Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Growing up watching copious amounts of Hallmark movies and being disappointed in the lack of queer couples means the premise of this book was a dream come true for me. We follow three queer siblings returning home to their mother's house for a Christmas filled with chaos, tears, and love. This book is great for anyone who is a fan of the classic features of Hallmark movies - cheesy, corny dialogue, too perfect to be real happenstances, and happy endings for all - but make it queer.
In terms of the couples, I really enjoyed the best friends to lovers story of Rafi and Ash, and the coworkers to lovers story of Liz and Violet. All four of these characters felt real and I was rooting for their happiness at the end. Unfortunately I didn't quite feel the same for Birdie and Jecka. I really didn't like Birdie for the first half of the book, and maybe that was intentional, but it made me drastically slow down in my reading and enjoyment every time one of her chapters would come up. By the end of the book, Birdie had grown on me a bit and I did like the conclusion to her story with Jecka, but overall I wasn't a fan of her parts of the book. I felt like Birdie as well as the siblings' mom, Babs, felt like caricatures which stood out negatively against the other characterizations in the book. Despite having so many main couples, I felt like Clark did a great job at balancing all of the characters' page time and development, and they all felt like unique voices.
While I did find there to be too many pop culture references for my liking, I was pleasantly surprised by the way several different serious topics were woven into the story. Things like alcoholism/addiction, depression and anxiety, and parent death were all handled with care.
Overall, I found this to be a cute Christmas read despite its imperfections! Thank you to
In terms of the couples, I really enjoyed the best friends to lovers story of Rafi and Ash, and the coworkers to lovers story of Liz and Violet. All four of these characters felt real and I was rooting for their happiness at the end. Unfortunately I didn't quite feel the same for Birdie and Jecka. I really didn't like Birdie for the first half of the book, and maybe that was intentional, but it made me drastically slow down in my reading and enjoyment every time one of her chapters would come up. By the end of the book, Birdie had grown on me a bit and I did like the conclusion to her story with Jecka, but overall I wasn't a fan of her parts of the book. I felt like Birdie as well as the siblings' mom, Babs, felt like caricatures which stood out negatively against the other characterizations in the book. Despite having so many main couples, I felt like Clark did a great job at balancing all of the characters' page time and development, and they all felt like unique voices.
While I did find there to be too many pop culture references for my liking, I was pleasantly surprised by the way several different serious topics were woven into the story. Things like alcoholism/addiction, depression and anxiety, and parent death were all handled with care.
Overall, I found this to be a cute Christmas read despite its imperfections! Thank you to
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Death of parent, Alcohol
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
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
4.25 stars
-
This is the perfect kind of book I needed right now in the middle of summer; just when you think you're getting one queer love story, you get three queer sibling love stories. I was a little worried at first as we bounced between the sibling's POVs - but after a few chapters, it was easy to distinguish who was who. I enjoyed that the siblings were SO different, often when you read familial tales, it seems that sibling characters are carbon copies of each other.
In this countdown to Christmas story, we follow the Belvedere siblings as they head to their famous mother's Catskill Manor in hopes of escaping reality to work on themselves. Liz is a Hollywood showrunner who's trying to up the next season of their hit show, Birdie is a comedian but is more focused on ladies and booze and faces the possibility of having her career fizzle, and finally, Rafi the youngest of the three who proposes to his girlfriend in front of all their coworkers and gets rejected. Throughout the story, you learn to fall in love with this trio of siblings and start rooting for them wanting the best.
Although this is penned as a Christmas story, I felt like it was focused more on the family and their lives with a bit of holiday magic sprinkled throughout. This book doesn't shy away from spicy scenes, each of the siblings has a romantic plot that will leave you blushing! You end up falling in love with the siblings and with their mother Babs even more - she's eccentric as can be and doesn't shy away from anything.
-
This is the perfect kind of book I needed right now in the middle of summer; just when you think you're getting one queer love story, you get three queer sibling love stories. I was a little worried at first as we bounced between the sibling's POVs - but after a few chapters, it was easy to distinguish who was who. I enjoyed that the siblings were SO different, often when you read familial tales, it seems that sibling characters are carbon copies of each other.
In this countdown to Christmas story, we follow the Belvedere siblings as they head to their famous mother's Catskill Manor in hopes of escaping reality to work on themselves. Liz is a Hollywood showrunner who's trying to up the next season of their hit show, Birdie is a comedian but is more focused on ladies and booze and faces the possibility of having her career fizzle, and finally, Rafi the youngest of the three who proposes to his girlfriend in front of all their coworkers and gets rejected. Throughout the story, you learn to fall in love with this trio of siblings and start rooting for them wanting the best.
Although this is penned as a Christmas story, I felt like it was focused more on the family and their lives with a bit of holiday magic sprinkled throughout. This book doesn't shy away from spicy scenes, each of the siblings has a romantic plot that will leave you blushing! You end up falling in love with the siblings and with their mother Babs even more - she's eccentric as can be and doesn't shy away from anything.
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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:
Complicated
Thank you Net Galley, Dial Press Trade Paperback, Random House Publishing Group and Georgia Clark for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
What is better than 1 queer character and love story? 3 queer characters, all in one family, with interwoven fast moving character development and family ties!
This started out with mild chaos, there were a few pages where I flipped back and forth trying to figure out what I was reading- understanding if it was the same POV, who the new character I was being introduced to was, and how they and the previous character I had gotten to know were connected.
But it was only a fleeting moment of confusion as I quickly learned I would be getting to intimately know 3 siblings as they navigated romance and their romantic attractions alongside their own relationships with each other and their all important mother.
I was quick to find Liz, Birdie, and Raf fun to get to know and excited to follow along with their story as well as their mother, Babs!
Each of the three siblings offered different experiences, equally enjoyable to get to know. Liz navigating romance amongst her career, Birdie finding herself amidst fleeting romances and reflecting on her relationship with her father while she looks as her lifestyle and decisions, and Raf, who dives right into the romantic deep end and somewhat drowns repetitively until we get to join him in looking at how his attraction manifests from his own desire to find his belonging.
The sibling stories carry smoothly, each offering their own trials and tribulations. I found myself wondering– what is going to be the 3rd act turbulence, will it be their individual experiences, or something shared? And we learn that it’s about the string that ties them all together- their mother. I can’t say I was expecting what happened, though there were plenty of hints, I was partially expecting the mother to be in love with her assistant.
I enjoyed reading this winter and holiday set experience in the throws of summer and it’s a perfect holiday romance tied in with family and identity!
4 gooses
3 spicy honks
What is better than 1 queer character and love story? 3 queer characters, all in one family, with interwoven fast moving character development and family ties!
This started out with mild chaos, there were a few pages where I flipped back and forth trying to figure out what I was reading- understanding if it was the same POV, who the new character I was being introduced to was, and how they and the previous character I had gotten to know were connected.
But it was only a fleeting moment of confusion as I quickly learned I would be getting to intimately know 3 siblings as they navigated romance and their romantic attractions alongside their own relationships with each other and their all important mother.
I was quick to find Liz, Birdie, and Raf fun to get to know and excited to follow along with their story as well as their mother, Babs!
Each of the three siblings offered different experiences, equally enjoyable to get to know. Liz navigating romance amongst her career, Birdie finding herself amidst fleeting romances and reflecting on her relationship with her father while she looks as her lifestyle and decisions, and Raf, who dives right into the romantic deep end and somewhat drowns repetitively until we get to join him in looking at how his attraction manifests from his own desire to find his belonging.
The sibling stories carry smoothly, each offering their own trials and tribulations. I found myself wondering– what is going to be the 3rd act turbulence, will it be their individual experiences, or something shared? And we learn that it’s about the string that ties them all together- their mother. I can’t say I was expecting what happened, though there were plenty of hints, I was partially expecting the mother to be in love with her assistant.
I enjoyed reading this winter and holiday set experience in the throws of summer and it’s a perfect holiday romance tied in with family and identity!
4 gooses
3 spicy honks
emotional
reflective
tense
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
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Most Wonderful is the kind of story we all love to read during the holidays—one with heart, humor and family. It tells the story of three siblings all born to a famous mother (by three separate fathers) who all come home for Christmas with some personal life issues to sort out.
Each sibling shines and is fully developed—the love interests are relatable. This is the perfect holiday open door romance for fans of Casey McQuiston. Highly recommend!
Each sibling shines and is fully developed—the love interests are relatable. This is the perfect holiday open door romance for fans of Casey McQuiston. Highly recommend!
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Most Wonderful is a queer and cheerful story that follows three siblings with disastrous love lives who return home to their mother's house for the holidays and each end up finding love in their own way.
I love that this story gives equal weight to each of the sibling's journeys. With three different stories to follow, it involves some of your favorite tropes - best friends to lovers, hate to love, and workplace romance. Liz and Rafi's stories are my favorite, but Birdie's is equally worth digging into.
Warning that this book deals with some heavy issues and doesn't end with a happily ever after for all of the romantic storylines. It's a deeply romantic book overall and incorporates a lot of holiday cheer, but it's not as cookie-cutter as some of the holiday rom coms you're used to reading.
If you're looking for a delightfully queer romance to spice up your holiday reading, definitely check out Most Wonderful by Georgia Clark.
I love that this story gives equal weight to each of the sibling's journeys. With three different stories to follow, it involves some of your favorite tropes - best friends to lovers, hate to love, and workplace romance. Liz and Rafi's stories are my favorite, but Birdie's is equally worth digging into.
Warning that this book deals with some heavy issues and doesn't end with a happily ever after for all of the romantic storylines. It's a deeply romantic book overall and incorporates a lot of holiday cheer, but it's not as cookie-cutter as some of the holiday rom coms you're used to reading.
If you're looking for a delightfully queer romance to spice up your holiday reading, definitely check out Most Wonderful by Georgia Clark.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
This is a solid, fun holiday romp. There is also a lot going on. We're following three siblings who have gone home for the holidays, all arriving early toward the beginning of December. Each one is at an impasse in their work and love lives. Rafi just publicly proposed to his girlfriend at a work holiday party and she turns him down. Birdie is a stand-up comedian who hasn't had success since her Netflix special three years ago and has casual sex frequently. Liz is a show runner sho can't come up with a second season to her breakout hit and might also have a thing with her lead actress. At home, their mother, Babs, is putting on a good face for her kids, but signs point to something being up with her. Classically, everything needs to blow up before it can fall into place.
This was a unique Christmas love story. I liked how the 3 siblings had their own love stories. The mother was a lot of fun and I liked how she wasn’t the perfect mother and had her flaws.
*this is an ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
This was my first “Christmas” novel and Georgia Clark novel and it knocked it out of the park for me. The multiple POV’s are written perfectly where you didn’t feel like it was an info dump of too many things. The characters and their stories all intertwined beautifully and the character development for each one was perfect and not lacking. Though the book is just over 300 pages it did not lack at all with storyline and plots. We learn so much about the three Belvedere siblings, their struggles, their love lives, their relationships with each other, and their individual back stories that shaped who they are. It was a quick and beautiful read that kept my attention the entire time wanting to know what happened next. Although it’s marketed as a Christmas novel don’t let it stop you from reading any time. Its main focus is the Belvedere siblings and their relationships and just so happens to be around Christmas time. Also it’s queer! We love it! We love everyone!
This was my first “Christmas” novel and Georgia Clark novel and it knocked it out of the park for me. The multiple POV’s are written perfectly where you didn’t feel like it was an info dump of too many things. The characters and their stories all intertwined beautifully and the character development for each one was perfect and not lacking. Though the book is just over 300 pages it did not lack at all with storyline and plots. We learn so much about the three Belvedere siblings, their struggles, their love lives, their relationships with each other, and their individual back stories that shaped who they are. It was a quick and beautiful read that kept my attention the entire time wanting to know what happened next. Although it’s marketed as a Christmas novel don’t let it stop you from reading any time. Its main focus is the Belvedere siblings and their relationships and just so happens to be around Christmas time. Also it’s queer! We love it! We love everyone!
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes