Review: Blame It On the Mistletoe by Beth Garrod

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

Another holiday book that slays the cover game. This festive YA novel is a ton of fun. It’s like a high school version of The Holiday, which is one of my favorite movies. It reads young, but it is YA, so if that’s not your thing I would skip this book. I wish the romances had been a little more fleshed out (they felt kind of rushed) but I liked seeing the friendship grow between the main characters as they figured themselves out.

Synopsis:

“Elle is a social medial star with the #DreamLife...or so it seems. Determined to shake up her content and gain new followers, she's on a mission: can she find a British fan to swap with for Christmas?

Holly loves everything about Christmas. But after a mortifying mistletoe disaster with her ex, her perfect plans unravel like a bad Christmas sweater. Can Holly save the holidays when she switches places with favorite social media influencer?

Elle gets more than she bargained for when she meets the cute boy from across the street. And Holly wasn't expecting Elle to have a handsome twin brother. This holiday is full of surprises.” —Goodreads

What I Liked:

The Concept—One of my favorite holiday movies is the Nancy Meyers’ classic, The Holiday, so I was very excited to read this book! I think it captured the spontaneity of the film and allowed both characters to discover who they really want to be.
The Festive Excitement—There is no guessing this book is set at the holidays! Holly, our British character, is basically Buddy the Elf.
The Settings—A small English village and Alpine Peaks? You’ll be cozy just reading this book.

What Didn’t Work:

Pacing—I felt the beginning moved really quickly and then kind of stalled out in the middle. I had a hard time figuring out in the second act on what I was supposed to care about and then the end was quite abrupt.
Be Aware it is YA—This is a book middle and early high schoolers will eat up if they love the holidays! It does read young, but it’s YA! So I’m definitely not the target audience and that’s okay :)