I love books with a dual point of view. The Christmas Clash is narrated from both Chole's and Peter's points of view. Chole and Peter come from rival families and were trained to not like each other from birth. When the book starts out I did not get hatred vibes from either of them and it's what made me like them from the start.

I liked them both as individual characters and I like them together as a couple. They had very believable chemistry and watching their relationship blossom was beautiful.

Both of their families own a restaurant in a mall. The mall is going to be demolished to build condos. Chole and Peter start to come up with a plan on how to save the mall. I like how their friend groups thought Chole and Peter hanging out was weird, and I really liked when Peter didn't even know how to describe what they are. His friends had to tell him that Chole is his friend. It was a cute moment, and I can see Peters smile through the pages when Chole is called his friend.

I really enjoyed the story and all the characters, both the main characters and the supporting ones. Everyone was likable and well-developed. My biggest complaint about the book is the title. It's called The Christmas Clash, but sadly there is not much about Christmas here outside of their jobs in the mall.

This is a fun RomCom that I definitely recommend.

Final Score 4/5

I am a fan of Suzanne Park - I've read several of her novels (both romance and YA). This new YA Christmas offering, I think is one of my new faves! It's super cute, super sweet, and definitely swoony-worthy!!

Chloe Kwan works at the Riverwood Mall, taking photos for Santa. She's an incredibly talented photographer, even at age 16. She's entered into a contest that could change the entire course of her future... if she could just learn the results already! Her parents run a Korean food restaurant in the food court, which has been there since the mall opened - quite a long time ago. It's very successful and busy! Peter Li works the Christmas-themed VR booth directly across from her. He's smug, annoying - and their families have had a huge rivalry that's been around since before either of them was born, that stems from something to do with their rivalry in the food court (his parents run a Chinese food restaurant in the food court as well), or so they have gathered. They're not supposed to have anything to do with each other, so they try to steer clear.

Unfortunately, the kids discover that the mall landlord has decided he would like to sell and have the mall demolished for condos or something, so they team up, having to sneak around so their parents don't discover their new friendship (and budding relationship - a la Romeo and Juliet!), all the while sneaking each other dinner from their parent's restaurants because they really enjoy the other's, and try to figure out how to save their mall.

This struck a chord with me - the mall that is across the street from my high school, where I had several jobs and holds a special place in my heart, is about to be demolished too! Plus, who doesn't love the whole Romeo and Juliet type of love and teaming up to save something so special! I really enjoyed everything about this one, and having read at least 3 other of her books, this was definitely my favourite. I highly recommend this super sweet, very swoony Christmas YA romance to everyone!! 4.5 stars most definitely (rounded up to 5).

Audio- I received the audio ALC a couple of days after release, and so I listened again, and loved the story just as much as my first read-through. It’s always enhanced so much by the narrator’s performances! Jennifer Sun Bell as Chloe and Jay Lai as Peter were the perfect voice matches to the characters, and they both did a brilliant job. I really enjoyed my second visit to Park’s beautiful words.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, and this is my honest review.

The audiobook was great. I thought both narrators did a really good job. The story itself was a little stale, kind of made me think of a similar book and I kept comparing. It was cute but not very Christmassy.

Looking for a fun holiday theme YA read? The Christmas Clash is it! Things that j enjoyed about the book:
- Enemies to friends to young life
- Life for a child with parents that own a restaurant/small business

This book brought back a lot of memories when I worked at the mall in high school. Suzanne did a great job of showing the life of an immigrant and the differences in generation.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of the book

This is a cute and light read. I found it to be a bit repetitive and slow and not as fleshed out as I would have liked. And also, the title is somewhat deceiving as there really wasn't that much "Christmas spirit" in the story. I would definitely recommend it for a younger audience. I do think that the audiobook narrator did a good job with it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to review this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I ABSOLUTELY loved this book. Suzanne Park's books always bring a bright spot to my day and this was no exception. I devoured this book and definitely recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Chloe's and Peter's families are rival owners of restaurants in the mall's food court. Chloe has to restrain her hate for Peter, but they all work in the same mall, so she has to see his smug too often for her taste. When said mall is about to be sold to a developer, they are forced to unite their forces to save their businesses. As they work, they discover that the feud between their families goes way back...
This is an enemies to lovers YA Christmas romcom, but other than the fact that the story goes on during the Holidays, it wasn't super Christmas-y. The character development what great, and so was the chemistry between the two MCs. I would've loved to see the feud a bit more concretely, it was kind of faint, more told than shown. The story was a bit repetitive and the pace/plot felt uneven, and some stuff that seemed very important in the beginning is pushed in the background as it goes on. I read this as an audio book and the narration was great.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This YA story is about 2 enemies-turned-friends trying to save their respective parent’s restaurants from being evicted from the local mall during the holiday season.

As the duo team up to save their parents and the other mall residents, sparks fly and they begin to fall in love. But can their budding relationship survive their parent’s feud and the impending closures?

Cute and light read. The banter between Chloe and Peter was cute. I just wish there was more of it to deepen the story. I also woukd like to have read more about Chloe’s love of Photography, as well as her work. Loved that the 2 MC’s worked together quickly to “save the day!”

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to listen & review!

3.5 stars

This YA novel by Suzanne Park is a fun and festive read.

Chloe and Peter are both in high school and have never been friends as their parents have been feuding for years but the kids do not know the reason why. Both families run a restaurant in the food court of the local mall. Chloe and Peter find out that the owner of the mall wants to close it and they need to work together to save the businesses of their parents. Why are their parents fighting? Will Chloe and Peter be able to work together? Can they find common ground via food?

I received an early audio copy.

I definitely missed the memo this was a YA romance. I was expecting the main characters to be adults so that threw me for a loop for a minute. Once I got my head around it, I really enjoyed the story.

This is a typical our parents hate each other but we can still be friends story. The big twist is that their parents hating each other is making it very difficult for them to save the mall where both families have restaurants. The feud between these two families is insane and the fact that they won’t share the who what why with the kids (teenage kids btw who are preparing for college) is just infuriating to me.

The narrator was absolutely fantastic though. She kept her voice light and her tone was upbeat which really kept me invested and listening to the story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks NetGalley for the audio copy!

This adorable book follows rivals Peter and Chloe.

As long as they can remember Peter and Chloe families have been rivals, each family owning a restaurant in the local mall’s food court. Chloe loves photography and also works in Santa’s Village taking photos of families with Santa. Peter also works at the VR booth in the mall. They are both constantly trying to get more customers than the other at their jobs and families restaurants.

That is until these long time rivals have to team up to try and save the mall and their families businesses when the mall goes under new ownership. Pranks aside they must work side by side and might even end up learning some hidden family secrets along the way.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this sweet holiday story!

3.5⭐ rounded up for the audiobook.

Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, young adult, high school ~ 16yo, rival families, enemies to likers (since they're kids), photography, Christmastime, racism

Chloe and Peter's families each have a restaurant in the local mall food court. Korean vs Chinese. They have been rivals for years, which means they never really got along. But when the mall is placed up for sale, Chloe and Peter work together to try save their parents livelihood and business.

I liked that they put their differences aside to work together. As they spend more and more time together they slowly begin to realize that maybe the other isn't as bad as their parents have made them out to be all this time. It was light and cute. I liked how they swapped meals and now I want some shrimp lo-mein. I probably haven't been to a mall food court in 10 years, maybe 15, so that was a fun little nostalgic element.
There wasn't a whole lot of Christmas going on, except for Chloe working with Santa, so don't go into this one thinking it'll be all ornaments, reindeer and snowball fights on Sunday's.

Narrated by Jay Lai and Jennifer Sun Bell for 8 hours and 18 minutes, easy to follow at 2x. Their voices sounded age appropriate.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sourcebooks and Dreamscape for the ARC and audioARC of this!

Super cute holiday YA! I loved the save the mall plot, the “enemies” to lovers vibes (although there was very little animosity between the kids and most was the parents’ drama) and all the talk of food. Definitely go for this if you want lower drama YA romance with a lot of family and diverse characters.

The audio was decently done, but the two narrators spoke at different speeds, which made it hard for me to find a comfortable reading speed.

This was a cute YA. I wish it had a different title because there was little to no holiday content. It’s hard to see young adults give up so much when their parents can’t seem to be bothered to save their own businesses.. I liked the relationship between Peter and Chloe. I enjoyed the narration.

I liked this book. It's a little different from other YA holiday books I've read. It reminds me of other rival restaurant romance novels but with a Romeo and Juliet twist.

The Christmas Clash
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook and Audiobook
Date Published: 10/4/22
Author: Suzanne Park
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire and Dreamscape Media
Narrators: Jay Lai; Jennifer Sun Bell
GR: 3.76

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Sourcebooks Fire and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

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. 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...

My Thoughts: I had the honor of obtaining the ebook and audiobook and while I did switch back and forth, I preferred the audiobook. This was a very cute story. I love that it was told in a dual POV between Chloe and Peter. The author does an amazing job on representing the Asian culture and bringing it to life with its cultures and traditions. There are two subplots going on and Park does a fantastic job at exploring both of them. The narrators were fantastic, they did a good job of creating these character personas and made you feel like you were right there. The characters were developed well with depth, witty banter, chemistry, and creatively woven throughout the story. The author’s writing style is complex, humous, intriguing, and flowed amazingly. This book come out next week and I would recommend the audiobook, it goes quick and the characters are lively.

Ahh this was such a great and cute audiobook! I can’t wait to listen to it again around Christmas! Highly recommend!

I think this is the perfect book for young adults. This has so many great lessons. Sticking up for yourself, following your own dreams, and forgiveness. One of my favorite parts of this book was Chloe's friendships with her best friends, Elias and Sophia.
While I usually enjoy young adult books, I found myself struggling to get through this one. The story felt dragged out at some locations in the book and then very rushed in others .Even though this is a Christmas book, there is very little Christmas in it. The only Christmas related content.

I enjoyed the narrator, but did not love "Chloe's" voice for Peter. Chloe also felt like a drama queen, which I felt might have also been the narrator's tone and dialect, but it also may have been what the author was trying to convey.

This was a 3.5 Rating for me only because I felt bad giving it a 3 when it was meant for young adults and I might have enjoyed it more when I was younger!

I also read this for the heyitscarlyrae website, and a full review will be there within the next few weeks.

Two teens in rival Asian families at a mall food court at Christmas go from enemies to lovers in The Christmas Clash. Trying to survive each other, their families feud, the holidays, they discover they have more in common than they think. The mall may be sold to developers, which could wipe out both businesses. Fun, funny and festive, yet tackles growing up differently with grace, flair and hopefulness.