ARC Book Review: The Christmas Letters by Jenny Proctor

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Holiday Romance Novella
Length: 191 pages
Author: Jenny Proctor
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: November 28th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Can an old letter spark a new flame?

When Tess Ravenel gets herself stuck inside a bathroom stall in one of Charleston’s most historic buildings, she isn’t exactly thinking about her dating life. But then the paramedic who comes to her rescue has a voice that sounds like butter and enough charm to make her forget she’s seconds from having a panic attack.

If only he were interested.

Andrew McKay has a mysterious Christmas pen pal, a woman who replied to a newly found letter he sent to Santa back when he was a kid. After weeks of correspondence, it’s clear she’s funny, smart, interesting…and an awful lot like Tess Ravanel—the woman he’s already blown off twice for good reason.

Tess and Andrew couldn’t be more different, but when their worlds collide, fate (and a little Christmas magic) set them on a crash course for love.

The Christmas Letters is a closed door sweet holiday romance with lots of chemistry but no spice. This book was first published in 2019 but has been heavily revised and updated.

Thank you to Jenny Proctor for an eARC.

HOLLY JOLLY.

I thought this was a lot of fun. It’s fast paced with that instant connection kind of vibe that (if written well) works beautifully in a novella. And all of those things came together for me here. I adored Drew and Tess. Yay for dual POV’s that help give sides to both stories.

The letter writing was a cute quirk and I liked how it was approached vs. all the ways miscommunication could have ruined it. The grand gesture was wonderful. This was perfect for the season and just gave me all the best warm fuzzies.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Holiday Romance Novella
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of parents (recounted)

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: You, with a View by Jessica Joyce

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages


Author: Jessica Joyce
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: July 11th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two weeks on the road… stuck in a car with your high-school enemy.

Noelle Shepard is grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother when she discovers decades-old photos and letters that hint to a forbidden love in her gram’s past. Needing to know the full story, she creates a TikTok video appealing for information – and it goes viral.

Through her video, she manages to track down her grandmother’s secret love, Paul, who offers to take her on the honeymoon road-trip he and Gram planned but never got to go on.

Noelle jumps at the chance to make this one last connection with her grandmother. There’s just one problem – Paul’s grandson is Noelle’s frustratingly handsome high-school rival Theo.

And Theo has to come, too.

It’s only two weeks. Surely Noelle can survive that long? But with one car between them – and often only one bed – it doesn’t take long for things to heat up…

REAL GOOD.

I loved this audiobook and I loved this story. It was incredibly well put together. The road trip worked well and learning more about Noelle’s grandmother and her love story really squeezed my heart.

And the romance?? Immaculate banter and chemistry. They really had things going for them from the beginning. I adored Theo and was smitten by how much he cared. The third act made me a little cranky and I also got thrown by the random psychic reading that influenced the plot way too much for me?

Otherwise though, a solid romance read. The side characters were incredible. One of my favorite aspects was that Noelle had a supportive and loving family. I don’t feel like that’s seen very often in adult romance and I loved the support. I look forward to more books by this author!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 3-4 open; moderate explicit
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a grandparent, strained family relationships

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: November 2023

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

It was my birthday month and what a great month it was. I’m thankful for another year around the sun and the fact that I’m closing in on FIVE HUNDRED books this year!

Favorites this month:

  • The Scarlet Veil
  • Lost Kingdom
  • Emergency Contact
  • Iron Flame
  • The Binding Season
  • The One with the Kiss Cam
  • Defiant
  • Solo for the Season
  • A World Without You
  • A Court of Silver Flames
  • This Dark Descent
  • Isle of Brine and Bone
  • Well of Dreams
  • The Takedown
  • Last Call at the Local

Least Favorites:

  • The Holiday Stand-In
  • The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk
  • Sword Catcher (Sword Catcher #1) by Cassandra Clare
  • Thieves’ Gambit (Thieves’ Gambit #1) by Kayvion Lewis
  • [ARC] A Winter by the Sea (On Devonshire Shores #2) by Julie Klassen
  • The Scarlet Veil (The Scarlet Veil #1) by Shelby Mahurin
  • Merry Kismet (Gift-Wrapped Romance) by Anneka R. Walker
  • [ARC] Lost Kingdom (Lost Kingdom #1) by Laurel Black
  • [ALC] Emergency Contact by Lauren Layne and Anthony LeDonne
  • A Song of Shadow and Starlight (Shadow and Starlight #1) by Morgan Gauthier
  • Curses and Other Buried Things by Caroline George
  • The Rules of Mistletoe by Taylor Epperson
  • Iron Flame (The Empyrean #2) by Rebecca Yarros
  • A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak (Girl’s Guide) by Laura Taylor Namey
  • Wrapped with a Beau by Lillie Vale
  • [ARC] The Binding Season (Fallow Creek #3) by Claudia Cain
  • Date the Alphabet (Love Tucson #2) by Laura Langa
  • [ARC] The One with the Kiss Cam by Cindy Steel
  • The Roaring Days of Zora Lily by Noelle Salazar
  • [ARC] Defiant (Skyward #4) by Brandon Sanderson
  • Solo for the Season (Gift-Wrapped Romance) by Martha Keyes
  • A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
  • A World Without You by Caitlin Moss
  • Lord Farleigh and Miss Frost (Clairvoir Castle Romances #4) by Sally Britton
  • A Sugar Creek Christmas (Sugar Creek #1) by Jenny B. Jones
  • [Reread] A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses #4) by Sarah J. Maas
  • This Dark Descent (This Dark Descent #1) by Kalyn Josephson
  • [ARC] A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft
  • One Small Secret (Gift-Wrapped Romance) by Esther Hatch
  • Better Hate than Never (The Wilmot Sisters #2) by Chloe Liese
  • Isle of Brine and Bone (Halcyon Bay #2) by Natalia Macias Lucia
  • Heir of Sun & Moon (The Five Realms #1) by Jenessa Ren
  • Emerald of the Sea by Kimberly Pearl
  • Eldest (The Inheritance Cycle #2) by Christopher Paolini
  • [ARC] The Atlas of Us by Kristin Dwyer
  • [Novella] Bright Winter Lights (Winter Nights #2) by Liz Maverick
  • The Holiday Stand-In by Kortney Keisel
  • How to Lose a Guy Before Christmas by AJ Pine
  • Well of Dreams (The Runic Saga #1) by Kayla Ann
  • The Takedown by Carlie Walker
  • A Song of Thieves (Thieves of Felshan #1) by Jacqlin Guernsey
  • [ARC] Last Call at the Local (Love, Lists & Fancy Ships #3) by Sarah Grunder Ruiz
  • A Modest Independence (Parish Orphans of Devon #2) by Mimi Matthews
  • Five Gold Rings by Kristen Bailey
  • [Novella] Mistletoe for Felicity by Sally Britton

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: Talk Santa to Me by Linda Urban

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Holiday Fiction
Length: 280 pages
Author: Linda Urban
Publisher: Atheneum Books
Release Date: September 27th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A teen girl gets the perfect second try at a first kiss in this young adult romantic comedy.

Francie was born in a stable. Really. Granted, it was the deluxe model with the light-up star on the roof, one of the many Christmas items for sale at her family’s Hollydale Holiday Shop. Their holiday gift empire also includes the Santa School, which was founded by Francie’s beloved grandpa, who recently passed away.

Francie’s always loved working in the shop, but lately Aunt Carole has been changing everything with her ideas for too-slick, Hollywood-inspired Santas and horrible holiday-themed employee uniforms. Aunt Carole’s vision will ruin all the charm and nostalgia Francie loves about her family’s business…unless she does something about it.

But this winter is about more than preserving the magic of Christmas. Francie is saving up for a car and angling to kiss the cute boy who works at the tree lot next door—hopefully it will be good enough to wipe her fiasco of a first kiss from her memory.

As the weather outside gets more and more frightful, can Francie pull off the holiday of her dreams?

NOT FOR ME.

I think I’m calling it on trying to read YA contemporary holiday books. I have been let down a few too many times.

This book was short, and full of wanderings that didn’t help the plot at all. Which made the book boring and feel long. I didn’t need snippets about work uniforms or multiple pages of the letters begin written to kids (they weren’t different). I wanted more character growth, more relationships, and an overall better dynamic.

And if you thought this had romance, it really doesn’t. Francie kind of pines after someone for most of the book and then sometime after halfway they kissed. Very anticlimatic.

No point of continuing this review. I’ve moved on from this book.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Holiday Fiction
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warning: loss of a loved one (recounted)

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph