Review: The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish

Thank you SourceBooks Casablanca for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

If you love the movie The Holiday, the synopsis of this book might sound a little similar. But ditch the English countryside and LA for a small town in Maine and New Orleans, The characters are on a journey of self discovery and finding autonomy from their families, all while unexpected love finds their way into their holiday.

Synopsis:

“Greta Russakoff loves her tight-knit family and tiny Maine hometown, even if they don't always understand what it's like to be a lesbian living in such a small world. She desperately needs space to figure out who she is.

Truman Belvedere has just had his heart crushed into a million pieces when he learned that his boyfriend of almost a year has a secret life that includes a husband and a daughter. Reeling from this discovery, all he wants is a place to lick his wounds far, far away from New Orleans.

Enter Greta and Truman's mutual friend, Ramona, who facilitates a month-long house swap. Over the winter holidays, each of them will have a chance to try on a new life...and maybe fall in love with the perfect partner of their dreams. But all holidays must come to an end, and eventually Greta and Truman will have to decide whether the love they each found so far from home is worth fighting for.” —StoryGraph

What I Liked:

The Premise—The Holiday is one of my favorite movies of all time, so when i read the synopsis, i was so excited! I wasn’t quite as charmed, as feeling invested in two storylines is harder in a book than in a film, but i still loved the characters journeys.
The Settings—I’m a New Englander so I was excited to get to go to Maine in this book! I also loved all the references to Carys’ job as a ghost storyteller in New Orleans. I’ve only been once but it made me want to plan a trip ASAP!
Truman’s Storyline—I have read so many fantastic holiday books this year that feature queer couples. I’m so happy to see it! I found Truman to be so sweet and really was invested in how he came into his own.

What Didn’t Work:

This is personal, but since I was more invested in one storyline, it became quite hard for me to feel motivated to want to pick up this book. However, the audio performance was great and I had an enjoyable time listening.