Thank you to the publishers for this advanced reader copy. I really enjoyed this funny holiday book and appreciate the life switch trope! I would’ve never thought to have a female character switch places with a male & the two being related paired with an interesting job makes it even more interesting! Checkout this book for an engaging, quick, lighthearted read!

5 Stars
📚 The Twelfth Night Before Christmas by Keri Lane

✨ Tropes: Mistaken Identity, Found Family, Slow Burn Romance, Twin Sibling Bond, Holiday Hijinks, Small Town, Hurt/Comfort, HEA

Okay, I knew from page one I was going to love this book, but I didn’t expect to fall so hard. Viola is a bit of a mess. She was just cheated on, no job, no place to live and somehow ends up pretending to be her twin brother as Santa in a cozy Christmas village. (Being a twin mom, I was immediately hooked 🤣!) And it’s every bit as hilarious and chaotic as that sounds.

The banter? Perfect. Think early-season Friends energy, like you can hear the dialogue and feel the comedic timing. It made the whole story fly off the pages. And I loved how each chapter opened like a Shakespeare scene, it felt theatrical and playful, a wink to the original Twelfth Night but in a way that didn’t take itself too seriously.

But what really got me was the heart in this story. Viola’s pain never felt glossed over. She’s messy, she’s sad, she’s stuck. And we watch her find her way back, slowly, one awkward Santa moment and unexpected connection at a time. Her bond with her twin, Sebastian, is just so genuine. And the slow burn with Duke? TBH, it gave me butterflies and had me grinning like an idiot.

Found family is one of my absolute favorite tropes, and this book nailed it. Viola goes from heartbreak and isolation to building something sweet, loving, and wonderfully weird. It's like the book gives you permission to be a little lost and reminds you that joy finds you anyway.

Also...the epilogue? Total chef’s kiss. The spice came in hot at the end and was exactly the payoff we were waiting for. Think Christmas in July but spicy 🔥 🥵!

🥰 If you love a cozy Christmas read that gives you the kind of banter that has you laughing out loud, and a arc that leaves you smiling and rooting for that HEA, this book is for you!