How cute is this cover?! Also, scratch and sniff, tehe, brings me back to the 90s. Katie Cicatelli-Kuc’s Mint to Be, is a cozy, heart-warming read and that I had the honor to read for an honest review. Set in the picture-perfect Briar Glen during good ol’ Christmas time (I’m a sucker for a Christmas romance read), we’re introduced to 17-year-old Emma and Aiden. Emma is returning home from her boarding school in NYC and she decided to bring her boyfriend Sam with her. Maybe not the best time to bring the new boy home, especially when your best friend who you definitely have feelings for but left behind without a goodbye is going to be around.
The book transitions from past to present, allowing us to see Emma and Aiden’s beginning stages of friendship, eventually leading to them slowing developing feelings for one another. Most of their interactions are tied to their love of peppermint hot chocolate and their favorite place, Cup o’ Jo. Which reads like it’s such a charming place. This book is full of holiday festivities, Christmas magic and small-town charm with a smidgen of teenage drama and angst. This book also falls into the second chance romance meets best friends to lovers trope (but make it PG-13, this is YA after all, hahaha).
Biggest issue with this book was Emma, haha, that sounds terrible but girlie was just too much. She’s barely old enough to vote and she’s like I want out of this adorable little town and dips the minute she gets the chance. But throughout all of the flashback chapters, she doesn’t stop. It’s constantly…this New York…that New York, all right we get it, you want out. But it’s sad because the town is so perfect, her family is sweet as heck and she has this perfect guy who practically fawns over her. But I guess, to each their own, haha. Overall, it was a sweet and easy read, one I hope that everyone enjoys once it’s released.
Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher.
4 stars!