A cosy sapphic rom-com that I was definitely excited for the holiday season.

The chemistry between the two leads was there, but it felt a smidge cheesy. Fake dating trope is one of my favorites but it didn’t deliver in a fresh new direction.

Since this is not my first sapphic Fake relationship Christmas romance, I must say it's not the best on the list.
It was a fine read, Characters are likeable but that's about it.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing mit with this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Publication: Out Now!

Rating: 2 stars

This book was a miss for me. I felt that the story wasn't complex and is your typical cheesy holiday rom-com. Ben needs a date and Margot needs somewhere to go for the holidays. A not so meet cute with Ben's sister and then the whole "oh dear I'm falling for her" trope.

What I didn't like and couldn't get over is that the characters were over the top. The reader is constantly reminded just how nerdy Ben is and how he can't land a girlfriend. It seemed like their descriptions were a bloated version of some sort of trait and that became their whole personality.

Overall, I wasn't a fan.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy and the opportunity to review honestly. Unfortunately, I should have DNFed this one. The writing is very juvenile and somehow the characters in a sapphic Christmas romance weren’t likable?!?!

This had a strong start that was charming and humorous. The classic fake dating trope is applied a little differently here and as the attraction between Ellie and Margot grows, despite the fake boyfriend situation, the comedy is in full swing. Where this started to lag a bit was in the fact that it’s not until halfway through that I felt the romance aspect really started to take off. It just felt too slow and then too immediate. I didn’t really get the chemistry between the characters like I was meant to, and I think the instant lust once things are clarified felt rushed.

Lastly, while there is some open door scenes, I struggled to get into them because it didn’t feel like the emotional intimacy and vulnerability was there.

Overall, this just felt fine but not quite the warmth and gooey holiday romance vibes I was hoping for.

Not my favorite holiday read of the year but it wasn't terrible by any means. This fake dating, Sapphic Christmas romance sees Margot falling for her fake boyfriend's sister, Ellie as she spends the holidays with his family in an attempt to make them think he's not a total loser.

Not my favorite holiday read of the year but it wasn't terrible by any means. This fake dating, Sapphic Christmas romance sees Margot falling for her fake boyfriend's sister, Ellie as she spends the holidays with his family in an attempt to make them think he's not a total loser.

Perfect for fans of Alison Cochrun's Kiss her once for me (with a VERY similar/read 'same' plot). Okay on audio though despite there being two narrators I did have difficulty distinguishing between the dual POVs when it switched from Margot's to Ellie's perspectives). Overall just an okay read for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

CW: toxic controlling past relationship

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

The Christmas Swap by Talia Samuels is for fans of Happiest Season — a secret romance between two women staying in a perfectionist family’s giant home for Christmas. Though I was interested in the premise, the pacing and character development fell a little flat for me. The main characters, Ellie & Margot, are so similar that I struggled to tell their dual POVs apart. They went from sort-of-enemies to insta love a bit too quickly, and the ending (no spoilers!) felt very rushed and a bit too neat. My favorite parts were scenes with Ben and Margot’s grandfather — to be protected at all costs! 💙

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you're looking for a sweet, closed door holiday romance with a twist on fake dating, 'The Christmas Swap' is the book for you!

Reading this book if you like:
-closed door romance
- a sweet romance
- fake dating (but actually falling for your fake boyfriend's sister!)
- hallmark holiday movie vibes
- forced proximity (being together for the holiday!)
- stories set in the winter
- dual POV

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an ARC of this book.

Sapphic Christmas book? Say less. It's why I requested this book! I give it 3 stars overall. The book is very cute and fluffy. I love cute a fluffy books. It is very hallmark Christmas movie. Really simple and fun. There are no high stakes here. I would love to listen to this book on audio while I decorate Christmas cookies. I only give it 3 stars because there were parts of the book where I found myself kind of bored. I think if it was shortened a bit then it would be a lot better. I will still be recommending this book to my friends who love Sapphic Christmas stories and Hallmark movies.

I enjoyed this cozy Christmas rom-com with the fake dating trope - with a twist! I am normally not a fan of closed door romance, but I thought the tension build was strong in this one.

Such a stunner!!! The premise of this book was incredibly similar to Kiss Her Once For Me but the execution was so different and lovely. I loved the friendships and the romance so much. And also I was deeply shocked that there was no smut. It took me a week to notice which tells me these two were horny enough to infuse the book with enough tension to make it palpable. Love.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: LGBTQIA+ romance📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A sweet and cozy Christmas romance.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Holiday romance
Closed door
Fake dating
Lightheated and cheesy reads
Forced proximity
Insta love
Hallmark vibes

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
The pregnant dog
Quick and easy read

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
I felt bad for Ben
Characters are immature at times

Unfortunately this was not a hit for me. The plot was ridiculous. The details were tedious and the third act conflict was absolutely absurd. I wanted to love the but ugh

This book had me laughing and feeling all the feels. It's a fake dating rom-com with a twist- and I'm not talking about the holiday twist. It's cozy and cute without being over done and speaks to some interesting family topics. I do think it got a bit drawn out in the middle, but nothing worth skipping entirely.

holiday romcom set in an english country manor in the days leading up to christmas, in which margot fake dates her client ben to appease his family & distract herself from her recent breakup. what she doesn't expect is to fall for ben's sister, ellie. this book has some sweet moments, especially as ellie & margot were getting to know each other. i enjoyed the setting and how it dealt with margot realizing her previous relationship had been emotionally abusive, but this book had some pacing issues, especially in the middle (which was very slow), and then it all wrapped up very quickly.

Queer holiday romance book?! Yes please!
Similar premise to Kiss Her Once For Me? Yessss.

*raspberry noise*
This one completely fell flat for me.
The characters were bland and very dramatic. The amount of conclusion jumping most of the characters did constantly was just ridiculous. They never learned to chill even a tiny bit just continued to think the worst in everyone.
Exhausting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an eARC.

This was a DNF for me around 25%. I can tolerate the fake relationship trope if there’s a good reason for it. But Ben could easily have introduced Margot as his friend, rather than his girlfriend, and left it up to his family to come to their own conclusions. Beyond that, I didn’t find the plot compelling. I often have that problem with quiet British books, so this one wasn’t a good fit for me.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This is a fun Christmas romance set at a manor estate in England. I had a difficult time connecting with the main characters at times, but I'm glad I stuck with it, as the ending was 100% a rom-com movie. Thanks to Netgalley and Alcove Press for the advance digital copy.