The Christmas Wish - by Lindsey Kelk (Paperback)
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4 out of 5 stars
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21 November, 2022
Funnier Than Average Holiday Romance
Gwen is leaving the city for a holiday getaway in her family's small hometown. She lost her big-time lawyer job, her boyfriend cheated on her with his receptionist, and she had to move into a small apartment to nurse her feelings. Can the magic of Christmas help her find herself again? It sounds like the beginning of every Hallmark Christmas movie but what makes this book standout is the comedy. This book was downright hilarious at times and tear-jerking emotional at others. Lindsey Kelk has a wonderful balance of honest feelings about grief and loneliness with humor that is raunchy at times and definitely not for readers younger than 18. The time loop of having to repeat Christmas day becomes a great vehicle for plot movement. It also gives Gwen a chance to reconnect with each member of her family from years of not making time for them due to her high-pressure career. A few of my favorite quotes are: "Whatever else it might be, I do know loneliness can be very cruel. You can't pick and choose when it visits and it often overstays its welcome, sometimes it stays so long you get used to it and forget to ask it to leave. I would hate for you to fall into that trap.'" "I couldn't think of anything more romantic than someone choosing you and you choosing them right back, every single day for the rest of your lives." Taking it down to 4 starts instead of 5 because I almost stopped reading the book after the first 50 pages. The pace was slow at that point and the animosity between Gwen and her sister, Cerys, was so vicious that it took away from the holiday optimism I was expecting in the beginning of this book. It is stressed so much in those few pages that I was worried it would be never-ending in the story. Thankfully, there was improvement once the time loop starts. The Christmas Wish is a fun holiday story more about family dynamics and communication than a holiday romance. The romance doesn't really start until 3/4 of the book because of a (glaringly obvious) communication barrier where Gwen is so wrapped up in her own dismay that she doesn't pay attention to or even ask about how things are going with Dev and his love life. Also, if you are a romance reader looking for a lot of heat, this book may not be for you. There is pretty much only a couple of kissing scenes and that is about it. Everything else has more to do with character development that the romance is left out in the cold. Please note: an electronic Advanced Reader Copy of this book was generously provided for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.