Had high hopes bc I love Adriana Herrera’s contemporary romances, but I found this one just ok!

I am not prone to enjoying novellas (too short for a fully fleshed out plot) but I went in with an open mind bc I wanted a diverse Christmas romance. It’s listed as 150 pages but it’s probably more like 120-130 bc the last pages were promos/blurbs for Herrera’s other books, so it’s quite short. And here is where my dislike of novellas shines: it was real emotional whiplash every few pages. First Kiskeya low key hates Sully, then they feel a brief but intense lust, then Kiskeya is back to business, then abruptly they’re banging, then Sully is upset Kiskeya won’t consider a job in NYC (where Sully lives) instead of Kiskeya’s dream job in LA that she’s been working towards for years. All over the course of a week! 

I enjoyed the baking, the Scottish setting, and the discussions of complicated feelings towards your culture/country. 

I REALLY wanted to like this bc it sounds like this book was made for me: I too am a mixed race person who is into birds and likes essays about race, racist systems, and colonialism. But this was so academic/dense/dry it took me ages to get through, which I didn’t anticipate. I probably would’ve normally slogged through about half the book before giving up, but I’m headed out of town for two weeks and have to return the library hold before I go. Disappointing bc I was rooting for it!! Again, it wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t prepared to feel like I was back in college reading a textbook. 

I listened for about an hour and didn’t enjoy myself. Plot felt too obviously “he’s a clever bitter man who clearly has unresolved issues” and “she’s a nice quirky woman, who cannot go five minutes without compulsively straightening up a mess.” I was particularly excited for this seasonal read but it was a big miss for me.