Reviews

This was a cute one sitting, and every time I see characters with rejection and abandonment issues, I tend to get too attached cos it hits very close to home. I'll defend Robin forever, my insecure little bean.

yetanothermegan's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

lezreadalot's review

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3.0

Together or apart, Robin would fight for it. And she would let it hurt if it had to, as long as it meant moments like this.

3.5 stars. A very cute and very Christmassy f/f holiday romance. It's actually the second book I've read this year with this exact title and premise. Robin forgot to cancel her honeymoon after her fiancé cheated on her, and her sister convinces her to take a little holiday break on her own, have a little honeymoon for one. So she flies from England to Canada, gets settled into the small resort town with all its pre-Christmas festivities and activities, and finds herself falling for her grumpy ski instructor.

My favourite things about this were just the sweet, cosy vibes and atmosphere, and all the humour. They spend a lot of time on the slopes, there's cuddling on a couch, they watch Christmas movies, there's baking, there's holiday markets, ice-skating... just a lot of great cosy activities that absolutely put me in the holiday mood. Also, Robin is an absolute pun fiend, and look, you'll never convince me that puns AREN'T the greatest form of humour, lol. I was giggling so much. (Elkon John and Cate Blanket in particular took me out.) There's a cute cast of side characters, complicated family dynamics, and writing that I really enjoyed. There's also an adorable dog, and it really is always precious, watching someone fall for a person, and also their pet. :3

The romance itself went both ways for me; I really enjoyed parts, and others, not so much. It's grumpy-sunshine, which is a fun dynamic, but as can often be the case for me, I found Neve to be a little TOO grumpy at times, and it took a little too long for her to sort of thaw off. We learn pretty early on that Robin's ex didn't really take her seriously, or take her feelings into consideration, and was always making fun of her clumsiness and her mistakes. It honestly made my heart break for Robin, because it's not like that's something that she can help? So the fact that Neve was so rude at the ski lessons, and so exasperated about her clumsiness... eugh. I don't know. It definitely wasn't the same as the way Lexi treated Robin, and it didn't have the same twang of cruelty, but it was supposed to be funny, I guess, and I didn't find it comedic at all. I just wish Neve had softened towards Robin a little quicker. When she did, it was really cute, because it's obviously so new to her, and she actually initiated a lot of their firsts. But then on the other hand, she kept flip-flopping on Robin so much, offering a bit of herself, and then suddenly being like 'no, we can't do this, it doesn't make sense!' It was really frustrating, as a source of conflict, and didn't allow for their chemistry to shine through. That kinda sapped my enthusiasm for the romance. I also didn't love

Spoiler

how the conflicts with both of their mothers were resolved. Especially on Neve's part. That was such a long standing, deep-seated problem, and I was completely on board with Neve's anger. I liked that she had to work past that anger in herself, so she could move past the things that prevented her from taking chances on people. But that fact that her mother just had to get a stern talking to from the grandfather, apologise, and then everything is A-okay? That felt way too easy, and just unsatisfying. She didn't do anything to earn forgiveness! And Robin's mother, who spends the entire book withholding affection because her daughter makes a decision she disagrees with... it really felt like she learnt nothing by the end.

Listened to the audiobook as read by Lucy Dixon, and I really enjoyed it, both the Manchester and Canadian accents. This was a fun time, and definitely fits the bill for a cosy Christmas read, but it had its issues.

emitya's review

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4.0

Ohhh it’s so cute!

After a few heavy reads this year, all I really wanted to round off 2023 was a cheesy, fluffy, lesbian rom-com set around Christmas, and this did the job perfectly.

It made me long for a spontaneous trip to Canada; yearn for a moody, athletic ski-instructor; and also celebrate the beauty of found family.

A really joyful, easy read full of warmth and hope.

Happy new year all!

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