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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
A Princess Diary makeover. However it's by interpersonal coaching more then looks.
emotional
hopeful
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:
Yes
This book was cute. Lol a lot of drama for the holidays on paper. š¤£
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
4.5 āļø cute holiday romance to put me into the Christmas spirit!
Let me just say that this book is the first book Iāve finished in a while so that alone makes this book good. I would even give it a 3.25/3.5 stars. I was so angry at Kaiās parents and Hollyās brother. For separate reasons but still, when they would talk my blood was boiling. I enjoyed Kai and Hollys quirky banter and how Mano was rooting for them. I didnāt appreciate the three epilogues but only because Iām a ātheyāre together, great now the book can endā type of girlie. So no fault to the author with that. I felt it could have been shorten by 15 percent and it didnāt need a third act breakup. I would have loved to see either an interaction between Holly and Cassie or a fight break out where she has to defend herself against awful Matthew. I just felt the third act break up wasnāt making sense since from the beginning they have been communicating with each other about their feelings and past. So the reason she was upset felt a little out of character for her, for me. Especially since she forgave him so quickly, but thatās just my thoughts. I still recommend to the girlies who want a really cute holiday romance. And donāt like a lot of smut in their books. Overall, a solid read
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
Was literally giggling and kicking my feet reading this. Absolute š©āš³š
Well, hmm... I have mixed feelings about this one but I'm going with a 3.5-star rating and rounding it up. Special thanks to the author and Valentine PR for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
TL;DR: For the most part, I had a fun time with this bookāthere were lots of silly hijinks and laugh-out-loud moments, cute though sometimes pretty corny banter, but I also appreciated the more serious moments the story addressed. This was less of a rom-com than I expected and while I wasnāt a fan of how certain characters handled the conflict, I thought this was a heartwarming and swoony romance. Kai and Holly were adorableātheir story is perfect for warming you up over the holiday season and would be a great addition to your holiday romance reading list!
CW/TW:
This is my first book by Cherry but Iāve been meaning to read one of her books for a while now, so when I saw this holiday romance that looked like itād serve all the fluffy rom-com moments, I immediately wanted to read it. The premise of this book is very cute and I enjoyed the way it progressed. Their āmeet-uglyā was dramatic but funny and though I didnāt really get why Kai wanted Holly away from his restaurant so badly, Iām glad his decision to help her ādate betterā moved their relationship forward from āI-canāt-stand-this-personā enmity to a strong friendship and eventually lovers. I appreciated the time it took for them to go through these phases as we got to see their connection really develop. Holly and Kai had great banter as friends and swoony interactions as lovers! Itās always fun when you see the grumpy reluctant MMC falling fast and hard for the sunshine FMC and Kai really got swept away by his feelings for Holly.
This was told in dual POV but of the two, I feel like Kai had a stronger arc compared to Holly. Kai has been through so much in his life and it broke my heart to hear about his childhood with neglectful and abusive parents and his history with his ex. I understand the reasons for his hardened heart but Kai experiences so much growth off-page over the years and on-page in the present as Holly infiltrates his life and his heart. I loved him so much, especially how he encourages Holly to be herself, to feel what she feels, and to appreciate her own worth. It melted my heart! I do wish that he had been more vocal when it came to his feelings though, especially because he had no issue speaking bluntly from the beginning even knowing itād hurt to hear his words. It wouldāve definitely cleared up some of the holiday drama!
Holly was also great although I feel she suffered slightly from being less developed. Sheās very emotional but an absolute sweetheart. Sheās been through a lot too and itās hard to imagine getting back to dating after the betrayal she experienced, so I definitely admired her drive. At the same time, she was very oblivious/ignorant about many things that happen in the story and it made parts of her character feel unbelievable. Not to mention I really didnāt like how she handled the third-act conflict as it was irritatingly immature. I had to remind myself that (I guess) sheās still young enough (25) to not be making the smartest decisions and not be handling things well, but it was frustrating because of how much I thought sheād grown from the beginning.
That said, their romance was absolutely swoontastic! I think this was in large part due to Kai and his acts of devotion.
TL;DR: For the most part, I had a fun time with this bookāthere were lots of silly hijinks and laugh-out-loud moments, cute though sometimes pretty corny banter, but I also appreciated the more serious moments the story addressed. This was less of a rom-com than I expected and while I wasnāt a fan of how certain characters handled the conflict, I thought this was a heartwarming and swoony romance. Kai and Holly were adorableātheir story is perfect for warming you up over the holiday season and would be a great addition to your holiday romance reading list!
CW/TW:
Spoiler
Childhood abandonment and abusive parents (recounted), infidelity (on-page and recounted), manipulative gaslighting partner, body shaming (one incident on-page), cancer (former partner of one of the main characters)This is my first book by Cherry but Iāve been meaning to read one of her books for a while now, so when I saw this holiday romance that looked like itād serve all the fluffy rom-com moments, I immediately wanted to read it. The premise of this book is very cute and I enjoyed the way it progressed. Their āmeet-uglyā was dramatic but funny and though I didnāt really get why Kai wanted Holly away from his restaurant so badly, Iām glad his decision to help her ādate betterā moved their relationship forward from āI-canāt-stand-this-personā enmity to a strong friendship and eventually lovers. I appreciated the time it took for them to go through these phases as we got to see their connection really develop. Holly and Kai had great banter as friends and swoony interactions as lovers! Itās always fun when you see the grumpy reluctant MMC falling fast and hard for the sunshine FMC and Kai really got swept away by his feelings for Holly.
This was told in dual POV but of the two, I feel like Kai had a stronger arc compared to Holly. Kai has been through so much in his life and it broke my heart to hear about his childhood with neglectful and abusive parents and his history with his ex. I understand the reasons for his hardened heart but Kai experiences so much growth off-page over the years and on-page in the present as Holly infiltrates his life and his heart. I loved him so much, especially how he encourages Holly to be herself, to feel what she feels, and to appreciate her own worth. It melted my heart! I do wish that he had been more vocal when it came to his feelings though, especially because he had no issue speaking bluntly from the beginning even knowing itād hurt to hear his words. It wouldāve definitely cleared up some of the holiday drama!
Holly was also great although I feel she suffered slightly from being less developed. Sheās very emotional but an absolute sweetheart. Sheās been through a lot too and itās hard to imagine getting back to dating after the betrayal she experienced, so I definitely admired her drive. At the same time, she was very oblivious/ignorant about many things that happen in the story and it made parts of her character feel unbelievable. Not to mention I really didnāt like how she handled the third-act conflict as it was irritatingly immature. I had to remind myself that (I guess) sheās still young enough (25) to not be making the smartest decisions and not be handling things well, but it was frustrating because of how much I thought sheād grown from the beginning.
That said, their romance was absolutely swoontastic! I think this was in large part due to Kai and his acts of devotion.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes