This was a pleasant, short holiday novella. I enjoyed the setting and the references to Puerto Rican Xmas traditions. Ben was a nice guy and a gentleman, although a bit lost due to the injury that destroyed his baseball career far earlier than he expected. In spite of his immediate interest in her, Julia held herself aloof for much of the story for reasons that seemed pretty flimsy, so it didn't seem like there was that strong of a connection between them. But in the end, everything worked out and they seemed on their way to a solid relationship.

I believe i read this book in the past or a similar book like it. Not sure if this was a re release of this book or not. Stranger things have happened

This book just did not work for me. The writing was okay and the story was overly cliché.

Also, I did not like the characters, they were a little bit too forced for me. I do tend to love sports romance, but this one just was not my type of book.

The cultural aspect though was really good, I felt really represented! And it was very quick, so I recommend it if you're looking for a latin american Christmas-y fast-paced story.

About the book:
Julia Fernández is helping organize a holiday event that can catapult her event planning career to new heights - and afford her a permanent job in Chicago, away from her prying family in Puerto Rico. All she has to do is pull off the party of the season, and not fall in love with ex-MLB star Ben Thomas, who's playing emcee for the night. Easy, right?

TL;DR:
- Content warnings: nothing major.
- 3.25 stars
- Really sweet novella. Worth picking up if you like baseball, Christmas-time, and some bi-cultural representation.

Loved:
- I actually LOVED the sprinkled in Spanish some others noted they felt was confusing! I am semi-fluent so I could understand all of it, but Oliveras also explains in English (subtly) what each term means immediately after she uses it. I think those who know 0 Spanish were probably wondering if they were missing something, but she made sure to translate and make it flow nicely.
- I also just love that all of the cultural nuances of Puerto Rico were included along with the Spanglish. I will never get over books with bi-cultural representation or representation of BIPOC.
- I'm a HUGE baseball fan so thought that angle was very cute.

Less into:
- It was soooo quick and surface level. I'd have loved more time with the two leads, because they seemed wonderful, but because we hardly got to know them I couldn't understand what they liked about each other. I felt like a lot of their personal issues were unresolved as well, and that maybe they could've just been left out?

Overall very chaste + cute, takes about as long to read as your favorite romance movie.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I feel so conflicted about this book/story.

First of, it feels as a short story because it is incredibly short and it doesn't go into depth anywhere. There is little to no chemistry between characters, we only get to know our main characters on a superficial bases and there is no actual plot to work around.

I gave three stars because I do think this story has potential. It was a fun and light read and I thoroughly enjoyed the Latin influences in the story. It was so nice to experience a different culture from mine in a book but the author could've done so much more with it. I feel like Julia and Ben are acquaintances but after reading a book the characters should either be your friends or enemies or etc. You need to feel a connection or something but it's impossible when you barely get to know them.

I wouldn't recommend this story because I think it leaves the reader a tad disappointed. .

Adorable. Similar to most novellas I wanted more.

I enjoyed the connection between Julia and Ben but wanted to see a little more angst. on both sides. I did question what Julia's family thought she was doing in Chicago for so long.

Overall a really fun quick read with enjoyable, relatable characters.

A wonderful short Christmas romance!

Julia Fernández is helping with a gala fundraiser for the Chicago Youth Association so she can get a job and move from Puerto Rico to Chicago without upsetting her family. The emcee of the gala was retired baseball player Ben Thomas but the first time he met Julia, he thought she wasn’t interested in him but that soon proved the attraction was mutual.

Holiday Home Run is a cute Christmas short story where the reader gets an evening gala, baseball and a Puerto Rico holiday experience.

Holiday Home Run was previously released as part of the holiday anthology A Season to Celebrate.

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

I swear Priscilla Oliveras could write anything, and I’m going to follow her until the end of the earth. I feel like she’s my tía, so anything she writes, it’s like we’re having café she’s just telling me an awesome story.

This story was short, and while I’m sad it’s over, I do think it worked well being so short. But, uh, can a gal get a sequel or something because I adore these characters. I think that even in the short amount of time we had, we had great character development and their relationship was formed organically. There wasn’t any super fast, “oh, were doing this now” kind of relationship. I laughed and fished at their small talk. Julia was such a likable character!

Overall, I loved this book. I know it’s a short story, but I want more. I need more. Thank you so much Kensington & NetGalley for the gifted copy. This one is out Oct. 27th and everyone needs this y’all.

Julia is looking to make a brand new start in Chicago. Ben is also looking to make a new start after injury has ended his baseball career. Both are looking for a connection, even if they don’t quite know it. This shirt story is quick, charming, and an easy read to give you the romance fix you are looking for!

This novella was a sweet little quick read and a great start to my holiday books for the year. The characters were well developed, even in such a small amount of time, and I found myself rooting for them! I loved the family and cultural aspects intertwined in the storyline as well.

HOLIDAY HOME RUN by Priscilla Oliveras is an adorable multicultural romance novella. Heroine Julia is is trying to escape the expectations of her loving but sometimes smothering family. Hero Ben has lost his sense of family since an injury forced him to cut his pro baseball career short. When he meets Julia, he sees in her someone who can make him feel whole again. She resists his advances, focused on getting the job that will give her the independence she craves. But what's a girl to do when a handsome pro athlete insists on sweeping her off her feet?

This quick, light read will give you a reason to smile this holiday season. Don't miss it!

I received an ARC from NetGalley, and this is my honest revew.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book.

I have never read a book, a Christmas/Holiday book, were I saw myself in. This book made me feel like I was in Christmas time, that my culture and the festivities in my island are important too. I love how the characters felt real and not "perfect", how the baseball was integrated to the story (since many books don't use this sport in the story). I was glad that the author decided to take it "slow" (for a short book) with the main characters and how the girl wasn't instantly, even if she "knew" him before. The inclusion of the kids was so sweet and perfect, it was refreshing to read a work oriented female that is not an office workaholic, but someone who cares about charities and others. Reading the scenes of the parrandas, bombas, bombazo, etc. made me feel right at home, again, it made me feel full of joy and that the Christmas traditions of Puerto Rico matter too and that can be a focal point in stories too.

This book was a surprise for me since I requested it without reading the synopsis, I just read something about Puerto Rico and that it was holiday plus baseball and I was interested. But what a surprise, a good surprise. A book I think every reader should pick up at some time. Is so sweet and a "cleanse to the palate" for those heavy non-inclusive reads we are used to. I would like to read another book by this author, and if it has Puarto Rico's culture in it, with those description (for example the scene were every instrument and sound is described) I would enjoy picking it up.

Holiday Home Run by Priscilla Oliveras was a fun, light hearted, and quick read! If you need a cute book to get into the holiday spirit, this would be a quick way to do that! This is a story about a young holiday romance, sports, the holidays, and Puerto Rican culture. It's sweet, well written and easy to thoroughly enjoy. For what it is, a sweet novella, it is adorable.

Holiday Home Run is a rom-com featuring a bit of baseball references and some Puerto Rican culture. It's what's to be expected: cutesy, predictable, positive. It's well written but consistent with the genre that there's no real character/plot depth. No steam, for those wondering.

I rate this a good 3 stars. It's good and well written, but nothing stands out to me. It's short and quick, there's no deep diving.

It's a wonderful depiction of a modern gentleman courting his woman of interest--he focuses on building a friendship first, let's her make the first move, listens for clues for thoughtful dates and gestures that are actually romantic, and encourages open and honest conversation about how she's doing.

Julia is a delightful, if perhaps a little flat, Puerta Rican career woman struggling with the great divide between her family on the island and her career dreams in Chicago. She has an enviable focus and drive for her career and community, is a great friend and mentor, and cares for her family.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington/Zebra Books for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Such a sweet treat to get you in the upcoming holiday mood. Julia (sexy event planner) and Ben (hot ex-baseball player) have a few weeks working together that culminates into a festive romance. There is a little turmoil with a surprise guest to the event that they are both working on, but for the most part this is a “get to know” you novella wrapped up in a pretty HEA bow at the end.

“You’ve given me a sense of familia I’d only found in baseball. As far as I’m concerned, I want there to be a Team Us.”

Our author Priscilla Oliveras has a hit to add to your Christmas reading list this year. The characters are well developed for such a short read and lots of Puerto Rican flare. The story also takes you on trip thru some fabulous Chicago holiday destinations as a bonus. (Even shopping at Filene’s Basement!) While this story is connected to Oliveras’ “Matched to Perfection” series, you can easily enjoy the story as a standalone.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC for an honest review.

What a sweet little novella. I read it super quickly (literally before work one morning) and it warmed my heart. It centers on an event planner, Julia, who's trying to live her own life away from the loving pressures of her family. In particular, she's over baseball. Enter Ben, the emcee of the very important event she's planning and former All-Star baseball player. Infused with Puerto Rican culture this is a quick way to get into the holiday spirit. The heat level here is pretty mild, with much of the emphasis place on Julia and Ben's emotional relationship.

I received Holiday Home Run through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Holiday Home Run is a short Christmas romance with fun characters, a nice story line and some Christmas fun. I enjoyed this fast paced Christmas story about Julia, an event planner, and Ben, a former MLB player, who are paired together to pull off a fundraiser for a park, finding themselves and each other along the way.

This was a quick read that was light hearted and put me in the Christmas spirit. The characters are intriguing and likable, the story is well written and the Christmas love story is nicely executed. If you are looking for a quick Christmas romance, I would definitely recommend giving this one a chance.

Thanks to Netgalley for this Arc. This was a cute read. It doesn't have a Wow factor for me, but I enjoyed it. Sweet and beautiful fast paced romance.
3 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book early. This one was pretty cute. No real wow factor but a nice sweet romance. Fast read and fast romance.

This story was a quick fun read! I loved this authors other books so I knew she would not disappoint. The story is about Julia who is planning a huge event, and Ben, a retired baseball player. There are fun sparks and fantastic character growth. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this holiday novella.