e-Audio, 09:22:16
Narrated by: Helen Laser
Release Date: October 12, 2021
Published by: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Read from: November 28-29, 2021
Stand-alone
Source: Library’s Overdrive
TW:
For Readers Interested In: Contemp Romance, Holidaze (Christmas), Realistic Fiction, YASarah Dessen meets Let It Snow in this new YA Christmas romance!
When Finley Brown returned to her hometown of Christmas, Oklahoma, from boarding school, she expected to find it just as she left it. Christmas hasn’t changed much in her sixteen years. But instead she returns to find that her best friend is dating her ex-boyfriend, her parents have separated, and her archnemesis got a job working at her grandmother’s inn. And she certainly didn’t expect to find the boy she may or may not have tricked into believing that Christmas was an idyllic holiday paradise on her grandmother’s doorstep. It’s up to Finley to make sure he gets the Christmas he was promised. This is Finley’s Christmas. It’s about home and family and friends and finding her place, and along the way she also finds the best Christmas present of all: love.
*MY THOUGHTS*
When I saw the bright pink cover and the Christmas trees with the happy couple, I remember I didn’t bother reading the synopsis… Christmas romances are my jam! At least they usually are. This one missed the mark with me. By alot actually.
Finley return back to her hometown thinking it’ll be in the same shape it was when she left. But she soon finds out things have changed. Her ex-boyfriend is now with her ex-best friend, her parents have separated, and now the “mean girl” from her school is now working at her grandmother’s inn. But the biggest surprise is having the boy from her boarding school that she tricked into coming to her hometown. Without even knowing she did it! Now she has to make sure she can provide that experience to him and his aunt or risk messing up their Christmas.
Ok, so the main thing that bothered me about this was the main character. I just KNEW I was going to end up DNF-ing this. (If you know me, you know I am a character driven reader) This was described as a rom-com, so I was expecting to actually laugh at something. I laughed at exactly one thing. It just wasn’t funny. And then some of the things that happened just weren’t believable. Like the whole reasoning she was able to “trick” him in the first place. All government social media and websites are super serious. With her changing them, she should have at least got a stern talking to when they figured out what she’d done. I think it just bothered me because working at a government entity myself, I’m in the administration building and I can’t even send out a post without someone else approving it first. And if some how I did, that could be termination.
I also didn’t care for the romance. At least the one between the main character and the love interest. I was more into the unexpected one that popped up. That’s the reason I didn’t DNF this. I called it early on and I was right. (This is actually another reason I was mad at her being upset with her dad for that reason. I knew what was happening.) But the romance between her and the other person just seemed weird. It was obvious he liked her so I don’t know why she couldn’t just tell him she liked him. It was weird.
This one just didn’t do it for me. It was ok, but I don’t think I was the right person for the humor. Everything, including the romance and the kitchy themed town, seemed corny. I read another YA romance where the entire town’s theme was Christmas and it was bearable. This one… Not so much.
Overall, I give this
