I loved this book! I love that it told a different story than your normal every day enemies to lovers story. I've never read anything by Elle McNicoll but I will definitely look for her other books next.

This book was so perfectly detailed, I felt like I knew everyone really well. Like I was watching a show instead of reading a book. I could just picture everything in my head, It was done in the most perfect way too. It didn't drone on and on and it was never "too much". It kept me fully immersed.

The main characters were Jasper and Arthur ... and the town of Lake Pristine.

Jasper is home from college with secrets. She is neurodivergent and has been raised to think her neurodivergence is a dirty little secret she's meant to hide from the world. Her family is absolutely horrible and I hated them for the way they made her feel for her entire life. They used the part of her neurodivergent nature that they liked for their benefit and the part that they didn't like they used against her to make her feel inferior. It was awful. Which makes the reader fully understand how she's come home to say goodbye and has zero plans on changing her mind.

Arthur is running his father's movie theater with his siblings. He had a great family dynamic and very much the opposite from what Jasper had. His family was great. Arthur is a film lover and is just a great guy.

Jasper and Arthur do not like each other and as the story unfolds it's hard not to dislike the villains of the story even more. This story is sweet and cute but also really horrible and Jasper makes excuse after excuse for her family - mostly her sister - and I just don't get it. They are so toxic. In the end I do think the best happens for Jasper and Arthur and I would love to hear more of their story in the future.

Okay, so "Some Like it Cold" by Elle McNicoll? Total must-read if you're into cozy, small-town romances!

It's about Jasper, who's back home for the holidays with some secrets, and keeps running into Arthur, her childhood nemesis who's now a filmmaker. Their enemies-to-lovers journey is just chef's kiss – full of amazing banter and a super sweet slow burn.

Even though some of the town (and her family!) can be a bit chilly, Jasper's story really shines, especially as she navigates being neurodivergent and figuring out who she truly is. It's all about self-acceptance and finding your place.

Seriously, grab this one for a heartwarming read that'll make you feel all fuzzy inside. Everyone deserves to be loved for exactly who they are!

I started reading this several times, but never really got into it. Then I completely forgot about it until I was going through my arcs. I decided to see if I would like it on audiobook. I wasn't a fan of the narrator, and the story didn't grip me anymore on audio. This book is not for me, but I see it as a book for many others.

I do appreciate the disability representation!

This was a new author to me and I enjoyed this fun, sweet holiday read! I like that the characters were different too! I enjoyed the dynamic of them and how they matched each other perfectly. All in all a great read!

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the small town atmosphere and the closeness of the characters. Jasper’s braveness throughout her experiences was admirable and heartwarming.

After one year at college pursuing the path her parents see fit for her, Jasper is suffering severe autistic burnout. She decides to return to her hometown, confess to her parents that she can't do this anymore (consequences be damned), and pursue her true passion in design school. One little problem... her high school rival has stuck around all this time. They're butting heads more than every but the heat between them isn't just fueled by anger. Falling in love would make saying goodbye hard...

This was so cute, so cozy, so sweet. I thought Jasper was a wonderful FMC and I love the internal battle she fights in figuring out her goals, passions, and priorities. Lake Pristine is also SUCH a fun setting for this story and is to winter/Christmas what Stars Hollow is to fall, in my opinion. I love a small town story, and the close knit community really serves to drive the conflict at the heart of the book It would be silly of me not to acknowledge how lovely Arthur is as well. High school me would have gone absolutely nuts for him. I just really loved everything about this book.

Because of the strong Christmas and winter vibes, I'd definitely recommend this one as a seasonal read. I'd also like to advise readers to check their trigger warnings. I think this story is SO well done, but in its portrayal of autism it includes the very real experience of ableism and I can see how that would be upsetting to some.

I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a small town Christmassy romance sure to hit the spot!

I enjoyed my visit to Lake Pristine and wouldn’t mind visiting it again if the author wants to share the stories of some of the other residents, like Henry or Grace.

The story is told mostly from Jasper’s POV, though we get Arthur’s POV as well throughout the story.

Jasper is determined to make her own way and chase her own dreams. She thinks that this means she has to break from her family and hometown in order to live the life she wants. She doesn’t see how much everyone in town loves her, focusing only on the unrealistic expectations set by her family.

Arthur doesn’t think Jasper would ever be interested in her, even though he’s been crazy for her forever. So he just kind of goes along with things, dating another girl, agreeing to a movie with his cousin/friend.

Jasper is passionate about helping the people she cares about, which includes most of the town. Her autism makes it difficult to pick up some of the subtext, especially from Arthur, thinking instead that he doesn’t like her.

Through a lot of misunderstandings, poor communication, and a rather public betrayal, Jasper finds her footing and finally faces her family, and Arthur finally takes a chance to let Jasper know how he feels.

Arthur’s family, or at least his siblings, is amazing. Henry and Grace are two of my favorite characters in the book. Jasper’s family, however, leaves a lot to be desired in the way they have interacted with her. Her mother and sister are the worst, but her dad is not without blame. They aren’t bad people, they just didn’t do well with an autistic daughter.

I enjoyed seeing Jasper and Arthur find themselves (and each other), and liked how things turned out in the end. I look forward to more from the author.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC for review consideration though NetGalley, on behalf of the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A slow book that takes a while to get going but it's ultimately a sweet romance with some much needed neuro divergent rep, which is sorely lacking especially in YA books!

Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for a gifted copy of Some Like It Cold.

This was a cute young adult romance. And perfect for a holiday read! I loved the characters and the small town vibes which was almost a character itself.

The enemy to lovers between Jasper and Arthur made for great banter. And I definitely could relate to how life changes when you move away from for love.

Really loved the neurodivergent rep! I get like this was more than a romance, that plot almost felt secondary to the self discovery and introspection. That being said, I loved how their relationship unfolded.

The summary of this book sounded great and the book was cute. However the book was denser than I thought it would be. It was difficult to get into and then didn't move along like I wish it did. The book was still cute and I'd still recommend it, but would have liked the pace to move a little faster.

This charming and heartwarming enemies to lovers, small-town romance gets all the stars for the neurodivergent representation and the Stars Hollow like community! If you're a fan of Gilmore Girls you might enjoy this one!

Although I found it somewhat hard to get into at first, it does manage to build the slow burn tension nicely. I especially liked the coming-of-age vibe and all the holiday/winter themed aspects of the story.

Overall, this was a light, fun read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to the e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun and refreshing read. I really enjoyed this romcom and loved every minute of it. It was great to read a story about a neuro divergent character. Definitely want more books like this.

3.5 out of 5 stars rounded up!

This one took me a bit to get into, but once I did, I enjoyed it. There were some elements of the story that were a little overly dramatic in opinion, however, making the story not quite as believable. I felt like Jasper was Cinderella and her sister was one of the wicked step sisters at times! And people in the town were either so nice to Jasper or so mean - there was little in between.

My favorite part of this book, though? The autistic rep!! I loved Jasper and thought it was amazing seeing a character who stims, talks about neurodiversity, and shares about masking. Jasper gets overstimulated at times and is misunderstood by her family. She has special interests (specifically classic films). I loved that she found love with someone who appreciates her authentic self! I thought Jasper and Arthur together were so sweet!

❄️ YA romance
❄️ small town
❄️ autistic rep
❄️ being true to yourself
❄️ bucket list
❄️ documentary element

Operation: Go home and leave with all your secrets in tact doesn’t really work out for Jasper. At all. People are hard. To understand and to make happy, especially for Jasper as she struggles with being neurodivergent and human behavior is more or less a confusing mystery to her. It’s refreshing to see how a neurodivergent mind works as Jasper tries to navigate her sister’s engagement and old high emotions, not many of them positive, especially the ones to do with Arthur, a budding filmmaker who has somethings he wants to share whether Jasper and the rest of Lake Pristine are ready for them.

Jasper returns home for the holidays, planning to close a chapter of her life. But as she reconnects with familiar faces and navigates the dynamics of her small-town roots, she’s forced to reconsider what she wants for the future. Such a heartwarming read blend of romance, humor, and emotional depth!

Rating: 4/5
I received the eARC for my honest opinion.

If you enjoy heartwarming, small-town romance with an enemies to lovers vibe, childhood friendships, great banter, and a great neurodiverse character you should pick up this book.

I thought the author did a fantastic job with bringing this small-town romance to life, I loved the plot, and I thought the pace was just right for these two to find themselves and a way into each other’s lives again. This book starts off with Jasper coming back to Lake Pristine, only everyone thinks she is only back for the holiday, she hasn’t told anyone yet that she will be quitting school, but she will still go to college just wants to do what she loves. You will meet Arthur, who is one of the owners of the theater in the town and he is also a filmmaker who wants a way out of this town. When they see each other, they have mixed feelings about their chemistry and how to react around each other. However, Arthur has asked if she would please say some words about one of the projects he is working on, but when they spend more time together his plans and hers do start to not be at the top of the list anymore.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters in this book, I found them to both be dynamic and different in the best ways. I loved their banter between each other and getting to watch them both fail at trying to act like the chemistry isn’t there between them. I found the way that the author handled Jasper and her neurodiverse character to have been perfectly done. I loved that she also touched on topics like family issues, handling families, expectations of life, relationships, autism, acceptance, friendships and so much more in a respectable way.

I can’t wait to see what else this author will bring us.

I want to thank NetGalley and SMP for the opportunity to review this book.

This was such a cozy, satisfying small-town romance! I loved the Gilmore Girls vibes and the second-chance romance arc. Couldn't put it down!

Elle McNicoll gives us a dark read with a really cute cover. I actually picked the book because of the cover and ended up in a quagmire of family drama and ableism.

I, once again, did not read the blurb all the way through so it took a minute for my brain to catch up to what my thoughts were. I focused on the long absence and skipped over the 18-year-old marker in the blurb. The long absence was 18 months because Jasper went away to school. I have to confess that I have no clue why everyone was so hung up on this because this doesn’t really seem like a big deal to me.

Now in the blurb it says that this is a “big-hearted small-town”...(chuckle) Oh my gosh, McNicoll brings the small town drama to Lake Pristine. It’s filled with mean girls, jealous boys, and bigotry. You know a typical town found anywhere (chuckle). All I wanted to do was hug Jasper and offer to pay for their bus ticket out of town.

Lake Pristine is beautiful. The author takes us through Jasper’s bucket list of items to do before she says goodbye to her town forever. It’s a sweet ride through town and activities. It doesn’t make all of the issues that Jasper has to deal with go away though.

Some Like It Cold focuses on how people respond to someone being autistic. How Jasper’s family treats her to how the town treats her. How her sister changes herself to be viewed differently than Jasper. How her parents try to “cover up” who Jasper is due to concern over their own image. This then infects how the town people treat the family as a whole and as individuals which leads to a sad event which really displays the personalities of the town - not just the family.

There is a romance beyond the bucket list. Arthur and Jasper have their own issues and misconceptions about each other. I kept forgetting that I was reading about 18-year-olds because everyone has responsibilities that are so much older than their biological age.

This story can be really dark and the romance offers lightness. It’s a necessary story though as people need to read more about autism and the impact of it on the people surrounding the person who has it and repercussions of their own actions.

Elle McNicoll truly is such a good voice in children's literature. I love her middle grades, and I love this one so much as well. The autistic representation is so needed and handled with so much care and love. SOME LIKE IT COLD is an unmissable YA debut!