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downsophialane's review against another edition
hopeful
slow-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
4.0
A mid-book surprise baby is always going to get a lot of people offside, and I'm sure the authors were aware of this (Sierra Simone in particular famously prefers to polarise her readers rather than play it safe). I thought this twist worked quite well for the heroine's post-purity culture journey. Winnie's subsequent distance and, yes, the miscommunication throughout stems logically from her purity culture trauma and Kallum's established flaws as a man who had never needed to step up and grow up. I understand miscommunication can be frustrating for some readers but honestly this seems like a good example of that trope to me... They're not just stupid, it comes from their own misconceptions and backstories... Exactly as miscommunication happens in real life!
I was a little disappointed that apart from one fleeting mention that she still has a "connection" with God, there is no mention of Winnie's relationship to her faith (beyond the purity culture imposed upon her) but that's a me thing; this isn't another Priest so I won't review it like it was trying to be.
Can I say, these epilogues from Teddy's POV are a stroke of genius because all I want is more from him!
I was a little disappointed that apart from one fleeting mention that she still has a "connection" with God, there is no mention of Winnie's relationship to her faith (beyond the purity culture imposed upon her) but that's a me thing; this isn't another Priest so I won't review it like it was trying to be.
Can I say, these epilogues from Teddy's POV are a stroke of genius because all I want is more from him!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Blood and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming and Miscarriage
ashrosereads_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
'This was a rollercoaster to say the least. I honestly didn’t even know what this book was; thought the cover was cute and thought it was a rom-com… I was very surprised to be only a few pages in to find it was not a wholesome Christmas romance - well not at first.
HJEE is a raunch-com with a really wholesome subplot - which starts after the very sexually graphic first half of the book. I laughed and I definitely cried at the end of this book… It’s definitely a good read especially if these kind of books are your favorite but it’s totally full of tropes. Alas.
HJEE is a raunch-com with a really wholesome subplot - which starts after the very sexually graphic first half of the book. I laughed and I definitely cried at the end of this book… It’s definitely a good read especially if these kind of books are your favorite but it’s totally full of tropes. Alas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy
juffnstuff's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Religious bigotry
tcolvin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This one was much better than the 1st book. I liked the characters so much more! I also think the sex scenes were spicier, which I liked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Religious bigotry
hopiemopie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Emotional abuse and Religious bigotry
onkenzisshelf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I enjoyed this book a lot, overall, but there were a few things that kept me from rating it higher than a 3:
- Winnie had narcolepsy, which is not a representation you often see, yet it was barely mentioned. She and Kallum never talked about it and it was instead just mentioned in passing throughout the book. It felt more like a gimmick than anything.
- The cheesiness was almost cringey. You always expect a holiday book to be cringey, but this was almost too much.
This is probably because I am currently pregnant and very in tune with this kind of thing, but the timeline was SO wonky with her pregnancy that I couldn't handle it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Miscarriage
linzozil's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Pregnancy
eabh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Listen, Christmas Notch is our cringy cute progressive sexy hallmark. And part one of this book was exactly that! Jewish main character and the leading lady has a disability? We will representation ! A sexual awakening, a goofy golden retriever boy and an ex purity culture child star with insane chemistry? And he becomes her sex professor to help her discover herself and complete their sexy movie? Not believable, but I sure did eat it up because it was 🥵.
Part two is where most of the plot comes in, and also some tropes that I really don’t enjoy (pregnancy trope ). While I loved the growth of Kallum and Winnie in their emotional maturity and finding their way, it felt like a total 180 from part one of the book which was hot, passionate, sexy love. The disconnect of the two parts made the novel feel disjointed for me. However, I liked the HEA ending, and it was heart warming for sure. I just wish there was a better blend of the two parts for the novel to feel more balanced and believable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Pregnancy
amberlfaris's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Religious bigotry
ie_haven_'s review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
You know what? I would read more of these. I liked a lot of the characters and the writing was not bad and it was kind of funny (ignoring the handful of deeply cringe bits that I cannot forgive).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content