Reviews

All I Want from Santa by Lisa Jackson

lysh_'s review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

rachelgallops's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

catherine_maria's review against another edition

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

This was a really disappointing first book for my holiday reads. It was kind of like a plane crash. Everything started fine and then out of nowhere it just really took a nosedive and then everything was a big hot mess. I could totally get behind everything in the beginning: Ronni is the single widowed mother of Amy, Travis is the single divorced father of angsty teen Brian. Ronni and Travis are super attracted to each other at first sight (despite the description of Travis’ thin lips 🤮). They start to get to know each other and then BAM!

He is fully clothed while she’s almost fully naked in the snow. Suddenly Travis realized it’s moving too fast and then WHAM! Ronni is butt ass naked in the barn while, surprise surprise, Travis is FULLY CLOTHED. Lmao idk why but the fact that she was stark naked outside in the snow while he was all bundled up and cozy, really just took me out.

And I could get behind two single parents being attracted to each other and maybe thinking they’re ready to date, but no. They’ve known each other for like 2-3 weeks max and Travis decides

to pop the question. AND RONNI SAYS YES?! AND THEY GET MARRIED THE NEXT DAY. How is this a good decision to two smart, business minded individuals. Travis is a BILLIONAIRE and never brings up a prenup? They never talk finances. They kind of never talk about anything. Like how Ronni had already gotten Amy a dog for Christmas and instead of asking Ronni if it was okay to get Amy a dog for Christmas (and she would have said “no, I already got her one,”) Travis just goes and gets one and thrusts another mouth to feed upon Ronni. He could even have offered to keep the 2nd dog, but he didn’t. Oh my god, and Ronni saying she thought she loved Travis more than she had her deceased high school sweetheart and father to her child, possibly because “so much time had passed”?! Fuck OFF Ronnie. That’s bullshit. You’ve known Travis LITERALLY less than a month and Hank has only been dead for four years!

Get some goddamn therapy. #justiceforhank

mghill40's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

madiclaire814's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

2.25

kori_krc's review against another edition

1.0

*Tyra Banks voice* If I could give this a 0/5 I would, but since that is not possible, I give this a 1. I had many issues with this book. Based off of the synopsis, I was expecting a kind of gooey, Hallmark-esk book to read over Christmas. However it kind of felt like an unedited, rushed mess. The relationship between Victoria and Travis was so rushed it felt like whiplash. One minute, Victoria was still pining over her dead husband from 4 years ago, and then in the span of 2-3 weeks (to be honest, the timeline wasn't very clear but I am assuming that this all happened in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas) married to some random man she just met. Travis is uncomfortably pushy towards her, regardless of the fact that HE JUST MET HER, and his son CLEARLY is having a really hard time adapting to moving to a state he knows no one, in a house that's really run down and needs fixing, and that his mother really only wants him when it's convenient. Travis basically pushed Victoria into marrying him when they haven't even dated or started a relationship, which was weird, and wouldn't take no for an answer, despite how often she would express that she wasn't ready for another relationship/husband yet. It also bothered me that after she said yes to marrying him and even after they rushed off to get married the literal next day - she kept saying "love with surely come later" as if she KNEW they weren't in love because they had really only kissed a couple of times and had sex once in the 3 weeks of knowing each other. Travis also kept putting a lot of mysoginistic tones onto their relationship; saying that he wanted a woman who would raise his kids, clean his house, and take care of him, when he knew that Victoria was a strong, independent woman who wanted an equal partnership (which she let all his comments go as if they were jokes when they didn't have a sarcastic/jokey tone to them at all and he kept saying it to her as if he was trying to drill it into her head that if she wanted him, that was how she was to behave). All of this adding to the fact that Travis' son, Bryan, was CLEARLY not okay with anything that was going on and wasn't even included in the decision for his father to start dating someone, let alone get married and have her along with her 4 year old daughter move in with them in a matter of weeks of knowing them. I spent this entire time cringing at how fast everything was going between these two and screaming that they needed to pay more attention to Bryan. Speaking of the children, Amy, who was 4, had characteristics of a 8-10 year old. This book could have really benefitted from some editing and updating. Not only because of the copious amount of grammatical errors I kept running into, but also from the fact that things kept being repeated, but in different formats, there was no character development, the pacing was SEVERELY off, and there were tons of scenes that just felt unnatural and uncomfortable. It was really had to believe that these two main characters could ever possibly be together with their lack of chemistry and it was really hard to believe that Victoria's character was so consumed by the loss of her husband, Hank, and then all of the sudden she just wasn't anymore? All in all, it was not the fun, lighthearted, Christmas book that I thought it was going to be. It wasn't even a whirlwind romance that I couldn't help but root for. Lisa Jackson being one of my favorite author's really missed the mark for me on this one. I know this was a reprint of the story she had written (in the 80s?), but I really feel like if she was going to rebrand this, this year, she should have reworked it and had it reedited so that it would have made sense and wasn't so awful. She has grown so much since this story was written and the fact that she didn't put an ounce of thought into a rework with her current skillset just tells me that this was a cash grab for the holidays.

thebashfulbookworm's review against another edition

3.0

Three and a half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭒

All I Want From Santa, by Lisa Jackson is a cute, stand-alone romance book that is a sweet lovely story about second chances.

Ronnie (Veronica) Walsh and her daughter Amy live in the small, mountain town of Cascadia. Ronnie has a warehouse business and works as a ski patrol on the nearby slopes. Ronnie is a widow, her husband Hank died three years ago, just after Amy was born.

Amy wishes for a puppy and a Dad for Christmas. The puppy is easy, but Ronnie is still morning her husband and doesn't need a man in her life. But, when Travis Keegan and his 15-year-old son move in across the street, Ronnie starts to question her devotion to staying a single mother.

All I Want From Santa is a very sweet, and hopeful book. This is a re-issue of a much earlier book by Lisa Jackson, and it did feel a bit dated to me. Not only were the characters using landlines instead of cell phones, but some of the thoughts and actions of the main characters were also dated. But, I put myself back in the 90s and just enjoyed this old-fashioned love story, and enjoyed it for what it is, instead of mentally trying to update this book!

The writing is very good, and the story did grab me and my heart. It’s very sweet and a bit predictable, but still fun and enjoyable. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

whatjenreads's review against another edition

3.0

A sweet romance featuring single parents. The setting was magical and the plot lovely.

nadenetotallyaddictedtoreading's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

3.25

 All I Want from Santa is my first read for the HoHoHo Readathon hosted by Kimberly over at Caffeinated Reviewer. Originally published in 1995, ︎All I Want From Santa delivered a heartwarming Christmas romance. 

All I Want From Santa introduced Veronica aka Ronnie and her four-year-old daughter Amy. Ronnie dreams of owning the lodge next door to operate as a bed-and-breakfast. If only she still believed in Christmas miracles. Amy, on the other hand, who firmly believes in Santa, wishes for a puppy and, most of all, a daddy. Getting the puppy for her daughter would be easier than getting the daddy. Ronnie is not looking to get involved with anyone, as she is still mourning the loss of her husband. While carrying out her duties as a Ski Patroller, she meets Travis Keegan.

Recently divorced Travis Keegan moved to Cascadia to escape the corporate world and keep his son, Bryan, away from bad company. However, Bryan’s dissatisfaction with the move manifested in his belligerent behaviour. The property Travis bought happened to the one Ronnie dreamed of one day owning. Travis’s focus was on building a relationship with his son and had no room for intimate relations. However, meeting Ronnie had him reconsidering his priorities.

The gorgeous cover influenced my decision to pick up ︎All I Want from Santa. The story between the pages of this heartwarming story elicited feelings of nostalgia. Of all the characters featured, Amy stole the show. Precocious, outspoken and just plain adorable. She will steal your heart. Brian’s behaviour was typical of what one would expect from a teenager who resented changes which came with divorce, relocation and loss of friends.

The romance proved to be a disappointment. The timeline between their initial meeting and the development of their relationship developed in the blink of an eye. Before you know it, marriage was being proposed. All of this took place with little time spent getting to know each other. Also, there were other sections of the story, which could have benefited from further development.

Narration
This is my second experience with Susan Bennett narration. She did a great job capturing the voices and the emotions of the characters. She brought life to the story and her pace and tone were spot on. 

Conclusion/Recommendation
Overall, All I Want From Santa was a charming read, with wonderful characters and suitable for readers who enjoy Christmas themed romance. 

vhardman's review against another edition

3.0

RTF