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lunep's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
Miscommunication after miscommunication, they (specially Max) kept running from each other, never hearing the other out, literally 4 or 5 times Max heard/saw/read something, took it out of context, didnt let Sadie explain herself and ran away, every time they made up they just had sex and barely spoke about the conflict. Oh, and also the cliché where one of them gets sent a link with a photo or something that leaves the other in a bad light from an anonymous source with an ominous "X is not who you think you are". So, complete bullshit all around.
In a less incensed note, the fake dating is barely there, I was reading a pdf that had 700+ pages so at first I thought "oh, the show part is just the very beginning, they will develop their relationship more" but I was WRONG, we truly were supposed to believe these two had chemistry and were falling in love with just a couple of interactions where most of the time they were arguing and the rest they were just singing, and then there's a time jump where they haven't seen much less spoken to each other in a year and when they meet again they're "breathless" and "speechless" and I just didn't feel it, I didn't care for their romance or anything, if only just once I felt excited about them being together, but after the third miscommunication I was just done, it was extremely repetitive and it was supposed to make you believe all the odds where against them but truly they just didn't speak to each other
In a less incensed note, the fake dating is barely there, I was reading a pdf that had 700+ pages so at first I thought "oh, the show part is just the very beginning, they will develop their relationship more" but I was WRONG, we truly were supposed to believe these two had chemistry and were falling in love with just a couple of interactions where most of the time they were arguing and the rest they were just singing, and then there's a time jump where they haven't seen much less spoken to each other in a year and when they meet again they're "breathless" and "speechless" and I just didn't feel it, I didn't care for their romance or anything, if only just once I felt excited about them being together, but after the third miscommunication I was just done, it was extremely repetitive and it was supposed to make you believe all the odds where against them but truly they just didn't speak to each other
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Infidelity, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Cancer, Pregnancy, and Violence
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
meredith_williams_'s review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Sexism
Minor: Alcoholism, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
lovelybibliomanic's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Death, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Grief, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Bullying
natashaleighton_'s review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
All I Want For Christmas—The second book by writing duo Maggie Knox is just as festive and hallmark worthy as the first, which sees country singers Sadie and Max—both contestants on reality singing show STARMAKER—fake an onscreen relationship in order to win hearts (and a coveted music contract) which will skyrocket both their careers.
I absolutely loved The Holiday Swap last year so was really excited to get accepted for an e-arc of Maggie Knox’s newest holiday romance, but unfortunately it didn’t quite meet my (admittedly, really high) expectations and though I did enjoy it, I was a little disappointed that I didn’t love it as much as their previous book.
It started off really strong with the love/hate, enemies to lovers-style rivalry between Sadie and Max which I absolutely loved. The character development we see— with Max and his upbringing as the son of a country music legend, and Sadie navigating fame whilst dealing with the grief of losing a loved one—was also really well done.
But the plot relies heavily on miscommunication which got really frustrating for me pretty quickly. There are a few really sweet moments between the pair but the arguments and misunderstandings just got in the way too often for me to really enjoy #saxie as a real couple for a good chunk of the book. It’s a shame because when they were together (and not arguing/self-sabotaging) their chemistry was off the charts good!
I absolutely loved Max’s dog Patsy (named after Patsy Cline) who was just fabulous in her adorable, hand knit (and very stylish) jumpers. And aside from the really slimy Cruz (who I massively disliked for reasons that become quickly apparent) I absolutely adored the cast of supporting characters that we meet.
I also really enjoyed how things wrapped up, with an ending that was genuinely heartfelt and incredibly satisfying.
Overall, a wonderfully festive Hallmark meets Nashville style contemporary romance. I did enjoy for the most part, but (as a mood reader) I don’t think I was in the right mood (or mindset) to fully enjoy this one right now. If you’re partial to a good miscommunication trope with then you’ll probably gonna LOVE this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Grief
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