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hannah_reads_2020's review
5.0
Short, sweet and full of love.
We have the slightly jaded Felix who is happy that all his friends have found love but feels like the 5th wheel. He is well written and a I loved his story arc. He is a passionate nurse and you can really see the love he has for his patients. Keith is funny and I love how we learn more about him as the story progresses.
The mixture of past and present worked well and didn't feel jarring like it can in some books. Its emotional, and at time heart wrenching but also a beautiful celebration of queer love.
Is this book predictable, yes. Is this book everything I want in a Christmas romance - also yes.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for my free copy in exchange for honest review.
We have the slightly jaded Felix who is happy that all his friends have found love but feels like the 5th wheel. He is well written and a I loved his story arc. He is a passionate nurse and you can really see the love he has for his patients. Keith is funny and I love how we learn more about him as the story progresses.
The mixture of past and present worked well and didn't feel jarring like it can in some books. Its emotional, and at time heart wrenching but also a beautiful celebration of queer love.
Is this book predictable, yes. Is this book everything I want in a Christmas romance - also yes.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for my free copy in exchange for honest review.
netslummer's review
5.0
Felix Navidad is the latest entry in a series of connected novellas set in Ottawa where each entry focuses on different people in a friend group finding their someone and an HEA. Felix is the last member of this group to find his person. A homecare nurse who has sort of given up and focusing hard on work until one of his patients, turned friend, Danya starts to feed him words of wisdom about being a bit selfish once in a while and the importance of being happy. Oh. And he gives him his nickname of Navidad (because the Christmas song, you see..).
The story is told in two timelines: present day in the days before and during Christmas, and various months in the year leading up to this point. The timelines alternate each chapter throughout and are labeled to avoid confusion. The past timelines are visits with Danya and present day is Felix's friend Ru's wedding and the days after, which Felix is planning to spend in Hawai'i on vacation.
At Ru's wedding he spots the handsome Kevin, an ex-boyfriend of Ru with whom he has a bit of a moment which is cut short by the tenacity of another single guy. The next day, surprise surprise, all the flights out are cancelled so Felix can't get to his Hawai'i trip....and conveniently Kevin can't get home for Christmas to Oneida. Felix, being the generous man he is, offers to take Kevin with him as he rushes to Toronto to catch the last flight out to get him to Hawai'i....unfortunately they are both stranded in an ice storm....luckily they find a cozy cabin rental. With one bed (and a couch) an cozy fires and intimate chats.
Gosh this book was really cute. Normally holiday romance isn't my THING but this one certainly was. Maybe I'm a bit less of a Grinch than I thought. I'm eagerly seeking out the rest of the books in this novella line. I don't mind that I've been "spoiled" on the relationships that formed in the former entries to the series. Its never much of a shock in a romance book anyway. I think some people reading this one first might be bummed by some of the references from prior entries but it didn't really bother me when they weren't fully explained. All-in-all I definitely would recommend this to anyone who wants a really sweet quick holiday romance reasd.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books Inc for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story is told in two timelines: present day in the days before and during Christmas, and various months in the year leading up to this point. The timelines alternate each chapter throughout and are labeled to avoid confusion. The past timelines are visits with Danya and present day is Felix's friend Ru's wedding and the days after, which Felix is planning to spend in Hawai'i on vacation.
At Ru's wedding he spots the handsome Kevin, an ex-boyfriend of Ru with whom he has a bit of a moment which is cut short by the tenacity of another single guy. The next day, surprise surprise, all the flights out are cancelled so Felix can't get to his Hawai'i trip....and conveniently Kevin can't get home for Christmas to Oneida. Felix, being the generous man he is, offers to take Kevin with him as he rushes to Toronto to catch the last flight out to get him to Hawai'i....unfortunately they are both stranded in an ice storm....luckily they find a cozy cabin rental. With one bed (and a couch) an cozy fires and intimate chats.
Gosh this book was really cute. Normally holiday romance isn't my THING but this one certainly was. Maybe I'm a bit less of a Grinch than I thought. I'm eagerly seeking out the rest of the books in this novella line. I don't mind that I've been "spoiled" on the relationships that formed in the former entries to the series. Its never much of a shock in a romance book anyway. I think some people reading this one first might be bummed by some of the references from prior entries but it didn't really bother me when they weren't fully explained. All-in-all I definitely would recommend this to anyone who wants a really sweet quick holiday romance reasd.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books Inc for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
ryanpfw's review
4.0
Totally remember writing a review for his. That’s going to keep me up at night.
Every year, I make a list of books and read them all between Thanksgiving and New Years. Handmade Holidays will be on the list every year, and this year I went all in and finished the Village series. This one, like most of the rest, was very nice. I don’t mean to review them as a pack, or let my thoughts on one influence another, but it’s hard to separate. Silas’ story was my favorite, and a lot of that was from the ancillary characters. Owen’s story provided a lot of the background for this one, it was well written and shows the importance of a community trying to leave life better for those who will follow, while ensuring their history is never forgotten.
That said, Owen, Silas and Felix all went for the same burly type of guy, wondered about soft beards a lot…and it just came across as repetitious.
Every year, I make a list of books and read them all between Thanksgiving and New Years. Handmade Holidays will be on the list every year, and this year I went all in and finished the Village series. This one, like most of the rest, was very nice. I don’t mean to review them as a pack, or let my thoughts on one influence another, but it’s hard to separate. Silas’ story was my favorite, and a lot of that was from the ancillary characters. Owen’s story provided a lot of the background for this one, it was well written and shows the importance of a community trying to leave life better for those who will follow, while ensuring their history is never forgotten.
That said, Owen, Silas and Felix all went for the same burly type of guy, wondered about soft beards a lot…and it just came across as repetitious.
norassick's review
4.0
netgalley arc that I'm sorry i couldn't get to sooner :( BUT it was adorable? Like genuinely watching felix grow in a novella no less? Insane character development. Also yea find love but we're skipping over that because i feel unlovable. Anyway i love holiday stories, was missing the peppermint coffee while reading <3
spicynicole's review
4.0
eARC received for review from Net Galley
4/5 ⭐️
Was I attracted to this book because of the Stray Kids song Christmas Evel? Yes... Yes I was.
The first thing I will say is that I have not read any of the other books in the Little Village series which left me a little confused and made the story a little harder for me to get into because I personally-stubbornly-have a very hard time not starting stand-alone series from the beginning. Once I got over my stubborness and let myself get into the novella, I was blow away at the cleverness of Nathan Burgoine. I love how incredibly connected Felix and Kevin's lives were before they even realized it and going through the realization process with the two main characters was such a fun, cute, and inclredible experience.
The only nitpicking I have to do here is about the third person point of view and the talk of COVID because I quite enjoyed the rest of it. I will always prefer 1st person POV over 3rd but it still didn't take away from the story any. My only other irritaion, the inclusion of the Coronavirus pandemic, is that I like using reading as a way to escape so I will never want to read about COVID and any time it is included I feel it makes the story feel too upsetting.
Thank you Nathan Burgoine, Bold Strokes Books, and Net Galley for the free eARC.
4/5 ⭐️
Was I attracted to this book because of the Stray Kids song Christmas Evel? Yes... Yes I was.
The first thing I will say is that I have not read any of the other books in the Little Village series which left me a little confused and made the story a little harder for me to get into because I personally-stubbornly-have a very hard time not starting stand-alone series from the beginning. Once I got over my stubborness and let myself get into the novella, I was blow away at the cleverness of Nathan Burgoine. I love how incredibly connected Felix and Kevin's lives were before they even realized it and going through the realization process with the two main characters was such a fun, cute, and inclredible experience.
The only nitpicking I have to do here is about the third person point of view and the talk of COVID because I quite enjoyed the rest of it. I will always prefer 1st person POV over 3rd but it still didn't take away from the story any. My only other irritaion, the inclusion of the Coronavirus pandemic, is that I like using reading as a way to escape so I will never want to read about COVID and any time it is included I feel it makes the story feel too upsetting.
Thank you Nathan Burgoine, Bold Strokes Books, and Net Galley for the free eARC.
indiekay's review
5.0
4.5 stars
Thank you NetGallery for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.
I will start by saying I have not read the other books in this series, so I came into this one reading it as a stand alone. I think reading the other books would help, because there are a lot of friends and past events mentioned here that could use some context, BUT the overall plot is not at all hampered by not having read the rest of the books.
And Content Warnings:
Okay, all that out of the way: the plot. Felix is a at-home nurse, and the book splits half the chapters between the current time - where Felix is attending his friends' wedding - and the year previously, where we meet one of Felix's patients. Danya is an elderly man recovering from pneumonia. He has lived a fantastic queer live as a drag queen and an owner of a book shop, and now does a lot of community work and is always busy and knows everyone.
Felix never takes the holidays off from work, because he doesn't have family to spend the holidays with anyway, so he might as well give his coworkers that time off instead. But, after encouragement from Danya, Felix decides this year he's going to attend his friends' wedding (which has been delayed two years because of COVID - I do love the rare time I read a book that's actually set in our current time line instead of just pretending the last 2 years never happened!), and then he's got going to get on a plane and go spend a week in Hawai'i.
While at the wedding Felix meets a really hot guy, Kyle, that's one of the groom's ex-boyfriend, but they only talk to each other for one dance before parting ways. But when Felix goes to the airport to catch his flight to Toronto, both his and Kyle's flights are cancelled and Felix offers Kyle a lift to Toronto. And then, of course, there's a snow story and they get trapped in a cute cabin together for a couple of days.
That's the plot stuff done. My actual review: This book is really sweet and delivers on a lot of the things I want most in a holiday romance. Sometimes the fact that every second chapter is a flashback kind of hinders the story a bit, because every time it feels like Felix and Kyle are getting to know each other, the chapter ends, and then just as I settle into Danya and Felix's time together, THEIR chapter ends and I have to get used to Felix and Kyle again. So that did slow down my reading a little bit, but also: this book is quite short, and maybe slowing it down a bit was a good thing.
Anyway, I REALYL liked how the past and the present came together in the end, and the big reveal was not something I'd been expecting, and made me cry buckets. The ending is very sweet happy ending as well.
Thank you NetGallery for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.
I will start by saying I have not read the other books in this series, so I came into this one reading it as a stand alone. I think reading the other books would help, because there are a lot of friends and past events mentioned here that could use some context, BUT the overall plot is not at all hampered by not having read the rest of the books.
And Content Warnings:
Spoiler
COVID is mentioned, though no one explicitly ever has it; some very mild medical descriptions; an elderly character passes away off-screne. There is no explicit sex in this story, and there IS a Happy Ever AfterOkay, all that out of the way: the plot. Felix is a at-home nurse, and the book splits half the chapters between the current time - where Felix is attending his friends' wedding - and the year previously, where we meet one of Felix's patients. Danya is an elderly man recovering from pneumonia. He has lived a fantastic queer live as a drag queen and an owner of a book shop, and now does a lot of community work and is always busy and knows everyone.
Felix never takes the holidays off from work, because he doesn't have family to spend the holidays with anyway, so he might as well give his coworkers that time off instead. But, after encouragement from Danya, Felix decides this year he's going to attend his friends' wedding (which has been delayed two years because of COVID - I do love the rare time I read a book that's actually set in our current time line instead of just pretending the last 2 years never happened!), and then he's got going to get on a plane and go spend a week in Hawai'i.
While at the wedding Felix meets a really hot guy, Kyle, that's one of the groom's ex-boyfriend, but they only talk to each other for one dance before parting ways. But when Felix goes to the airport to catch his flight to Toronto, both his and Kyle's flights are cancelled and Felix offers Kyle a lift to Toronto. And then, of course, there's a snow story and they get trapped in a cute cabin together for a couple of days.
That's the plot stuff done. My actual review: This book is really sweet and delivers on a lot of the things I want most in a holiday romance. Sometimes the fact that every second chapter is a flashback kind of hinders the story a bit, because every time it feels like Felix and Kyle are getting to know each other, the chapter ends, and then just as I settle into Danya and Felix's time together, THEIR chapter ends and I have to get used to Felix and Kyle again. So that did slow down my reading a little bit, but also: this book is quite short, and maybe slowing it down a bit was a good thing.
Anyway, I REALYL liked how the past and the present came together in the end, and the big reveal was not something I'd been expecting, and made me cry buckets. The ending is very sweet happy ending as well.
endemictoearth's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Oh, I loved this one. It does flash between time periods, which can be confusing in the wrong hands, but this is one of the few authors I think does it to great effect, and it really works here. I cried more than once, but not all tears were sad ones. I've enjoyed all the books in this Little Village series, but this one might be my favorite. It incorporates a lot of things that many holiday romances have, but makes them feel fresh and new, nothing stale or rote here.
I'm having trouble expressing that while the situations our MCs get into (that we've seen before elsewhere) seem plausible and considered here, they are no less magical for being sensible. The parts about how you can't change how your friends and family see you, but you can meet someone who will see the parts of you that have grown and changed, and even appreciate the things that others chide you about . . . yes. I get that. This is all very enigmatic of me, but I would just recommend you read it and see what you think.
I'm having trouble expressing that while the situations our MCs get into (that we've seen before elsewhere) seem plausible and considered here, they are no less magical for being sensible. The parts about how you can't change how your friends and family see you, but you can meet someone who will see the parts of you that have grown and changed, and even appreciate the things that others chide you about . . . yes. I get that. This is all very enigmatic of me, but I would just recommend you read it and see what you think.
mamas_gotta_read's review
3.0
So I was completely unaware that this was part of a series! While I generally enjoyed the story, I felt like there were A LOT of blanks I couldn’t fill in due to not having read the other books. I thought Felix and Kevin were sweet, and I LOVED the focus of Felix’s relationship with Danya, but I desperately wanted more. I found it super strange that the MCs relationship went from nothing to everything just because of a suggestion. As I said, I found the story cute, but it just felt lacking overall..
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books. All opinions are my own.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books. All opinions are my own.
wardenred's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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
Take the opportunity. That’s what they’re for.
Not my favorite Little Village novella, but it was definitely a cute and pleasant wintery read! I kind of regret not picking up Village Fool earlier, though. Of course, this series can be read any which way, but it does feel like some context from that particular book would have come handy.
The romance part was vaguely underwhelming for me, to be honest, which is funny, given that it's the whole reason I picked up. But at the beginning there was such a strong notion that Kevin was still hung on Ru, so complete with a rather fast relationship development, it created a sort of, "So is it going to be just a rebound then?" feel. I was honestly far more invested in the second of the two timelines. There was something really beautiful about Felix bonding with Danya while working as Danya's nurse, and I appreciated Felix's work philosophy and ethics a lot. He's a great caretaker.
As usual, I loved the strong sense of queer community and the found family vibes all around, specifically during the wedding scenes. It was also interesting how firmly the book is rooted in the now. The small casual mentions of climate change affecting weather patterns and therefore plans, the recent COVID pandemics—somehow, the way it was done really made me feel like all the characters were real people, just going about their lives across the globe from me, coping with the same world-wide troubles. That was a curious effect.
All in all, a good edition to my December reading list, even if I maybe expected a bit more!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Homophobia