The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: Decked With Holly

Series: Standalone

Author: Marni Bates

Genre: Young Adult. Contemporary, Romance, Holiday

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review:

On a Christmas cruise with her cousins- the Twins from Hell- and facing seasickness, Holly isn’t exactly having a good time. When she stumbles into a suite, she is pepper sprayed by Nick. When Holly attempts to leave the suite, she is welcomed by a screaming horde. Nick is actually Dominic Wyatt, a famous rockstar. When rumors start to spread, they have to pretend to be in a relationship to protect Nick’s career.

I have been seeing this thing on Fable, where people place their favorite tropes around a book tree. This got me thinking about what my favorite tropes are, and after reading this book I can come to the conclusion that I love the fake dating trope.

This book was a lot of fun to read. Despite the fact that I had to get up early in the morning before a day-long event, I stayed up late to finish this book. I was glued to the story and was often laughing as I read it.

Both the characters were so much fun and realistic. They each had their own unique relationships with their family/friends. I especially loved the dynamic between Nick, Chris, and Tim.

They story was so much fun. It had dual point-of-view, which was nice because it showed both perspectives for the same event. In some books it will be in one perspective for one scene then another perspective for the next scene. It wasn’t exactly like that for this book, which I enjoyed. I enjoyed the cruise ship and the rockstar aspect, as well. I don’t get to read too many YA books with cruise ships or about rockstars.

This book was published in 2012, so there was a certain outdatedness that was noticeable. I enjoyed that about the book, though. It reminded me of the 2000s Disney Channel movies.

My only complaint is that there wasn’t a lot of closure. It ended nicely, but there wasn’t a confrontation with the twins. This book is also advertised as a Christmas book, but I wasn’t getting Christmas at all. You could read this anytime of the year because it isn’t Christmas-y.

One of my favorite books this month, Decked with Holly is an adorable story reminiscent of early Disney Channel movies. It has a cute story, with memorable characters, though it was rushed in some parts and did not fit the Christmas advertisement.

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a cute, YA rom-com!