The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

It’s time for another Saturday Spotlight! This month’s theme is Christmas in July! So far, I have shared Decked with Holly by Marie Bates, which you can find here.

This week, I am sharing The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo. This was probably one of my favorite Christmas reads from this past year.

It was a lot of fun and was like a quintessential Hallmark Christmas movie meets a teen drama!

This book follows Lila and Teddy. This is Lila’s last holiday break during high school, and she is working as many hours as she can at the local inn. Teddy is the manager’s nephew, and the complete opposite of Lila. When they accidentally switch phones, they realize they both have secrets.

A big part of this book is the inn. The town this book takes place in is the sight a popular Christmas movie was filmed. The inn is a museum to the movie. I though the inn and the movie tie-in were a lot of fun and added to the book. The only thing was that I wished that the movie was real; it would have been so much fun to read the book and then watch the movie featured in the book!

Filipino culture was also demonstrated! I really enjoyed that inclusion, too. It isn’t something I see too much in YA media, so I thought it was a nice inclusion.

Family relationships were also a big part of the book, which I always love. I especially loved how it was discussed being an older sister, and the role one takes on in these situations.

There were friendships, as well. These were fun and I enjoyed them. The romance was also nice. It was predictable, but I did like it. It was perfectly Christmas-y.

I did like the book blogging aspect of it. When I first read this, I had only been blogging for about three months. So, I really enjoyed how Lila was a book blogger! It added depth to the story and helped me connect a little more with the main character.

The Holiday Switch is a the perfect, comfy, Christmas read, anytime of the year!

Summary:

Lila Santos is ready for her last winter break of high school. The snow in her small town of Holly, New York, is plentiful, the mood is as cozy as a fuzzy Christmas sweater, and she’s earning extra cash working at the local inn—AKA the setting of the greatest film of all time, Holiday by the Lake—while moonlighting as an anonymous book blogger.

But her perfect holiday plans crash to a halt when her boss’s frustratingly cute nephew, Teddy Rivera, becomes her coworker. Lila is type A; Teddy is type “Anything but Lila’s Way,” and the two of them can’t stop butting heads over tangled icicle lights and messy gift shop merch. But when they accidentally switch phones one afternoon, they realize they’ve both been hiding things from each other. Will their secrets—and an unexpected snowstorm—bring these rivals together?