A review by bookcheshirecat
Love in Winter Wonderland by Abiola Bello

emotional inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

"He looks at me with his eyes half closed, and suddenly there’s this weird energy between us. Are we having a moment? For a split second I think we’re going to kiss, and it makes me nervous – but the good, excited kind.” 

➽ I'm very surprised that I ended up liking Love in Winter Wonderland this much! Kudos to the author, she managed to pull off tropes that I usually don't enjoy! The story is about Trey and Ariel who are trying to save Wonderland, his family-owned bookstore that's on the brink of financial ruin. What the synopsis doesn't mention is that Trey has a girlfriend for the majority of the book -
until at least the 90% mark
, which would have been nice to know beforehand, as I dislike stories in which the love interest is seeing someone else. It always leads to emotional cheating and that was obviously the case here as well. Surprisingly, the author managed to somewhat write Trey and Blair's relationship with nuance, as both of them are clearly not right for each other and have a very unhealthy dynamic. It's clear that they are a bad fit and making each other miserable, yet no one is willing to call it off.

➽ This could have been even better if Trey had broken up with Blair way earlier! It was cowardly of him to wait so long and it was my least favorite part of the story. He was lowkey leading Ariel on, while not having the guts to tell his girlfriend he wasn't happy any more. That's one of the reasons why I was never 100% invested in Trey's POV, even though I loved the dynamic he had with his family. Despite my reservations, I liked how his relationship with Ariel ended in the end:
it was refreshing to see him taking a break from dating and waiting a bit before getting serious with Ariel. He didn't want her to be a rebound and it's great that he recognized that he needed some distance to make it work with Ariel!


➽ I loved Ariel's POV though and had a ton of fun with the 'Saving Wonderland' storyline! I truly had a lot of fun with this book which is why I gave it a high rating despite some of my issues! Ariel's POV carried the book for me and I couldn't help but root for her! Ariel lost her father a year ago, so her perspective delves into the grief she still feels and how her talent for art is connected to her father. She's set on getting into an art program that her father also attended, but sadly it's very expensive, so Ariel decides to help out at Trey's family's bookshop for some extra cash. Ariel's caring nature and passion for art as well as books really spoke to me! She's got a lot on her plate, but is determined to save Wonderland, as she sees how important it is! I loved the social media campaign Ariel and Trey started, even though some developments were a bit unrealistic! Ariel also struggles with her body image and weight, so there is some diet talk/guilt around food, so be aware of that!
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