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.

RATING: 4/5 STARS

Holiday Home Run< by Priscilla Oliveras is a delightful Christmas novella that will melt the hearts of readers as they witness the budding holiday romance between a down-to-earth ex-baseball player and an event planner with a heart of gold. Throw in a few holiday dates and a group of adorable children caroling and you've got yourself a lighthearted read that will leave you smiling just in time for the holidays!

In a nutshell, Julia escapes to Chicago as an event planning intern, hoping to create a career for herself without the influence of her family back in Puerto Rico. Ben Thomas is an ex-baseball player who is searching for his purpose as he volunteers as an emcee for Julia's holiday fundraiser. When their worlds collide, Julia must face the truth about what it is she truly wants in her career and love life as sparks start to fly.

This was such an adorable holiday read and I absolutely loved the characters and the overall premise of the story. I loved the cultural aspect of this story the most, and whenever Julia described the traditions or little things about her home back in Puerto Rico, I swear I could visualize it along with her! I also loved reading the conversations between Ben and Julia. I honestly wish their story was a little bit longer so I could learn a little bit more about the other characters and get a little more invested in the story. I love a lighthearted read but I would've loved to see the author dive deeper into some of the plot lines. However, I think the next novel is going to be about Julia's cousin's story, so I'm really excited to read her story as well!

My main complaint is that I didn't really think Julia's reasons for building some walls up around Ben made sense. Her reasoning behind it just seemed like a throwaway excuse, especially because it was mentioned maybe twice throughout the story. Additionally, since most of the character growth and plot related to Julia, I think it would have made more sense for the book to be purely from her POV instead unless the author also added some story development on Ben's end. Other than that, I don't have any complaints! It was well written and the characters, both the main ones and the side characters, were just utterly adorable!

If you're looking for a super quick holiday read with a ton of Puerto Rican flair, then definitely give this story a go! I'm excited for future releases from this author!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of this story!

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