Coming Home

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Touré and Niomi had a moment during college but life had taken them on their respective journalist adventures and careers. Fate would have it that they would reunite at Touré's daughters graduation ceremony where the school invites their most famous alum to speak. Did they miss their chance or is this their opportunity to take a chance they didn't get?

I saw this as an inclusion for audible subscription, and because I love Kennedy Ryan so much, I had to check it out! It's a cute story and one of those what if moments. The two main characters could have had something during their college years but the timing wasn't right. I liked that they went to have their own lives, grew as people and then realised what they wanted in life.

Touré thinking he didn't have the best relationship with his daughter based on his sacrifice to work to provide, was very noble. Even though he felt like he missed out throughout his daughter's life, her telling him that she admired him was such a sweet and pivotal moment.

I like second chance stories and how Niomi and Touré got together. This was a very short audiobook and a nice story. There was a little bit of spice also.

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 Package

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This one is a very quick read.

Forced proximity in an elevator.

Jules is having a bad run - lost her job and broke up with her boyfriend. She’s stuck in a lift with her soon to be boss Archer and they’re both instantly attracted to another. Archer has taken over his grandfather’s company and based on Jules’ not so subtle feedback, he does want to make it a better workplace for all.

I enjoyed it and would love more to the story because there was potential for it. Do like the representation of women of all sizes. It was lighthearted with a few funny moments.

Eight Winter Nights

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This was a short read and easy to get through quickly.

It’s set during the holidays, though isn’t entirely a holiday read.

Rachel and Oz meet at a party, hitting it off instantly. Rachel’s best friend Tamara joins the conversation and ends up dating Oz for a year while Rachel secretly pines for him. When they break up, Tamara goes off to Bali asking Rachel to live with Oz as he’s hurt himself, and to look after him whilst she’s gone. Rachel agrees and Oz spends most of the time using Rachel to think of ways to get Tamara back. Rachel’s innermost thoughts on Oz are kept in her journal and when he decides he wants to write love letters to Tamara, thinks Rachel’s journal is the perfect source, not realising the words are about him. Oz starts to take notice at how amazing Rachel really is, but thinks to himself if he should really go there.

I don’t know that I would want to date my best friend’s ex. This could have all been avoided if Rachel had more confidence at the start or Oz pursued her instead of Tamara too. It was a bit sad that Rachel referred to Tamara as like the hot best friend that everyone goes for - it diminished her own value and I found this relatable.

It was a very clean romance. Tamara was quick to give her blessing and everyone was happier in the end. Definitely one of those reads that could be a cheesy romance movie.

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.