The cover and title caught my eye - adorbs.

The premise of this story had me going for a minute - the making of a Christmas movie in July about her high school sweetheart.

However, I could not get anywhere near finishing it. It reads like a computer wrote it. Lol. “Beep boop bop” she said. Like really rigid and choppy and simplistic. Sentences were so short. I just couldn’t go on.

This might actually be a good read for people who don’t read well. It’s sounds like it followed a formula for hi-lo books. So on that note, I could see it as a way to be inclusive.

Props for writing a book. I can’t say I’ve been able to do it so there’s that!

Thank you NetGalley for a pre-release copy of The Summer of Christmas.

I absolutely love reading Christmas books. However, they often follow similar storylines, etc. This book was super fun and different from the stereotypic Christmas book. This book tugs at all the emotions through the dramatic twists and turns. Who, if anyone will she end up with? Go get your copy today!

I really enjoyed this Christmas in July story. It was fun to see the behind the scenes of making a holiday movie. I was a little put off by Ivy who was a bit too dramatic for my tastes which is why I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5. So much was just stupid misunderstandings. I will read more by this author though.

I have tried a few times to listen to this book and I just can’t get into it. I feel like I would enjoy it, but maybe at a different time. Right now, I am going to put it down and try again. I recommend checking out other peoples reviews for this book!!

I really thought this sounded like a great premise. I struggled with the characters, the immature dialog and behavior, and the superficial relationships. This one just wasn't for me.

Like many people I really love Christmas books. There is something special that happens in Christmas books and I was totally on board when I saw the cover and read the blurb for the book. That was pretty much the only thing I liked about this book.

I did not at all care about the characters in the story. And when that happens to me I find it hard to continue because even if there is a happy ending I still don’t care and am not rooting for them. I found the characters petty and immature. Also, the premise that the entire time they were in college they only saw each other for a month a year but they had a great relationship… in what world. A friendship, yes, absolutely, but a romantic relationship, it makes me think they didn’t really care about their relationship much.

What really threw me out of the story and made it difficult to listen to though was the stilted dialog and the one liners that comments on everything from teeth to weather drove me crazy.

I listened to the audiobook and I don’t really have a lot of feeling about the narration. The narrators voice was a good fit for the female character and it didn’t throw me out of the story the way some narrators can.

DNF @ 10%

While the writing is very simplistic and the plot was a little trite, I found this book to be fun. If you are a fan of predictable Hallmark movies, this is the book for you. It follows the writer of a Hallmark-esque movie as the fiction mirrors the reality of her love life. Nothing earth shattering but a fun summer read.

THE SUMMER OF CHRISTMAS: ⭐️⭐️ by Juliet Giglio & Keith Giglio

Cute, Hallmarky Christmas movie idea that doesn’t really translate into a book. It’s mostly an overblown screenplay so the dialogue seems stilted and non-realistic and the scenes skip from one thing to another with seemingly no flow. Still, I love a bad/good Christmas movie, so I’ll watch it when it shows up on tv!

NOTE: I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review. (Thanks NetGalley & Dreamscape Media!)

A Christmas story in summer…..cute typical Christmas movie type story. Ivy is an aspiring screenplay writer who after 5 years finally gets her story to be produced into a movie, that is based on her own love life. The only hiccup is the filming location is in her hometown, which she has avoided for 5 years since her breakup with the love of her life Nick. Being a small town they do keep running into each other and the hurt from the breakup is still there between them, but also there is still the spark.
A roller coaster ride of ups and downs with the emotions between the main characters. The narrator did a excellent job, which kept the story moving. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #TheSummerofChristmas #DreamscapeMedia

I wanted to love this story. I truly did. Christmas is my favorite holiday by far and I have ALWAYS loved a Christmas romance but from the explanations of well known movie and Hollywood terms to the weird scene changes I struggled through desperately trying to like it… until I got to the end and even if the scenes with young Eve hadn’t made me cringe the audio of the narrator doing this bizarre clench jawed lisping little girl voice made me full body cringe to the point I almost turned it off with just an hour left. The story was predictable (which can be fine) but this just seemed pointless from the beginning. I’m sorry. I so wanted to love this but I just… didn’t. There was one line right at the end that actually made me chuckle though but honestly getting that far wasn’t worth it. I love audiobooks and binge them often but I kept making up excuses to avoid listening to this even though I was on a deadline.

This is a second chance romance. The characters were a couple all through school, but the distance created by attending separate colleges could not weather the storm. As a screenwriter, Ivy wants Nick to move to LA. Nick wants to remain in New York and run his family winery. Nick dumps Ivy - Ivy writes a successful revenge story. That will teach him! This is a cute story and would make a good Hallmark or Lifetime movie with a little polishing of the dialogue to make it family friendly. Elizabeth Cottle does an excellent job as narrator.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, LLC for this advanced review copy. In return, I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

3.5 rounded up

ADORABLE COVER, cute book, cute story, cheesy Hallmark movie vibes with a side of angst.

This was the kind of book I thought I was going to zip right through as an easy read- which it is!- but there was something about it that made it a bit of a longer read for me. I think it was that there were a LOT of movie references which was fine but did get to be a little much at times... especially when she explained the scene she was talking about. It was almost like hearing someone explain a joke and felt a little awkward at times.

Griffin turned out to be my favorite character and I felt much more invested in him than I did with any of the other characters. Overall, I liked it and it had enough drama, angst, and cheesiness to keep me satisfied through the end.

3 stars, but that might be a bit generous.
1 for spice.

If you are looking for a Christmas in July read that gives strong Hallmark movie vibes. This is the one.

I personally love really cheesy Christmas movies and book tropes, so this was great for that. However, I LOATHE the three ghosts of Christmas trope and it felt very forced...a lazy way to get the main character to realize the error of their ways.

My main complaint about this book is the pacing. The beginning of the book is a lot of information dump on each of the characters, as opposed to you learning these details about each of the characters in some cohesive manner. I understand wanting to get it out of the way to get to the meat of the story, but it was rushed, distanced the reader from the story, and made the characters feel less likeable. Also, a personal dislike, I don't connect well with this style of POV.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Elizabeth Cottle, via NetGalley. An advanced reader's copy of this audiobook was provided to me via NetGalley by Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review.

This audiobook is so cute!!! I really enjoyed the different story of Ivy and Filming the movie that she wrote in her home town. There were so many quaint parts and I really enjoyed the Christmas aspect as well. It was a bit predictable but what Rom com isn't?

I enjoyed the narrator as well. She was great. Her voice didn't get on my nerves and the story flowed nicely. Great work!

Thank you to dreamscape media and netgalley for this advance audio copy

I really wanted to love this book. I'm a sucker for second chance romance, but this book just wasn't for me. The authors' writing style wasn't my favorite & the characters just fell a little flat because of all of the extra information. It just felt like a lot of rambling. Overall, it was good, but not great.

4 Stars!

I really enjoyed this book. I love Christmas and any chance to read a book that has a Christmas story line is definitely something I want to read!

I loved all the movie quotes that were incorporated into this book. I will definitely be sharing it with my friends.

If you love a Hallmark Christmas movie, you'll love this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the advanced audio copy of this book.

Pretty good I like it enjoyable entertaining interesting and fun wild read great for the summer so good

THE SUMMER OF CHRISTMAS review

⭐️⭐️/5

🎄As a huge Christmas lover, I had to request this one on NetGalley. I had high hopes for this one, but unfortunately it fell flat for me.

🎄Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Ivy has struggled for years to get one of her screenplays made into a movie. When her dreams finally become a reality, her excitement is short-lived when she finds out the movie will be filmed in her hometown. Her ex-boyfriend who broke Ivy’s heart right before Christmas will be unavoidable in their small town. When the lead actress in the movie starts to get cozy with Ivy’s ex, she finds out maybe her feelings for him never went away…

🎄I’ll keep this brief, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters. They were supposedly in their late 20s/early 30s but acted very juvenile. The writing felt choppy and I had a hard time keeping track of what was going on at times. My favorite parts were Ivy’s parents and their family dynamic. I also loved Griffin’s character and wished he had a bigger role in the book! I was excited to read a cozy Christmas book in July, but this one fell flat for me.

🔊Song Pairing: Little St Nick - The Beach Boys (it’s referenced in the book)

💭What I thought would happen:

Initial thought: obsessed with this cover. Had such high hopes!

📖What actually happens:

Ivy is a screenwriter who has just been served her first big break with her screenplay When Joseph Met Mary. The screenplay reflects her IRL relationship that crashed and burned. Childhood lovers (ew) who dated mostly
on and a little off until Nick called it terminal leaving Ivy in pieces.

Now the movie based on her life is taking place in her hometown where nostalgia, family and memories all play with her emotions. It doesn’t help that outside of seeing Nick every day, the actress playing her is desperate to make Nick fall in love with herself. Junk.

🗯Thoughts:

Have you ever read a romance where you’re like this will be a colossal disappointment if the central couple end up together 😂 yeah me neither until this one. Ivy and Nick…just stop and call it a day…it would be a public service.

Every possible character in this book has the maturity of an adolescent (some it was kind of
charming, most you wanted to smack em and yell ACT YOUR AGE!). Also the miscommunication in this will kill any sane person’s spirit.

I keep calling this book Christmas In July. I honestly will never make an effort to get it quite right. This read is as sickeningly sweet as 100 candy canes and possesses all the drama of Mean Girls without any of the humour or cleverness. Thank you, next.

Oh, my, gosh. I am now dumber for having listened to this book. It should come with a warning label :Warning after reading this book you will officially become dumber than Billy Madison. Speaking of Billy Madison to steal the words from the principal in that movie

"Ms. Giglio, what you've just[wrote] is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have everh [read]. At no point in your rambling, incoherent [book] were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

The story: Ivy has written a rom com, which is based on her love history. Nick, her high school sweetheart dumps her suddenly when she finally "makes it" in LA. She writes her loves story with him, however with a twist, she kills him at the end. Well the script gets landed by some big Hollywood producers and they opt to film in her small hometown. (Hallmark much?) Obviously when she returns home she runs into Nick and sparks fly.


I think what bothered me about this book was the total immature writing.
I'm serious, this was SO bad. I cannot even complement it. I'm pretty sure the sentence, "Ivy had to get away from Nick and his dick."is when I lost all respect for the author. Speaking of words that end in -Ick you also have to deal with the fictionalized Nick is named Rick. Eye roll how many times we have to review that concept. The sentences were basic, and felt like a teen girl trying to write a "spicy/sexy" book, but it ends up lame and perverted.
There are so many dumb scenes: Nick walks in on his mom after a one night stand and her man candy is not wearing pants in the kitchen. It was just so bad. Sorry PTSD flashback from having to re-hear that scene.
Of course, like all books written now, we have to have the token male character who suddenly decides he is attracted to men. It was the most random scene I think ever placed in a book, in no way did it flow with the book. It was like the scene was written after Giglio finished the book and was like, "Gasp, I need to insert this scene".
But then again the writing was so choppy, heck maybe she had planned it.

Ivy and Nick did not have that cute little banter love hate you see in Hallmark movies, they just had the maturity of middle schoolers who are unable to communicate. Nick's reasons and terrible ability communicate absolutely are one of my pet peeves in books.

Ha! You know what I just realized....you know that movie "Gigli"--yup the one with Bennifer, it was named in the top 5 worst movies of all times.....check out the author's last name GIGLIo----hmmmm, am I on to something.....

Thank you Net Galley for this advanced Copy Listen. I was not paid or reimbursed for this very honest review