The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

It’s time for a new Saturday Spotlight theme! This month I am doing Christmas in July! I love Christmas and don’t think it should be regulated to once year!

This week I am sharing Decked With Holly by Marni Bates!

This is such a fun book, and I think it is actually more of a Christmas in July read than a Christmas read. This book takes place on a tropical cruise and totally gives summer vibes.

This story follows Holly and Nick, with a dual POV (!), as they go on a Christmas cruise.

Holly is going on the cruise to celebrate her grandfather’s birthday, but she is stuck with her annoying cousins and overbearing aunt. Nick is a famous rockstar who is on the cruise to take a break from the band.

When Holly accidently stumbles into Nick’s room, he pepper sprays her, and she ends up falling asleep in his room. When she wakes up, she is greeted by screaming fans. Now everybody believes Nick and Holly are dating. They have to uphold the ruse to uphold Nick’s image, and it keeps Holly away from her family.

This book has the fake dating trope, which I love. As I mentioned, it is dual POV, which I also love. Marni Bates did a good job with the POV. The changes of POV weren’t repetitive but still told how Nick and Holly reacted to important events, and then carried the story forward.

This has early 2000 romcoms/Disney Channel movie vibes, and I loved it. This book was written in 2012, so some things were a little antiquated. I did love the blast to the past though!

The romance in this book was fun and entertaining. It really is the perfect light read! I was often laughing aloud and couldn’t put the book down. There was also a nice dynamic between Nick and his band members that I enjoyed reading about.

I also really liked the rockstar aspect of the book. It isn’t something I see too often, especially in YA, so it was fun to read.

This is the perfect summer read that has Christmas vibes! With dual POV, fake dating, rockstars, and early 2000s vibes, it is a wonderful book that keeps you entertained and laughing!

Summary:

Smartly blending of-the-moment pop culture references and timeless themes, Bates follows her YA debut, “Awkward”, with a hilarious, over-the-top adventure about a teen girl who becomes the fake girlfriend of a cute rock star.

Taking a Christmas cruise with her two cousins from hell isn’t Holly’s idea of a good time. And when seasickness forces her into an open suite, she’s pepper-sprayed by a gorgeous guy called Nick. But when Holly makes her exit, she’s greeted by a horde of screaming teenage fans. Because Nick happens to be Dominic Wyatt, drummer for one of the hottest bands in America. Suddenly rumours are swirling and Holly’s face is plastered all over the Internet. The band can’t risk a scandal destroying their family-friendly image, so Dominic convinces Holly to be his fake girlfriend – just for two weeks. How bad could it be to be “fauxmantically” involved with a cute rock star? She’s about to find out…