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47 reviews for:
That Time I Kissed My Brother's Best Friend: A Sweet Christmas-in-July Rom Com
Julie Christianson
3.47 AVERAGE
47 reviews for:
That Time I Kissed My Brother's Best Friend: A Sweet Christmas-in-July Rom Com
Julie Christianson
3.47 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Overall, I guess this novella was fine?
But you know when you watch a Hallmark movie and you’re like “huh have I seen this one before?” Because it’s so much like every other Hallmark movie that you can’t even differentiate it from anything else? That’s what this felt like.
I think a part of the issue with this one is she tried to tell what should have likely been a novel-length story in a novella-length book. SO many things just didn’t work.
Kasey and Beau were overall fine but I didn’t feel any like sparks or fire from either and it was like “okay, they’re together now” at the end. What bugged me a little is that they had crushes on one another in HS then didn’t see each other for over FIVE years… and in that time, there should have been some kind of change in their personalities or something. You don’t go five years if your life just … not changing. Yet they come back together and it’s like HS is last month. There isn’t enough time for them to fall in love again so we get a very flimsy relationship beginning and I’m expected to cheer for them when he was just a scared butthole and for over FIVE years, never thought to just text her and apologize? 🙃
Then we get this miscommunication of epic proportionswhere they sort of pretend to fake date for one night but really it doesn’t work bc they do like each other and I’m over here like “um sorry what.” And there’s a small “no we can’t do this” and then a bracelet just fixes all their problems? 💀
All in all, I think I would have liked this more if it were a novel OR if she didn’t try to squeeze in a love story that needed more time into a novella - like give me less random silliness and more actual content in the novella. When you only have 160 pages, I need them to count. I don’t need to be told about Daisy not talking TWICE- like she explained the entire Daisy situation with Mac’s wife twice and I was so confused bc I feel like a beta reader should have caught that. 😅 It was frustrating.
There were good things about the book - cute scenes hidden behind the odd. But overall, it was not a success in my mind.
But of a disappointment after the Even Odder Couple which I overall enjoyed. And after my mini rant, I think I’m going to move this to a 2.5 lol
But you know when you watch a Hallmark movie and you’re like “huh have I seen this one before?” Because it’s so much like every other Hallmark movie that you can’t even differentiate it from anything else? That’s what this felt like.
I think a part of the issue with this one is she tried to tell what should have likely been a novel-length story in a novella-length book. SO many things just didn’t work.
Kasey and Beau were overall fine but I didn’t feel any like sparks or fire from either and it was like “okay, they’re together now” at the end. What bugged me a little is that they had crushes on one another in HS then didn’t see each other for over FIVE years… and in that time, there should have been some kind of change in their personalities or something. You don’t go five years if your life just … not changing. Yet they come back together and it’s like HS is last month. There isn’t enough time for them to fall in love again so we get a very flimsy relationship beginning and I’m expected to cheer for them when he was just a scared butthole and for over FIVE years, never thought to just text her and apologize? 🙃
Then we get this miscommunication of epic proportions
All in all, I think I would have liked this more if it were a novel OR if she didn’t try to squeeze in a love story that needed more time into a novella - like give me less random silliness and more actual content in the novella. When you only have 160 pages, I need them to count. I don’t need to be told about Daisy not talking TWICE- like she explained the entire Daisy situation with Mac’s wife twice and I was so confused bc I feel like a beta reader should have caught that. 😅 It was frustrating.
There were good things about the book - cute scenes hidden behind the odd. But overall, it was not a success in my mind.
But of a disappointment after the Even Odder Couple which I overall enjoyed. And after my mini rant, I think I’m going to move this to a 2.5 lol
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Beau looks so happy in the picture. Too bad someone drew devil horns and buck teeth on his face. In Sharpie."
Kasey Graham has spent her entire childhood tortured by her brother and his best friend—Beauregard Slater. The boy who she was constantly battling. The boy who stole the newspaper editor job from her. The boy she desperately wanted to kiss on the day they graduated high school. And it turns out, Beau wanted to kiss her too, but felt conflicted about having feelings for his best friend's little sister. So he let his best friend ruin the moment and any chance of Kasey liking Beau back. Now both of them are back as adults in Abieville, and the fireworks are brighter than ever before. But grudges can last a long time. Luckily, hate and love and often opposite sides on the same coin.
This Christmas-in-July romcom was fun! I loved Kasey and all of her quirks. Her Nicholas Cage obsession cracked me up. And the swoony moments between her and Beau were absolutely perfect. She and Beau had some gorgeous moments full of sparks and tension that were just *chef's kiss*.
Beau was my favorite character. He grew from a confused, immature boy into an older, wiser, and more confident gentleman. Seeing him grow and figure out what he wanted and see that he was willing to fight for Kasey and make up for what he'd done to her in the past was refreshing and made him feel extremely relatable. He felt like a real person to me, and that is always a sign of a good book to me.
Kasey's family was hysterical. So many antics and awkward interactions made for some truly laugh-out-loud worthy moments. The larger cast of characters was also the one downside to this book for me. I loved Kasey's and Beau's families, don't get me wrong, but they sometimes came across as caricatures rather than real people, especially Kasey's mom. I wanted to feel a little more depth from the supporting characters, especially when I was feeling so much depth from Beau and Kasey.
That being said, I really enjoyed this romcom, just as I enjoy absolutely everything that Julie Christianson writes. I loved, loved, loved getting the Apple Valley cameos and getting to know the McCoys a little better. I am so excited for the next book! Brady and Natalie's book is going to be a hoot and a half. You're not going to want to miss it.
Thank you to the author for the complimentary copy! A positive review was not required. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Kasey Graham has spent her entire childhood tortured by her brother and his best friend—Beauregard Slater. The boy who she was constantly battling. The boy who stole the newspaper editor job from her. The boy she desperately wanted to kiss on the day they graduated high school. And it turns out, Beau wanted to kiss her too, but felt conflicted about having feelings for his best friend's little sister. So he let his best friend ruin the moment and any chance of Kasey liking Beau back. Now both of them are back as adults in Abieville, and the fireworks are brighter than ever before. But grudges can last a long time. Luckily, hate and love and often opposite sides on the same coin.
This Christmas-in-July romcom was fun! I loved Kasey and all of her quirks. Her Nicholas Cage obsession cracked me up. And the swoony moments between her and Beau were absolutely perfect. She and Beau had some gorgeous moments full of sparks and tension that were just *chef's kiss*.
Beau was my favorite character. He grew from a confused, immature boy into an older, wiser, and more confident gentleman. Seeing him grow and figure out what he wanted and see that he was willing to fight for Kasey and make up for what he'd done to her in the past was refreshing and made him feel extremely relatable. He felt like a real person to me, and that is always a sign of a good book to me.
Kasey's family was hysterical. So many antics and awkward interactions made for some truly laugh-out-loud worthy moments. The larger cast of characters was also the one downside to this book for me. I loved Kasey's and Beau's families, don't get me wrong, but they sometimes came across as caricatures rather than real people, especially Kasey's mom. I wanted to feel a little more depth from the supporting characters, especially when I was feeling so much depth from Beau and Kasey.
That being said, I really enjoyed this romcom, just as I enjoy absolutely everything that Julie Christianson writes. I loved, loved, loved getting the Apple Valley cameos and getting to know the McCoys a little better. I am so excited for the next book! Brady and Natalie's book is going to be a hoot and a half. You're not going to want to miss it.
Thank you to the author for the complimentary copy! A positive review was not required. All thoughts and opinions are my own.