Written By: Maddie J.

Y’all, can you believe it? Christmas is right around the corner, and I, for one, am NOT ready. I’ve still got a ton of shopping left! 😅 But I’m super excited!

Quick Synopsis

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BUY THE BOOK HERE: AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE | BOOKS A MILLION

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WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

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 arch-nemesis 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.

See Goodreads for more.

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SO, THIS IS CHRISTMAS REVIEW

Going into this book, I was ecstatic! I’ve never read a Christmas book before, and the reviews were really promising! Almost all of the reviews I’d read said, “A Hallmark movie in book form!” (And if you know me in real life, you know I’m such a SUCKER for a good Hallmark movie. In fact, I’m watching one right now! 😏)

I had a lot of issues with this book, the main one being how Christmas was portrayed. It was put in a super negative light, and I hated that. In a way, it made me dread Christmas a little bit.

Characters – 3/10

Finley – One word to describe Finley: whiney. I don’t think I have ever read about such a whiney person in my entire life. She’s also a complainer. Whiney and complaining are probably the worst combination of character traits EVER. School was hard, so she wanted to quit; Christmas at home wasn’t what she expected, so she wished she’d stayed at school; and her best friend is dating her ex, so, of course, she doesn’t talk to them! Now, if she’d done all these things and actively tried to change her living situation, I would’ve been okay with her. But she didn’t try to fix anything. She just cried, whined, and complained.

Arthur – Hmm. How did I feel about him? I feel like we didn’t get to know ANY of his character, like he just existed. I mean, we know he has an obsession with anything with reindeer on it (hence the reindeer in the photo.) and really wants to experience an “American Christmas.” By the way, did I mention he’s British?

ATMOSPHERE – 4/10

I feel like this book had such good humor, and I loved that about it! Except in serious parts, there was still a hint of humor. (Maybe that was because I wasn’t taking this book very seriously, who knows though! 🤪) Like I previously said, the Christmas atmosphere was lacking. I actually felt a little bit of my love for Christmas die reading this book. It was centered on the things side of Christmas, not the Jesus Christ side of it, and that really made me angry.

WRITING -1.5/10

Again, I had a lot of issues with this book, but it all stemmed from the writing. The storyline was choppy and just didn’t flow well at multiple points. Any writer knows that your story has to flow well, or you’ll regret it one day. I know from personal experience. (Especially when you go back and reread your own story…😫) And, one other issue with the writing language! I don’t have a problem with language when it makes sense to be used. It felt like it was just put in there because she wanted language in there! It was randomly placed and WAY overused.

PLOT – 3/10

Y’all, the romance isn’t super great, but the TENSION! Ughhhhhhhh. AND, AND! The END. 😍🥰 The end redeemed the WHOLE ENTIRE THING. (Like Stellarlune!!!) If I keep talking about the end, I’m gonna spoil it, so I’m going to shut up now. 🤣😅

INTRIGUE – 2/10

The only thing that intrigued me was the “mystery” about Finley’s parents, Arthur’s aunt, and Finley’s grandma. Let me tell you, that mystery was NOT worth it!

LOGIC – 4/10

This book made sense, except for those plot holes and parts that made zero sense. I just didn’t get the point of most of the events.

ENJOYMENT – 1/10

And, if you’ve made it this far, I bet you just know why this last category is the way it is. Overall, I really didn’t enjoy it. The only thing that kept me from DNF-ing it was the fact that it was a Christmas book.

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Trigger Warnings

Language – 2.5/5: Sh!+, F**k, D@m#, God, Jesus, Christ, Jesus Christ, A&$, B!+(h.

Drugs – 0.5/5: Mentions of smoking.

Sexual Content/Innuendoes – 1/5: A college girl is mentioned in several instances as pregnant. Lots of other innuendoes.

Other Things To Know:

~There is a Lesbian couple that kisses on a few occasions.

~Finley’s Parents are living in separate states and thinking about divorce.

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Recommended: 1/10 for Ages 14+

One Word Summary: Awful

Movie Rating: PG-13

Recommendations better than this book: 

Faking Christmas by Cindy Steel

An Unexpected Boyfriend for Christmas by Janette Rallison

Chat with us about So, This is Christmas

Have you read So, This is Christmas? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, or connect with us on Goodreads! (Elena | Maddie)

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