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lifeand100books's review against another edition
3.0
If you want to read a book that showcases the magic of Christmas, look no further. I really enjoyed this nonbinary/female romance between Colden and Laura. Colden is a loner (due to tragic familial circumstances) and prefers to spend the holidays alone. A mix-up with her holiday rental property and an impending snow storm force her to spend the night at a quaint inn in rural Maine. Unbeknownst to her the Inn is owned by her co-worker's family. (The co-worker who is also her arch-nemesis) What follows is a sweet story about how love and family can help even the most broken of hearts heal a bit and make them open to receiving friendship, love, and acceptance.
I really liked Laura's extended family. What a cast of characters. I'd love to see more of them in future books!
My small complaint that drops my rating is that I think the book could have had better proofreading.
I really liked Laura's extended family. What a cast of characters. I'd love to see more of them in future books!
My small complaint that drops my rating is that I think the book could have had better proofreading.
jsjarvis71's review
3.0
I wanted to rate this book higher, but there were a few things that prevented me from doing so. First with the good points of the book. I loved the story itself, how much at the Christmas holiday it was, how much family love was shown. The story built well and I enjoyed the characters and the overall storyline. So those are all things that make the story worth reading.
The negatives I saw had more to do with some of the language used in the story and the narration of the audiobook. If you are thinking of getting this on audiobook, just don't. The narration is really bad and it takes the listener away from the story...because...of...how...staccato...the...author...reads...things. OMG, it is bad. I plan on getting a copy of the book and reading it instead of listening to it to see if it gives me a better feeling of it. I believe it will.
The author also uses some language in the sex scenes that I typically don't see with a lesbian author. There is nothing wrong with the language, it was just unusual. Instead of "breasts", the author uses "boobs", which is more what I have read from a male author in MF romances. She also uses the phrase "my junk" a few times. I'm not sure I've ever heard a woman call their sexual organs "junk" before. Just a bit jarring when you are used to reading WLW romances that are much more sensual and descriptive.
I will give the print book another chance just to see if it sits better with me than the audio did.
The negatives I saw had more to do with some of the language used in the story and the narration of the audiobook. If you are thinking of getting this on audiobook, just don't. The narration is really bad and it takes the listener away from the story...because...of...how...staccato...the...author...reads...things. OMG, it is bad. I plan on getting a copy of the book and reading it instead of listening to it to see if it gives me a better feeling of it. I believe it will.
The author also uses some language in the sex scenes that I typically don't see with a lesbian author. There is nothing wrong with the language, it was just unusual. Instead of "breasts", the author uses "boobs", which is more what I have read from a male author in MF romances. She also uses the phrase "my junk" a few times. I'm not sure I've ever heard a woman call their sexual organs "junk" before. Just a bit jarring when you are used to reading WLW romances that are much more sensual and descriptive.
I will give the print book another chance just to see if it sits better with me than the audio did.
cassie_grace's review against another edition
4.0
It’s a queer girl romance with a nonbinary protagonist! That should be enough, but it’s just as good as the rest of Cameron’s books.
misha_ali's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this lovely and short novel. Love a good family-based ensemble with lovely people, lots of queer folks, and small towns. Heartwarming, sweet and just a fun and quick read.
meryl_kate's review against another edition
4.0
Cute, cozy holiday romance by a non-binary author with a non-binary protagonist. Colden is a misanthrope with a heart of gold. Laura is a workplace rival with a warm, quirky family. Frosting hijinks ensue.
agentkp's review
emotional
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
4.0
Pretty light and cozy story! Really liked the characters even if i wished they would've talked more about themselves to each other before being completely in love with each other.
thosemedalingkidsss's review
4.0
Going in with no expectations - this was a very cute little holiday book!
F/X christmas romance between two coworkers, a demi girl and woman who both end up at an inn together.
There's a lot of cute elements in this: snowed in, only one bed, some unrequited love, meddling but not overbearing family members, a pet pig, and reading together in comfortable silence.
There's also so many orgasms, including a strap on and vibrator, and I loved that for them.
I really enjoyed including the trans lead, and how the heroine would check in with them each day to check what pronouns to use. I also appreciated that there was a little bit of trans discussion, while also not feeling preachy or like the lead's only personality aspect was being a demi girl. It was a good balance.
However, this plot of them stuck together is held on by a thread, and there's a bit of suspension of disbelief to just go along with it. We like seeing them spend time together at the inn. The "rivals" to lovers aspect was also luke-warm, which I appreciated. There wasn't much angst in this, and also no end of book conflict!
The narration on this audiobook was a 2 star at most - I'm adding Katherine Schooler to my DNL list.
F/X christmas romance between two coworkers, a demi girl and woman who both end up at an inn together.
There's a lot of cute elements in this: snowed in, only one bed, some unrequited love, meddling but not overbearing family members, a pet pig, and reading together in comfortable silence.
There's also so many orgasms, including a strap on and vibrator, and I loved that for them.
I really enjoyed including the trans lead, and how the heroine would check in with them each day to check what pronouns to use. I also appreciated that there was a little bit of trans discussion, while also not feeling preachy or like the lead's only personality aspect was being a demi girl. It was a good balance.
However, this plot of them stuck together is held on by a thread, and there's a bit of suspension of disbelief to just go along with it. We like seeing them spend time together at the inn. The "rivals" to lovers aspect was also luke-warm, which I appreciated. There wasn't much angst in this, and also no end of book conflict!
The narration on this audiobook was a 2 star at most - I'm adding Katherine Schooler to my DNL list.
domtheknight's review
The writing style was kind of awkward to my taste, and the timing started really not making sense to me, and it felt like things were happening but also nothing was happening.
burstnwithbooks's review
4.0
Obsessed with Lillian (the great grandma) and Minnie (the massive pet pig).... They're my favorite characters. I just tolerated Colden and Laura. But it was fun so I'm not complaining. (But omg can I get a whole book on Lillian)
althea's review
5.0
Okay this was my favourite Christmas novella I've read yet, and it had probably one of my least favourite tropes - rivals to lovers! This was SUCH a fun read, full RTC!