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Cozy for the Holidays
A big-hearted holiday rom com about two friends who discover new love after being unexpectedly left in charge of a charming New York City bookshop.
It’s the holiday season and Caleb just got quite the Hannukah gift. The handsome scientist was able to buy his dream a brownstone with an apartment upstairs and a cozy mystery-themed bookshop downstairs. But when he moves in, he’s shocked to find that the bookshop is fully operational while its enigmatic owner has vanished. Caleb may be an expert in scientific research, but running a bookshop is entirely novel to him.
To help sort out the holiday chaos, he turns to the most bookish person he his cover designer friend, Sophie. He's long had feelings for the quirky artist, but the timing was never right. Maybe now, between the wintry magic of the city and the bookshop's cozy charm, Caleb and Sophie can finally turn the page on their own story and write their happily ever after.
It’s the holiday season and Caleb just got quite the Hannukah gift. The handsome scientist was able to buy his dream a brownstone with an apartment upstairs and a cozy mystery-themed bookshop downstairs. But when he moves in, he’s shocked to find that the bookshop is fully operational while its enigmatic owner has vanished. Caleb may be an expert in scientific research, but running a bookshop is entirely novel to him.
To help sort out the holiday chaos, he turns to the most bookish person he his cover designer friend, Sophie. He's long had feelings for the quirky artist, but the timing was never right. Maybe now, between the wintry magic of the city and the bookshop's cozy charm, Caleb and Sophie can finally turn the page on their own story and write their happily ever after.
Audible Audio
Published November 13, 2025
153 people are currently reading
430 people want to read
About the author
Liz Maverick
34 books475 followersBestselling, award-winning author Liz Maverick is a novelist, adventurer and odd jobs specialist whose contract assignments have taken her from driving trucks in Antarctica to working behind the scenes on reality TV shows in Hollywood.
Liz is known for writing out-of-the-box romance novels with fast-paced, unique plots and lots of kick-butt action. Her previous works include Cosmopolitan Magazine Book Club Pick What a Girl Wants, PRISM/Daphne finalist The Shadow Runners, Golden Leaf winner Crimson Rogue, and Waldenbooks/B&N bestseller Crimson City, the first book in the multi-author continuity series she created.
Liz and her books have been featured on Fox's Geraldo at Large and in USA Today, Cosmopolitan Magazine, San Francisco Magazine, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Toronto Star, and more.
https://www.facebook.com/LizMaverickC...
Liz is known for writing out-of-the-box romance novels with fast-paced, unique plots and lots of kick-butt action. Her previous works include Cosmopolitan Magazine Book Club Pick What a Girl Wants, PRISM/Daphne finalist The Shadow Runners, Golden Leaf winner Crimson Rogue, and Waldenbooks/B&N bestseller Crimson City, the first book in the multi-author continuity series she created.
Liz and her books have been featured on Fox's Geraldo at Large and in USA Today, Cosmopolitan Magazine, San Francisco Magazine, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Toronto Star, and more.
https://www.facebook.com/LizMaverickC...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 684 reviews
December 20, 2025
3⭐️
For what this was, it was pretty cute! There wasn't a whole lot to this, but the experience and the story was just so sweet and adorable. This felt like a warm cup of tea across from a fireplace in the middle of winter. It was sweet and cozy and full of feel-good feelings!
The concept of this book was super sweet and I really enjoyed the friends-to-lovers aspect of this. This book was full of pining and angst and I loved the connection between the main characters. There wasn't a lot to them, besides the grief from Sophie's mother. I definitely think there could've been more! But I loved the atmosphere and holiday coziness as we near Christmas time. It was so heartwarming and so wholesome as we follow the love story between Caleb and Sophie.
This story revolved around Caleb being in love with his best friend, Sophie, but her having confusing feelings on how she felt back. The bookshop plot was really sweet, but it really felt like there was more to be desired in this book. There were plot holes that never went answered and points that were briefly mentioned but never touched on again. I guess what I'm saying is that this book felt very unfinished.
Overall, I think this is a good book to listen to if you want something very short and sweet that will make your heart feel good, but there was a lot left to be desired. If this was even just a little bit longer, enough to really drive some plot points home, it could've been a lot better. However, with that being said, this was only a few hours and I had a fun time reading this. It feel unfinished and empty, but the vibes were there and it's a decent book to get you in the mood for the holidays!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭: ❄️🎄
Here for yet another cozy holiday audiobook 😌
I'm honestly not expecting much from this, just a good time!
For what this was, it was pretty cute! There wasn't a whole lot to this, but the experience and the story was just so sweet and adorable. This felt like a warm cup of tea across from a fireplace in the middle of winter. It was sweet and cozy and full of feel-good feelings!
The concept of this book was super sweet and I really enjoyed the friends-to-lovers aspect of this. This book was full of pining and angst and I loved the connection between the main characters. There wasn't a lot to them, besides the grief from Sophie's mother. I definitely think there could've been more! But I loved the atmosphere and holiday coziness as we near Christmas time. It was so heartwarming and so wholesome as we follow the love story between Caleb and Sophie.
This story revolved around Caleb being in love with his best friend, Sophie, but her having confusing feelings on how she felt back. The bookshop plot was really sweet, but it really felt like there was more to be desired in this book. There were plot holes that never went answered and points that were briefly mentioned but never touched on again. I guess what I'm saying is that this book felt very unfinished.
Overall, I think this is a good book to listen to if you want something very short and sweet that will make your heart feel good, but there was a lot left to be desired. If this was even just a little bit longer, enough to really drive some plot points home, it could've been a lot better. However, with that being said, this was only a few hours and I had a fun time reading this. It feel unfinished and empty, but the vibes were there and it's a decent book to get you in the mood for the holidays!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭: ❄️🎄
Here for yet another cozy holiday audiobook 😌
I'm honestly not expecting much from this, just a good time!
Read
December 2, 2025Cute audiobook.
I was convinced that the male narrator is Teddy Hamilton so either I’m not that much of a fan and can’t tell the difference or Teddy is using a pseudonym 🧐
I was convinced that the male narrator is Teddy Hamilton so either I’m not that much of a fan and can’t tell the difference or Teddy is using a pseudonym 🧐
November 30, 2025
meh it's cute and free.
November 24, 2025
Cozy for the Holidays is a cute, quick listen, pining, clean, friends to lovers, holiday-lite story. I really enjoyed the first 50% of the book and kept wondering why it was rated so low when it was such a cute story. But then it kind of fell apart in the second half. I still liked it, but it definitely lost steam. One disappointment was the fact that this seems like it would be a holiday story. The cover is holiday like, the title literally has the word Holidays in it, so why is the only thing holiday a few words here and there. They mention the word Hanukkah a few times but we don't see or hear of anything relating to the actual holiday. No traditions, no celebrations, nothing. They even named the cat Latke. So that is why I am calling it holiday-lite. The two main characters are good friends and each has been pining for the other for years. I'm a bit disappointed with how they finally came together and the miscommunication trope. But it was a quick listen at only 3 hours and 41 minutes and it was included free with the audible plus catalog. The narration was good. The narrators did a good job. Overall, I give this book 3 stars.
November 26, 2025
I think maybe I just hate this man’s voice. But also the story was bad.
December 4, 2025
Using Teddy Hamilton with no spice? I have literary blue balls because there’s not even a first kiss!!!
Book ended as a standard hallmark book
Book ended as a standard hallmark book
December 16, 2025
Adorable holiday themed best friends to lovers romance. What book lover doesn’t love the setting being in a book shop! He falls first. Super sweet, wholesome, clean vibe. 3rd act breakup. Worth the listen to on Audible!
November 19, 2025
If Liz Maverick writes a book that becomes an audiobook on Audible, I'm listening to it. And if Eva Kaminsky Chris Kipiniak are narrating it... I'm in. So put these three amazing human beings togther and it's a match made in New York City heaven. I'm not Jewish, but these stories are just so perfect. I love her writing and I LOVE their narrating (If my fictional perfect man had a voice it would probably be Chris Kipiniak).
November 24, 2025
I thought this was a cute little love story.
December 15, 2025
A cute easy holiday read
December 10, 2025
This was cute Hallmark holiday audiobook!
Also, it's narrated in part by the actor who also narrates under the pseudonym Teddy Hamilton.
Also, it's narrated in part by the actor who also narrates under the pseudonym Teddy Hamilton.
November 17, 2025
This was nothing stellar but it was a cute listen. Very hallmark Christmas but in a not annoying way.
December 31, 2025
The short length makes it good for a quick holiday read and it had its positive moments but overall the characters felt a bit immature and overdramatic. Too much telling and not enough showing IMO and some of the scenarios were not believable. It also had my least favorite trope…miscommunication. I did love the cat! I also loved the MMC’s sweet and sentimental gesture to honor her Mom.
CW: death of a parent (off page but discussed quite a bit)
CW: death of a parent (off page but discussed quite a bit)
December 26, 2025
This was a cute and clean friends to lovers romance set during the holidays.
January 9, 2026
Loved it. Cozy romance in a book store.
November 29, 2025
I found this book just going through the plus catalog on Audible. Its such a cute little christmas story, I really did keep my attention! I think it was a cute little story to listen to while you’re trying to reach your reading goal! I loved the characters, love the way the story just flowed naturally! More than anything, I loved the cat! It was cute how Caleb just adopted him! It was also just a small short story too! Not too long if you’re trying to knock your reading goal like I am!
December 5, 2025
1.45 stars. I picked this up expecting a simple, cozy holiday read with a charming bookstore backdrop. Unfortunately, one major plot decision bothered me so much that it overshadowed everything else. The story constantly pressures the MMC to keep and run the bookstore despite his clear lack of desire, experience, or informed consent, and no one ever acknowledges the real financial or logistical responsibilities involved. Instead of feeling cute, the situation just came across as unfair and unrealistic.
If that central premise had been handled with a bit more thought and respect for his agency, this could have been an enjoyable 3 star seasonal read. The rest of the book is fine but unremarkable, and I found it hard to stay engaged once that frustration set in. For me, cozy only works when the characters actually want to be there.
If that central premise had been handled with a bit more thought and respect for his agency, this could have been an enjoyable 3 star seasonal read. The rest of the book is fine but unremarkable, and I found it hard to stay engaged once that frustration set in. For me, cozy only works when the characters actually want to be there.
December 11, 2025
This was an adorable, clean, fun holiday book. I like friends to dating books more so than the random meeting someone over Christmas and falling in love book. Seems a bit more authentic when they've known each other for a long time. It technically was a Hannukah book, but it didn't seem like the author really knew what Hannukah was about more so that they just replaced every would be "Christmas" label with a "Hannukah" one.
December 4, 2025
WOOOW ABSOLUTE HOT GARBAGEEE!!!!
Read
November 21, 2025I didn’t love this one. Felt like there were plot holes (could’ve been my mind wandering but is that my fault, or the book’s fault!). I actually wondered if I missed entire chapters (don’t worry, I didn’t!) The narrators were excellent but there were too many miscommunications and some downright nonsense on the part of the heroine that annoyed me. This had all the makings of perfection I mean two friends left in charge a a bookshop over Christmas?! What more could I dream of!? I don’t feel like this story was as flushed out as it could’ve been. Good news is, it was short.
November 14, 2025
What a fun, cute little story. It was super easy to follow along and I loved the characters. It was just cute!
November 19, 2025
This wasn’t cozy nor was it festive
December 29, 2025
Cozy for the Holidays by Liz Maverick
Narrated by Andrew Eiden and Eva Kaminsky
affiliate links
I’ve mostly enjoyed Liz Maverick’s holiday and Hanukkah romances over the past five years. Books with Hanukkah representation, especially on audio, are few and far between, so this one already had my attention. But having Teddy Hamilton as one of the narrators made me even more excited. (Andrew Eiden is his real name, which he uses for non-smut.)
Cozy for the Holidays is the second book-related story in the For the Holidays series. In fact, almost all of my Hanukkah reads this year had a bookish theme. There are mentions of last year’s characters, but you definitely don’t need to read Booked for the Holidays to enjoy Cozy for the Holidays.
Caleb is a scientist working on a cure for cancer who has just bought his first home, a brownstone in New York City. There’s a mix-up, though. Instead of clearing out the downstairs floor for him to renovate and rent, the movers clear out the upstairs apartment that was supposed to be left furnished. The bigger problem is that the downstairs space is an old bookshop, filled to the brim with books.
He calls his best friend, who he’s secretly been in love with for years, a book cover designer, to help him figure out what to do with all the stock. She’s immediately obsessed and doesn’t want him to sell anything. As they work together to keep the bookstore open through the holidays, their feelings start to come out.
Cozy for the Holidays started strong but then lost its way a bit for me. She pushed too hard for him to keep the store, the way she ran the shop felt silly at times, and I felt like he was far more into her than she was into him. What bothered me most, though, was the lack of holiday atmosphere. Yes, it takes place during the holidays, they’re working toward opening the bookstore for the holiday block party, and the cat is named Latke, but I still found myself missing the holidays (Christmas or Hanukkah) themselves.
The narration was fantastic and honestly worth a listen just for that.
Overall, I enjoyed Cozy for the Holidays for the representation, but there were some plot holes and dangling threads that never went anywhere. I would still recommend this three-hour story to anyone looking for a Hanukkah or Jewish during-the-holidays romance audiobook.
Rating: 3.5 stars, No spice, Narration: 5 stars
Purchase Cozy for the Holidays by Liz Maverick
Audible Exclusive
Narrated by Andrew Eiden and Eva Kaminsky
affiliate links
I’ve mostly enjoyed Liz Maverick’s holiday and Hanukkah romances over the past five years. Books with Hanukkah representation, especially on audio, are few and far between, so this one already had my attention. But having Teddy Hamilton as one of the narrators made me even more excited. (Andrew Eiden is his real name, which he uses for non-smut.)
Cozy for the Holidays is the second book-related story in the For the Holidays series. In fact, almost all of my Hanukkah reads this year had a bookish theme. There are mentions of last year’s characters, but you definitely don’t need to read Booked for the Holidays to enjoy Cozy for the Holidays.
Caleb is a scientist working on a cure for cancer who has just bought his first home, a brownstone in New York City. There’s a mix-up, though. Instead of clearing out the downstairs floor for him to renovate and rent, the movers clear out the upstairs apartment that was supposed to be left furnished. The bigger problem is that the downstairs space is an old bookshop, filled to the brim with books.
He calls his best friend, who he’s secretly been in love with for years, a book cover designer, to help him figure out what to do with all the stock. She’s immediately obsessed and doesn’t want him to sell anything. As they work together to keep the bookstore open through the holidays, their feelings start to come out.
Cozy for the Holidays started strong but then lost its way a bit for me. She pushed too hard for him to keep the store, the way she ran the shop felt silly at times, and I felt like he was far more into her than she was into him. What bothered me most, though, was the lack of holiday atmosphere. Yes, it takes place during the holidays, they’re working toward opening the bookstore for the holiday block party, and the cat is named Latke, but I still found myself missing the holidays (Christmas or Hanukkah) themselves.
The narration was fantastic and honestly worth a listen just for that.
Overall, I enjoyed Cozy for the Holidays for the representation, but there were some plot holes and dangling threads that never went anywhere. I would still recommend this three-hour story to anyone looking for a Hanukkah or Jewish during-the-holidays romance audiobook.
Rating: 3.5 stars, No spice, Narration: 5 stars
Purchase Cozy for the Holidays by Liz Maverick
Audible Exclusive
See my list of 2025 Hanukkah Romance Novels
December 10, 2025
Okay, to set the scene here I need to start with the 80s cartoon Jem and the Holograms.
No, really.
The first episode, you find out that Jerica is trying to run an orphanage and the place is falling apart, and some rich dude verbally decides to put up a mansion as a kind of prize in a contest that Jem and the Holograms try to win, but something goes wrong, and the rich dude says, "I’ll have no choice but to give the mansion to the Misfits!"
It’s so untrue. No contracts have been signed, there’s nothing to stop this man from saying, "You know what, orphans could use this space better than a rock band…" Nothing.
"I’ll have no choice but to give the mansion to the Misfits!" has become a phrase I and my husband utter to each other when something requires block and tackle with which to suspend one’s disbelief, but it’s so fun you don’t mind doing so.
This novella? This novella has no choice but to give the mansion to the Misfits.
By that I mean: Caleb, a super-smart cancer research scientist who has an eye for detail and can figure out the entire chemistry of baking fudge in a couple of days if he puts his mind to it buys a duplex building where he intends to live in the furnished top floor apartment and paint the emptied lower-floor and rent it out to cover the mortgage. Only when he arrives, it turns out the upper level is completely empty and the lower half is a book shop, still full of stuff. How has this happened? He can’t seem to get in touch with the owners. He does know his purchase means he owns everything in the lower floor, though, so… he’ll get rid of all the books and fine china and stuff and move forward as planned, I guess? Only no, because the woman he loves (and is secretly pining away for) wants to keep it running, especially after it turns out two other adjacent businesses have this whole holiday plan for cross-marketing and there’s a fundraiser for cancer research (and he couldn’t possibly turn his back on that).
Do you see what I mean? None of this makes a shred of sense, and even when it’s all explained? Then it ends up makes even less sense, because . It’s also certainly never stated that this bookshop is second-hand, but the heroine talks about getting new books in, but if that’s the case, then they also never track sales in any way that would, y’know, pay the authors? I worked bookstores for twenty years, and this bookstore is a bookstore in a holiday novella and that’s totally fine, but I spent way too much time wondering how they’ll ever make sure the publishers (and thus the authors) get paid when the heroine is just randomly e-transferring cash to Caleb’s bank account.
But, as I said, this is a "I’ll have no choice but to give the mansion to the Misfits!" story. Who cares if it makes sense? Caleb is pining, Sophie is mourning a loss and not ready to open her heart to realizing exactly why she’s noticing that Caleb’s gym routine has been paying off, they’re sparking, it’s Hannukah and they decide to run the bookshop anyway, and their will-they-won’t-they is delivered with the perfectly enjoyable mix of Andrew Eiden and Eva Kaminsky voice-acting to perfection (also I really want Mitch the florist to turn out to be a burly gay dude, but that never happens).
It’s candy. It’s fun. Enjoy it. You’ll have no choice but to give the mansion to the Misfits.
No, really.
The first episode, you find out that Jerica is trying to run an orphanage and the place is falling apart, and some rich dude verbally decides to put up a mansion as a kind of prize in a contest that Jem and the Holograms try to win, but something goes wrong, and the rich dude says, "I’ll have no choice but to give the mansion to the Misfits!"
It’s so untrue. No contracts have been signed, there’s nothing to stop this man from saying, "You know what, orphans could use this space better than a rock band…" Nothing.
"I’ll have no choice but to give the mansion to the Misfits!" has become a phrase I and my husband utter to each other when something requires block and tackle with which to suspend one’s disbelief, but it’s so fun you don’t mind doing so.
This novella? This novella has no choice but to give the mansion to the Misfits.
By that I mean: Caleb, a super-smart cancer research scientist who has an eye for detail and can figure out the entire chemistry of baking fudge in a couple of days if he puts his mind to it buys a duplex building where he intends to live in the furnished top floor apartment and paint the emptied lower-floor and rent it out to cover the mortgage. Only when he arrives, it turns out the upper level is completely empty and the lower half is a book shop, still full of stuff. How has this happened? He can’t seem to get in touch with the owners. He does know his purchase means he owns everything in the lower floor, though, so… he’ll get rid of all the books and fine china and stuff and move forward as planned, I guess? Only no, because the woman he loves (and is secretly pining away for) wants to keep it running, especially after it turns out two other adjacent businesses have this whole holiday plan for cross-marketing and there’s a fundraiser for cancer research (and he couldn’t possibly turn his back on that).
Do you see what I mean? None of this makes a shred of sense, and even when it’s all explained? Then it ends up makes even less sense, because . It’s also certainly never stated that this bookshop is second-hand, but the heroine talks about getting new books in, but if that’s the case, then they also never track sales in any way that would, y’know, pay the authors? I worked bookstores for twenty years, and this bookstore is a bookstore in a holiday novella and that’s totally fine, but I spent way too much time wondering how they’ll ever make sure the publishers (and thus the authors) get paid when the heroine is just randomly e-transferring cash to Caleb’s bank account.
But, as I said, this is a "I’ll have no choice but to give the mansion to the Misfits!" story. Who cares if it makes sense? Caleb is pining, Sophie is mourning a loss and not ready to open her heart to realizing exactly why she’s noticing that Caleb’s gym routine has been paying off, they’re sparking, it’s Hannukah and they decide to run the bookshop anyway, and their will-they-won’t-they is delivered with the perfectly enjoyable mix of Andrew Eiden and Eva Kaminsky voice-acting to perfection (also I really want Mitch the florist to turn out to be a burly gay dude, but that never happens).
It’s candy. It’s fun. Enjoy it. You’ll have no choice but to give the mansion to the Misfits.
December 14, 2025
Sophie and Caleb have been friends since kindergarten, but Sophie never wanted to change their dynamic for fears of losing him.
Caleb recently bought a house, and with it, he wants to finally settle down with or without Sophie.
As they work together to run a bookshop Caleb accidentally bought, Sophie contemplates finally giving a romantic relationship a try.
------------------------------
This is a short holiday novella, and I think because of that, this book doesn't really work? It's essentially a will they won't they pairing finally deciding to give their romance a try. It just didn't work for me because it was 2 POV, and there wasn't enough time to build both of their dynamics, and the bookshop side plot didn't really work?
The plot is the two of them both coming to the realization that they want more from the relationship they currently have but there isn't a good enough side plot to push the two together to explain the sudden epiphany. The bookshop side plot was supposed to be pushing them together, but there was no reason to be invested in the bookshop? Sophie thinks having a bookshop would be fun and bullies Caleb into agreeing to run it, but they both don't really care about it? it wasn't a compelling plotline and didn't really push them and just there in the background.
I just don't understand why Sophie suddenly flipped her position? She realized she would lose Caleb as a romantic partner once he settled in his new home? She just never really worked through that though in the book, instead of presenting it as a sudden realization that she needed to change the dynamic, but nothing pushed it.
Caleb, I understood because he wanted to settle down and bought a house. Sophie expected him to act the same, but he wanted to start having a family and didn't want to wait for Sophie anymore. I just couldn't get Sophie's change of heart and the 3rd Act Break Up made me think she only got with him for fear of having not the same level of access to him that she's used to. She didn't grow?
I think the reason both Caleb and Sophie fell flat was because this was a really short novella, and there wasn't enough time to build their dynamic or the side plot enough, especially with the two POVs.
I adore how Maverick incorporated Hanukkah and Jewish traditions into the story however!
It was really lovely to see.
Caleb recently bought a house, and with it, he wants to finally settle down with or without Sophie.
As they work together to run a bookshop Caleb accidentally bought, Sophie contemplates finally giving a romantic relationship a try.
------------------------------
This is a short holiday novella, and I think because of that, this book doesn't really work? It's essentially a will they won't they pairing finally deciding to give their romance a try. It just didn't work for me because it was 2 POV, and there wasn't enough time to build both of their dynamics, and the bookshop side plot didn't really work?
The plot is the two of them both coming to the realization that they want more from the relationship they currently have but there isn't a good enough side plot to push the two together to explain the sudden epiphany. The bookshop side plot was supposed to be pushing them together, but there was no reason to be invested in the bookshop? Sophie thinks having a bookshop would be fun and bullies Caleb into agreeing to run it, but they both don't really care about it? it wasn't a compelling plotline and didn't really push them and just there in the background.
I just don't understand why Sophie suddenly flipped her position? She realized she would lose Caleb as a romantic partner once he settled in his new home? She just never really worked through that though in the book, instead of presenting it as a sudden realization that she needed to change the dynamic, but nothing pushed it.
Caleb, I understood because he wanted to settle down and bought a house. Sophie expected him to act the same, but he wanted to start having a family and didn't want to wait for Sophie anymore. I just couldn't get Sophie's change of heart and the 3rd Act Break Up made me think she only got with him for fear of having not the same level of access to him that she's used to. She didn't grow?
I think the reason both Caleb and Sophie fell flat was because this was a really short novella, and there wasn't enough time to build their dynamic or the side plot enough, especially with the two POVs.
I adore how Maverick incorporated Hanukkah and Jewish traditions into the story however!
It was really lovely to see.
November 25, 2025
⭐️⭐️🌶️ This was free in the Audible Plus catalog so I thought I’d give it a go. The first 75% I kept asking myself if the story was progressing &it definitely didn’t feel like it. It was just bland chat &dialogue to me.
* It had Hanukkah representation. The story overall didn’t necessarily scream holiday vibes. The biggest holiday nod was to baking.
* I liked that the bookshop was called A Curious Twist. I thought that was a clever name.
* The best part of the story was the audio. Andrew Eiden &Eva Kaminsky did amazing with what they were given. I was in the middle of cleaning &didn’t want to find something else to listen to so that lead me to finish it, otherwise I would’ve DNF it.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬:
* Book themes
* Friends to lovers
* Forced proximity
* Cover designer FMC
* Scientific researcher MMC
𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬:
* Caleb bought his dream brownstone without realizing there was a bookshop in the downstairs. He reins in his best friend Sophie who is a cover designer &book lover to figure out what to do about the bookshop. Their working together leads to more feelings than they expected.
* It had Hanukkah representation. The story overall didn’t necessarily scream holiday vibes. The biggest holiday nod was to baking.
* I liked that the bookshop was called A Curious Twist. I thought that was a clever name.
* The best part of the story was the audio. Andrew Eiden &Eva Kaminsky did amazing with what they were given. I was in the middle of cleaning &didn’t want to find something else to listen to so that lead me to finish it, otherwise I would’ve DNF it.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬:
* Book themes
* Friends to lovers
* Forced proximity
* Cover designer FMC
* Scientific researcher MMC
𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬:
* Caleb bought his dream brownstone without realizing there was a bookshop in the downstairs. He reins in his best friend Sophie who is a cover designer &book lover to figure out what to do about the bookshop. Their working together leads to more feelings than they expected.
dnf
November 30, 2025DNF at 28%. I typically enjoy Liz Maverick’s holiday short stories on Audible, but I’m rage quitting this one. Well, very annoyed quitting. The male character - is it Caleb? I already don’t care. Let’s say it’s Caleb. He bought a house. It’s the premise of the story - it has a bookstore in it that he doesn’t want, but *stuff happens.*
He bought a house - even though he doesn’t have a family yet to fill it. The horror! I’m single. I bought a house, with no family to fill it. Am I supposed to feel like my life is less? Apparently. Or maybe it’s okay if I’m single as long as I rent? Or am I just supposed to not read romance? Yes I want to read the HEA. No, I don’t want stupid comments like the main character did a basic life thing even though they are alone.
Okay there is some rage. The book was also pretty dull at least for the first hour which isn’t great for a three hour book.
The narrators were awesome. No complaints on either of them - and I’m feeling salty so I would say.
He bought a house - even though he doesn’t have a family yet to fill it. The horror! I’m single. I bought a house, with no family to fill it. Am I supposed to feel like my life is less? Apparently. Or maybe it’s okay if I’m single as long as I rent? Or am I just supposed to not read romance? Yes I want to read the HEA. No, I don’t want stupid comments like the main character did a basic life thing even though they are alone.
Okay there is some rage. The book was also pretty dull at least for the first hour which isn’t great for a three hour book.
The narrators were awesome. No complaints on either of them - and I’m feeling salty so I would say.
December 19, 2025
Eh. This was just ok. But rok heavy on the miscommunication
📚 unrequited love cry
📚 set at Christmas
📚 dual POV
🚫 clean romance
|Thoughts|
Didn’t really get into this story. Whilst it a novella, it felt fairly slow paced.
Enjoyed some of the smaller moments (his sweet gesture in relation to fudge).
“You’re allowed to stop…maybe you said ‘I promise to make fudge until it’s perfect’. But what your mum heard was ‘I love you’.”
Didn’t appreciate him basically cutting her off as a friend when he decided he had ‘had enough’ trying to date her. Sort of felt a bit like he was just acting like the ‘nice best friend’.
“I’m giving up on Sophie. I thought I had feelings for her. But I was wrong”
Too much miscommunication for me.
🧶 For more bookish content follow me on Instagram.com/read_watch_crochet
📚 unrequited love cry
📚 set at Christmas
📚 dual POV
🚫 clean romance
|Thoughts|
Didn’t really get into this story. Whilst it a novella, it felt fairly slow paced.
Enjoyed some of the smaller moments (his sweet gesture in relation to fudge).
“You’re allowed to stop…maybe you said ‘I promise to make fudge until it’s perfect’. But what your mum heard was ‘I love you’.”
Didn’t appreciate him basically cutting her off as a friend when he decided he had ‘had enough’ trying to date her. Sort of felt a bit like he was just acting like the ‘nice best friend’.
“I’m giving up on Sophie. I thought I had feelings for her. But I was wrong”
Too much miscommunication for me.
🧶 For more bookish content follow me on Instagram.com/read_watch_crochet
December 3, 2025
2⭐️
Once again, applause for the voice actors 👏 They made every moment so enjoyable! If it were just based on their performances, I’d give it 5 stars. Unfortunately, I have to take the actual story into account.
Now, for the story— the first half was great, I was totally invested! And then… the worst happened: the dreaded miscommunication trope 🙃. Actually, it was mostly one person causing the mess— Sophie, the FMC. She just couldn’t make up her mind, leaving poor Caleb completely confused by her mixed signals. This man has been so patient and dedicated to her for years, hoping their friendship would evolve into something more. And this man made fudge for her— fudge she’s been trying and failing to master herself. He did all the research, put in the time, and made it happen. For her.And she couldn’t even express a simple thank you? Girl, you’re adults!! We all know you have feelings for him too, so stop stringing him along and just admit it! She only finally spoke up when she realized how much she messed it all up. Seriously? It took him pulling away for you to say something? I just can't with that. It’s not fair to Caleb.
The second installment in this interconnected series did not live up to the expectations I had after finishing the first book. Gah.
Once again, applause for the voice actors 👏 They made every moment so enjoyable! If it were just based on their performances, I’d give it 5 stars. Unfortunately, I have to take the actual story into account.
Now, for the story— the first half was great, I was totally invested! And then… the worst happened: the dreaded miscommunication trope 🙃. Actually, it was mostly one person causing the mess— Sophie, the FMC. She just couldn’t make up her mind, leaving poor Caleb completely confused by her mixed signals. This man has been so patient and dedicated to her for years, hoping their friendship would evolve into something more. And this man made fudge for her— fudge she’s been trying and failing to master herself. He did all the research, put in the time, and made it happen. For her.And she couldn’t even express a simple thank you? Girl, you’re adults!! We all know you have feelings for him too, so stop stringing him along and just admit it! She only finally spoke up when she realized how much she messed it all up. Seriously? It took him pulling away for you to say something? I just can't with that. It’s not fair to Caleb.
The second installment in this interconnected series did not live up to the expectations I had after finishing the first book. Gah.
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