Review: Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle

The time has come for holiday reviews! I feel like there are so.many. holiday books coming out in 2022! My full holiday reading guide will be coming next month but I’ll be sprinkling some reviews between now and then. I liked this one, didn’t love it, but it certainly packs the holiday punch with the vibes. It also was a really original concept but still felt familiar with the Scrooge/Crachit effect.

Are you a holiday book person? I clearly am 😅

Synopsis:

The holidays were never her thing, until she accidentally conjures the Holiday Spirit...before her very eyes.
Bettie Hughes once knew the comfort of luxury, flaunting a collection of designer purses and an enviable dream home in Hawaii. That was before she lost all her money. Long obsessed with her public image, Bettie boasts an extravagant lifestyle on social media. But the reality is Bettie is broke and squatting in Colorado, and her family has no idea.
Christmas, with its pressure to meet familial expectations, is looming when Bettie plays a vinyl record of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” backward and accidentally conjures up Hall, the Holiday Spirit, in the form of a charming and handsome (if offbeat) man. Once the shock wears off, Bettie knows she’s stumbled upon the greatest gift: a chance to make all her holiday wishes come true, plus a ready-made fiancé.
But as some of Bettie’s wishes lose their charm, she finds herself thrown off-kilter by Hall’s sweet nature. Suddenly, grumpy Bettie is finding her heart merry and light. But the happier she gets, the shorter Hall’s time on earth grows. Can Bettie channel the Christmas spirit and learn to live with goodwill toward all men? Or will her selfish ways return as soon as the holidays are over?” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

  1. The Concept—I thought it was such a cute concept and would make a great movie! The Holiday Spirit comes to life in order to help a Scrooge like character who has completely lost her way in the world.

  2. The Character of Hall—Hall was a DELIGHT. Truly, such a fun character. He could have gone over the top but he felt so genuine to me.

What Didn’t Work:

  1. Pacing—At 351 pages, things felt rushed and so slow at the same time.

  2. Didn’t Grab Me—I really like aspects of this book but ultimately, it just didn’t grab me. It took me a long time to finish it and I was hoping to fly through it.

Character Authenticity: 3.5/5 Steam Rating: 0/5 Overall Rating: 3/5

Content Warnings:

all are on the moderate level: grief, gaslighting, toxic relationship