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.

Hooked

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All I knew about this book, was that it was a Peter Pan retelling. I go into books basically blind.

I can see why people might not like this story. I enjoyed the first half for sure and wasn’t entirely sold on the MCs Wendy and James falling in love. Definitely lust and obsession, but I would say it was more infatuation than anything. Plus it was very Stockholm Syndrome on Wendy’s part as she really didn’t know anything about James when she started liking him. I still don’t think we got much depth to him in the end.

It was obvious James was going to use Wendy as a means to get to her dad and that he would start liking her. I thought he was sweet when it came to her brother John. I didn’t see the twist coming at the end - like I thought this book was just going to be spice and some dark story, so I was pleasantly surprised how it unfolded at the end. The spice for me, was medium to high. It’s very important that consent was always present.

Do check your trigger warnings as there are morally grey characters in this book.

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.

Welcome to Your Life

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One conversation with a stranger can change your life… Serena is about to marry her one and only boyfriend Alastair, until a fateful conversation with a taxi driver on her wedding day, makes her realise that she can’t go through with it. Not the best timing, but she comes to terms with the fact that familiarity and routine in her relationship, isn’t what love is all about. She packs up, moves from her town to London to start fresh. With the support of her friend Lola, she has a place to stay and a new job to keep her going. It’s time for Serena to explore her needs and find herself in the process. So when Lola suggests Serena should get out there by having a date each week, she doesn’t feel ready, but Serena has to take the lead in her life in order to truly know what she wants.

I enjoyed this story. It was a breath of fresh air to read plus size representation in a book. Not only did Serena battle with the decision of leaving her partner of 10 years, but she doubted anyone would want to be with her because she was plus size. There was this raw personal struggle that she vocalised and if it wasn’t for her friends Nicole and Lola breaking those barriers, Serena may have not found her footing. There was a lot of life changes and it was a new chapter, but her demons surrounding weight had clouded what Serena deserved in life.

The closure with Alastair later on in the book felt mutually beneficial. As he came to realise they needed to break up also, it allowed for it to end on good terms. The “I love you” moment with Henry reminded me of How I Met Your Mother in that first episode. Henry was sweet and really did to fit well with Serena. When he sent that text, I was like nooo!

Really loved Nicole and Lola’s personalities. They were definitely the type of people that would support and encourage you through anything. That’s the great thing about living and learning - it means you can help others with life advice when you see someone else struggle through something you did.

Overall, I thought this book was a great read surrounding self discovery. It makes you think about what you want out of life and how your own mind can stop you from exploring experiences through your own fears and insecurities.