thriftedbookworm 's review for:

Finding My Elf by David Valdes

2.0

funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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honestly this book held so much promise as a cute little ya novel. kid enters an elf competition and falls in love?? sounds cheesy and right up my alley for the holidays.

however, the book itself read more corny than anything else. i’ve read my fair share of ya novels that didn’t feel as juvenile as this one did, or as cringe. the bad guy saying “never mess with a millennial” was quite possibly the silliest thing i’ve ever read in a novel

and don’t get me started on cam. he was far from a likable character and spent 90% of the novel whining about his life and how his ex boyfriend didn’t like him. and then when he realized that another elf liked him it felt very insta love ?? i just couldn’t get into the romance or their relationship at all, it felt so forced.

there were for sure some cute moments between him and his dad and it is a book that does touch on a lot of teenage themes of not knowing what to do with your life that’s relatable (hell buddy i still feel like i don’t know what im doing),  but overall this book just was not it for me