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Trading Christmas / The Forgetful Bride
Everyone wants to be home for the holidays . . .
Trading Christmas
Emily Springer trades her Leavenworth, Washington, home for Charles Brewster's Boston condo. Then Emily's friend Faith comes to visit her in Washington -- and instead finds Charles, a complete stranger and a curmudgeon, to boot. His brother, Ray, meanwhile shows up at Charlie's place, only to discover Emily living there. But through all the mix-ups and misunderstandings, among the chaos and confusion, romance begins to emerge . . .
The Forgetful Bride
Caitlin Marshall's trying to go home to Minnesota, but at the last minute she gives her airline ticket to a stranded soldier. So Cait spends Christmas with Joe Rockwell, who was a childhood friend -- and is still a terrible tease, claiming that Cait's his wife. Oh, sure, they were "married" in a pretend ceremony when she was eight, but now Joe wants to make their "marriage" real!
368 pages, Paperback
First published October 25, 2011
387 people are currently reading
2582 people want to read
About the author
Debbie Macomber
895 books20.6k followersDebbie Macomber is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers with more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. In her novels, Macomber brings to life compelling relationships that embrace family and enduring friendships, uplifting her readers with stories of connection and hope. Macomber’s novels have spent over 1,000 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Fifteen of these novels hit the number one spot.
In 2023, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publication includes Must Love Flowers (July). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published three bestselling cookbooks, three adult coloring books, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books.
Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and six have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons.
She serves on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, is a YFC National Ambassador, and is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington, the town which inspired the Cedar Cove series.
In 2023, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publication includes Must Love Flowers (July). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published three bestselling cookbooks, three adult coloring books, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books.
Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and six have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons.
She serves on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, is a YFC National Ambassador, and is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington, the town which inspired the Cedar Cove series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 436 reviews
November 28, 2011
Really good Holiday read which is typical of Debbie Macomber. I know when picking up one of her books that I am always going to get a nice easy read full of unrealistic romance and Christmas fun, which is ultimately what I am looking for in a Christmas book. I read nothing but Christmas books from about the last week of November until Christmas and it is a time to put away the thinking caps and my usual genres and just lay back with an easy read with a happy Christmas ending and she does it every time. I cannot realistically give it 5 stars cause its too simple and chintzy, but definitely recommend if thats what youre in the mood for this time of year
February 20, 2016
Two books in one by Debbie Macomber, Trading Christmas /The Forgetful Bride.
Wonderful Christmas stories that are always a joy to read. I picked this up because I have read the author before and like her work. These stories did not dissapoint. If you like happy loving Christmas stories this is a must read.
Wonderful Christmas stories that are always a joy to read. I picked this up because I have read the author before and like her work. These stories did not dissapoint. If you like happy loving Christmas stories this is a must read.
December 20, 2019
I absolutely love the first story. The second story was good but not as good as the first.
December 7, 2018
It wasn’t a bad book but it was so Hallmark and predictable. I felt like the author really developed one character/romance storyline and then just kind of threw the other one in and didn’t develop it as well. The whole daughter storyline was lost on me. The book would have been fine without it for sure. For a cheesy easy fun book club read it was perfect. If you are looking for a well written plot look elsewhere. I also somehow accidentally bought what looks to be the sequel so guess I will read it as my OCD tendencies require it.
November 7, 2011
I'm not going to regurgitate the plot; the description and the other reviews do that just fine. I had low expectations on this book- my experience with Christmas fiction is pretty spotty. It started out fine; the character quirks were amusing, but after a little while it started to grate on me.
Things I learned from this book:
1) The way to a man's heart is to cook for him. They lose all rational thought when you cook for them.
2) Boys in school = good, non-educated Harley riders = bad. (Also, people your mother approves of = good.) (Also beer=bad, wine=good.)
3) The characters all seemed a lot older than described. Emily was traditional, diminutive, and acted like a widow of 65, not 40. Faith acted like an old divorced woman with no hope for love or children- at 30. The characters were also cookie-cutter types, especially Charles and his mother.
4) When you leave a chapter at a cliffhanger, "OMG the overbearing mother has arrived to find us giggling and cooking together like a couple!" when you next return to their story, it's OK to skip over the very interesting action that would have happened, have the characters breathe a sigh of relief after mother has gone, and then just have them tell what happened in brief exposition. Exposition is ALWAYS more exciting than action.
5) I'm learning that soft, easy Christmas stories like to do the opposite of other plots: the scary, tense, exciting part (the climax) is at the beginning - oh noes, we are all displaced without loved ones, and in some cases forced to be with people we would rather not be with! - and then things just gently get better and better with no real threat to happiness once it is established. I kept waiting for the "Boy loses girl" part of the story to come, and it was never even threatened.
Vastly disappointing.
Things I learned from this book:
1) The way to a man's heart is to cook for him. They lose all rational thought when you cook for them.
2) Boys in school = good, non-educated Harley riders = bad. (Also, people your mother approves of = good.) (Also beer=bad, wine=good.)
3) The characters all seemed a lot older than described. Emily was traditional, diminutive, and acted like a widow of 65, not 40. Faith acted like an old divorced woman with no hope for love or children- at 30. The characters were also cookie-cutter types, especially Charles and his mother.
4) When you leave a chapter at a cliffhanger, "OMG the overbearing mother has arrived to find us giggling and cooking together like a couple!" when you next return to their story, it's OK to skip over the very interesting action that would have happened, have the characters breathe a sigh of relief after mother has gone, and then just have them tell what happened in brief exposition. Exposition is ALWAYS more exciting than action.
5) I'm learning that soft, easy Christmas stories like to do the opposite of other plots: the scary, tense, exciting part (the climax) is at the beginning - oh noes, we are all displaced without loved ones, and in some cases forced to be with people we would rather not be with! - and then things just gently get better and better with no real threat to happiness once it is established. I kept waiting for the "Boy loses girl" part of the story to come, and it was never even threatened.
Vastly disappointing.
October 6, 2015
This is a cute, romantic Christmas story. There are so many misunderstandings and surprises that it is any wonder there will be a Christmas for these lonely people. So many twists and turns that keep you wondering what is going to happen next. It has humor and some sadness but you will love the way it all ends. I loved every minute of this story. A great read for the Christmas season!
December 5, 2015
so the urgent care told me there is a 2 hr wait to see dr so was reading this in the waiting room, well it passed the time. Maybe if I was more in holiday spirit I would enjoy it more, cutesy but predictable (but really what's wrong with Christmas in Florida? this author makes it sound just awful)cute romantic book!
April 8, 2020
Just not my thing
December 21, 2025
I have read many books written by Debbie Macomber, so I was anxious to read "Trading Christmas." (I did *not* read the Bonus Story, " The Forgetful Bride.")
"Trading Christmas" begins three weeks before Christmas and ends on Christmas Day.
Emily finds out her 21-year-old daughter, Heather, is not coming home for Christmas. Emily decides to surprise her daughter by flying to Boston where Heather goes to college. A secondary storyline... Faith, Emily's friend, decides to surprise Emily by flying out to Washington.
Here's where the boys come in. Charles is a Scrooge-type who swaps houses with Emily on a Trading Homes website. Faith is surprised when she visits Washington.
Ray is Charles's brother who visits Boston only to find Emily answering Charles's door.
The romance is between Charles & Faith... and Emily & Ray. Relationships develop quickly... with even talks of marriage. These love stories last two weeks.
"She was invigorated by everything she'd seen and done - and utterly charmed by Ray" (pg. 119).
There is an Epilogue of what happens one year later. Emily & Ray are married and she lives in New York with him. Charles & Faith are married with a baby on the way.
Book tropes include: a story of first impressions, accidental meetings, comedy of errors, animal humor (involving a goat and a lobster) and of course, Christmas romance.
"I can't imagine anyone I'd rather spend Christmas with" (pg. 107).
Heather's story is that she rides off with Elijah on a motorcycle ride with his biker friends from Boston to Florida. Heather leaves Elijah mid-vacation and instead, decides she wants to be with her mother for Christmas.
"People didn't outgrow their need for a Christmas stocking or decorating a tree or hot apple cider on Christmas Eve" (pg. 128).
There are quite a few curse words in the text.
The romance between Emily & Ray is spicy! 🔥🔥🔥
I would give "Trading Christmas" a PG rating.
"Trading Christmas" is a mixture of: the (2006) film, The Holiday + Hallmark + a Debbie Macomber-style.
The Christmas elements in this story: carolers, sledding, lights, Santa and six elves, live Nativity, baking cookies, building snowmen, and snowball fights.
"A one-horse open sleigh drove past, bells ringing, resembling something straight off a Christmas card" (pg. 48).
"Everything's going to work out for the best. Just wait and see" (pg. 143).
Is the Book "Trading Christmas" better than the Movie version?
Find out on my Blog Series titled: Book Vs Movie ->
https://www.sunshinerodgers.com/movie...
"Trading Christmas" begins three weeks before Christmas and ends on Christmas Day.
Emily finds out her 21-year-old daughter, Heather, is not coming home for Christmas. Emily decides to surprise her daughter by flying to Boston where Heather goes to college. A secondary storyline... Faith, Emily's friend, decides to surprise Emily by flying out to Washington.
Here's where the boys come in. Charles is a Scrooge-type who swaps houses with Emily on a Trading Homes website. Faith is surprised when she visits Washington.
Ray is Charles's brother who visits Boston only to find Emily answering Charles's door.
The romance is between Charles & Faith... and Emily & Ray. Relationships develop quickly... with even talks of marriage. These love stories last two weeks.
"She was invigorated by everything she'd seen and done - and utterly charmed by Ray" (pg. 119).
There is an Epilogue of what happens one year later. Emily & Ray are married and she lives in New York with him. Charles & Faith are married with a baby on the way.
Book tropes include: a story of first impressions, accidental meetings, comedy of errors, animal humor (involving a goat and a lobster) and of course, Christmas romance.
"I can't imagine anyone I'd rather spend Christmas with" (pg. 107).
Heather's story is that she rides off with Elijah on a motorcycle ride with his biker friends from Boston to Florida. Heather leaves Elijah mid-vacation and instead, decides she wants to be with her mother for Christmas.
"People didn't outgrow their need for a Christmas stocking or decorating a tree or hot apple cider on Christmas Eve" (pg. 128).
There are quite a few curse words in the text.
The romance between Emily & Ray is spicy! 🔥🔥🔥
I would give "Trading Christmas" a PG rating.
"Trading Christmas" is a mixture of: the (2006) film, The Holiday + Hallmark + a Debbie Macomber-style.
The Christmas elements in this story: carolers, sledding, lights, Santa and six elves, live Nativity, baking cookies, building snowmen, and snowball fights.
"A one-horse open sleigh drove past, bells ringing, resembling something straight off a Christmas card" (pg. 48).
"Everything's going to work out for the best. Just wait and see" (pg. 143).
Is the Book "Trading Christmas" better than the Movie version?
Find out on my Blog Series titled: Book Vs Movie ->
https://www.sunshinerodgers.com/movie...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2018
Typical latter day Debbie Macomber, unfortunately. In this case the movie was better thanks to the charm and the appeal of the actors. And instead of the wacky charm of the movie character of Faith, we have a nice woman, with absolutely nothing compelling or interesting or amusing about her. Same with all of the other characters. Very stale. The actual plot had a lot of promise. some scenes were mildly amusing, but could have been laugh out loud funny.
Debbie’s tone with the reader is as a kindergarten teacher with her 5 year olds: over explaining, keeping it simple so we understand, and repeating constantly lest we forget. It’s almost insulting. It’s too bad, because she used to be one of the best. Many of her old Silhouette Special editions were worth rereading several or more times.
Debbie’s tone with the reader is as a kindergarten teacher with her 5 year olds: over explaining, keeping it simple so we understand, and repeating constantly lest we forget. It’s almost insulting. It’s too bad, because she used to be one of the best. Many of her old Silhouette Special editions were worth rereading several or more times.
December 7, 2023
3.75 ⭐️ slightly cringy narrator…. I also kind of like the movie more 😂
November 18, 2011
I've read some of the other comments made which were critical of this book and on some levels I can understand those criticisms. This book is definitely white bread, I might even go so far as to say it's vacuous, but I think there is a place for books like this.
It's fluff, but it's entertaining enough and not all that taxing.
I probably wouldn't have read it except for the fact that my copy of "Welcome to Harmony" by Jodi Thomas was missing chapters and the chapters I did have were all out of order. No problem there, the supplier is sending me a new copy but until the replacement arrives I don't particularly want to read anything challenging and for me this book fits the bill.
It's fluff, but it's entertaining enough and not all that taxing.
I probably wouldn't have read it except for the fact that my copy of "Welcome to Harmony" by Jodi Thomas was missing chapters and the chapters I did have were all out of order. No problem there, the supplier is sending me a new copy but until the replacement arrives I don't particularly want to read anything challenging and for me this book fits the bill.
June 25, 2016
This was 2 books in one volume. Both were light and fluffy. I wanted a Christmas story. A couple friends had raved about Debbie Macomber so I gave this a try. The first story (Trading Christmas) was enjoyable but light and predictable. The second story (The Forgetful Bride) was over the top annoying. Trite, sappy, cheesy, predictable, unrealistic. Then again, romance is not my thing, so I'm biased.
January 3, 2016
Reminiscent of the movie, The Holiday (starring Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz), a female kindergarten teacher and a male college professor "trade" homes on opposite sides of the United States during the holiday season. Due to the characters planning surprise visits for family and friends, it turns out not quite exactly as planned. I enjoyed and loved how the author closed the story! And I love how the magic of Christmas can soften even hard characters. 5 out of 10 for me.
December 2, 2023
Decided to read this because the Hallmark adaptation is one of the Christmas movies I rewatch every year (mostly because I really enjoy Tom Cavanagh's performance).
This was... very much what I expected it to be. Not great, maybe even a little bit worse than I was anticipating (rushed romance, inconsistent characterization, etc.), but still very basic Christmas Hallmark vibe so I'm not complaining.
This was... very much what I expected it to be. Not great, maybe even a little bit worse than I was anticipating (rushed romance, inconsistent characterization, etc.), but still very basic Christmas Hallmark vibe so I'm not complaining.
December 4, 2013
I wonder if Hallmark has turned this into a Christmas movie. Of course, it's that kind of story. Macomber doesn't do that bad a job of it, considering she churns out so many books each year. In this one she paints Boston, New York, and Leavenworth, WA as romantic holiday spots. On the other hand, she makes Florida seem like the last place you'd like to spend Christmas.
November 30, 2011
Debbie Macomber's Christmas books are always cute and heartwarming. Trading Christmas was no different. I enjoyed listening while I knitted a Christmas gift.
August 22, 2017
Loved the book, and loved the movie.
December 29, 2023
Another beautiful Christmasy and romantic tale told by a master.
December 18, 2017
Personal Response
Personally, I thought that Trading Christmas was a great book. I thought it was a great book because it was a Christmas book, which I love because I love Christmas. I also thought that this was a great book because it was really funny. I really loved the character, Bernice Brewster because she made me laugh every time that she was in the book. My favorite part about Trading Christmas was the epilogue because I loved how Ray and Emily got married and also, how Charles and Faith got married. The one thing that I did not enjoy about this book was that I noticed a couple of typos. I noticed that there were two spaces in between two words, a couple of times. There was also a paragraph in the book that the font size was a little smaller than the rest of the book. That bothered me a bit because I guess that I have O.C.D. when it comes to typos. Other than that, Trading Christmas was a great book and I can not wait to watch the movie.
Plot Summary
Trading Christmas starts off with Heather telling her mom that she will not be able to come home for Christmas. Emily is not very happy about this, so she decides that she is going to surprise Heather by going to visit her for Christmas instead. Emily does not know this, but Heather is actually going down to Florida with her boyfriend for Christmas. Emily talks to her best friend, Faith about this and Faith tells Emily that Heather is a grown up now and that maybe Heather does not want to spend Christmas with her mom. Faith thinks that Emily is mad at her for telling her that and she did not want Emily to be alone for Christmas, so Faith decides that she is going to surprise Emily for Christmas by going to visit her for Christmas. Charles Brewster is one of Heather's professors and he hates Christmas, so he decides that he is going to go away for Christmas. Emily and Charles make arrangements to switch houses for the Christmas season. Charles thinks that Leavenworth is a prison town, but when he arrives in Leavenworth, he finds out that it is just the opposite. Leavenworth is a town that loves Christmas. Charles just wants to get the textbook that he is writing done, so he just shuts himself into a room so that he can work on it. Emily arrives in Boston and she meets up with Heather. Heather breaks the news to Emily that she is going to spend Christmas with her boyfriend in Florida. Emily is devastated and now she does not have anything to do for Christmas. Then, Faith gets off of her flight and the rental car that she was supposed to have, has to be used by a bunch of elves and Santa. Santa and his elves decide that they are going to give Faith a ride to Emily's house because they were using her rental car. Faith shows up at Emily's house and Emily is not there. There is a man there instead. Faith is disappointed because she traveled all that way and Emily was not even there. Charles lets Faith stay with him in Emily's house under one condition, Heather has to cook the food. Heather agrees, so she gets to stay with Charles. Then, Charles' brother, Ray shows up at Charles' house because his mom sent him there. Bernice Brewster sent Ray because she called Charles and a lady answered the phone. Bernice was worried but happy at the same time, so she sent her other son to go and check it out. Ray and Emily hit things off right away and Ray does not want to leave. Emily lets Ray stay with her in Charles' house. Meanwhile in Florida, Heather is not having a very good time. Her boyfriend likes to take control and his friends are not very nice to Heather. Heather decides to break up with Elijah. Heather goes back to Boston and she finds out that her mom has a special friend. Heather is not very happy, so she walks out and she talks to one of her old boyfriends. Ben and Heather get back together and they have Christmas dinner with Emily, Ray, and Bernice. In Leavenworth, Charles and Faith have Christmas with Santa and the elves. Everybody had a great Christmas. Then, in the epilogue, Charles and Faith are married and Faith is pregnant and Emily and Ray are married. Heather and Ben are still together, but they are not married yet.
Recommendation
I would recommend Trading Christmas to people that love Hallmark Christmas movies. I would recommend this book to them because this book was made into a Hallmark Christmas movie. This book was a love story, so I would recommend it more towards ladies that like love stories. Trading Christmas is the perfect book for ladies that love to read love stories that take place during the Christmas season.
P.S- I did not have the audio CD, I actually read the book by myself.
Personally, I thought that Trading Christmas was a great book. I thought it was a great book because it was a Christmas book, which I love because I love Christmas. I also thought that this was a great book because it was really funny. I really loved the character, Bernice Brewster because she made me laugh every time that she was in the book. My favorite part about Trading Christmas was the epilogue because I loved how Ray and Emily got married and also, how Charles and Faith got married. The one thing that I did not enjoy about this book was that I noticed a couple of typos. I noticed that there were two spaces in between two words, a couple of times. There was also a paragraph in the book that the font size was a little smaller than the rest of the book. That bothered me a bit because I guess that I have O.C.D. when it comes to typos. Other than that, Trading Christmas was a great book and I can not wait to watch the movie.
Plot Summary
Trading Christmas starts off with Heather telling her mom that she will not be able to come home for Christmas. Emily is not very happy about this, so she decides that she is going to surprise Heather by going to visit her for Christmas instead. Emily does not know this, but Heather is actually going down to Florida with her boyfriend for Christmas. Emily talks to her best friend, Faith about this and Faith tells Emily that Heather is a grown up now and that maybe Heather does not want to spend Christmas with her mom. Faith thinks that Emily is mad at her for telling her that and she did not want Emily to be alone for Christmas, so Faith decides that she is going to surprise Emily for Christmas by going to visit her for Christmas. Charles Brewster is one of Heather's professors and he hates Christmas, so he decides that he is going to go away for Christmas. Emily and Charles make arrangements to switch houses for the Christmas season. Charles thinks that Leavenworth is a prison town, but when he arrives in Leavenworth, he finds out that it is just the opposite. Leavenworth is a town that loves Christmas. Charles just wants to get the textbook that he is writing done, so he just shuts himself into a room so that he can work on it. Emily arrives in Boston and she meets up with Heather. Heather breaks the news to Emily that she is going to spend Christmas with her boyfriend in Florida. Emily is devastated and now she does not have anything to do for Christmas. Then, Faith gets off of her flight and the rental car that she was supposed to have, has to be used by a bunch of elves and Santa. Santa and his elves decide that they are going to give Faith a ride to Emily's house because they were using her rental car. Faith shows up at Emily's house and Emily is not there. There is a man there instead. Faith is disappointed because she traveled all that way and Emily was not even there. Charles lets Faith stay with him in Emily's house under one condition, Heather has to cook the food. Heather agrees, so she gets to stay with Charles. Then, Charles' brother, Ray shows up at Charles' house because his mom sent him there. Bernice Brewster sent Ray because she called Charles and a lady answered the phone. Bernice was worried but happy at the same time, so she sent her other son to go and check it out. Ray and Emily hit things off right away and Ray does not want to leave. Emily lets Ray stay with her in Charles' house. Meanwhile in Florida, Heather is not having a very good time. Her boyfriend likes to take control and his friends are not very nice to Heather. Heather decides to break up with Elijah. Heather goes back to Boston and she finds out that her mom has a special friend. Heather is not very happy, so she walks out and she talks to one of her old boyfriends. Ben and Heather get back together and they have Christmas dinner with Emily, Ray, and Bernice. In Leavenworth, Charles and Faith have Christmas with Santa and the elves. Everybody had a great Christmas. Then, in the epilogue, Charles and Faith are married and Faith is pregnant and Emily and Ray are married. Heather and Ben are still together, but they are not married yet.
Recommendation
I would recommend Trading Christmas to people that love Hallmark Christmas movies. I would recommend this book to them because this book was made into a Hallmark Christmas movie. This book was a love story, so I would recommend it more towards ladies that like love stories. Trading Christmas is the perfect book for ladies that love to read love stories that take place during the Christmas season.
P.S- I did not have the audio CD, I actually read the book by myself.
August 2, 2016
Single mother Emily, living in Leavenworth, WA, is devastated when her only daughter says she can't make it home from Harvard for Christmas. Harvard professor Charles is sick to death of Christmas and his mother's attempts to marry him off, and is looking for an escape route. When he sees Emily's notice looking for a house swap so she can spend Christmas in Boston with her daughter, Charles mistakes his Leavenworths and thinks it would make for a nice quiet Christmas to be in a prison town. When they swap, Emily flies to Boston only to learn that her daughter is involved with a new man and they are riding a motorcycle to Florida for Christmas, and that Emily's presence is very much unwanted. Charles not only learns that Leavenworth, WA, is Christmas central, but soon Emily's good friend Fern shows up to surprise her for Christmas and Charles can't very well turn her out as she has nowhere to go. When Charles' mother calls Charles' condo and hears a woman's voice (Emily's), she immediately orders her older son Raymond to investigate. Thus begins the romances.
This is light, fluffy, entirely predictable, full of stereotypes, and mildly entertaining. I did enjoy the author's descriptions, which build a sensory picture of all the settings, and those were my favorite parts of the story. Some of the rest was ruined for me by the audiobook narrator. Charles is a mid-thirtysomething man, but the voice the reader chose makes him sound like a sixty-plus curmudgeon, so his involvement with a thirty year old woman is unbelievable and a bit off-putting. Heather, the wayward daughter, sounded like a breathy little girl, so I didn't believe her telling anyone off--she sounded like a little girl reading a part in a play, not very convincingly. So...fine for light entertainment (which I do appreciate), but don't look for more.
This is light, fluffy, entirely predictable, full of stereotypes, and mildly entertaining. I did enjoy the author's descriptions, which build a sensory picture of all the settings, and those were my favorite parts of the story. Some of the rest was ruined for me by the audiobook narrator. Charles is a mid-thirtysomething man, but the voice the reader chose makes him sound like a sixty-plus curmudgeon, so his involvement with a thirty year old woman is unbelievable and a bit off-putting. Heather, the wayward daughter, sounded like a breathy little girl, so I didn't believe her telling anyone off--she sounded like a little girl reading a part in a play, not very convincingly. So...fine for light entertainment (which I do appreciate), but don't look for more.
November 26, 2012
Good book to unwind from the Christmas rush with. Trading Christmas was a delight to read. Emily is facing her Christmas alone after her daughter tells her that she isn't coming home on Christmas break. She calls her best friend for sympathy but doesn't get what she hoped for. So she decides she will go to her daughter in Boston. Charles wanted to escape Christmas in Boston. Actually he just wanted to escape Christmas all together. Emily and Charles trade homes for the holiday each hoping to celebrate (or not) Christmas. Charles ends up surrounded by Christmas and Emily finds her daughter is not in Boston for the holiday. So begins the Christmas mix up. I do not want to give away the whole thing so I will just say there is romance, family, fun and of course, Christmas, in this book. I found it a quick read perfect for reading after a busy day. So put on your comfy pajamas, grab your favorite blanket, a mug of hot chocolate, don't forget some of those Christmas cookies and get comfy on the sofa with this book.
February 2, 2015
This may possibly bet the funniest, most unique Christmas story that I’ve ever read. Macomber throws her cast of characters into some very unique situations that you can’t help but laugh at. She creates an inescapable world for her readers to revel in. Macomber’s descriptions and narrative are so vivid that you cannot help but picture everything. At the same time everything remains realistic and in the moment.
Macomber’s brilliant cast carries this story forward without a hitch. Getting to know these characters was a uniquely thought provoking time. As a reader you get to know the main characters and the supporting cast alike. I quite enjoyed getting to know them.
Overall this was a captivatingly hilarious read that I’d definitely recommend.
Macomber’s brilliant cast carries this story forward without a hitch. Getting to know these characters was a uniquely thought provoking time. As a reader you get to know the main characters and the supporting cast alike. I quite enjoyed getting to know them.
Overall this was a captivatingly hilarious read that I’d definitely recommend.
December 3, 2015
First, I don't read mainstream, popular authors unless the premise sounds SO incredibly good. This one did: a stodgy professor swaps homes with a widowed empty-nester, and neither end up where they hoped to be. But it was too pat, to quick, and too over the top. The about-face the prof makes is ridiculous, the 'funnies' in the story were SO contrived, and even the characters - Santa and six elves = X-mess version of the seven dwarves for Snow White to travel with? C'mon.
Worse, I found out it was made into a Hallmark movie, so I went to watch the preview. Thirty seconds long, it sucked, even at that. Not happy, Bob...
Worse, I found out it was made into a Hallmark movie, so I went to watch the preview. Thirty seconds long, it sucked, even at that. Not happy, Bob...
December 11, 2012
I admit it, I'm a sucker for a sappy holiday romance. This one fits the bill. It involves two people who switch houses over the holiday season. Emily goes to Boston to suprise her daughter, who turns out has other plans. Charles, mistakenly beliving that the Levenworth he's going to is home to the prison of the same name in the hope of avoiding Christmas, instead finds himself in Emily's home in Washington state. Both get a romance to celebrate the holiday with. A quick read but just the shameless sort of sap I was looking for.
November 14, 2017
First published as “When Christmas Comes” this 2004/2015 book is quite similar to the Hallmark Movie version of Trading Christmas. Two strangers who are having a miserable time trade houses at Christmastime. This leads to their meeting up with two other strangers and romance blossoms in the snow. Boston and Leavenworth (Washington not Kansas) provide lovely seasonal settings with some humorous episodes. The subplot on a sunny Florida beach provides interesting contrast and it ends up with everyone having the best Christmas ever.
December 16, 2016
I listened to this book to begin with on my way back from University in the car and have worked my way through the rest of it this week.
I really enjoyed listening to it and loved the way the narrator made the characters come alive.
We meet five great characters, a mother, a daughter, a best friend and two brothers who all learn so much from Christmas adn what the season really means.
A great book to read or listen to.
I really enjoyed listening to it and loved the way the narrator made the characters come alive.
We meet five great characters, a mother, a daughter, a best friend and two brothers who all learn so much from Christmas adn what the season really means.
A great book to read or listen to.
December 2, 2019
2 stories 1 book. Should count as 2 books. Nonetheless I enjoyed them both. The second a cheesy love story and the first a telling of the movie “The Holiday”. I liked the 1st story the best. Charles the bookworm falling in love and his workaholic brother doing the same was a cute plot. Of course predictable at every turn.
The second had a cute beginning and a cheesy love story that followed. Joe and Caitlin were destined of course.
The second had a cute beginning and a cheesy love story that followed. Joe and Caitlin were destined of course.
November 15, 2020
This was basically like reading a Hallmark Christmas movie, which is exactly what I wanted. I initially picked up this audiobook because the synopsis sounded just like the movie The Holiday (one of my favorite movies). While this lacked the same charm and heartwarming moments as The Holiday, I still thought it was a great way to start the Christmas season. I wish it was more Christmasy though.
October 19, 2017
I love the movie version with Faith Ford and Tom Cavanaugh and I honestly think it is better than this book. The addition of the mother and Heather with a biker boyfriend wasn't interesting. Still it is an enjoyable holiday chick lit book.
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