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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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