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A review by scoodle42
You Make It Feel like Christmas by Toni Shiloh
hopeful
lighthearted
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? No
3.75
Starr is on her way home for Christmas, jobless and embarrassed to tell anyone. Plus the family's gearing up for her sister Angel's wedding--to Starr's ex-boyfriend. And she has to put a clamp on her feelings about that too. But maybe her brother's friend Waylon, and the new way he's looking at her, can make the holidays bearable.
This was a very sweet story. I love the way Waylon stepped right in to give Starr a soft place to land. I also liked that things occurred between them in a natural way, and it didn't have any of those weird layers of feeling like it wasn't right because of Waylon's friendship with the brother. That was refreshing. Waylon and Starr were so easy together, so gentle and right. They cheered each other on, and stayed in each other's corner the whole way. And even the talk about extending the relationship past the holiday was mature and kind of wonderful. They both considered what was best for each other AND the relationship. It was very unselfish and loving. What a soft, hopeful, love story.
I will say that the second half of the book felt bogged down with too much messaging. Prayer is fine, and I think it helped in dealing with the situations they both had, but it felt like a lot of the internal monologue turned into prayers and it felt... awkward, for lack of a better word. It's okay if characters talk to themselves. Every conversation doesn't have to be one with God.
Also, the second half push to have Starr forgive her sister felt forced and unnecessary. I wish she'd been able to move past her own emotions and let that be the end of it. The insistent need to redeem her sister didn't feel organic to the story.
It was very sweet though. I enjoyed it.
This was a very sweet story. I love the way Waylon stepped right in to give Starr a soft place to land. I also liked that things occurred between them in a natural way, and it didn't have any of those weird layers of feeling like it wasn't right because of Waylon's friendship with the brother. That was refreshing. Waylon and Starr were so easy together, so gentle and right. They cheered each other on, and stayed in each other's corner the whole way. And even the talk about extending the relationship past the holiday was mature and kind of wonderful. They both considered what was best for each other AND the relationship. It was very unselfish and loving. What a soft, hopeful, love story.
I will say that the second half of the book felt bogged down with too much messaging. Prayer is fine, and I think it helped in dealing with the situations they both had, but it felt like a lot of the internal monologue turned into prayers and it felt... awkward, for lack of a better word. It's okay if characters talk to themselves. Every conversation doesn't have to be one with God.
Also, the second half push to have Starr forgive her sister felt forced and unnecessary. I wish she'd been able to move past her own emotions and let that be the end of it. The insistent need to redeem her sister didn't feel organic to the story.
It was very sweet though. I enjoyed it.