Tag: holiday books

Book Review: Talk Santa to Me by Linda Urban

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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)

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Book Review: A Princess for Christmas by Jenny Holiday

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Rating: ☆☆☆ 1/2
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Jenny Holiday
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: October 13th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Leo Ricci’s already handling all he can, between taking care of his little sister Gabby, driving a cab, and being the super of his apartment building in the Bronx. But when Gabby spots a “princess” in a gown outside of the UN trying to hail a cab, she begs her brother to stop and help. Before he knows it, he’s got a real-life damsel in distress in the backseat of his car. 

Princess Marie of Eldovia shouldn’t be hailing a cab, or even be out and about. But after her mother’s death, her father has plunged into a devastating depression and the fate of her small Alpine country has fallen on Marie’s shoulders. She’s taken aback by the gruff but devastatingly handsome driver who shows her more kindness than she’s seen in a long time. 

When Marie asks Leo to be her driver for the rest of her trip, he agrees, thinking he’ll squire a rich miss around for a while and make more money than he has in months. He doesn’t expect to like and start longing for the unpredictable Marie. And when he and Gabby end up in Eldovia for Christmas, he discovers the princess who is all wrong for him is also the woman who is his perfect match.

PRETTY CUTE.

I adored this on some levels, and others maybe not so much.

What I did love was the overall story. There was plenty of Hallmark vibes and I love a good princess story. There was a fun meet cute, and I felt the connection between Leo and Gabby immediately. I was surprised that even though this is a small timeline, that things didn’t feel forced between them. Not really insta-love or anything like that, a nice change!

The love scenes were out of place. It went from Hallmark to whoa whoa whoa steamy scenes, that were long and very open door. My general issue is when those scenes don’t match up with the vibe and tone of the rest of the novel.

Without that it was cute. Leo’s little sister Gabby and his friend Dani were wonderful additions. And y’all, there was a ball at the end. I’m a sucker for a good ball in a book and this was definitely hit the mark. Totally cheesy, totally perfect.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: a handful of very open door scenes
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved one(s)

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Book Review: The Christmas Train by David Baldacci

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Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: Fiction
Length: 260 pages
Author: David Baldacci
Publisher: Warner Books
Release Date: November 4th, 2001
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Disillusioned journalist Tom Langdon must get from Washington D.C. to L.A in time for Christmas. Forced to travel by train, he begins a journey of rude awakenings, thrilling adventures and holiday magic. He has no idea that the locomotives pulling him across America will actually take him into the rugged terrain of his own heart, as he rediscovers people’s essential goodness and someone very special he believed he had lost.

The Christmas Train is filled with memorable characters who have packed their bags with as much wisdom as mischief … and shows how we do get second chances to fulfill our deepest hopes and dreams, especially during this season of miracles.

WHAT A RIDE.

Am I clever yet?

I didn’t have any sort of expectations going into this. I picked it up at a free little library years ago, and chose this past Christmas to finally read it. I also listened to it on audio and thought it was well read there too. It had fun train sounds between chapters that added to the atmosphere.

This book had its ups and downs. I liked Tom and thought the concept of riding a train during Christmas was a solid idea. I’ve never ridden one so it was fun seeing how everything is set up for a passenger train. Tom ran into a large cast of characters on his travels. Some of it felt a bit scattered, but things came mostly together by the end to not leave wide plot holes.

I liked the soft second-chance romance. It sweet and fit in nicely. I thought they had chemistry and were clearly still into each other. I thought Tom and Ellie were able to finally communicate and work things out together which was was nice to see.

The ending was a bit improbable, but I guess with the other antics and hijinks of the story it worked out well enough. This felt Christmas-y and was a quick read. A nice holiday choice.

Overall audience notes:

  • Christmas Fiction
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses, some innuendo
  • Violence: avalanche, theft

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Book Review: A Timeless Christmas by Alexi Stanton

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Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 296 pages
Author: Alexis Stanton
Publisher: Hallmark Publishing
Release Date: October 23rd, 2018
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

They’re from two different centuries,
but they’re perfect for each other.

Megan Turner is in love with the past. As a tour guide at a beautiful historic mansion, she tells visitors about its original owner, Charles Whitley. An inventor and businessman in the early 1900s, he rose from poverty to wealth…only to disappear without a trace.
Charles was always intrigued by the future. He just never expected to go there. But when he repairs a mysterious clock he bought on his travels, he’s transported to the twenty-first century, with his home decorated for Christmas and overrun by strangers.
Charles is determined to find a way back to his own era, especially when he learns about what happened after he left. But as Megan introduces him to the wonders of smartphones, pizza, and modern holiday traditions, they both feel a once-in-a-lifetime connection. Could it be that, somewhere in time, they belong together?

MAYBE THE MOVIE IS BETTER.

Went into this knowing exactly what was being laid out, a Hallmark movie as a book (or was it the other way around? I don’t know which came first for this novel).

And it may have been laid on a bit too thick for me.

I don’t mind cheesiness (when expected) and a fast-paced romance, but this was like whoa. Can we back up and add some more plot here? The book took place in less over a time span of what I gathered to be less than a week and I wasn’t even feeling the connection between the main characters. I think some further development was needed.

The concept was there and the writing was pleasant . It was easy for me to fly through it and appreciate the aspects presented. There’s some sweet moments and a connection to letting people who care about you in and coping with issues that have crept up from the past.

Maybe I’ll try watching the movie and see what I think of it compared to this!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses

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