A review by crtsjffrsn
Not the Best Day by Brynn Stein
3.0
To Henry, Christmas shopping is a necessary evil; there are so many things he'd rather be doing. But gifts need to be purchased, so he's stuck going through the motions to get it done. And on top of it being two days before Christmas--and therefore a busy day all around--he runs into a complete jerk who keeps crossing his path and getting in his way. He doesn't know what the guy's deal is, but he aims to just complete his shopping and be done with him. Except when days don't go as planned, sometimes they really don't go as planned.
This is a short and very action-oriented story with some unexpected twists as the plot progresses. There's a lightness to the writing that comes through (despite Henry's foul mood), and despite the length, I feel like it was easy to connect to the character and understand what this day is really like for him. Shorts can be difficult sometimes, especially when you're working in the romance genre. But I also never expect a romance short to deliver the slow burn relationship building that one might see in a novel--there's just no room for it. But when I can end the story with a smile on my face and pleased with the direction the characters are headed, then we've arrived at a good place.
This is a short and very action-oriented story with some unexpected twists as the plot progresses. There's a lightness to the writing that comes through (despite Henry's foul mood), and despite the length, I feel like it was easy to connect to the character and understand what this day is really like for him. Shorts can be difficult sometimes, especially when you're working in the romance genre. But I also never expect a romance short to deliver the slow burn relationship building that one might see in a novel--there's just no room for it. But when I can end the story with a smile on my face and pleased with the direction the characters are headed, then we've arrived at a good place.