A review by quillify_
The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo

funny hopeful informative lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

A very sweet and relaxing book! Reading it during holiday season was an extra bit of charm for me (even if I don't celebrate said holiday lol). Teddy, as the love interest, was pretty adorable and sort of infuriating at times, but I liked his backstory and development a lot (but pleaseeee can we have a YA boy for once who does NOT have abs? I promise the book will not suffer, really.)
Lila, on the other hand... well, the book is told primarily from her point of view, but I felt it could have been better if we were seeing things through the eyes of both leads. She started off as very uptight (perks of being the eldest sister, yay /s), but I enjoyed seeing her growth too. Really appreciate the talk on projection of parental experiences onto kids, the way eldest kids have to handle things in the house, and the problems with having unreliable finance (which, I felt, could have been shown better). 
My only gripe with the book is that it tells a lot of things instead of showing. I skimmed through a lot of the narration out of boredom. I know romance is the main focus, but I would have loved to see more Lila's bond with her siblings where they aren't a hindrance or plot device for her problems, and the talk with her parents at the end when she decided to
switch her major in college
. 
Appreciate the slow development in romance though. The emphasis on friendship and hanging out was pretty neat.
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