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happylilkt's review against another edition
3.0
Hallmark movie Christmas lit. I feel like it was Pure Country (that movie with George Strait) meets The Holiday. It was a quick, breezy read, but the characters were a little two-dimensional and there wasn't much chemistry or comedy to make it more engaging. I would like it better as a movie, probably.
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
The Christmas Swap by Melody Carlson is a lighthearted Christmas romance novella. I look forward to reading Melody Carlson’s Christmas novella each year. There have been some that are just magical (The Christmas Bus, Christmas at Harrington’s, The Christmas Shoppe). The Christmas Swap is easy to read with steady pacing. I liked the premise of swapping houses for Christmas. Unfortunately, there are some terrible characters in the story. The griping, backbiting, and the manipulating did not make this an entertaining Christmas story. I liked Emma Daley and West Prescott. West’s mother was a sweet woman who loves her family and is supportive of West. Mr. Landers was a nice man who has a terrible family. Gillian is pushy, annoying, and scheming. Mrs. Landers was irritating with her constant litany of complaints. I wanted Emma to stand up for herself. I can understand being grateful for being included in the families Christmas plans and wanting to be helpful. However, there comes a time when you need to quit being a doormat. If I were Emma, I would need a vacation to unwind from the trip with the Landers family. I enjoyed the descriptions of Breckenridge, West’s home, the mountains, and the beauty of snow. I could imagine Emma staring in wonder when she sees the clean, fresh snow for the very first time. I missed the feeling of Christmas and humor that is normally present in Ms. Carlson’s Christmas novellas. The romance was minimal. Just when I was starting to smile and enjoy what was occurring, the story was over. The Christmas Swap needed an epilogue. I hope that Melody Carlson gets her mojo back in time for next years Christmas tale.
book_lizard42's review against another edition
2.0
Not for me. I was hoping for a cozy Christmas story. This one was not it. The villain is so over-the-top, I rolled my eyes so hard that I sprained them. Seriously. Had to take a Tylenol.
suzyq436's review against another edition
DNF at 24%.
The writing is not great.
The characters are too stereotypical to keep the story interesting.
There is way too much telling and enough showing. A lot of over-explanation for things the reader is more than capable of figuring out for themselves.
The writing is not great.
The characters are too stereotypical to keep the story interesting.
There is way too much telling and enough showing. A lot of over-explanation for things the reader is more than capable of figuring out for themselves.
lizisreadingagain's review against another edition
3.0
I was looking for a quick, cute Christmas read, and this met that criteria. It wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever read, but it was entertaining enough. Unfortunately, I could hardly stand the family in the story, though. Gillian and her mother are obnoxious. I couldn’t understand why Emma would ever be friends with Gillian because Gil is completely self-centered and annoying to be around. The friendship was quite unrealistic to me.
books_and_more_books_byt's review against another edition
4.0
The Christmas Swap was a short clean Christmas romance. The characters were charming, and the storyline was fun. Two families swapping homes for Christmas in Colorado and in Arizona. Two extremely different states so their experiences for the holidays were interesting. The book was very short, but the main characters were sincere and perfect for each other.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
kdurham2's review against another edition
3.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
Emma Daley has spent many holiday seasons with her friend and their family as her parents are doing volunteer work in Africa and put this work ahead of spending the holidays as a family. This holiday season they will escape the heat of Arizona and she will see her first snow as they house swap and head to Colorado.
Tyler Prescott is ready to house swap and see some sunshine during this holiday season. His family heads there as he is delayed, but maybe he will just spend this season under a guise and have a great holiday season with some strangers.
I always get nervous reading books, especially romance books that are light on the pages. I feel as though the romance can seem rushed and instalove, but that wasn't the case in this one, for me this book progressed so well and with ease that these fears were calmed quickly.
Emma Daley has spent many holiday seasons with her friend and their family as her parents are doing volunteer work in Africa and put this work ahead of spending the holidays as a family. This holiday season they will escape the heat of Arizona and she will see her first snow as they house swap and head to Colorado.
Tyler Prescott is ready to house swap and see some sunshine during this holiday season. His family heads there as he is delayed, but maybe he will just spend this season under a guise and have a great holiday season with some strangers.
I always get nervous reading books, especially romance books that are light on the pages. I feel as though the romance can seem rushed and instalove, but that wasn't the case in this one, for me this book progressed so well and with ease that these fears were calmed quickly.
darkfantasyreviews's review against another edition
4.0
This is a delightful book. It is clean and very well written. Characters are strong and I enjoyed reading this sweet story. It is a fun holiday read. This is the first time I am reading a book by Melody Carlson and she did not disappoint me. It is a short and cute book.
kay_slayerofbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I REALLY liked this. Jillian is a terrible friend and I hope she REALLY felt it at the end. However, I did REALLY enjoy this story and could have listened to more.
4.5 stars
4.5 stars