missjenthelibrarian's Reviews (240)

4.5 stars — such a cozy holiday story that’ll have you giddily kicking your feet, feeling at home, and craving something (or someone) sweet 😉

This is exactly the book I was looking for to get me into the holiday spirit! 🎄 It’s funny, wholesome, romantic, and includes elements that we don’t typically see in a holiday story. Twin sisters, Charlie and Cass may be identical, but their lives and personalities are not. So when personal issues lead them to decide to switch places less than two weeks before Christmas, it seems like a recipe for disaster — and it kind of is, but in a way that steers the story toward a satisfying conclusion.

I love how certain plot points are familiar and predictable, but there are also plenty of entertaining twists sprinkled in (kind of like the baking puns I can’t help but use in this review 🤭). As the story unfolds, the twins each reflect on their own lives in comparison to the ones they’re temporarily living in and this inspired me to also self-reflect. It’s interesting to think about how we’d feel if we got to live a different life, but this story shows why it’s important to appreciate our roots while also breaking free of our comfort zones. 

The male love interests are total green flags and they’re the perfect ones to add the romantic element that we expect and enjoy in holiday stories. They’re the right amount of cheesy and their background stories help the reader connect with them even more. 

I will absolutely reread this story for many future Christmases and I think lots of you will feel the same! ☺️

DNF at 12% — nope. absolutely not into this trope at all.

I went into this blindly, loved the first chapter, saw where it was heading, found out it’s a “best friend’s boyfriend” / cheating trope, read one chapter from each of the lying MCs’ perspectives, and immediately returned the audiobook.

This taught me not to go into a book completely blind and solely off the vibes of the book cover and title (basically, no more judging a book by its cover).

Cozy Christmas in New York vibes, but mediocre romance

I enjoyed the main plot of siblings Kerry and Murphy Tolliver selling trees from their family Christmas tree farm at a stand in Greenwich Village, plus the sense of community they have with the surrounding small businesses and residents. But that was about it. Nothing else too exciting or captivating happens. So many of the events that move the story forward seem like pure luck and ok, fine, that’s how a lot of my favorite holiday movies are 😂 but it just doesn’t come across as endearing in books. 

Even the “romance” between Kerry and the “love” interest, Patrick, feels bland. There isn’t any chemistry or even any flirting between them, which makes it feel like a lackluster connection that could’ve easily been left out of the story. It was interesting to read a holiday fiction novel with the love story as a much smaller subplot, but the few scenes of just them are weird, off-putting, or boring (mainly because of Patrick’s behavior).

This is a quick, lighthearted read, but it might’ve been better as a holiday movie, as long as they made Patrick more romantic and less cringey 🤭

This is not a holiday love story. No holiday vibes and minimal romance… just a speeding train of instant attraction/love that completely derails this from the story I thought it’d be. I feel like Beat and Melody’s moms aren’t the only ones being tricked (yes, those are their names and it’s supposed to be a “coincidence”).

I was interested enough to keep reading, but mostly because of the premise of two adult children of rockstars’ attempting to reunite their mothers’ band by Christmas Eve. However, this quickly becomes the backdrop to a connection that feels more like straight up lust than actual love. This would be fine, if the reader weren’t expected to believe that the MCs are somehow destined to be together.

I feel like this would’ve been a crazy reality show to watch, so it’s easy to see why some people are entertained by this story. But for me, it was more like a wreck that I kept looking back on (ok, I’m done with the puns 🤭). I’m starting to think I won’t like any of Tessa Bailey’s books as much as I loved her Bellinger Sisters duology…

Anyway, if you’re looking for a spicy novel with ridiculous twists and reality show vibes, then pick up this quick read any time of year. Any format will do, but I suggest the audiobook if you’re going to read this. 

Honestly, I think the only reason I finished reading this is because I was listening to the audiobook and could multitask. The narrators, Brooke Bloomingdale and James Gloucester do an excellent job of keeping the reader engaged and able to distinguish between the many characters.

DNF at 21% (chapter 4) — just not for me

I started the audiobook for this yesterday and would’ve DNFed sooner, but I always read audiobooks a little bit longer before deciding that a book isn’t for me. 

Unfortunately, I didn’t like any of the characters, the pace was way too slow, and I wasn’t interested in either of the MCs’ stories. After realizing that I wasn’t enjoying any part of this book, I decided to DNF at less than my usual 30% because it didn’t seem like this would be my cup of tea.

DNF at 81% — should’ve stopped much sooner

I wanted to like this book so bad, especially with such an interesting synopsis. It starts off entertaining and despite the excessive use of metaphors (only in the first few chapters), I kept reading it. But it gets boring fast and ultimately felt too long and dragged out. Even the “eventful” scenes about halfway through weren’t enough to make me feel differently. 

I only kept reading because I switched to the audiobook and was able to do other things while reading. But at 81% (chapter 30), I just couldn’t do it anymore 😬

I feel like this would’ve been better as a movie. It’s cute and cozy, plus some of the characters are pretty funny and the magic is cool. I didn’t care about the MCs though and the “conflict” falls flat.