Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - The Holiday Swap

Rating: Teens and Up

Warnings: No Warnings Apply

Category: F/M

Relationships: Charlie Goodwin/Jake Greenman, Cass Goodwin/Brett Linklater, Cass Goodwin/Miguel Rodriguez

Characters: Charlie Goodwin, Cass Goodwin, Priya Basu, Austin Nash, Sasha Torres, Nathan, Sydney, Miguel Rodriguez, Walter Demetre, Thomas Goodwin, Helen Goodwin, Sharon Marston, Jake Greenman, Faye Christie

Additional Tags: Twins, Trading Places, Christmas, Baking, Concussions, Strangers to Lovers, Small Towns, Hollywood

Original Language: English

Stats:
Published: 2021
Words: ~92,400
Chapters: 25

Content Warnings

abbypeekreads's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

What a fun, sweet romance to get into the festive holiday spirit with! While there wasn't anything particularly 'ground-breaking' about this book, I wasn't really looking for that when I picked it up. I just wanted something fun, light-hearted, and Christmassy to read, and it definitely delivered.

If you like The Princess Switch movies on Netflix, you'll definitely enjoy this book. While there isn't a royal aspect to this story, we still have two identical twins switching places with each other and falling for guys in their sister's life and generally messing things up. Though the whole scenario might be unlikely to ever happen, once you get over that hump, it's still a cute and sweet and generally fun story to read.

The settings were idyllic (a cozy small town during Christmas and a holiday baking show in LA?? I'm sold), the romances gave me all the fuzzy feelings, and Cass and Charlie's relationship was a pleasure to witness. I enjoyed reading from both of their perspectives and seeing the growth they both experienced. I'd recommend if you're looking for a quick and easy holiday read!

Content Warnings

books_hello's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

let me start off by saying this book was not all bad. If you are looking for a cheesy Christmas book then this will do the trick. It was clean, very little spice or language. only kissing and a few swear words. It started out okay but I felt like it went very, very fast. It was like the characters fell in love in a week. Personally I did not like the ending.

Content Warnings

kelly_e's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Title: The Holiday Swap
Author: Maggie Know
Genre: Holiday Romance
Rating: 3.0
Pub Date: September 30, 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Cozy • Whimsical • Cringy

📖 S Y N O P S I S

When chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the L.A. set of her reality baking show, she loses a lot more than consciousness; she also loses her ability to taste and smell--both critical to her success as show judge. Meanwhile, Charlie's identical twin, Cass, is frantically trying to hold her own life together back in their quaint mountain hometown while running the family's bustling bakery and dealing with her ex, who won't get the memo that they're over.

With only days until Christmas, a desperate Charlie asks Cass to do something they haven't done since they were kids: switch places. Looking for her own escape from reality, Cass agrees. But temporarily trading lives proves more complicated than they imagined, especially when rugged firefighter Jake Greenman and gorgeous physician's assistant Miguel Rodriguez are thrown into the mix.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I wanted to read The Holiday Swap last holiday season, but just never got to it. This year I made it a priority, making sure to read it before picking up Maggie Knox's latest release All I Want for Christmas.

What I like:
• the premise. Twins swapping places for 12 days sounded like such a fun and creative idea.
• the dual setting/dual perspective. The small family run bakery and a TV baking show contrasted worlds nicely as did having identical twin perspectives.
• the cooking/baking. It's no surprise I love books that involve food, so that aspect was what kept me going.

What I didn't like:
• double the romance. Maybe one romance would have worked, but two just felt unrealistic. It was highly unlikely both twins would end up in a romance in the opposite place at the exact same time.
• the lying. It wasn't just the deception of swapping places. There were just so many lies, and eventually it felt redundant.
• lack of festiveness. This didn't feel like a holiday read to me, apart from it taking place during that time of the year, which was disappointing.

The Holiday Swap is filled with mishaps and witty dialogue where everything ends tied up with a bright shiny bow. I've read a handful of 'holiday romances' this month, and I'm starting to think they may just not be for me. But of course, I'm going to try another one...

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Hallmark movie devotees
• fans of Cake Wars

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"We don't always know how to ask for what we want."

Content Warnings

eryn_gilbert's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

4.0

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