All I Want for Christmas | ARC Review

Synopsis

This sweet and magical romance about a girl who has just one wish–someone to kiss under the mistletoe–is the perfect holiday escape!

Bailey Briggs is counting down the days to Christmas: she lives for holiday music, baking cookies, going on snowy sleigh rides, and wearing her light-up reindeer ears to work at Winslow’s bookstore. But all she really wants this year is the one thing she doesn’t have: someone special to kiss under the mistletoe. And she’s 100 percent certain that that someone isn’t Jacob Marley–athlete, player, and of questionable taste in girlfriends–and that Charlie, the mysterious stranger with the British accent, is the romantic lead of her dreams. Is she right? This will be a December to remember, filled with real-life Christmas magic . . . and, if she stays on Santa’s nice list, a wish that just might come true.

Review

I really expected to love this book since it is basically a holiday rom-com (and who doesn’t love holiday rom-coms!), but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. For multiple reasons, this book didn’t live up to even my average expectations which is really a bummer for a holiday read.

The one main positive of this book (and the reason I gave it two stars) was the Christmas vibes of this book. I know this is a Christmas book, but I was seriously getting in the Christmas spirit just reading about them making cookies, and decorating the house, and wrapping presents. All the fun stuff. The holiday spirit cannot be denied in this book so I had to give it an extra star for that.

As for all the things I didn’t enjoy…One of the biggest negatives for me was the writing. The main character felt very childish. Her overall voice and thinking style felt much younger than a high school teenager. It felt as if someone was trying too hard to channel their inner teenager. It wasn’t enjoyable and felt very juvenile.

As well, all the dialogue in this book was very stiff. Really, the whole book was kinda stiff. I didn’t connect with any characters or the storyline on an emotional level at all. The scenes weren’t super descriptive or emotional so even though exciting or fun things were happening, I couldn’t connect with it enough to enjoy it.

Overall, this is not a holiday read I’d recommend or read again. I think if the writing was reviewed and revised, the story could have a much better shot.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating

To check out my other reviews, click here. Or to check out more books by Wendy Loggia, go to her GoodReads profile.

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.