Scan barcode
A review by tessa_talks_books
Unleashed Holiday by Victoria Schade
3.0
Unleashed Holiday by Victoria Schade is a cute story thanks mainly to a handful of dogs and even some goats with great personalities and charm. There's not a lot of holiday in this holiday rom-com, but there are plenty of laughs along with some deeper issues the main characters need to resolve to move on.
So many aspects of this story are thoroughly enjoyable. Unfortunately, I struggled with the main character and narrator, Chelsea, which impacted my entire reading experience. Her grief over her father's passing and her family's reaction to her reason for being stuck in that grief weren't authentic to me. It ultimately felt self-indulgent and disrespectful, which made her a difficult character to get behind. Though, Andrew - Chelsea's second chance love interest - is a character whose situation and reactions felt one hundred percent believable and saved the story for me.
I loved the way Chelsea's and Andrew's relationship played out. It is so gradual and subtle, often taking a backseat to their growth journies. I found this to be so refreshing and genuine.
The story's pacing is very consistent, making its medium pace feel even faster than it is. That's partly due to the first-person narration from Chelsea's POV. I don't know that the setting is significant, but that didn't significantly impact my enjoyment of the story. I just simply forgot where it was taking place.
Unleashed Holiday is a lovely choice for animal lovers, particularly those with a soft spot for dogs.
So many aspects of this story are thoroughly enjoyable. Unfortunately, I struggled with the main character and narrator, Chelsea, which impacted my entire reading experience. Her grief over her father's passing and her family's reaction to her reason for being stuck in that grief weren't authentic to me. It ultimately felt self-indulgent and disrespectful, which made her a difficult character to get behind. Though, Andrew - Chelsea's second chance love interest - is a character whose situation and reactions felt one hundred percent believable and saved the story for me.
I loved the way Chelsea's and Andrew's relationship played out. It is so gradual and subtle, often taking a backseat to their growth journies. I found this to be so refreshing and genuine.
The story's pacing is very consistent, making its medium pace feel even faster than it is. That's partly due to the first-person narration from Chelsea's POV. I don't know that the setting is significant, but that didn't significantly impact my enjoyment of the story. I just simply forgot where it was taking place.
Unleashed Holiday is a lovely choice for animal lovers, particularly those with a soft spot for dogs.