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softstuff513's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
fast-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
2.5
The readers voices annoyed me, and the main character annoyed me. I did like how Jewish it was. You don’t see that often. And cass reminded me of my great aunt…. Also ended on a really random cliffhanger? (Not a spoiler because the cliffhanger is unrelated to the rest of the story) Is there supposed to be a sequel? The pacing was really weird… felt like it rushed through some parts, and characters kept popping up it was hard to track if they were there the whole time or are flying in and out of state…???
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Grief
warlocksarecool21's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Overall, I liked what this book was trying to do, but I don’t think it was executed that well. The strongest part for me was Miriam’s starting to heal from her trauma and the idea of a family coming together in their grief to save something they love. I appreciated seeing the complexities of their family dynamic and also the celebration of Jewish culture and traditions. The characters were strong, I liked Miriam and a lot of the side characters but I struggled a lot with Noelle. My main issue was that I felt that neither Noelle or Miriam were ready for a relationship. They had a lot of shit to work through and both need to go to therapy before getting together. (I know at the end they planned to go to therapy but it kind of felt like their love fixed everything instead of actually working through their issues). I appreciated the attempt of the story’s message that even if you experience trauma that you still can hurt people and need to be held accountable but how it went about that was really frustrating to me. I thought Noelle was really hard on Miriam (and projected a lot of insecurities on her) and that it wasn’t her place to get involved with Miriam’s relationship with her family. Their relationship was really frustrating to me in that aspect. I kind of didn’t like Noelle for a lot of the book bc of how she made her flaws and insecurities other people’s problems and it made me uncomfortable due to similarities to someone close to me that I won’t delve into here. I think there was a way to healthily incorporate a relationship into this book but what we got caused a lot of unnecessary angst and frustration for me. The ending for Miriam and Noelle was sweet but I wasn’t entirely sold on their relationship. That aspect of the book wasn’t for me but maybe others will like the messiness of it. I also struggled with the pacing and length as well. The beginning took so long to set up and by the end of the second part I was ready for it to be over.
Definitely read for the exploration of trauma, grief and healing but the relationship isn’t stereotypically fluffy like you’d expect. I might pick up any sequels if they follow the other characters because some of them were really interesting and hopefully I’ll like them more.
Definitely read for the exploration of trauma, grief and healing but the relationship isn’t stereotypically fluffy like you’d expect. I might pick up any sequels if they follow the other characters because some of them were really interesting and hopefully I’ll like them more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Addiction, Chronic illness, Grief, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Death
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Death of parent
emmas_bookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Honestly all the stars in the world to this queer, Jewish, holiday romcom which is an absolutely stunning debut from Helena Greer. When her aunt Cass dies right before opening season of the Christmas Tree Farm & Inn she runs, Miriam heads to New York to sit shiva and confront family and feelings that she has avoided for over a decade. When Cass’s will is full of surprises, several lives change course and sooooo many hijinks ensue. I loved this book, I got so invested in every single one of the character’s storylines, and was rooting for them to save the farm and find love. Also, all the representations? Fat rep, queer rep (in many forms), Jewish rep, people of color, and I’m probably missing more. It was wonderful. This is such an excellent book and I really really truly recommend! Also, I caught that Dick Casablancas reference and know Helena must be a marshmallow. IYKYK.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Alcoholism
emily_mh's review
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is first and foremost a Christmassy romance, so I first want to focus my review on how well this book carries that out. In terms of Christmassy-ness, it does so IMMACULATELY. This story is a never-ending mug of Christmas warmth. It completely transported me away from where I read it in a spring heatwave. There are reindeer, iceskating, sleigh rides, Christmas markets, tree decorating, a cosy inn, a cute wintry village, a Christmas tree farm, mouth-watering food, a giant (magical) cat, fireplaces, library nooks... it had it ALL. But Miriam's (one of the two MCs) Jewish identity is never lost amongst this which I also loved - most of the side characters are also Jewish! In terms of romance, this book is divine. Miriam and Noelle had such palpable chemistry, but the way they grew to love each other on a deeper level was perfection. They had so many deep, vulnerable, and confronting conversations and faced so many complex challenges together. You could just SEE how well they worked as a couple, and how much they cared for one another. As a side note, the love GENERALLY depicted in this book is top tier. It positively drips with love and found family. There's parental love, familial love, romantic love (of course), and SO MUCH INCREDIBLE platonic love. Seriously, there's a platonic love quote in this book that brought me to tears because it's the most beautiful thing someone has ever said to another person, ever.
So, this book has already utterly nailed what it set out to do. Yet on top of all that, it had so much unexpected depth. Miriam and Noelle are both working through some really difficult and traumatic experiences. The fact that they grew as individuals, not only together, brought so much to this book and made it more than a Christmassy romance, but without in any way reducing the lighthearted, relaxing, Chrissmasy and romantic atmosphere. I also loved the show of womanhood! Women and their bonds with one another are front and centre. It reminded me of all the good stuff women point out about being a woman under that TikTok sound "How I love being a woman!" There was just so much softness and devotion, but in no way did it ignore the difficult parts of relationships.
So it's safe to say that I loved this book to its core! I am absolutely stoked this is going to be a series and I will be able to see other characters' love stories!
So, this book has already utterly nailed what it set out to do. Yet on top of all that, it had so much unexpected depth. Miriam and Noelle are both working through some really difficult and traumatic experiences. The fact that they grew as individuals, not only together, brought so much to this book and made it more than a Christmassy romance, but without in any way reducing the lighthearted, relaxing, Chrissmasy and romantic atmosphere. I also loved the show of womanhood! Women and their bonds with one another are front and centre. It reminded me of all the good stuff women point out about being a woman under that TikTok sound "How I love being a woman!" There was just so much softness and devotion, but in no way did it ignore the difficult parts of relationships.
So it's safe to say that I loved this book to its core! I am absolutely stoked this is going to be a series and I will be able to see other characters' love stories!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Gaslighting, Death, Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Grief, and Child abuse
Minor: Mental illness, Biphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Antisemitism, Medical content, Racism, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Chronic illness, Slavery, Death of parent, Vomit, Alcohol, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Ableism, and Sexual content
Moderate: loss of a loved one, family estrangement, financial abuse Minor: self-injury, divorce, climate changedecklededgess's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
trigger warnings: abusive parent, alcoholism/alcohol addiction, alcohol mention, death of family member, terminal illness mention, anxiety, ptsd, grief
This book....oof I did not expect it to cut so deep. I was expecting a silly little novel about Jewish characters running a Christmas farm. I get drop kicked in the chest by character grief, roundhoused by all of them having ptsd, clocked in the head by conversations about alcoholism and addition, and then absolutely knocked out by this found family working to heal each other and build their legacy from what a loved one left them.
Emotional devastation doesn't cover it.
Noelle, Miriam, and even Hannah are all onions, as chapter by chapter their characters are slowly deconstructed and you see what their ridiculous behaviour actually stems from. This book is so tender with all three of them. These girls act like absolute buffoons sometimes but there is intention and backstory behind their decision making or lack thereof, and there is clear and pointed effort to show that they choose to grow and heal themselves and they build and rebuild their relationships with each other.
Noelle and Miriam have such an honest relationship. They're screaming at each other in the beginning but their growth lies in the fact that they're so ready to acknowledge fault and try. I wasn't sold on them in the beginning but the book made me eat my words.
Not to mention, even the greater cast of secondary characters were incredibly compelling. Like I want all of them to have their individual books. That's how real all of these people felt.
The small town setting is also so cute. The community that is built around Cass and the way that everyone comes together to celebrate and grieve is painful and healing all at once. I also loved the seamless marriage of Christmas(specifically that) and Jewish traditions. The situational irony is used to the max of it abilities to show off that there is no disharmony when the intention is to make connections and celebrate togetherness.
Such a lovely story! Can't wait for the next book about two very specific characters hehehehhe
This book....oof I did not expect it to cut so deep. I was expecting a silly little novel about Jewish characters running a Christmas farm. I get drop kicked in the chest by character grief, roundhoused by all of them having ptsd, clocked in the head by conversations about alcoholism and addition, and then absolutely knocked out by this found family working to heal each other and build their legacy from what a loved one left them.
Emotional devastation doesn't cover it.
Noelle, Miriam, and even Hannah are all onions, as chapter by chapter their characters are slowly deconstructed and you see what their ridiculous behaviour actually stems from. This book is so tender with all three of them. These girls act like absolute buffoons sometimes but there is intention and backstory behind their decision making or lack thereof, and there is clear and pointed effort to show that they choose to grow and heal themselves and they build and rebuild their relationships with each other.
Noelle and Miriam have such an honest relationship. They're screaming at each other in the beginning but their growth lies in the fact that they're so ready to acknowledge fault and try. I wasn't sold on them in the beginning but the book made me eat my words.
Not to mention, even the greater cast of secondary characters were incredibly compelling. Like I want all of them to have their individual books. That's how real all of these people felt.
The small town setting is also so cute. The community that is built around Cass and the way that everyone comes together to celebrate and grieve is painful and healing all at once. I also loved the seamless marriage of Christmas(specifically that) and Jewish traditions. The situational irony is used to the max of it abilities to show off that there is no disharmony when the intention is to make connections and celebrate togetherness.
Such a lovely story! Can't wait for the next book about two very specific characters hehehehhe
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, and Grief
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