Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of Love in Winter Wonderland for the opportunity to read this book.

Love in Winter Wonderland is the epitome of the perfect cozy, cute and funny read + many important life lessons mixed in.
In this book we meet Trey and Ariel, two individuals who run within the same crowd but are completely different ( as it seems but isn’t true lol). Something happens along the way to where they must work together and from there, their beautiful story unfolds and it’s absolutely magical.

They both are going through such tough times but find joy and happiness within each other and their amazing families and friends.

If you love books, black love, black joy and a bit of laughter here and there, this one is for you. I highly recommend it and I’m so happy I was able to read it. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy and annotate away.

Rating 5/5
HAPPY PUB DAY!
Review date : October 3rd 2023

There’s just something about Christmas romances. Abiola Bello created the sweetest snapshot of London with the most realistic social commentary I’ve seen in awhile. Love in Winter Wonderland is a Great Read if you love clean romance or digital marketing and the impact we have on the world. Throw in Black-owned, small, family businesses and this book is made for Hallmark.

What I loved about this book was that it ticked all the cute romance boxes but didn’t go out of the age range to do it. It was a realistic approach to two people falling in love while trying to save a bookshop. I’m nerdy, but loved that social media and digital marketing played such a big role in that because a business is at its best when it’s relevant to its customers, community, and the times.

This is really where Bello’s amazing commentary comes in. Digital marketing is a huge part of the every day, which means when things like supporting small businesses or Black Lives Matter start out and gain traction, they get hyped. But what happens after that hype dies down? Bello talks about these and leaves readers thinking about their habits while creating such a fun, sweet story of two teens trying their best to prevent big business from winning out.

The story itself was a bit predictable at times, but that’s really what makes rom-coms work so well! Bello hits all the tropes we want in a Christmas romance without feeling tired or making the holiday the whole point of the book. The plot and commentary were so good!

My only issue was the characters. I do appreciate how this ended because it was an ending that worked with messages and themes throughout the story itself. However, continuity wasn’t always there and the development could have been a little smoother. At first, I wasn’t the most fond of Trey and Ariel because they felt a bit flat and stereotypical hot guy and nerd girl. She’s not like the other girls because she’s heavier and painting is her whole personality, while Trey is Adonis with the voice of an angel but he’s wrapped up in the wrong girl and popularity. They do develop over the course of the book when they realize there are more important things, but I kind of wished we had seen some changes start a little stronger and earlier.

There were also a few characters that felt a little more caricature, like Santi and Blair. While they both had important thematic roles to the story, they didn’t seem to be more than just Girl who Wants to do Her Part for the Good of the World (Santi) and Mean Girl (Blair). They both had key points to make and said things that mattered, yet at times came on a little too strong. Which worked for some plot points, but just made others a little clunky.

In the grand scheme of things, they’re small issues that don’t take away from how good this book was, and I absolutely recommend it to Christmas romance lovers and YA readers.

Love in Winter Wonderland by Abiola Bello celebrates Black love, friendship and the importance of community. It combines my most favorite setting with my most favorite holiday: Independent bookstore + Christmas = perfect setting for romance!

There is just something magical being surrounded by books in an Indy bookstore during the holidays. Main characters Trey and Ariel finds themselves working together to save Trey’s family business. Trey’s family has owned the Wonderland bookstore since his great grandfather opened it. It’s the only Black-owned and family – run bookshop in that area of London.

It’s a little bit opposites attract, as Ariel is a red-haired artist who sometimes struggles socially and Trey is the cool, popular boy who is one half of the most popular couple in school. But the one thing they have in common? You guessed! Books! And when Ariel comes into the shop looking for a job at just the right time, the two teens find themselves working together to save the shop by Christmas Eve.

A Few Of My Favorite Things

Here are some of my loves from Love in Winter Wonderland:

Black Teen Romance
Supportive friends and the significance of friendship and community
Christmas playlist ( I can’t wait to put together this mix!)
Importance of family
Showcasing the brilliance and ingenuity of teens with their talent and how they leverage social media to be changemakers
And did I say the fact that it’s set in a bookshop during Christmastime?! (Swoon!)
For Educators
This is a great book to discuss the importance of community and friendship, gentrification, aspiring dreams and working towards a goal. In the age of social media, teens in this generation understand the power of “followers”, “likes” and “comments”. Ask them what kind of impact they would have on making a difference regarding an issue in society if they honed the power of social media to support that change they seek.

This was such a cute read and perfect to get ready for Christmas time. Trey works in his family’s bookstore. Ariel is needing a job to help her cover her tuition at The Artists’ Studio. She sees an opening at The Wonderland, the bookstore Trey’s family’s bookstore and applies. The only problem? Ariel and Trey hate one another. They must band together, especially when they learn that the Wonderland is on the brink of closing.

Trey and Ariel are adorable and I love how they move from hating one another to loving each other. I absolutely flew through this and really enjoyed the story. Perfect holiday romance.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Abiola Bello and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Trey Anderson is popular, handsome and does well in school. Trey also loves his family's beloved bookstore Wonderland. It has been in their family for a long time.

Ariel Spencer is a talented artist who is trying to save enough tuition money for a prestigious art school. When there's an opening at Wonderland, Ariel jumps at the chance.

When Trey and Ariel learn that Wonderland is in trouble and may need to be sold, they have to put their heads together to find a way to save it. They only question is, will it be enough?

An adorable, fun and diverse Christmas read set in London! I love that there was black British representation. I loved that Trey was a nice popular guy and was respectful to Ariel. I cannot wait to recommend this book to friends!

This was a quick read for me. Ariel and Trey are both in college and facing difficult times. Ariel is in need of a job to help out at home following the death of her father. While Trey’s family bookstore, Wonderland, is in danger of being lost due to lowly sales and a new bargain bookstore moving close. The two work together to save the bookstore and feelings start to develop.

I loved Ariel and her friend group. Each are uniquely different and don’t mind checking someone if they step outta line. Boots was funny in the book and seemed like the cool kids in school that got along with everyone. He was just someone you couldn’t dislike. I was happy Trey finally realized Blair wasn’t for him. I wanted her sister to correct her but she didn’t want to cross her. Trey at times made me mad but he was going through a difficult time so I gave him a little bit of a pass.

After this, I am officially in the Christmas spirit!

This story was everything! I had pretty much everything I love. Books, black love, music, family, friends, and togetherness.

At the end of the book, Abiola mentions that there isn’t much in the market for young black love in the Christmas time and she was not wrong. This is something that needed to be written and I am so thankful for it!

Trey works at his families bookshop and at first, takes it for granted. When he finds out they might lose something that has been in his family for generations, he does whatever he can to save it.

Ariel is an amazing artist that has an opportunity to go to the same art school her late father went to. The only problem, she doesn’t have the money for it. She searches for a job at the bookstore.

After Trey tells Ariel what is going on with the bookshop, she comes with amazing ideas to help his family keep it. While working together, it seems that Christmas love is shining on them. Will the obstacles they have to get through prove to be too much?

Just not great for me. I little too sappy sweet. The MMC was not it. I liked the premise, but in execution, I think it fell flat. Bummer.

This was a really cute, well-written YA holiday romance with a Christmas theme. It gave Hallmark movie kind of vibes with a dash of relationship drama. The beginning was a slow-burn but as our MC’s grow closer the pacing gradually changes.

The novel follows Trey Anderson as he balances the pressures of school popularity and working at his family’s beloved local bookshop, Wonderland. Then there’s Ariel Spencer quirky and creative who needs tuition for the prestigious 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.

There wasn’t an instant connection between the two MC’s but I did enjoy the alternating perspectives and watching their chemistry build. Trey was in a relationship the majority of the book but I could tell the situation would eventually end. The drama involving Trey, Blair, and Ariel made the novel a little more appealing. Trey and Ariel were also the most layered but the side characters helped move the story forward.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. The plot was engaging, the bookstore, and Christmas setting added a cozy uniqueness to the storyline making this perfect for the holiday season. The song playlist with each chapter was a plus. Special thanks to @hearourvoicestours & @sohoteen for my gifted copy and being apart of this awesome tour!!!!

Rating: 3.5/5⭐️

Love in winter wonderland is a beautiful and heartwarming YA romance book. I rooted for Ariel all the way. Blair was a selfish person towards Ariel and Trey. Trey deserved better. Trey and Ariel are a good couple. I like that each chapter is accompanied by a Christmas song by a Black Artist such as the Temptations, Alicia Keys, Luther Vandross, etc. Ariel was dealing some personal issues such as grief, binge eating, and bullies. The book addresses the importance of supporting bookstores that are owned by marginalized groups and the significance of Independent local bookstores.

The perfect Christmas story you didn't know you needed!

First, Abiola Bello wrote her hind parts off with this book and when I reached the acknowledgments I figured out why. THANK YOU for sharing a piece of YOU with us. A sacred work that we will not take for granted.

The writing was terrific, the story building was perfect, and Trey Anderson is swoon-worthy! Oh and let's not forget the Playlist of ACTUAL songs...

Wonderland Bookstore has been in the Anderson family for many, many generations, but when a new discount bookstore comes to town, Wonderland is seemingly forgotten. In steps Trey Anderson and his best friend, Boogs.

A redhead dubbed Lil' Mermaid by Boogs, named Ariel spills her Coke on Trey's white t-shirt, and the drama begins. Trey has an overly dramatic girlfriend by the name of Blair and you already can understand what happens.

The mission is to save Wonderland. But will the cast of characters think the same?

The only way you will know is to read the story!

2.5 rounded up for the vibes, definitely not Trey's character design.

Super cute cover. I very much enjoyed the British setting and focus on a Black-owned independent bookshop, as well as the looming specter of gentrification threatening its existence. That read very charming and realistic. I also liked some of the pop culture references, like Trey's playlist putting Boyz II Men on the first page of the story. Every chapter alternates Trey and Ariel's POV with an accompanying song by a Black artist from their playlists. They like a lot of 90s which was a fun feature.

But. Considering the book opens with Trey forgetting his current girlfriend's birthday until a last-minute reminder from a friend, he was not off to a strong start with me as a reader. That doesn't exactly inspire confidence for his next relationship. And fair warning - second British Christmas book in a row I've read with this happening - Trey is with that girlfriend until the ninety percent mark. So if you enjoy a very long will-they won't-they paired with what felt like at least emotional cheating, go for this.

The volume of slang in characters' speech and internal dialogue felt like overkill, and made the characters seem even younger than their college-going ages.

Not for me, hope this book's readers find it.

Content Warning: binge eating, fat shaming, grief

My favorite part of these young adult holiday romance novel is the Wonderland bookshop and everyone pitching to coming in and save it. I also love that this was set in England, so we get the Black British perspective on things. And it’s fantastic that Wonderland is a black owned, indie bookstore! Indie bookstores need more love. The play list songs before every chapter was a cute touch also! Trey’s family has had the bookshop in the family for years so losing it is not an option he or his family wants to face. Not only is he dealing with the bookshop woes but his relationship with his girlfriend Blair has been a bit rocky. They’re both the popular kids on the college campus but lately Trey needs to focus on his family and the shop, which Blair is not happy about.

Ariel goes to the same college as Trey and Blair, but she’s an artist. She needs a job to help pay for possible entry into the art school of her dreams and luck so has it that Wonderland hires her even though they are in dire straits. Ariel and her friends come up with a great idea to save Wonderland and their hard work really pays off. I thought it was very sweet to see the community come together especially during Christmas time. I thought Ariel was a cool character. She’s talented in her art and she’s plus-sized, which for the most part she is comfortable about until Blair makes her feel less than and Ariel binge-eats when she feels down. And not only is she feeling down about when people comment on her size but she’s also dealing with losing her dad. So she’s going through some things but she has her art and her support system of family and good friends!

As far as the romance goes? Trey has a girlfriend for most of the book. Ariel has had a crush on him for awhile now but even with them working close together – I didn’t feel any sparks between them. It felt forced. Trey was just dealing with too much and at times I didn’t even like him. He was always mad at Ariel for something! And I think the story had enough Christmas themes – I think the ending is where most of it comes in with the Wonderland showcase, but if this were a Hallmark or Netflix Christmas movie I can already picture the bookstore and everyone walking around in their coats and scarves.

My Final Thoughts:

Strangely enough I didn’t love the holiday romance in this story but I loved the storyline of saving Wonderland because it is a Black-owned indie bookstore! In that sense it definitely gave me You’ve Got Mail vibes – a bookstore in winter just scream Christmas vibes. And the community comes together to help save this bookstore so that was heartwarming. I loved the supporting cast like Trey’s family and Ariel’s friends but I just felt like the romance was missing something – chemistry or even some sparks. Overall, it was an entertaining holiday story.

Just being honest, I had a really time getting into this. It felt like a high school book pretending to be about college students. Even the use of terms like “popular kids” and “at college” made me feel like I was reading something that needed serious polishing.

Ahhhh this book was so cute! All the Christmas warm and fuzzies plus books, art and romance, what more could you ask for? This was a really hard one to put down. I found myself reading it whenever and wherever I could. I absolutely loved both Trey and Ariel. They were both so well developed and their chemistry was amazing. I loved how much they loved their families and how dedicated they were to saving Trey’s family’s bookstore. I also really enjoyed all the Christmas songs at the beginning of each chapter. I definitely added the songs I didn’t have to my Christmas playlist. I honestly can’t wait for this book to release so other people can fall in love with this sweet YA Christmas romance. I highly HIGHLY recommend.
TW: body shaming, bullying, binge eating, grief over loss of a parent

Thank you to NetGalley and Soho Teen for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for allowing me to read this advanced copy. Firstly, I loved that this was about saving an independent bookstore that is black -owned. There are not many bookstores such as this where I live and I loved this idea. I loved that it had been in the family for generations, and they were rallying together to save it.

The love story aspect of this fell a little short for me. I was not a fan of Trey and Blairs relationship the whole book. And the fact that they were together for basically the whole book was saddening. Trey was smart but it appears that he was doing things out of obligation or appearance. This didn't sit well with me.
Ariel was a good hearted person who finally stood up for herself. That was another part of the story that I didn't care for much. She allowed these ignorant people to talk down to her and I felt bad for her. I was not sure if it was the fact that she was grieving or she was just passive, but I didn't like how they treated her. It seemed that even though she was cool with half of the people in the group, only her friend was the only one to take up for her.
I did like the playlists per chapter. It kind of set the mood for the chapter.

Overall, it was a decent story, Its not one that I was a fan of however, it wasn't the worse story I've read either.

"Love in Winter Wonderland" by Abiola Bello is a heartwarming and enchanting young adult romance novel that sweeps readers into a charming world of love, holiday magic, and self-discovery. Set against the backdrop of a winter wonderland, the book captures the essence of the holiday season, making it the perfect read for those seeking a cozy and festive escape.

Bello's storytelling is delightful, filled with vivid descriptions that bring the wintry setting to life. The characters are relatable and endearing, and readers will find themselves rooting for their love to blossom amidst the snowflakes. The novel explores themes of personal growth and the importance of seizing moments of joy, making it not just a love story, but also a tale of self-realization.

"Love in Winter Wonderland" is a delightful read that will warm your heart during the coldest of winter nights. Abiola Bello's writing shines in this feel-good romance that reminds us of the magic of the holiday season and the transformative power of love. It's a perfect choice for anyone looking for a charming, uplifting story to curl up with by the fire.

“Love in Winter Wonderland” struck me as a cross between “It’s A Wonderful Life” and “You’ve Got Mail”. The protagonists of the story are Trey, whose parents own an independent bookstore (Wonderland) that is currently in financial trouble due to another store that sells discount books that is taking all their customers (similar to the movie “You’ve Got Mail”), and Ariel, who has a desire to go to a prestigious art school but doesn’t have the tuition. Ariel finagles a job in the bookstore; soon feelings blossom between the two, who try to fight their attraction for each other. The two work together to keep the bookstore from closing on Christmas Eve, but they’ll need all the help they can get if they are to pull off the impossible (hence the “It’s A Wonderful Life” reference).

This was a very cute novel that takes on loyalty, friendships, family, and romance during one of the magical times of the year, Christmas. There’s authenticity in the dialog, and situations are realistic that teens and young adults may be able to identify with and may even get frustrated as Trey tries not to hurt his girlfriend, who comes off as being extremely self-centered. The story comes to a satisfying conclusion. I could see these two in a sequel.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. This was the perfect start to my holiday reading for 2023. I loved Ariel and Trey and the bookshop. The Christmas magic really sparkled off the page. I hope Bello continues to write YA holiday novels. This was lovely.

Cute YA British holiday romance about books avoids being too simplistic through inclusion of discussions regarding race and body image.