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emileereadsbooks's review against another edition
4.25
Thanks to Netgalley and Bethany House for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
Starr is headed home for the holidays, but it's not all candy canes and twinkle lights for her. She was laid off from her big NYC job and now as the youngest of 5 kids she's keeping that a secret to try and maintain the status quo. Especially since this holiday season includes her sister marrying her ex-boyfriend.
Waylon shows up to his best friend's family Thanksgiving and is immediately enamored with his baby sister. Starr has grown up and he feels a magnetic tug towards her. That tug only gets stronger as she gets involved in trying to save his late mother's Christmas store with him.
Waylon and Starr have to navigate their feelings for one another as they also figure out what are the next steps in their careers. Will they walk those next steps together or apart?
______
What a fast and fun novella. I always appreciate rom coms where the leads feel like they are having conversations that someone in a real life relationship would have and you can find that here. And Starr and Waylon navigate their relationship and three next steps in their careers they deal with big feelings, but they don't act like petulant children about them.
I also appreciated that the faith elements in this one were front of mind while feeling organic. A fine line to walk in Christian fiction.
_____
This is a closed door, kisses only romance.
Starr is headed home for the holidays, but it's not all candy canes and twinkle lights for her. She was laid off from her big NYC job and now as the youngest of 5 kids she's keeping that a secret to try and maintain the status quo. Especially since this holiday season includes her sister marrying her ex-boyfriend.
Waylon shows up to his best friend's family Thanksgiving and is immediately enamored with his baby sister. Starr has grown up and he feels a magnetic tug towards her. That tug only gets stronger as she gets involved in trying to save his late mother's Christmas store with him.
Waylon and Starr have to navigate their feelings for one another as they also figure out what are the next steps in their careers. Will they walk those next steps together or apart?
______
What a fast and fun novella. I always appreciate rom coms where the leads feel like they are having conversations that someone in a real life relationship would have and you can find that here. And Starr and Waylon navigate their relationship and three next steps in their careers they deal with big feelings, but they don't act like petulant children about them.
I also appreciated that the faith elements in this one were front of mind while feeling organic. A fine line to walk in Christian fiction.
_____
This is a closed door, kisses only romance.
a_ab's review against another edition
2.5
2.5*. The story itself is nice and simply told. But the Christian preaching was thrown in completely randomly and out of place. Some Christian fiction makes that integration natural and context appropriate, in this book is was neither, so all it accomplished was throwing me out of the narrative. The worst part was that the faith elements in this book seemed more performance than genuine. But maybe I 'm just not the target audience here.
bookishmiss's review
I picked up this novella by Toni Shiloh with fairly high hopes, based on reviews I had read. Unfortunately, for reasons I'm still trying to pinpoint, I could not seem to connect with the characters in this story, and felt disengaged throughout.
As this is the only work I have read by this author, I can't compare my thoughts on this story against any of her other works. I have read three other novels recently, by three different authors, and enjoyed and appreciated a variety of aspects from each of those stories. That leads me to suspect this author's writing style might be one I can't engage with, though I won't be able to say that with certainty until such time as I have tried reading some of her other works.
As this is the only work I have read by this author, I can't compare my thoughts on this story against any of her other works. I have read three other novels recently, by three different authors, and enjoyed and appreciated a variety of aspects from each of those stories. That leads me to suspect this author's writing style might be one I can't engage with, though I won't be able to say that with certainty until such time as I have tried reading some of her other works.
ashleychaney's review against another edition
1.0
DNF @34%
Waaaaaay too many prayers, made it very disjointed. Every other sentence threw one in
Waaaaaay too many prayers, made it very disjointed. Every other sentence threw one in
natalie_stommes's review against another edition
3.0
pros:
- really quick read
- christmas book!!!
- they get together very soon
- NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP. i repeat: NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP
- his moms shop was so cute
- great dates, pretty okay sibling relationships (3/4 of her siblings are great and the. she actually reconciles with the 4th in a good way)
cons:
- STOP PRAYING. i swear they prayed so often. not like actually super praying but like “good lord [this and that]” and “i’ll pray for you” ugh idk i know christmas is a christian holiday or whatever so they’ll be a religious family but it was so much….. definitely decreased the rating
- also they called each other sis and bro way too much? idk i definitely don’t talk to my siblings like that but maybe some people do… it just didn’t really feel natural all the time even though it was okay occasionally
The epilogue was pretty cute too…. i’m glad they made the decisions they did in the end and i would be interested in reading a story about Noel but the religiousness and dialogue between siblings would make it difficult to read
overall it was okay i guess…. i liked it
i also now realize this is the longest review i’ve ever written
- really quick read
- christmas book!!!
- they get together very soon
- NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP. i repeat: NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP
- his moms shop was so cute
- great dates, pretty okay sibling relationships (3/4 of her siblings are great and the. she actually reconciles with the 4th in a good way)
cons:
- STOP PRAYING. i swear they prayed so often. not like actually super praying but like “good lord [this and that]” and “i’ll pray for you” ugh idk i know christmas is a christian holiday or whatever so they’ll be a religious family but it was so much….. definitely decreased the rating
- also they called each other sis and bro way too much? idk i definitely don’t talk to my siblings like that but maybe some people do… it just didn’t really feel natural all the time even though it was okay occasionally
The epilogue was pretty cute too…. i’m glad they made the decisions they did in the end and i would be interested in reading a story about Noel but the religiousness and dialogue between siblings would make it difficult to read
overall it was okay i guess…. i liked it
i also now realize this is the longest review i’ve ever written
tn_bibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
Starr returns home for the holidays single and without a job. She's tasked with helping her sister with wedding preparations, but the catch is her sister is marrying her ex-boyfriend. Waylon, her brother's friend, shows up for Thanksgiving. As Starr and Waylon spend time together, sparks begin to fly.
I love Starr and Waylon! I love seeing Angel's growth towards the end of the book. This book gives all the Christmas feels. It is the perfect short read. This book includes Christian themes.
Content Warning:
-Talks of a mom who has passed
*This is a closed-door contemporary Christian Christmas novella.
I love Starr and Waylon! I love seeing Angel's growth towards the end of the book. This book gives all the Christmas feels. It is the perfect short read. This book includes Christian themes.
Content Warning:
-Talks of a mom who has passed
*This is a closed-door contemporary Christian Christmas novella.
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
This was a feel-good, brother's best friend Holiday novella that sees Starr, the youngest in her large family and newly jobless, returning to her DC home to take part in her sister's over the top wedding to her ex. Full of family drama and a sweet romance, this was a charming, kissing only Christmas love story by a new to me author. Good on audio too and perfect for fans of Belle Calhoune or Beverly Jenkins. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
This was a feel-good, brother's best friend Holiday novella that sees Starr, the youngest in her large family and newly jobless, returning to her DC home to take part in her sister's over the top wedding to her ex. Full of family drama and a sweet romance, this was a charming, kissing only Christmas love story by a new to me author. Good on audio too and perfect for fans of Belle Calhoune or Beverly Jenkins. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
brownreadsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Quick read and solid plot
More character development would have been nice. I also felt the timeline of the story was rushed and a little unrealistic, even for a fiction book. Lastly, a few of the prayers from the characters felt a little forced and seemed randomly thrown in.
Cute. Solid 3 star read.
More character development would have been nice. I also felt the timeline of the story was rushed and a little unrealistic, even for a fiction book. Lastly, a few of the prayers from the characters felt a little forced and seemed randomly thrown in.
Cute. Solid 3 star read.
rusticreadingal's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this sweet Christmas romance. It lifted my spirits and brought a smile to my face.
Reluctantly back home for the holidays after losing her job, Starr’s hopeful she can keep her unemployed status a secret from her family, all while feigning happiness for her sister’s impending Christmas Eve wedding to her ex-boyfriend. Talk about a complicated holiday!
I liked Starr a lot. She was nice, genuine, and down to earth. She was an easy character to root for. Waylon was such a sweet and caring guy who I couldn't help falling for. His cheesy one-liners made me laugh. I loved watching their genuine friendship grow into more. And since they already knew each other, their speedy relationship felt natural.
I enjoyed getting to know the Lewis family. Well, some more than others. Angel was a handful, to say the least. She was so self-centered. She treated Starr so badly, and I don't even know if she realized it because she was so focused on herself. But, other than Angel, I really liked the other Lewis siblings and enjoyed seeing the dynamic between them.
This sweet romance is sure to put you in the holiday spirit. I highly recommend it!
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my own honest opinion.
Reluctantly back home for the holidays after losing her job, Starr’s hopeful she can keep her unemployed status a secret from her family, all while feigning happiness for her sister’s impending Christmas Eve wedding to her ex-boyfriend. Talk about a complicated holiday!
I liked Starr a lot. She was nice, genuine, and down to earth. She was an easy character to root for. Waylon was such a sweet and caring guy who I couldn't help falling for. His cheesy one-liners made me laugh. I loved watching their genuine friendship grow into more. And since they already knew each other, their speedy relationship felt natural.
I enjoyed getting to know the Lewis family. Well, some more than others. Angel was a handful, to say the least. She was so self-centered. She treated Starr so badly, and I don't even know if she realized it because she was so focused on herself. But, other than Angel, I really liked the other Lewis siblings and enjoyed seeing the dynamic between them.
This sweet romance is sure to put you in the holiday spirit. I highly recommend it!
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my own honest opinion.
canyonmoonreads's review against another edition
This was a Christian romance and I didn’t realize.