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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
Cute!! I liked how it was a holiday read that just happened to take place over Christmas vs Christmas being the whole story. Also enjoyed that both fmc’s fessed up to the switch very early on so it wasn’t hanging over me as a third act breakup throughout the whole book (my biggest pet peeve with switch trope)
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
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
3.5 / 5 Cute cozy Christmas rom-com
Holly and Ivy are besties who meet in college at a cliche frat party and bond over their dislike of Christmas (despite their names,…or because of them) and preference for new years. Fast forward, Holly is getting married to her college sweetheart Matt who is actually a cheating sleazeball and he leaves her the day before their wedding. Obviously brokenhearted, Holly can’t fathom going on her honeymoon alone and has the idea for them to switch trips. Ivy goes to Hawaii on the prepaid honeymoon and Holly goes to the snowy mountains in upstate NY where Ivy had actually rented a eco-cabin for a 2 week art retreat. Cue in the meet cutes. Loved Aiden and Oliver. This book read like a cozy Hallmark winter holiday movie with a HEA…though minimal Christmas vibes. There’s not much depth in the characters but it was wholesome and you were rooting for both FMC and MMC and loved to see the hate towards Matt. Cute read for an evening.
Thank you NetGalley and author Julia McKay for the ARC!
Holly and Ivy are besties who meet in college at a cliche frat party and bond over their dislike of Christmas (despite their names,…or because of them) and preference for new years. Fast forward, Holly is getting married to her college sweetheart Matt who is actually a cheating sleazeball and he leaves her the day before their wedding. Obviously brokenhearted, Holly can’t fathom going on her honeymoon alone and has the idea for them to switch trips. Ivy goes to Hawaii on the prepaid honeymoon and Holly goes to the snowy mountains in upstate NY where Ivy had actually rented a eco-cabin for a 2 week art retreat. Cue in the meet cutes. Loved Aiden and Oliver. This book read like a cozy Hallmark winter holiday movie with a HEA…though minimal Christmas vibes. There’s not much depth in the characters but it was wholesome and you were rooting for both FMC and MMC and loved to see the hate towards Matt. Cute read for an evening.
Thank you NetGalley and author Julia McKay for the ARC!
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
There was so much of this to love! The two couples were great together, and I loved the friendship at the center of this story. The way the friends have similar hearts but different personalities made it feel very realistic!
Some of my favorite moments were when Ivy hopped on the plane for Holly at a moments notice (so sweet!) and the classic cliche of Oliver hopping on a plane at the end as well. I knew it was coming and still considered it swoon-worthy ♥️ Aiden ended up being one of my favorite characters for the cheesy level of hallmark male lead kindness he showed (see: visits to the elderly, medical checks on a cat, driving Holly around, etc). This book really felt like a wholesome Christmas movie you’d see on a TV romcom movie marathon.
I found Alexa’s character too grating—I get that she’s blunt but why would she ruin aiden’s (and the family’s) happiness on Christmas if she loved him and wanted to protect him instead of waiting until the day after? Also I was SO pumped for Ivy to confront Abby and her response was so unsatisfying
Some of my favorite moments were when Ivy hopped on the plane for Holly at a moments notice (so sweet!) and the classic cliche of Oliver hopping on a plane at the end as well. I knew it was coming and still considered it swoon-worthy ♥️ Aiden ended up being one of my favorite characters for the cheesy level of hallmark male lead kindness he showed (see: visits to the elderly, medical checks on a cat, driving Holly around, etc). This book really felt like a wholesome Christmas movie you’d see on a TV romcom movie marathon.
I found Alexa’s character too grating—I get that she’s blunt but why would she ruin aiden’s (and the family’s) happiness on Christmas if she loved him and wanted to protect him instead of waiting until the day after? Also I was SO pumped for Ivy to confront Abby and her response was so unsatisfying