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kelly_e's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
3.75
Title: The Mistletoe Motive
Author: Chloe Liese
Genre: Romance Novella
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: December 1, 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Brief • Angsty • Steamy
📖 S Y N O P S I S
He loathes the holidays. She loves them. She’s full of festive cheer. He’s brimming with Bah, Humbugs. Besides unreasonably seasonable names, the only thing Jonathan Frost and Gabriella Di Natale have in common is a healthy dose of mutual contempt. Well, that and the same place of employment at the city’s most beloved independent bookstore, Bailey’s Bookshop. But when the store’s owners confess its dire financial state, Jonathan and Gabby discover another unfortunate commonality: the imminent threat of unemployment.
With the Baileys’ requests to minimize expenses, win new customers, and make record sales dancing in their heads, Jonathan and Gabby conclude—barring a financial Christmas miracle—one of them will soon be cut from the payroll. Neither are willing to step down from their position, so they strike a bargain: whoever has more sales in December gets to stay on in the new year; the loser will resign. With a lifetime's worth of festive tricks up her sleeve, Gabby should easily outsell her nemesis, except the unreadable Mr. Frost’s every move seems purely designed to throw her off her game.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Gabby's deceptive ex won't quit pursuing her, and her anonymous online friend suggests they take a break. Worst of all, as the pressure mounts to save the bookshop and her job, Gabby meets a new, tender side of Jonathan. Is this the same man she's called her cold-hearted enemy?
Maybe he’s got a motive she just can’t figure out—or maybe Jonathan Frost isn’t as chilly as she once thought. Maybe Jonathan and Gabby already know—and love—each other in ways they never thought possible.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Chloe Liese's Bergman Brothers series has quickly become a favourite romance series of mine, so I was interested in picking up The Mistletoe Motive when I stumbled upon it at a local garage sale. Knowing it also takes place in a bookstore was the icing on the cake, and it was one of the holiday books I put on my TBR for the holiday season.
With strong You've Got Mail vibes this open door, grumpy/sunshine romance was a quick, fun holiday read. The bookstore setting was fantastic. The writing was accessible and flowed easily. Even though everything is fairly predictable, I enjoyed how Johnathan and Gabriella really opened up to one another and how they come together to save the bookstore.
Chloe Liese is known for writing romance with diverse characters, and here she offers positive, authentic representation of neurodivergence, specifically autism; asexuality, specifically demisexuality; and chronic illness, specifically Type I diabetes. She details in her author's note at the beginning that two of these are her lived experience and how she uses her own experiences to shape her characters.
Overall, The Mistletoe Motive was fun, steamy holiday romance I enjoyed. At 179 pages, this novella explores so many things, but it never felt like I needed more. It's probably not a book I'd consider re-reading, yet I definitely look forward to continuing to explore Chloe Liese work and would recommend this as a cozy holiday read.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for a bookstore romance
• fans of enemies-to-lovers trope
• Hallmark movie enthusiasts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Just because you’re loving them differently than they love doesn’t make it any less loving. My mom says there are countless kinds of love, and love enough for everyone. That love is an infinite resource whose expressions are just as innumerable."
Author: Chloe Liese
Genre: Romance Novella
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: December 1, 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Brief • Angsty • Steamy
📖 S Y N O P S I S
He loathes the holidays. She loves them. She’s full of festive cheer. He’s brimming with Bah, Humbugs. Besides unreasonably seasonable names, the only thing Jonathan Frost and Gabriella Di Natale have in common is a healthy dose of mutual contempt. Well, that and the same place of employment at the city’s most beloved independent bookstore, Bailey’s Bookshop. But when the store’s owners confess its dire financial state, Jonathan and Gabby discover another unfortunate commonality: the imminent threat of unemployment.
With the Baileys’ requests to minimize expenses, win new customers, and make record sales dancing in their heads, Jonathan and Gabby conclude—barring a financial Christmas miracle—one of them will soon be cut from the payroll. Neither are willing to step down from their position, so they strike a bargain: whoever has more sales in December gets to stay on in the new year; the loser will resign. With a lifetime's worth of festive tricks up her sleeve, Gabby should easily outsell her nemesis, except the unreadable Mr. Frost’s every move seems purely designed to throw her off her game.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Gabby's deceptive ex won't quit pursuing her, and her anonymous online friend suggests they take a break. Worst of all, as the pressure mounts to save the bookshop and her job, Gabby meets a new, tender side of Jonathan. Is this the same man she's called her cold-hearted enemy?
Maybe he’s got a motive she just can’t figure out—or maybe Jonathan Frost isn’t as chilly as she once thought. Maybe Jonathan and Gabby already know—and love—each other in ways they never thought possible.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Chloe Liese's Bergman Brothers series has quickly become a favourite romance series of mine, so I was interested in picking up The Mistletoe Motive when I stumbled upon it at a local garage sale. Knowing it also takes place in a bookstore was the icing on the cake, and it was one of the holiday books I put on my TBR for the holiday season.
With strong You've Got Mail vibes this open door, grumpy/sunshine romance was a quick, fun holiday read. The bookstore setting was fantastic. The writing was accessible and flowed easily. Even though everything is fairly predictable, I enjoyed how Johnathan and Gabriella really opened up to one another and how they come together to save the bookstore.
Chloe Liese is known for writing romance with diverse characters, and here she offers positive, authentic representation of neurodivergence, specifically autism; asexuality, specifically demisexuality; and chronic illness, specifically Type I diabetes. She details in her author's note at the beginning that two of these are her lived experience and how she uses her own experiences to shape her characters.
Overall, The Mistletoe Motive was fun, steamy holiday romance I enjoyed. At 179 pages, this novella explores so many things, but it never felt like I needed more. It's probably not a book I'd consider re-reading, yet I definitely look forward to continuing to explore Chloe Liese work and would recommend this as a cozy holiday read.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for a bookstore romance
• fans of enemies-to-lovers trope
• Hallmark movie enthusiasts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Just because you’re loving them differently than they love doesn’t make it any less loving. My mom says there are countless kinds of love, and love enough for everyone. That love is an infinite resource whose expressions are just as innumerable."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Medical content, and Cursing
Minor: Stalking, Gaslighting, and Ableism
ka_ke's review
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Gaslighting
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Violence and Cursing
kaydeedickins's review
funny
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, and Sexual content
emily_mh's review
lighthearted
relaxing
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
3.75
This book had one of my favourite set-ups for romance: he’s been pining forever, there’s a You’ve Got Mail twist, AND there’s the perfect amount of jealousy from the hero. As well as this, it’s super Christmassy. I think a bookshop in wintertime is automatically so, but add in a Christmas sales competition and decorating and themed events, and it becomes even more so.
While I was really enjoying the romance, it lost me in the end. Some of the language ended up being a little TOO cringey for my liking, I wanted the love declaration to go a little differently, and I don’t think the epilogue should have been set 9 years later.
As a side note, the playlist the author includes for the book was a WONDERFUL addition. It really set the atmosphere for each chapter and enhanced the Christmassyness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Cursing, and Stalking
Minor: Alcohol, Misogyny, Ableism, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Vomit
evelynyle_88's review
funny
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
5.0
The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese
World building : ★★★★★
Character development : ★★★★★
Plot : ★★★★★
The Mistletoe Motive is the book that make me suddenly fall in love at the first time reading. This book is a fast-paced book for many reasons. I love that there's autistic representation here; which connected to Disability December and also Christmas vibes too.
We followed the journey of Gabriella Di Natale and Jonathan Frost that I guess so funny here. Their enemies to lovers trope I can feel it here. Such a clever, funny, beautiful and cute Christmas story with a neurodivergent main character.
Brilliant!
World building : ★★★★★
Character development : ★★★★★
Plot : ★★★★★
The Mistletoe Motive is the book that make me suddenly fall in love at the first time reading. This book is a fast-paced book for many reasons. I love that there's autistic representation here; which connected to Disability December and also Christmas vibes too.
We followed the journey of Gabriella Di Natale and Jonathan Frost that I guess so funny here. Their enemies to lovers trope I can feel it here. Such a clever, funny, beautiful and cute Christmas story with a neurodivergent main character.
Brilliant!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Chronic illness, and Cursing
Moderate: Stalking, Ableism, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Medical content
abzster53's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I really enjoyed this book. Really wish there was a little bit more angst. The conflict was short-lived. But it was a Novella I guess.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness and Cursing
katievh's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Chronic illness and Cursing
overbooked207's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
📖 The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese Book Review 📖
5th book of January 2022 and 5th of the year:
This is definitely a new favorite book of all time! I absolutely loved the romance, the setting of an independent bookstore during the winter/holidays, the Pride and Prejudice references and inspiration, the use of the hate-to-love/enemies/rivals-to-lovers tropes, the main character, the love interest, the writing, the witty dialogue, the chemistry, the representation, the amazing audiobook, and the ending! I couldn’t stop smiling and stayed up way later than I should have to finish it. Needless to say, I highly recommend picking it up and will be buying and rereading it one day and checking out more books from this author! TW for stalking, chronic illness, cursing, ableism, panic attacks, medical content, and explicit sexual content♥️😍📚
5th book of January 2022 and 5th of the year:
This is definitely a new favorite book of all time! I absolutely loved the romance, the setting of an independent bookstore during the winter/holidays, the Pride and Prejudice references and inspiration, the use of the hate-to-love/enemies/rivals-to-lovers tropes, the main character, the love interest, the writing, the witty dialogue, the chemistry, the representation, the amazing audiobook, and the ending! I couldn’t stop smiling and stayed up way later than I should have to finish it. Needless to say, I highly recommend picking it up and will be buying and rereading it one day and checking out more books from this author! TW for stalking, chronic illness, cursing, ableism, panic attacks, medical content, and explicit sexual content♥️😍📚
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Cursing, Medical content, Sexual content, and Ableism
the_vegan_bookworm's review
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A very cute holiday romance with a very likeable enemies-to-lovers plot! I am a sucker for any story that takes place in a bookstore, and this novella was no exception.
I appreciated the disability and neurodivergence representation, as well as the build-up and chemistry between Jonathan and Gabriela.
If you're looking for sweet Christmas vibes, look no further!
I appreciated the disability and neurodivergence representation, as well as the build-up and chemistry between Jonathan and Gabriela.
If you're looking for sweet Christmas vibes, look no further!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, and Sexual content
Moderate: Stalking and Toxic relationship
beccaand's review
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Chronic illness, and Cursing
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Ableism