This was such a sweet sapphic holiday romance - I loved actually being able to witness the characters getting to know eachother and work through their misgivings/miscommunications. And there is no real third act break up!
The plot - fake dating your client and going home with them for christmas only to call in love with their sister upon arrival is now the christmas move I NEED in my life. Until then I will happily settle for the book alone. I cannot wait to read more from Talia Samuels

Thanks to Netgalley and Alcove Press for this copy in exchange for my review

This was an incredibly sweet story and I loved all of the characters. Everyone was quirky and lovable (with the exception of Taylor), and I loved watching Margot and Ellie get over Ellie's misunderstanding and Margot's past trauma and finding happiness with one another. Cannot recommend this enough for someone looking for a Christmas romance.

I really wanted to love this one, but it was just okay. One heroine is fake dating someone and goes home with him for Christmas. His sister is suspicious and thinks she's using her brother. But it turns out they end up falling for each other. I don't think the story or the characters had a lot of depth and this as just going trough the motions of a Christmas romance where the sister didn't feel seen by her family and falls for her brother's girlfriend, who ends up being a fake girlfriend. Nothing had me loving the story and it ended up being an audiobook I was just passively listening to.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! When I saw the cover of this book, I knew that I wanted to get a copy of this ARC. I love a Christmas romance and this book ticked so many boxes for me. I liked Ellie and Margot and I would read another book with both characters again. This book was exactly what I wanted, it served Hallmark movie realness but it provided some depth as well. I can't wait to discuss this book with others, I know a few librarians that I know will adore this book.

I received this book for free for an honest unbiased review from Netgalley.

I wish more books were this well written. Characters were witty and the setting fantastic.

This book follows a woman who agrees to fake date a guy over the holiday season. However, she ends up falling for his sister. The setting of this book is a family mansion in England. Most of the year it is a BnB, except for during the holiday season when the family comes together for Christmas. The man she dates is likeable enough but all of the characters felt bland.

I wanted to love this one. It has a trope I love of fake dating than falling for their fake partner’s family member. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to feel the chemistry between the two love interests. It felt a bit forced.

Title: The Christmas Swap
Author: Talia Samuels
Summary: Margot Murray is a newly single, successful business woman with no interest in a cutesy seasonal romance after her breakup with her long-term girlfriend. Ben Gibson is an unlucky-in-love sweetheart in need of a woman to bring home for the holidays. Together, they make a pact: Margot gets two blissful weeks away from London in a picture-perfect manor, and Ben gets a fake girlfriend for his holiday at home with his family.
Upon arriving to the manor, Margot meets Ben’s sister, Ellie, who is suspicious of the supposed relationship right from the start. Ellie intends to get to the bottom of their relationship, not being able to see how the two of them work as a couple. As Ellie and Margot grow closer, will Ben and Margot be able to keep the charade up, or will Margot and Ellie risk the chance at something real?
Copy provided by @netgalley in exchange for honest review.
Likes: Could easily be a movie on Hallmark, fake dating trope, ornery dog.
Dislikes: I had a hard time connecting with the characters and it overall fell flat for me.
#TheChristmasSwap #NetGalley #AlcovePress #LGBTQIA+ #WLW #bookstagram #queerbookstagram #lesbianromance #romance #holidayromance #booksbooksbooks

This one was mid for me. It had a lot of the good stuff but I just didnt feel very much of an emotional connection to anyone.

Likes:
-Cute & fluffy romcom
-Classic hallmark set up
-LGBTQ+
-Family drama
-Fake dating

Disliked:
-Miscommunication which did not favor any of the plot, it just made it cringey
-No character development

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin & PRH Audio for advanced copies!

This was such a sweet and cute holiday read! I love how Talia tackled some deeper, heavier issues within the confines of the idyllic holiday setting (emotional abuse, gaslighting, deceit, family pressure, senility). The dual POV we got from Ellie and Margot was nice, but sometimes made the pacing lag and could feel repetitive. I also wish we'd gotten a little more depth and development on Ellie and Margot. Ben and Grandpa Mo were probably my two favorite characters, and I adored the side plots of Ben and Roberta, and the heartwarming friendship that developed not only between Margot and Ben, but also Margot and Grandpa Mo.

While the storyline was predictable, it gave me a warm, cozy feeling to read/listen to this one, and heads up, it will make you hungry!!!

Thank you so much to Talia, Alcove Press, Libro.fm and Netgalley for my complimentary e- and audio copies!

first christmas romance of the season (i refuse to acknowledge window shopping and wish i could bleach my eyes to forget i ever read that)! it was very sweet, like most christmas romances are and i enjoyed the different setting/storyline here. it’s pretty rare to find christmas books set somewhere that isn’t the US or Canada and this one takes place in the UK. the story was also a little different, it’s not your typical small town romance which i’m a big fan of. the characters were well written and their internal conflicts were quite interesting topics to touch upon. a fun romance to read now! 3.5⭐️

✨ Review ✨ The Christmas Swap by Talia Samuels

This had a great premise -- fake dating to a remote holiday locale. Margot is a lesbian but has nowhere to go from xmas, and the Ben just wants to prove he can bring a girlfriend home for the holidays. Ben's sister Ellie, also a lesbian, thinks something's fishy but is off the mark and tries to catch Margot as a gold-digger out to get her brother's money. With a quirky cast of family characters, this book had a lot of promise, but just didn't quite deliver for me.

The characters felt a little underdeveloped, sometimes the narration felt a little TOO inner-monologue-y, and there just felt like there was a lot of repetition. Also sometimes it was hard to distinguish between the two character's POVs and it felt a little homogenous.

I really wanted to love this one, but honestly, in the wake of Allison Cochrun's Kiss Her Once for Me, this one had a high mark to surpass.

What I did love though was the continual comedy gold of the animals (the mysteriously pregnant dog and the mystery horse), the lovable grandpa, the silliness of the golddigger storyline, and would have loved a better balance of the silly and the serious (maybe more silly?)

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: f/f holiday romance
Setting: rural UK
Reminds me of: Allison Cochrun's Kiss Her Once for Me
Pub Date: 10 Oct 2023

Thanks to Alcove Press and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

Another adorable Christmas book! Margot is a high powered businesswoman who has no interest in Christmas or frivolous relationships. Ben is sweet, loves Christmas and his family but he needs to bring a date home for Christmas to avoid questions. Margot has no where to go so she agrees to go with Ben. Usually you would think oh of course Ben and Margot are going to fall in love but not this time! Margot goes home with Ben and falls in love with his sister. This is a fun cast of characters and a cute Christmas story!
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Thank you #alcove #librofm and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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I absolutely adored this holiday book! This book featured some of my favorite tropes and I loved the representation in this book. While it reads as a light, holiday romance there are some themes of emotional abuse that can hit hard.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the eARC! This was such a charming and fun holiday romcom, my favorite I’ve read so far this year. The characters felt realized and unique - I loved the family dynamics and the friendship between Margot and Ben and of course the relationship between Margot and Ellie, but most of all the growth the characters experienced. Reading this was utterly delightful between the laughs, meaningful character journeys and holiday setting. I simply adored this and will be seeking out other books by the author.

This was everything I wanted in a Christmas story and more. I loved every single second. And I can’t wait to read more by this author.

The Christmas Swap is a super fun, super sweet holiday rom-com. What I absolutely adored about this story is the depth of the characters - it dives into some topics that are a little heavier and not normally in holiday reads, and I think it truly adds something to the plot. I appreciated the way each sibling has a family stress, and how the story unfolds Margot’s realization of her ex’s abuse, while also maintaining the holiday cheer and Christmas vibe the story starts with. I adored this story and will be recommending to all my bookstagram followers to read.

The Christmas Swap was a sweet holiday read that starts out the way many a holiday books do: a pact.

While the storyline intrigued me at first, the more I read, the harder of a time I had following along. One thing I struggled with particularly was the back and forth of the dual POVs.

The book really picks up at about 50% and really takes off. I thought it tackles some deeper themes well and appreciated the cheesiness and lightness of this holiday read.

*3.5 stars*

The Christmas Swap follows Margo and Ellie. Margo is a lesbian who decides to fake date Ben, who needs someone to go home with for the holidays. Margo, having no other plans and being newly single takes up his offer where she meets his also lesbian sister. Margo feels instant attraction but there’s a central problem, she’s supposed to be dating her brother.

This story was very simple and cute. It had an overall good message and Margo and Ellie were very cute. My critiques is that it felt a little bit too long in the beginning and then the ending felt rushed. The pacing could have been better but it was still cute. I recommend this to anyone looking for a good lighthearted queer romance :)

this was perfectly fine and an enjoyable read. i probably wont think about it ever again but im not mad i read it! a cute, cozy, closed-door sapphic christmas romance if that's something you're in the market for.

3.5 stars!
The description of this book made me wary because it sounded a lot like another sapphic Christmas romcom that came out last year (even with one of the same character names). I’m sure that wasn’t on purpose, but it made me wary nontheless. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how different the books ended up being despite the same premise of going home for Christmas with your fake boyfriend only to fall in love with his sister. This book was charming, swoony, and delightfully British. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the ARC. I will definitely be recommended this book to my friends for a fun holiday read.