The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: So, this is Christmas

Series: So, this is Christmas #1

Author: Tracy Andreen

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, Holiday

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

When Finley Brown returned to her hometown of Christmas, Oklahoma, from boarding school, she expected to find it just as she left it. Christmas hasn’t changed much in her sixteen years. But instead she returns to find that her best friend is dating her ex-boyfriend, her parents have separated, and her archnemesis got a job working at her grandmother’s inn. And she certainly didn’t expect to find the boy she may or may not have tricked into believing that Christmas was an idyllic holiday paradise on her grandmother’s doorstep. It’s up to Finley to make sure he gets the Christmas he was promised. This is Finley’s Christmas. It’s about home and family and friends and finding her place, and along the way she also finds the best Christmas present of all: love. – summary from Goodreads

So, this is Christmas was such a fun, quirky holiday read with the perfect amount of Christmas spirit.

This book was a lot of fun to read. In 2024, the Christmas books I was reading didn’t necessarily have what I was looking for- mainly being not Christmasy enough. So, I was a little hesitant to read this book. Boy, was I wrong! This had so much Christmas spirit, but not in an overly obnoxious way. It was just right!

I loved all the little Christmas things! The reindeer sleigh ride is up there on one of my favorite scenes, and the hilarity of the cookie baking was everything!

Also, this book took place in a small town, so it was dear to my heart. I, too, live in a small town, and I wish it was as quirky as the fictional town of Christmas.

The characters were really great! I loved Finely and Arthur. They were super adorable together and I loved their banter. They also did really good on their own, though Finley did the best standing on her own.

There were also a lot of storylines in this book that I really enjoyed. This book had a number of romance storylines, as well. I liked all these romances, too. I especially liked Finley’s parent’s storyline- it was very sweet and endearing! The book was primarily focused on romance, but there were some decent friendship explorations as well.

So, this is Christmas is a very sweet, quirky holiday romance that perfectly encapsulates the feeling of Christmas and small-town shenanigans!