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wilybooklover's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.0
On paper, this book should’ve been everything that I love, but sadly didn’t really work for me.
Firstly, it didn’t really feel all that Christmassy to me. The book ended in early December! The premise was ridiculous (what sane adult buys a Christmas tree farm when they don’t do any research or have a clue how to run a Christmas tree farm??), the writing was clunky and meandering, the characters frequently behaved goofily — and not in a fun way. Some of their behaviour felt forced and out of character in order to serve the plot. I felt like I needed more from the hero, especially since this is single POV until the very last chapter. And why was everybody huffing and shuffling? These words were used so repetitively that it was annoyingly conspicuous.
Also, writing a cop (who is meant to be a positive, father-like character) threatening the hero with a gun as though it's cute and endearingly protective is... a Choice.
Firstly, it didn’t really feel all that Christmassy to me. The book ended in early December! The premise was ridiculous (what sane adult buys a Christmas tree farm when they don’t do any research or have a clue how to run a Christmas tree farm??), the writing was clunky and meandering, the characters frequently behaved goofily — and not in a fun way. Some of their behaviour felt forced and out of character in order to serve the plot. I felt like I needed more from the hero, especially since this is single POV until the very last chapter. And why was everybody huffing and shuffling? These words were used so repetitively that it was annoyingly conspicuous.
Also, writing a cop (who is meant to be a positive, father-like character) threatening the hero with a gun as though it's cute and endearingly protective is... a Choice.
On the plus side, the vibes were quite cosy (but also quite sad at times?) and the UST was excellently portrayed in the first half. That was my favourite part.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death and Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Gun violence, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Violence, Police brutality, and Classism
chronicacademia's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Ableism, Gun violence, and Police brutality