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How to Raise a Happy Dog: So They Love You (more Than Anyone Else) by Sophie Collins
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
I am obsessed with my dogs and am always looking for ways to make their lives better, so a book like Sophie Collins How to Raise a Happy Dog is right up my alley. This easy to read guide, complete with cute doggie illustrations, is chock full of information and tips to making your pooch as happy as can be!
Included is info on dog body language so that you can read your dog’s personality and mood; ideas for games, tricks, and enrichment (I taught my own dogs how to roll after reading the tips in this book); info on eating & exercise, as well as tips on how you can make your home a comfortable place for your dog to rest; and info on the life stages of dogs.
In all, this book is packed with a lot of helpful, pertinent info that even a dog lover like myself will find useful and eye opening. I can truly say that my dogs’ lives are better after implementing the tips & tricks I found in this book!
Included is info on dog body language so that you can read your dog’s personality and mood; ideas for games, tricks, and enrichment (I taught my own dogs how to roll after reading the tips in this book); info on eating & exercise, as well as tips on how you can make your home a comfortable place for your dog to rest; and info on the life stages of dogs.
In all, this book is packed with a lot of helpful, pertinent info that even a dog lover like myself will find useful and eye opening. I can truly say that my dogs’ lives are better after implementing the tips & tricks I found in this book!
The Ex-Mas Holidays by Zoe Allison
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Imagine running into your ex, the one who got away, in the buff serving drinks at a friend’s holiday party. If it sounds like the stuff of nightmares, welcome to Maya Bashir’s world. Maya’s world has just been turned upside down, having left both her job and relationship, and she’s headed back to her childhood Scotland home with her entire life packed in the back of her car. On the way, she stops at her friend’s home to rest, and it is there that she is reacquainted with Sam Holland, her ex. ‘Tis the start of Zoe Allison’s new Christmas novel, The Ex-Mas Holidays!
The Ex-Mas Holidays follows Maya and Sam as they adjust to Maya being back in their hometown and taking up an instructor job at the ski resort where Sam works. The more and more time that Sam and Maya spend together, the harder it becomes to deny their still lingering feelings for each other. The only problem? Sam’s toxic girlfriend, who is the reason why Sam broke Maya’s heart in the first place. Maya saw him kissing her the night she wanted to profess her love to him … but did everything really go down as Maya perceived it to be?
If you guessed that The Ex-Mas Holidays revolves around the miscommunication trope, you’d be right … it does seem to be a theme among holiday novels as of late. Depending on whether you love or hate misunderstandings between potential lovers will determine which way this book will go for you. I don’t outright dislike the trope, but it can become frustrating in a book as long as this one - you just want the characters to air their grievances and move on instead of harboring ill feelings toward each other. As it is, Sam and Maya really don’t have a heart to heart about their conflict until the near end of the novel, making this book one long build-up to a conversation we know is bound to eventually happen.
Sprinkled among Sam and Maya’s reunion is conflict with peripheral characters, including Maya dealing with her father’s expectations of her life, and Sam being emotionally abused and manipulated by his narcissistic girlfriend. These relationships provide a bit of meat to this story, making it just as much about two young adults coming to terms with their lives, as it is about the budding romance between them.
However, this book is not without problems. Maya is the daughter of an immigrant father; however, there is so little mention of her family’s culture that I frankly cannot remember where her father originated, aside from the odd choice of her being referred to as a mixed race girl at one point in the novel. Furthermore, Sam’s girlfriend is terrible, but conversations revolving around her vile behavior come off as if being read from a guide on dealing toxic people. Buzzwords such as gaslighting and narcissist are frequently thrown around and do not gel well with the story, making them feel disjointed and out of place in the novel.
As it is, The Ex-Mas Holidays is a light Christmas read that will satisfy anyone looking for a little Scottish charm and cheer. This book includes a lot of cute flirting and banter, and is not overtly explicit in content, falling more in the mid-range for steaminess.
The Ex-Mas Holidays follows Maya and Sam as they adjust to Maya being back in their hometown and taking up an instructor job at the ski resort where Sam works. The more and more time that Sam and Maya spend together, the harder it becomes to deny their still lingering feelings for each other. The only problem? Sam’s toxic girlfriend, who is the reason why Sam broke Maya’s heart in the first place. Maya saw him kissing her the night she wanted to profess her love to him … but did everything really go down as Maya perceived it to be?
If you guessed that The Ex-Mas Holidays revolves around the miscommunication trope, you’d be right … it does seem to be a theme among holiday novels as of late. Depending on whether you love or hate misunderstandings between potential lovers will determine which way this book will go for you. I don’t outright dislike the trope, but it can become frustrating in a book as long as this one - you just want the characters to air their grievances and move on instead of harboring ill feelings toward each other. As it is, Sam and Maya really don’t have a heart to heart about their conflict until the near end of the novel, making this book one long build-up to a conversation we know is bound to eventually happen.
Sprinkled among Sam and Maya’s reunion is conflict with peripheral characters, including Maya dealing with her father’s expectations of her life, and Sam being emotionally abused and manipulated by his narcissistic girlfriend. These relationships provide a bit of meat to this story, making it just as much about two young adults coming to terms with their lives, as it is about the budding romance between them.
However, this book is not without problems. Maya is the daughter of an immigrant father; however, there is so little mention of her family’s culture that I frankly cannot remember where her father originated, aside from the odd choice of her being referred to as a mixed race girl at one point in the novel. Furthermore, Sam’s girlfriend is terrible, but conversations revolving around her vile behavior come off as if being read from a guide on dealing toxic people. Buzzwords such as gaslighting and narcissist are frequently thrown around and do not gel well with the story, making them feel disjointed and out of place in the novel.
As it is, The Ex-Mas Holidays is a light Christmas read that will satisfy anyone looking for a little Scottish charm and cheer. This book includes a lot of cute flirting and banter, and is not overtly explicit in content, falling more in the mid-range for steaminess.
Three Holidays and a Wedding by Marissa Stapley, Uzma Jalaluddin
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The year 2000 was special not only for being the dawn of a new millennium, but also for being a year in which the holiday seasons of Christmas, Ramadan, and Hanukkah all fell within days of each other … meaning people of all walks of life were making memories and celebrating meaningful moments at the same time. Authors Uzma Jalauddin and Marissa Stapley have taken us back over 20 years to that unique moment in time with their co-authored seasonal novel Three Holidays and a Wedding.
Three Holidays and a Wedding follows two protagonists - dutiful Muslim daughter Maryam who is headed to Toronto with her family for her younger sister’s wedding and fish-out-of-water Anna who is on her way to the same destination to meet her boyfriend’s affluent family for the first time. On the same plane and seated next to each other, Maryam and Anna meet, but don’t exactly hit it off at first. However, that all changes when their plane is diverted due to a snowstorm and they find themselves grounded in the tiny Canadian town of Snow Falls.
Stuck in Snow Falls for the unforeseeable future, the two woman explore the village and discover that it is actually a melting pot of cultures and religions. Maryam, a follower of Islam, and Anna, who grew up celebrating both Christmas and Hanukkah, are delighted to discover that there’s a little something for everyone in this quaint town. As the women become assimilated with their surroundings, they learn more about themselves and what they want for their futures. And what would be a holiday novel without a little romance? You can bet that both Maryam and Anna may also cross paths with love as they set out on this journey of seasonal self-discovery.
Three Holidays and a Wedding succeeds in what it sets out to do - to highlight other religions and seasonal celebrations in addition to Christmas. In fact, Christmas completely takes a back seat in this diverse and informative novel with Ramadan/Eid and Hanukkah holding the spotlight. However, despite offering up tons of facts about these celebrations (I did learn quite a bit about Muslim and Jewish traditions from this book), this novel didn’t make me fall in love with these holidays. I never quite felt enveloped in the celebrations as Three Holidays and a Wedding failed to evoke any meaningful feelings from me in that regard. Rather, the book felt a bit preachy, as if it was trying too hard to be diverse and different, as opposed to letting this story follow a more natural progression.
Recommended to readers looking for a holiday novel that is NOT about Christmas, featuring a diverse cast of characters and small town vibes.
Three Holidays and a Wedding follows two protagonists - dutiful Muslim daughter Maryam who is headed to Toronto with her family for her younger sister’s wedding and fish-out-of-water Anna who is on her way to the same destination to meet her boyfriend’s affluent family for the first time. On the same plane and seated next to each other, Maryam and Anna meet, but don’t exactly hit it off at first. However, that all changes when their plane is diverted due to a snowstorm and they find themselves grounded in the tiny Canadian town of Snow Falls.
Stuck in Snow Falls for the unforeseeable future, the two woman explore the village and discover that it is actually a melting pot of cultures and religions. Maryam, a follower of Islam, and Anna, who grew up celebrating both Christmas and Hanukkah, are delighted to discover that there’s a little something for everyone in this quaint town. As the women become assimilated with their surroundings, they learn more about themselves and what they want for their futures. And what would be a holiday novel without a little romance? You can bet that both Maryam and Anna may also cross paths with love as they set out on this journey of seasonal self-discovery.
Three Holidays and a Wedding succeeds in what it sets out to do - to highlight other religions and seasonal celebrations in addition to Christmas. In fact, Christmas completely takes a back seat in this diverse and informative novel with Ramadan/Eid and Hanukkah holding the spotlight. However, despite offering up tons of facts about these celebrations (I did learn quite a bit about Muslim and Jewish traditions from this book), this novel didn’t make me fall in love with these holidays. I never quite felt enveloped in the celebrations as Three Holidays and a Wedding failed to evoke any meaningful feelings from me in that regard. Rather, the book felt a bit preachy, as if it was trying too hard to be diverse and different, as opposed to letting this story follow a more natural progression.
Recommended to readers looking for a holiday novel that is NOT about Christmas, featuring a diverse cast of characters and small town vibes.
Confessions of a Christmasholic by Joss Wood
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have a love-hate relationship with Joss Wood's Confessions of a Christmasholic, a story about a down-on-her-luck traveler who finds herself virtually penniless and homeless amidst a charming Christmas village. It is there that she meets a local grumpy widower dubbed Mr. Christmas, who only pretends to love the holiday to honor his late wife's memory. There are some things that really worked with this novel, and others that really didn't, making this a mixed bag of a read that I enjoyed for the most part, but can't quite say that I loved.
Sutton Alsop has landed broke and broken in a small English village thanks to her best friend who stood her up for their 30th birthday trip of a lifetime, leaving Sutton to foot the bill. After paying for both her and her friend's share of the trip, Sutton is left without a penny to her name. Stranded with no way of getting home until her friend pays her back, Sutton plans on squatting in a home in a quaint Christmas village when she runs into Mr. Christmas, aka Gus, a Grinch of a man who bedecks his home in swaths of Christmas lights only because the town expects him to carry on his late wife's love of the holiday. Taking pity on Sutton, Gus invites her to stay with him and his twins for the holiday. As Sutton and Gus grow closer as Christmas inches nearer, they find themselves falling for each other. Can Sutton warm this Grinch's heart in time for Christmas?
Admittedly, I do not read a lot of romances, aside from the occasional rom-com, because I find them to be cheesy and unrealistic. However, I do make the exception for romances set during Christmas because usually the joy of the holiday can off-set any overbearing romantic storylines. Confessions of a Christmasholic has all of the tropes that you would expect in a traditional steamy romance - there's definitely a heavy dose of insta-love, and a preoccupation with sex - however, it also has a pretty decent plot, even if it is a bit underdeveloped. The storyline kept me interested as I turned the pages amidst eye rolls over the overtly sexual and dramatic behavior of the two main characters.
What I didn't like about this novel was the love interest, Gus. I frankly found him to be toxic to both Sutton and his twins. He traverses through the novel constantly being irritated by his kids, snapping at them and acting like they are a hindrance to the life we really wishes he were living. I worry about the future version of the twins, having grown up in a clearly hostile household. As for Sutton, his relationship with her is just about sex, yet he sets her up time and again to be indebted to him without a substantial partnership between the two. I worry about Sutton, as well, who is doing too much too fast with a guy whose personality and temperament is questionable.
Sutton Alsop has landed broke and broken in a small English village thanks to her best friend who stood her up for their 30th birthday trip of a lifetime, leaving Sutton to foot the bill. After paying for both her and her friend's share of the trip, Sutton is left without a penny to her name. Stranded with no way of getting home until her friend pays her back, Sutton plans on squatting in a home in a quaint Christmas village when she runs into Mr. Christmas, aka Gus, a Grinch of a man who bedecks his home in swaths of Christmas lights only because the town expects him to carry on his late wife's love of the holiday. Taking pity on Sutton, Gus invites her to stay with him and his twins for the holiday. As Sutton and Gus grow closer as Christmas inches nearer, they find themselves falling for each other. Can Sutton warm this Grinch's heart in time for Christmas?
Admittedly, I do not read a lot of romances, aside from the occasional rom-com, because I find them to be cheesy and unrealistic. However, I do make the exception for romances set during Christmas because usually the joy of the holiday can off-set any overbearing romantic storylines. Confessions of a Christmasholic has all of the tropes that you would expect in a traditional steamy romance - there's definitely a heavy dose of insta-love, and a preoccupation with sex - however, it also has a pretty decent plot, even if it is a bit underdeveloped. The storyline kept me interested as I turned the pages amidst eye rolls over the overtly sexual and dramatic behavior of the two main characters.
What I didn't like about this novel was the love interest, Gus. I frankly found him to be toxic to both Sutton and his twins. He traverses through the novel constantly being irritated by his kids, snapping at them and acting like they are a hindrance to the life we really wishes he were living. I worry about the future version of the twins, having grown up in a clearly hostile household. As for Sutton, his relationship with her is just about sex, yet he sets her up time and again to be indebted to him without a substantial partnership between the two. I worry about Sutton, as well, who is doing too much too fast with a guy whose personality and temperament is questionable.
The Big Book of 30-Day Challenges: 60 Habit-Forming Programs to Live an Infinitely Better Life by Rosanna Casper
challenging
informative
fast-paced
4.0
The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Ever read a book that you are surprised that you love as much as you do? Podcaster turned author Becca Freeman’s The Christmas Orphans Club, a story about a group of Christmas “orphans” who meet up every holiday season and spend it together because they have nowhere else to go, is that book for me.
It is Hannah and Finn’s holiday tradition to spend Christmas together. Hannah, an actual orphan, has no family except for an older sister who would rather spend the holidays with her husband than sister, and Finn was disowned by his own family after coming out as gay. Along the way, these Christmas orphans added two more members to their club - Theo, the forgotten son of a billionaire, and Priya, a fashionista from India who isn’t used to celebrating the holiday. This quartet has spent Christmas after Christmas together, making merry memories along the way, but this year is different. This may very well be their last Christmas together, as Finn is set to take a job in Los Angeles, and the group has been finding themselves pulled in different directions as of late. As the Orphans Club sets out to have their most epic, albeit bittersweet, Christmas ever, the members must face the music about their past, present, and future.
While I love holiday novels, it is a rare one that blows me away, but The Christmas Orphans Club is a book that I loved picking up. I was 100% invested in this novel and found myself looking for excuses to squeeze a little bit more reading time into my day - I actually finished this book within 24 hours (no small feat for me!) Not your typical seasonal fare, The Christmas Orphans Club is a novel first and foremost about friendship with a bit of peripheral romance worked in. It has an engaging, well-developed storyline and bold and brilliant characters. Both work seamlessly together to create a memorable holiday read.
The only thing that did not work for me in this novel was Priya. Her character was underdeveloped and one-dimensional, and she came off completely unlikable. I kept wondering throughout the book why Hannah, Finn, and Theo were even friends with her because she didn’t seem to enjoy the holidays, or even their group, as much as they did. Her sarcasm and negative attitude grated my nerves, and I kept wishing that the Orphans Club would just kick her to the curb. Thankfully, her role in the novel is small, so I was able to look past her when rating and reviewing this otherwise enjoyable read.
It is Hannah and Finn’s holiday tradition to spend Christmas together. Hannah, an actual orphan, has no family except for an older sister who would rather spend the holidays with her husband than sister, and Finn was disowned by his own family after coming out as gay. Along the way, these Christmas orphans added two more members to their club - Theo, the forgotten son of a billionaire, and Priya, a fashionista from India who isn’t used to celebrating the holiday. This quartet has spent Christmas after Christmas together, making merry memories along the way, but this year is different. This may very well be their last Christmas together, as Finn is set to take a job in Los Angeles, and the group has been finding themselves pulled in different directions as of late. As the Orphans Club sets out to have their most epic, albeit bittersweet, Christmas ever, the members must face the music about their past, present, and future.
While I love holiday novels, it is a rare one that blows me away, but The Christmas Orphans Club is a book that I loved picking up. I was 100% invested in this novel and found myself looking for excuses to squeeze a little bit more reading time into my day - I actually finished this book within 24 hours (no small feat for me!) Not your typical seasonal fare, The Christmas Orphans Club is a novel first and foremost about friendship with a bit of peripheral romance worked in. It has an engaging, well-developed storyline and bold and brilliant characters. Both work seamlessly together to create a memorable holiday read.
The only thing that did not work for me in this novel was Priya. Her character was underdeveloped and one-dimensional, and she came off completely unlikable. I kept wondering throughout the book why Hannah, Finn, and Theo were even friends with her because she didn’t seem to enjoy the holidays, or even their group, as much as they did. Her sarcasm and negative attitude grated my nerves, and I kept wishing that the Orphans Club would just kick her to the curb. Thankfully, her role in the novel is small, so I was able to look past her when rating and reviewing this otherwise enjoyable read.
Reasonable Adults by Robin Lefler
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
In debut author Robin Lefler's Reasonable Adults, a recently fired and newly single marketing professional, Kate, finds herself taking a position at a luxury resort in the Canadian wilderness only to discover that this job is going to be no walk in the park. The retreat, the Treetops, is severely outdated and is lacking in enough bookings to even keep it afloat. Can Kate turn things around at the Treetops, while also juggling passive aggressive bosses, a 70 pound Goldendoodle, and potential love?
Reasonable Adults is a novel with an exciting premise and atmospheric location, but unfortunately its storyline is disorganized and erratic. The book suffers from a bloated supporting character list that is nearly impossible to keep track of, while the main character and love interest are frankly, insufferable. Reasonable Adults, a book about a young woman finding her footing again after experiencing loss and humiliation on multiple fronts, is primed to center around soul-searching and personal growth, but unfortunately, Lefler took this novel down a more plot-driven path, throwing a series of hijinks and antics at readers without anything to ground them. I personally could not connect to this story or its characters, making this a rather dull and insipid read for me.
Reasonable Adults is a novel with an exciting premise and atmospheric location, but unfortunately its storyline is disorganized and erratic. The book suffers from a bloated supporting character list that is nearly impossible to keep track of, while the main character and love interest are frankly, insufferable. Reasonable Adults, a book about a young woman finding her footing again after experiencing loss and humiliation on multiple fronts, is primed to center around soul-searching and personal growth, but unfortunately, Lefler took this novel down a more plot-driven path, throwing a series of hijinks and antics at readers without anything to ground them. I personally could not connect to this story or its characters, making this a rather dull and insipid read for me.
The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Hotels at Christmastime are one of my favorite things! I just love to see the lobbies decorated in festive fare while Christmas music is piped through the speakers, which is why I picked up Beth O'Leary's new holiday novel, The Wake-Up Call.
This Christmas-lite book follows two English countryside boutique hotel employees over the holiday season as they attempt to save their place of employment from ruin. The Forest Manor Hotel is in need of major repairs, but alas, there are no funds to start, much less complete, the project. Arch-enemies Izzy and Lucas are tasked with sorting through long discarded lost and found items and selling them to turn a profit. However, among the forgotten items are four wedding rings that were lost at the hotel and never claimed.
When Izzy is able to track down one of the ring owners and receives a sizable reward to put toward the hotel repairs in return, finding the other rings' dearly departed seems like a surefire way to make some quick cash for Forest Manor. The race is on as Izzy and Lucas compete to see who can find the rings' owners the fastest. As the rivalry between Izzy and Lucas heats up, so does the unacknowledged chemistry between the two. Despite acting as if they hold an intense dislike for the other, Izzy and Lucas, in truth, harbor secret feelings for each other. But will they act on what's brewing in their hearts?
The Wake-Up Call is a lively and spirited romp through the holiday season! The increasingly difficult challenge of returning four "golden rings" to their rightful owners adds a fun twist to this enemies to lovers rom com. The competition between Izzy and Lucas is intense as they tear each other down in their attempt to come out on top!
On the other hand, I found the pacing of The Wake-Up Call to be quite slow and the writing to be not entirely engaging. There were some quick transitions sprinkled throughout the novel, and I often found myself lost as to time, character, and location. However, the pacing and engagement factor picked up significantly toward the latter part of the book making this a redeemable read in end.
This Christmas-lite book follows two English countryside boutique hotel employees over the holiday season as they attempt to save their place of employment from ruin. The Forest Manor Hotel is in need of major repairs, but alas, there are no funds to start, much less complete, the project. Arch-enemies Izzy and Lucas are tasked with sorting through long discarded lost and found items and selling them to turn a profit. However, among the forgotten items are four wedding rings that were lost at the hotel and never claimed.
When Izzy is able to track down one of the ring owners and receives a sizable reward to put toward the hotel repairs in return, finding the other rings' dearly departed seems like a surefire way to make some quick cash for Forest Manor. The race is on as Izzy and Lucas compete to see who can find the rings' owners the fastest. As the rivalry between Izzy and Lucas heats up, so does the unacknowledged chemistry between the two. Despite acting as if they hold an intense dislike for the other, Izzy and Lucas, in truth, harbor secret feelings for each other. But will they act on what's brewing in their hearts?
The Wake-Up Call is a lively and spirited romp through the holiday season! The increasingly difficult challenge of returning four "golden rings" to their rightful owners adds a fun twist to this enemies to lovers rom com. The competition between Izzy and Lucas is intense as they tear each other down in their attempt to come out on top!
On the other hand, I found the pacing of The Wake-Up Call to be quite slow and the writing to be not entirely engaging. There were some quick transitions sprinkled throughout the novel, and I often found myself lost as to time, character, and location. However, the pacing and engagement factor picked up significantly toward the latter part of the book making this a redeemable read in end.