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A review by lauren_garcia
Christmas Sweets by Laura Levine, Leslie Meier, Joanne Fluke
4.0
Note: This is a set of three novellas previously published. I have rated each one individually and then made an average for the set.
Average: 3.67 (rounded up on Goodreads)
Novella 1: THE TWELVE DESSERTS OF CHRISTMAS by Joanne Fluke. Rating: 2.5
Pros: It has great recipes, and I like the writing of Joanne Fluke normally. I also really like the setup for the story. Note: It is not a mystery but a light romance.
Cons: I really like this author, but have to say that I did not enjoy this story very much. It could be that it's out of date and also deals a lot with technology, so parts of it read very clunky. But it was more than that. The main character is not Hannah but Julia whose character to me was not as interesting. The children's characters were also not very believable to me and didn't act like children. The romance also didn't seem very realistic, and the two main characters read as very cardboard-like. All in all, I was quite disappointed, perhaps because I had high-expectation because I have read this author in the past and genuinely enjoy her writing and humor.
Novella 2: NIGHTMARE ON ELF STREET By: Laura Levine Rating: 4
Pros: A Jaine Austen mystery novella, very humorous, and a fun read. I love the set-up, and even in the short novella, the characters were well-developed, funny, and interesting. Enjoyed reading it.
Cons: The ending was not very surprising, and there are some jokes that are definitely out of date and in poor taste and remind you that the book is older. I also found it annoying how she was constantly talking about her weight. I don't mind a few comments here and there, but every woman was constantly referred to by what size she was, and for a novella that was too much for me, and it didn't seem necessary or interesting.
Novella 3: THE CHRISTMAS THIEF By: Leslie Meier Rating 4.5
Pros: This was my favorite novella of the three. It's a mystery but not a murder mystery. The characters were well developed and interesting and quirky and fun. The main character was likeable but not too perfect. It also did not feel as dated as the others and so has definitely aged very well.
Cons: Not really any except the very end was a little cheesy for me, but I'm not too picky about that stuff in a cozy mystery. I reserve 5 stars for books that have that extra wow factor, and while I really enjoyed this novella, there wasn't any aspect that put it over the top for me.
Average: 3.67 (rounded up on Goodreads)
Novella 1: THE TWELVE DESSERTS OF CHRISTMAS by Joanne Fluke. Rating: 2.5
Pros: It has great recipes, and I like the writing of Joanne Fluke normally. I also really like the setup for the story. Note: It is not a mystery but a light romance.
Cons: I really like this author, but have to say that I did not enjoy this story very much. It could be that it's out of date and also deals a lot with technology, so parts of it read very clunky. But it was more than that. The main character is not Hannah but Julia whose character to me was not as interesting. The children's characters were also not very believable to me and didn't act like children. The romance also didn't seem very realistic, and the two main characters read as very cardboard-like. All in all, I was quite disappointed, perhaps because I had high-expectation because I have read this author in the past and genuinely enjoy her writing and humor.
Novella 2: NIGHTMARE ON ELF STREET By: Laura Levine Rating: 4
Pros: A Jaine Austen mystery novella, very humorous, and a fun read. I love the set-up, and even in the short novella, the characters were well-developed, funny, and interesting. Enjoyed reading it.
Cons: The ending was not very surprising, and there are some jokes that are definitely out of date and in poor taste and remind you that the book is older. I also found it annoying how she was constantly talking about her weight. I don't mind a few comments here and there, but every woman was constantly referred to by what size she was, and for a novella that was too much for me, and it didn't seem necessary or interesting.
Novella 3: THE CHRISTMAS THIEF By: Leslie Meier Rating 4.5
Pros: This was my favorite novella of the three. It's a mystery but not a murder mystery. The characters were well developed and interesting and quirky and fun. The main character was likeable but not too perfect. It also did not feel as dated as the others and so has definitely aged very well.
Cons: Not really any except the very end was a little cheesy for me, but I'm not too picky about that stuff in a cozy mystery. I reserve 5 stars for books that have that extra wow factor, and while I really enjoyed this novella, there wasn't any aspect that put it over the top for me.