Scan barcode
flintsloveofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was a sweet little holiday romance. It was a pretty quick read. I admit, I wished they had been stuck at the B&B longer (I'm a sucker for that trope) and the snowstorm could have been a lot worse, but it was interesting seeing them interact at the conference together as well. The ending felt a little quick, but I still enjoyed it. Overall, would recommend. Thanks for the ARC, Netgalley!
eletricjb's review against another edition
3.0
Not complex in the least, but sweet and a little sexy, merry Christmas to all
lezreadalot's review against another edition
3.0
“We’re all scared.” Li Hua folded her arms. “But some things— some people— are worth a little fear.”
3.5 stars. A super adorable sapphic romance that packs in quite a lot of tropes, but still doesn't doesn't feel like it's trying to do too much. It worked! There's a road trip to a conference, they get snowed in, there's only one bed, they're employer and employee, (well, senior editor and assistant) and it's Christmastime. The power imbalance in the sorta employer-employee dynamic is very slight, but it also wasn't ignored. It had a nice light humorous feel to the writing which was helped by all the chapter titles, like "Oh No, I Had a Feeling, Send Help ". Nice touch. It was whimsical and didn't take itself too seriously, but did get a little deeper when it needed to. Grace and Nicola were fun characters with good chemistry and banter.
Like most novellas, the length kind of worked against it. The conflict wasn't exactly unbelievable, but because it came up and was resolved in such a short period of time, I couldn't really get into it. It was a super meaningful issue that would have benefited from some more page time, and getting to know the characters a little better.
Still, this was honestly very adorable with some scenes that will stay with me for a while. I especially liked the first half of the book and the buildup to them getting together. It was a really fun holiday romance, definitely recommended.
Review copy provided via NetGalley.
lostinbooks2001's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
jmontg18's review
funny
relaxing
fast-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
3.25
althea's review against another edition
3.0
Very cute wee festive novella with a few tropes I really love (snowed in, only one bed), but I really struggled throughout the whole book to tell whose perspective I was reading from as there was no difference at all in their narrative style and at times even the things they said and did confused me as to who was the rich senior editor and who was the simple assistant. Overall fun but not a new favourite!
Holiday reading 2022:
1. A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli
2. Make the Yuletide Gay by Ivy L. James
Holiday reading 2022:
1. A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli
2. Make the Yuletide Gay by Ivy L. James
krunkjess's review
3.0
*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: December 14, 2020
This this LGBTQIA+ novella was a cute holiday workplace romance. While I’m not sure the relationship is wholly believable in how fast it progresses, as the initial kiss seemed unlikely to happen in a real situation, I still enjoyed the characters together and was rooting for them.
This this LGBTQIA+ novella was a cute holiday workplace romance. While I’m not sure the relationship is wholly believable in how fast it progresses, as the initial kiss seemed unlikely to happen in a real situation, I still enjoyed the characters together and was rooting for them.
00leah00's review
4.0
3.5 Stars
‘Make the Yuletide Gay’ is a cute holiday novella about an editor and her temporary assistant. They’re assigned a last-minute conference the week of Christmas and as it’s too late for plane tickets they’re on a 10-hour road trip to Maine. Along the way they encounter wintery weather and have to stop at the closest hotel, which happens to only have one bed!
While they’ve both had an attraction for each other, the trip lets them get to know each other on a more personal level. I liked how they found things out about each other that they were surprised to learn and shows how even if you spend 8 hours a day with someone, it doesn’t necessarily mean you know them.
James did go the extra step to give the story a bit more depth than is usual for novellas. I was a little disappointed this contained the ever present 90% conflict, however, because of the short length, it was resolved very quickly. Other than that, this was a pretty light hearted, fun read.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and NineStar Press in exchange for an honest review.
‘Make the Yuletide Gay’ is a cute holiday novella about an editor and her temporary assistant. They’re assigned a last-minute conference the week of Christmas and as it’s too late for plane tickets they’re on a 10-hour road trip to Maine. Along the way they encounter wintery weather and have to stop at the closest hotel, which happens to only have one bed!
While they’ve both had an attraction for each other, the trip lets them get to know each other on a more personal level. I liked how they found things out about each other that they were surprised to learn and shows how even if you spend 8 hours a day with someone, it doesn’t necessarily mean you know them.
James did go the extra step to give the story a bit more depth than is usual for novellas. I was a little disappointed this contained the ever present 90% conflict, however, because of the short length, it was resolved very quickly. Other than that, this was a pretty light hearted, fun read.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and NineStar Press in exchange for an honest review.
gillesbianreads's review
4.0
This is a sexy, Christmas age-gap novella about a jaded editor, Nichola, and her bright-eyed assistant, Grace, who must attend a conference for publishers over Christmas, but run into a few road blocks (literally).
This has some of my favourite tropes for romance: hurt/comfort, there was only one bed, literally falling onto each other, snowed in, and a bunch of other adorable tropes and clichés that make my heart soar. It's both a boss/assistant and age gap relationship-- which should make me weary-- but since it's well-done (in my opinion) it actually just makes it all the more sexy.
There were some times where I really didn't understand Nicola's train of thought, and where I thought Grace was overly eager since their relationship was only developing over a few days, but you can ultimately see where they're both coming from. I really enjoyed James' writing style and am going to check out her other works ASAP. With a lot of mushy feelings and a happy ending, this was the lesbian holiday romance I needed!
CW: abuse, neglect, boss/assistant relationship, sex
This has some of my favourite tropes for romance: hurt/comfort, there was only one bed, literally falling onto each other, snowed in, and a bunch of other adorable tropes and clichés that make my heart soar. It's both a boss/assistant and age gap relationship-- which should make me weary-- but since it's well-done (in my opinion) it actually just makes it all the more sexy.
There were some times where I really didn't understand Nicola's train of thought, and where I thought Grace was overly eager since their relationship was only developing over a few days, but you can ultimately see where they're both coming from. I really enjoyed James' writing style and am going to check out her other works ASAP. With a lot of mushy feelings and a happy ending, this was the lesbian holiday romance I needed!
CW: abuse, neglect, boss/assistant relationship, sex