As someone who loves a great Christmas-y book, I was really excited to read The Christmas Cupid. But for some reason I just couldn't get into it like I expected I would.
Firstly, I found Zoey to be rather unlikeable and annoying and I couldn't really relate to her.
In a book like this, that really puts me off enjoying it more.
The side characters were more interesting and better fleshed out than the main character, however.
I did like the premise of this book but the execution just missed the mark.
I also found myself shouting 'just get over him' so many times that I definitely wasn't behind Zoey or her actions or even really caring how it would all end.
Sadly this just wasn't for me.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did! It’s a second chance at life and a chance to realize that the “love of her life” just wasn’t it.

Zoey gets a second chance at life after a freak accident on Christmas Eve. She’s also got a task of setting up 6 couples before Christmas to keep her second chance. Unfortunately, Zoey is completely oblivious for so much of this book. Her “perfect boyfriend” is just not so perfect and it was painful to see how much Zoey put herself aside to be the “perfect girlfriend.”

Thankfully, there’s some growth by the end. Overall, a cutesy Christmas book but I couldn’t stand how much it felt like Zoey gave up for her not-so-perfect man.

3.5 stars for me!

I enjoyed the fantasy element of this book and it was super festive - you definitely felt the Christmas vibes, from Zoey being an elf to the Christmas market and fun activities, it felt very fun. What didn't work for me was Zoey's relationship with Scott. I found myself getting really frustrated with how clueless she was to the fact that Scott was NOT interested at all and was emotionally cheating on her with Kelsey. I wished she would have realized sooner that he was an immature man-child and left him, but better late than never! Overall, I really enjoyed this festive read, the fantasy element of getting a do-over, all the side characters and relationships that Zoey matchmade, and the happy ending :)

This was my first book from Jennifer Joyce but I see she has a few on goodreads and I'll definitely be picking some up. I really enjoyed The Christmas Cupid - it was an incredibly easy book to read and was my first Christmas book of the year!

I got very excited by the premise - Zoey is in an accident and on her death bed, her long dead grandma gives her the good news - she's getting a second chance and is sent back to December 1st - all she has to do is connect 6 couples in love by Christmas eve and she gets to live.

I like the second chance trope and I enjoyed the cupid element too. Although sometimes I was frustrated the MC couldn't see what was right in front of her I still rooted for her throughout! The relationship Zoey is in personally is terrible and I couldn't wait for her to sort out her own life as well as matchmaking other people.

Like I said, this was a very easy and quick read and it kept me invested even if it was a little predictable and obvious - a nice and sweet festive read.

Thank you to NetGalley, HQ Stories, and Jennifer Joyce for providing me with an eARC of this book. This is my honest review.
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Get your flavored hot chocolate and cozy sweaters ready! There’s a new book to scoop up before the holiday season and it’s a cute one! Picture this: A Christmas parade gone wrong leaves you dead. But! You have a chance to go back and live. All you have to do is find six true love matches before your death on Christmas Eve.
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The Christmas Cupid was a fun read. We’ve seen so many different variations of this story, but that’s because it’s a good one! The holiday match-making shenanigans were so much fun to watch. I was trying to think of potential couples the whole way through 😂 Maybe the only qualm I have is that I did grow a little frustrated with Zoey and wanted to outline Sean’s red flags in neon for her.
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For a holiday romance, there was less romance for the MC and more personal growth. This wasn’t an issue for me though! While at times I did wish there was a bit more romance for Zoey, I appreciated her personal journey and enjoyed seeing the romance slowly build. This was a cute, one day read and the winter holiday vibes were off the charts!
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If you’re looking for a quick read this holiday season, give the Christmas Cupid a shot! I’ll definitely be reading another Jennifer Joyce book in the near future.
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The Christmas Cupid is available for purchase NOW in ebook and audiobook format. It will be available for purchase in paperback format on December 8, 2022.

This is a perfect, feel-good, cosy up with the fire and Christmas tree lit behind you kind of book. Perfect Christmas read, simple and easy! This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

A cute British holiday book! It didn’t follow the typical Christmas love story format, which was a nice change! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Recap: Zoe Beake gets a re-do of her December after being severely injured on Christmas Eve. The catch is that she has to match six true-love couples by Christmas Eve or else... face DEATH.

The Christmas Cupid is a cozy read and got me in the holiday mood very early! I love the detailed description of baked goods, hot drinks, holiday decor, and the toy shop. The main characters are adorable (no, not Scott), and I can imagine Zoe as that one friend who can't seem to see how dysfunctional her relationship is. The whole story is quite predictable, but I stayed for the *Christmas magic*. Highly recommend this book for those looking for a quick read to help them get excited for the holidays

Thank you NetGalley and HQ Digital for providing me an advanced copy of The Christmas Cupid!

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

I really enjoyed The Christmas Cupid. It was so full of festive cheer and laugh out loud moments. I did spend most of the time wanting to shake some sense into Zoe though. How anybody could be that blind to what was happening in their life is beyond me. In spite of that she was a hugely likeable character. The ending was so romantic and satisfying. I'd the biggest grin on my face by the time I'd finished. This is a definite must read for the festive season.

I did enjoy this book! I’m typically not a huge Christmas romance book lover but this one was better than most I’ve read. I felt so connected to the characters that I just didn’t want to say goodbye to them at the end.

I could NOT get into this at all. I couldn't relate to the MC what so ever, and wanted to scream at her most of the time.

If I had a chance to go back a month to redo some of my life I would never have requested this book. This is a book I’ll actively be telling my friends not to read. The month Christmas books come out on NetGalley is one of my favorite times of year - it means it’s almost Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movie season. This book was so bad it made me want summer again.

I thought this had potential based on the description on NetGalley, but from start to finish it was just awful. Zoey was unrelatable and unlikeable. I kept trying to think of the Grotto as the department store from Elf with Zooey Deschanel appropriately as the lead, and that was the only thing that got me to the end. The whole premise of her dying by falling off stilts into a bus’ path at a Christmas parade because she saw her ex boyfriend with another girl just made me not root for her the whole time. I just couldn’t get over how much time she spent trying to “fix” her relationship only to in the end very predictably end up with the sweet quiet boy she works with who ends up saving her life. It was just bad overall and it could have been done so much better.

I also hated that the grandma wasn’t her Virgil or her spirit guide throughout, it just seemed like the details there made no sense. I would have loved her to be able to interact with the grandma, or even just at the end speak to her and have her tie a pretty little bow.

Just all in all, this was a bad book with a terrible story and characters I didn’t want to see succeed. I got about 70% of the way through it in the first seating and then forgot that I didn’t finish it because I was that eager to get it over with.

I am a sucker for romance, but a romance at Christmas is a must and I think I have and my top 5 books for Christmas this year. Great characters and a compelling plot I believed the romance and never wanted the festive season to end.

This is the first book I've read from Jennifer Joyce and I absolutely enjoyed it. It was such a fun Christmas read

I liked this book a lot because of the writing style and overall plot, but I didn’t find the ignorance of the main character to be believable at all so I’m taking one star off. Fun Christmas read overall!

Not read anything from this author before. At the start of the book I wasn’t sure if it was my thing but I stuck with it and ended up thoroughly enjoying it.
Zoey is an elf in a toy shop and has an unfortunate accident Christmas Eve. She finds herself back at the beginning of December and has until Christmas Eve to match six couples otherwise she will meet her fate. She concentrates a lot on her own failing relationship but it’s not just her relationship she needs to sort. Will she be able to play Cupid in time?

Badly written with poorly developed characters and a storyline that is in no way engaging makes this a hard pass.

The Christmas Cupid
by Jennifer Joyce

Earc
Publish Date 14 October 2022

Zoey is given a second chance at life after been hitten by a Santa Christmas bus but she has a task to keep this life and get 6 couples together by Christmas eve. She restart the month of December can she change her awaited fate? After Zoey's accident, she remembers her boyfriend and her split up after her reincarnation and her incarnation what happens is she's trying to be the perfect girlfriend.

Will Zoey achieve this before she loses her life?

#NetGalley #bookstagram #bookreview #goodreads #romance #christmas #seasonal @HQStories

Cute Christmas story, the overall premise was intriguing at first - After Zoey gets hit by a bus during a Christmas parade, her late grandmother's spirit came to her and said that Zoey could get her life back if she went back to December 1 and become the Christmas Cupid, bringing six couples together.
While the story was cute and the setting was very vivid, the characterisation fell flat for me in this book. I found the main character, Zoey annoying. She knew her own relationship was in trouble but could not see one flaw in her partner, Scott. She also flirted with a coworker throughout the book, which is not okay when a person is in a relationship. Scott was also awful (fat shaming, emotional abuse) and should have spoke up to how he really felt sooner than he did.
I recommend if you're looking for a quick Christmas read! The writing and plot were spot on.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy in return for an honest review.

A British woman gets a second chance at life and love in this holiday story that sees Zoey being hit by a bus on Christmas Eve and being tasked with matching six couples in order to get her life back. This story gave me lots of Drop Dead Diva vibes and I enjoyed it for the most part but I did really wish Zoey had figured out sooner that she deserved more than the toxic relationship she had with her boyfriend. Good on audio, this was a light-hearted holiday rom com with some fun moments (ie the escape room scenes). Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.