fairyinpages's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
allyluvstooread's review
4.0
mmm mmm mmmm MMM LOVE IT AMAZING. Wyatt is my husband. anyway… very good book yup yup mhm
hannahmarshmallow's review against another edition
4.0
If I'm being completely honest, this book was kind of cringey. However, it wasn't the worst thing I've read (or the most cringey.) In fact, I actually liked it. It was a nice, light read and had some nice messages in it. (not sure if I should give it 3 or 4 stars... maybe 4 because I have some good feelings about it
liralen's review
3.0
Clean and fluffy, with Noelle as a ballet-obsessed (and Christmas-obsessed, and babysitting-focussed) fourteen-year-old and her favourite babysitting family as her benevolent benefactors. Could have used some more diversity—based on the names and some other details, I think some characters are meant to be non-white, but that's as far as the diversity goes. It's very cute and also very young—this is being shelved on Goodreads as YA, but it feels like the grey area between MG and YA to me.
sas1010's review
I didn’t really want to keep reading. I was bored and didn’t care about the characters very much
ashton_reads_'s review
5.0
4.5/5 stars
GOSH DARN IT this book is the CUTEST holiday read!! I was a little weirded out about their ages at first (they’re just younger than they seem), but the romance is just too cute!
Goodreads synopsis:
Noelle Partridge is known for three things: being the best ballet dancer, babysitter, and person with the most Christmas spirit in her small town. But lately she’s bored by the lessons at her dance school, and her friends and father are more bah humbug than Hallmark movie marathon. So when her favorite babysitting clients ask her to accompany them on a ski trip over winter break, she packs her bags for the slopes. It helps that they’re offering double her rate—she’ll need the money for Beacon, an elite ballet academy that’s granted her an audition.
Noelle is ready to “Deck the Halls” and have fa la la la fun, until Wyatt, the older half-brother of her babysitting charges, decides to surprise his family for the holiday. He’s one of the best dancers at Beacon, and makes Noelle’s head spin faster than pirouettes. Unfortunately, she also manages to step on his toes—spoiling his surprise and complicating his secret plans. After a few missteps, Noelle and Wyatt begin to thaw toward each other and bond over the big decisions looming in each of their lives. With enough Christmas magic, Noelle might just start the New Year with lots of babysitting cash in her pocket and a chance with the pas de deux partner of her dreams.
As I said, this book is the cutest!! It’s an adorable YA romance with all the Christmas vibes and lots of wholesomeness. The pace was engaging and the romance was well-developed - I honestly could not stop reading.
I would say the romance is at the forefront of this plot, what with the incredibly swoony moments and great pacing of their feelings. I fell in love with Wyatt myself; he is the kind of boy I want to find someday, and I found myself falling headfirst along with Noelle. Their relationship develops so naturally out of their similarities and conflicts, plus there is an element of secrecy that is very fun to watch!
The romance didn’t completely steal the show though; I loved the family dynamic at the lodge and how amazing the Kahales (the family she is babysitting for) are to her. Mrs. Kahale is like the mother figure Noelle doesn’t have, and the way the Kahales embrace her as family is truly heartwarming. As I mentioned before, both Noelle and Wyatt had struggles and decisions to make that elevated their characters to a new level and made them more relatable. This nuance created a deeper story than I expected, and I loved that the fluffy romance had heavier undertones to root the story.
I was worried going into this book since the main character, Noelle, is fourteen years old since that seems a little young for a believable romance, but she proved me wrong quickly. She is not only a mature main character, but it wasn’t difficult to relate to her conflicts and decisions, and the romance isn’t weird because of her age. Do I think she should have been older based on her maturity and the responsibilities given to her? Yes, but that doesn’t change that I was still able to project myself into the story. Plus, I understand to an extent that the grief she struggles with and some of the decisions she has to make about her future are more impactful because she is younger.
To sum this up, this book is ADORABLE! I sincerely loved it and found the romance perfect! The Christmas vibes are immaculate as well, so this is a great one to read as the holidays come closer! While the characters are younger, they act older than they are, so it’s a great read for everyone who loves cute Christmas romances!
I received a finished copy from the publisher; thank you so much! All opinions are my own :)
If you enjoyed this review, you can friend/follow me here on Goodreads or on Instagram and Pinterest @ashton_reads for more bookish content (@ashton.reads on Tiktok)!! If you want, you can give this review a like or comment with your thoughts so I know you've read my review; your support means a lot to me! Happy reading!
GOSH DARN IT this book is the CUTEST holiday read!! I was a little weirded out about their ages at first (they’re just younger than they seem), but the romance is just too cute!
Goodreads synopsis:
Noelle Partridge is known for three things: being the best ballet dancer, babysitter, and person with the most Christmas spirit in her small town. But lately she’s bored by the lessons at her dance school, and her friends and father are more bah humbug than Hallmark movie marathon. So when her favorite babysitting clients ask her to accompany them on a ski trip over winter break, she packs her bags for the slopes. It helps that they’re offering double her rate—she’ll need the money for Beacon, an elite ballet academy that’s granted her an audition.
Noelle is ready to “Deck the Halls” and have fa la la la fun, until Wyatt, the older half-brother of her babysitting charges, decides to surprise his family for the holiday. He’s one of the best dancers at Beacon, and makes Noelle’s head spin faster than pirouettes. Unfortunately, she also manages to step on his toes—spoiling his surprise and complicating his secret plans. After a few missteps, Noelle and Wyatt begin to thaw toward each other and bond over the big decisions looming in each of their lives. With enough Christmas magic, Noelle might just start the New Year with lots of babysitting cash in her pocket and a chance with the pas de deux partner of her dreams.
As I said, this book is the cutest!! It’s an adorable YA romance with all the Christmas vibes and lots of wholesomeness. The pace was engaging and the romance was well-developed - I honestly could not stop reading.
I would say the romance is at the forefront of this plot, what with the incredibly swoony moments and great pacing of their feelings. I fell in love with Wyatt myself; he is the kind of boy I want to find someday, and I found myself falling headfirst along with Noelle. Their relationship develops so naturally out of their similarities and conflicts, plus there is an element of secrecy that is very fun to watch!
The romance didn’t completely steal the show though; I loved the family dynamic at the lodge and how amazing the Kahales (the family she is babysitting for) are to her. Mrs. Kahale is like the mother figure Noelle doesn’t have, and the way the Kahales embrace her as family is truly heartwarming. As I mentioned before, both Noelle and Wyatt had struggles and decisions to make that elevated their characters to a new level and made them more relatable. This nuance created a deeper story than I expected, and I loved that the fluffy romance had heavier undertones to root the story.
I was worried going into this book since the main character, Noelle, is fourteen years old since that seems a little young for a believable romance, but she proved me wrong quickly. She is not only a mature main character, but it wasn’t difficult to relate to her conflicts and decisions, and the romance isn’t weird because of her age. Do I think she should have been older based on her maturity and the responsibilities given to her? Yes, but that doesn’t change that I was still able to project myself into the story. Plus, I understand to an extent that the grief she struggles with and some of the decisions she has to make about her future are more impactful because she is younger.
To sum this up, this book is ADORABLE! I sincerely loved it and found the romance perfect! The Christmas vibes are immaculate as well, so this is a great one to read as the holidays come closer! While the characters are younger, they act older than they are, so it’s a great read for everyone who loves cute Christmas romances!
I received a finished copy from the publisher; thank you so much! All opinions are my own :)
If you enjoyed this review, you can friend/follow me here on Goodreads or on Instagram and Pinterest @ashton_reads for more bookish content (@ashton.reads on Tiktok)!! If you want, you can give this review a like or comment with your thoughts so I know you've read my review; your support means a lot to me! Happy reading!
mystic_dclouds's review
3.0
The title of this book is quite adorable similar to all the Christmas dialogue hidden throughout!
This is a fairly light story about a Christmas enthusiast, Noelle making big plans like usual for the holidays. However this year, her dad and best friends seem to be too busy for the festivities so Christmas doesn’t feel the same as usual. Trying to find an escape she takes up an offer from the Kahales family to go with them on their ski trip to help babysit until her unrequited love decides to join them.
Honestly, I couldn’t like Noelle as the protagonist of the story. I understand holiday season is a tough time for Noelle, but she came out extremely self centered due to all her “wants”. I felt that Noelle didn’t try to understand her friends or care about them as much as they did for her. Also, because this story is from Noelle’s viewpoint we don’t get many details about her friends and families except from Noelle’s thoughts or their conversations, which usually aren’t the greatest.
This book gives a good enough example of why clear communication is key to success. The issues in this story are literally due to communication problems, and yes it’s hard in real life but we all need to learn the basics. Also, if we’re not good communicators we shouldn’t expect someone to mind read us as well; so expectations need to be measured.
Although Noelle does have a redemption arc by the end of the book, it was an okay read as it felt like the other person was always more apologetic than Noelle. Besides the title, Christmas comedy and a few select scenes Noelle spends with the Kahales, I probably won’t reread this book again.
Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf
This is a fairly light story about a Christmas enthusiast, Noelle making big plans like usual for the holidays. However this year, her dad and best friends seem to be too busy for the festivities so Christmas doesn’t feel the same as usual. Trying to find an escape she takes up an offer from the Kahales family to go with them on their ski trip to help babysit until her unrequited love decides to join them.
Honestly, I couldn’t like Noelle as the protagonist of the story. I understand holiday season is a tough time for Noelle, but she came out extremely self centered due to all her “wants”. I felt that Noelle didn’t try to understand her friends or care about them as much as they did for her. Also, because this story is from Noelle’s viewpoint we don’t get many details about her friends and families except from Noelle’s thoughts or their conversations, which usually aren’t the greatest.
This book gives a good enough example of why clear communication is key to success. The issues in this story are literally due to communication problems, and yes it’s hard in real life but we all need to learn the basics. Also, if we’re not good communicators we shouldn’t expect someone to mind read us as well; so expectations need to be measured.
Although Noelle does have a redemption arc by the end of the book, it was an okay read as it felt like the other person was always more apologetic than Noelle. Besides the title, Christmas comedy and a few select scenes Noelle spends with the Kahales, I probably won’t reread this book again.
Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf
coutures1513's review
3.0
3.5
C’était une romance pour ado mignonne. Par comtre, ça m’a un peu dérangé que la personnage principale soit amoureuse avant même de rencontrer le personnage masculin
C’était une romance pour ado mignonne. Par comtre, ça m’a un peu dérangé que la personnage principale soit amoureuse avant même de rencontrer le personnage masculin