Reviews

A Christmas Caroline by Camilla Isley

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elisa_pretty's review

5.0

A beautifully written retelling of a Christmas Carol.
Funny, heartwarming, and romantic and super light read for Christmas time.

I loved it!

racham1123's review

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

Considering I'm not actually much of a fan of the whole 'Christmas Carol' thing- not books, or various movie adaptations, not plays- not any of it- I did really enjoy this.

Now, I did see pretty early on that Caroline is being painted as a villain for two reasons:
-Not having kids or seeming to particularly want kids
-Choosing to be a successful business woman over having kids and a family
And, I didn't love that premise. I think it's kind of annoying when characters are written off as "not being complete" without fitting into societies pre-established roles of what it means to be a woman.🙄
However, I myself often feel conflicted by those very two points of view so I tried not to get too offended and I just went along with the story.

Let's get into that!
I did really like Isley's take on the the whole ghost thing. Melody was a fun character but also the whole way the past/present/future thing was dealt with was interesting. And, I really liked the way our cheeky Christmas angel explains how things work with other ghosts and how the whole thing is being revamped and updated- it was a refreshing and humorous way to go about it.

Hot take? I liked original "villain" Caroline, "Jersey Caroline" AND our new and improved Caroline. 🤷🏻‍♀️
I thought this was an easy story to listen to and fits right into that holiday spirit thing everyone raves about so much, lol. But, no, it was warm and fun. As someone who has no kids, I felt like the new mom parts were written well because it hit on some stuff I'd never really considered before. I don't know, it wasn't particularly heavy in anyway, it was light and flirty and it was all the things I've grown to really enjoy about an Isley book.

jamminreads's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

4.75

I loved this book! A Christmas Carol is one Christmas story I’m very familiar with, and I enjoyed this modern retelling. The narrator also did an amazing job and made the story easy to listen to.

Caroline was a witch in the beginning of this book, but obviously that’s the point. To watch her growth was so heartwarming. This novel made me think about my own family as I’m also a mother of three who is married to an engaging father and awesome partner. It also made me think about how having a family really does shift one’s priorities.

I only wish that we could’ve gotten an epilogue a few Christmases into the future.

cayleeguy's review

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

booknallnight's review

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fast-paced

5.0

I started and finished this one today while diamond painting. I LOVE A Christmas Carol. It's one of my all-time favorite Christmas stories. I love stories that are retellings of it and was happy to find A Christmas Caroline.

The narrator is amazing and made the story easy to listen to. The story itself is fun and entertaining. I adored it. Definitely a perfect one for Christmas time.