mind blowing. Sadie and Max drove me crazy! I prefer more of a slow burn, but there were moments that I enjoyed watching their relationship grow. Despite my qualms, it was a decent read and I would continue to read holiday romances by this author.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Sexual assault