It's a Wonderful Wife

So, I see this book is a retelling of “It’s a wonderful life” though I haven’t seen that movie to know what it’s about.

The story follows Bailey who runs her family's business after her parents passed. Her aunty accidentally loses $200k due to some dodgy dealings and Bailey doesn't know how she's going to pay her staff. It's approaching Christmas and so many people are relying on their pay and bonuses. On top of this, she catches her husband and best friend in bed together.

As her life is throwing her massive curve balls, Bailey heads to a bar to drown her sorrows. She meets an old high school friend Nate and they get to talking again. Not wanting to go home, she stays over at Nate's and wake up in an alternate world where no one knows her after wishing she'd never been born. As Bailey tries to comprehend what's going on she realises, her impact on everyone important to her and wishes her life back. Bailey gains the confidence to figure it all out and wouldn't have life any other way.

I definitely enjoyed the premise and loved the narrator on this story. There was some funny commentary that made the story engaging. For a short read, we really did understand the relationships in Bailey's life. Even though life was crumbling around her, Bailey saw the value in those that she loved and how they supported her in more ways than one.

This could be a fun Christmas movie for sure. It's something that's fun for the holidays.

The Twelve Topsy-turvy Very Messy Days of Christmas

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I honestly didn’t know what I was in for with this book. James Patterson, in my mind is a crime writer and I know he’s co-authored so many books, so wanted to check this one out for Christmas. I was pleasantly surprised.

The Sullivan family have not had a Christmas in 5 years since Katie - their mum and wife, had passed away. Ella and Will want desperately for their dad Henry to celebrate or just have some joy in their life. They set up a dating profile for their dad and start chatting to a user named Ms Truelove. Henry finds out and is instantly mad. All of a sudden, gifts start arriving at their doorstep - each day for the 12 days of Christmas. Just like the song, they are greeted with animals and random humans coinciding with the lyrics. All the gifts seem to sent by Ms Truelove, this anonymous lady from the dating website. The questions are why and how? As they embrace these random gifts, it sends their household into disarray, but at the same time lifts them out of the funk every other Christmas has been.

This is definitely a sad story that with some literal Christmas cheer, ends up being a heartwarming ending. I can only imagine what a loss of a wife/mother would be like. It takes time to grieve and having Christmas celebrations can be a reminder of what is lost. It was a wake up call for Henry to truly bring happiness to his children and be a better father for them.

This was definitely a story that reads like a Christmas movie. There was a lot of Christmas spirit and realisations of how important it is to carry on traditions and be surrounded by love. Even though someone is no longer with you, doesn’t mean you discontinue celebrations that they would have loved or encouraged. It’s definitely a sappy read and I enjoyed it!

Once Upon a Christmas Carol

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I liked the premise of Rachel being a pop star, her career taking a nosedive as new younger talent take her place and she’s close to losing it all. After receiving a card to come back to her hometown Crystal Falls for a surprise, she instantly thinks it’s her Dad trying to get her to come home. He didn’t send the card, so the mystery begins. Who wanted her home? As she sees familiar faces, there’s her high school sweetheart Matt that has surprisingly moved back to Crystal Falls from New York with his daughter. Is there a chance they could rekindle an old flame?

This was a short cute story. I was surprised with the full cast for such a short story and it had the setup similar to a play. I liked Matt more than I did Rachel. Whilst everyone else was focused on family and the holiday season, Rachel only wanted to be ready for her next record deal. She had so many good people and a nice environment to be in, and didn’t see the importance of what was surrounding her. The good thing she did was helping Matt’s daughter gain in her confidence, which was heartfelt and warming.

The Christmas mashup song was fun and cheesy. The ending was predictable, which you’ll get with these Christmas reads, though that’s why we like to read them right? It would have been nice if Matt and Rachel had more time to explore their feelings, as it felt a bit rushed from Rachel’s POV. I definitely believed Matt’s feelings more as he was a kind, sweet person overall, wearing his heart on his sleeve.

This was a good short Christmas read with small town second chance romance and it’s focused on what’s important during the holidays.

The Holiday Switch

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I read this book as part of a read along. It’s very much YA and innocent love.

For me, I didn’t overly connect with this book to begin with, but then I had to embody my 13 year old self, to appreciate the story. I did feel like Lila’s POV did seem younger than 18, as she spoke more like a 13-15 year old, rather than someone going off to college. This could have been attributed to the restrictive nature of her family, but Teddy also seemed younger, rather than someone already in college.

I liked the idea of Lila having a book blog. That was fun and interesting. The vibes of the town was cute with their most famous bookstore being part of an iconic (made up) movie attracting tourists to their quaint town. The BIPOC representation was good allowing us to be part of some cultural elements that we may not be exposed to. It also highlighted how expectations can be placed upon us, but sometimes we just want to go our own way.

This was definitely a sweet, high school romance with some cute interactions between the MCs. There was a strong influence of how family is important and keeping secrets from them aren’t necessarily a good thing.

Let it Snow

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This was a short romance and great for those that love the forced proximity trope.

Nia and Andrew are snowed in at an airport together. Nia wants to get away from her family for Christmas, yearning for her Jamaican holiday whilst Andrew isn't overly looking forward to an awkward Christmas with his family, when his ex is now with his brother. All passengers are stuck at the airport Christmas Eve, but they try to make the most of it for not only the children but for themselves.

Everyone learns a bit more about themselves as the passengers interact with one another, giving each other support in various ways. Nia and Andrew can't believe they've somehow stumbled upon their next love interest, whilst also wanting to be better people in their own lives.

I enjoyed the spirit of people making the most out of an unexpected situation. People can always come together to make light when things go wrong. The Christmas spirit was definitely high for the characters and it highlighted how random acts of kindness goes a long way.

I think there was one part where I cringed a little when Andrew said "you're not vegan are you?" - it was as if this was a bad thing and a deciding factor on whether Nia was good enough to be on the date with him. I just found it odd - like who cares about people's lifestyle choices?

I thought it was an okay read... Just my opinion. The MCs grew at the end after getting to know each other, giving life advice that helped them want to be better and that was good. I didn't overly connect with them and it was their love for Boyz II Men that brought them together in the end, which I can totally relate to. Boyz II Men are awesome!