Reviews with content warning for Dementia - The Holiday Trap

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel—it’s exactly what I needed! Parrish is a masterful writer. They create personable characters and lively settings. I love how plants/nature weave their presence through the story—the contrast of assertive, carnivorous plants with soft, more vulnerable wildflowers feels like a beautiful summation of the self-reflection and self-advocacy that is encouraged throughout the book. My only critique is that I wanted more physical descriptions of the main characters (and the pets) so that I could picture them more. Other than that, I was satisfied with this charming, inspiring queer romance! I enjoyed both plot lines, and the way they intertwine. Would definitely recommend this book!

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the_true_monroe's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-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

3.0

While the overall story was not for me, I connected greatly with Greta’s family dynamic, the struggles it caused in her interpersonal relationships, and her transition into her own person outside of the enmeshed family. I loved how her thought process and realizations were thoroughly communicated to the reader but also her partner.

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drbws's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-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

4.5

This was an adorable book that was a relatively quick, very fun read! I loved the split perspectives and how they intertwined.

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lost_windsock's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted sad medium-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

This book was so wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed it the whole way through. I felt so hard for both Greta and Truman. I related to Greta's struggles with her family a lot, and the advice she got from Muriel(who was just such a delightful side character) hit me so deeply. I loved Carys and how she was unwilling to accept anything but what she needed, and I loved how she helped Greta realize that was something she needed to give herself too. I also really loved Helen and Veronica, and their whole side plot was just a lot of fun. Truman's plot line honestly got me close to tears several times. The way he was treated by his ex, and the way he let others treat him for most of his life was just so upsetting, especially since he was just the absolute sweetest person. Letting himself tamp down his own creativity, not seeing his own art as art...I just wanted to give him a hug and tell him to shine. I loved the way he ended up meeting Ash, and the theme of everyone in town always recognizing Greta's sweaters made me laugh every time. The tenderness that he was able to offer Ash, who SO needed it, was one of my favorite parts of the book. Those gentle moments of just letting him let go and cry when it was so obvious he hadn't allowed himself that. I enjoyed Truman's side plot with discovering the roots of his favorite book series, and his friends Germaine and Charlotte were a really fun inclusion to the story. Having online friends that support you is real! And the representation of that was so refreshing! Also a big shout out to Ramona, who was a really fun character and whose cryptic texts split up the book into perfect chunks. The holiday themes in this book were actually quite subdued for a holiday book, but I think that made me like it more.

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annahamburger's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.0

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cassielaj's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-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

4.75

As someone who adores the movie The Holiday, I knew I’d be into this book. And I was correct. This is such a sweet story about making a change and confronting your habits to truly find yourself and what makes you happy. All four of the main characters are lovely, complex people, and their relationships and communication seems so normal and well-adjusted (most of the time). This book does a good job of not falling into too many overdone romance tropes, while still being a heartwarming holiday rom-com to rival the best of them. There’s a lot going on, but it’s so fun and funny and just a lovely read.

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sariereads's review

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emotional funny hopeful 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? No

4.5

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theinstabookworm's review

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lighthearted slow-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

3.0

This book can be summed up as Beth O'Leary's THE SWITCH meets the movie THE HOLIDAY, but make it gay and bookish. I loved the beginning of this book. It was adorable.

But things shifted as I got further into it. I thought it would be more Christmassy. The title and synopsis gave me that impression, but maybe that's my fault for misinterpreting it. The chapters were too long and the last few chapters felt like an epilogue that could have been a lot shorter. The book was just too long in general at 442 pages. Romance books don't need to be that long. I got bored of all the plant talk after a while (IYKYK). Greta's family was awful, but she needed to grow a backbone and I hated that she let people walk all over her. I wanted to love this one, but I just didn't.

Favourite quote: "Sometimes you can't wait around for someone to notice you've got something to offer. You've gotta offer it."

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