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A review by abbeyroad1410
Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I picked up this book for a cute holiday love story, and there was too much smut and not enough holiday for my taste.
I should start with my favorite part of the book: Melody. She is charming. She exhibits growth in her confidence and in her relationship with her mother. She is so quippy that you get why she is popular with audiences - because she's popular with readers! Melody is easily the best part of this book. The chapters with she and her mother, Trina, are easily some of my favorites as they have both the humor and the drama that you want in a light-hearted movie.
Melody also has great banter with her romantic counterpart, Beat (and yes, that unfortunately is his legal name; his mother deserves to be sued). Most of their love story is entertaining, and the characters play off of each other well.
On his own, however, Beat drives me insane. He's overly protective of Melody in a way that I do not find cute. Also, he definitely needs therapy, but instead of seeking help, he channels his problem (being rich) into his sexual preferences. Additionally, he has severe trust issues. Needless to say, the man probably shouldn't be in a relationship right now.
In addition to being plagued with a privileged upbringing (so sad for Beat), Beat has a blackmailer. This seems like it would be an interesting plot, and for most of the story it is. However, the blackmailer is the biggest plot device. The secret is eventually revealed, and the person it should most affect experiences no consequences at all. Seemingly, this is so that Beat can conclude that he should have trusted his mother with the information that he had a blackmailer the whole time! Regardless, I would have appreciated to see the actual consequences of a significant secret being revealed.
Overall, I was slightly disappointed with this novel. I wish it would have focused more on Melody and Beat's emotional connection and banter (I'm still not over that being his legal name) and less on Beat's sexual preferences that developed because he felt too privileged. I await Ashley's thoughts.
I should start with my favorite part of the book: Melody. She is charming. She exhibits growth in her confidence and in her relationship with her mother. She is so quippy that you get why she is popular with audiences - because she's popular with readers! Melody is easily the best part of this book. The chapters with she and her mother, Trina, are easily some of my favorites as they have both the humor and the drama that you want in a light-hearted movie.
Melody also has great banter with her romantic counterpart, Beat (and yes, that unfortunately is his legal name; his mother deserves to be sued). Most of their love story is entertaining, and the characters play off of each other well.
On his own, however, Beat drives me insane. He's overly protective of Melody in a way that I do not find cute. Also, he definitely needs therapy, but instead of seeking help, he channels his problem (being rich) into his sexual preferences. Additionally, he has severe trust issues. Needless to say, the man probably shouldn't be in a relationship right now.
In addition to being plagued with a privileged upbringing (so sad for Beat), Beat has a blackmailer. This seems like it would be an interesting plot, and for most of the story it is. However, the blackmailer is the biggest plot device. The secret is eventually revealed, and the person it should most affect experiences no consequences at all. Seemingly, this is so that Beat can conclude that he should have trusted his mother with the information that he had a blackmailer the whole time! Regardless, I would have appreciated to see the actual consequences of a significant secret being revealed.
Overall, I was slightly disappointed with this novel. I wish it would have focused more on Melody and Beat's emotional connection and banter (I'm still not over that being his legal name) and less on Beat's sexual preferences that developed because he felt too privileged. I await Ashley's thoughts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content