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betweentheshelves's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
4.0
A delightful little Christmas romance! "The Santa Clause" was one of my favorite movies growing up, and this takes that sort of premise and makes it unique. I also appreciated that this focused on Patrick and Quinn's already established relationship and how they could make it stronger moving forward. They both learn a lot about themselves and each other through the whole Santa experience, and it works well overall for the story.
Some of the magical elements weren't quite fully fleshed out, but I found I didn't mind because the focus was more on their relationship and their personal growth than the other aspects. I always enjoy Janovsky's work, and this definitely hit all of the right holiday notes.
Some of the magical elements weren't quite fully fleshed out, but I found I didn't mind because the focus was more on their relationship and their personal growth than the other aspects. I always enjoy Janovsky's work, and this definitely hit all of the right holiday notes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Abandonment
Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
blewballoon's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a light, easy read. I only heard of this book because it was the romance book club pick at my local bookstore. I didn't read the blurb or anything, and it was fun to go into it blind since the main plot came out of nowhere. While it was easy to get through, there were aspects of the book I didn't love. I was often frustrated with Patrick and found the writing a little overly simplistic and unsubtle in spots. If I was told this was a debut I would have believed it. My favorite moments came towards the end (the brothers phone call and the shelter dog ) and were just effective enough to give my heartstrings a little tug, but would have hit harder if there had been more build up and they weren't swept up in what was almost a character development montage. I did appreciate that this felt like a fresh take on a holiday romance by following a married couple growing apart and reconnecting rather than a new relationship, and avoiding or lamp-shading a lot of common holiday romance tropes. Spice is fade to black for anyone curious.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Alcohol
mabellene's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a unique, fun Christmas read!
I listened to the audiobook and I thought both narrators really captured their character really well. They both did a great job at their own characters, well also managing to make whenever the voiced the opposite character in their chapter work well.
I thought Patrick and Quinn were both good characters, and liked that they could actually be frustrating and unlikable at times. It made them seem more real to have flaws. I could have probably done with a bit less miscommunication, but it wasn’t to the point that I would stop reading. I don’t think the side characters were really fleshed out enough, which is too bad because I would have loved to see more of Blizzard and Patrick’s brother.
The ending did not end how I thought it would, but I appreciate that it was showing that marriages and relationships don’t have to all work the same way.
Overall this was a cute, Christmas romance and I loved all the queer representation.
I listened to the audiobook and I thought both narrators really captured their character really well. They both did a great job at their own characters, well also managing to make whenever the voiced the opposite character in their chapter work well.
I thought Patrick and Quinn were both good characters, and liked that they could actually be frustrating and unlikable at times. It made them seem more real to have flaws. I could have probably done with a bit less miscommunication, but it wasn’t to the point that I would stop reading. I don’t think the side characters were really fleshed out enough, which is too bad because I would have loved to see more of Blizzard and Patrick’s brother.
The ending did not end how I thought it would, but I appreciate that it was showing that marriages and relationships don’t have to all work the same way.
Overall this was a cute, Christmas romance and I loved all the queer representation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Abandonment
Minor: Death, Grief, and Car accident