Review #421
I’m probably gonna love this because the main characters name is Zoey, which was my sweet dog’s name. And the setting will be in Chelsea, Quebec. For those who know me personally, that has significance. Plus, I spoke French in high school.
Our heroine needs permits to film her movie in a quaint wintery town but doesn’t have much time to obtain them. She has to take the responsibility on herself before Christmas, or they’ll shoot a different script instead.
Okay, so after finishing, I gave this one a 4.4/5 stars it was written in one point of view & was a quick, easy read. I liked that the setting was another character in itself. The first half of the book felt stronger than the back half.
LOTS OF SPOILERS IN MY COMMENTS:
OMG, Ben’s emergency poupon’s in his truck is adorable.
What happened to Ben’s father (AKA past-mayor) to force Ben into his position?
At the halfway point, the winter storm and emergency situation feels legit and has me on the edge of my seat which is rare for a stereotypical holiday plot like this.
The sex scene felt so abrupt. There wasn’t enough building moments leading up to it & then it felt rushed like the author was uncomfortable writing it. Thats a total assumption on my end, but I was a bit disappointed.
The ending also felt a bit rushed and I wasn’t sure what the main climatic moment was since it flew by. (The assumption she made before fleeing?) I think there couldn’t been some room to flesh out more of the back half of the story.
Overall it was cute, sweet, fast & an easy flowing story. I could picture it easily as a movie but the ice storm felt realistic enough that it wasn’t too cheesy. I’m glad I found a worthwhile holiday book to finish on Christmas Eve.
Some of the discussion questions were intriguing in the back for a book club discussion. Such as, do I agree with Ben’s choice of what he gave Zoey in her stocking as a gift…