A review by alexreadsabook
Mistletoe and Mishigas by M.A. Wardell

emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book felt like watching a Hallmark Christmas movie, but gay and a million times better. It was full of some of my favorite tropes (grumpy/sunshine, hurt/comfort) and I loved every second of it. I’m usually not a huge fan of fake dating, but in this case, it worked so well. It genuinely had me smiling and kicking my feet at times. 

I was a bit skeptical about the dual POV at first, but it was so well executed and gave just enough insight into both characters’ perspectives without making me want to yell about lack of communication.

One of the things Wardell does so well is make his characters feel real. Sheldon reminded me so much of one of my close friends, from the Drag Race references to the obsession with pop icons. So often book characters seem too good to be true (because they are), but both main characters had fully fleshed out personalities with flaws and quirks and neither were idolized as some ultra handsome, right out of a painting man. I find it so much more enjoyable to read about characters I can actually relate to.

The spicy scenes in this book were honestly some of the best I’ve ever read. CONSENT IS SO SEXY. The on page consent is something so many books lack, and Wardell absolutely delivered. Absolutely stellar writing as a whole, but hot damn that closet scene was something else.

The representation in this book is phenomenal as well. This was the first book I’ve read that had a main character with PTSD, and I could tell a lot of work went into making sure that it was accurately portrayed without any harmful stereotypes. There are some tough topics discussed (please check content warnings), but they were handled with such care.

This was for sure a 5 star read, and I can not wait for the next Teachers in Love book.