I'm in Christmas prep avoidance mode
A fantastic Christmas rom-com, Jackie Collins, and oh, how I love a time loop...
Happy holiday week!
I’m currently in full Christmas prep avoidance mode. I’m hosting this year and am doing all of the cooking. I love to cook, but I am solidly a “cook for my small family” kind of person. When I have to scale things up for more than 4-5 people, I pretty much look like this in the kitchen…
But it will get done. Eventually. I have bought all the groceries. So that’s a start.
But in the meantime, instead of prepping, I’ve been watching and reading things. So that’s bad news for my dinner guests, but good news for you! Because now I can share the good stuff.
My first rec isn’t a romance, but last night I was skimming through my Netflix list and found I’d marked this documentary to watch…
Now, if you were not of consenting age in the 80s, you may not have read Jackie Collins. I was more a child of the 90s, so I was definitely too young, but I was aware of the name and remember seeing her books everywhere. I also remember the fabulously big hair.
Here’s how Netflix describes the doc: "Queen of Sleaze" or feminist pioneer? Powerhouse novelist Jackie Collins created a brash sex-positive persona while hiding her private struggles.
A female writer whose work is dismissed, despite being wildly best-selling, because it’s sexy? As a romance writer who is used to other people putting down or dismissing my genre, I was intrigued. I’m so glad I decided to watch it (you know, instead of pre-chopping vegetables for Christmas.) This documentary turned out to be fascinating.
It’s a news story we’ve seen repeated since. (Twilight, 50 Shades, etc.) A female author writes a book and it’s sexy. It becomes a runaway bestseller and everyone comes out of the woodwork to talk about how terrible the writing is, how salacious, how trashy. How dare she write a book like this! (Meanwhile, dudes are writing books with sex in them and no one bats an eyelash.)
But what stood out to me was how people would say this stuff blatantly to Jackie Collins’ face on television. Like entire studio audiences (sometimes hosts, sometimes fellow writers) would verbally attack her and she would just laugh it off and ask which book they read. That had to take a spine of steel. I couldn’t imagine being faced with that kind of hostility—like all your worst amazon reviews being shouted at you. *shudders*
I haven’t read a Jackie Collins book, but I may need to now. She didn’t make apologies for what she wrote or for her own saucy love life. Back in the 70s/80s, that was quite a revolutionary stance. We’ve come a long way, but as I mentioned, we still see versions of this now, so there’s still work to do. Fight the good fight, read sexy books. ;)
A loopy Christmas Rom-Com
This one has been sitting on my shelf for a year. I have this weird thing sometimes with authors who are auto-buys for me. I’ll buy their new release as soon as the book comes out, but then I sit on it. Not literally, but you know what mean. It’s almost like I’m afraid to be disappointed. Which would seem counterintuitive but actually has some merit when I look at my reading tracker. This year my success rate with repeat authors is only 60%, so 4 times out of 10 I don’t enjoy the repeat author. (Look! I can do math!)
But…I’m happy to report that wasn’t the case with this one. The writing team that makes up Christina Lauren have consistently given me books I’ve enjoyed. I can now add In a Holidaze to the successful stack!
About the book:
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.
But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.
The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.
My thoughts:
I love a Groundhog Day-style time loop. I think it pushes some “Id” button of mine because I love the idea of getting a do-over. You mess things up, you get another chance, and another, and another. Only pesky problem in a time loop? Sometimes you get stuck in it lol.
This was a sweet, funny, and romantic story with endearing characters, and it pushes all the Christmas-y buttons. Like just go down the checklist of cozy Christmas activities and this book hits it. I also like that it didn’t try to get into the science of why the time loop is happening. It just happens. Let’s focus on the romance, thank you.
So if you’re looking for a last-minute fun Christmas romance, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Romantic Movie Marathon
Title: Single All the Way
Release date: December 2021
Where to Watch: Netflix
Starring: Michael Urie, Philemon Chambers, Kathy Najimy
Official description from Netflix: Peter asks his best friend to pose as his boyfriend on a Christmas visit home, but their plan — and feelings — change when his family plays matchmaker.
My description: LGBTQ+ Christmas romance! We have a fake dating trope at the start. Peter finds out his boyfriend, whom he was supposed to be taking home for Christmas, is not a good guy. So not wanting to disappoint his very well-intentioned but meddling family, he asks his roommate Nick to come home with him and pretend they’re dating.
Nick agrees to go home for Christmas with him, but right from the start, he blows up the fake boyfriend plan because he’s 100% Nice Guy and just doesn’t want to lie to Peter’s family. So then Peter’s mom tries to set Peter up with a local guy. But the rest of Peter’s family, including two fantastic female teen cousins, really want Peter and Nick to get together. Meddling ensues.
My Review
1 . Is it actually a romance?
Yes, for sure.
2 . Romantic tropes
Fake-ish dating, friends to lovers, meddling family, home for Christmas, just one bed (set up by the teen cousins! lol)
3 . Sweet or steamy?
Sweet
4 . Swoonworthy love interest?
So much. Nick is just the sweetest and nicest guy. I love how he and Peter’s family also had kind of a falling in love with each other storyline.
5 . Would I want to be friends with the main character?
Yes, both leads were super fun and likable.
6 . Does it show its age?
New
7 . Would I rewatch?
Definitely. I was grinning the whole time.
8 . Favorite moments:
The teens setting up the “just one bed” scenario for the guys was so much fun. The Christmas pageant also made me laugh.
9 . Thoughts:
I loved the main characters, but I also adored the supporting cast. They really pulled off the warm family vibe. Kathy Najimy was great as the mom. The kids were fantastic. And the actress who I will always think of as “Stiffler’s mom” from American Pie offered some silly comic relief as the host of the local Christmas pageant. Also, I liked that the guy the mom set Peter up with was also a good guy. That showed that Peter had options and still chose his BFF.
Overall, this was just one of those feel-good Christmas movies that had me smiling and happy the whole time. Plus, dear film world, please bring us more LGBTQ+ love stories like this. It was such a treat.
10 . Rating: 4.5 stars
That’s all I have for you this week. If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a wonderful holiday!
I will just be over here trying to figure out how to get eight things in the oven with eight different cooking temperatures at the same time. Send help! ;)
Roni
*Book links are affiliate links (Amazon, Libro.fm, and/or Bookshop.org), which means I earn a small commission if you buy through my links. Also, I receive advanced listening copies of some audiobooks through Libro.fm’s Influencer program. However, all reviews and opinions are my own.
Thanks for sharing the Jackie Collins documentary. I read a number of her books when I was in my late teens/early twenties and remember really enjoying the stories. I don't recall a lot of salacious detail? But I do remember thinking the women in the books felt powerful, which was why I liked them. I'm sure viewed through today's lens, the stories are all sorts of problematic, but for when they were published, I think they were important. Just like 50 Shades. Love them or hate them, books like these open doors for readers and writers!
I read In a Holidaze last year and loved it. I get what you mean about holding onto books just in case, though. I do the same. Preorder certain authors and then wait six months to read the book because I'm so afraid it won't be what I need (want) it to be. :D
And agreed on Single All the Way. We need more LGBTQ+ rom coms minus the drama and full of tropey goodness. :)
I just watched Single All the Way this afternoon and loved it! I agree with all of your review. I was smiling through it and laughing at the family interactions. Definitely recommend it and would watch it again.