This was a sweet YA Christmas romance and I was living for the Black British rep!
I loved how wholesome this storyline was in terms of 2 teens coming together and using the power of social media to help save a Black owned indie bookshop from closure.

*3.5⭐️
Okay, so this book started off really cute! I loved the vibes of them working in a bookstore at Christmastime and it also gave my 2000s teen drama vibes, which I loved. This book would have easily been at least four stars, maybe higher, but then we hit the 70% point…

(This is going to have slight spoilers because I can’t properly rant without them)

At the 70% point, this became a retelling of Mean Girls, but whereas Regina George is hilarious and iconic, Blair is just annoying and psychotic. And for some strange reason, Trey’s fine with that?!? Him not believing Ariel right away is one thing, but spending the night at Blair’s after learning (and ignoring) what she did is insane! Especially for a YA book! Also, once she confirms what she did, he’s not even positive that he wants to breakup with her and calls her “amazing.” Like, a psycho that bullies practically everyone, doesn’t have any interest in anything you like, and locked a girl in a classroom because she was a little jealous is considered “amazing”?!?!?!? I guess this can all be chalked up to stupid 18 year old behavior on both parties, but also, it gave me the ick.

I would be interested in reading books by this author in the future, but I really wish the last 40% of this book was a lot different…

I absolutely loved this cute, seasonal read. I loved the setting of a bookshop and England and the efforts to save a Black owned bookstore. The dual points of view were so fun and the narrators were excellent. I loved the characters and was quickly invested in them. This reminded me a lot of Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute in all the best ways (I think they share a narrator and are both a dual POV love story) so definitely pick this one up if you liked that one. This also gave me Dash and Lily vibes (books, seasonal, cute love story). I would definitely recommend this to romance and realistic fiction readers and for all libraries and classroom libraries at the secondary level. So glad I picked this one up!

Trey Anderson is popular and has thousands of followers on social media. He’s been dating a gorgeous, popular girl at his school for a couple of years. His life is pretty good; he’s just worried now about his family’s bookstore, Wonderland. It’s been in the family for a few generations and is particularly important to the community because it’s Black-owned.

But Wonderland is struggling, especially since a big chain bookstore has opened nearby. Trey’s parents may be forced to sell their beloved shop.

Ariel Spencer is a girl at Trey’s school who hopes to attend a prestigious art program, but she needs money. She has an opportunity to start saving when she visits Wonderland just as Trey’s father gets injured. She is hired to step in and help.

Ariel doesn’t know the shop is on the brink of being sold; she just knows it isn’t busy enough. She has some ideas about what the Andersons can do to stay relevant and attract more business. She and Trey work together to do all they can for the store.

The two teens haven’t really run in the same circles, but they get along as they work together. Indeed, they are becoming friends, and each feels something for the other. But Trey’s still dating Brooke, who has never shown much interest in his family store, and he doesn’t want to betray her or their time together. And Ariel is sure the popular Trey couldn’t be interested in her more than as a friend.

This book-centric teen romance is set at Christmas in a London suburb. It’s cute, and all the things the characters do to save the bookstore are fun. But it just didn’t grab me. Some of it was probably that I wasn’t interested in reading a love story where the male love interest was still dating someone else for most of the book. Some of it was that the plot was ground already well trod (community pulls together to save struggling bookstore!). For me, the characters and details weren’t so charming, fun, delightful, etc., that I could get past the well-used trope. But those looking for a cute Black-focused story set at Christmastime should enjoy it.

This is a very sweet, well written holiday romance that takes place in and around a beloved local family owned bookstore - what's not to love!

What a CUTE and COZY holiday YA romance!! Enjoyed this one a lot!! I love the subtle enemies or strangers to lovers. I loved the character development of both Trey and Ariel. I love the storyline of saving the Black-owned Indie bookstore. This is the perfect read to snuggle up with for the holidays.

🎄BOOK REVIEW🎄

Love in Winter Wonderland - Abiola Bello
Rating: 5/5 ⭐️

“Charming, handsome Trey Anderson balances the pressures of school popularity with a job at his family’s beloved local bookshop, Wonderland.

Quirky, creative Ariel Spencer needs tuition for the present art program of her dreams, and an opening at Wonderland is the answer. When Trey and Ariel learn that Wonderland is on the brink of being shut down by a neighborhood gentrifier, they team up to stop the doors from closing before the Christmas Eve deadline—and embark on a hate-to-love journey that will change them forever.

Heartwarming and romantic, this read is the gift that keeps on giving, no matter the season.”

This was a perfect YA read for the winter/holiday season! I felt Trey and Ariel were well developed characters and enjoyed their story. I appreciated how they rallied social media to try to save Trey’s family’s London black-owned indie bookstore. The narration of the audiobook was excellent - definitely looking for more books by them!

Recommend if you like:
- Artsy FMC
- YA romance
- London
- Bookstores
- Connecting over Christmas music
- Binge eating disorder rep

A lovely YA romcom set at Christmastime. Trey's family has owned a bookshop in London for several generations, but this year may be its last. He is determined to save it. Ariel is an artist, hoping to attend the same art school that her father attended. However, there's only one scholarship, so she'll have to stand out from the crowd if she wants it. She goes to school with Trey, but they've never really spent time together... Until Ariel finagles her way into a part time job at his bookstore, and offers to help with the fundraising. They have just a few weeks to save Wonderland, getting to know each other along the way.

You have to love a Christmas romance, and a bookstore setting. I enjoyed Ariel from the start. She has had some issues with self confidence, and it's nice to see her progression on page. Plus, I related to her loss. I wasn't fully behind Trey as a love interest. He's attractive, and he knows it (a bit cocky). I'm typically not a huge fan of romances where one person has a partner for the majority of the story, while they fall for someone else, either. He and Ariel had some nice chemistry, but he really should have owned up to that and broken up with Blair much sooner than he did. I did love how the community got behind this Black-owned indie bookshop, to prevent its closure. It's a heartwarming story, nice to read in December for sure.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

As I laid on the couch snuggled under the blanket I took in all that this book had to offer. It is a beautiful story that is well written and a quick read. 

If you're looking for a comfort cozy book, then this is the book for you especially during this time of year. 

Favorite Quotes:
❄ I didn’t die; he didn’t look disgusted; he didn’t laugh at me.

❄ I don’t know if it’s because I’m around books every day, but I swear I’m programmed to have an opinion on any form of literature. 💯

❄ There are books on the floor, books being used as coasters . . . I cry out loud when I see a book on the counter, ripped to pieces. 😳

❄ Name me some of your favourite Black writers. Toni Morrison, 

❄ Just hearing my name on her lips makes me feel like I could float up and touch the sky.

❄ The snow has nothing on this kiss.

❄ That wig is tired.  🤣🤣🤣

❄ “No one should talk to you like that. You’ve got to stand up for yourself and learn how to read.”

❄ I read it once to see what all the fuss was about, and that book is weird as hell.
💥I know that's right. You can't always fall for the hype.

Trey is the cool kid at school with 11,000 Instagram followers, and Ariel is the quiet artist. They have known one another for a long time, but never hang out in the same group. Ariel wants to get into an art program so badly, but it costs a lot of money. Trey wants to help save his family's bookstore. The Wonderland Bookshop is in danger of closing, and Ariel needs a job to help pay tuition. Together she & Trey come up with ideas to help save the bookstore. A Christmas Showcase, YA book clubs, murals painted on the walls,.. but will it all be enough? In the meantime, Trey is fighting with his high maintenance girlfriend and starts looking at Ariel a little differently. As theywork together to save the bookstore, Trey & Ariel have to hope what they are doing is enoug to save the bookstore and if their relationship can be taken to the next level.

Who doesn't like love story that starts in a book store?? Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

I really wanted to love this one. I love the premise of the independent bookshop setting, community support, and the heavy focus on art and artistic expression. This cast of characters has a lot of talent and the author did a great job displaying it in different ways. Also, at its core there's a great and very supportive friend group that I really enjoyed reading about.

I struggled with the romance aspect of this book. The fact that the MMC was in a relationship until about 85% of the way through the book really toed the line to almost a cheating trope which I'm not a huge fan of. While they never technically crossed that line, there's a lot of emotional cheating that happens and it's just not a great way for relationships to develop in a storyline. There were also a few areas where the story was edited to skip ahead or change location and it felt choppy to me as a reader to have to catch up to what was happening.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to read and review.

I’m a sucker for a story about books and this one being focused on an indie bookstore melted my heart. I love the family dynamics and the close relationships throughout. This is definitely a perfect read for the holidays!

I liked this book and thought it was cute, but there was a diet culture talk that I didn't love and I also wasn't too sure if I liked that Trey was with a girlfriend for so long. I LOVED the bookstore setting and it was very British and festive so overall, I think this is a great read.

This was the perfect Christmas book and got me right in the spirit. I loved it so so much. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

3.5*

This is a heartwarming Christmas Romance, which isn't too heavy handed on either aspect. A light take on enemies to friends to lovers, with a rich cast of characters, and strong friendships highlighted throughout.

My favourite thing about this story was just how believable the character dynamics were. While there were common tropes, including miscommunication, it never felt as though I wanted to rip my hair out and yell at the characters for being stupid, all of the motivation within the plot made sense for each character which I really appreciated.

I also really loved that it was centered around black protagonists, and if I'm not mistaken most if not all of the characters were black, and it was written with nuances to remind you to appreciate that, without it being the central plot (which can sometimes happen with more heavy handed authors).

While I did find it took me about 20% into the book to reallt start caring, overall it was a great read and I would definitely love to pick up future books from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for providing me with a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Love in Winter Wonderland is a YA holiday contemporary fic/romance title.

I was SO excited to read a Black YA holiday romance because there aren't nearly enough!! I went into this hoping for a kind of Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute type vibe but holiday themed - and I think I did myself (and the book) a disservice by placing that expectation on it.

If I went into this book expecting a YA contemporary fiction more than romance, I would've enjoyed it a lot more.

The romance was pretty non-existent in my opinion. The two main characters essentially have a crush on each other, but the male MC has a different girlfriend for most of the book which completely ruined the romance for me.

ASIDE from the romance I had fun with this! It is about a Black owned bookshop called Wonderland (owned by the male MCs family) that is on the verge of closing. Trey and Ariel work together to find creative ways to save the shop before Christmas Eve. I LOVE the premise and it was just wholesome to read about two Black teens trying to spread the love of reading and keep a bookshop alive.

There are MANY pop culture references. This is a pet peeve a lot of people have with books, and honestly it's one I don't usually mind. However, they were excessive here to the point where I was feeling really pulled out of the story.

*Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Such a sweet YA Christmas romance. I loved the story, writing and the characters. And of course the bookstore setting was perfect! Definitely going to read more by this author!

I'm a big fan of Christmas stories, so I was eager to read this one and saved it until after Halloween. The protagonist, Trey Anderson, is a young man with dreams of becoming a singer, but he's also struggling to keep his family's bookstore afloat. Ariel, another main character, is a talented artist who wants to attend a prestigious art program, but she's facing financial constraints.
The story explores the challenges of owning a minority-owned business and the unique obstacles faced in the book industry. As a librarian and bibliophile, I loved this aspect of the story. I found Ariel to be the more compelling character, as she's dealing with some tough issues. Trey, on the other hand, drags on a relationship he's not into, which makes him less likable. Each chapter contains a Christmas song recommendation for a “Black Christmas playlist.” I loved this added unique touch. I do wish a little more Christmas was incorporated into the storyline though.
This is a recommended purchase for school and public libraries serving teens.

This was a really cute YA holiday romance. As a reader and lover of all things books, I loved the plot to save Trey's family bookstore. I also enjoyed the grief exploration with Ariel. What I did not like about this book was Trey being in a relationship with a different girl for 90% of it. It made all of Trey and Ariel's flirting and near kisses feel like cheating. Also, Trey decided he didn't want to jump into another relationship, so the book ends without them really being "together". So all in all this is a cute book, but not great on the romance side.

This was a really fun holiday romance. Trey’s family’s bookstore, Wonderland, is in trouble;and he’s stressed about finding ways to help. Ariel is trying to find a job to help save money for her dream arts school, and ends up at wonderland just when they need help the most.

Trey and Ariel team up to raise enough money to save Wonderland. As they work together their friendship grows, and eventually so do romantic feelings.

These characters were fantastic! It’s always nice to read stories with young BIPOC characters living life, setting and achieving goals, and falling in love. Trey and Ariel are such realistic characters facing the complications of teenage life along with some harder challenges!