I thought this book was a super fun holiday story. I really enjoyed the character development, writing style, and of course the plot. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

This was a very fun YA novel about two teens from rival families, Both families own restaurants in the local mall and they compete against each other. When the mall tries to terminate their leases, Chloe and Peter must work together to help save both of their families. But they get very close while solving the problems and sharing their food with each other.

It was super adorable but it was BARELY about Christmas. This could have happened at any time of the year.

Thank you so much to @sourcebooks.

Chloe is an aspiring photographer and works as Santa's elf taking portraits. Peter works next door at the mall's new virtual reality experience with a variety of holiday rides. Just as their jobs put them in competition, their families have a long-standing feud with competing Chinese and Korean restaurants in the mall food court. But the mall may be demolished. Can Chloe and Peter work together, overcome their parents' fights, and save the mall?

Chloe is the baby whisperer with the mall Santa. The stories there and at Peter's VR job add great comedy to the novel. I also really enjoyed her friends, Sophia and Elias, who are very supportive and always build her self-esteem.

Both Chloe and Peter are looking for ways to stand out and earn parental approval, and they can bond over their shared understanding of parents running restaurants. And they are both younger siblings used to being seen through the shadow of their accomplished older siblings.

This was a sweet YA romance. It reads like young high school students. I was thrilled that it wasn't a new adult/college romance disguised as YA. It was a fast and fun read for the holiday season or other times of the year.

Thank you to the author, Sourcebooks Fire, Let's Talk Books, and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

CW: racism

I really enjoyed The Christmas Clash! It’s a dual POV holiday Young Adult contemporary romcom featuring two Asian high school seniors who must find a way to unite their families and save their family’s restaurants from demolition before Christmas. This story features an enemies to lovers trope and the Romeo and Juliet trope. 
 
At a small mall in Nashville, Tennessee, two restaurateur families have been feuding for so many years they’ve lost sight of why they began fighting. Their fights have turned into bickering over shrimp vs pork or noodles vs rice. 
 
Yet, while the adults harbor negativity towards one another, their children, Chloe Kwon & Peter Li, are competitive too. Chloe works as an elf photographer opposite Peter’s  north pole virtual reality experience at the mall. The two are opposites. But the attraction they have for one another is getting annoyingly in the way of their family’s feuding. 
 
❄️ These are a few of my favorite things ❄️
 
☃️ I’m a sucker for a good YA novel. The addition of the Christmas Clash being a romcom. Total bonus points!
 
☃️ The Romeo & Juliet romance trope. Suzanne Park has created a unique romance that borders the Romeo and Juliet romance trope without the cliche. Whether their families were involved, I think the two would still not get along well as kids. Their personalities are just so different. Though, they find out they are attracted to their differences. 

Thank you to @suzannepark @bookmarked @Netgalley for #gifting me an e-ARC.

The Christmas Clash is a cute YA rom-com. Two teenage rivals have to team up to save their families' respective restaurants at the local mall. Chloe Kwon’s family’s Korean restaurant has long been the biggest competitor for the Chinese restaurant run by Peter Li’s family at the Riverwood Mall.

Chloe helps out at her family restaurant all while keeping the peace as the Santa Land photographer. Peter works at the virtual reality North Pole experience at the mall, and the two have been butting heads and crossing paths for years.

When they find out the mall is set to be sold to a developer who plans to demolish the mall, they have to work together to try to stop it from happening.

This was such a cute story. I love Suzanne Park’s clever writing, witty one-liners, and diverse casts of characters. Any Christmas themes are heavily in the background of this story, but it’s still atmospheric in its mall setting and will likely have you nostalgic for your own teen days spent at the mall.

Thanks to @bookmarked @kccpr @letstalkbookspromo for the digital review copy for a buddy read and book tour! It’s out now.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for graciously providing my complimentary copy of The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park. I’m leaving this review on my own with my own opinions and thoughts.

I loved this twist on Romeo and Juliet. Even better, it was set around food and holiday themed. This was one of my anticipated holiday reads, and I was so excited when I was allowed the opportunity to join the book tour.

I liked the characters that Park created. They were relatable and I loved the passion that they showed. It was fun to watch the romance blossom in this book, with banter and slow burn. It's a light-hearted rom-com, perfect for this time of year. This book was about community and joining together to save their family businesses and the mall that they're located in. It reinforces the message that it is important to stand up for what you believe in and coming together for a common cause is powerful and can help to bridge our differences.

ARC Review

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚜 𝙲𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚑

By: Suzanne Park

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Featuring:
Dual Povs
Enemies to Lovers
Rival Families

This is a really cute YA Rom Com. I really enjoyed this book. It starts off with Chloe and Peter being enemies because of a feud over their families restaurants. We also get into how the mall the restaurants are in is going to be demolished and Chloe and Peter try everything in their power to save the Riverwood Mall, while doing this they start falling for each other. I couldn’t wait to get to the end of the book to see what happened! It was such a beautiful Christmas story. It will definitely keep YA readers roped in!

Thank you NetGalley for the E-Arc for exchange for my honest review

This was a super sweet YA Christmas book. Chloe and Peter's families each owns a restaurant in the mall food court and they’ve been rivals for decades. They each also now have individual jobs in the mall besides helping support their family businesses,

Peter and Chloe find out the mall their parents restaurants is due to be demolished by year's end. But they band together and sleuth out a way to save the mall. As Peter and Chloe continue to work together they also find out the source of their families feud and start falling for one another!

This was a super cute YA read for the holiday season!

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

Nothing gets me in the feels quite like a YA books themed for the holidays. Plus add in a little enemies to lovers and a group of people trying to save a small business? I’m all in! I also loved this cover.

And while I really enjoyed getting to spend time with Chloe and Peter, and the book takes place Halloween-New Years, I didn’t get “Holiday Book” from this story. It still totally worth the read but I really think you can read it all year long!

Synopsis:

“"Chloe Kwon can't stand Peter Li. It's always been that way. Their families don't get along either: their parents operate rival restaurants in the Riverwood Mall food court―Korean food for the Kwons and Chinese food for the Lis. Now it's the holiday season and Chloe's the photographer at the mall's Santa Land, and Peter works at the virtual reality North Pole experience right across the atrium. It's all Chloe can do to avoid Peter's smug, incredibly photogenic face.But it turns out the mall is about to be sold to a developer and demolished for condos. Eviction notices are being handed out right before Christmas. Their parents don't know what to do, and soon Chloe and Peter realize that the two of them need to join efforts to try to save the mall. Just when it seems like they can put aside their differences and work closely (very closely) together, they discover that the Kwon and Li feud goes far deeper than either of them realize...” —Goodreads

What I Liked:

The Concept—I actually was so charmed by the idea of setting a book in a mall. Malls used to be the center of the universe for teens and now they’re almost completely nonexistent! But looking at it from the people who have built their lives and businesses in them gave me pause.

The Characters—I really liked all the characters in this book! I enjoyed spending time with them and getting a glimpse into their lives as the children of very different families. One, Asian American struggling with what makes them American, one the daughter of immigrants.

What Didn’t Work:

Didn’t Feel like a Holiday Book—I kind of wish this hadn’t been billed as holiday books because there are so many aspects that are more important…and I didn’t get holiday vibes from it! I still really enjoyed it, especially since the two main characters worked for “Santa” at the mall, but I don’t know, I didn’t get holiday vibes! It felt like “More” and that’s not a dig, cause I love holiday books.

Character Authenticity: 4.5

Steam Rating: N/A as it is YA

Overall Rating: 3.75/5

Content Warnings:

racism, racial slurs, xenophobia

You had me at enemies to lovers. This was a super cute romcom, but def geared more to YA readers. Wish it had a little bit more of a holiday feel to it. Still loved it though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Super cute YA romcom with lots of good food, enjoyable characters and it’s enemies-to-lovers. Based on the cover and title I was hoping for even more Christmas than what was in the book but it was still a fun holiday read (but I’d even recommend it any time of year).

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

Feel good, happy read. To be young, very idealistic, and hopeful - the world before you, going to the mall and the sweetness of first love. Its been yearsssss since I was a teenager and this book transported me back in time. Enjoyed the banter between Chloe (Korean) and Peter (Chinese) and found myself relating to a lot of aspects as a fellow Asian: a) Family is everything, the good, the sad, and all those in between; b) Hardworking and know chores c) Rice!! d) no shoes inside the house :) I guess those "quirks" make them rise above especially for Asians in the US.

I wanted to love this book, but it didn’t quite deliver on what I was promised. I was promised Christmas and enemies to lovers. While this book did take place in the months leading up to Christmas, I felt like the Christmas vibes never truly arrived.

3.5 stars

This is my first book by the author. The first thing that grabbed my attention was the cozy holiday vibes of the cover and of course the synopsis. Two young rivals who ends up working together to help save their families business and the mall where they grew up. The story was true to it's genre Young Adult and if I have to be honest there were times it was too childish especially the bickering at the beginning, it did get better as both Chloe and Peter relationship grow deeper. I love the idea that two young people worked together and worked hard to save the mall they love and their parents family business. The story had a K-drama feel too it especially when both parents are known as mortal enemies. The love story was cute but I didn't feel like the chemistry was that strong. Maybe it's because it became an instant love. The other thing I wished this book had more was the Christmas spirit. I found it lacking aside from Chloe and Peter's job, Santa Pictures, the freezing weather and few decorations that was pretty much it.

The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park is a Christmas rom-com that combines a family rivalry with a fight to save the local mall, all set during the holiday season. I loved the social themes the author tackles, including the importance of malls, although I would have liked to see even more Christmassy elements in the plot.

As a result of a decade-long rivalry between their families who run rival restaurants in the mall food court, Chloe and Peter are sworn enemies. When they find themselves working at the mall during the holiday season–Chloe as a photographer for Santa and Peter at a virtual reality North Pole experience–the holiday cheer comes to a halt as they learn that the mall is going to be demolished for condos, meaning eviction is imminent. In order to save their parents’ businesses, Chloe and Peter must team up, and as they spend more time together, they begin to question why they are even enemies in the first place.

❀ MALL SETTING

I loved the mall setting in this one and the way the author explores the purpose of these spaces. Malls have been less popular these days in favour of online shopping, but I liked the way this book highlights the importance of malls not only for entertaining holiday pop-ups but also for the many shop owners. Suzanne Park does a fantastic job capturing the sense of community surrounding the mall, and it was heartwarming to see the different owners coming together to fight to save the mall.

❀ NEEDS MORE CHRISTMAS CONTENT

Something I found myself hoping for while reading this book was more Christmas content. The cover and synopsis hint at a lot of holiday cheer, but beyond a few scenes of photography for the mall Santa, this one feels like a regular contemporary. I do appreciate the social themes the book tackles, but I would have also liked to see more of a Christmassy plot.

❀ CUTE ROM-COM

The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park is a cute enemies-to-lovers holiday rom-com. I enjoyed the idea of a family rivalry in the mall, and the author does an excellent job bringing the mall and its community to life. I would have enjoyed even more Christmas from this one, but it would be a great choice for those who enjoy more subtle holiday reads.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an ARC copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Christmas rom-coms and as soon as I read the description for The Christmas Clash, I immediately added it to my must read list.

Chloe and Peter's parents own Korean and Chinese restaurants at the local mall. The parents are rivals, Chloe and Parker are never really sure what happened and why their parents dislike each other but they do which makes Chloe and Peter rivals as well. 

Rivals... Enemies... 
Both Chloe and Peter each have a job at the mall and each kinda compete with each other. Chloe's job taking Santa pictures is what grabbed my attention from the start. She loves photography but her passion for taking photos was fading. Honestly, I wish more of her photography was in the story. While there was plenty happening between the rival restaurants, bickering parents, mall eviction notices, trying to save the mall and a blossoming romance, I still wish the photography aspect was a bigger part of the story. 

Anyways, back to the story... 
As for the whole Enemies to Lovers part... well... 
some might argue that the two were never truly "enemies" however! I totally see it, in the cute "ugh I hate him/her" way that we all clearly remember from our high school days. They drive each other bonkers, get on each other's nerves, compete against each other, "hate" each other... all while each secretly liking the other. I found it cute and not over the top or overdone. Actually, I enjoyed how the romance was blended into the story, developing at a great pace and didn't just completely take over the entire focus of the story. The romance simply blossomed in the background and added perfectly to the story. 

The story focuses more on the mall, the eviction of businesses as the mall is sold, the rivalry between the families, everyday obstacles in life that are completely relatable. We get to know about the families and the restaurants, and eventually how things use to be and what led to the rivalry. 

I love how it was not the typical cute holiday romance, I enjoyed the sweet romance developing instead of just being "insta" love, I enjoy the story and there being more than just romance.

Overall, it was a sweet, cute story. Real-life issues are there, things aren't just perfect and easy, and romance is allowed to simply blossom as it would for school-age kids. Perhaps this is a little younger than most YA that I normally read, it's clean and cute with everything kept from going over the top (the family restaurant rivalry is there and they don't like each other but don't go too far with things) but there's nothing wrong with a good cute holiday romance book. This is one that I know my daughter could enjoy and it was a fun, quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks fire for this ARC of The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park.

This is a lighthearted rom com most definitely geared toward the YA crowd.

It's billed as a Christmas rom-com and unfortunately that's where it fell flat for me. I wanted more Christmas!!

This was an adorable YA enemies to lovers holiday read. The rivalry within their restaurants and the mall was a neat element and while I'd have liked to see a little bit more "holiday" elements in the book, I really enjoyed it.

Give me a Christmas themed YA book and I’m in. This book tells the story of two rival restaurant families and how they try to save the mall the restaurants are housed in from being sold. I loved the Christmas elements in the book, Chloe a Santa elf (Yoda) and Peter who works at a holiday VR room. Although I would have loved more Holiday feels in this book, I’d still recommend adding it to your holiday reads.

In this enemies-to-lovers YA novel, The Christmas Clash is a modern Romeo and Juliet retelling of two Asian teens and their families rivalling restaurants within the neighbourhood mall, featuring everything from high school drama, mouthwatering food, and of course, a touch of all things Christmas.

Chloe Kwon and Peter Li are far from being friends, just like how their parents loathe each other. A 15 year grudge separates their families, despite each family owning a restaurant (Chloe’s being Korean and Peter’s being Chinese) within the local Riverwood mall’s food court. However, a notice goes out Riverwood is going to be demolished in favour of building a mixed-use space. Eviction notices are also sent out to all the mall tenants, and the Kwon’s and Li’s have no idea what to do next. An unlikely collaboration between Peter and Chloe forms to figure out how they can save the mall and all that their families hold dear.

As for the plot of the story, I thought it only gave subtle touches into Christmas and the holidays given it was the wintertime. It didn’t encompass the book as a whole, but wouldn’t necessarily deem the title of it “book bait.” This comes into play knowing that Chloe and Peter have seasonal jobs at the mall, with Chloe working as a Santa’s Workshop photographer, and Peter working at a Santa VR experience. The plotlines that arose were Chloe and Peter figuring out how to save the mall, and Chloe’s big photography mentorship. Both elements brought the plot together, but it didn’t contribute to the pacing since it seemed it was on the slower side.

Following both of the protagonists around and with their point of view’s switching off throughout puts the story into a broader perspective. There wasn’t really too much of the “enemy” element coming from Chloe and Peter, and the communication between the two at first came off more as teasing than an actual rivalry. The romance subplot came off as the typical YA love story which was enjoyable. Where Chloe is more of the spoken figure, Peter comes off as a bit more reserved, which in turn balanced their eventual relationship out. Speaking for the rivalry of their parents, I was hoping to see more petty comments and arguments spewed, but instead was met more with the silent treatment. This didn’t cause too much of an issue, but it would’ve added more depth and context to the rivalry of the families.

Strong elements included the diversity of the characters. Chloe and Peter are both the second born children of their families, and each have to deal with the older “golden” child of the family. Where Chloe compares herself to Hannah, Peter with Sam. This is a rivalry within itself, but important points are made in the book about self-individuality and the yearning for what you want rather than everyone else’s desires of you. Park does a great job of describing this, and I feel this is an important aspect for the audience to understand.

Another element of this book was its overall representation of Asian cultures. Firstly, the descriptions of the food from the Li and Kwon restaurants were amazing. It had me wanting Shrimp Lo Mein and Korean Mandu throughout the whole read, and it was wholesome (and cute) to see Peter and Chloe partake in meal swaps behind the backs of their parents. Secondly is the yearn for the American Dream and the potential for opportunities, and this is especially seen in Chloe’s family who immigrated from Korea to seek a better life. This is important in today’s day and age, and seems to represent all those who look for opportunities beyond their conventional life.

The Christmas Clash had its ups and downs as a YA novel, but nonetheless gave representation to the Asian community, and communities as a whole. It’s a novel of teen romance, working together, forgiveness, and a willingness to fight for those things you care about.