Holiday Quick Reviews

Faking Christmas by Cindy Steel (2022)

Olive and Miles are English teachers at the same school.  Olive can't stand Miles but somehow finds herself in a fake relationship with him while visiting his family's lodge during Christmas with her family.  As she spends time with him, she realizes he's actually not so bad.  Finally, the holiday romance I was looking for!  I loved the banter between Olive and Miles and the way she struggled with her feelings, while Miles was clearly smitten from the beginning.  The inclusion of Olive's family and her complicated relationship with her mom's new husband (after losing her father only the year before) added some depth to the story without feeling too heavy.  The lodge setting added so much holiday cheer, and while the story was predictable, I was still very much along for the ride!  4 stars

Through the Snow Globe by Annie Rains (2023)

 

Diana's fiance was involved in a car accident and his prognosis isn't looking good, until Diana shakes a magical snow globe and begins reliving the day of Linus' accident over and over again.  Will she be able to save him?  I'm a sucker for a time loop story, and the holidays always seem to be a good time for someone to go on a journey of self-discovery, but I just couldn't warm up to Diana.  She's prickly and closed off, always seeming to take offense at something.  The way she grows and changes by the end of the story felt out of character, knowing what we do about her.  The story didn't feel super heavy, but there was also no holiday lightness about it, either.  The writing wasn't great, but I did enjoy seeing how each iteration of the day would go.  3 stars

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