A review by bookcheshirecat
The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish

emotional funny reflective medium-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

 “You don't hurt people by choosing yourself over them. They hurt themselves with what they think about it. It's not your job to fold yourself up so small that your edges never bump into anyone else. What kind of life is that?”

➽ This is a fun take on The Holiday, following two queer characters! Greta and Truman don't really know each other, but decide to switch lives for Christmas as they each have something difficult to deal with. Greta's struggling with her overbearing, controlling family who cannot respect her and keeps setting her up with a guy despite knowing that she's a lesbian. Escaping to Truman's place in New Orleans seems like the perfect time away from her family to figure out what she truly wants. Truman just found out that he's the other guy, as his boyfriend is married and has been keeping him a dirty secret. Humiliated and betrayed, he's all too happy to go to the little island Greta calls home.

➽ I liked the dual POV and the romances, though I preferred Truman's story! While both of them deal with their respective issues, I felt like Truman's romance was a bit more fleshed out. For Greta it's a huge case of insta love with a girl she meets in New Orleans. Carys was very aloof as a character, plus I never felt the spark between them or got a feeling as to why they liked each other. Truman and Ash had way better chemistry and I enjoyed their pining! Greta and Carys' got together so quickly and then their romance just stagnated. Nevertheless, this was a fun, fast-paced Romance perfect for the holidays!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings