Monday, January 4, 2021

✱✱Book Review✱✱ Jingle All the Way by Debbie Macomber

Jingle All the Way 

by Debbie Macomber


NEW YORK TIMES 
BESTSELLER • Love can transform even the best-laid plans in this heartfelt Christmas novel from the queen of Christmas stories, Debbie Macomber.

Trapped in the middle of five siblings, Everly Lancaster always had big dreams. Now a top real-estate executive, Everly finds her work is her life, leaving no space for anything (or anyone) else. Sensing her stress, Everly’s boss insists she take December off. At first, a month away seems crazy—how will the company survive without her? But Everly’s mother convinces her otherwise. She deserves a vacation—plus, when she returns, she’ll have no excuse to skip family Christmas like she did last year.

But after her vengeful assistant books a guided cruise in the Amazon instead of the luxury beach vacation she expected, Everly is horrified to realize that she’s about to spend the next two weeks trapped—with no Wi-Fi!—in the rain forest. Not even Asher Adams, the ship’s charming naturalist, can convince Everly that the trip will be unforgettable. Slowly but surely, she realizes he is right: the sights are spectacular. And with each passing day, Everly’s relationship with Asher deepens, forcing her to take a long, hard look at her priorities.

Everly and Asher begin to see magic in the possibility of a life together. But as the cruise nears its end, and Everly’s family Christmas approaches, both must decide if love is worth the risk. A merry surprise may be in store in Debbie Macomber’s newest holiday delight.




Momma Says: 3 stars⭐⭐⭐

If you're looking for a Christmas story romance, this one falls a bit short of the mark in my opinion. Technically, it does take place in December, but it's not as Christmasy as the cover would suggest. 
I’ve read lots of Christmas books this season and let’s face it, they tend to be a bit hit and miss. Jingle All the Way was nearly a miss. I loved the writing style and the characters were pretty well developed. However, the only Christmas in this story was at the very end when she was celebrating with her family. I realize that the blurb mentions the Amazon, but with that, I would've expected something different on the cover - I don't know, a cruise ship maybe? I've read plenty of stories with Christmas happening at some point, but it's not made to look like a Christmas romance, which is what should've been done with this one, especially when you consider the author's reputation for holiday stories. I mean, the blurb even calls her the 'queen of Christmas,' so it stands to reason that a person would pick this one up and without looking at the blurb, think they're getting a Holiday story.
As I mentioned, I did like the writing style and the characters, and It's a quick read, which is nice in these crazy times when I tend to get so easily distracted. It's also a bit too predictable, so when I weighed it all and thought about it, I landed firmly on middle ground with this one. It's not a bad story by any means, but it's not quite what I expected and hoped for either.

❃❃ARC provided by NetGalley and Ballantine Books


No comments:

Post a Comment

Other Worlds by Kay Freeman - Haunted Halloween Spooktacular

Luna Lord’s Recipe for Healthy Carrot Muffins  for Humans and Werewolves Ingredients: ¾ cp of gluten-free flour ½ cp of almond, rice or b...