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A review by abookishmagpie
A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy, Sierra Simone
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Nothing hurts like being sure a book is going to be a slam dunk and then having it disappoint. I had such a blast with the first book in this series and I was so excited to get to the follow up, and truth be told I had an equally great time with the first half to two thirds of this book, but then one of my most disliked tropes popped up out of nowhere and my enjoyment went downhill pretty quickly.
However, if we are talking writing style and talent, this author duo is still wonderful at what they do. They have such lovable characters, especially the whole big cast in this Christmas Notch world they have created, and they do a lovely job at things like body and sex positivity and having a diverse representation in their books. I can't say the writing was bad or that the story was underdeveloped and flat or that the characters were weren't enjoyable to read from. In that sense this book is on par with book one and could easily be a 4.5.
It's just that unfortunately the use of the trope in the second half/last third of the book is one that I just don't like to read and so I was kinda mentally checked out for that last bit of the book because all the fun had been sucked out for me. I still liked Winnie and Kallum, I just didn't like the situation they were in and what it created for their story. And it made the overall story feel like it was dragging towards a finish line that we all could see coming, so sadly I have to say that while this isn't a terrible book - it just fell sort of what I expected/wanted. If there is more books in this series I'll still read them because I like the authors and I think they are talented and this wold they've created is so fun to be in, I'll just never care to return to this book again.
However, if we are talking writing style and talent, this author duo is still wonderful at what they do. They have such lovable characters, especially the whole big cast in this Christmas Notch world they have created, and they do a lovely job at things like body and sex positivity and having a diverse representation in their books. I can't say the writing was bad or that the story was underdeveloped and flat or that the characters were weren't enjoyable to read from. In that sense this book is on par with book one and could easily be a 4.5.
It's just that unfortunately the use of the trope in the second half/last third of the book is one that I just don't like to read and so I was kinda mentally checked out for that last bit of the book because all the fun had been sucked out for me. I still liked Winnie and Kallum, I just didn't like the situation they were in and what it created for their story. And it made the overall story feel like it was dragging towards a finish line that we all could see coming, so sadly I have to say that while this isn't a terrible book - it just fell sort of what I expected/wanted. If there is more books in this series I'll still read them because I like the authors and I think they are talented and this wold they've created is so fun to be in, I'll just never care to return to this book again.