The Summer of Christmas, by Juliet Giglio; Keith Gigli, read much like a Hallmark movie! Predictable and fluffy. That being said, I like an occasional Hallmark movie and I also liked this book. It was an enjoyable read on a hot summer afternoon. Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book had a very distinctive writing style. It was more of a third person narration rather than deep POV, omniscient at times with multiple-POVs. This had a very fun premise and was corny in the best way but I think it lended itself more to a script/movie rather than a book.

Steam: 0

Thank you NetGalley, Juliet and Keith Giglio, and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It honestly got me at "Christmas" which is a lot of the reason why I wanted to read it. The cover is just perfect. But, reading this, the writing was a bit all over the place. It was hard to connect with the characters. I struggled to finish it.

The story is ok, but i didn't feel connected with the characters, i really don't care about them and that's sad.

Ivy Green finally got her big break, writing the script for a new Christmas movie. The catch, it is very clearly based on her real life and her past relationship, only instead of ending in a break up, the fictionalized relationships ends with the guy dying… When the movie goes back to her hometown for filming, she has to face the ex the movie is based on for the first time since they broke up.

At first this was challenging because there were so many characters who were very intertwined and we got all their perspectives but once I got them all organized in my head I enjoyed this one. I love a good Christmas in July moment so this was a fun book to read with a bit of Christmas spirit. I reall enjoyed certain characters stories (Griffin was an incredible side character that I wanted more of) and HATED others. I was rooting for Ivy and Nick from the beginning and was happy with the resolution of this one. If you like Hallmark movies in book form, this one might be for you!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the gifted copy.

I have mixed feelings about this book.
I was really excited about the concept and the promise of a romantic comedy. My mother is a huge Hallmark Christmas movie fan, so this book kind of seemed like a Hallmark movie behind-the-scenes book so I was hoping for some cute moments.
Unfortunately, this fell a little flat for me. I don't think there was enough focus on the couple and way too much on other characters. I also felt the writing didn't really fit the format of a novel.
It was an okay book, but I think it would serve better as a movie.

I DNF”d this book and will not be continuing it. Within the first chapter it was hard to follow the plot as the character POV’s changed every few paragraphs without any indication that it was happening. The writing style itself was not something I would have contained to enjoy had I read farther into the book.

DNF 30%

I was looking forward to this book. The concept sounded really interesting.

But unfortunately, once I started reading I couldn't get into it. The characters seem very immature. It was a very choppy writing style. Plus it feels like a love triangle/more than a triangle. And I'm not at all interested in reading that.

I’m always up for a story about Christmas in the summer. I liked the plot. Ivy gets her first screen-write made into a film, based in her own home town. The movie is based on her relationship with her ex, Nick.
My problems with the.book are: main characters that are very immature, sudden shifts in love/hate dynamics that are not believable; and a completely cheesy ending.
It was like watching a smarmy movie.

I did not finish this book. The writing was way to choppy, and jumpy for me. It felt very disjointed and it was hard to make a connection anywhere.

I love the cover of this book. I love all things Christmas. BUT I didn’t love this book. I felt like it was lacking somewhere even though I can’t put my finger on what.

I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. It seemed like everything was sped through even though the book was as long as it was. I wish I would have loved this one. :(

THE SUMMER OF CHRISTMAS – Juliet Giglio & Keith Giglio
Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 978-1-7282-5018-2
July 5, 2022
Contemporary Romance

Geneva, New York – Present Day

Up and coming Hollywood screenwriter Ivy Green has sold her first screenplay to a production company that plans to film it in the place where it takes place: Ivy’s hometown of Geneva. Unfortunately, the screenplay is nearly autobiographical about Ivy’s longtime romance with her high school sweetheart, Nick Shepherd. He still lives in town, running his family’s winery, so Ivy isn’t sure how he will feel about the screenplay, especially since she did one slight change to their ending: she killed him off. But it’s an opportunity she can’t turn down, and Ivy agrees to the movie being filmed in Geneva. It will give her a chance to catch up with her family and old friends. But how will Nick feel about her return?

Nick has told himself that he’s moved on from Ivy. The one time he visited her in Los Angeles while they were dating, he saw how much she loved it there. His life is in upstate New York, and he did the right thing for both by breaking it off. But Ivy apparently took the breakup hard because it’s soon clear to Nick that the Rick in the movie is him—and he dies at the end! Yet, the return of Ivy to town rekindles the old feelings between them, even if the movie’s star actress is throwing herself at him. Is he receptive to the actress’s advancements because she looks a lot like Ivy? It will take a month to shoot the film. What will happen during that month of shooting?

The authors bring out the funny in THE SUMMER OF CHRISTMAS as Ivy and Nick navigate through the pain of their fractured relationship. Ivy was all about her career and a new life in California, while Nick was obligated to remain in New York and run the winery with his mother. There was no way that they could maintain a relationship thousands of miles apart. Ivy felt blindsided that Nick wouldn’t move to California, but it inspired her to write her screenplay, with that ominous twist at the end. As for the town of Geneva, Ivy is returning to people who love her, yet they know her all too well. Everyone wants to be an extra in the movie and also remind her that she used to date Nick. Meanwhile, Ivy’s current boyfriend is part of the production team, but she begins to feel like they are drifting apart, especially when he refuses to bring their relationship out in the open. Readers sense that they will soon be history.

THE SUMMER OF CHRISTMAS is a cute tale but there are numerous characters, and we get to see too many points of view that can be confusing. At times, there was head-hopping (this is where the point of view changes from one character to another) within the scene. I had to check to make sure who was thinking or saying what. This might work in a screenplay, but novels require some structure to not confuse readers. But the dialogue and scenes are funny, though I began to wonder if we would see the demise of Nick by the end. Readers will need to find out if that happens by picking up a copy of THE SUMMER OF CHRISTMAS.

Patti Fischer

Love, love, love! I could not put this book down. It is the perfect rom com. It has such a great storyline.
I had gotten SO invested in Ivy and Nicks life. It was a rollercoaster of a ride but with some great twists, laughs, and a perfect ending.

The Summer of Christmas follows a screenwriter named Ivy who moved to California. Her long time boyfriend came to visit her and things did not play out the way Ivy initially thought. Nick broke up with her his first day in California and then leaves. Fast forward some years later and she wrote a movie script based on their relationship. The script gets turned into a movie and then gets filmed back in her small home town in upstate New York. It was so great to see how the film was being made along with Ivy’s real life drama.

I am excited to read more books from this husband and wife team.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an eARC.

I was drawn in by the adorable cover and the synopsis of this book. I love romcoms and am a total suck for Christmas movies so it sounded like it would be right up my alley.

Unfortunately the flow of the book really didn't work for me. It is told from 3rd POV and I found it heard to really connect with the characters. At times it felt like the storyline was being fast forwarded jumping weeks, months even years in the matter of a paragraph. It almost felt like an early draft of a book and I think it could have been really cute if it had been more polished to even out the at times choppy writing.

DNF at 20%

DNF after a couple of chapters. The writing was so choppy and half the time I had no idea what was going on. Also I’m not a film person so most of the references and words used made absolutely no sense to me. The cover is super cute which is what originally drew me in but the writing was terrible.

Thank you netgalley & Sourcebooks for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

This book has got all the dream scenarios to it.
Second chance romance? Check.
Christmas themed film? Check.
Christmas feels in summer? Check.
Plot within a plot? Check.
Small town? Check Check and check.

But despite so many tropes it kinda felt flat for me. The relationship of the mc's didn't make any sense or neither did their breakup (if that makes sense).
The whole movie thing was a added benefit but side characters were unlikable. And I skimmed through a LOT.

Sad to say but this just wasn't for me.

The cover of this book is perfection. Unfortunately, the book is not. As a woman who is pretty much obsessed with Christmas all year round, I jumped at the chance to read this. Ultimately though, this book just isn’t for me and I DNF’d at 13%.

It pains me to say this, primarily because writing is tough and I myself could not be a writer, but the writing in this book is very simplistic and immature. It felt more like reading a summary than an actual novel. I could not connect with any of the characters at all and for me, that is key in whether or not I will enjoy a book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I randomly took a chance on The Summer of Christmas, thanks to the cover. I was a bit skeptical upon hearing that the Giglios’ experience was primarily in screenwriting, but they’ve worked on some of my favorite tween movies, like the controversial sequel Return to Halloweentown and all installments of the Cinderella Story anthology series to date, as well as some Hallmark projects, and this is pretty much that sort of story in book form. And while I can’t say I was wowed, I didn’t expect to be. It’s a cute, fun, fluffy romcom, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
I do like how they applied their film experience through Ivy and her input into the process of transitioning from the script to it existing as a film. And the way that ties into the unofficial “Christmas in July” celebration by having them film a Christmas movie in the summer for release in late fall/early winter, while also working in some summery Christmas cheer that goes with the occasion is a lot of fun.
I generally liked Ivy as well, and can totally relate to the sentiment she feels of wanting to get some revenge on her ex. While the methods she goes to may be crossing some ethical lines, as she’s pretty open about who it‘s about, it’s an entertaining fantasy nonetheless.
Nick is fine. He didn’t wow me, or feel like the issues between them were addressed to the point where I rooted for them to get back together.
It also didn’t help that the book felt a bit cluttered with a lot of characters and drama, and it may have worked better in some other medium, but not in a book where I’d have liked a more streamlined focus.Despite my issues, I did have fun with it, and would recommend it if you are looking for a fun summery/holiday read. ​
Despite my issues, I did have fun with it, and would recommend it if you are looking for a fun summery/holiday read.

This book was super cute! It was nice to read a Christmas book in the summer. Romcoms aren't my favorite genre so sometimes it is hard for me because they seem super cheesy. But I really liked all of the characters and it was an easy read.

I did not really enjoy this book. I felt the narration was very flat, and difficult to read. The dialogue was immature, and I did not like any of the characters. Especially Nick. I felt like Ivy could have done better with both of the love interests.