I gave this holiday standalone romance a 3.1/5 stars.
Well I kind of hated everything about the first chapter. Social media. To hashtags. To magazine covers. To trending clothes. To expensive gifts. To celebrities. To spoiled brats. To pity parties. And the author is laying it on THICK. Like it doesn’t need to be repeated 45 times. We get the idea: she stupidly spent away all her money yet still wants to save face. So far this isn’t my cup of tea.
Chapter 1 didn’t end in any predictable way when a “holiday spirit,” in the form of a probably single and good looking man, appears to Bettie’s after she plays a record backwards.
I hate her character so far so hopefully that’s the point and intention and she finds some joy in life again and isn’t so much of a stuck-up materialistic brat.
She is the current day Scrooge in every way who only cares about her appearance and fame and amount of likes on her profile. She’s the epitome of what’s wrong with America and it’s disgusting. I know there’s intended humor in your writing but I just hate it all so far. The reason I’m continuing is desperate hope for her redemption and inner growth scene.
Water buffalo? Ugh. Petty much?
All the name dropping is exhausting.
This much revenge and bitterness is a bit tiring.
On a positive note, her niece and nephew names are so creative. And I love the Christmas themed scenes.
I’m glad it ended with a happily ever after. The fact that he was a spirit reminded me a bit of The Dead Romantics.
Some discussion questions I liked:
What would you wish for?
Do you put pressure on yourself for gift giving? Why?
What’s the best holiday memory you have and why?
How do you find pure joy?
Cassie Swindon 