I enjoyed the Christmas Clash. I was reminded of my childhood days spent hanging out at the mall. Unlike Chloe and Peter, I did not have a job there. It was that aspect of the book that I loved. Pacing was spot on. Since they started out as enemies, it was understandable that Chloe and Peter were at odds. As the story progressed, I found it to be heartwarming.

Another favorite aspect was the rivalry between their parents' restaurants in the mall's food court. It made me hungry just reading about the food. Seeing a young romance develop was very cute. There is nothing negative I can say about this book. It was inspiring to see how these young people united to save the mall's uncertain future. I was filled with nostalgia and happiness after reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC. This was an honest review.

Enemies to young love, save the family business, and all the droolworthy Chinese and Korean food? What's not to love!

Peter and Chloe's friendship was adorable from start to finish. There's a bit of a Romeo and Juliet situation going on with their families, without the death of course. I was very interested in figuring out what was up with their family feud, and save-the-small-business is one of my favorite plots.

Unfortunately, this book didn't feel very Christmassy to me. The only mention was the time of year and Chloe's job as the mall Santa photographer. I would have loved to read about how Peter and Chloe's families celebrate!

Suzanne Park writes the cutest YA romances, and I love that I always learn something new about Korean food or culture.

"Who's naughty and nice at Riverwood Mall? In this hilarious YA holiday rom-com, two rivals get together to save their families' livelihoods, and Christmas, too!"

Let me start off by saying that I wish this book existed when I was in high school. I spent my teen years working at the local mall, and the mall events and day-to-day things that Suzanne Park described were giving me nostalgia (and maybe some trauma haha). I remember working those shifts so vividly! I was also able to relate to Peter's and Chloe's relationships with their parents. I felt the same frustration they had towards their parents and the constant yearning for affection or recognition. I am glad The Christmas Clash exists now and I hope readers could relate to it as I did.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for providing me a copy of The Christmas Clash.

Note: Will post this review on Instagram closer to the holiday season (ie. after Halloween)!

This was such a cute book. It took me a bit to get into it, just because I am not typically a YA reader. I really enjoyed how the relationships between everyone in this book blossomed. Suzanne Park did not forget to include character development across familial relationships as well as romantic relationships. I enjoyed the logistics involved in saving the mall. I felt so much nostalgia reading this book. It really did remind me of growing up and the influence mall culture had on me as a teen. I always love reading books from diverse authors and I enjoyed seeing all of the similarities and differences that the Parks and the Lis had in their upbringing. I hope to read another of her books soon. Even though I don't typically read YA I would definitely read more books written by Suzanne Park. **Thank you to Suzanne Park, Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of The Christmas Clash in exchange for a honest review.**

I really enjoyed this book. I like how Chloe and Peter’s friendship evolved from enemies to friends to more. It was a great holiday read!

Chloe Kwon and Peter Li's parents have a long standing feud. Chloe's family runs a Korean restaurant in the Riverwood Mall food court while Peter's runs a Chinese restaurant at the same food court. Though neither initially knows why, the animosity is always palpable and has extended to their children encouraged by their respective set of parents. Chloe has always heard "that Peter Li is no good" from her parents and vice versa but when Riverwood Mall is in danger of being shutdown and demolished, the unlikely pair makes a truce to save the mall. Chloe is tackling saving the mall while competing in a prestigious art award competition and Peter is tackling the uncertainty of what he wants to do with his future. While navigating all of those obstacles, Chloe and Peter also realize that they are attracted to each other. Eventually the pair uncovers the family rivalry is stemmed from a desire to blame the other family for an unfortunate case of being swindled by the town embezzler, and achieve having their families move past that issue. Chloe and Peter end up dating in spite of the feud and are able to keep their relationship once their families reconcile. Overall, it was a fun read.

Two households, both alike in dignity, In Riverwood Mall, where we lay our scene.

The Romeo & Juliet vibes are strong in this one. Except, neither is an idiot child willing to die for someone they just met and this story gets a happy ending.

Chloe is an artist who specializes in photography and makes extra money taking photos at the local mall’s Santa’s Village. She’s entered in a prestigious photography contest at her friends’ insistence. And she spends any remaining free time helping at her family’s mall court restaurant.

Peter is a chronic underachiever in the eyes of his family. He’ll never be as good as his older brother so he’s made it his thing to be upbeat and just go along. His after school job is running a Christmas themed VR attraction at the mall when he’s not helping his family’s mall court restaurant.

Chloe and Peter have had a lifelong dislike of each other. Their families have been at odds since before they were born and they were just fine carrying on the family rivalry. Well, except for the under the radar food swaps in the alley behind the mall.

That was until they learned that the mall they grew up in, that housed their families’ restaurants and only source of income, was on the verge of closing. Then they join forces to work to save the mall.

I absolutely loved the slow evolution of their relationship from being unable to say the other’s name without contempt to food swap dinners in the alley which Peter increasingly improves on from just a little table and folding chairs to table cloth and flowers.

Chloe’s analytical and organized ways are perfectly balanced by Peter’s ability to charm just about anyone. Together they have all the skills to convince others to join their charge to save the mall.

This was a joy to read. A wonderful reminder that sometimes great things happen to good people. The author included many facets of her culture into the story giving me better insight into it. Suzanna Park is definitely going on my authors to watch list.

The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park is an enemies to lovers story with a long standing feud between two families and their competing restaurants at the center of it. Peter and Chloe are forced to work together when they find out the mall, where their parents' restaurants are located, is in danger of being sold and demolished.

What I liked:
-The story is told from both Peter and Chloe's POV. When they aren't trying to save the mall together, they both have their own side stories that further develops their personalities.
-The setting. Most of the book takes place in the mall and I loved that throwback feeling, especially since the mall in my hometown is going to be knocked down and turned into a biotech campus.
-The Asian representation. Peter is Chinese and Chloe is Korean. I enjoyed reading about their family dynamics and how they both felt similar pressure from their parents as the second child. While my experiences were different, I still related with them on a cultural level.
-The added focus on anti-Asian bullying and the resulting sticking up for and being true to yourself response.
-The all around cuteness and natural flow of the romance.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. This book was so fun. I really enjoyed it. This book kept me interested and i enjoyed the book and this genre

The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park is a cute young adult holiday rom-com about rival families who operate restaurants in their local mall food court. The characters and their dual POV throughout was nice. The story was unique, and I enjoyed the humor, yet wish it was a more Christmasy! Besides the title and a few mentions of the mall Santa, I think the holiday aspect of this book fell short.

This is a cute rom com for middle grade to teen readers. The plot follows a common trope of frenemies bonding to save the family business. Older readers like me might have a hard time relating to the pop culture references and teen speak terms. I did not get a lot of Christmas vibes from the story.

I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions here are entirely my own.

Chloe and Peter have a rivalry that runs deep - right to the family. Their families own and run competing restaurants in the local mall - because of this, Chloe and Peter just don't like each other.

But then they find out that the mall is getting ready to close and condos built in it's place. It's up to Chloe and Peter to work together and save their family restaurants.

This is a YA book and while it takes place during the Christmas season, I didn't get strong christmasy vibes. However, I love the author's writing style and it was overall a very cute story. The characters were really well developed and it was fun to see them also grow.

Rated 3.5 - I enjoyed reading it, I would definitely recommend it to a YA crowd.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a sweet book set during the holidays in a small-town mall. It's a little predictable, but aren't all Hallmark Holiday shows? I think if you're a consumer of sweet holiday content, adults and teens will like this book.

A very cute book to get you into the Christmas mood! Of course it have a bit of a Romeo & Juliet feel, as the families are enemies, but who doesn't love that in a ya romance book? I only wish I'd waited to read it because I would've been more in the mood for it around the end of November/early December.

There's something about Suzanne Park's writing that immediately draws me into the story! This was a great YA holiday read, and I loved the romance sprinkled within it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

*Thank to you netgalley for the arc, all thoughts are my own*

This book was definitely not my favourite. The cover and the title imply it's a christmas book, but aside from taking photos of people with santa, there was absolutely no christmassy stuff. oh and the characters were never even enemies. Like they argued a bit and then by 25% in, they were friends... wha.. no, just no.
oh and asides from all that, I felt like I have read this exact same plot 500 times. It reminded me of tweet cute, and felt like an exact copy of a pho love story. Im so sick of the restaurants-owned-by-two-rivalry-families-where-the-kids-fall-in-love troupe. It happens so much, and honof estly, I'm just sick of reading the same half baked plot.

4/10 entertaining, but it felt like there was no actual substance to the story.

This is an adorable YA rom-com, although I feel as though it reads more like a middle grade.
I appreciated the dual POV of Chloe and Peter as well as their family rivalry and witty banter. My only complaint was that I went into this with the assumption of it being a Christmas book and Christmas was very mildly there.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for a copy of this ARC eBook in exchange for my honest review.

Super cute YA rom-com about the children of 15-year family feuding enemies finding true love lol.

Chloe Kwon and Peter Li have been enemies for as long as they can remember. Their families own restaurants at the Riverwood Mall food court and each has been sworn not to cross into enemy territory. Except that the mall is now about to be demolished and both sets of parents have been keeping it from their kids. Chloe and Peter understand the importance of their family livelihoods on the line and team up to find a way to possibly save the mall. In true rom-com fashion, they find out they actually like each other too.

I enjoyed this cute story even if it was predictable. It was a book I looked forward to picking up at the end of the day and losing myself in for a few hours. A definite sweet read.

This book seemed more like an ode to the shopping mall with its nostalgia and it just so happens to take place near Christmas time. The storyline was cute; two teenagers of rival mall food court restaurant owners trying to save their shopping mall when the owner wants to tear it down. Chloe and Peter decide it’s better to team up if they stand the chance at saving their mall. Do I feel like this seems a little impossible for real life? Yes. Was it a cute story? Also, yes. The plotline of Close and Peter saving the mall doesn’t seem realistic for today, but I enjoyed the way the storyline played out. Chloe and Peter were very loveable characters and I think the enemies to loves trope played out well. This novel read very YA and the conflict that arose between the two was not that big a deal, in my opinion. I just wish it had been more Christmas centered and the author could have use that to her advantage with trying to save the mall and the idea of a “Christmas miracle.” Overall, it was cute but could have been more Christmas themed.
Review- 3.5

The Christmas Clash is pure mall nostalgia vibes, whether you grew up in mall culture or you just got it from watching Stranger Things. Chloe and Peter come from rival food court families and have to band together to help save the mall from demolition. Readers who grew up working in their parents' restaurants will definitely identify with these MCs.

While the Christmas spirit is a little bit light, it’s still a very enjoyable contemporary YA read. Chloe works at the Santa's Village photo booth, and they celebrate Thanksgiving, but that’s kinda it for holiday cheer. You can tell Park was trying to give a holiday-set story a little more heft with a B- and C-plots about Chloe entering an arts competition and the backstory on the rivalry between the families. And I really liked the messages around empowerment and showing up for what you believe in.

The romance is very cute (and chaste), which opens it up to slightly younger YA readers, though there are a handful of swear words throughout..

3.5 stars