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A review by cassiealexandra
Faking Christmas by Cindy Steel
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I loved this book. My only warning/negative would be that if you aren't into cheesy, sappy romance and holiday shenanigans, this may not be for you. Back to what I liked...
This was a laugh-out-loud funny book to me. The banter between Miles and Olive was so good. There were literary references galore between these 2 high school English teachers, especially Jane Eyre, which is a favorite classic of mine. All the tropes in this one were well-done - fake dating, he falls first, and "rivals" to lovers. The rivalry and hatred is in Olive's imagination, but because she hasn't given Miles a chance at friendship in their 9 months of working together, the "enemies" to lovers was believable to me (unlike in some other titles).
I admit that I came into this a little skeptical. Why? I'm not sure. I think I expected a sweet closed-door romance that would be moderately funny, light, and heartfelt. I was kind of blown away by how funny and also emotional this book was. I got misty eyed and cried several times. The experiences of both Miles and Olive with a death of a loved one and the very real and complicated feelings Olive had about her mother being remarried were so much deeper than my expectations.
Overall, I loved this book and am ready to read all of Cindy Steel's backlist!
— NOTES —
Genres: romantic comedy
POV: first-person, singular
Content: grief, death of a loved one
Romance: kissing
Initial impression: Okay, more to come, but loved. Hands down my favorite of the semi-cheesy, sappy, holiday reads. So heartfelt and funny. Had me smiling through the whole thing, except for the moments I got misty-eyed. Putting Cindy Steel’s backlist on my TBR for those feel-good mixed with emotion moods of mine.
This was a laugh-out-loud funny book to me. The banter between Miles and Olive was so good. There were literary references galore between these 2 high school English teachers, especially Jane Eyre, which is a favorite classic of mine. All the tropes in this one were well-done - fake dating, he falls first, and "rivals" to lovers. The rivalry and hatred is in Olive's imagination, but because she hasn't given Miles a chance at friendship in their 9 months of working together, the "enemies" to lovers was believable to me (unlike in some other titles).
I admit that I came into this a little skeptical. Why? I'm not sure. I think I expected a sweet closed-door romance that would be moderately funny, light, and heartfelt. I was kind of blown away by how funny and also emotional this book was. I got misty eyed and cried several times. The experiences of both Miles and Olive with a death of a loved one and the very real and complicated feelings Olive had about her mother being remarried were so much deeper than my expectations.
Overall, I loved this book and am ready to read all of Cindy Steel's backlist!
— NOTES —
Genres: romantic comedy
POV: first-person, singular
Content: grief, death of a loved one
Romance: kissing
Initial impression: Okay, more to come, but loved. Hands down my favorite of the semi-cheesy, sappy, holiday reads. So heartfelt and funny. Had me smiling through the whole thing, except for the moments I got misty-eyed. Putting Cindy Steel’s backlist on my TBR for those feel-good mixed with emotion moods of mine.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief