Perfect small town, enemy to lovers story to get us ready for winter 🩵

The author did an amazing job developing characters and bringing their stories to life. She touches on more deeper topics including portraying the character being neurodiverse. She writes it well and brings light to something people deal with daily.

Cute and touching start to the winter season.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

This was really sweet!

Part of this reminded me of 27 dresses, where Jasper’s sister Christine is getting married and she’s a terror to everyone in the town and even worse to her sister, and then in the end she’s completely publicly humiliated.

I related to Jasper in a lot of ways, I thought the writing for her was very well done.

The romance was a slow burn, enemies to lovers (sort of, Arthur has always been in love with her, but pretended to hate her instead.) like it takes a WHILE, with Arthur pining through most of the novel 😂.

Overall I thought this was very cute. If you’re looking for something to pick up for winter, this would be a good one to add to your list. The season doesn’t have much to do with the story, but it’s a good rom com to pick up regardless.

Thank you @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I listened to Elle McNicoll’s first book, A Kind of Spark, earlier in 2024 and enjoyed how much it dug into the emotions and processes of a young autistic girl taking a special interest and running with it. So I dove into her first YA Contemporary small-town Romance, Some Like It Cold. I enjoyed it. The emotions were gripping, the journeys interesting, the bonds deep, and seeing how these neurodiverse characters deal with being themselves in a small town.

The story follows two young neruodiverse people in Lake Pristine dealing with huge pressures in their lives. Jasper is a young autistic woman coming home from university winter break, intending to leave forever afterwards. Arthur is a young filmmaker dealing with anger issues and his father’s death. Jasper dislikes Arthur from her teen years, and running into each other on Jasper’s first night back throws her original plans for a turn. The next few weeks might have them see another side of each other. And throughout it all, we explore this so-called perfect small town of Lake Pristine and that it’s hiding many secrets.

In general, I tend to enjoy romance books that has an equally as important non-romantic plot line, such as self discovery or coming to a major choice, adding more depth to the characters than simply falling in love. Much like A Kind of Spark, our protagonists feel that Lake Pristine is suffocating with parental expectations and being forced to mask. Secrets is a major theme in the book, and not even Jasper and Arthur are immune to them. In short, this is an introspective slice of life at the crossroads and finding love in the middle of it.

Jasper herself was an endearing protagonist, and while at first, she’s in her shell, she does things like making goals lists to be brave and vulnerable, and she blossoms into one of my favorites. I do like how we have an idea how autism affects Jasper’s mannerisms and life overall, and since the author is autistic herself, it’s not seen as negative or tragic, but authentic and real. I do like how things like masking, reading other’s emotions and sensory overload are explained in a dynamic way that’s easy to understand for everyone. It was interesting that Jasper and her parents saw her autism diagnosis differently, and was an interesting source of conflict.

While it did take me a little bit to warm up to Arthur, he was great as well, displaying a brooding personality at first due to his background, but we see through his POV, that he’s dealing with his own demons. The romance between Jasper and Arthur was interesting to see grow, as the two slowly transition from adversaries to appreciating each other, all with some fun banter and emotional navigation.

The rest of the cast was fleshed out with great depth and differentiation, which is hard to do in a standalone. My favorite secondary characters were Odette and Christine. I enjoyed how each of them was so different from each other, we see people of all ages, and they felt like they had a long established relationship, which is much how it is in a small town, further enhancing the themes of belonging and acceptance.

The setting of Lake Pristine reminded me of a small exclusive town located somewhere in the UK, and felt cozy, yet restrictive for those that don’t fit in. Between the vivid descriptions and people in the town, Lake Pristine was almost a character in itself. Almost like you wanted to visit, despite the secrets hidden away. I did find it was interesting that this was set in December in a snowy town, as many times, autistics are seen as “emotionally cold”, but it shows that it’s far from the truth. I do like how other flavors of neurodiversity are covered as well.

The prose of this book was smooth and easy to understand, and very cozy as well. It does have that teen romance feel, even though the protagonists are near the end of their teens, which is a good thing.

If you’re interested in seeing neurodiverse characters dealing with how to be themselves in a town that seems to require hiding your true self and falling in love at the same time, as well as authentic autistic experiences, this is for you, especially if you’re autistic and/or ADHD!

Some Like It Cold by Elle McNicoll

This book was just like the old black and white movies that Arthur has been playing at his family's movie theater. Cute and comfortably predictable most of the way. But I have honestly not ever seen a B+W movie turned #yaromcom before. It was very well done. And you know what? It works even if you have never watched any of the old B+W's that Jasper loves to watch.

Can our autistic star of the book, Jasper find her way through the town (not literally) that she has been avoiding for the last year and a half. One thing that has been bothering me about Jasper's character is that at the young age of 18 she has been able to beautifully mask the symptoms that show her to be autistic. I don't think that is reasonable. Can someone so young really be so perfect at that? I don't personally think so. It's a difficult thing to do unless you were an actor. Which she is not.

But this was a cute and well done book otherwise. I would definitely try another book by this author again. It was a fast and fun read.

#netgalley
#stmartinspress
#wednesdaybooks
#somelikeitcold

Thank you so much St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for the ARC!

This one was overall cute and since it was a YA, I should have expected this, but it just felt a little too young and immature for my taste. I probably am not the best target audience, but it didn't hold my attention like I would have liked.

Some parts were definitely cute and redemptive and the cover is BEYOND adorable. Be sure to read other reviews, I'm sure I'm in the minority on this one!

It is available as of October 1st!

This was a cute #ownvoices YA winter romcom featuring a young autistic woman living in small town England. While the romance part of the story was just okay for me, the book really shines in its depiction of what its like to live with autism. The exhaustion of masking, the misunderstandings of others and much more. I especially liked the interview included at the end of the audiobook between the author and her narrator who is an undiagnosed neurodiverse person, was really fantastic. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

The slowburn was done so well in this one. The chemistry was believable and I enjoyed the witty banter between Jasper and Arthur. The neurodivergent rep was done well. The townspeople really drove me crazy in this one and not in a good way. I'm usually a fan of small town antics but there were just no redeeming qualities for a lot of these townspeople.

The cover of this book is so cute and I was very excited to see autism/neurodivergent rep in FMC Jasper. However, I had trouble connecting with this book. Everyone in the book was just so mean, in a way that felt over-the-top and unrealistic, like no one in their right mind would put up with that kind of meanness (although maybe I am naive...). I also felt the writing in this novel could have used some polishing- it felt a bit junior to me, however I know this is not the author's first book so perhaps her writing style just doesn't work for me. I don't want to dissuade other readers who might find value in this book and its representation, but overall, this just wasn't for me.

I absolutely loved this book. It starts with one of my favorite tropes, a college student returning to her small town after some time away, and just continues to be amazing all the way through. The writing is excellent, but it's also unique. This author has a distinctive voice that really resonated with me and made me want to just bask in her words. The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job of further immersing me in the world of the story with her accent and the way she voiced each character. I appreciated the way autism was woven into the plot, and I was completely invested in the romantic subplot. This would be an excellent book for any older teen girl (16+) to read over winter break!

This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. It’s kind of like a mean girls/hallmark movie. It starts out with Jasper returning home, (to her small “Lake Pristine” town), from college, after being gone for 18 months. We are informed from the beginning and throughout the book that she is neurodivergent, No missing that fact! It is a big part of the story, which is good in the fact that there is a lot of information in the book to help those that don’t understand or need clarification on the disorder. But sometimes a little overstated. In many ways, this is a complex story. There’s a lot going on, definitely a lot of drama and multiple disorders of many people and yet it’s a very simple love story. I really did enjoy the fact that Jasper was able to fight for herself, even though she had to do it in a roundabout way. Arthur was a sweet, but lost boy, he was always in the background but never being seen. The rest of the characters were hard to like you wanted to bop them on the forehead (nice way to say, slap them upside the head) to make them realize what they were doing to their so called loved ones. In the end I am glad I read this book. I think I learned a lot from it and have a better understanding of neurodivergent disorders, I also think it helped me be more compassionate, and also more forgiving of others. The things I did not care for was the underage drinking (some characters were only 18), the foul language, and I thought it was a little long for a YA book. I do appreciate it being a clean romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Some Like it Cold is an enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance that has definite Gilmore Girls vibes.

At the center of the story are Jasper and Arthur. Both are beloved town members, but they can’t stand each other.

Or so they thought…

Of the two, Jasper is more fully realized. Elle McNicoll’s exploration of Jasper’s neurodivergence pays off with the feel of authenticity. Arthur feels a bit one-dimensional, but he grows on you over time.

Jasper’s family, particularly her mom and sister, are awful. Like so bad, you’d think someone would have put them in their places long before now. They become more annoying with each page, at times feeling like props rather than real characters.

Some Like it Cold reads like a Hallmark Christmas movie, and if you like those, it’s a good bet. It’s not fantastic, but it’s a decent holiday read.

After 18 months away, Jasper Montgomery is back in town, arriving with more of a literal splash than she may have intended, disrupting her sister Christine’s very theatric wedding proposal–that no one told her about–and garnering the usual disapproval from her mother. Nothing’s changed. Seemingly. As Jasper falls into a routine of work, helping with her sister’s wedding, and navigating a world in which her best friend, Odette, seems to no longer be her best friend, she creates a list of things she wants to accomplish before leaving Lake Pristine because, due to her parents’ ultimatum of attending the school they want and the course structure they want, she won’t be able to return since she has decided to do what she wants. For a change. A very big change. But carefully plotted plans frequently don’t work out the way one thinks they will in delightful Some Like It Cold.

As I began reading Some Like It Cold, I did what I normally did and tried to figure out where Lake Pristine was, expecting the author to give me a clue as to whether this was the US or UK; hey, or maybe it’s NZ or AUS. Finally, I asked myself: Self, does it really matter? And, Self said: You’ve been in this situation before and decided that it really doesn’t matter, so nope. It does not matter. Thanks, Self! Anytime. Thus, part of the new sub-genre of fantasy, this-and-that-but-not. Elements of this particular genre also include a setting that feels long, long ago but isn’t; some dialogue that might have come courtesy of Jane Austen while other is most definitely current-day; Christmas but not Christmas; and a gentle charm via Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, especially when Jasper verbally acknowledges the old movie house the way Jimmy Stewart’s character, George Bailey, did.

I feel like if I really wanted to nitpick, I could find lots of fiddly things to say. Honestly, I was completely enveloped in Jasper’s story and wanted to remain that way because it was gentle and lovely and, let’s face it, we don’t get a lot of that these days. At least not that I see. So there will be no nitpicking.

However, I will tell you what I liked (or why else write a review, right?). Jasper and Arthur, the 18-year-old who Jasper has been antagonistic with . . . to for years without really understanding why but thinking that his pensive looks were judgmental, are a breath of fresh air. More than that, Elle McNicoll’s storytelling is a breath of fresh air. Her writing is conversational, frequently humorous, and describes what needs to be described. It’s a perfect fit for the story she’s telling.

There is one scene that captures the joyful, sparkly thing going on in Some Like It Cold and it happens in, of all places, a bowling alley. But I’m not going to tell you about it because that will ruin your perception of the scene. When people say, you had to have been there, sometimes/most times you really do. But let me just say, if you’re the type to smile while reading a book, this will have you smiling. The scene marked the point of no return for me, meaning that I was truly in love with this book after that.

Some Like It Cold is filled with quirky characters, some nice, some not so nice, and some far nicer than many think. It’s layered and more complex than one would initially think. Jasper is self-aware but falls into the pit of convincing herself of certain things only to realize later that they weren’t true. Why would anyone miss her, when her gorgeous, popular sister was still around?

The reason why I have referred to this as a fantasy is because of the almost fairytale-like quality I felt as I read. It’s like shaking a snow globe containing an old-time, nostalgic Christmas village and imagining it coming to life. But with quirk. And for me, it just worked.

Many thanks to Wednesday Books for sending me a copy. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a gentle, inclusive, nostalgic but current (this-and-that-but-not) read.

I don't think I've ever read autistic representation, and definitely not any from an autistic author. Jasper has an interesting perspective on life, which was very refreshing, seeing how I relate to it in ways I don't relate to with most MCs. I love that McNicoll is realistic in her writing and shows both the good and bad in life. Some people show love differently, even in ways that aren't the best. Some people don't change all that much. Most people are both good and bad. Most people don't get a perfect happy ending. This book does such a wonderful job of showing all these highs and lows rather than showing a romanticized version of life.

Incredibly heartwarming story! I loved the neurodivergent representation, and I loved seeing Jasper's character growth throughout the story as she became more comfortable with herself and her place in her hometown.

The romance was very sweet.

Recommended if you want a quick, clean and sweet read.

good romance and loved how they found love and each other. They survived their trials and found their way back to each other. another great romance.

This book ended up being much deeper than I expected it to be. It was a fantastic enemies to lovers story with a neurodivergent heroine and a grumpy townie. The family dynamics of this story really lead the conflicts of it. Poor Jasper's family was THE WORST. A spoiled sister, a rotten mother and a father who just tried to pretend it was all fine really had me feeling bad for her.

Jasper is home with plans to say goodbye to her family and the place she grew up and reveal a secret that's sure to implode her families expectations. That's until she arrives to disrupt her sisters engagement and is then thrown in to helping plan the Christmas wedding. A people pleaser to the core, Jasper dives headfirst into making her sisters wedding everything she could want all the while being treated like dirt by both her sister and mother.

Arthur is secretly thrilled to have Jasper back home where he continues to pine for her from a far, all while keeping up the appearance that he doens't like her. He gets caught up in helping his cousin film a documentary about the town for a contest and find himself forging a new kind of relationship with Jasper. He seems to be the only person to see her for who she really is, not who everyone expects her to be.

Between Arthur's cousin's nefarious plans about the documentary and exposing Jasper's sister for the evil she is and Jaspers own family treating her so badly, I found this a lot more frustrating than I expected but it gave the story a certain kind of depth that really made it more than just a simple enemies to lovers, small town romance. It really explored Jasper's journey to find her true self despite her awful family dynamics and her need to be who they, and the townspoeople, thought she should be.

This was a book about finding yourself and letting other people see you, about belonging and acceptance, of love, honor and respect and Elle McNicoll really nailed that and the aspect of neurodivergecnce well.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary review

What would you do if you returned home after being away at school and stumbled into your siblings engagement?

If you are looking for something with a small town Gillmore Girls feeling set during Christmas this is a light holiday read. There is Neurodivergent rep and the assumptions and attitudes within that family, enemies to lovers, and a lot of sorting out priorities and plans.

While I had a difficult time figuring out if we were in the US or across the pond I'm sure this will find a home with readers who connect with it more.

Elle McNicoll’s Some Like it Cold is a heartwarming small-town romance with emotional depth, endearing characters, and a dash of nostalgia. Set in the picturesque Lake Pristine, the story follows Jasper Montgomery, who returns home after a long absence, carrying the weight of secrets and personal struggles. Arthur, a budding filmmaker with ambitions of turning the town into a cinematic masterpiece, sees Jasper as more than just his high school rival—she’s the one person he’s never quite forgotten. Their reunion sets the stage for a tender enemies-to-lovers romance with plenty of heart.

Jasper is a refreshingly nuanced heroine. Her portrayal as an autistic character brings authenticity to the story, and McNicoll handles her journey with sensitivity and care. Jasper’s internal battles, as well as her emotional growth throughout the novel, make her a relatable and compelling protagonist. Arthur, on the other hand, is a classic brooding love interest with dreams bigger than his small town, and his evolving feelings for Jasper create a charming dynamic that fans of slow-burn romance will enjoy. The tension between them, built on past misunderstandings and present vulnerabilities, unfolds beautifully against the backdrop of small-town life.

While the romance is heartfelt and sweet, some of the plot elements, particularly the reason behind Jasper’s return and the small-town conflicts, feel a bit predictable. However, McNicoll’s engaging writing style and the genuine chemistry between the leads make it easy to overlook these minor flaws. The novel’s blend of warmth, personal growth, and the magic of revisiting home gives it a cozy, feel-good quality, making Some Like it Cold an enjoyable read for fans of Alice Oseman and Gilmore Girls.

I really enjoyed this small town YA book. I loved the enemies to lovers vibes mixed in with a cozy wintery story. Our two MCs really don’t like each other - and they seemed to thrive on it!

This book does have excellent neurodivergent rep - it felt authentic to me and I think other readers will connect with this story.

Some Like it Cold by Elle McNicoll is an absolute gem of a small-town romance! With wintery charm, heartfelt moments, and characters that truly leap off the page, this book feels like a warm hug. Jasper's return to Lake Pristine for a bittersweet goodbye quickly turns into something much more as old tensions with Arthur bubble up, leading to a beautifully nuanced enemies-to-lovers story. The neurodiverse representation adds so much depth and authenticity, making it a refreshing read. If you love romance with real emotion and characters you can root for, this one is a must-read! Perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls and cozy holiday vibes. Highly recommend!