A unique story line with unique characters. I’m glad I read this book. However, it is sort of like a psa on how not to treat people in the 21st century.

It was Christmas Eve and Dana, 32, was driving to see her Nana. Unfortunately, her car broke down. But fortunately for Dana, Charlie, a genderqueer, came to her rescue. It was the beginning of a series of unlucky events that eventually led to an extremely quick love connection.

This story had a rom com feel to it, which I thought I would like, but the shenanigans seemed to be too much. This was especially true when Charlie’s ex girlfriend was introduced and lies, deception, and outrageous behavior followed. I didn’t know where the author was going with all this. I guess the decisions the characters made in order to get to their final destination-Nana’s house-were supposed to be a bit farcical while at the same time trying to get to know each other in the short period of time they had together. I was just confused by the turn of events and also why Dana kept insisting she didn’t want her Jewish grandmother to be alone on Christmas Eve and why she always spends Christmas with her even though the grandmother doesn’t want anything to do with that holiday. Hanukkah was two weeks prior and I didn’t read about her celebrating that special day with her Nana. Then I’m thinking that maybe all of this was done to add to the zaniness of the story, and I just didn’t get it.

I liked that the characters were diverse. Dana was Jewish and Charlie preferred pronouns. There were also instances where Charlie was targeted for their appearance and emotional scenes about not being accepted by their parents. I enjoyed these emotional scenes and wished there were more of them. I also wished the author would have included more scenes with Charlie and their family. This was an important part of Charlie’s identity acceptance and their later discussion with Dana.

Overall, parts of the storyline were more enjoyable than others, and the same can be said for the characters. Dana was annoying, but Charlie was sweet and kind. Charlie actually made this story more authentic and interesting. If the author continued their journey, I would definitely read a book 2… if it focused on Charlie’s life with a less annoying Dana.

An ARC was given for an honest review.

I was so intrigued by this book because of the description, is the first book where i see a genderqueer person as a main lead and that made me so happy for so many reasons, but then the story was flat. I could not connect with Dana she was quite annoying and at times self absorbed. The other thing is that this felt like a Hallmark movie that was really rushed.
I couldn’t connect with it but I’m sure there is a market for this story. Just because I couldn’t get into it doesn’t mean that is a bad story.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review

I was very happy to come across this book on Netgalley. I'm a lover of romance in almost every form and I'm always looking for new diverse and inclusive romance books. This was the first romance I've read that features a genderqueer person in a leading role. I really enjoyed The Holiday Detour. It was a pretty quick read and it definitely held my attention until the end. The entire story takes place in less than a 48 hour time period which would make you think that it's an insta- love story, but I don't think it was. While the physical attraction was immediate, Charlie and Dana go through a whole lot in those first twelve hours that brought about some deep thoughts and emotions. There was a process of getting to know each other and of admitting things to each other and themselves that made for a believable happy ending in such a short period of time. I have to admit that I find Dana to be a bit whiny and self centered at times but I also admit that I'd probably be the same way if I was I'm her situation. That also could be why I liked Charlie's character so much. The story started with them just trying to help someone out, but turned into a comedy of errors where everything that could go wrong did yet Charlie never let that get them down and never quit trying to make things right. Aside from the central love story I also really enjoyed the interactions with the secondary characters. I really think the author did a great job of addressing tough topics like body issues before the couple was intimate. Overall I think this was an enjoyable read and I'm happy to see this representation in the romance genre.

Well, being stuck indoors due to COVID-19, reading about books having road trips is my comfort for now. I was planning to vicariously go on this roadtrip through the book.

Dana Gottfried quits her job and decides to visit her Grandma for Christmas who stays in Chicago.
Dana hates long car rides aka roadtrips. But in the last minute she has no other option but to drive from Cleveland to Chicago. She begins her dreadful journey and soon suffers a misadventure when her car breaks down when she isn't even halfway through the journey. BUMMERRR!

She is stranded in Indiana with a dysfunctional lemon of a car when a tomboyish Charlie happens to rescue her and proffers to drive her to Chicago as she is heading in the same direction. Hence, begins a road trip I would not like to go on.

The story had potential but it could not translate into the entire narrative and it breaks my heart.

Dana and Charlie's character lacked depth and the story was more of a BUMPY RIDE for me.
I could not relate with anyone or anything here. I wish I could like this more but most of it was just incoherent and disoriented.

I really wanted to enjoy this one but didn't.

Thankyou NetGalley and the publisher for an e ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m all for instant love romance but this was a bit to instant.

Dana just quit her job have been stressing out so she decide to go see her grandmother during Christmas holiday even though they don’t celebrate it.

While on the road her car breaks down there she meets Charlie who helps her but when the car can’t be fixed Charlie offers her a ride.

I like both characters I like that Dana just say what on her mind even if your like what most of the times. I think I would’ve like their romance if it wasn’t so instant. I did like how the author represents gender quality the good and the bad.


I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

I went into this book with high expectations and can't say it ended up being a great fit. From the start, I love reading books with lesbian protagonists, and especially love light, fun reads that aren't filled with trauma and tragedy. On this hand, this book delivers; it's quick and easy to read. The book also succeeds in that it discusses gender identity, including pronouns, and gender presentation. As negatives, I had a very hard time connecting with the main character, as she seemed excessively whiney and spoiled; some of that, based on plot and background, was clearly intentional, but it just didn't click with me as someone I could feel a lot of empathy for. I also felt that while bringing in gender identity was ambitious, it wasn't handled super well, and some aspects of that narrative arc made me cringe. I also felt that plot points came together a little too easily for the narrator, and she had to figure out very little for herself.

I have mixed feelings about this. The plot and the actual writing were okay, if a bit confusing at times. Not particularly memorable, but not worth a critique. I never came around to liking Dana or Charlie. Neither seemed to have much depth, to the point where a few adjectives could describe their characters. Dana was especially disappointing, which is unfortunate when the story happens to be told from her perspective. While some concession must be made when she's having one of the worst days of her life, she is irrational and immature. (Specific spoiler-ish reference:) At one point, she wishes that Charlie's ex never discovered her identity, so that she wouldn't have been able to hurt Charlie. I don't know how other people might react to that, but I lost respect for Dana.
I thought their romance was a bit of a sham. There was a bit of flirting in the first two thirds, and in the last third, they went from first kiss to literally U-Hauling it. Not on the second date, even, but on the second day of knowing each other. Dana even spends a paragraph thinking of marriage. HELLO?! Perhaps if their chemistry had been evident, I would be a little less annoyed, but I wouldn't have bought it any way that it was spun. I understand that the time frame was condensed, and on top of that, the book is on the shorter side. To me, it logically follows that the romance makes limited progress. Must we perpetuate the U-Haul stereotype?
Two and a half stars.

Let just start with what I loved about this book.
I loved that is about holidays, Christmas especially. Just that pre holiday /holiday feeling...
What I didn't love is whole insta love thing.
I just don't get it. I am for a slow burn...
2.5/5

This book was a little odd for me. The couple meets and instantly falls in love all with in a very shirt time frame. I get insta love, but this one seemed wicked fast!
And Dana was trying to get home for Christmas, even though they don't celebrate, so why the rush? Take your time and go home for New Years instead!!

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 4.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read! Super cute!

This story has been a bit silly. It's simple because it's about a car trip between two cities that are about 5 hours apart, but given the circumstances in which the two protagonists face it, it seems like a much longer trip. And the two protagonists are also somewhat strange, regardless of their sexuality. Dana is a woman who has decided to turn her life around, has left her job and is on her way to her grandmother's house to spend the Christmas holidays and decide what to do. But her car breaks down midway and then Charlie appears to help her, first to take the car to a workshop and then, when they are told that the car cannot be fixed, to carpool.

And the story turns into something quite absurd, with car accidents, exes, tows, parties, family and sudden insta-love. It has really been a bit difficult to understand everything, there are some parts of Jewish culture that do not help to clarify the story either.

Maybe it will be better if it is read during the Christmas holidays or around.

2.75 Stars. I thought this was a slightly below average debut. I hate being the first to review a book when it doesn’t really mesh well with my personal tastes. I do like holiday books, and I’m getting more into contemporary romances, but this one had more of a fun, almost rom-com feel that doesn’t always work for me. I tell people my funny bone is broken so I don’t always click with humor reads. With this book I had trouble realizing if parts were supposed to be funny or not. This didn’t have the comedy label but when a character is talking about falling on her face with her pants down, I assume this is trying to be funny. I feel like I’m rambling here, basically this book just confused me and it was not the fit I was hoping for.

The main positives for me can be found in the diversity of this book. It was nice to see a Jewish main character and I was really excited to have a genderqueer main character too. While the book was a little zany and out there at times, most of the more serious moments had to do with issues that the genderqueer character Charlie had to face like bathroom shame, pronoun discrimination, and family acceptance.

One of my biggest issues with this book was the total and complete insta-love. This book mostly takes place over two days so everything relationship wise was at warp speed. I get that the author had to do it this way for the premise of this book, but a character actually imagining marriage on the second day of knowing someone is just a no go for me. I know us lesbians love to UHaul but this may be the fastest amount of time to decide to move in together that I have ever read. Was this serious, or was this book supposed to be so zany than anything goes? If anything this book just got my anxiety going which I sure don’t want while reading.

I didn’t click with this style of writing but it doesn’t mean you won’t. I actually love first person but the problem here was being in a character’s head that was so scattered brained. Dana is one of those characters with almost no filters. She would just blurt things out that were either the opposite of what she thought or wanted (which was hard to follow) or she blurted out inappropriate things that made me cringe. She was a hard character to root for and I still don’t think I really like her. If the book would have been first person in Charlie’s head, it could have been a deeper and more moving story. And maybe then I would have understood how someone as sweet as Charlie would or could insta-love Dana.

This was just not a match for me. I can’t recommend this one but that doesn’t mean that you will not enjoy it. Because this book confused me, I don’t have a good feel about if other people might enjoy it more than I did. I would recommend that people read other reviews to help them decide if this book is for them or not.