Unfortunately, this is going to be a DNF for me. While I found the narration easy to flow through and therefore enjoyable, it's gotten to the point where the stakes are boring and I no longer care about the characters or the romance.

First time reading Talia Samuels and I enjoyed it for the most part. I am always down to read a good ole Christmas romance and of course anything with queer characters! But I felt this book lacked a promising emotional depth, so it didn't quite hit the mark for me. Would still highly recommend it!

thank you so much netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel! this is the first book by talia samuels i have read and it won't be the last! i really enjoyed this story and how it all came together. although i did feel like the end of the story was rushed, i did enjoy this whole book. i really liked the grandpa character and the family in general. i read this in one sitting and enjoy that it wasn't like a typical lgbtq book, it all seemed so natural.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and Alcove Press for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Dual POV, fake dating, boyfriend's sister (kind of)

This is a light, easy holiday read. I liked Margot and Ellie together. The characters were funny and engaging. The beginning was a bit rocky for me. The ending worked out perfectly. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to LibroFM, Alcove and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

It was so lovely to discover that this was a British holiday romance when the audiobook started out. It was just a lovely, cozy and very Hallmark esque read. Highly recommend reading as an audio the narrator was excellent

The perfect fun and heartwarming rom-com to kick off my holiday reads! I loved the premises so much; fake dating only to then fall for your fake boyfriend’s sister! This book has the perfect magical English country-side holiday setting, great tension/banter, opposites attract, and fun family holiday traditions. I did a tandem read with my digital e-arc and the alc audiobook from LibroFM and was thoroughly immersed. It was a lighter predictable rom-com, but that didn’t take away from the fun.

well that was cute. There was a fake dating, sapphics, and miscommunication. There was no spice, but lots of cute romance. I will read more from Samiels.

Fake dating seems so difficult and especially if you don't know the other person that well and are not even straight. But you think his sister is hot right when you meet her.
Though said sister already thinks something is up because of sister telepathy. They are going along pretty well but his sister thinks she’s a golddigger. Until they both stumble upon the fact that they are attracted to each other. Then they start to get closer.
This was a cute sapphic holiday romance with some fun family moments and cute reconciliations at the end.

3.75 stars
Thank you alcovepress for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Cute holiday love story. It’s the classic guy needs date for holiday party with a twist. Instead of the fmc falling for him she falls for his sister. I think I really got into the book halfway through. The beginning was so much back and forth pov that I wasn’t feeling it. The second half has more romance and picks up. It still doesn’t really do a clear job of giving us much character development.

I did not enjoy The Christmas Swap. It totally fell flat for me. The characters were somehow boring and dramatic at the same time. Super disappointing read.

3.5 stars

3.14 on CAWPILE

this was a sweet, sapphic, christmas romance. i'm generally a fan of a while you were sleeping esque falls for your fake partner's sibling, and this did what needed what needed to be done. i enjoyed margot's character as well as her storyline but found ellie to be okay. there was a surprising amount of hijinks throughout the book that bogged down the plot at time. over all, this was an okay read for me. i would recommend for anyone looking to get in the christmas mood a little early this year.

At first I thought THE CHRISTMAS SWAP was destined to disappoint me like so many other holiday stories, but it managed to redeem itself. Sweet, nerdy Ben Gibson hasn't had much luck in serious relationships, much to the consternation of his family, which encourages perfection. So he asks Margot Murray, who recently designed his company's website, if she'd mind accompanying him to his family's beautiful country house (which doubles as a B&B) and posing as his fake girlfriend. Dealing with her own relationship drama, Margot happily say yes as she's eager to get away from the city. Ben and Margot make great friends, but Margot quickly realizes she has major romantic feelings for a different Gibson: Ben's sister, Ellie.

Told in a back and forth POV from Margot and Ellie, SWAP is a bit repetitive at first as we see events through both Margot and Ellie's eyes. At first, this looks like it's going to be a story filled with characters who do not communicate and lack common sense (ok, this may be a theme throughout). Ellie immediately makes a (wrong) snap judgement about Margot and then vacillates in her feelings about her in a very annoying and unhinged way. What follows is a series of bad decisions and miscommunications that made me cringe.

Luckily, around halfway through, the book picks up, as Ellie wises up a bit and we gain more insight into Margot's history. The book deals well with some serious topics, such as emotional abuse and anxiety about expectations, which I really appreciated. It's very festive; I wouldn't read it hungry, as it describes delicious food quite well! By now, things are predictable and silly, but in a good way. Margot and Ellie have a cute chemistry, and as we get to know them, it's easier to realize that they are not making their bad decisions maliciously.

There's no deep character development here, perhaps with the exception of the little exploration into Margot's past relationship, but I grew to care for everyone, including some fun side characters, like Ben's grandpa and other sister. And, of course, it's always fun to see a lesbian holiday romance. Oh, and there are cute dogs! Overall, a fun holiday read, especially if you like that sort of thing.

This was so fun! I do think in some ways, it's a bit too similar to Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun (which I LOVE), but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing!

sadly did not get a chance to read this before it expired but I will definitely be reading this at christmas time and coming back to update! Queer christmas romcom? sign me up!

The Christmas Swap is the perfect Christmas love story. Margot Murray is a single businesswoman with no interest in romance. Ben Gibson is an unlucky-in-love man 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, in exchange for posing as Ben's girlfriend.

This kind of story can only go one way. Margot is sure to fall in love for real. And she does. With Ben's sister, Ellie.

The perfect Sapphic holiday read! Absolutely LOVED it!

Would make a perfect Christmas movie!

I really liked most of this book! The romance was cute and well done. And the friendship between Ben and Margot was amazing. I really liked how kind he was about her past relationship. I didn't enjoy how mean Margot and Ellie could be about other women. I also feel like if there was going to be a flash forward scene at the end it would've been nice to talk about if there was improvement in the parental relationships because those were a major issue in these people's lives.

This is a cute fake dating book, the first sapphic version I've read. Yes it is predictable, and yes it is like other fake dating plots. But isn't that part of the charm?

This was really cute. I love their little midnight picnic dates. I do wish they told Ben sooner but I don't care that much. They were adorable and clumsy around each other and it made me happy.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book!

I absolutely loved this one. It was a little predictable, but genuinely such a fun read. If you like LGBTQ+ representation, fake dating trope, and a touch of familial angst then this is for you. I really appreciated Margot's journey through realizing that her past relationship had been abusive, even if that abuse wasn't physical. Ellie and Ben coming together over their shared experiences of falling short of their parent's expectations was also really sweet.

This book has 3 main characters, Ben, Margot and Ellie.
Ben is always being bothered by his parents because he never brings a girlfriend home. Enter Margot, Ben's friend. Ben convinces her to go with him and be his "girlfriend" to his parent's mansion for the Christmas break, since she has no plans. All seems like it will work out until Margot literally runs into Ellie. Despite everything, sparks fly between the two women. They try to deny it, but they cannot and start having midnight rendezvous without Ben's knowledge.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.