A review by wilybooklover
Time to Shine by Rachel Reid

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

What lovely, cosy Christmassy vibes this book had! So fluffy and festive.

I absolutely adored these two characters; sweet, outgoing himbo Casey and reserved, awkward loner Landon were complete opposites yet balanced each other out beautifully. I really loved how they appreciated each other for who they were. You could see how much better they made each other with the more time they spent together. Landon being flustered by Casey's constant praise was so cute, and Landon telling Casey he wasn't stupid just warmed my heart. These two deserved everything!!

Another thing I loved was how the sex scenes played out. They were slow and exploratory
with the focus completely away from penetrative sex.
I loved how sex-positive and focused on consent Casey was — he really just wants everyone to have a good time. The perfect pairing for Landon,
who was a virgin who'd barely been kissed before.


The side characters were all fantastic here as well, from their families to their teammates and even Casey's one-night stands (Zach flirting with Landon the morning after was hilarious!). Seeing Landon start to heal his relationship with his parents was so heartwarming and the Christmas scenes in the 'cabin' were so fun! I'm not a big sports fan but the sports aspects were well-integrated into the story too, and never took away from the romance.

This whole book was just so soft and tender and I loved it. The perfect Christmas book. 
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