Review by Booklist Review
Falling in love wasn't on Arden James or Caroline Beckett's holiday to-do lists, especially since Arden left their holiday-centric hometown and former best friend, Caroline, behind four years ago to pursue her acting career without so much as a phone call. When Arden fails to land her dream role, she and her agent quickly devise a lie to sell her authenticity--she's dating her high-school sweetheart, Caroline. At a moment's notice, Arden's back on Caroline's doorstep and they're both thinking about the (seemingly) unrequited crush they each had all those years ago. They promise themselves that twelve holiday-themed fake dates are all they have to get through. Caroline will write about it for Cosmopolitan, Arden will get her acting role, and they can both move forward. In alternating chapters, each tells their side of the swirling story amid the snow, with distinct voices breathing life into these complex characters. Caroline struggles with the Christmas-centric holiday cheer as a queer Jewish woman, and Arden uncovers difficult feelings about her parents' abandonment as well as her own abandonment of Grams, who essentially raised her. As the pair let down their walls fully for the first time, they have to learn to trust themselves as well as each other. Forgiveness, friendship, and vulnerability all shine as brightly as holiday lights in this snow-sprinkled romance.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Former best friends fake-date to further both their ambitions in this warm sapphic holiday romance from married collaborators Lippincott and Derrick (She Gets the Girl). Arden James hasn't been in touch with her best friend Caroline Beckett since Arden left their Christmas-obsessed hometown of Barnwich, Pa., four years ago. Now a Netflix star and Los Angeles party girl, she claims to be dating Caroline to land a serious role for a director looking for someone "small-town. More genuine. More homegrown, less Hollywood." Stung by Arden's abandonment, Caroline only agrees to go along with the scheme after Arden persuades editors at Cosmopolitan into letting Caroline write a story about their courting. As the pair--both of whom assumed their childhood crush on each other was unrequited--go on dates and Arden leverages her star power to help the financially struggling town, old feelings resurface. Lippincott and Derrick fuse believable teenage characters, cozy holiday vibes, and a gentle reworking of familiar romance tropes to deliver a winning and satisfying love story. Arden is of Korean descent; Caroline is "part-Jewish" and reads as white. Ages 14--up. Authors' agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Jr. (Oct.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Estranged best friends fall in love amid holiday cheer. Hollywood actor Arden James hails from the small town of Barnwich, where she and Caroline Beckett grew up as best friends. Four years ago, Arden left to pursue her career in Los Angeles and never returned, leaving Caroline heartbroken. Now, in an attempt to prove her small-town authenticity and land a role she desperately wants, Arden comes home at Christmastime and convinces Caroline to fake date her for 12 days. In exchange. Caroline gets to write aCosmopolitan article about the experience; the byline will help her quest to study journalism at Columbia. As they progress through their dates, from stealing a Christmas tree to sampling unusual hot chocolate, their romantic feelings for one another resurface. But as they grow closer, their real lives feel further and further apart. The backdrop of Barnwich makes for a believably charming holiday setting, populated by pleasant people and ample Christmas traditions (Caroline, who has one Jewish and one Catholic parent, even finds a way to celebrate both sides of her heritage). Arden and Caroline, who alternate first-person point-of-view chapters, feel like real teenagers, each with relatable struggles and desires, and their relationship unfolds in an organic, well-paced way. Their palpable chemistry lends verisimilitude to the story's many tender romantic moments. Caroline presents white; Arden is implied biracial and was raised by her Korean grandmother. A swoonworthy Sapphic holiday romance.(Romance. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
