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serenityfire's review against another edition
3.0
Fans of Herrera's Dreamers series will enjoy this Christmas novella, which has lots of Christmas, but the romance happened before the story. Many of her characters make an appearance. I recommend reading other books in the series first, as there is little setup here.
It's a quick, sexy Christmas story about a couple wanting to give each other a wonderful surprise.
I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in return for a fair review
It's a quick, sexy Christmas story about a couple wanting to give each other a wonderful surprise.
I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in return for a fair review
kaje_harper's review against another edition
4.0
A sweet holiday story for two side characters from the series. Both Yin and Ari are immigrants, striving for the dream they've had so long. They've managed to move in together and they have long term plans for college, and for this Christmas they're determined to make things wonderful for each other. Money's tight, and they agreed on a $100 limit for gifts, but each of them figures they can cheat just a bit, to give their beloved the thing they want most.
This is a little gifts-of-the-Magi story, with a flavor of the immigrant experience and cultures. It's probably more meaningful if you have read other books in the series, but I appreciated how they made mistakes and things didn't get perfectly fixed, and love was the final message. Always happy to see a story with POC main characters and one that incorporates their experiences as a relevant part of the narrative.
This is a little gifts-of-the-Magi story, with a flavor of the immigrant experience and cultures. It's probably more meaningful if you have read other books in the series, but I appreciated how they made mistakes and things didn't get perfectly fixed, and love was the final message. Always happy to see a story with POC main characters and one that incorporates their experiences as a relevant part of the narrative.
lagerslipstickliterature's review
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? No
4.0
Adriana always does such an incredible job of building such incredible and relatable characters! Fully enjoy how all the stories blend together with the other ones! Lack of communication between the love interests though was frustrating. That’s my only “ugh” about this novella though!
rubyrae's review against another edition
5.0
"Being a Black man in this world with the audacity to strive for happiness can be exhausting at times."
Herrera is forging a new frontier of romance, where beloved, individual, beautiful characters find their happy endings not because they live in a world where inequity, unfairness, and bad things never happen, but because they survive those things, experience those truths and still manage to believe in the goodness and light of life and love. American Christmas is a short, sweet, delightful story, but it still manages to encapsulate the raw truth of what it means to be different in a country that doesn't feel like it was meant for you, and how loving yourself—and allowing others to you love you—is the truest act of rebellion.
Like all the books in this delightful series, we also have found family, busybody friends, and descriptions of food that should come with a warning label. (Don't read while hungry!) The retelling of the classic Gift of the Magi story is cute and well-done, and it's so wonderful to get Ari and Yin's love story! This is a one-bite read you'll love.
Herrera is forging a new frontier of romance, where beloved, individual, beautiful characters find their happy endings not because they live in a world where inequity, unfairness, and bad things never happen, but because they survive those things, experience those truths and still manage to believe in the goodness and light of life and love. American Christmas is a short, sweet, delightful story, but it still manages to encapsulate the raw truth of what it means to be different in a country that doesn't feel like it was meant for you, and how loving yourself—and allowing others to you love you—is the truest act of rebellion.
Like all the books in this delightful series, we also have found family, busybody friends, and descriptions of food that should come with a warning label. (Don't read while hungry!) The retelling of the classic Gift of the Magi story is cute and well-done, and it's so wonderful to get Ari and Yin's love story! This is a one-bite read you'll love.
domtheknight's review against another edition
the writing is fine, i've liked other stuff by this author, but i realized what the story was about partway through and went - no - not for me!
kendrarousseau's review against another edition
3.0
I was only mildly familiar with the characters in this series, but still enjoyed this Christmas novella - a modern retelling of The Gift of the Magi.
meganreadsitall's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, I have wanted an Ari/Yin story since reading American Love Story! Despite my own Jewishness, I'm a sucker for Christmastime romance (I'm blaming this on Hallmark and Lifetime) and this sweet little novella manages to nicely package a holiday romance that captures the importance of found family and deep male friendships. You get a touch more of the backgrounds of both boys, and a very fast introduction to both of their neuroses, as trauma response. The sex comes fast and hard (hah!), but the emotional connection is what is highlighted here. If you want something short, spicy, and Christmas themed, it's a no-brainer to pick this one up!
lizelsaurus's review against another edition
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
effinalice's review against another edition
5.0
A really sweet and festive established romance! It also has a couple of nuggets of steam ♨️
bookedinsideout's review against another edition
3.0
While you might get some more background on these two characters in the rest of the series and enjoy the cameos more (I’ve only read the first one so far), I think it was pretty easy to jump into their relationship for this twist on a classic Christmas story. Romance novels with established relationships seem to be pretty rare (for understandable reasons, but still), so I appreciated this cute story about a couple who has been together for a couple of years and are making new traditions.
The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.