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wilybooklover's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.0
On paper, this book should’ve been everything that I love, but sadly didn’t really work for me.
Firstly, it didn’t really feel all that Christmassy to me. The book ended in early December! The premise was ridiculous (what sane adult buys a Christmas tree farm when they don’t do any research or have a clue how to run a Christmas tree farm??), the writing was clunky and meandering, the characters frequently behaved goofily — and not in a fun way. Some of their behaviour felt forced and out of character in order to serve the plot. I felt like I needed more from the hero, especially since this is single POV until the very last chapter. And why was everybody huffing and shuffling? These words were used so repetitively that it was annoyingly conspicuous.
Also, writing a cop (who is meant to be a positive, father-like character) threatening the hero with a gun as though it's cute and endearingly protective is... a Choice.
Firstly, it didn’t really feel all that Christmassy to me. The book ended in early December! The premise was ridiculous (what sane adult buys a Christmas tree farm when they don’t do any research or have a clue how to run a Christmas tree farm??), the writing was clunky and meandering, the characters frequently behaved goofily — and not in a fun way. Some of their behaviour felt forced and out of character in order to serve the plot. I felt like I needed more from the hero, especially since this is single POV until the very last chapter. And why was everybody huffing and shuffling? These words were used so repetitively that it was annoyingly conspicuous.
Also, writing a cop (who is meant to be a positive, father-like character) threatening the hero with a gun as though it's cute and endearingly protective is... a Choice.
On the plus side, the vibes were quite cosy (but also quite sad at times?) and the UST was excellently portrayed in the first half. That was my favourite part.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment and Death
Minor: Infidelity, Terminal illness, Violence, Cancer, Alcoholism, Classism, Gun violence, and Police brutality
emilywemily6's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I adored this book. The holiday vibes and the setting were immaculate! And I love all these characters. The only things that really irked me was how obtuse Stella was about Luka. She was so stubborn at being blind to his feelings and also not acknowledging her own, so that was frustrating to read. I could suspend my disbelief that Stella kept her pining to herself for 10 years, but once their feelings were obvious I just got annoyed with her. And occasionally the spicy scenes were a bit vague on positioning so it was hard to follow what was actually happening logistically lol. But everything else about this book was perfect and I am so excited to read more from this author!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual content, and Cursing
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Grief
Minor: Medical content, Classism, and Gaslighting
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