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A review by hanreads__
That Christmas, This Christmas by Jessica Lou
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"๐'๐บ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ผ๐. ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐'๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ. ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ."
*~*~*~*~*
Small Town โ๏ธ
Second Chance โ๏ธ
Family Oriented โ๏ธ
*~*~*~*~*
That Christmas, This Christmas is a short story that visits a small town where two polar opposites find comfort and attraction in one another. A wild night of unforgettable moments turn into nine incredible months together, that is until one of them leaves, a note being the only thing theyโve left.
What happens when the person youโve loved for all these years returns and has your heart beating the way they did that first night? The answer to the question is within the story, and itโs one I recommend you read.
๐ต๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐:
1. While Iโm not too bothered by it, I would say that this is more of short story than a novella (while I understand that a novella is a short story, this was too long for it to fit the definition). At one point, I felt as if the story was dragging on a little when it couldโve picked up a little speed, but at the same time, there was a perfect amount of tension and slow burn. I was just a little frustrated at how Lara and Jax needed to have a clear conversation about things yet it kept being dragged out, I felt that as mature adults, it shouldโve happened soon. Despite this, I was absolutely loving the torture of constantly being cockblocked by Jessica everytime I thought they were finally going to kiss, the moment they finally did, I was ready to bring out party streamers and everything because my heart was filled with so much joy for them.
2. The family dynamic within Laraโs family is heartwarming and beautiful. I related massively to the closeness of their family and my family and I are exactly the same, and it was breaking me little by little to know that Laraโs dad was no longer around, and yet it made for a brilliant story line in terms of how the family would look at things. The sibling dynamic was super relateable for me, and I loved it so damn much.
3. I was a little disappointed with not having a duel POV, it wouldโve been AMAZING to see things from Jaxโs perspective as he was the one who had his heart broken (which I really liked because it strayed from the cliche of it boy hurting girl, GOOD ON YOU JESS). Despite this, having flashbacks instead was a good way to show how much the characters had grown in the space of four years and I loved the wild side of them!
๐ต๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐:
I know that above I have mentioned some negative points (please note that for each negative, there was still a positive in my eyes), but I truly did love this story and it now holds a special place in my heart. Christmas is my favourite time of year, itโs the one time where everything feels happy and festive, like all the worries in the world are fading into the background, like everything is going to be okay. That Christmas, This Christmas has left me with that feeling to the point where I just canโt stop smiling, I feel so warm inside, and I never want that feeling to go.
The story itself strayed from multiple cliches and thatโs what makes it so unique, especially with the ending. While there was little spice, the spice was beautiful and romantic; it was meaningful and the perfect amount. The little snowflakes that would break the chapters up, the snowflakes under the chapter number left you happy because it stuck with the Christmas theme, and while that may seem small, I am a SUCKER for cute little images in books.
I want nothing more than to visit this small town and experience life with Lara and her friends, I want to go into the bar and spray pain, I want to sip on mulled wine and go to a school reunion. I want to go to a tree farm and hear the quote she said. I want to visit this small town and bask in its glory. The world building and narration of this wonderful town has left me with so many vivid images in my head that Iโm actually jealous that I donโt live in such a place. It takes a strong writer to create vivid images in someoneโs head and Jessica should be proud of herself.
I have two more things to mention before I finish this review. THAT DAMNED PLOT TWIST. What the heck, Jessica? You just had to break my heart a little didnโt you? Most small stories have it perfect from start to finish but the Queen decided to add a little bit of uncertainty into it when you finally thought things were getting somewhere! Cheeky bugger! I really loved it and it threw me off for a minute, but it showed just how hooked I was, and how desperate I was for a happy ending.
The second thing being Charlie and Ericaโฆ HELLO CAN YOU PLEASE TURN THIS INTO A WHOLE SERIES BECAUSE I NEED MORE! And if you doโฆ let me be with Charlieโฆ I beg.
Finally, I would love to thank Jessica for allowing me to read this as an ARC. You never fail to have me hooked on your writing, and Iโm forever incredibly proud of you and the masterpieces you create. You have so much talent and I hope you know that.
PLEASE GO AND READ THIS CUTE SHORT STORY, IT IS BEAUTIFUL, IT IS WONDERFUL, AND YOU WILL LOVE IT.
*~*~*~*~*
Small Town โ๏ธ
Second Chance โ๏ธ
Family Oriented โ๏ธ
*~*~*~*~*
That Christmas, This Christmas is a short story that visits a small town where two polar opposites find comfort and attraction in one another. A wild night of unforgettable moments turn into nine incredible months together, that is until one of them leaves, a note being the only thing theyโve left.
What happens when the person youโve loved for all these years returns and has your heart beating the way they did that first night? The answer to the question is within the story, and itโs one I recommend you read.
๐ต๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐:
1. While Iโm not too bothered by it, I would say that this is more of short story than a novella (while I understand that a novella is a short story, this was too long for it to fit the definition). At one point, I felt as if the story was dragging on a little when it couldโve picked up a little speed, but at the same time, there was a perfect amount of tension and slow burn. I was just a little frustrated at how Lara and Jax needed to have a clear conversation about things yet it kept being dragged out, I felt that as mature adults, it shouldโve happened soon. Despite this, I was absolutely loving the torture of constantly being cockblocked by Jessica everytime I thought they were finally going to kiss, the moment they finally did, I was ready to bring out party streamers and everything because my heart was filled with so much joy for them.
2. The family dynamic within Laraโs family is heartwarming and beautiful. I related massively to the closeness of their family and my family and I are exactly the same, and it was breaking me little by little to know that Laraโs dad was no longer around, and yet it made for a brilliant story line in terms of how the family would look at things. The sibling dynamic was super relateable for me, and I loved it so damn much.
3. I was a little disappointed with not having a duel POV, it wouldโve been AMAZING to see things from Jaxโs perspective as he was the one who had his heart broken (which I really liked because it strayed from the cliche of it boy hurting girl, GOOD ON YOU JESS). Despite this, having flashbacks instead was a good way to show how much the characters had grown in the space of four years and I loved the wild side of them!
๐ต๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐:
I know that above I have mentioned some negative points (please note that for each negative, there was still a positive in my eyes), but I truly did love this story and it now holds a special place in my heart. Christmas is my favourite time of year, itโs the one time where everything feels happy and festive, like all the worries in the world are fading into the background, like everything is going to be okay. That Christmas, This Christmas has left me with that feeling to the point where I just canโt stop smiling, I feel so warm inside, and I never want that feeling to go.
The story itself strayed from multiple cliches and thatโs what makes it so unique, especially with the ending. While there was little spice, the spice was beautiful and romantic; it was meaningful and the perfect amount. The little snowflakes that would break the chapters up, the snowflakes under the chapter number left you happy because it stuck with the Christmas theme, and while that may seem small, I am a SUCKER for cute little images in books.
I want nothing more than to visit this small town and experience life with Lara and her friends, I want to go into the bar and spray pain, I want to sip on mulled wine and go to a school reunion. I want to go to a tree farm and hear the quote she said. I want to visit this small town and bask in its glory. The world building and narration of this wonderful town has left me with so many vivid images in my head that Iโm actually jealous that I donโt live in such a place. It takes a strong writer to create vivid images in someoneโs head and Jessica should be proud of herself.
I have two more things to mention before I finish this review. THAT DAMNED PLOT TWIST. What the heck, Jessica? You just had to break my heart a little didnโt you? Most small stories have it perfect from start to finish but the Queen decided to add a little bit of uncertainty into it when you finally thought things were getting somewhere! Cheeky bugger! I really loved it and it threw me off for a minute, but it showed just how hooked I was, and how desperate I was for a happy ending.
The second thing being Charlie and Ericaโฆ HELLO CAN YOU PLEASE TURN THIS INTO A WHOLE SERIES BECAUSE I NEED MORE! And if you doโฆ let me be with Charlieโฆ I beg.
Finally, I would love to thank Jessica for allowing me to read this as an ARC. You never fail to have me hooked on your writing, and Iโm forever incredibly proud of you and the masterpieces you create. You have so much talent and I hope you know that.
PLEASE GO AND READ THIS CUTE SHORT STORY, IT IS BEAUTIFUL, IT IS WONDERFUL, AND YOU WILL LOVE IT.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Sexual content