Review by Booklist Review
Eighteen-year-old Cuban American Cam is in big trouble. A college freshman, he's flunking out of school and has lost his scholarship, and as he heads home for Christmas, he panics wondering how to break the news to his doting, single dad. In the meantime, needing Christmas cash, he gets a job at the local mall working as an elf in Santa Land. He's nonplused to discover that his ex, Leroy, is also working in the village and seems to be interested in getting back together. Ah, but what about Marco, the preternaturally cheerful elf who might also have a crush on Cam? To further complicate things, the elves must compete in a contest, with the winner receiving $5,000, the sum Cam needs to finance his second semester. Will he win? Will his new friendship with Marco turn into something more? Valdes has written a cheerful rom-com that celebrates the season and is sure to delight readers year-round.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
When Cuban American college student Cam comes home for winter break after his first semester at NYU, he does so feeling like a failure. Not only has he not found a boyfriend--or many friends at all--his grades are so poor that he's in danger of losing his theater scholarship. He believes that his only hope of affording the following semester is to get a seasonal job, and the sole place hiring is Santaland, a bustling Christmas village at the town's new luxury mall. There, Cam plays the role of one of Santa's elves, just in time to participate in a Santaland-sponsored contest for $5,000, in which customers vote for best elf following a series of challenges. Cam is certain that he'll win, but when he learns he'll be competing against gorgeous, perfectly perky fellow employee Marco, who is of Filipino descent, he worries he'll have his work cut out for him. Via a breezy yet thoughtful approach, and with the boys' gently blossoming romance inciting warmth and cheer, Valdes (Brighter Than the Moon) conceives a holly-jolly rom-com filled with enough humor, heart, and holiday spirit to deliver an upbeat stocking stuffer. Ages 13--up. Agent: Annie Bomke, Annie Bomke Literary. (Nov.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up--Cam left his small town for theater school at NYU, sure he was leaving for bigger and better things--new friends, new loves, and, of course, smashing success on the stage. He returns home for winter break with none of these things, and he is doing so poorly in his theater classes that he's in danger of losing his scholarship. A job as an elf to a mall Santa gives him the chance to act a little and an excuse to avoid telling his dad about his life in New York. It also puts him in competition with his fellow elves for a cash prize, if he can earn the popular vote in a social media contest run by his Scroogelike supervisor. His main competition is the cute and charming Marco, whose genuinely kind and upbeat personality eventually chips away at Cam's too-cool-for-school persona, clearing a path for a romance. Cam undergoes a lot of maturing and growth over the course of his 12 days of elf-mas, which makes resolutions in his relationship with his ex-boyfriend, his father, and Marco well-earned and satisfying. It also means Cam starts in a place that readers might have trouble sympathizing with; those who stick with him will be rewarded. VERDICT A sweet holiday romance, complete with elfish antics and rich descriptions of Christmas cookies.--Beth McIntyre
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Sparks fly alongside holiday cheer at a seasonal mall gig. Winter break marks 18-year-old Cam Ceballos' first trip home to Massachusetts' Pioneer Valley since leaving for NYU. Single, gay, and desperate for a little extra "fa-la-la," the experimental-theater major takes on his newest role: Oopsy the Elf at Santaland. Management's reality show--esque Elfmas competition pits the employees against each other for Top Elf recognition and $5,000. Cam's biggest rival is Marco (aka Jingle the Elf), whose jolliness--and puppy-dog cuteness--is unparalleled. Then there's Cam's ex, Leroy, a beautiful, confusing distraction. Dating prospects aside, Cam has another dilemma: He's failing his theater classes (and risking his scholarship). Worse, he hasn't found a way to tell his dad yet--or decide if he's even going back to NYU at all. While this romp has many delightful queer holiday rom-com tropes, its winning resolution balances a nostalgic homecoming with the promise of self-actualization. Though the narrative is fittingly "Cameron-focused," it also makes some keen observations about how people aren't always what they seem. Cam is Cuban American, and Marco is Filipino. The supporting cast features a few Black characters and someone who uses they/them pronouns. Cam's cishet dad is a single parent through surrogacy, a rare and welcome depiction. An elf-ing good time. (Romance. 13-adult) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
