This was super cute, fun and cozy! Although I expected this to be more full of Christmas-y antics and shenanigans, I still enjoyed it so much! I think the focus was more on the different relationships we have in this book as our main character, Finley goes back home to her hometown, Christmas, Oklahoma for the holidays. There she discovers that her best friend is now dating her ex-boyfriend, her former rival in high school is working at her grandma's inn, her parents are separated. On top of all that, a classmate of hers shows up at her grandma's doorstep demanding that Finley give him the idyllic Christmas holiday she unknowingly tricked him about. I loved the exploration of familial love but also love between friends and romantic love. Finley grows a lot in this book and so does her family. It was really heartwarming to read.

“So, This is Christmas” Book Review

Sleigh bells ringing…are you listening? Yes, it is true! Christmas is coming and so is the release of Tracy Andreen’s YA Holiday romance, “So, This Is Christmas!” In the spirit of “Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares,” main character, Finley returns to her hometown, Christmas, Oklahoma, after leaving to go to a boarding school in another state, and finds that everything has changed: Her parents are separated. Her ex-boyfriend is dating her best friend. Her nemesis is working at her family’s business…an inn run by her eclectic grandmother and her father. However, the bright side of her situation is…a good looking English classmate of hers is staying at the inn with his aunt. Will the holidays be saved for Finley?

All in all, I really enjoyed this story… it definitely kept me entertained even though my family and I are in the midst of decorating for Halloween. I recommend this adorable read if you are ready to get into the Christmas spirit.

Be sure to check out this Christmas read available October 12th!

Thank Penguin Teen for sending me this NetGalley ARC e-book!

So, This Is Christmas reads exactly as it is titled. With four simple words (and a comma) you can tell what the character really thinks about the let-down-hillbilly-town, and it’s a great play on words.
When promised a town full of cheer and the true American ‘Christmas’, Arthur and his aunt can’t wait to visit the town that Finley raves about, and experience just that. But when Arthur realizes it was all a lie, he ropes Finley into making those dreams of an American Christmas, come true.
While I thought this story had a great plot, I just couldn’t get into it. I truly love the idea of it all, and the way the story unfolds, but I found the characters to be incredibly one-demensional.
There didn’t feel like much of a difference to each one to identify them, and they all just kind of blurred together due to how flat they fell.
But, throughout that, this is still a fun and cute romcom, perfect for young adults that just want something fun, Christmasy, and a bit on the ‘I hate you because…’ side

I recently binge-watched Dash and Lily on Netflix, and completely fell in love. Naturally, when Penguin Random House International (bless them) sent me an e-ARC of So, This Is Christmas, I was instantly hooked. The blurb read "Dash and Lily meets Let It Snow" and I knew I had to read it. And gosh - this cozy, Christmas-themed novel was everything I needed and so much more.

Finley and Arther were such adorable characters! I loved their relationship so, so much. Reading about them made my heart so full, you guys. Christmas novels for me have always been about the fluffs and feelings, and this book gave me exactly that. There are themes of friendship and family involved as well, which made reading STIC such a heart-warming ride. The festive spirit was immaculate as well!

There were so many unexpected twists in this story - things were going the wrong way at literally every single turn; but did I LOVE THE DRAMA? Of course, I did. The small-town vibe along with the Christmas celebratory activities made me smile endlessly throughout the story. I lived for the cliched-but-unique-in-a-way plot. 100 percent would recommend this book for a joyful experience.

4.5/5 stars! Many thanks to the publisher and PRH International for the e-arc!

3.5 ⭐️
Thank you so much to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for providing me an ARC for an honest review!
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Now to start it off, I thought it was a cute Christmas ya romance that takes place in a town called Christmas. However, I am a little disappointed in the romance aspect. I felt like this story was much more oriented through Finley's navigation through finding herself and her family/ ex bf & bsf troubles, that I got no end to her and Arthur. I also felt like this was more of Grandma Jo and Esha's story.

I just wish I got more of Arthur and Finley as I thought this story was going to be about.

So, This is Christmas was a cute YA romance with a definite small-town holiday feel. Family tension, an ex-boyfriend, friendship drama, and a new crush mixed with some Christmas activities and winter fun…this was an easy read that I think teens would especially enjoy.

Is it too early to read a Christmas Rom-Com?
.. NEVER!
What a sweet, heart warming novel to start fall with, now that’s it’s getting little chili out, all I want to do as a reader is cozy up with a good book like this one!
Finley came home after boarding school, and everything was just so out of place, one things after the next, things were just not falling in her favor.. or so she thought.
Enemies to Lovers trope never gets old, the characters are so easy to love and root for! A novel filled with the kind of drama you hate to love, and a lesson or two on learning to love yourself.
A wonderful message, and worth a re-read every holiday season!

So, This Is Christmas is full of festive spirit, small-town charm, and adorable romance as one girl returns home for the holidays to find many things are different than they were before, including her insufferable and handsome (not to mention British) classmate who might not be as bad as she thought he was.

Overall, this was a super cute YA romance with warm Southern charm and holiday cheer! I could definitely see this as a Hallmark-like Christmas movie filled with seasonal activities, unexpected romance, and sentimental heart.

It did read a little young for me, but if you are in the mood for a light, fun pick me up read this winter, add this one to your list! It will bring a smile to your face!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

This was a cute cookie cutter “feel good” rom-com

Finely isn’t enjoying life at the boarding school she’s attending in Connecticut like she thought she would. Maybe wishing it was Hogwarts has something to do with it.. or maybe being an outcast who gets over looked has everything to do with it. When she returns home to Christmas, Oklahoma she didn’t expect to run into her classmate Arthur. The boy with the swoon loving British accent. And Arthur isn’t impressed with the lacking holiday scenery he figured a place named Christmas would have. With so much other drama going on in her life, how can she have the holiday spirit to make this Christmas the best she’s ever had!

I loved Finley and Arthur’s mishap journey. What could go wrong does and more. It read like a YA Hallmark movie, and I’m all for it! I loved the small town feels and traditions. The characters growing and finding themselves.

A very gentle read, set in a town called Christmas, at Christmas. Like reading a Hallmark movie and receiving a warm hug, there is nothing offensive about this in the slightest, and it would be a wonderful wintery read for anyone looking for that.

Obviously the main story centres around the fact it's Christmas, but I did like some of the side plot drama and the little twist that happens about two thirds of the way through. There was also diversity, which is often overlooked in books like this, so that was lovely to see.

The only thing that I found distracting was how hilarious Arthur is written when you are reading as a Brit. There are a lot of random cliches that just made him a little ridiculous and unbelievable, but did make me laugh...alot!!

Cute, cosy, christmassy fun!

The title of this book is actually more clever than one might initially perceive. When Finley leaves her small town of Christmas, Oklahoma for a fancy New England boarding school, she take a few creative liberties when describing her hometown to her posh classmates, going so far as to edit the town website with pictures painting it as the perfect Christmas destination. This is fine until her classmate Arthur shows up with is Aunt to stay at her grandmother's inn for Christmas and it doesn't exactly meet their expectations. Finley sets out to turn her dilapidated town into the ultimate Christmas experience, and in the process begins to see Arthur as more than a mere acquaintance.

This book is cute, Christmasy, and full of feel-good moments and splashes of high school drama. It doesn't quite cross the boundary from entertaining to a book I'll reread, and it is a little boring at times, but as far holiday YA romances go, it's a decent one. As someone who went to boarding school myself, I appreciate that it portrayed the diversity and academic rigor of the school, and didn't just show us the rich kids.

Thanks to Penguin Teen for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars - 7/10

THIS WAS SO CUTE omfg everyone needs to put this on their list for Christmas. It's the perfect romantic Christmas story and will make you feel all the warm feels and the coziness for the season.

This was such a perfect Christmas read! Set in small-town Christmas, Oklahoma, we follow Finley Brown as she works at her grandmother's inn through the Christmas season. Through a turn of events of Finley's making, the rich, sophisticated British boy from her Connecticut private school shows up expecting the Christmas town of dreams, which isn't *quite* what Finley's hometown has to offer. She goes on a mission to make Arthur and his aunt's stay perfectly magical and along the way *may* end up falling for him. This was so adorably Christmassy and I loved it! We go on sleigh rides pulled by reindeer, roast chestnuts by the campfire, and so much more. I loved the developing romance, it was really slow burn and started out as a dislike-to-friends-to-lovers and was really sweet. Finley also has some family drama going on with her parents being separated (without her knowledge) when she arrives home. There was a ton of entertaining dialogue and I chuckled quite a few times because it seemed like everything that could go wrong did (and it was ~amazing~). There's also a great twist at the end that was a lot of fun to see but I won't spoil any details;) If you're looking for a Hallmark-style YA rom-com then consider yourself in luck and pick this up on release day!

I loved this cute Christmas book!! It made me so soft inside and I know it’s going to be the perfect read for the holiday season. It was quick, cute and full of holiday cheer!

This was a really cute read! I loved reading about all of the different Christmas-related outings and events and I’m definitely super ready for the holiday season now. The small town of Christmas, Oklahoma was such a charming setting.
The romance between Finley and Arthur was sweet and I enjoyed that storyline but I also liked that the book covered important side plots too.
This read on the younger side of YA but it was still a fun and breezy read. It felt like all the coziness of watching a Hallmark movie by the fire!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for an e-arc of So, This Is Christmas! All opinions are my own.

This story read very similar to a Hallmark movie, especially with the predictability of the plot. I did enjoy reading the novel though! I think it would be perfect for someone who is looking for a cute, holiday romance novel. I did find Finley to be very annoying at times, but she does show a tremendous amount of growth during the novel.

I have to say my favorite two characters were Grandma Jo and Esha. I won't get into why as those are spoilers, but you'll understand if you read the novel!

DNF for me. Here's why:
- Too much exposition. Pages of it. One of my biggest pet peeves! If the reader doesn't NEED to know it, don't include it. If the reader NEEDS to know it, don't spend pages outside of the story explaining it.
- The pacing felt incredibly off. We get one tiny background scene (a scripted Save-the-Cate scene) and then suddenly it's the inciting incident. Threw me for a loop.
- Either the main character's voice was super immature, or the writing was very amateur. Either way it drove me crazy.

I'm sad I couldn't like this one, but I could not bring myself to read anymore.

Super cute and wholesome Christmas romance!

So, This Is Christmas follows Finley during her first winter break after leaving her hometown of Christmas, Oklahoma to attend a prestigious boarding school in Connecticut. When she gets home, a lot has changed: her best friend is dating her ex-boyfriend, her parents have separated, and her archnemesis got a job working at her grandmother's inn. Not to mention one of her posh British classmates just appeared on the doorstep of her grandmother's inn, expecting a perfect American Christmas. It's up to Finley to make sure he gets the Christmas he was promised.

PS there's no love triangle - the archnemesis isn't the beginning of an enemies to lovers arc lmao. The love interest is the British one ;D

I thought this book was very heartwarming and a feel-good read perfect for Christmastime! Seeing FInley's relationship with Arthur develop was so adorably cute - I just love the two of them each other so much. They got to learn a lot more about each other over this holiday break together, and the various holiday activities they did together made everything feel like a cheesy, romantic Hallmark movie (in a good way!). This makes sense because the author actually writes Hallmark movies lol.

Outside of the romance, the book focuses a lot on family and friendship. It was great to see reconciliation and mature conversations between family/friends, and how everything came together in the end made me super happy. The book talks about resilience (specifically when it comes to school and relationships), and I really liked it!

Also, there was sapphic rep in this book which I'm all for. It's between two side characters and i"ll admit, it did come as a surprise because I thought the romance was going in a completely different direction but yk what, I live for it. Sapphic supremacy y'all. This relationship plays a major part in the story, and honestly it was great to see. Those two are so cute.

I will note that a lot of the tension surrounding this relationship was related to coming out (it wasn't like a "oh hey these two side characters got together" kind of thing, this relationship had its own obstacles and difficulties). Even though I'm sapphic, I can't really speak on that aspect of the plot/how well it was done, so it's not really my place to make an evaluation. I did like the discussions around homophobia still persisting til this day, even if some parts of the world seem more accepting than others.

This isn't a 5-star read because I found myself enjoying the first 75% of the book more than the last 25%. The third-act conflict and its resolution wasn't my favorite, but it still gave off those iconic Hallmark movie vibes.

Nevertheless, I'd definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was super sweet and I highly recommend for fans of the holidays! The book follows a teenager by the name of Finley Brown who lives in a small town named “Christmas” in Oklahoma. This is the classic YA Christmas RomCom that is filled with jolly cheer and adorable scenes with just enough mishaps to balance the cute moments. How could you not fall in love with a girl who’s town is supposed to be the epitome of Christmas spirit and a boy who loved everything Christmas down to the reindeer sweater.

SO, THIS IS CHRISTMAS is a YA romance that follows Finley Brown as she returns home from boarding school, expecting to come home and decompress. What she doesn’t expect is to come home to find out that her parents may be separating, her ex boyfriend and her best friend are dating, her archenemies is working at her grandmothers inn, and one of the cute boys from school is visiting her hometown for Christmas. Due to Finely’s very misleading description of her hometown on their website, it’s left up to her to make sure that he has a wonderful visit.
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Thought it was slow starting for me, I had fun with this book. It made me excited for Christmas, that’s for sure. The characters were well done, though I do feel like her ex best friend is a weird one. She felt unfinished to me. The romance was slow and sweet, and it was nice to see them get closer and trust each other. If you enjoy Christmas romances, add this one to your tbr. It’s a cute read!
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3.5/5 stars, SO, THIS IS CHRISTMAS by Tracy Andreen is available October 5, 2021!
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Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for sending me an eARC to review.