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Christmas is for Suckers
Ezra Oakland is sick and tired of life from his dad being deployed and his mom stressing about everything from his asthma to where they should put the Christmas tree. In a desperate attempt to get out of his house, he decides to work at a Christmas Tree Farm for the rest of the Christmas season, but there is one the owner's daughter is Ophelia Jones, and Ophelia has a horrible habit of annoying the snot out of Ezra. What makes it worse is that she has seemed to make it her mission to get him in the Christmas spirit even though, at this point, Ezra is pretty sure Christmas is for suckers.
70 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 30, 2024
6 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
Abigail G. Thompson
5 books267 followersAbigail is the teen author behind The Halcyon Epics and the poetry book Scrawled Out Timeline. Her mission is to write God-glorifying fiction that compellingly uplifts Biblical themes and promotes divine Truth through heart-pounding stories so lives can be transformed by the Gospel’s message of hope and inspiration. When she isn't writing the next epic fantasy book, you can find her reading her favorite books, hanging out with friends, being a gym rat, obsessively drawing, or serving her church.
Abigail is the founder of the social movement #ProtectCleanFiction, which aims to inspire and change the bookish culture around sexuality in books by providing a loving, thriving community of clean book lovers and educating others about the dangers of smut in fiction.
Stay updated on books, special announcements, and other things at www.abigailg.com
Abigail is the founder of the social movement #ProtectCleanFiction, which aims to inspire and change the bookish culture around sexuality in books by providing a loving, thriving community of clean book lovers and educating others about the dangers of smut in fiction.
Stay updated on books, special announcements, and other things at www.abigailg.com
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 18, 2024
3 stars, personally! ✨ Christian Fiction - YA Contemporary Christmas Romance
About this book:
“Ezra Oakland is sick and tired of life from his dad being deployed and his mom stressing about everything from his asthma to where they should put the Christmas tree. In a desperate attempt to get out of his house, he decides to work at a Christmas Tree Farm for the rest of the Christmas season, but there is one the owner's daughter is Ophelia Jones, and Ophelia has a horrible habit of annoying the snot out of Ezra. What makes it worse is that she has seemed to make it her mission to get him in the Christmas spirit even though, at this point, Ezra is pretty sure Christmas is for suckers.”
Series: Does not seem to be connected to any other book, a stand-alone novella.
Spiritual Content- A handful of Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, & remembered; Prayers; Youth group & a sermon/message; Set during Christmas time; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Ezra says to God in a prayer, “you say you don’t tempt men. Does that mean pretty girls are form the devil?” (and notes that his sister would slap him for that thought); Mentions of God, Jesus, showing Jesus to others, & Christmas; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, going to youth group and church events, pastors, services, & a sermon; Mentions of Christmas hymns; A few mentions of Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes (Samaritan’s Purse); A couple mentions of sharing Christ with others; A couple mentions of a book of the Bible; A couple mentions of a church member having meetings with elders after an upset and then deciding to leave the Church.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘god forbid’, a ‘smart butt’, a ‘suck it up’, a ‘you piece of trash’, two ‘blasted’s, two ‘gosh’s, two ‘shut up’s, three forms of ‘sucks’, four forms of ‘crap’, eight forms of ‘idiot’, and nine ‘stupid’s; Ezra curses Ophelia in his mind and later curses himself for being distracted; Eye rolling & sarcasm; Pain (up to semi-detailed); Grief & Sobbing (up to semi-detailed); Ophelia goes to slap Ezra across the cheek when he’s hurt her, but he catches her hand; When using his nebulizer for an asthma attack, Ezra thinks that some people (mostly teenagers) loved to joke that he was “getting high like he was smoking weed”, but Ezra doesn’t find it funny because of the side effects of the drugs on his system; Mentions of deaths & grief (Ophelia and her dad for their mom/wife due to breast cancer); Mentions of the military, soldiers, & the family greatly missing their family members; A few mentions of wars; A few mentions of injuries & blood/bleeding; A few mentions of blackmail; A few mentions of drugs (both medically needed and weed); A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of jealousy (including Ezra over Ophelia’s childhood of growing up in the same place); A couple mentions of hatred; A mention of thieves; A mention of a man cussing out Christmas carolers; A mention of eavesdropping;
*Note: Ezra has a couple asthma attacks & has to use his nebulizer (one of the attacks is described in detail); Ezra feels like he has to keep his family together while his father is away and feels suffocated because of his own anxiety and his mother having panic attacks (also thinking that any kind of bad news could break his mom and send her to the hospital and that he is waiting for the floor to drop out from under him when his mom is doing better); Ezra’s mom has a panic attack and thinks she’s going crazy (Ophelia helps by distracting her; Ezra feels bitter that it’s up to him to help his mom as his sister is incapable of handling the panic attacks; up to semi-detailed); *Spoilers* ; Ophelia wants to prove the her town that she’s okay after her mom passed away, to show she can still have happiness, & has to deal with a comment from an older woman who means well, but causes Ophelia to cry (telling her that she feels bad that Ophelia has to go “through these informative years without a mother” and Ophelia walks away to cry); Ophelia has gone to therapy after the death of her mom and recalls some of the things the therapist said to her; Ezra says he can’t be beaten by a girl at foosball and Ophelia comments, “You know my thoughts on feminism, but I’m pretty sure that’s sexist.”; Ezra calls Ophelia a “smart butt” at church and when she blushes and says they’re at church, Ezra says “It’s the twenty-first century, they can handle it.”; Ophelia wears shirts that say ‘Modern Feminism Sucks’, ‘Pro-Life Generation’, and ‘Empower Women by Empowering Preborn Women’ (Ezra finds some of her shirts annoying, but it does not seem like it’s because of the messages on them); Mentions of anxiety, panic attacks, & therapy and medication (and the latter two helping); Mentions of singers, movies, & fictional characters (Frank Sinatra, Home Alone, & The Grinch); A few mentions of apps (TikTok & WhatsApp); A couple mentions of feminism; A couple mentions of car brands; A mention of an author (Charlotte Bronte); A mention of Hallmark movies.
Sexual Content- A semi-detailed kiss (this kiss lasts around seven sentences due to some awkwardness); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, & Flutters (up to semi-detailed); Remembering touches & dancing (barely-above-not-detailed); Imagining touching (someone’s hair, cheek, or hand, barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to embrace & kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Flirting & Blushes; Ophelia has a crush on Ezra, wants him to like her back, and it’s said that she “lost all rationale when she had a crush” (she thinks that the best-case scenario of her plans with Ezra is that they fall “hopelessly in love” And then adds “The in-love part was a little strong, but a girl could dream.”); Ezra thinks that high-school relationships are pointless and lead to places he doesn’t want to go; *Spoiler* ; Mentions of crushes/liking someone, boyfriends/girlfriends, & dating; A few mentions of a kiss; A few mentions of flirting; A few mentions of blushes; A few mentions of Youth Group leaders sitting down with couples to not display any “purpling” (which is said to be the “affection term Youth Groups across America used to describe any girl and boy showing anything but Christ-centered sister and brotherhood”); A mention of puberty; Some love, being in love, & the emotions (between the main characters which are teenagers);
*Note: Ophelia wears shirts that say ‘Virginity is Cool’; A few mentions of butts & butting into someone’s life.
-Ophelia Jones, age 17
-Ezra Oakland, age 17
P.O.V. switches between them
70 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
My personal Rating- Three Stars
I’m breaking the rule of a book’s required length for reviewing on BFCG as this one is a contemporary Christian YA Christmas book! Do you know how rare those are? This one is short, really short at only 70 pages, but I’ve had my eye on it for a while now and wanted to read it.
I will note that The Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes were done and collected too close to Christmas, but I’m fine with that author liberty just because it was so fun to see those and doing them mentioned! (They’re usually collected around Thanksgiving, just as a note and I highly recommend doing them if you haven’t!)
I’m not sure if it’s just my copy, but there were some typos/missing punctuation and formatting errors that distracted me a bit from the story, which was kind of a bummer.
Both Ophelia and Ezra had their stupid moments, but hey! They’re seventeen and going through different types of grief, so I wasn’t expecting them to be all that and make the best choices. There’s some angst in this plot because of it and definitely felt like a YA story. I think older teens might cringe a little reading this one, but mid-teens could possibly enjoy it more. It was nice to see the positive homeschooler representation, though I would have liked a little more of that besides it being said they were homeschooled. Overall, this wasn’t bad at all (maybe just needed a touch more polishing in some places) and if you really like YA books with flawed characters who mean well, this might be one to check out.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
About this book:
“Ezra Oakland is sick and tired of life from his dad being deployed and his mom stressing about everything from his asthma to where they should put the Christmas tree. In a desperate attempt to get out of his house, he decides to work at a Christmas Tree Farm for the rest of the Christmas season, but there is one the owner's daughter is Ophelia Jones, and Ophelia has a horrible habit of annoying the snot out of Ezra. What makes it worse is that she has seemed to make it her mission to get him in the Christmas spirit even though, at this point, Ezra is pretty sure Christmas is for suckers.”
Series: Does not seem to be connected to any other book, a stand-alone novella.
Spiritual Content- A handful of Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, & remembered; Prayers; Youth group & a sermon/message; Set during Christmas time; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Ezra says to God in a prayer, “you say you don’t tempt men. Does that mean pretty girls are form the devil?” (and notes that his sister would slap him for that thought); Mentions of God, Jesus, showing Jesus to others, & Christmas; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, going to youth group and church events, pastors, services, & a sermon; Mentions of Christmas hymns; A few mentions of Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes (Samaritan’s Purse); A couple mentions of sharing Christ with others; A couple mentions of a book of the Bible; A couple mentions of a church member having meetings with elders after an upset and then deciding to leave the Church.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘god forbid’, a ‘smart butt’, a ‘suck it up’, a ‘you piece of trash’, two ‘blasted’s, two ‘gosh’s, two ‘shut up’s, three forms of ‘sucks’, four forms of ‘crap’, eight forms of ‘idiot’, and nine ‘stupid’s; Ezra curses Ophelia in his mind and later curses himself for being distracted; Eye rolling & sarcasm; Pain (up to semi-detailed); Grief & Sobbing (up to semi-detailed); Ophelia goes to slap Ezra across the cheek when he’s hurt her, but he catches her hand; When using his nebulizer for an asthma attack, Ezra thinks that some people (mostly teenagers) loved to joke that he was “getting high like he was smoking weed”, but Ezra doesn’t find it funny because of the side effects of the drugs on his system; Mentions of deaths & grief (Ophelia and her dad for their mom/wife due to breast cancer); Mentions of the military, soldiers, & the family greatly missing their family members; A few mentions of wars; A few mentions of injuries & blood/bleeding; A few mentions of blackmail; A few mentions of drugs (both medically needed and weed); A few mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of jealousy (including Ezra over Ophelia’s childhood of growing up in the same place); A couple mentions of hatred; A mention of thieves; A mention of a man cussing out Christmas carolers; A mention of eavesdropping;
*Note: Ezra has a couple asthma attacks & has to use his nebulizer (one of the attacks is described in detail); Ezra feels like he has to keep his family together while his father is away and feels suffocated because of his own anxiety and his mother having panic attacks (also thinking that any kind of bad news could break his mom and send her to the hospital and that he is waiting for the floor to drop out from under him when his mom is doing better); Ezra’s mom has a panic attack and thinks she’s going crazy (Ophelia helps by distracting her; Ezra feels bitter that it’s up to him to help his mom as his sister is incapable of handling the panic attacks; up to semi-detailed); *Spoilers* ; Ophelia wants to prove the her town that she’s okay after her mom passed away, to show she can still have happiness, & has to deal with a comment from an older woman who means well, but causes Ophelia to cry (telling her that she feels bad that Ophelia has to go “through these informative years without a mother” and Ophelia walks away to cry); Ophelia has gone to therapy after the death of her mom and recalls some of the things the therapist said to her; Ezra says he can’t be beaten by a girl at foosball and Ophelia comments, “You know my thoughts on feminism, but I’m pretty sure that’s sexist.”; Ezra calls Ophelia a “smart butt” at church and when she blushes and says they’re at church, Ezra says “It’s the twenty-first century, they can handle it.”; Ophelia wears shirts that say ‘Modern Feminism Sucks’, ‘Pro-Life Generation’, and ‘Empower Women by Empowering Preborn Women’ (Ezra finds some of her shirts annoying, but it does not seem like it’s because of the messages on them); Mentions of anxiety, panic attacks, & therapy and medication (and the latter two helping); Mentions of singers, movies, & fictional characters (Frank Sinatra, Home Alone, & The Grinch); A few mentions of apps (TikTok & WhatsApp); A couple mentions of feminism; A couple mentions of car brands; A mention of an author (Charlotte Bronte); A mention of Hallmark movies.
Sexual Content- A semi-detailed kiss (this kiss lasts around seven sentences due to some awkwardness); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, & Flutters (up to semi-detailed); Remembering touches & dancing (barely-above-not-detailed); Imagining touching (someone’s hair, cheek, or hand, barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to embrace & kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Flirting & Blushes; Ophelia has a crush on Ezra, wants him to like her back, and it’s said that she “lost all rationale when she had a crush” (she thinks that the best-case scenario of her plans with Ezra is that they fall “hopelessly in love” And then adds “The in-love part was a little strong, but a girl could dream.”); Ezra thinks that high-school relationships are pointless and lead to places he doesn’t want to go; *Spoiler* ; Mentions of crushes/liking someone, boyfriends/girlfriends, & dating; A few mentions of a kiss; A few mentions of flirting; A few mentions of blushes; A few mentions of Youth Group leaders sitting down with couples to not display any “purpling” (which is said to be the “affection term Youth Groups across America used to describe any girl and boy showing anything but Christ-centered sister and brotherhood”); A mention of puberty; Some love, being in love, & the emotions (between the main characters which are teenagers);
*Note: Ophelia wears shirts that say ‘Virginity is Cool’; A few mentions of butts & butting into someone’s life.
-Ophelia Jones, age 17
-Ezra Oakland, age 17
P.O.V. switches between them
70 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
My personal Rating- Three Stars
I’m breaking the rule of a book’s required length for reviewing on BFCG as this one is a contemporary Christian YA Christmas book! Do you know how rare those are? This one is short, really short at only 70 pages, but I’ve had my eye on it for a while now and wanted to read it.
I will note that The Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes were done and collected too close to Christmas, but I’m fine with that author liberty just because it was so fun to see those and doing them mentioned! (They’re usually collected around Thanksgiving, just as a note and I highly recommend doing them if you haven’t!)
I’m not sure if it’s just my copy, but there were some typos/missing punctuation and formatting errors that distracted me a bit from the story, which was kind of a bummer.
Both Ophelia and Ezra had their stupid moments, but hey! They’re seventeen and going through different types of grief, so I wasn’t expecting them to be all that and make the best choices. There’s some angst in this plot because of it and definitely felt like a YA story. I think older teens might cringe a little reading this one, but mid-teens could possibly enjoy it more. It was nice to see the positive homeschooler representation, though I would have liked a little more of that besides it being said they were homeschooled. Overall, this wasn’t bad at all (maybe just needed a touch more polishing in some places) and if you really like YA books with flawed characters who mean well, this might be one to check out.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
![Profile Image for Emily ✞ || [fallon's vrs] (writing hiatus).](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1771365395i%2F182352191._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
December 23, 2025
⋮ ⌗ ┆✰ 3.5 stars || 14+
‧₊˚ ┊ The Review
⁀➷ Christmas Is For Suckers is a heart-wrenching, tear-jerking story about two teenagers navigating grief, anxiety, and the pressure of taking care of their families. Though it’s only 70 pages, this short story packs a punch with a beautiful message about Christmas, Jesus saving us of our sins, and letting go of bitterness and grief
The characters in this story were so very well rounded and full of complexity, relatability, and flaws. Though this does hold the “grumpy x sunshine” trope, it does not solely rely on said trope to push the story forward. In fact, it relies on the main characters’ friendship, struggles, and want to overcome said struggles that pushes the plot forward and keeps the reader interested and actively engaged
There are no filler, nor fluff scenes. Each scene holds importance for our characters’ growth. We are strung along on these two broken individuals as they wade through life’s obstacles.
However, the writing was not the best. Typos, punctuation errors, and klunky sentence structures took me out of the story multiple times. The dialogue was simplistic, and there wasn’t much description for the setting. Though, how Christmas in the south is described is very much true. As a southerner, I didn’t need a paragraph of details to know what a southern holiday looks like. And I agree, it’s not your typical White Christmas that you see in Hallmark movies
On a personal note, I found Ezra a very relatable character. Though I do not have asthma, I do not have strong lungs, and had even weaker lungs when I was a kid. I remember times sitting down with my panda nebulizer for an hour for days, especially when I was sick. I have a vivid memory of the first time I used a nebulizer at the pediatrician, and it wasn’t fun. I could relate to Ezra on how he felt about the nebulizer.
On another, I do wish I could get some of Ophelia’s t-shirts! 😍 You’ll have to read this to find out what I mean. She would be me if my inside opinions manifested themselves in my clothes.
And the last personal feeling I got: how Ezra and Ophelia bantered sounded a lot like how my guy bsf and I banter, without the romantic chemistry. Our “love-language” (for lack of a better word) is sarcasm and insults. He also teases me about certain politics considering I’m a girl.
Personal reading aside, I do recommend this. It’s fun, short, quick, but with a deep message. Recommended for all readers if you do not mind somewhat iffy writing.
꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷
‧₊˚ ┊ C.A.W.P.I.L.E Overview & Statistics
✐ᝰ Characters - 5/5
✐ᝰ Atmosphere - 3.5/5
✐ᝰ Writing - 2/5
✐ᝰ Plot - 4/5
✐ᝰ Intrigue - 4/5
✐ᝰ Logic - 4.5/5
✐ᝰ Enjoyment - 5/5
Average rating: 3.43 (rounded to .5)
Age rating: 14+ for some triggering topics such as grief, panic attacks, and a parent off at war
Do I recommend? yes, very much
To whom? to anybody, but especially to those who love heart-wrenching stories about healing, friendship, a remembering that Jesus is the reason for the season
» [Lift Up Your Eyes - Danny Gokey] «
0:00 ─〇───── 0:00
⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻
꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷
‧₊˚ ┊ Content
⭑.ᐟ Chirstian
Mentions of going to church; a mention of the book of Esther and that God put people in others life “for such a time as this”; when Ezra and Ophelia go caroling, the pastor says they should show the love of Christ, and that last time they went caroling they got cussed out by someone and a church member got heated with the man and left the church of his own violation; before they carol the pastor prays over them; Ezra wonders if women are from the devil since God says He won’t tempt any man; Ezra goes to youth group with Ophelia and they sing worship, pray, and listen to the preacher preach that Christmas is about Jesus coming down to save us from our sins, and that’s the best gift we can get; a mention that God will always provide; on Christmas morning Ezra prays to God, thanking Him for sending Jesus down to earth
⭑.ᐟ Violence
None, except Ezra and Darcy occasionally whacking each other playfully
⭑.ᐟ Sexual
1 semi-detailed kiss; Ophelia wears a t-shirt that says, “Virginity is Cool”; a mention of Ophelia being pubescent; a mention of Ophelia being sexist
⭑.ᐟ Language
9 stupid; 1 sucks; 1 brat; 1 god forbid; 2 blasted; 7 idiot; 2 gosh; 1 dumbly; 2 shut up; 3 jerk; 1 dumb; 1 crappy; 1 dingus brain; 1 ninnies; 3 crap; 1 dunce; 1 lout
⭑.ᐟ Substance Abuse
When Ezra uses his nebulizer, he notes, “People, mostly teenagers, loved to joke that he was getting high like he was smoking weed” and that he had no tolerance for such jokes
⭑.ᐟ Magic
none
⭑.ᐟ LGBTQ+
none
⭑.ᐟ Other
Ezra has asthma and has some attacks a few times
⭑.ᐟ Trigger
Ophelia’s mom died from cancer; Ophelia feels intense grief because of her mom’s passing; Ezra’s mom has a panic attack and we see it on-page; Ezra father is fighting in a war in Ukraine
⋆⁺₊❅⋆ “Yeah, she changed; she stopped being terrified of the world and its nasty opinions. She’d stared death in the face and said, ‘I never want to regret my life.’” ⁺₊❆⋆
‧₊˚ ┊ The Review
⁀➷ Christmas Is For Suckers is a heart-wrenching, tear-jerking story about two teenagers navigating grief, anxiety, and the pressure of taking care of their families. Though it’s only 70 pages, this short story packs a punch with a beautiful message about Christmas, Jesus saving us of our sins, and letting go of bitterness and grief
The characters in this story were so very well rounded and full of complexity, relatability, and flaws. Though this does hold the “grumpy x sunshine” trope, it does not solely rely on said trope to push the story forward. In fact, it relies on the main characters’ friendship, struggles, and want to overcome said struggles that pushes the plot forward and keeps the reader interested and actively engaged
There are no filler, nor fluff scenes. Each scene holds importance for our characters’ growth. We are strung along on these two broken individuals as they wade through life’s obstacles.
However, the writing was not the best. Typos, punctuation errors, and klunky sentence structures took me out of the story multiple times. The dialogue was simplistic, and there wasn’t much description for the setting. Though, how Christmas in the south is described is very much true. As a southerner, I didn’t need a paragraph of details to know what a southern holiday looks like. And I agree, it’s not your typical White Christmas that you see in Hallmark movies
On a personal note, I found Ezra a very relatable character. Though I do not have asthma, I do not have strong lungs, and had even weaker lungs when I was a kid. I remember times sitting down with my panda nebulizer for an hour for days, especially when I was sick. I have a vivid memory of the first time I used a nebulizer at the pediatrician, and it wasn’t fun. I could relate to Ezra on how he felt about the nebulizer.
On another, I do wish I could get some of Ophelia’s t-shirts! 😍 You’ll have to read this to find out what I mean. She would be me if my inside opinions manifested themselves in my clothes.
And the last personal feeling I got: how Ezra and Ophelia bantered sounded a lot like how my guy bsf and I banter, without the romantic chemistry. Our “love-language” (for lack of a better word) is sarcasm and insults. He also teases me about certain politics considering I’m a girl.
Personal reading aside, I do recommend this. It’s fun, short, quick, but with a deep message. Recommended for all readers if you do not mind somewhat iffy writing.
꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷
‧₊˚ ┊ C.A.W.P.I.L.E Overview & Statistics
✐ᝰ Characters - 5/5
✐ᝰ Atmosphere - 3.5/5
✐ᝰ Writing - 2/5
✐ᝰ Plot - 4/5
✐ᝰ Intrigue - 4/5
✐ᝰ Logic - 4.5/5
✐ᝰ Enjoyment - 5/5
Average rating: 3.43 (rounded to .5)
Age rating: 14+ for some triggering topics such as grief, panic attacks, and a parent off at war
Do I recommend? yes, very much
To whom? to anybody, but especially to those who love heart-wrenching stories about healing, friendship, a remembering that Jesus is the reason for the season
» [Lift Up Your Eyes - Danny Gokey] «
0:00 ─〇───── 0:00
⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻
꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷
‧₊˚ ┊ Content
⭑.ᐟ Chirstian
Mentions of going to church; a mention of the book of Esther and that God put people in others life “for such a time as this”; when Ezra and Ophelia go caroling, the pastor says they should show the love of Christ, and that last time they went caroling they got cussed out by someone and a church member got heated with the man and left the church of his own violation; before they carol the pastor prays over them; Ezra wonders if women are from the devil since God says He won’t tempt any man; Ezra goes to youth group with Ophelia and they sing worship, pray, and listen to the preacher preach that Christmas is about Jesus coming down to save us from our sins, and that’s the best gift we can get; a mention that God will always provide; on Christmas morning Ezra prays to God, thanking Him for sending Jesus down to earth
⭑.ᐟ Violence
None, except Ezra and Darcy occasionally whacking each other playfully
⭑.ᐟ Sexual
1 semi-detailed kiss; Ophelia wears a t-shirt that says, “Virginity is Cool”; a mention of Ophelia being pubescent; a mention of Ophelia being sexist
⭑.ᐟ Language
9 stupid; 1 sucks; 1 brat; 1 god forbid; 2 blasted; 7 idiot; 2 gosh; 1 dumbly; 2 shut up; 3 jerk; 1 dumb; 1 crappy; 1 dingus brain; 1 ninnies; 3 crap; 1 dunce; 1 lout
⭑.ᐟ Substance Abuse
When Ezra uses his nebulizer, he notes, “People, mostly teenagers, loved to joke that he was getting high like he was smoking weed” and that he had no tolerance for such jokes
⭑.ᐟ Magic
none
⭑.ᐟ LGBTQ+
none
⭑.ᐟ Other
Ezra has asthma and has some attacks a few times
⭑.ᐟ Trigger
Ophelia’s mom died from cancer; Ophelia feels intense grief because of her mom’s passing; Ezra’s mom has a panic attack and we see it on-page; Ezra father is fighting in a war in Ukraine
November 28, 2024
I started this one last year and finally got around to finishing it.😂 I'm not a seasonal reader so it's hard for me to remember the seasonal books... anyway...
Characters:
Ezra was dealing with a lot and I felt bad for him and all he was dealing with. It was easy ti understand where he was coming from even if I didn't agree with his actions.
Ophelia...wow, I quite liked her. Covering up her grief by changing herself...and the way she wanted to help Ezra was so sweet! I loved it!
Themes:
That it's okay to miss someone and that it's okay not to be okay. It was really sweet.
Language:
N/A
Romance:
A small romance, one kiss, and that's it.
Overall:
This was a cute short Christmas story, and I enjoyed all the fun quirkiness! And also, the fact that the two characters are homeschoolers written by a homeschooler, so they are portrayed well.
Recommend ages 14+
Characters:
Ezra was dealing with a lot and I felt bad for him and all he was dealing with. It was easy ti understand where he was coming from even if I didn't agree with his actions.
Ophelia...wow, I quite liked her. Covering up her grief by changing herself...and the way she wanted to help Ezra was so sweet! I loved it!
Themes:
That it's okay to miss someone and that it's okay not to be okay. It was really sweet.
Language:
N/A
Romance:
A small romance, one kiss, and that's it.
Overall:
This was a cute short Christmas story, and I enjoyed all the fun quirkiness! And also, the fact that the two characters are homeschoolers written by a homeschooler, so they are portrayed well.
Recommend ages 14+
December 8, 2025
Even though this book was only 70 pages, even though it had typos, and awkward characters, it was still beautiful.
The grief and pain and anxiety shown in this book is heart wrenching, but the healing that is also shown is tear-worthy.
I have this theory, and it’s that some pain is beautiful to a degree. In this story, it’s shown through love.
Ophelia is in pain because she lost her mother. What’s beautiful about that, is it shows how much she truly loved her mother.
Ezra is in pain because he misses his dad, and he feels like he’s the only thing holding together his family. His pain is beautiful because it shows how much he loves his family.
So yeah, I think pain is beautiful. It’s a part of life. It always will be.
~~~~~
“How will you take care of her?”
“I would make sure that if she was cold, she had a coat over her shoulders. I would make sure that when the world felt too heavy, she knew she had an extra shoulder to carry the weight, I would remind her that God made her beautiful when she feels ugly, I would…” his throat thickened, “I would let her cry on my chest when she feels sad, and I would let her waltz with me again if she so desires just see her laugh and smile. I would make a thousand batches of eggnog, even though it’s the worst drink in existence, just so she could take the first sip. I can’t name them all, sir. There are too many,”
~Ezra
~~~~~
Okay poetic stuff aside, this book was adorable. There were some major spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes (the book could have done with a second round of editing for sure) but personally, I felt the story was entertaining enough to ignore that.
The ending felt super rushed, but, it’s 70 pages, so that’s to be expected.
Age recommendation: 13+
Content: flirting, teasing, (lots) of friendly name calling, grief, anxiety, asthma attacks.
One kiss (nothing to worry about)
No language :)
The grief and pain and anxiety shown in this book is heart wrenching, but the healing that is also shown is tear-worthy.
I have this theory, and it’s that some pain is beautiful to a degree. In this story, it’s shown through love.
Ophelia is in pain because she lost her mother. What’s beautiful about that, is it shows how much she truly loved her mother.
Ezra is in pain because he misses his dad, and he feels like he’s the only thing holding together his family. His pain is beautiful because it shows how much he loves his family.
So yeah, I think pain is beautiful. It’s a part of life. It always will be.
~~~~~
“How will you take care of her?”
“I would make sure that if she was cold, she had a coat over her shoulders. I would make sure that when the world felt too heavy, she knew she had an extra shoulder to carry the weight, I would remind her that God made her beautiful when she feels ugly, I would…” his throat thickened, “I would let her cry on my chest when she feels sad, and I would let her waltz with me again if she so desires just see her laugh and smile. I would make a thousand batches of eggnog, even though it’s the worst drink in existence, just so she could take the first sip. I can’t name them all, sir. There are too many,”
~Ezra
~~~~~
Okay poetic stuff aside, this book was adorable. There were some major spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes (the book could have done with a second round of editing for sure) but personally, I felt the story was entertaining enough to ignore that.
The ending felt super rushed, but, it’s 70 pages, so that’s to be expected.
Age recommendation: 13+
Content: flirting, teasing, (lots) of friendly name calling, grief, anxiety, asthma attacks.
One kiss (nothing to worry about)
No language :)
December 6, 2024
A fun holiday read with good values, cute romance, and wonderfully witty banter XD
I particularly liked that the characters were relatable with carefully thought out, believable backstories.
The main characters felt distinct and real with lots of depth. Not cardboard cut-out characters at all.
The main characters deal with significant family circumstances that bleed into their daily lives. The author does a good job in writing this in a realistic, but not overly dark and depressing way.
She keeps the balance between “relatable and realistic” with “lighthearted and fanciful” which for a holiday rom-com short story… takes skills to do!
And I LOVED the Christian/Homeschool/Youth group/Military family representation too hehe 🩵🩵🩵
I particularly liked that the characters were relatable with carefully thought out, believable backstories.
The main characters felt distinct and real with lots of depth. Not cardboard cut-out characters at all.
The main characters deal with significant family circumstances that bleed into their daily lives. The author does a good job in writing this in a realistic, but not overly dark and depressing way.
She keeps the balance between “relatable and realistic” with “lighthearted and fanciful” which for a holiday rom-com short story… takes skills to do!
And I LOVED the Christian/Homeschool/Youth group/Military family representation too hehe 🩵🩵🩵
May 2, 2024
This is such a wholesome book! I loved it from start to finish, and the pro-life emphasis was greatly appreciated. Both of the main characters were well developed in the short book, and I really related to both of them. This book is truly a must read!
December 25, 2024
Very cute quick read. A few typos but if you’re looking for something to help you reach your goals this is it.
November 22, 2024
when I first heard about this book, I was mindlessly scrolling through reels. I was curious about the storyline, as I haven’t seen many books set in youth group. I absolutely adore the plot, and gave me all of the small-town Christmas vibes I was looking for. The only reason that i am not giving it fives stars is because one, it felt rushed and I feel it should have been at least ten pages longer. Second, there were plenty of grammar and spelling errors, disrupting the flow of the book. But overall, this book was and is worth reading!
January 16, 2025
This was a cute short read! I enjoyed the mention of getting to know one another and being friends before something more! Glad to have seen some faith content too.
December 8, 2024
I loved reading this! Christmas is for Suckers is such a sweet, beautiful, uplifting story of finding love and realizing that you don't have to bear all the weight--that there is someone who will take the load off your shoulder and give you rest. Both the main characters were amazing and I loved both their POVs. I seriously couldn't put this down. I highly recommend!
December 28, 2024
2.5⭐️
(Se leía una nouvelle de navidad post-navidad, tal cual)
Tendría que haber sido más largo la verdad. Como que hay muchísimo por explorar y se queda corto/amontona información al pedo.
A favor: me gustó cómo trata el duelo, la presión y responsabilidad por la familia, la amistad pre-noviazgo, demases.
(Se leía una nouvelle de navidad post-navidad, tal cual)
Tendría que haber sido más largo la verdad. Como que hay muchísimo por explorar y se queda corto/amontona información al pedo.
A favor: me gustó cómo trata el duelo, la presión y responsabilidad por la familia, la amistad pre-noviazgo, demases.
December 28, 2024
Quick sweet YA Christmas read.
This is a Christian book with lots of heart but also real life struggles of grief.
I really appreciated that the author told their story and was true to the characters but there was still hope.
It didn’t feel depressing at all.
I loved the two main characters and would love to read more about them maybe later in life.
Overall great story!
This is a Christian book with lots of heart but also real life struggles of grief.
I really appreciated that the author told their story and was true to the characters but there was still hope.
It didn’t feel depressing at all.
I loved the two main characters and would love to read more about them maybe later in life.
Overall great story!
September 11, 2025
This was a cute short story. I did like the biblical sense of the story, that is missing from a lot of books these day. It was just nice, innocent and clean romantic teenage love story. There def are a good amount of typos and things to be corrected but I sense as a teenage author, she will continue to grow and learn in her writing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2024
I am obsessed!
This was such a cute read! (can't say i'm surprised that I loved it. I love all of Abigail's work!) I couldn't put it down. I wish it was longer! I couldn't possibly get enough of Ezra and Ophy! ♥
This was such a cute read! (can't say i'm surprised that I loved it. I love all of Abigail's work!) I couldn't put it down. I wish it was longer! I couldn't possibly get enough of Ezra and Ophy! ♥
November 20, 2024
super sweet short story
Awe, this was such a sweet story!! And the perfect read for a quick pick me up before the holiday! The faith aspects felt natural, which is so refreshing because they often feel forced and clunky in Christian fiction.
I loved it, even though it was short, the character development was great. It feels like a sweet little movie.
Awe, this was such a sweet story!! And the perfect read for a quick pick me up before the holiday! The faith aspects felt natural, which is so refreshing because they often feel forced and clunky in Christian fiction.
I loved it, even though it was short, the character development was great. It feels like a sweet little movie.
January 13, 2025
Cute concept, just probably needing more fleshing out. Rough around the edges, grammar mistakes, words missing. But overall cute story. Ophelia was too pushy for my liking. It did remind me of what it was like to be a teenager though haha
December 28, 2024
Quick read. Heartfelt story. Nicely wrapped up in a few short chapters. The critic in me can’t help but mention the numerous typos but that’s an easy fix.
December 8, 2025
My copy had many typos which really took me out of the story sadly. There were some cute moments but I found Ophelia to be kind of pushy at times.
dnf
December 13, 2025DNF December 2025. I’m a few pages in but can’t get over the self-published vibes. Poor grammar, incorrect punctuation, missing words. Probably could be cute if an editor would take a pass at it.
December 28, 2025
Short and so adorable! I cried at least three times. Not many books make me emotional, but this really did. I loved it! (I’ve had this author noted for a bit now. Not disappointed.)
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