This is such a delightful story. The chemistry between the characters sizzles and the Latinx representation is beautiful. I rarely feel dissatisfied by novellas but Oliveras knocked it out of the park with this one. Julia has left her home in Puerto Rico to plan an event in Chicago, if it goes well she might have a permanent job. The last thing she has time for is to fall in love with a former MLB star.

I loved that the couple falls in love over community work and that there is an understanding about Julia's culture and family. If like me you missed the story when it came out in a compilation, don't miss it now.

This was a cute little Christmas story that will be perfect for getting baseball loving readers in the Christmas spirit. It is very short and fast paced - you can read it in the amount of time you watch a Hallmark movie. And that’s what this story basically is, a Hallmark story on paper! The hardest part for me was the Spanish being mixed into the sentences. As a non Spanish speaker it was a tad confusing and a little distracting.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington and Zebra Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novella was just what I needed to get in the holiday spirit. With so much in the air this year with how we'll all celebrate the holidays this somehow tapped into that feeling without being a book about CO-VID

I would recommend if you're looking for

-sports romance
-friends to lovers
-slow burn
-light on the steam
-holiday romance

Originally part of an anthology and now being released as a standalone this was a sweet, short read.

Rating: 4.5 stars
Steam: 1/5

3.5 stars.
A fast read with two very likeable characters, particularly the hero who is a true gentleman, so considerate with the heroine and everyone in general, “Holiday Home Run”, by Priscilla Oliveras (Kensington/Zebra Books), takes place in Chicago and gives an interesting insight into “Latinx culture” and community.
Ben is such an amazing hero, a baseball player who had to give up his career recently, and is still trying to find himself after the loss. His earnestness and thoughtfulness are really attractive.
I liked that Julia tried to resist the charming and famous athlete and I enjoyed her down-to-earth posture. The problems and fears related to her dual heritage felt realistic.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review.

This was such a cute, fun novella! I’m from Chicago and a HUGE Cubs fan so I had so much fun with this! I loved picturing the skating scene at the rink by the bean. Being a Spanish minor, i also loved the addition of Spanish! Overall, a quick light hearted read great for the holiday season.

Julia came to the US to visit family- but also had a mission to get a great job and pursue her dreams. What she didn't expect was falling for a baseball player in the process. She has one rule for herself- never date an athlete. I loved this novella. It had a strong female character with several interacting subplots. I enjoyed that this story was career and personal growth oriented with a side of romance thrown in. I would really love to see a continuation of Julia's life- where her career leads, more interactions with her family, and of course, her relationship with Ben.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Laura Fernandez who is from Puerto Rico, is currently living in Chicago as an event planner. Her parents are hoping she will return home to help with the family catering business. While planning an event Laura meets Ben who used to play baseball professionally. I enjoyed the characters and the chemistry between Laura and Ben.

I was excited for this book since I adore holiday and romance books. This book was too short to even create a good foundation for the plot. The characters are not fully created along with the storyline. Things felt rushed and underdeveloped. I don't even understand how it is a holiday book since we barely had any holiday feel to it. The other part that through me off is that the book is spanglish. The title gave me no warning and since this is my first book with this author I had no idea. I feel perhaps she is limiting herself to a niche of readers. This is more like a short story or more like a rough draft of a book.

Know up front that this is novella- and that it's just the right length for a lazy afternoon read. Julia has moved to Chicago from Puerto Rico, leaving behind her boisterous baseball playing brothers, among other things. She's in charge of planning a big charity event and the last thing she expected was Ben. He's a retired MLB pitcher who hs agreed to emcee and he's not looking for love either. But, readers know these two will find it- that their attention will turn to affection. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc. Nice characters and a zippy plot make this a good read.

*Received an e-arc from NetGalley though that has no bearing on my review.

Cute, fast holiday novella with great Puerto Rican rep. This is a great novella to gobble up in one setting. I loved the Chicago setting and as a baseball fan it was nice that the author emphasized the "family-like" atmosphere of the game.

Julia Fernández is an event planner by trade and is working on a fundraiser in Chicago. The youth center puts on a holiday show every year and this year the host is former pro baseball player, Ben Thomas. Ben is immediately drawn to Julia but she has ONE rule, no dating baseball players. This holiday romance is full of culture and the closeness of family. If you’re looking for a short and sweet romance, definitely check this one out

This is such a cute read in a day feel good book with a happy ending *yippee*. Julia is working for a non profit organization planning this super huge event and this swoon-worthy macho retiring baseball plays shows up to help and you know what happens. I highly recommend it and you will instantly love it because it's so cute . Huge thanks to the publisher for my ARC in exchange of an honest review

A charming holiday story about Julia who is hoping that the Chicago fundraising event she is working on is a ticket to a full time job and out of Puerto Rico and Ben a former MLB golden boy trying to get adjusted to life in retirement. The attraction is instant but after a life revolving around her brothers’ devotion to baseball Julia has sworn off athletes. The story is sweet and moves quickly but ultimately left me wanting more. I wanted to know what happened next and when the ending came the story didn’t seem complete.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas.
Romance.
Latinx culture.

Priscilla Oliveras’ Christmas novella about Julia and Ben is a cute story that left me smiling and looking forward to all the Christmas celebrations with my familia.

Julia is a driven and ambitious woman trying to create a path for herself in Chicago. Ben is sweet, fun and always a gentleman. Being a novella, it’s fast paced and the story keeps moving along leading up to the big night of the fundraiser Julia is coordinating. Even though it’s only 12 chapters, Oliveras does a great job of developing the main characters and their relationship. I loved all the references to Latinx Christmas traditions, food, and music. Bonus, if you’re a baseball fan, you’ll enjoy all the baseball talk. Holiday Home Run is a cute novella to get you in the mood for celebrating the holidays with family and friends.

This story was just too cute!

Julia is striving to be an event planner in Chicago, by her mother wants her to return home to Puerto Rico and run the family business. While preparing for a huge charity event, Julia catches the eye of the event's emcee--Ben, a former MBL pitcher, with blue eyes and a dimple to-die-for. But she doesn't want to distract herself from her goals or get involved with an athlete after growing up in a baseball-obsessed family! But will their mutual attraction grow into something more?

I think it's important to know that this story is most definitely a short story or novella (originally published as part of an anthology). I read this whole story in maybe an hour, perhaps less, and I probably read twice as fast as the average reader. So it's definitely a quick read. But if you go in knowing that and appreciating the amount of depth we do get in such a short time, I think most readers would really love this story! We actually do get quite a significant amount of background on Ben and Julia in such a short time, and I honestly felt like the characters were as well-developed as in any full-length novel. I think we get a bit of an abbreviated version of their romance and there's no rush to the alter (thank God), but it doesn't feel like anything is missing. We get the good parts--the meet, with sparks and attraction, the getting to know each other, the promise of something more. There's no room for stupid fights or major communications issues that often feel shoehorned into longer romances. And what's not to love about a sports romance AND holiday romance with Puerto Rican representation wrapped in one neat little Christmas bow? This is the perfect quick holiday read.

5 stars - 9/10

This was my first book by Priscilla Oliveras, and I have to say that it was not actually bad. Though it was not exactly a homerun for me, but this book was cute enough to be read. The story and the romance between the characters was soft and really did give me the holiday vibes that I was indeed looking for. However, my only reason for not rating it as higher as I would have liked is because I felt like there was something missing, to me this book didn't feel as whole. I was just looking for something more, maybe more passion and banter. Otherwise, this book was cute for a holiday romance.

This book is a wonderful combination of sports romance, holiday spirit, and Puerto Rican culture. Julia is in Chicago to complete an internship that she hopes will lead to a full-time job and a life away from her family and home in Puerto Rico. She is helping to plan a major event for the Chicago Youth Association. She has the idea to tie the gala to parranda traditions of Puerto Rico. Julia is facing heavy pressure from her mother to return to Puerto Rico and run the family catering business. Julia, has big plans for her future that don't include that! They also don't include a sexy former MLB player.

Ben's career in the MLB ended with injuries - but he has a burgeoning second career as a sportscaster. He's the emcee of the gala event - and is very drawn to Julia from the first time he sees her. All I can say is he sets out on a course to seriously woo her. He embraces her culture and sees in Julia the family connection he's been missing in his life after baseball.

I loved learning about Puerto Rican culture - and all the happy holiday feelings this book gives. Because it is on the shorter side, I feel like some of the plot lines didn't get fleshed out the way they could have. But otherwise - this is definitely a feel-good holiday romance.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

A short and entertaining festive read.
Julia meets Ben when he is helping with the event she is planning. She already knew who he was, a baseball star who her brother's followed. This put her off, she doesn't want to date a baseball player - but can he convince her otherwise?

A pleasant holiday novella that is sweetly delicious rather than treacly. It brings notes of a true development of a relationship between a baseball averse heroine and a semi-retired famous ball-player that evolves realistically and romantically as they bridge the heroine’s secret goals and intentions. A perfect holiday read with all the good feels a holiday book should have, introducing readers to puertoriqueno holiday traditions, food, and music. A book to reread each holiday season. #HolidayHomeRun #NetGalley

I really loved this holiday novella. As someone who just moved to Chicago, I loved that the setting was so present in this novella. I am so excited to go to the different spots that the novella presents. This was a cute novella. Def recommended it.