𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 follows Mel agreeing to a wild plan to fake date in front her ex's family to create the picture perfect holiday for his sweet and kind mother's sake.
The twist? this time around she gets to (fake) breakup with him.
But when the pressure to keep their act together (when she'd rather strangle him) catches up with them... they realise they might not be as over each other as thought.... oops.

~

I liked the plot and the cast of characters. The chemistry and that feel of family was definitely well crafted. I just wish the romance had more depth to it.

For a second chance romance, as emotionally plotted the look-in to their past was (how they met, got together, developed feelings etc), their actual second time around felt just as anticlimactic. It needed more angst and groveling.

Aside from that, their was a minor plot twist which I figured out at the beginning (there are small clues, if you really want to look for it!) the rest of the sub-plots kept me engaged and hooked.

~

3.75 / 5 ★

Thanks to Ballantine and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Yours for the Season is the perfect rom-con for a cold winter's night. It offers a new twist on the fake dating trope which was so enjoyable that I finished the book in less than 24 hours. It was a light, quick read with heart and substance. Highly recommend. 4 1/2 rather than 5 because it was a little predictable.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc.

I absolutely love Emily Stone and her writing. I love the depth of her characters, the authenticity that comes out in the relationships she builds, and the situations that arise throughout her stories. I always anxiously await her next novel, and this one didn't disappoint. Mind you, this was more lighthearted than her others. I do enjoy a tear-your-heart-out love story, like her debut novel Always in December, which has gone down as my all-time favorite. I do think that her unique voice, the raw grief she clearly has some personal knowledge of, and perfectly drawn-out timelines, so I was sad to lose some of that here. That's what I see to be her unique niche, and that's what I've loved about her, although this was beautifully written and I will still be recommending it to my friends and students alike, especially around the holidays for a wonderful festive read. I do hope to see more of her roots come back next time with another Always in December type novel, as I feel like that's missing in the genre, and she filled a gap.
Thank you so much for allowing me to preview this beautiful book!

It’s the fake dating holiday rom-com that will melt even the frostiest heart.
Fake dating. Real feelings. And a second chance wrapped in twinkle lights and tartan. I devoured Yours for the Season in one sitting—it’s festive, funny, and full of heart. Mel’s dry humor + Finn’s awkward charm = the slow-burn holiday magic I wait all year for.

Yours For The Season by Emily Stone is such a good holiday romance! Melanie is trying to hold it together after a humiliating public breakup. Her ex, Finn, shows up asking her to pretend they’re back together for Christmas to make his mom happy. Mel and Finn have real history, and watching them navigate unresolved feelings and cozy family traditions while fake dating is so charming! And the Scottish holiday and winter vibes were so festive! This book is absolutely perfect for the holiday season and second chance romance lovers.

This book was amazing! I don’t give out 5 stars easily, so you know this one won me over.

In this novel, we follow Mel and Finn. Six months ago, Finn dumped Mel at his sister engagement party. Since then, Mel has thrown herself into her small business but is stressing herself out. One evening, Finn knocks on her door and asks her to pretend they got back together and head to Scotland to spend the holidays with his mother and siblings. Mel decides to go along with it, but little does she know there are family secrets, love in the air, and an itinerary that will have the family busy spending time together.

I loved everything about this novel.

Mel’s attitude was spot on. Yes she was salty about the breakup, but it didn’t become her whole personality. I hate when either lead characters are mean to some degree, but she was the perfect blend of sweet and salty.

Finn was a fun character. We got the flashback scenes from his POV, which really helped the storyline.

The plot was great. It wasn’t the typical pretend to date and only one bed tropes. There was more to it, and the chemistry between these two was real.

I really do recommend this book, even if you read it in the summer like me. It was a comforting read with a plot that left me entranced and forgetting what time it was.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars

A cozy, Christmas-filled, second-chance romance full of family and feelings! Sometimes the hardest conversations are the ones that most need to happen and sometimes, well most times, problems are more easily faced with support from the ones you love. Yours For The Season delivers exactly what it promises to. The plot was a little predictable and the characters were a little forgettable, but the romance was sweet and the atmosphere was festive. A Hallmark Christmas movie in book form, perfect for a snowy December evening!