4 Stars – Delightfully tender and overflowing with affection!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with an ARC of “The Merriest Misters” by Timothy Janovsky in exchange for an honest review.


With fond memories of Tim Allen in The Santa Clause, and a desperate need for something cheerful to ease my rattling nerves after a ridiculously stress-ridden couple of weeks, this holiday rom-com jumped to the top of my TBR. With “The Merriest Misters” being the first Janovsky book I’ve picked up, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

So, I was delightfully surprised to find myself being drawn into the light, yet wry, humor of Quinn’s narration from the very first page. Between his and Patrick’s perspectives, it’s obvious that despite the less than ideal state of their relationship, there’s still affection there. It’s just been muted by the pressures and expectations of family and work responsibilities. It’s the classic case of ‘life getting you down.’ Quinn and Patrick are too busy, too tired, and too damn out of sync, and neither of them really understands how they ended up that way.

Janovsky pairs this marriage-on-the-rocks trope with a weaponized frying pan and a healthy dose of Santa shenanigans to set Quinn and Patrick off on a magical holiday adventure that has all the makings of a hallmark movie.

The story progresses at a good pace. The characters are interesting with behaviors and motivations that make sense. The tone is well established and consistent; setting Quinn and Patrick’s early hopes and dreams for their careers and life together against the stagnant dissatisfaction of settling for notions of “happiness” and “success” that don’t necessarily fit them.

The flashback chapters work wonderfully to add context to the feelings the two are dealing with in the present without feeling clunky or overwritten. And despite all the cheesiness and Christmas-induced holiday cheer in the North Pole village, the rekindled romance manages to feel quite authentic.

For once, the third act separation doesn’t feel like a gimmick. It doesn’t come out of some inane misunderstanding or contrived drama. All things considered, it makes perfect sense. More than that, the time apart is used for real self-reflection and growth beyond just the romance, putting what Quinn and Patrick want and need to feel fulfilled by their lives into perspective.

And though the romance was certainly sweet, it’s the moments of reconnecting with family that really got to me. <spoiler> I was literally brought to tears when Patrick reads the letter his brother had written to Santa when they were kids. </spoiler>


I’m actually surprised by how much I enjoyed “The Merriest Misters.”

Sure, there are some things I wasn’t fond of, but I’m really picky when it comes to the technical details of narrative construction and syntactic choices. Given how well the text comes together overall, I’m pretty sure most people won’t be grumbling over the way some descriptions are handled, or how awkward it is to see a line like “you know because” when your brain tells you it really should be “you know why.”

My biggest gripe with the narrative though would have to be <spoiler> the way Quinn’s issues with Patrick’s mom are brushed off in a couple lines when her expectations and opinions have had such a huge negative impact on him. I’m sorry to be petty, but lending Quinn her pearl necklace does not make up for years of judgment that made him feel like crap, like he was wrong for dressing a certain way, like he just wasn’t enough. </spoiler> Yeah, I’m bitter. It is what it is. This might just be another me thing though…


In any case, “The Merriest Mister” is a delightful read full of Christmas magic and the much needed reminder that happiness for you may not look the same as it does for everyone else, and that’s okay.

This was a really fun read and takes you on a great holiday journey of reconnecting with yourself and your loved one.

I enjoyed the way the author expressed themselves and the emotions of the main characters felt real and honest. Would definitely recommend as a holiday read.

Thanks to NetGallery and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.