Author: Kate Stewart
Narrator: Joe Arden, Maxine Mitchell
Publisher: Podium Audio
Publication Date: October 2022
Genre: Christmas Holiday / Contemporary Romance / Romantic Comedy
Buy The Book: Amazon | Audible
Description: Clark Griswold was onto something, at least with his annual holiday meltdown. And since the last three weeks of my life have been riddled with humbug—another breakup, a broken toe, an office promotion I deserved and didn’t get—I’m not at all in the mood to celebrate nor have the happ, happ, happiest Christmas EVER.
When Mom insisted that we all gather at my Grandparent’s ancient cabin for an old school family Christmas, I fully intended to get into the holiday spirit with the help of the three wise men, Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniels, and Jim Beam. But those boys did absolutely nothing to offset the shock or temper the sting of seeing my EX on our doorstep the first day of our holiday soiree.
Apparently, Santa missed the memo, and this elf is pissed.
Stuck for a week with the man who obliterated my heart nearly two decades ago, I did the only thing I could do and put on my game face, thankful for the home advantage.
I knew better than to drink that last cup of eggnog.
I knew better than to get tongue tangled beneath the mistletoe with the only man to ever break my heart.
I knew better than to sleep with Satan’s wingman on the eve of the Lord’s birthday.
I could blame the nog. I could blame the deceitful light blue eyes, thick, angelic hair, and panty evaporating smirk…but mostly, I blame Eli because he always knew exactly which of my buttons to push.
I foolishly thought a family Christmas filled with nostalgia was going to turn my inner Scrooge around, but this year’s festivities went up in flames. Leave it to the ghost of my Christmas past to be the one to light the match.
Fa la la la la, la FML.
My Thoughts: OK, here’s the thing. The description of this book would lead one, OK me, to believe this story is a hilarious, laugh until you cry book and it is. It’s also sad, tragic and sentimental. First of all, I loved the entire Collins family and I seriously want to do Christmas with them, in the snow with all the trimmings. I was easily able to grasp how close knit this family is, but also how dysfunctional they are as individuals. You know, normal people.
Our protagonist, Whitney, is the youngest of three and adored aunt to her nieces and nephews. She has a close bond with her siblings and their spouses and has a good relationship with her parents who are a riot. She never married or had children and never followed the dreams she had or tackled her birthday bucket list. Prior to arriving at the cabin, Whitney has had one mishap after another, so she’s running really low on Christmas cheer.
Eli is Whitney’s college sweetheart. They dated for eight months over seventeen years ago and Eli abruptly ended it without any valid reason and broke Whitney’s heart. It’s a safe assumption to say she never really got over it, so imagine her shock, dismay and horror when Eli shows up for the family Christmas with her brother and his family!
The shenanigans that ensue throughout this book were fantastic, not just for Whitney and Eli, but for the rest of the family. These secondary characters quickly worked their way into the story so fully that I sometimes forgot this was supposed to be about Whitney and Eli.
The story moves at a wonderful pace and I was on pins and needles at what would happen next. I loved Whitney and Eli as a couple as well as individually and though I knew these two would find their way back together, I was shocked when Eli finally confesses to Whitney why he broke her heart. This story will make you feel all the feels so keep a box of tissues handy. The author does a brilliant job of creating a story that pulls the reader into the lives of these amazing characters and I hope she writes more Christmas themed stories, especially involving these characters. The audiobook was wonderfully narrated by Joe Arden and Maxine Mitchell. They brought not only the personalities of the characters to life but their feelings and emotions were performed so expertly, I felt like I was in the room with them.
My Final Verdict: Overall, this was a wonderful addition to the Christmas reading list for this year. The joy of the season and love this family has for one another is keenly felt in this story despite the baggage these characters are carrying. I highly recommend this story to readers who love stories with a Christmas theme complete with lots of snow, forgiveness and second chances. Prop those fuzzy socked feet up, grab some nog and celebrate the season with this book.
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