This book was super cute. It vaguely reminds me of The Do Over by Sharon Peterson, thanks to the toxic mother of Gwen and the do-no-wrong, about-to-be-married sister. The difference is Gwen manages to hold herself an arm’s length away from the negativity spewed by her mother, most of the time. Also, Gwen has a backbone. Though it was nice that her sister tries to run interference with their mother.

Logan is a believable character. Kind and sweet, he has figured out how to avoid the burnout and is willing to share some of his knowledge. I did forget a few times that he was actually Scottish. The only time it really entered my mind was when the author helpfully mentioned his accent or threw in a random Scottish colloquialism. Otherwise, this reader completely forgot to give him his accent. Oops.

I absolutely loved how supportive Logan is of Gwen, even when he's trying to teacher her to find balance in her life between work and personal life.. The fact he is doing this while trying to solve his own family crisis is incredibly sweet.

But, even though he was so lovely, Gwen was my favorite. I loved Gwen. That woman resonated with me on so many levels. She's funny, she's hard working, she's kind, sweet, and I can relate to her perfectionism. She's a successful baker who owns her own business, awesome. Her relationship with her mother is completely believable, unfortunately. But Gwen herself is a rock star who just can't see it because she's buying into the "not as good as your sister" line her mother has been feeding her her entire life. Her struggles feel so real. How can you not relate on some level?

In general, I found this book pretty darn funny. I had a good chuckle several times throughout the book. The best one was probably around the "cease and desist" line. Like Logan, I found that hilarious!

I will say, don't expect everything to be tied up into a pretty bow at the end. Obviously the Logan and Gwen thing manages to jump its hurdles accordingly and Gwen seems to finally be learning to be comfortable in her own skin and to trust other people a little more. And her sister figures out her life literally not a moment too soon. But neither of them really resolve anything with their mother, who continues to be her toxic self with the help of her enabling husband.

I love the dual perspective writing. I truly do appreciate knowing what is going on in both Gwen's and Logan's heads. I found Gwen to be a pretty well fleshed out character (by romance standards), but found Logan to be a little less so. Still fine. I view this book more as a book about Gwen's life than Logan's anyway.

The book also relies heavy on some classic romance tropes. But I'm not mad at it. None of them are my pet peeve tropes. I felt like Lucy Day used her chosen tropes well, and appropriately. If you hate most romance genres tropes though, maybe not the book for you. However, do note that the author steers away from the classic relationship misunderstanding drama that usually makes up the conflict of romance book AND stays away from out-of-left-field drama as well. Instead she keeps it in the realm of reality (and what she presented us with without the book). Love it! It's so refreshing to read a romance where the two main characters suddenly don't have some sort of random breakdown in communication to fuel the conflict and then add gasoline by suddenly forgetting how to talk to one another. Thank you, Lucy Day for not failing into the romance trope trap!

Conclusion

I really liked this book. It was funny. It was cute. It was non-toxic romance. I loved and could relate to Gwen. I thought Logan is a good representation of a guy any women would want to date. The plot, conflict, and 'drama' were highly believable and the author didn't pull a random misunderstanding out of her hat to make the conflict of this book.

Totally recommending it to people and already have a couple of friends interested in reading it!

Cute holiday romance novel. Definitely schmaltzy, but the town is cute and I liked the characters. I wish there was more resolution of the parent plots, but I liked the alternating perspectives. The self-care rhetoric got a little repetitive after awhile.

I received a complimentary ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good Christmas romance, and this book hits the spot. Gwen and Logan have such a great story with their fake dating to real feelings. I read this in one sitting, and may read it again soon.

Thank you so much to the author and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of being able to read this book I really appreciate it. I'd like to get the bad out of the way before the good. There are a lot of inconsistencies and gaps in the story that seem like the author started to write and than got blocked and just kept writing from there (one glaring one involves a situation with medication) and that the story seems a little rushed it would have benefited from being slowed down a little and those things would have ticked all my boxes hense the 4 and not 5 stars I'd love to give if I could. However if these things could be worked out, these characters would make a fantastic series! Maybe even ones set around big holidays because theses characters and this authors mostly writing style reminds me sooo much of Sophie Kinsellas work with Becky in her confessions of a shopaholic series (so no where near the same premise) but the characters and their relations and interactions give you that same love of being around friends! I would love to see this as more than a stand alone book! Thank you so much again to this fabulous author and NetGalley for this amazing book!

Loved this book! Sad I can’t go back to the other two books right now! Just a feel good romance, where the guy helps the lady believe in herself! Gotta love these steamy holiday hook ups!

Gwen runs a cute little cafe and does it well! According to her mother though she needs to get a real job and also find a new man since her engagement fell through; ever since her mom has been setting her up on blind dates and even creating an online dating profile! With her sister's wedding quickly approaching her mother is pushing her even harder so she has a date to bring with her. Gwen's sister has the perfect idea; the best man is staying at her lake house which is right next door to Gwen, they should go to the wedding together. Gwen is mortified when her sister as Logan to be her date to the wedding but he is quick to say yes because there is something about Gwen and he cannot get her off his mind. They agree to to the wedding but then also agree for them to be in a fake relationship, but is it really pretend of or do one (or both) fall for each other?

Thank you netgalley, the author and the publisher for my arc!

Gwen is a baker living in a small town, recovering from a failed engagement. She’s preparing for her sister’s wedding, as everyone tiptoes around her. Logan moves in next door and what ensures is a Christmas rom-com with heart, and major hallmark vibes. Both are coping with quite toxic families, and find comfort in each other.

I liked Logan’s emotional maturity, and the depiction of Gwen’s plus size experience felt genuine and not tokenism. I did find the inner monologues of both characters quite lengthy, which took some of the suspense out of the story. The small town vibes were very cosy, and it was a sweet read as we move into the Christmas season. A good read for anyone who enjoys small town romance, fake dating and family drama.

This review is based on an advance reader copy provided Blue Crow Publishing and NetGalley.

This book was a cute holiday read that reminded me of a hallmark movie. The book was easy to follow and the characters were relatable but the overall plot didn’t have much substance and fell flat in places.

This book was a cute holiday read that reminded me of a hallmark movie. The book was easy to follow and the characters were relatable but the overall plot didn’t have much substance and fell flat in places.

I am not usually one for closed door romance but this one wasnt so bad. I enjoyed the christmas references throughout the book and overall enjoyed both of the main characters.

Loved One Sweet Holiday! What a lovely romance centered around a delightful small town in North Carolina. Full of all the best Christmas traditions one can imagine, from apple orchard hay rides to holiday parties written so vividly it feels like you’re there drinking spiked eggnog too! I’m not normally one to go for closed door romances, but the build up and tension was so hot with these two leads was worth every page! Don’t miss it!

Exactly the type of Hallmark Movie book I needed to escape reality for a little while.

Small town, a hot Scot, a bakery? It’s literally my dream, except ya know I’m happily married and all. Gwen is a small town baker with some big dreams, and a lot of expectations put on her. After cancelling her wedding last year, she’s mortified to discover her ex is engaged again. As much as she’d like to escape, her sister is getting married, so she figures she’ll stick it out. Then, a mysterious Scottish man appears and her life turns upside down. Can he teach her a little thing or two about business, life, and the true meaning of Christmas?

This is really cute little hallmark book with your favorite small town girl and Scot man 🥰.

It was funny, some predictable but cute and fluffy to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

DNF’ed after about 40%. I just didn’t feel connected to any of the characters and didn’t feel a need to know anything more about them.

I absolutely loved this book.
I found this book on netgalley and because I liked the idea of it and because the author was new to me , I really wanted to try it. I’m so glad I did. I loved the lead characters who where, in my opinion, really well presented. They both has problems and insecurities and nightmares family members.
I would definitely recommend this book and the author, and now I’m off to Amazon to find her other books😁

Thank you to Netgalley for this E-ARC. This can be totally be read as a standalone but I went back and read the other two books because Gwen does come out. With that being said this was my FAVORITE Jasmin Falls couple and story..Let me tell you I just booked my flight to where ever Logan lives because let me tell you that man is life. This story just flowed and I was here for the insta-love it gave my black heart a little jolt of happiness.

This got off to a cute, quirky romcom start, and I was excited for the holiday element! It had all the things - a handsome stranger, small town vibes and an unexpected romance. Unfortunately the plot and character development fell flat for me and I found the ending to be quite rushed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Exactly the type of Hallmark Movie book I needed to escape reality for a little while.

Small town, a hot Scot, a bakery? It’s literally my dream, except ya know I’m happily married and all. Gwen is a small town baker with some big dreams, and a lot of expectations put on her. After cancelling her wedding last year, she’s mortified to discover her ex is engaged again. As much as she’d like to escape, her sister is getting married, so she figures she’ll stick it out. Then, a mysterious Scottish man appears and her life turns upside down. Can he teach her a little thing or two about business, life, and the true meaning of Christmas?

I love hallmark movies 🍿 and this would make a good one.

This is my first book by Lucy Day and I enjoy her writing style. I enjoyed the fact that her main character, Gwen, wasn't depicted as your 'standard' rom-com female lead, but as someone with more depth and physically was 'plus-sized' and I resonated with her in many ways. There were moments where I lost the connection with between Gwen and Logan, however, it was still a feel-good story to read during Christmas time!

Do you have a warm fuzzy blanket? A warm mug of hot coco? Subtle christmas jazz in the background? Turn on the christmas tree, and get ready to dive right into a hallmark movie. Everything sings chrismas joy, steamy romantic moments, and the crazyness of the holidays. It's everything I was looking for, and then some. I look forward to pulling to book of the selves next christmas.