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melycp's reviews
488 reviews
Snowed In by Catherine Walsh
4.0
Snowed In is only my second read from Catherine Walsh but she’s quickly becoming one of my favourite romance authors. A couple of years ago I received an ARC of Holiday Romance, the first in this ‘series’ and it was one of my favourite festive reads of the year. Even though Snowed In wasn’t part of my ‘12 books of Christmas’ series this year, it was one of my favourite festive romances of 2024.
We have ourselves a classic case of ‘he falls first and harder’ and I LOVE it. It’s obvious Christian is smitten from day one, which is exactly what I want from a male love interest. Give me all the pining, especially when he thinks she doesn’t feel the same.
It’s so refreshing to read a festive book where none of the characters hate Christmas. That trope is so overused. Instead you get two main characters that, although aren’t Christmas crazy, are still into the season and want to spend it with their families. Well, Megan wasn’t overly excited to go home because of her past, but that’s where Christian comes in.
Something else that is so refreshing, no third act break up! There’s also very little miscommunication which is just wonderful. Anytime there was a slight hint of real romance between Megan and Christian I was smiling like an idiot. Catherine Walsh is so good at writing realistic romance with just the right amount of comedy.
I’ve forgotten everything I loved about Snowed In in the time between finishing the book and writing this review (I put off reviewing it for weeks like an idiot) so this review is very short. I’ve loved both of Catherine Walsh’s books I’ve read so far with both rated four stars, so I’m definitely going to check out more in the future, even her non festive ones.
Witchcraft: A Graphic History: Stories of Wise Women, Healers and Magic by Lindsay Squire
4.0
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from this graphic novel, but I loved what I got. Having the author insert herself into the story was so cool. What an inventive way to tell the history of both witchcraft and a specific character without it getting boring or just pure fact.
Speaking of facts, the sections between the ‘chapters’ of the story were both fun and informative. I didn’t know a lot about witchcraft before reading this, one of the main reasons why I picked it up, and I now feel like I know so much more. I’d always assumed the Salem witch trials was the biggest witch hunt in history purely based on the fact that it’s the most well known, but that’s not true. What an eye opening graphic novel.
The art style fit the theme perfectly. I loved the character designs and the environments were the right amount of detailed. I’ve always said witchy graphic novels have some of the best art styles and I still stand by that statement.
This graphic novel is a great introduction to the history of witchcraft. Fun, informative and filled with gorgeous illustrations. I’d highly recommend it.
The Holly Project by Angela Pearse
3.0
I finished The Holly Project a couple of weeks ago now and have been putting off writing its review as I’m really not sure what to say. I’m a big fan of fake dating books so I knew I’d like this to some extent but the whole thing felt very surface level. You don’t really get to know the characters, our fake dating characters know nothing about each other so that element wasn’t too exciting.
Holly’s feelings towards Bailey almost gave me whiplash. The hate she felt towards him after seeing him for literal seconds was way over the top and then the sudden change to finding him attractive was fast. The romance, from both characters, came from nowhere. I think if you spent more time with Bailey before the fake dating bit came into it, it would have been better, but you didn’t know anything about him other than Holly hates him and he loves Christmas.
The best part of The Holly Project was Bailey’s family Christmas. I love it when these types of books remind me of my childhood Christmases. Mine were never over the top like this one but having the whole family together for the one day are some of my favourite childhood memories. We definitely never watched TikTok on the TV though, please tell me people don’t actually do this.
The parts of this book that were festive were really nice. It’s unusual for me to actually read a Christmas book in December so the festive feelings were definitely there. I loved the little activities the family would do on the lead up to Christmas, those really made this feel festive.
I really don’t have much else to say about The Holly Project. It’s one of those books where everything happens in such a short space of time that the pace feels a little all over the place. I’m all for falling in love at Christmas but not with someone you met four days ago. Still it’s pretty cute and I have given it a very generous rating of three stars. Which may seem a bit ridiculous based on this review, but there were parts I really liked, Crumpet the dog for example, but I don’t want to spoil too much of what happens.
The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore
4.0
The Christmas Tree Farm was my second book from Laurie Gilmore and I definitely enjoyed it more than her first release. It didn’t have a weird timeline like the first book and the pacing was pretty much perfect. So much so that I flew through it in just a few days despite it being my last read in my ‘12 books of Christmas’ series and I was pretty much feeling very over Christmas books.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Kira to begin with as I was getting bored of ‘main characters that hate Christmas’ but it turns out she doesn’t actually dislike the holiday, more that she’s feeling a little down on her luck. The second she was nice to Bennett’s dogs had me sold that she’s actually a nice person because who doesn’t love dogs? She’s still a pretty shallow character and could be too mean sometimes but she does have decent development.
The Christmas tree farm was such a lovely setting. I’ve never actually been to one before but this book really made me want to. I love the idea of cutting down your own tree. It would have been nicer if Kira wasn’t only in it for the money though. It was nice that she got excited about the different elements of it like putting up lights (there’s a Taylor Swift reference about this) and wanting to get reindeer. I could clearly picture the farm covers in twinkling lights, so festive.
On a whole, The Christmas Tree Farm isn’t massively festive. However, I did really enjoy the Christmas Day scenes. Although understanding the different gifts the group gave each other wasn’t the easiest as I haven’t read The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore yet. I had planned to read it before this but time did not allow.
Overall, The Christmas Tree Farm is pretty sweet festive romance that would make a great Hallmark movie. Take that as you will.
Under the Mistletoe with You by Lizzie Huxley-Jones
4.0
Under the Mistletoe with You is a heartwarming romance that celebrates the importance of community spirit and caring for those around you. I’d say my main take away from the book would be the community element but the romance was also very sweet.
I had no idea that this is technically a sequel. You definitely don’t need to have read the first book to enjoy this one but it does include the same characters.
There isn’t a lot about Under the Mistletoe with You that is overly festive, but for once that doesn’t annoy me. The community spirit more than made up for the lack of Christmassy activities. This book is packed full of heartwarming moments and like all books with a close knit community, made me wish I lived in a small town.
I adore the fact that Nash is trans and is also a Hollywood rom-com heartthrob. Imagine living in a world where that’s the norm. The LGBTQIA+ representation was incredible in Under the Mistletoe with You. Pretty much every character was queer and there wasn’t any homophobia, which I’m so tired of reading about in queer books. So thank you Lizzie Huxley-Jones for writing a LGBTQIA+ story that is happy and actually celebrates queer people!
The disability representation was also great. It’s so rare to have a book told from the perspective of someone with a disability and then also have side characters with disabilities too. The detailed explanation of Nash’s seizures really helped me understand his character better. It also developed my knowledge on what a seizure could be, so that’s a positive.
The ‘insta love’ between Nash and Christopher wasn’t my favourite part of this book as falling in love in just a few days isn’t entirely realistic. However, as this book was on the slightly longer side for a romance, it didn’t feel like it happened too quickly. Plus they did spend every minute of every day together so it was realistic that they’d build a strong connection in that time.
However, I did really like both Nash and Christopher. I’m glad Nash drops the actor stereotype very quickly and Christopher’s slightly cautious nature around new people is something I can relate with a lot. Their back and forth banter was so funny and showed that spark of chemistry really well. The forced proximity helped with this.
The side characters were also brilliant. The whole ‘spanks’ squad featuring Christoper’s sister and ex girlfriend, and his two other best friends were so funny. I loved the sections that showed their Whatsapp group chat. It was pure chaos but also provided a great change of pace. Shaz was hilarious and her love of gingerbread was so relatable.
Although it’s not massively festive, I’d still definitely recommend Under the Mistletoe with You. There are so many sweet and funny moments, and if you’re looking for a great queer festive romance, this is the book for you.