Scan barcode
cait_readsxox's review against another edition
4.0
I love it! It was so much fun and very cute! It started out slow but after 100 pages was when I really started getting into the book. Great Christmas romance book!
lillimoore's review
3.0
Get whisked away on a dream Christmas vacation to Lapland, Finland with this dual holiday romance!
34-year-old Sylvie Magnusson has historically adored Christmas. This year, however, she's struggling to find her Christmas cheer. If he hadn't abruptly left her in the days leading up to their wedding, she would be gearing up to fly off to Mauritius with her would've-been husband Cole on her honeymoon, but instead she's preparing herself for a lonely, solemn holiday. In an attempt to cheer her up, her travel-blogger best friend Nari convinces Sylvie to take her on vacation instead, and at Sylvie's request, uses her many connections to switch the trip at the last minute from tropical Mauritius to the winter wonderland that is Lapland, Finland. Sylvie just might have a reason for choosing Lapland out of the available vacation options—it's the home of Stellan, an old flame that has never quite fully extinguished in her heart. Will the two reconnect under the Northern lights?
Of course they will, silly, because this is a second chance romance! Unfortunately, it's only a decent one at best. For me, this book was just very boring a lot of the time and suffered from poor pacing and transitions. I wonder if maybe having grown up in a "winter wonderland" myself in Vail, Colorado, took away some of the charm that other readers of this book seem to have loved so much. I did appreciate the wintery descriptions and landscape, and at moments this book was very festive, but it just seemed to drag on forever! I enjoyed the characters, but thought the main romance wasn't compelling enough. Many other reviewers have complained about the main character, Sylvie, noting that she seems to be very immature and unreasonable. I have to agree with this complaint, but I think I liked her more than the average reader seems to have. I enjoy when my characters have obvious flaws, and she has more than her fair share of them. I only wish we could have seen more character development from Sylvie before the end of the book. I felt similarly about Stellan, her romantic interest. I thought a lot of his and other Finland native Niilo's backstory felt underdeveloped, and they were both cases of telling without showing.
I also think having two central romances detracted from the reading experience a bit. I loved the characters of Nari and Niilo maybe even more than Stellan and Sylvie, but I felt like we didn't get the right amount of perspective from them. We either needed way more to be fully engaged with their romance, or we needed them to just not have a romantic arc at all. Come to mention it, Nari altogether felt a bit underdevloped. Maybe this whole book just needed a few more minutes in the oven to bake.
Don't let my lukewarm review of this one deter you from picking it up though! There's plenty of warmth and much to love in this Scandinavian Christmas romance for the right reader. If the blurb sounds like a good one to you, I think you'll enjoy it! I just have way too high of expectations for my romances these days. All in all though it led me to continue seeking more Christmas romances, so all was not lost!
34-year-old Sylvie Magnusson has historically adored Christmas. This year, however, she's struggling to find her Christmas cheer. If he hadn't abruptly left her in the days leading up to their wedding, she would be gearing up to fly off to Mauritius with her would've-been husband Cole on her honeymoon, but instead she's preparing herself for a lonely, solemn holiday. In an attempt to cheer her up, her travel-blogger best friend Nari convinces Sylvie to take her on vacation instead, and at Sylvie's request, uses her many connections to switch the trip at the last minute from tropical Mauritius to the winter wonderland that is Lapland, Finland. Sylvie just might have a reason for choosing Lapland out of the available vacation options—it's the home of Stellan, an old flame that has never quite fully extinguished in her heart. Will the two reconnect under the Northern lights?
Of course they will, silly, because this is a second chance romance! Unfortunately, it's only a decent one at best. For me, this book was just very boring a lot of the time and suffered from poor pacing and transitions. I wonder if maybe having grown up in a "winter wonderland" myself in Vail, Colorado, took away some of the charm that other readers of this book seem to have loved so much. I did appreciate the wintery descriptions and landscape, and at moments this book was very festive, but it just seemed to drag on forever! I enjoyed the characters, but thought the main romance wasn't compelling enough. Many other reviewers have complained about the main character, Sylvie, noting that she seems to be very immature and unreasonable. I have to agree with this complaint, but I think I liked her more than the average reader seems to have. I enjoy when my characters have obvious flaws, and she has more than her fair share of them. I only wish we could have seen more character development from Sylvie before the end of the book. I felt similarly about Stellan, her romantic interest. I thought a lot of his and other Finland native Niilo's backstory felt underdeveloped, and they were both cases of telling without showing.
I also think having two central romances detracted from the reading experience a bit. I loved the characters of Nari and Niilo maybe even more than Stellan and Sylvie, but I felt like we didn't get the right amount of perspective from them. We either needed way more to be fully engaged with their romance, or we needed them to just not have a romantic arc at all. Come to mention it, Nari altogether felt a bit underdevloped. Maybe this whole book just needed a few more minutes in the oven to bake.
Don't let my lukewarm review of this one deter you from picking it up though! There's plenty of warmth and much to love in this Scandinavian Christmas romance for the right reader. If the blurb sounds like a good one to you, I think you'll enjoy it! I just have way too high of expectations for my romances these days. All in all though it led me to continue seeking more Christmas romances, so all was not lost!
jillianzacchia's review against another edition
4.0
I devoured this book! It’s was a fun, fast listen and I found it surprisingly unique. I loved that we had two love stories in one, with Sylvie and her best friend both connecting with men in Lapland. It was great seeing both couples fall in love, especially because both pairs experienced some oh-so-relatable awkward moments. I really appreciated that it wasn’t all hallmark movie perfect. The bad date, the early night, all of that made it that much better. Overall this was a great story. I would have liked a been more steam, since this is a fade to black romance and I prefer open door. Other than that, it was a satisfying start to my December Christmas reads!
jillmlong's review
3.0
This was a cute and fun book. Kiley Dunbar did an excellent job bringing Lapland to life. I want to visit there after reading this. I liked the characters but felt more communication was needed between them.
myboipietro's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
norwayellesea's review
5.0
A heart-warming, second-chance romance with plenty of Christmas cheer.
Sylvie Magnusson finally decides to cancel her honeymoon to Mauritius because it's been six months since her ex-fiancé decided to cancel their wedding after a ten-year engagement. Instead, with her blogger best friend, Nari in tow, the pair head off to Saariselkä to celebrate Christmas, in the frozen Arctic.
Stellan Virtanen never forgot the English girl he met on a university student exchange in Manchester, so he's surprised to receive a Facebook friend request from her after so many years and a message telling him she's flying out to stay in his home town in Finland. However, it isn't until Sylvie arrives that he realises he still has deep buried feelings for her.
As a hero, Stellan is just my type...moody, reserved and sexy. He's one of those guys who will frustrate you to death with his stilted lack of communication but surprises you in an 'actions speak louder than words' way. Sylvie is straight to the point and often overwhelms her beau, therefore I enjoyed the dynamics of the newly acquainted couple as they navigate around their differing personalities to find what works for them.
There's a secondary plot involving Nari and Niilo I didn't relate to in that same way as I did with Sylvie and Stellan, but stranger things happen in the real world, so why not? After all, love conquers all, right?
The author managed to capture the essence of the Arctic winter climate and of the Scandinavia saying "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing." In a 'been there, done that way', I laughed out loud as the English duo got to grips with all things Nordic. For those readers with no experience of harsh freezing cold conditions, Ms Dunbar has done a fantastic job of describing the scene perfectly. Additionally, I enjoyed the inclusion of cultural Sami facts about Northern Europe's indigenous people, relevant to Lapland and Niilo.
Overall, a lovely happy ending against a beautiful festive backdrop. With plenty of Christmassy feel-good vibes and cute puppies, it's a wonderful holiday romance.
***arc generously received courtesy of the publisher Hera via NetGalley***
Sylvie Magnusson finally decides to cancel her honeymoon to Mauritius because it's been six months since her ex-fiancé decided to cancel their wedding after a ten-year engagement. Instead, with her blogger best friend, Nari in tow, the pair head off to Saariselkä to celebrate Christmas, in the frozen Arctic.
Stellan Virtanen never forgot the English girl he met on a university student exchange in Manchester, so he's surprised to receive a Facebook friend request from her after so many years and a message telling him she's flying out to stay in his home town in Finland. However, it isn't until Sylvie arrives that he realises he still has deep buried feelings for her.
As a hero, Stellan is just my type...moody, reserved and sexy. He's one of those guys who will frustrate you to death with his stilted lack of communication but surprises you in an 'actions speak louder than words' way. Sylvie is straight to the point and often overwhelms her beau, therefore I enjoyed the dynamics of the newly acquainted couple as they navigate around their differing personalities to find what works for them.
There's a secondary plot involving Nari and Niilo I didn't relate to in that same way as I did with Sylvie and Stellan, but stranger things happen in the real world, so why not? After all, love conquers all, right?
The author managed to capture the essence of the Arctic winter climate and of the Scandinavia saying "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing." In a 'been there, done that way', I laughed out loud as the English duo got to grips with all things Nordic. For those readers with no experience of harsh freezing cold conditions, Ms Dunbar has done a fantastic job of describing the scene perfectly. Additionally, I enjoyed the inclusion of cultural Sami facts about Northern Europe's indigenous people, relevant to Lapland and Niilo.
Overall, a lovely happy ending against a beautiful festive backdrop. With plenty of Christmassy feel-good vibes and cute puppies, it's a wonderful holiday romance.
***arc generously received courtesy of the publisher Hera via NetGalley***
thenextgenlibrarian's review
3.0
Meh. One dimensional characters and a storyline that isn’t that original. 3 ⭐️
imworthyandenough's review
4.0
Ahhhh! Such a sweet holiday read! I loved it! In fact I might actually keep it to read again!
marietjm's review
4.0
Wouldn't recommend the English audio book I don't the accents the Finnish men are given by the female narrator.
But loved the story!
But loved the story!
ashleyfuhr's review
3.0
What a unique and enjoyable romance novel!
This book had unique, flawed, and lovable characters that truly came to life in the gorgeous setting of Lapland. Every Christmas story should be set in such a beautiful place. The descriptions of the scenery came to life, and I think that's what really captivated me and brought the story to life. The characters didn't grab me, at first, but I came to love them all. While you know you're going to get your festive happy ending, the book's conflict was handled very well; Not too outlandish or inconsequential. All in all, I enjoyed the cozy winter read! If nothing else, read it so you can close your eyes and pretend to be in Finland! I received a copy of this book digitally via NetGalley. I read and reviewed this book voluntarily, and all opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
This book had unique, flawed, and lovable characters that truly came to life in the gorgeous setting of Lapland. Every Christmas story should be set in such a beautiful place. The descriptions of the scenery came to life, and I think that's what really captivated me and brought the story to life. The characters didn't grab me, at first, but I came to love them all. While you know you're going to get your festive happy ending, the book's conflict was handled very well; Not too outlandish or inconsequential. All in all, I enjoyed the cozy winter read! If nothing else, read it so you can close your eyes and pretend to be in Finland! I received a copy of this book digitally via NetGalley. I read and reviewed this book voluntarily, and all opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.