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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
✨Hallmark but it bangs✨
I haven’t needed to use my Ho! Ho! Ho! meter lately but oh goddamn if I don’t need a fainting couch. I could use a good faint right about now. But I need to be more dramatic about it. I’m thinking straight up face plant into the pillows coupled in the fall by only my singleness and my thimble shot size of holiday spirit. It’s been a rough and ready year but this book is a platinum mine in the ruins. The dirty talk was amazing and so unexpected.
Lord do I love me a wonderfully meddlesome manservant. And the point of view of this novel. We start out with Leo’s—not Marie’s—which I adored. You get to see the princess ogle the pauper at the ball in his dapper tux for a change. Stellar. Leo had his Cinderella moment—insert fist pump circa 1985. This book is a fairytale with the perfect amount of holiday ornamentation. It’s clearly branded as a Christmas card romance novel and rightfully so.
Okay so what’s below isn’t even a review really—just a peek inside my brain for the last hour while I’ve digested this sugary confection of a novel. Hallmark and who-ha appreciation? A bang-up Christmas cookie combo. With a stiff glass of milk.
~jazzy interlude moment because just understand that I loved this book but I’m skipping right to the end or after end, afterglow? because it’s necessary~
I know epilogues are supposed to give you more content of the original couple but SWEET FUCKING FIDDLESTICKS—Max and Dani Max and Dani Max and Dani this is how you manifest right? Please for the love of god-iva chocolate let there be a second book. I beg! I yearn!
NEVER MIND THIS IS A SERIES! I’M! UNWELL! I’M RIDING THE SWEET WAVES OF A SUGAR RUSH OMG. I DIDN’T KNOW THIS UNTIL I READ THE AUTHOR’S NOTE. BLESS THE TEN LORDS A-LEAPING. BLESS THE PEAR. BLESS THE TREE. wow okay I need to breathe. I did not know manifestation worked that fast. I’m impressed with the speed even around the holidays, I know shipping can be a pain. Anyhoo I’m calm. Now I pine!
Y’ALL I KEPT READING. JENNY HOLIDAY WAS A MINNESOTA YOUTH. I AM A MINNESOTA YOUTH. well ‘youth-adjacent’ at a fresh 22. good lord I thought I related to Holiday’s love of the em dash—I love her love—and her sense of humor, but relating to Minnesota?? I’ve transcended the mortal Midwestern plane of ‘uffda’ at this point.
This is the book I was most excited to read this Christmas and what a present it’s been—something about the cover just spoke to me. I think it’s the color pink of the coat. I’ve been looking for that exact shade of lipstick so if any of y’all could hook a girl up I’d be so lips-tickled pink.
‘A Princess for Christmas’ is THE fav of season and the holiday genre for sure. I need to make a list of my romance genre favs for the new year. I find it so satisfying to list them out and I’m so happy I can include this one.
Oh sweet Jesus I kept reading again. There’s an excerpt of the next novel. Excuse me while I keep this train a-rolling into Manifestation Station! This fake-dating ride has felled me! Felled I say! I wait with bated breath. And a freshly purchased stack of Jenny Holiday’s other books. For science.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
I haven’t needed to use my Ho! Ho! Ho! meter lately but oh goddamn if I don’t need a fainting couch. I could use a good faint right about now. But I need to be more dramatic about it. I’m thinking straight up face plant into the pillows coupled in the fall by only my singleness and my thimble shot size of holiday spirit. It’s been a rough and ready year but this book is a platinum mine in the ruins. The dirty talk was amazing and so unexpected.
Lord do I love me a wonderfully meddlesome manservant. And the point of view of this novel. We start out with Leo’s—not Marie’s—which I adored. You get to see the princess ogle the pauper at the ball in his dapper tux for a change. Stellar. Leo had his Cinderella moment—insert fist pump circa 1985. This book is a fairytale with the perfect amount of holiday ornamentation. It’s clearly branded as a Christmas card romance novel and rightfully so.
Okay so what’s below isn’t even a review really—just a peek inside my brain for the last hour while I’ve digested this sugary confection of a novel. Hallmark and who-ha appreciation? A bang-up Christmas cookie combo. With a stiff glass of milk.
~jazzy interlude moment because just understand that I loved this book but I’m skipping right to the end or after end, afterglow? because it’s necessary~
I know epilogues are supposed to give you more content of the original couple but SWEET FUCKING FIDDLESTICKS—Max and Dani Max and Dani Max and Dani this is how you manifest right? Please for the love of god-iva chocolate let there be a second book. I beg! I yearn!
NEVER MIND THIS IS A SERIES! I’M! UNWELL! I’M RIDING THE SWEET WAVES OF A SUGAR RUSH OMG. I DIDN’T KNOW THIS UNTIL I READ THE AUTHOR’S NOTE. BLESS THE TEN LORDS A-LEAPING. BLESS THE PEAR. BLESS THE TREE. wow okay I need to breathe. I did not know manifestation worked that fast. I’m impressed with the speed even around the holidays, I know shipping can be a pain. Anyhoo I’m calm. Now I pine!
Y’ALL I KEPT READING. JENNY HOLIDAY WAS A MINNESOTA YOUTH. I AM A MINNESOTA YOUTH. well ‘youth-adjacent’ at a fresh 22. good lord I thought I related to Holiday’s love of the em dash—I love her love—and her sense of humor, but relating to Minnesota?? I’ve transcended the mortal Midwestern plane of ‘uffda’ at this point.
This is the book I was most excited to read this Christmas and what a present it’s been—something about the cover just spoke to me. I think it’s the color pink of the coat. I’ve been looking for that exact shade of lipstick so if any of y’all could hook a girl up I’d be so lips-tickled pink.
‘A Princess for Christmas’ is THE fav of season and the holiday genre for sure. I need to make a list of my romance genre favs for the new year. I find it so satisfying to list them out and I’m so happy I can include this one.
Oh sweet Jesus I kept reading again. There’s an excerpt of the next novel. Excuse me while I keep this train a-rolling into Manifestation Station! This fake-dating ride has felled me! Felled I say! I wait with bated breath. And a freshly purchased stack of Jenny Holiday’s other books. For science.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
It started out pretty slow, New York was the getting to know you phase, it dragged for me. Once they went to Eldovia it picked up, and I really enjoyed it.
It felt like Christmas magic, with some help from the Fairy Godfather, at the end.
It felt like Christmas magic, with some help from the Fairy Godfather, at the end.
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
In this Christmas-y rom-com, a New York cab driver and the Princess of Eldovia look past their obvious differences to a deeper shared connection. They're two people from vastly different worlds who lost parents during the holiday season-- Marie's mother to cancer three years ago and Leo's parents to a car accident two years ago. Now, Marie's father is distant and formal, leaving her to pick up the slack in royal duties as he grieves and resorts to his worst, snobbish self. Meanwhile, Leo is the guardian of his eleven-year-old sister Gabby and barely making ends meet to keep them afloat. During a time that was once so cheery, Marie and Leo find empathy and joy as they seek out holiday adventures and time together.
The characters are a complete delight. Marie's uncertain and anxious in high-pressure situations, but she's also dutiful and intelligent. She's coming to terms with the new state of her life and coming to the difficult decision not to accept this status quo. Leo is charming whether he takes Marie ice skating at Rockefeller Plaza, begs for help buying his little sister her first maxi pads, or accidentally eats soap that he thought was chocolate at an Alpine castle. He's prideful and afraid of failing Gabby, but his good-natured teasing and constant support land him squarely in the "dreamy" category for this reader. Gabby is cute as a gumdrop while being very much a preteen dealing with all the attendant struggles of the age. And the couple who is already set up for their own story in the sequel has me squealing with excitement.
And the romance is just so ooey-goeey cute. My top favorite thing is the way they check in with each other and want real answers *swoooooooon like a big-time face-plant type swoon, someone get me a fainting couch.* But I also give the way they find both contentment and excitement with each other 10/10. From grand gestures to little moments trading memories or processing the day's emotions, all the vibes were immaculate.
Both the author and the characters reference the way this story is a twist on a Hallmark Christmas adventure (+open door and adult language), but I have never melted off my chair over a Hallmark movie nor experienced an actual net gain in holiday spirit from watching one. A Princess for Christmas achieved all that and more. I will be running back to Eldovia for more holiday cheer ASAP no matter the season.
The characters are a complete delight. Marie's uncertain and anxious in high-pressure situations, but she's also dutiful and intelligent. She's coming to terms with the new state of her life and coming to the difficult decision not to accept this status quo. Leo is charming whether he takes Marie ice skating at Rockefeller Plaza, begs for help buying his little sister her first maxi pads, or accidentally eats soap that he thought was chocolate at an Alpine castle. He's prideful and afraid of failing Gabby, but his good-natured teasing and constant support land him squarely in the "dreamy" category for this reader. Gabby is cute as a gumdrop while being very much a preteen dealing with all the attendant struggles of the age. And the couple who is already set up for their own story in the sequel has me squealing with excitement.
And the romance is just so ooey-goeey cute. My top favorite thing is the way they check in with each other and want real answers *swoooooooon like a big-time face-plant type swoon, someone get me a fainting couch.* But I also give the way they find both contentment and excitement with each other 10/10. From grand gestures to little moments trading memories or processing the day's emotions, all the vibes were immaculate.
Both the author and the characters reference the way this story is a twist on a Hallmark Christmas adventure (+open door and adult language), but I have never melted off my chair over a Hallmark movie nor experienced an actual net gain in holiday spirit from watching one. A Princess for Christmas achieved all that and more. I will be running back to Eldovia for more holiday cheer ASAP no matter the season.
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This was a cute Christmas read that was a blend of sweet and spicy.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Sexism, Death of parent
While the story itself was interesting and very well-written, it simply didn’t grab my attention and make me want to keep reading it.
Leo and his relationship with his sister Gabby is wonderful, and Marie learning how to be the ruler of Eldovia was laugh out loud funny.
Leo and his relationship with his sister Gabby is wonderful, and Marie learning how to be the ruler of Eldovia was laugh out loud funny.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No