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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
this book ruined my life forever i think!! the sweetest and spiciest christmas romcom ever!! i loved every single detail and it made me giggle and sob like a baby
i definitely need more
i definitely need more
funny
hopeful
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
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
Super cute story and the audio was really well done!
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have to be up in less than 7 hours for work so let's attempt to keep this review short. This is my second book for this year's Christmas in July. (Yes. It is only June. But my TBR for the month of July looks like there's 90 days in that month and that's just not a thing that happens. So. Christmas in July in June). This was my second library read for Christmas in July 2025 and I'm so glad I got it from the library and didn't purchase it myself. I don't think this is necessarily a bad novel. I just think it's not 100% for me. It happens.
There's not enough Christmas in this for me at all. Because this is such a short novel and we get so many sex scenes it's hard to make this all work. You have focus on the romance, the family dynamics (especially since it's a key factor in the yearning/longing between brother's best friend and brother's sister), the holiday-ness of it all...in less than 300 pages and with that many sex scenes. (There really are a lot of sex scenes in this book.) I most appreciated the family bonding and the yearning we got for the first half of the book. The second half had no yearning and mostly sex with some of the family bonding elements. I would have loved to read a whole holiday series surrounding this family and all of their friends.
The sex scenes themselves are mostly what brought down the rating for me. I'm just not a girl who likes to be choked or called a "good girl" which is mostly what we see in romance novels lately. Also, there's just too many of them for a short novel. I know it's supposed to feel a little frantic since they've given themselves permission for one night only to give into their temptation. But...the dude is almost 40. I doubt he has that kind of stamina. There were a few tender moments in that first night they have together that were so striking to me in comparison to the rest of the scene. I wish we had gotten to take a quick pause in the "action" of the sex scene and gotten to appreciate it more.
Overall, this is a good age-gap, brother's best friend, holiday read for someone looking for that sort of thing. I also managed to read it completely in one work day when I couldn't pick up my book for 8 hours of the day. So take from that what you will.
I think it was a pretty and nice read. It’s cutesy, lil spicey and like the fact this romance is with an age difference between both main characters. I recommend if you want something easy to read but also with lots of character chemistry for the holiday season
This was a really good mix of hallmark Christmas but still brought plenty of spice.
This book was a little underwhelming for me. The first 40 percent was very slow and I almost DNF'd it several time. Once I hit the 50 percent mark, it went a lot smoother. However, the majority of the side characters felt very flat and indistinguishable. Not a bad read. Nowhere near a favorite. It was alright.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
Cute, cozy, fast holiday read
"You're a lot of things Lena Santos, but a side character is not one of them." -Gavin
This book is a cute romance, set at Christmas time. Lena has had a crush on her brother's best friend for 10 years, of course he's also had one on her. I love an MMC who pulls at my heart strings and Gavin is just the guy. The FMC, Lena, is lovely and it's easy to fall in love with her too. I enjoyed the story, the side characters, the setting, and the pacing. This book was a great palate cleanser.
audiobook
"I'm going to be thinking of you like this forever" -Gavin
This book is a cute romance, set at Christmas time. Lena has had a crush on her brother's best friend for 10 years, of course he's also had one on her. I love an MMC who pulls at my heart strings and Gavin is just the guy. The FMC, Lena, is lovely and it's easy to fall in love with her too. I enjoyed the story, the side characters, the setting, and the pacing. This book was a great palate cleanser.
audiobook
"I'm going to be thinking of you like this forever" -Gavin