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verosbookcorner's review against another edition
3.0
I initially considered giving this story a 4-star rating; however, I had to deduct a star due to a few comments akin to “she is not like other women he was used to” and other stereotypical flaws in this novel. If it hadn't been for these aspects, I could have enjoyed this story much more.
You can compliment a woman without resorting to comparisons that downgrade an entire gender. Additionally, the remark about admiring her beauty but assuming she has no idea felt clichéd and made me roll my eyes. Shouldn't we be beyond that in 2023?
You can compliment a woman without resorting to comparisons that downgrade an entire gender. Additionally, the remark about admiring her beauty but assuming she has no idea felt clichéd and made me roll my eyes. Shouldn't we be beyond that in 2023?
booktokgirly's review against another edition
4.0
What an absolute wholesome adorable book! So christmasy and just so sweet. I love seasonal books so much
katmcdan's review against another edition
1.0
TBH I did read this as a "I need to fall asleep" book... Y'all know me, I am not one for a ~romance~; the characters for me just weren't dynamic, it truly felt like the only journey was the literal drive across the country. I think I struggle with these types of books bc it feels like the characters single focus is the other person and then they're moody about it and I simply cannot sit through that while reading a book. I need more! But I do love that my friends love these types of books!!!
bookish_kristina's review against another edition
2.0
Full of sexist bullshit!
Why are so many Christmas books so heavy with the chauvinism and misogyny? ‘Tis the season to return to the 1950s?
This was the 6th book in my ‘reading Christmas books with vintage red trucks on the cover’. I have come to the conclusion that if a Christmas book has a red truck on the cover you can be guaranteed it will not have any sex in it (or a red truck for that matter). That aside, this seems like a pretty good read overall but it was very traditional (traditional is code for old fashioned gender ideas and sexism). This was written recently but many of the sensibilities felt archaic. There were a few things and ideals that I think we need to yeet into the abyss.
For example:
1. Not like other girls heroine: I get why authors do this. They want to show how great and unique the heroine is however, is it possible to do this without tearing down all other women at the same time? Putting one woman (usually one kind of woman)on a pedestal sucks for all women. Saying the heroine doesn’t wear make up or has a natural look is fine. Suffixing it with ‘not like the women he was used to’ or ‘it was so refreshing considering women these days’ is shitty. Stop doing it.
2. Poor men mantra: writing a male character as being a nice guy who has trouble navigating the pitfalls of ‘todays world’ is ridiculous. There is not one thing about today’s world that is any more difficult for a man to navigate than in previous worlds. This ‘nice guys can’t get ahead’ rhetoric is toxic. Women like actual nice guys. Holding the door open or smiling at a woman will not land you in a #metoo lawsuit. It’s illogical and it just makes men look stupid and immature. Stop doing it.
3. Domestic chores are for everyone: I really want to one day be so lucky as to read a contemporary romance where we go to a family gathering and the men help in the kitchen and the women go talk about Serena’s latest tennis match, or anything. Cooking, cleaning, taking care of babies is work for all genders and I would LOVE to see it just naturally appearing in books. My Christmas family dinner isn’t complete if my dad hasn’t complimented his juicy turkey at least 12 times or if my husband hasn’t restocked the dishwasher behind me because I don’t do it properly. Write this please authors.
4. Diet culture: making a female character relatable by making her count calories or worry about them is something we need to leave in the 1990s. If your friends sit around joking about their thighs getting large if they finish their dessert, or how it must be nice for men to be able to eat whatever they want, they are relaying body shaming culture and pushing an idea that women should take up less space and should always be maintaining a certain image to remain sexually desirable. Stop doing this.
5. Use of the word ‘bimbo’ in regards to other women. Ya, no. Just no. Stop it!
Lastly and most appallingly:
6. Normalizing Sexual Assault on men. In this book Lauren holds a grudge against Will for over 10 years because on break from college she drives him home from a party while he is black out, staggering drunk and she fully sober. She helps him walk to his room and proceeds to kiss him and make out with him because she’s always crushed on him. He’s extremely drunk, did I point that out? She then builds castles in her head that they are starting a relationship and then has her hopes crushed later when a girl he is flirting with makes fun of her. He has NO MEMORY of their encounter. She then proceeds to hold a grudge for 10 years and treats him like garbage on a 7 day road trip until finally coming clean about why she dislikes him. He then proceeds to feel like absolute garbage and apologizes profusely for daring to be in the room with someone who said bad things about her and by kissing her and not remembering when he was black out drunk and she was sober and acting as his designated driver. Reverse roles here people, this is sexual assault, he cannot consent if he is not sober. This is 2022 (this was written last year) it’s time we apply consent rules across all genders. At no point does this book address the complete and utter terribleness of the FMCs actions here. Will apologizes. Will feels badly. Will had a drinking problem and sought help weeks after the incident. He has spent ten years being a solid guy. She has held this against him for ten years and not once did the author question that this bull shit was sexist and shitty as fuck! Nope.
This book could easily have these things edited out and tell the exact same story without pushing the ingrained societal misogyny.
Most people can read this type of book and not harp on this, not see a need to point this out or probably won’t notice it at all *it’s that insidious*. This was a very unmodern story and if you didn’t notice it, it kind of says a lot about you. It was so steeped in casual misogyny and sexism that I wanted to yeet it into the sun. Don’t believe me, read my highlights.
So maybe for some, this was a sweet little story, remove the bullshit and join 2022 and I could recommended it.
Why are so many Christmas books so heavy with the chauvinism and misogyny? ‘Tis the season to return to the 1950s?
This was the 6th book in my ‘reading Christmas books with vintage red trucks on the cover’. I have come to the conclusion that if a Christmas book has a red truck on the cover you can be guaranteed it will not have any sex in it (or a red truck for that matter). That aside, this seems like a pretty good read overall but it was very traditional (traditional is code for old fashioned gender ideas and sexism). This was written recently but many of the sensibilities felt archaic. There were a few things and ideals that I think we need to yeet into the abyss.
For example:
1. Not like other girls heroine: I get why authors do this. They want to show how great and unique the heroine is however, is it possible to do this without tearing down all other women at the same time? Putting one woman (usually one kind of woman)on a pedestal sucks for all women. Saying the heroine doesn’t wear make up or has a natural look is fine. Suffixing it with ‘not like the women he was used to’ or ‘it was so refreshing considering women these days’ is shitty. Stop doing it.
2. Poor men mantra: writing a male character as being a nice guy who has trouble navigating the pitfalls of ‘todays world’ is ridiculous. There is not one thing about today’s world that is any more difficult for a man to navigate than in previous worlds. This ‘nice guys can’t get ahead’ rhetoric is toxic. Women like actual nice guys. Holding the door open or smiling at a woman will not land you in a #metoo lawsuit. It’s illogical and it just makes men look stupid and immature. Stop doing it.
3. Domestic chores are for everyone: I really want to one day be so lucky as to read a contemporary romance where we go to a family gathering and the men help in the kitchen and the women go talk about Serena’s latest tennis match, or anything. Cooking, cleaning, taking care of babies is work for all genders and I would LOVE to see it just naturally appearing in books. My Christmas family dinner isn’t complete if my dad hasn’t complimented his juicy turkey at least 12 times or if my husband hasn’t restocked the dishwasher behind me because I don’t do it properly. Write this please authors.
4. Diet culture: making a female character relatable by making her count calories or worry about them is something we need to leave in the 1990s. If your friends sit around joking about their thighs getting large if they finish their dessert, or how it must be nice for men to be able to eat whatever they want, they are relaying body shaming culture and pushing an idea that women should take up less space and should always be maintaining a certain image to remain sexually desirable. Stop doing this.
5. Use of the word ‘bimbo’ in regards to other women. Ya, no. Just no. Stop it!
Lastly and most appallingly:
6. Normalizing Sexual Assault on men. In this book Lauren holds a grudge against Will for over 10 years because on break from college she drives him home from a party while he is black out, staggering drunk and she fully sober. She helps him walk to his room and proceeds to kiss him and make out with him because she’s always crushed on him. He’s extremely drunk, did I point that out? She then builds castles in her head that they are starting a relationship and then has her hopes crushed later when a girl he is flirting with makes fun of her. He has NO MEMORY of their encounter. She then proceeds to hold a grudge for 10 years and treats him like garbage on a 7 day road trip until finally coming clean about why she dislikes him. He then proceeds to feel like absolute garbage and apologizes profusely for daring to be in the room with someone who said bad things about her and by kissing her and not remembering when he was black out drunk and she was sober and acting as his designated driver. Reverse roles here people, this is sexual assault, he cannot consent if he is not sober. This is 2022 (this was written last year) it’s time we apply consent rules across all genders. At no point does this book address the complete and utter terribleness of the FMCs actions here. Will apologizes. Will feels badly. Will had a drinking problem and sought help weeks after the incident. He has spent ten years being a solid guy. She has held this against him for ten years and not once did the author question that this bull shit was sexist and shitty as fuck! Nope.
This book could easily have these things edited out and tell the exact same story without pushing the ingrained societal misogyny.
Most people can read this type of book and not harp on this, not see a need to point this out or probably won’t notice it at all *it’s that insidious*. This was a very unmodern story and if you didn’t notice it, it kind of says a lot about you. It was so steeped in casual misogyny and sexism that I wanted to yeet it into the sun. Don’t believe me, read my highlights.
So maybe for some, this was a sweet little story, remove the bullshit and join 2022 and I could recommended it.
anniemelton's review against another edition
5.0
Very good book for a short, lighthearted read. Cute story line and romance.
testar's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
paw815's review against another edition
5.0
!!!!
5/5 stars. 100% recommend. It’s like a Hallmark movie in the form of a book and it hits all of the right feels !
5/5 stars. 100% recommend. It’s like a Hallmark movie in the form of a book and it hits all of the right feels !
ers407's review
4.0
This was so sweet I think I have a tooth ache.
Sweet, corny, romantic, but in a fun way. Perfect, quick holiday read. Read it in an afternoon and felt all of the holiday spirit.
Sweet, corny, romantic, but in a fun way. Perfect, quick holiday read. Read it in an afternoon and felt all of the holiday spirit.
flowersofquiethappiness's review against another edition
4.0
Now that was sweet and swoony and simply quite a lot of fun. A story that made me smile a lot! Definitely a keeper. :)