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The Holiday
Number one best-seller Jane Green - author of The Beach House and Spellbound - and her friends bring you this enchanting trio of tales for the holiday season.
If you had one wish this Christmas, what would it be?
Sarah wishes not to be lonely. She shouldn't be - not with Eddie, her husband, and their two children by her side ... but since Sarah waved farewell to the bright lights of the big city and moved to a picture perfect home in the country, her marriage is missing its usual sparkle. So when Eddie's job takes him away from home shortly before Christmas, the enforced break in their relationship - while tricky - probably couldn't have come at a better time.
But will his absence make her heart grow fonder? And if so, for whom? As seasonal cheer begins to flow, Sarah discovers rather a lot can happen in one holiday ... especially when it's Christmas.
Holiday - Jane Green
The Second Wife of Reilly - Jennifer Coburn
Mistletoe and Holly - Liz Ireland
If you had one wish this Christmas, what would it be?
Sarah wishes not to be lonely. She shouldn't be - not with Eddie, her husband, and their two children by her side ... but since Sarah waved farewell to the bright lights of the big city and moved to a picture perfect home in the country, her marriage is missing its usual sparkle. So when Eddie's job takes him away from home shortly before Christmas, the enforced break in their relationship - while tricky - probably couldn't have come at a better time.
But will his absence make her heart grow fonder? And if so, for whom? As seasonal cheer begins to flow, Sarah discovers rather a lot can happen in one holiday ... especially when it's Christmas.
Holiday - Jane Green
The Second Wife of Reilly - Jennifer Coburn
Mistletoe and Holly - Liz Ireland
391 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2005
209 people are currently reading
3089 people want to read
About the author
Jane Green
88 books8,710 followersJane Green's twenty first novel, Sister Stardust, is out April 5th 2022.
She is the author of eighteen previous New York Times Bestselling novels, and known as one of the world's leading authors in women's fiction, with over ten million books in print, and translations in over 25 languages.
Previous novels have included The Beach House, Second Chance, Jemima J, and Tempting Fate.
She joined the ABC News team to write their first enhanced digital book— about the history of Royal marriages, then joined ABC News as a live correspondent covering Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton.
A former journalist in the UK, she has had her own radio show on BBC Radio London, and is a regular contributor on radio and TV, including as well as regularly appearing on television shows including Good Morning America, The Martha Stewart show, and The Today Show.
Together with writing books and blogs, she contributes to various publications, both online and print, including anthologies and novellas, and features for The Huffington Post, The Sunday Times, Cosmopolitan and Self. She has taught at writers conferences, and does regular keynote speaking, and has a weekly column in The Lady magazine, England’s longest running weekly magazine.
A graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York, Green is bringing out her first cookbook: Good Taste , with Berkley in October 2016.
She is a storyteller for The Moth radio hour on NPR,
and lives in Westport, Connecticut with her husband and their blended family. When she is not writing, cooking, gardening, filling her house with friends and herding chickens, she is usually thanking the Lord for caffeine-filled energy drinks.
Jane's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jane-Gr...
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
She is the author of eighteen previous New York Times Bestselling novels, and known as one of the world's leading authors in women's fiction, with over ten million books in print, and translations in over 25 languages.
Previous novels have included The Beach House, Second Chance, Jemima J, and Tempting Fate.
She joined the ABC News team to write their first enhanced digital book— about the history of Royal marriages, then joined ABC News as a live correspondent covering Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton.
A former journalist in the UK, she has had her own radio show on BBC Radio London, and is a regular contributor on radio and TV, including as well as regularly appearing on television shows including Good Morning America, The Martha Stewart show, and The Today Show.
Together with writing books and blogs, she contributes to various publications, both online and print, including anthologies and novellas, and features for The Huffington Post, The Sunday Times, Cosmopolitan and Self. She has taught at writers conferences, and does regular keynote speaking, and has a weekly column in The Lady magazine, England’s longest running weekly magazine.
A graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York, Green is bringing out her first cookbook: Good Taste , with Berkley in October 2016.
She is a storyteller for The Moth radio hour on NPR,
and lives in Westport, Connecticut with her husband and their blended family. When she is not writing, cooking, gardening, filling her house with friends and herding chickens, she is usually thanking the Lord for caffeine-filled energy drinks.
Jane's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jane-Gr...
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
January 7, 2019
In the past I've had a mixed track record with these type of short story/novella collections featuring multiple authors. I usually think of these as cheap money grabs by the publisher as the stories are rarely the authors' best writings. While I thought 2 of the three stories in this one were okay, they weren't exactly memorable and so my 3 star rating for this book might be a tad generous.
Jane Green was the reason I decided to purchase this at a local used book store for a buck and to be quite honest I'm glad I didn't pay more than that. Her story in the collection featured a married couple that are having relationship problems. Actually all 3 of the stories are focused on romantic relationships. Liz Ireland's story was the only one that revolved around Christmas whereas with the other two the holiday didn't feature heavily into the plot. I was quite irritated when reading Jennifer Coburn's story as I found the main character to be annoying and the plot to be ridiculous.
I honestly don't recommend checking this one out unless you are a superfan of one or more of the authors. There's really nothing here that's going to knock your socks off.
Jane Green was the reason I decided to purchase this at a local used book store for a buck and to be quite honest I'm glad I didn't pay more than that. Her story in the collection featured a married couple that are having relationship problems. Actually all 3 of the stories are focused on romantic relationships. Liz Ireland's story was the only one that revolved around Christmas whereas with the other two the holiday didn't feature heavily into the plot. I was quite irritated when reading Jennifer Coburn's story as I found the main character to be annoying and the plot to be ridiculous.
I honestly don't recommend checking this one out unless you are a superfan of one or more of the authors. There's really nothing here that's going to knock your socks off.
June 10, 2017
Though all three of the stories were pretty good, my favorite was the third one, Mistletoe And Holly. <3
Individual ratings would go something like this:
The Holiday: 3 Stars.
The Second Wife Of Reilly: 2 Stars.
Mistletoe And Holly: 4.5 Stars.
Individual ratings would go something like this:
The Holiday: 3 Stars.
The Second Wife Of Reilly: 2 Stars.
Mistletoe And Holly: 4.5 Stars.
December 15, 2012
Enjoyed the first and the third story but could not get into the second at all.
January 7, 2016
I enjoyed both Jane Green and Liz Ireland's story, but I wasn't too keen on the one by Jennifer Coburn. I wouldn't recommend reading this if you are looking for a happy Christmas read as all three stories were quite depressing, even though they did end happily.
December 19, 2012
1.5 Stars
3 short stories by 3 authors. Jane Green's story was readable but, I was looking forward to a more realistic outcome. I enjoy Jane's books, but I felt cheated out of good story telling for a quick release of 3 bad Christmas stories. In this first one, Sarah and Eddie find themselves unhappy in their marriage. They moved to the suburbs, had children, grew fat and fell out of love. It was a bit unrealistic for me. In the next story by Jennifer Coburn, I simply lost interest. I don't relate to women's fiction where the main character is insecure and the story is about her tying to find her perfect husband's ex wife a new husband, even though this ex-wife left this perfect man in the first place. Yeah, I was confused to. The author's humor wasn't funny to me, which she added into each paragraph. Story 3 by Liz Ireland starts off with another woe is me I'm still single at Christmas character. Ahhh, just not my cup of tea.
3 short stories by 3 authors. Jane Green's story was readable but, I was looking forward to a more realistic outcome. I enjoy Jane's books, but I felt cheated out of good story telling for a quick release of 3 bad Christmas stories. In this first one, Sarah and Eddie find themselves unhappy in their marriage. They moved to the suburbs, had children, grew fat and fell out of love. It was a bit unrealistic for me. In the next story by Jennifer Coburn, I simply lost interest. I don't relate to women's fiction where the main character is insecure and the story is about her tying to find her perfect husband's ex wife a new husband, even though this ex-wife left this perfect man in the first place. Yeah, I was confused to. The author's humor wasn't funny to me, which she added into each paragraph. Story 3 by Liz Ireland starts off with another woe is me I'm still single at Christmas character. Ahhh, just not my cup of tea.
July 6, 2022
Christmas 2019 - Naughty
I just can't with this one.
The first story, "Vacation" by Jane Green was okay, not great. A married couple with kids fell out of love over time - can a Christmas miracle rekindle their relationship?
The second story, "The Second Wife of Riley" - OMG - I truly don't understand the target audience for this one: rich, spoiled, neurotic Manhattan socialites? Is that a big market?
I just can't with this one.
The first story, "Vacation" by Jane Green was okay, not great. A married couple with kids fell out of love over time - can a Christmas miracle rekindle their relationship?
The second story, "The Second Wife of Riley" - OMG - I truly don't understand the target audience for this one: rich, spoiled, neurotic Manhattan socialites? Is that a big market?
December 9, 2013
I received this book as a gift last Christmas, and being that it was too late to read it by then, I thought it would be perfect to read now in the run-up to this year's seasonal festivities.
Well, meh…
This book contains three short stories, all focusing on relationships around the Christmas period. The first story is by Jane Green and it involves a married couple going through difficulties during the "holiday season", as the Americans call it. It explored an interesting theme about marriage over the years, and how a husband and wife can lose sight of who they are and were, and while the husband was quite well depicted in what was a fairly short space of time, I'm afraid I just couldn't empathise with the wife. I'm not sure what it was about her, but when I think about it, I've found the female leads in the last few of Jane Green's books quite difficult to get a handle on. I don't personally find them as likeable as the heroines from her earlier "chick lit" books and I don't know whether this is because those heroines tended to be utterly average, just like you and me, whereas most of her recent female leads are women who often lead very privileged lives. Not sure -- jury still out on that one.
The second story is by Jennifer Coburn and revolves, from what I could glean over the course of the first few pages, around a new second wife who is hysterically obsessed by her husband's first wife and decides to try and marry her off to try and halt her unexplained obsession. After the first few pages I just gave up entirely. The characters were just unbelievable and I'd imagine, if I'd ever laid eyes on one of those "Desperate Real Housewives of the OC" programmes (which I haven't), that this is what they'd be like. I have better things to be reading, so I gave up on this story.
This book was saved (ish) at the last minute by the final story, by Liz Ireland. Focusing on the "black sheep" daughter of a family and her triumph at bringing home her great new boyfriend for the holidays, it is an amusing story about a family who surprises the female lead at their total reversal of behaviour, and her discovery of the truth about who she really wants to kiss under the mistletoe. The characters in this story were much more well drawn and I was happy with the ending of the story. Thank God for this one at the end, otherwise I do feel as if the whole book would have been a disaster!
Well, meh…
This book contains three short stories, all focusing on relationships around the Christmas period. The first story is by Jane Green and it involves a married couple going through difficulties during the "holiday season", as the Americans call it. It explored an interesting theme about marriage over the years, and how a husband and wife can lose sight of who they are and were, and while the husband was quite well depicted in what was a fairly short space of time, I'm afraid I just couldn't empathise with the wife. I'm not sure what it was about her, but when I think about it, I've found the female leads in the last few of Jane Green's books quite difficult to get a handle on. I don't personally find them as likeable as the heroines from her earlier "chick lit" books and I don't know whether this is because those heroines tended to be utterly average, just like you and me, whereas most of her recent female leads are women who often lead very privileged lives. Not sure -- jury still out on that one.
The second story is by Jennifer Coburn and revolves, from what I could glean over the course of the first few pages, around a new second wife who is hysterically obsessed by her husband's first wife and decides to try and marry her off to try and halt her unexplained obsession. After the first few pages I just gave up entirely. The characters were just unbelievable and I'd imagine, if I'd ever laid eyes on one of those "Desperate Real Housewives of the OC" programmes (which I haven't), that this is what they'd be like. I have better things to be reading, so I gave up on this story.
This book was saved (ish) at the last minute by the final story, by Liz Ireland. Focusing on the "black sheep" daughter of a family and her triumph at bringing home her great new boyfriend for the holidays, it is an amusing story about a family who surprises the female lead at their total reversal of behaviour, and her discovery of the truth about who she really wants to kiss under the mistletoe. The characters in this story were much more well drawn and I was happy with the ending of the story. Thank God for this one at the end, otherwise I do feel as if the whole book would have been a disaster!
November 28, 2017
Three very predictable, yet cute, short stories.
November 26, 2021
Didn’t realise this was short stories when I picked it up or wouldn’t have bothered. All predictable and although happy endings somehow depressive reads.
December 21, 2023
DNF. Depressing and angry to start and kept going.
January 12, 2013
I had only read one book written by Jane Green prior to this one, but it didn't stop me being very excited to pick this one up! I really enjoyed Green's fun and relaxed style of writing in Jemima J, and was even more impressed with her latest release, The Holiday. I was also impressed with the other two short stories, The Second Wife of Reilly by Jennifer Coburn and Mistletoe and Holly by Liz Ireland.
I am not usually completely taken by short stories, I prefer the depth of a longer novel, but I am happy to say that I enjoyed this book a lot. Admittedly, I enjoyed Holiday and Mistletoe and Holly substantially more than The Second Wife of Reilly, but it was always a pleasure to pick up this book for some light festive reading. This is a very unchallenging book and with it's very tame content, suitable for both young adults and adults alike.
In Holiday, our main characters are Sarah and Eddie, a couple who used to be blissfully in love, but unfortunately are struggling - both seem to have stopped caring for themselves as much as they used to, and Sarah feels as though she's become a one-parent family. When Eddie is offered a job away from home, the couple decide on a temporary break so that they can assess both their relationship and themselves. I liked the authenticity of this story - it seemed the most realistic of the three and had a good amount of substance. The relationship was really well explored and I also loved the extra element that the children added to the book. This was a really warming, festive start to the book and I couldn't wait to see what the next story brought!
The Second Wife of Reilly was the second short story in the book. In this story, we are introduced to Sarah, wife to Reilly, a nice, trustworthy man - the only problem is that she's worried that Prudence, his ex-wife might try to get back with him. Sarah, along with a friend, decides to try and find a partner for Prudence by pretending to be her on the internet. To be honest, the story was very farfetched and utterly unrealistic, yet it still managed to be readable - I found whole thing silly, yet humorous. This isn't a story that you'll enjoy if you're seriously analysing or criticising it, but as an unchallenging work of fiction, it's decent.
The final story in the book was Mistletoe and Holly. Holly and her childhood friend, Isaac, are heading home for Christmas with one difference this year - Holly is taking her new boyfriend, Jason, to meet her family. Unfortunately, Jason doesn't turn out to be as perfect as he first seems. This story is very predictable, but it is also very, very sweet which definitely outweighs the predictability! Though this story was a little more uneven, or not as solid, as Holiday, I did find this the most enjoyable story of the three. It was probably the most 'Christmassy' feeling of the three too, which meant it was a lovely ending to the book.
I would recommend this book to those who like festive reads and to anyone who likes chick-lit. It's not a perfectly written book, but it is perfectly enjoyable! I would certainly like to read more books by Jane Green in the future and I'm also interested in checking out more of Liz Ireland's work after this book.
I am not usually completely taken by short stories, I prefer the depth of a longer novel, but I am happy to say that I enjoyed this book a lot. Admittedly, I enjoyed Holiday and Mistletoe and Holly substantially more than The Second Wife of Reilly, but it was always a pleasure to pick up this book for some light festive reading. This is a very unchallenging book and with it's very tame content, suitable for both young adults and adults alike.
In Holiday, our main characters are Sarah and Eddie, a couple who used to be blissfully in love, but unfortunately are struggling - both seem to have stopped caring for themselves as much as they used to, and Sarah feels as though she's become a one-parent family. When Eddie is offered a job away from home, the couple decide on a temporary break so that they can assess both their relationship and themselves. I liked the authenticity of this story - it seemed the most realistic of the three and had a good amount of substance. The relationship was really well explored and I also loved the extra element that the children added to the book. This was a really warming, festive start to the book and I couldn't wait to see what the next story brought!
The Second Wife of Reilly was the second short story in the book. In this story, we are introduced to Sarah, wife to Reilly, a nice, trustworthy man - the only problem is that she's worried that Prudence, his ex-wife might try to get back with him. Sarah, along with a friend, decides to try and find a partner for Prudence by pretending to be her on the internet. To be honest, the story was very farfetched and utterly unrealistic, yet it still managed to be readable - I found whole thing silly, yet humorous. This isn't a story that you'll enjoy if you're seriously analysing or criticising it, but as an unchallenging work of fiction, it's decent.
The final story in the book was Mistletoe and Holly. Holly and her childhood friend, Isaac, are heading home for Christmas with one difference this year - Holly is taking her new boyfriend, Jason, to meet her family. Unfortunately, Jason doesn't turn out to be as perfect as he first seems. This story is very predictable, but it is also very, very sweet which definitely outweighs the predictability! Though this story was a little more uneven, or not as solid, as Holiday, I did find this the most enjoyable story of the three. It was probably the most 'Christmassy' feeling of the three too, which meant it was a lovely ending to the book.
I would recommend this book to those who like festive reads and to anyone who likes chick-lit. It's not a perfectly written book, but it is perfectly enjoyable! I would certainly like to read more books by Jane Green in the future and I'm also interested in checking out more of Liz Ireland's work after this book.
December 27, 2013
I received this as a somewhat unexpected gift for Christmas. I may read the occasional Historical, but the wide field of Contemporary Romance is new to me. These were published in 2005, so they're not even that contemporary anymore, but that's nitpicking. And there's no need to nitpick, they're bad enough in the broad picture. Three novellas, all by different authors, of whom one is probably more famous than the two others, I wouldn't know. They all share a lose Christmas theme and not much else.
Novella number one was a forgettable little number about a married couple that had fallen out of love and found love again after a separation and an overhaul of their respective selves. I learned that a make-over in a book reads quite unsatisfying. Give me an 80s montage in a movie any day. Two stars.
Novella number two made me angry. The story was a convoluted mess about the titular second wife of Reilly finding new love for his first wive, who had once upon a time found love in shape of our heroine for her husband when she wanted to marry another man from whom she's now separated. Yeah... The characters were grating, the humour painful, and well, there wasn't really a story at all. No stars, so there.
Novella number three was bliss in comparison, though not much to write home about seperately either. Late twenties heroine finds that Love Has Been There All Along and has a weird family. Marian Keyes the writer is not, but at least this story was entertaining and didn't make me want to climb into the book and set things on fire. Three stars.
Novella number one was a forgettable little number about a married couple that had fallen out of love and found love again after a separation and an overhaul of their respective selves. I learned that a make-over in a book reads quite unsatisfying. Give me an 80s montage in a movie any day. Two stars.
Novella number two made me angry. The story was a convoluted mess about the titular second wife of Reilly finding new love for his first wive, who had once upon a time found love in shape of our heroine for her husband when she wanted to marry another man from whom she's now separated. Yeah... The characters were grating, the humour painful, and well, there wasn't really a story at all. No stars, so there.
Novella number three was bliss in comparison, though not much to write home about seperately either. Late twenties heroine finds that Love Has Been There All Along and has a weird family. Marian Keyes the writer is not, but at least this story was entertaining and didn't make me want to climb into the book and set things on fire. Three stars.
November 7, 2014
From New York Times best-selling chick-lit author Green, along with Coburn and Ireland, comes this irresistible Christmas collection of three sweet, sexy holiday stories where romance is the gift that keeps on giving.
I LOVE the holidays, especially Christmas. I am not a huge fan of short stories however, I thought this was done very well. It just gives you the holiday spirit and melts your cold heart. I highly recommend this if you want a good holiday book, to get you in the mood, or to stop you from being the Grinch.
I LOVE the holidays, especially Christmas. I am not a huge fan of short stories however, I thought this was done very well. It just gives you the holiday spirit and melts your cold heart. I highly recommend this if you want a good holiday book, to get you in the mood, or to stop you from being the Grinch.
November 29, 2019
Very disappointed. I love Jane Green, and this part was ok. What I wasn't expecting was for there to be 3 completely seperate stories that are just not long enough to get into. The stories still have that same build up, but instead it feels like pages of the book were torn out! I do not recommend this book.
June 23, 2017
Better read in December not as I did in the summer
Read
December 19, 2020So that was CORNY AND SAPPY. Yet I didn't hate it. ;)
December 3, 2024
Meh. Trite. Incongruous details. Almost Hallmark.
February 13, 2018
Didn't really like it - book didn't gave must substance and was very short.
January 11, 2025
With my extended December vacation looming in front of me and the need for some Christmas reading to be downloaded onto my Kindle for my trip, I chose this book out of desperation. (None of the other Christmas stories I really wanted were available from my library without a lengthy wait.) These three novellas were so nondescript that now, less than a month later, I cannot remember a thing about any of them. I can tell you for sure that they did not put me in a Christmas mood.
December 16, 2016
This is actually three novellas in one, the credited author, Jane Green, having written the first story about a marriage that is falling apart mainly due to them not making the effort anymore. The classic tale of the husband that works hard and spends his night in front of the television with his beer and the young wife that keeps the home and raises the children without his involvement and she finally gets fed up, thinking their marriage has no more life in it and feeling a sense of loss as to who she is. Both of them have changed and both of them need to find themselves again and find their priorities.
The second story, written by Jennifer Coburn, is about a newlywed wife who finds herself obsessed with her husbands first wife. They have a happy marriage but her obsession could threaten that. She decides the way to make sure the ex is out of their lives (though she isn't in their life) is to find a new man for her rival. Her best friend reluctantly helps and they enlist the services of one of the ex's friends. There's more to her seemingly sudden obsession, however and she must confront her past before she can have a future with her new husband.
The last story, written by Liz Ireland, is about a woman who is single and finds her family's high standards make her feel like she's always looking for approval. Everyone else in her family seems to have a perfect life, her brother with is picture perfect family and her sister with her medical career and non stop sequence of serial "fiances". Christmas at her family home is like a perfect Christmas card. She starts dating a man who also seems to be perfect and brings him home for the holidays only to find her own family in utter disarray and true love might have been right under her nose all along.
I didn't like the first story all that much. It was a bit too cliched, which is saying something since most of these types of stories are romantic and predictable with happy endings. The second story was better with a nice emotional undertone pulling her back to her past and the third one was probably my favourite. It was also a standard issue plot but I liked the characters and the way it was written. I think I would read more by Ms. Ireland or at least investigate her books. Good Christmas reads and perfect for this time of year.
The second story, written by Jennifer Coburn, is about a newlywed wife who finds herself obsessed with her husbands first wife. They have a happy marriage but her obsession could threaten that. She decides the way to make sure the ex is out of their lives (though she isn't in their life) is to find a new man for her rival. Her best friend reluctantly helps and they enlist the services of one of the ex's friends. There's more to her seemingly sudden obsession, however and she must confront her past before she can have a future with her new husband.
The last story, written by Liz Ireland, is about a woman who is single and finds her family's high standards make her feel like she's always looking for approval. Everyone else in her family seems to have a perfect life, her brother with is picture perfect family and her sister with her medical career and non stop sequence of serial "fiances". Christmas at her family home is like a perfect Christmas card. She starts dating a man who also seems to be perfect and brings him home for the holidays only to find her own family in utter disarray and true love might have been right under her nose all along.
I didn't like the first story all that much. It was a bit too cliched, which is saying something since most of these types of stories are romantic and predictable with happy endings. The second story was better with a nice emotional undertone pulling her back to her past and the third one was probably my favourite. It was also a standard issue plot but I liked the characters and the way it was written. I think I would read more by Ms. Ireland or at least investigate her books. Good Christmas reads and perfect for this time of year.
April 1, 2017
3 contemporary Christmas stories. None of which have ANY sex.
Jane Green - 4 stars. WOW! This starts out as a sad story. Married couple who used to be madly in love, now... not so much. He gets transfered to Chicago & she thinks it's a sign to seperate. As they spend time apart, they both begin to take stock of their relationship. Can it be saved? You've got to read the story (but would I give it 4 stars if they can't?).
Jennifer Coburn - a reluctant 3 stars. I really didn't want to like this one. A whole novel was apparently written about Reilly & his effed up 1st wife. She's a dingbat who cheats on him at her high school reunion, then wants to divorce him. Her antics are recalled throughout this story & BOY am I glad I never read THAT one!! Reilly is now married to Sarah & she's feeling insecure about the 1st wife trying to get Reilly back (he'd have to be a brain dead IDIOT!), so she's trying to get #1 married off again. It's kind of a goofy story, but some of it actually works for me. It's not a story I re-read every year. Probably because Reilly is in very little of it.
Liz Ireland - 3 stars. A great holiday story about a girl coming home for the holidays with a stud boyfriend. Her best friend (also a boy)comes along for the ride. He's obviously her match made in heaven (to everyone but them). She comes home to a family in shambles. Kind of fun in a train wreak kind of way.
Merry Christmas!
Jane Green - 4 stars. WOW! This starts out as a sad story. Married couple who used to be madly in love, now... not so much. He gets transfered to Chicago & she thinks it's a sign to seperate. As they spend time apart, they both begin to take stock of their relationship. Can it be saved? You've got to read the story (but would I give it 4 stars if they can't?).
Jennifer Coburn - a reluctant 3 stars. I really didn't want to like this one. A whole novel was apparently written about Reilly & his effed up 1st wife. She's a dingbat who cheats on him at her high school reunion, then wants to divorce him. Her antics are recalled throughout this story & BOY am I glad I never read THAT one!! Reilly is now married to Sarah & she's feeling insecure about the 1st wife trying to get Reilly back (he'd have to be a brain dead IDIOT!), so she's trying to get #1 married off again. It's kind of a goofy story, but some of it actually works for me. It's not a story I re-read every year. Probably because Reilly is in very little of it.
Liz Ireland - 3 stars. A great holiday story about a girl coming home for the holidays with a stud boyfriend. Her best friend (also a boy)comes along for the ride. He's obviously her match made in heaven (to everyone but them). She comes home to a family in shambles. Kind of fun in a train wreak kind of way.
Merry Christmas!
December 18, 2012
Don't waste your time. I'm not a big fan of short stories. They're just, well... short! By the time you get hooked the story is over. These were generic, predictable "love stories". Here they are in a nut shell. I suppose I'll put spoiler tags for anyone who couldn't guess the outcome after the first two pages...
The two stars are for story 3 because the best friend was a likable guy.
Glad I didn't pay for this book... what a waste of time.
The two stars are for story 3 because the best friend was a likable guy.
Glad I didn't pay for this book... what a waste of time.
February 3, 2011
This was a good reads book that I won November 15th. It didn't come by mail until late January. I would have rather read during the holidays since all 3 stories are Christmas related.
I enjoyed story 1. I especially liked how Sarah & Eddie each grow and change and make good on mistakes made. I wished the story would have continued a bit more before ending abruptly. Yeah for Eddie for working hard and having faith in their marriage. All in all it was a cute Christmas story.
Book 2 I would have skipped if it wasnt a goodreads win. I hated how neurotic that Sarah was. She was deceptive with Reilly which seemed strange considering that his first wife was the same way. I felt the crude language could have been left out all together. The book was getting slightly better once she comes clean with Reilly on the last 9 pages of the book. WAY too late. Very unrealistic and whiney. I don't recommend reading this one.
Book 3 was really cute. It was a bit predictable but fun to read throughout. The irony was great. The characters made me smile and made me laugh. I would really be interested in reading more from Liz Ireland.
I enjoyed story 1. I especially liked how Sarah & Eddie each grow and change and make good on mistakes made. I wished the story would have continued a bit more before ending abruptly. Yeah for Eddie for working hard and having faith in their marriage. All in all it was a cute Christmas story.
Book 2 I would have skipped if it wasnt a goodreads win. I hated how neurotic that Sarah was. She was deceptive with Reilly which seemed strange considering that his first wife was the same way. I felt the crude language could have been left out all together. The book was getting slightly better once she comes clean with Reilly on the last 9 pages of the book. WAY too late. Very unrealistic and whiney. I don't recommend reading this one.
Book 3 was really cute. It was a bit predictable but fun to read throughout. The irony was great. The characters made me smile and made me laugh. I would really be interested in reading more from Liz Ireland.
December 21, 2012
Ok, so this is a book with three short stories. And again, I'm not a huge fan of the short story--just to quick to wrap up stories for me. I decided to rate these individually.
"Vacation" by Jane Green:
This is the one I looked foward to the most, because I really like Jane Green. Unfortunately, I only give it three stars. It was an ok story, but there was virtually no ending--it wrapped up in like 2 paragraphs and I was confused--as though I was missing pages. It was almost like the author was given so many pages to fit her story into and took too many of them with the rest of the story and had to wrap it up in two pages. Kind of ruined it for me.
"The Second Wife of Reilly" by Jennifer Coburn:
Two stars for this one. And that's generous. Didn't really like it start to finish. Main character was a whiner--someone who had it all, but was still unhappy. Not much more to say about it than that.
"Mistletoe & Holly" by Liz Ireland
Solid two stars for this one too. It was just rather depressing. Not a jolly holiday story at all.
"Vacation" by Jane Green:
This is the one I looked foward to the most, because I really like Jane Green. Unfortunately, I only give it three stars. It was an ok story, but there was virtually no ending--it wrapped up in like 2 paragraphs and I was confused--as though I was missing pages. It was almost like the author was given so many pages to fit her story into and took too many of them with the rest of the story and had to wrap it up in two pages. Kind of ruined it for me.
"The Second Wife of Reilly" by Jennifer Coburn:
Two stars for this one. And that's generous. Didn't really like it start to finish. Main character was a whiner--someone who had it all, but was still unhappy. Not much more to say about it than that.
"Mistletoe & Holly" by Liz Ireland
Solid two stars for this one too. It was just rather depressing. Not a jolly holiday story at all.
February 26, 2011
This book is a compilation of three short stories by three different authors, all focused on very different events in women's lives at Christmas. They are all clever, humorous depictions of emotional dilemmas which seem like they might be best serialized in a woman's magazine. The book is an entertaining, light read, but certainly not terribly impressive nor memorable. It would probably make an appropriate gift for a female friend, as many women could relate to the situations described: disappointment with an emotionally empty marriage, jealousy of your new husband's ex-wife, and always feeling in the shadow of a too-perfect sibling. Of the three stories, the last was my favorite, as I enjoyed the plot, humor and the writing style of Liz Ireland more than those of Jane Green and Jennifer Coburn. I won this book through Goodreads.com in November, but it took nearly three months to receive it, which meant the Christmas theme was no longer timely by the time I read it!
February 4, 2011
This book is three novellas by three different authors. I got through the first, "Vacation," and while I wouldn't hold it up as a standard of great writing, I got through it and even liked how it made me appreciate my family more. I wasn't impressed by the author's use of profanity, though.
Unfortunately, I made it only partway through "The Second Wife of Reilly" before I put down the book, and I'm not going to pick it up again. I have no desire to read female locker room–type talk, nor the excessive profanity that accompanies it. Authors write this sort of thing under the guise of reality, but in truth, I know no one who talks like this, and I choose to read books that will uplift and inspire me, not drag me down.
I received a copy of this book through the GoodReads First Reads program.
Unfortunately, I made it only partway through "The Second Wife of Reilly" before I put down the book, and I'm not going to pick it up again. I have no desire to read female locker room–type talk, nor the excessive profanity that accompanies it. Authors write this sort of thing under the guise of reality, but in truth, I know no one who talks like this, and I choose to read books that will uplift and inspire me, not drag me down.
I received a copy of this book through the GoodReads First Reads program.
October 2, 2013
This book comprises three different seasonal stories by different authors. The first story "Holiday" by Jane Green is a great read regarding a relationship between husband and wife and what their combined life means to each other when they are together and when apart. It deals with how reliant you become and how you can take each other for granted.
The second called "The Second Wife Of Reilly" by Jennifer Coburn did nothing for me. I found the story line silly - so much so that reading two thirds of the story I fast-forwarded to the third story in the book.
The third story is called "Mistletoe & Holly" by Liz Ireland. I enjoyed this, although at times it seemed a little drawn out.
I don't know that I would recommend anybody to read this book as I felt the middle story let the other two down.
The second called "The Second Wife Of Reilly" by Jennifer Coburn did nothing for me. I found the story line silly - so much so that reading two thirds of the story I fast-forwarded to the third story in the book.
The third story is called "Mistletoe & Holly" by Liz Ireland. I enjoyed this, although at times it seemed a little drawn out.
I don't know that I would recommend anybody to read this book as I felt the middle story let the other two down.
December 28, 2016
I think the price I paid for this book was worth it (I bought it from the dollar store). I don't think they are bad stories, I just don't think they hit the genre I enjoy. I had a hard time staying interested, especially in the second story. I just felt like most of the stories had no climax, but then again suspense and mystery romance are my favorite books to read.
My favorite out of the three stories was the first one. I just enjoyed it the most. The second story was really hard to get through. I felt like there was no climax and kept asking "what's the point of this story?" I sort of enjoyed the third story, just not as much as the first one. The excerpt after the third story did seem to catch some interest in me and I may look into reading that book.
Again, the stars I give this is mostly based off maybe just not being a genre I enjoy.
My favorite out of the three stories was the first one. I just enjoyed it the most. The second story was really hard to get through. I felt like there was no climax and kept asking "what's the point of this story?" I sort of enjoyed the third story, just not as much as the first one. The excerpt after the third story did seem to catch some interest in me and I may look into reading that book.
Again, the stars I give this is mostly based off maybe just not being a genre I enjoy.
March 16, 2014
I am not a big fan of short story collections, I have read quite a few in the past and have never been too impressed with any of them but for some reason I still feel compelled to purchase them in hope that "this one will be different". Well `THIS CHRISTMAS' was definitely different! This is the best short story collection that I have ever read hands down. Each story put a smile on my face and kept me totally enthralled. I like that there were only three stories to this collection so I was able to actually care about these characters and what happened to them. My favorite story was `MISTLETOE AND HOLLY' by Liz Ireland, this story which was the longest of the three was smart, funny and heartwarming. `THIS CHRISTMAS' is a definite must read to get you going for the holiday season!
July 30, 2018
I enjoyed all three of these stories to be honest even if I did read them at the height of summer :-)
The Holiday - Brilliantly told short chick-lit. Easy to read and an all too real story told of a married couple who have become stuck in a rut. The only thing I found was that the last chapter seemed more rushed than the others. It was quite a build up that led to a very short conclusion. Still very enjoyable though.
Second wife of Reilly - An enjoyable and easy to read short chick-lit. The story was funny and a little bit unrealistic (but that's sometimes what you need)!
Mistletoe and Holly - A feel good and heart warming Christmas story. It gave me that fuzzy feeling - even in the middle of August. Believable and endearing characters - even the annoying ones.
The Holiday - Brilliantly told short chick-lit. Easy to read and an all too real story told of a married couple who have become stuck in a rut. The only thing I found was that the last chapter seemed more rushed than the others. It was quite a build up that led to a very short conclusion. Still very enjoyable though.
Second wife of Reilly - An enjoyable and easy to read short chick-lit. The story was funny and a little bit unrealistic (but that's sometimes what you need)!
Mistletoe and Holly - A feel good and heart warming Christmas story. It gave me that fuzzy feeling - even in the middle of August. Believable and endearing characters - even the annoying ones.
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