Scan barcode
melfierro's review
3.0
In the end, I enjoyed this book. I read an ARC copy (see below). The page count on the ARC is 297 and on Goodreads it's 368, so perhaps there was further editing after the ARCS were produced. My review is on the ARC version.
It's a feel good type book about four friends who went to high school together, reunite at a reunion, and decide to take a singles cruise together between Christmas and New Years. The first segment of the book is character building around the four main characters. The book has good descriptions of the locales and adventures and meals that the characters engage in during their cruise.
Similar to other reviewers, it wasn't exactly what I expected. First, the cruise does not start until about 125 pages in. "Santa" makes an appearance twice, once before the cruise and once during, but only briefly and not really as part of the story. The style of storytelling in this novel is definitely "tell" and not "show". I would have liked a little more dialogue and less listing of what they were doing, were going to do, or did. The women are definitely quirky and they have amazing clothes as each outfit is described in detail. There is actually very little romance in the novel, it is more about the four friends and the romance is a bit ancillary. The ending was a bit abrupt. There are some great lines sprinkled in the novel that will make you laugh, or agree with. If I had an electronic copy I would have highlighted them and shared.
Thank you to Goodreads, Kensington Publishers, and Between the Chapters for this ARC giveaway that I won in exchange for an honest review.
It's a feel good type book about four friends who went to high school together, reunite at a reunion, and decide to take a singles cruise together between Christmas and New Years. The first segment of the book is character building around the four main characters. The book has good descriptions of the locales and adventures and meals that the characters engage in during their cruise.
Similar to other reviewers, it wasn't exactly what I expected. First, the cruise does not start until about 125 pages in. "Santa" makes an appearance twice, once before the cruise and once during, but only briefly and not really as part of the story. The style of storytelling in this novel is definitely "tell" and not "show". I would have liked a little more dialogue and less listing of what they were doing, were going to do, or did. The women are definitely quirky and they have amazing clothes as each outfit is described in detail. There is actually very little romance in the novel, it is more about the four friends and the romance is a bit ancillary. The ending was a bit abrupt. There are some great lines sprinkled in the novel that will make you laugh, or agree with. If I had an electronic copy I would have highlighted them and shared.
Thank you to Goodreads, Kensington Publishers, and Between the Chapters for this ARC giveaway that I won in exchange for an honest review.
lisawhelpley's review
1.0
I thought this would be a fun book, maybe funny. I don't know of I've ever read.such terrible writing. There wasn't really a plot. Boring details throughout. What a waste of time.
littlelady_28's review
1.0
I hate to pick on this book, but it was pretty terrible. The basic premise is that four high school friends reconnect at a high school reunion and then go on a cruise together over New Year's. The book could also easily be summed up in that one sentence. This was 400 pages of no story. The majority of the book was spent describing the group's itinerary for each day on the cruise. Nothing happened! The women occasionally "flirted" with some guys but it was sooooo boring! Another issue I had is that the author didn't tell the story from one character's point of view, it was told from ALL the characters' POVs. (I'm sure there is a specific literary term for that, but I'm not smart enough to know what it is) It was annoying and made me feel like I never got to know any of the characters. Lastly (any probably the most annoying thing about the book), is the characters' dialogue. When I first started reading it, I thought it was about a group of women who were in their 60's or 70s, or that the book was about 50 years old. When the story mentioned that the women were thirty-somethings and then mentioned COVID, I was floored. I'm in my thirties, and women do not call each other "honey pie" or "pal." There was something on practically every page that made me cringe. Again, I hate to pick on this book or this author, but it was not for me. I give it a D-.
ja3m3's review
2.0
With forced dialogue and banter that bordered on mean not witty this Santa cruise sunk. I thought reading a Christmas story would be a nice introduction into the writing works of Fern Michaels. It wasn't.
seachell1's review
2.0
This book was just a tough read for me. One dimensional characters, stodgy dialogue and long explanations of things most people understand already (speed dating, silent auctions, etc) were some of the issues I had with this book.
erinremen's review against another edition
4.0
A story about 4 friends who have drifted apart, that want to reconnect and maybe find that special someone they can spend their lives with. So they decide that if they are single when Thanksgiving comes around, they will go on a singles cruise. A lot of day to day chapters leading up to the cruise in all four perspectives. You learn a lot about what is going on in their lives and the things they wish they could change. Once the cruise comes around, some things might be a little clearer, and they might just discover some surprises along the way!
schnoebs13's review against another edition
I realized that I just didn’t care about the story and I think I’m moving away from enjoying the more hallmark like holiday romances.