Genre ~ Holiday G rated romance
Featuring ~ rich to poor, entitled, celebrity, family drama, small town, reverse grumpy/sunshine, fake fiance, clean, magic realism, Christmas spirit galore
POV ~ single ~ 1st person
Release date ~ October 4, 2022
Page count ~ 365
Audio length ~ 11 hours
My rating ~ 2ā for the 1st half~ish + 4ā for the 2nd half~ish = 3ā
My review:
For the first half of the book I did not care for any of the characters. Bettie was very self absorbed and materialistic, like over the top. Her family was pretty awful at times, except Grandpa. The children had some interesting names, but they seemed to be well behaved.
Hall E. Day was an absolute delight throughout. I don’t have one bad thing to say about him. You can’t help but smile at his holiday excitement. He acts, but does not look like, Buddy the Elf. And it was all because of Hall that the second half of the book was great. His infectious joy brought out the good in everyone.
*Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam, the author and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
ā¬Purchase linksā¬
Save on Just Like Magic at Booksamillion.com.Book blurb:
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 āAll I Want for Christmas Is Youā 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 sheās stumbled upon the greatest gift: a chance to make all her holiday wishes come true, plus a ready-made fiancĆ©.
But as some of Bettieās wishes lose their charm, she finds herself thrown off-kilter by Hallās sweet nature. Suddenly, grumpy Bettie is finding her heart merry and light. But the happier she gets, the shorter Hallās 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?
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I read this as well. I did enjoy it but agree with your comments. I also felt it was a bit long for the story itself to play out.
I really contemplated not finishing it, and I never do that. But the second half definitely made it better.
I do agree that the story changed a lot for my from the first half to the second half. The first half was kind of strange, but I laughed, so there’s value in that. It got much better with all the mushy heartwarming stuff in the second half.
The mushy stuff really brought it home š