A Very Merry Detour

by Court Behr

A week before Christmas, a woman on a cross-country road trip to win back her ex-boyfriend gets stranded in a Utah ski town and ends up finding love where she least expects it.

It’s the holidays, and Alaina has just been dumped. Determined to have the romantic Christmas she’s always wanted, she sets out on a cross-country road trip to surprise her ex-boyfriend and convince him she’s the one. But her grand plans are derailed when she drives straight into a snowbank in the middle of nowhere, Utah. She’s rescued by Priscilla, a terse, unsmiling bookstore owner with zero interest in holiday cheer. Stranded in the ski town of Brooks with her car out of commission, Alaina makes a bucket list of festive adventures to prove she’s fun and adventurous enough to love—and to her surprise, Priscilla offers to join her.

Between tree-cutting misadventures, ice-skating lessons, and a night beneath the stars, Alaina’s plan goes off without a hitch—except that the longer she spends with Priscilla, the less she’s sure of what, or who, she really wants. All throughout Brooks, the two run into locals who adore Priscilla—from the mechanic to the owner of the diner—and soon, it’s clear that Priscilla’s hard exterior masks a tender heart, one that’s just as afraid as Alaina that she’s not worth loving. It may just take a Christmas miracle to show them that true love might be closer than you think.

A heartwarming romance packed with small-town cheer, A Very Merry Detour is about how opening ourselves up to love—whether it’s for friends, family, or home—always makes room for our most authentic selves.

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, Holiday, Christmas, Queer, LGBT, Contemporary

368 pages, Paperback

Expected publication October 13, 2026

Reviews

[justine ⊹ ࣪ ˖ (back-ish?)]

the cover got me

[Haley]

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A Very Merry Detour feels like stepping into a Hallmark Christmas movie. It is set in a small town in Utah, where everyone knows each other. The story has that cozy, close-knit small town feeling that makes Christmas romances so enjoyable.

I really enjoyed reading this Christmas book, even though where I live, we are in the middle of a heat wave. The story was fun, festive, and had the kind of cozy atmosphere that made it easy to get into the Christmas spirit.

One thing I wish we had gotten more of was Priscilla's backstory. I thought there was a lot of depth to her character, and I would have loved to learn more about her and see her backstory explored further. I also felt like Alain's fixation on her ex, Cole, went on a little too long for my liking. At times, it felt like it took away from some parts of the story I was more interested in.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. If you are looking for a cozy Christmas romance with a small town setting and the feel of a Hallmark movie, A Very Merry Detour would be a great book to pick up during the winter season.

[Avery]

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for approving me to read this book. I wanted to start out with my rating, 3✨. Honestly it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t as good as I was hoping it would be. I’m going to be honest, I don’t really like holiday romances. Especially ones that are during Christmas time. Let me start by saying that I didn’t even realize that this was a Christmas romance. I just read the description and somehow missed the Christmas part which is undoubtedly my bad.

That isn’t to say that I didn’t like this book because I did. The characters were well developed, I loved the found family aspect, and I occasionally highlighted quotes that I really fell in love with that made me like the book even more. I loved that all most all of Priscilla’s friend had a partner and that they all had someone to spend the holidays with.

One thing that I really didn’t love was how we only saw Alaina’s friend Nico through text messages. We never really met Nico and their partner. Like it honestly bothered me because Nico was the wisest, most sensible, and the best/my favorite character. Alaina’s ex was very underdeveloped which didn’t work for me. Like there had to be a legitimate reason as to why they broke up.

I wasn’t really feeling the “second chance” that Alaina was trying to make happen with her and her boyfriend. It’s kind of giving when Belly didn’t know that she and Jeremiah were on a break and not actually broken up. Because the same thing happened with Alaina and Cole. Except Cole never cheated on Alaina. I digress, but another I didn’t appreciate was Cole’s best friend’s girlfriend. Like Alaina was trying to be nice by text her happy birthday and ask where her boyfriend is. Like you didn’t have to be rude to Alaina she did nothing wrong.

I get that Priscilla had her reasons for distancing herself from her friends, but it wasn’t even a good reason. No offense but you’re a grown adult who doesn’t know how to talk about her feelings but can do so with an absolute stranger? It doesn’t make sense. I also didn’t appreciate after Priscilla and Alaina kissed (twice at different times) Priscilla both times I might add, Priscilla said that she had either no feelings like the kiss wasn’t fueled with emotion or that Alaina should just forget about it. Keep in mind Priscilla doesn’t believe in love and tried to push Alaina away saying that she wasn’t good for her.

I don’t see why Priscilla and Alaina didn’t get together like 75-85% of the book because literally everything was perfect but noooooo. Like you could have just ended it there. I wasn’t feeling any wintery or christmasy vibes. Absolutely none because I would have enjoyed feeling cold when it’s 90 degrees outside. This book had a lot of potential to be great and in a way, it was. But I knew at the 40% mark that it was going to be a 3✨ for me and it was. Again I just want to thank NetGalley and the author Court Behr for allowing me to read the e-arc of this book.

[Liralen]

3 stars; review to come October 2026

[Delilah Twersky]

ARC received from NetGalley

Okay but Priscilla sounds really hot.

[elsa ʚїɞ]

the artist who did the gorgeous cover is my best friend’s gf so of course i have to read it

[Emmie Rose]

3.5 stars

I thought the story was very sweet, and I adored the theme of found family! Alaina’s backstory was so sad and I really enjoyed her character’s reflection and growth as she struggled with her breakup with Cole and her feelings for Priscilla. She was a thoroughly likeable and relatable character and I resonated with her feelings about rejection.

I struggled to connect with Priscilla’s character, however. Where Alaina popped, Priscilla (or Sil) fell rather flat. She had backstory and depth, but I just couldn’t find anything to connect with (although I’m sure others would find something and this was likely more of a me problem than a problem in general).

Their little Utah town was picturesque and the wintery/Christmassy adventures sounded so fun that I really wanted to join in! Goodbye summer, give me ice skates and Christmas trees, please! (Like Callie, I’ll skip the skiing since I’d only be a danger to myself and others!) I really wanted to be friends with Callie and Ned especially, since their energy was so fun and wholesome! I felt like Alaina truly found her place with these new friends, but also loved how she worked to strengthen her current friendship with Nico.

I would have liked to see a bit more regarding Alaina’s living family, since the plot line had led me to believe that it would be more important than it was. I wanted to see a bit more from it, honestly, as it felt like certain conversations would have been pivotal to her healing.

[Rivulet027]

I love how the cover lets you know that this is going to be a fun, cozy, sapphic Christmas romance. Alaina is dealing with a lot at the beginning of this book. She'd had the perfect Christmas planned, but then her boyfriend suggested they take 'a break'. The story starts with her driving cross country to win him back, but of course she ends up stuck in a snowbank! Priscilla rescues her. Alaina and Priscilla are very much opposites attract. Despite being stuck in this small town until her car is fixed Alaina is determined to have the best Christmas ever, Priscilla is determined to help Alaina along the way. I love how the attraction is obvious from both of them, but it takes time for them to trust and build the romantic feelings as they become better friends. I love the friend group that Priscilla has, while also enjoying that Aliana is best friends with her roommate who is supportive over the phone. Add in a charming cat and this book is everything that the cover promises it'll be. Also don't get me started on the description of Priscilla's book store, it's perfect!

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lily]

A Very Merry Detour by Court Behr

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced reader copy of A Very Merry Detour by Court Behr in exchange for an honest review, of which these thoughts are all my own.

4.5/5 ★’s –

Late nights in the middle of June, and yes, I am up reading a cozy Christmas romance.

In a desperate road trip from San Francisco to New York to fight for love for her “on a break” boyfriend, Alaina loses control and crashes her car into a snowbank in the middle of rural Utah. She has no choice but to trust her rescuer, Priscilla. Priscilla, the intimidating and closed-off bookstore owner, is also quite kind and offers her couch to Alaina. Alaina opens up to Priscilla over the next couple of days and takes advantage of this opportunity to prove to her ex-boyfriend that she could be who he wishes she was by participating in adventurous winter activities. However, while doing this, Priscilla and Alaina get quite close; a Christmas tradition set up turns universe-shattering. Alaina starts to question herself and what she really wants out of life; Priscilla starts opening her doors to her other friends, showing genuine joy in activities again. They brought out the best in one another, and now they learn to navigate their new budding relationship.

This being Behr’s debut novel, I was unsure of what to expect, but reading this was incredibly easy and cozy! It hit “hallmark” novel on the nail! But not too over-the-top and repetitive. While it was easy, there was also an adequate amount of depth to its main characters! The only thing I wish is that we would have had more depth to Nico, Alaina’s best friend. The text messages were about the extent of learning about them; I just wish there was a little bit more. My mind hopes that we will maybe see a novel for them! ;) I love the characteristic differences of grumpy and sunshine; they truly balanced each other out as the story progressed, and it was wonderful to see. And of course they have their flaws, but that is what makes characters, well, characters. Their flaws drove their actions, allowing them to grow and change.

Living in a semi-small town, I am always drawn to small-town stories. This worked really well for me, with everyone being interconnected in some way. The difference between this fiction and my reality is that queer people are actually adored and treated well, so it is so refreshing to see queer people as a normality in a small town. I love found family, and it just works so so well here.

Now, a couple of things I wished to see/learn about: 1) Alaina calling out Cole on his malarkey and how he treated Alaina. I know “being the bigger person,” but the pettiness in me wants to see Cole revel in how he treated Alaina. But then again, the story was not about the boy, so this is minor to me; I am just petty HAHA. 2) Maybe not as much social media, but I totally understand the obsession with just looking and looking, trying to figure out what you did wrong, trying to find ways to fix it. But sometimes reading about social media in books takes me out of the immersion.

Not to mention the intimate scenes were done very well, and definitely had me raving to my best friend about how hot Alaina’s shower scene was. Their physical chemistry was portrayed so intense and sharply; it drew me in. Soooo swoony.

If you are looking for:

- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Forced Proximity
- Found Family
- Bi-Awakening and Panic
- Cozy Winter Activities
- Hallmark and Bookish Vibes

This is definitely the read for you!! I loved loved lovedddd this book. I will be preordering for my physical trophy shelf (and to totally read it again!!). Can’t wait to see what Behr has in store as she develops as an author!

P.S. I am not usually a huge fan of cartoon covers, but this art style is genuinely so cute and eye-catching. They are illustrated so nicely- no shade, but this is much better than those really cartoony ones we are seeing a lot in contemporary romance.

[Liberty]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.

Before I get into the review, a quick thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers over at Dial Press for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. A Very Merry Detour follows Alaina who was recently dumped by her boyfriend for not being adventurous enough. When he goes on a brand trip to New York for Christmas and New Year's Eve, she decides to drive out to meet him. But she ends up driving into a snowbank in Utah on the way. There she gets rescued by Priscilla, a no nonsense bookstore owner who can't understand why Alaina would possibly be driving in a blizzard. Over the week that Alaina is waiting for her car to get fixed, Priscilla and Alaina complete a list of adventurous things to show Alaina's ex that she can be the type of girl he wants. But things get muddled when Alaina develops feelings for Priscilla. A Very Merry Detour comes out on October 13th and is available for preorder now.

This was a cute and sweet holiday Romance with a small emphasis on the holiday part. The small town that Alaina gets stuck in for a week feels so cute with such lovely side characters. I would read about any of them. (Though, Callie is my favorite, but shhhh, don't tell the others.) I also like that they have a list of all of these things Alaina wants to do to show her adventurous side: hike a mountain, camp under the stars, go ice skating, go skiing, etc. They had to manage balancing Priscilla's work running the small town bookstore with all of their adventures which I appreciated. We see them working together in the bookstore a few times which showed them both bonding and being able to work well together. There's a theme in this one about how to be loved is to be known. Alaina eventually compares her past relationship with the ex she was originally setting out to get back and her budding romance with this bookshop owner. She notes that he did things that can objectively be called romantic but everything was so generic and could be given to any girl anywhere. But the things that Priscilla has done in only a week of knowing Alaina shows that she pays attention and actually knows and caters to the woman right in front of her. I found that to be so sweet.

I didn't like the third act conflict. You can't really call it a third act breakup when they were never really dating, but when that conflict happens, I don't feel like we got enough about it. Why does this character feel the way she does? Why does she eventually agree to try? It felt like the author didn't really know how to make it happen without getting some feedback so they just did a speed run through the whole thing. I also don't understand how the economy works in this small town. 😆 Alaina gets so much stuff for free when she first gets stranded there. Also, if the town is so small, how is the bookstore getting that busy multiple days in one week? I know it's the lead up to Christmas but still. Those are some pretty small problems overall but did pull me out of the story a bit.

Overall, this was a fun read. I think I would have read it a bit faster if my real life wasn't being a giant pain. But still so cute and a great pick up for the holiday season.

[Amelia]

So I did in fact cry when reading this book, Alaina and her constant mental struggle with trying to win her ex boyfriend Cole back but at the same time learning she’s truly better off without him is so relatable. Her learning to be her true self again instead of changing herself to be perfect all the time was truly so nice to experience.
This book follows Alaina in an unplanned trip to the most perfect christmassy small town after her car crashed in the middle of a snowstorm. After being heroically rescued by bookshop owner Priscilla, Alaina finds her car needs a solid week to be repaired, so looks like Alaina is stuck on Priscilla’s couch for christmas. Alaina’s plan was to have her own Christmas trip and be spontaneous, to prove to her ex boyfriend Cole that she can be spontaneous and fun, now she has ended up in this whole situation she decides to make the best of it and get Priscilla to help her plan a fun list of things to do together, for the gram of course.
Priscilla isn’t exactly grumpy, I would say she is reserved, especially around the holiday season, and her friend group is literally two couples and she feels awkward being a fifth wheel, so she has just stopped being with them, doing fun friend things with them. Obviously this is not going to stand with Alaina around, she is ALL over christmas, and having fun, so she is dragging Priscilla along with her, respectfully, as long as she wants to.
That’s something I did actually love a lot about this book, how both Alaina and Priscilla have family issues, especially around the holidays, and they share that with each other and open up with each other and can lean on each other. This book has very supportive characters and it is super beautiful. Especially the Gary twist at the end? WHAT A SCHEMER??!!
Priscillas friend group is beautiful, Callie is an obvious favorite, but you have to love Lauren, I think they are everything together and I love Lauren’s- Everyone’s, protectiveness over Priscilla. They have the most love for her and it is everything to me. Having so many people that love you so so much is so important and definitely a huge luxury.
I love all the adventures and experiences Priscilla and Alaina had together, even if the reason was supposed to be for Cole, it really helped both Priscilla and Alaina grow as individuals in my opinion, like yes Priscilla had lived in this beautiful place for so long, but experiencing things with Alaina must have been different, seeing things she found normal through Alaina’s eyes. And for Alaina it was her first time doing a lot of it, if not all of it, but Alaina really came into herself throughout the book and it truly was amazing to see her confidence and just her grow. This book is magical and I am very grateful for it, thank you so so much.

[Ashley Sawyer]

This book was so cute!! If you love cozy, small town holiday romances with heart, this one absolutely delivers.
A Very Merry Detour follows Alaina, who after being dumped right before Christmas sets off on a cross country road trip to win back her ex, only to get stranded in a snowy Utah ski town. There, she meets Priscilla, a grumpy bookstore owner who rescues her and reluctantly lets her stay above her shop. What starts as a temporary detour turns into a festive bucket list of holiday activities, unexpected friendships, and a slow realization that love might not be where Alaina originally planned to find it.
I loved the accidental meeting between Priscilla and Alaina. Their dynamic was everything, the perfect balance of grumpy and sunshine with so much underlying vulnerability. This story felt so cozy and immersive, and I genuinely adored the small town setting and all the festive activities they worked through together.
That said, the amount of times I rolled my eyes at Alaina thinking about Cole or checking his Instagram were too many to count but thankfully she does come to her senses as she spends more time with Priscilla. Watching her shift from chasing a past relationship to recognizing what is right in front of her was so satisfying.
One of my favorite little details was Alaina’s puns. I loved how often she made them and how they added such a light, playful energy to the story. It made it even better when Priscilla started reciprocating them. Those moments felt so natural and showed how much she was opening up, and I genuinely found myself smiling every time.
The small town charm really stood out. From chopping down and decorating a tree to ice skating, baking cookies, skiing, and camping under the stars, every scene felt intentional and cozy. I also loved Priscilla’s friend group because they added so much warmth and made everything feel like a real community. And Priscilla having a cat was such a bonus.
What really grounded the story was the emotional depth. Both characters are navigating loss and feelings of not being worthy of love, and their quieter conversations especially the late night ones felt very real. The moment where they talk about whether wanting to be loved is silly really stuck with me.
The ending was sooo cute. Alaina’s realization and the love confession all tied together seamlessly and read like the ending to a big romantic movie.
Overall, this was a cozy, festive, emotionally grounded romance that shows how the best kind of love can find you when you least expect it.

[Lindsay Bilyeu]

Thank you so much to Dial Press for the gifted galley!

⛸️Sapphic Holiday Romance
❄️Grumpy x Sunshine
🎄Found Family
🏳️‍🌈Everyone Is Gay
🏠Picturesque Small Town
📚Cozy Bookstore

❗️Content Warning:
Loss of a loved one (in the past)
Family disownment

I've been waiting to read this book since Court Behr's book deal was announced in 2024 and it did not disappoint!!
If you are looking for a distraction from this summer heat then I have the perfect Christmas romance for you! A Very Merry Detour will give you all the cozy winter vibes. You'll want to light some candles and curl up with a blanket and before long you'll be listening to some classic Christmas tunes!

Alaina takes a poorly planned trip to NYC to win back her boyfriend, only to end up stranded in a small town in Utah a week before Christmas. Her rescuer is the guarded and no-nonsense local bookstore owner, Priscilla, who lets Alaina stay at her place because there's no room at the town's only hotel. Of course!

I adored this book so, so much! Alaina and Priscilla have such different personalities which often made for some funny moments and great banter. But they have more in common than they realize, deeper issues that they have to work through to ultimately get to their happy ending. I related to both of them so much and I think many other readers will too ... how many of us have been made to feel like we aren't enough just as we are?

Things I really loved:
💜Their adventures around the town to check off things from Alaina's list she made to impress her useless boyfriend. The ice skating was my favorite. I could've easily read 10 more chapters of them just doing whatever each day.

🩷Priscilla's meddling group of friends who welcomed and loved Alaina immediately. The tree decorating party?! 🥹

🩵Alaina's Bi awakening. Referring to
to Priscilla as "Tall, Dark and Mysterious" should've been your first clue, babe! 😂

💜The setting - a Christmassy small town with a cozy bookstore, a diner and mountains nearby. Perfect!

🐈 There's also a weird bookstore cat named Lola.

Overall this book was super cute and gave me all the Hallmark Christmas movie vibes, right down to the ending. Full of all the tropes I love. I had such a good time reading it and I already can't wait to reread during the holidays!
A charming debut! 🎉

[Micah]

I was lucky enough to read this story by requesting an arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**




3.5 ⭐️ — Initially I thought that I would not like this story at all but I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed watching a character figure out the ways they have been neglecting themselves through trying to please a partner. I think whether or not everyone wants to admit it, everyone has tried changing themselves to be their crushes ideal partner at least once. It could be something as small as picking up a hobby that you know they enjoy, listening to an artist you know they love, or pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to be more adventurous.
Therefore while I did find Alaina’s motivations a bit annoying, I could empathize with her plight. I did find some of the dialogue to be a bit silly and cringeworthy at times, but it was never overbearingly so. I think with the growing age of social media having characters that are obsessed with social media or aspire to be influencers is an unfortunate trope that will have to be implemented in some stories. Outside of that, I loved the aspects of found family and finding home/community in a small town, especially as a queer person. It was so nice to see Alaina come into her own and rebuild her self worth. It’s very easy to lose your identity in a relationship to the point where you don’t know who you are and also to the point where you start neglecting those relationships.

I loved Priscilla but I feel like there was so much to her that was underdeveloped and sometimes this made it difficult to understand her stance when it came to conflict. I feel like we needed a bit more insight into her past relationships and why it made her so insistent that she couldn’t fall for someone else. Not having that insight along with her characters refusal to properly communicate in general kind of made her anger and insistence hard to follow at certain points. This is probably where the story could have benefitted from a dual POV but hindsight and all.

Overall, the story was very cute and wholesome! I would definitely recommend to my friends for a cute and lighthearted holiday read <3

[Juniper L.H.]

This book was fine, though it didn’t wow me. It was generally an easy-reading, simple Christmas adjacent story. This would probably make a good Hallmark movie, but as a book I didn’t particularly love it.

I Liked:
-The puns! I wish the author had kept it up the whole book, but as often seems to be the case the character seemed to stop the comedy routine somewhere along the way.
-The protagonists had a great dynamic together, when it was going. I liked them. They were cute.
-I liked the setting; small-town vibes are always a great addition to any Christmas story.
-I liked the friends. It was a nice group of well-intentioned, although overly meddly, friends. I could feel the genuine warmth from them.

I Didn’t Quite Like:
-This book far FAR too much about a guy. Just…the whole thing all the time. I think the plot could have been maintained with a little less focus on the dude.
-Timeline far too short for what they were selling. If you want me to believe that they fell in love in a week then you need to do better than that; especially if one protagonist doesn’t even consider being queer for half of that week!
-So there was ~kinda~ cheating? It’s a little fuzzy but I still didn’t enjoy it. I don’t find that romantic.
-Adding to the point above; it’s like the book couldn’t pick a lane. Is she single? Is she not? Schrodinger’s relationship status. Lets have a discussion about “giving us a try” while also fully planning on leaving the next day to win back your boyfriend?
-Minor point, but who uses an axe to chop down a Christmas tree?????
-This book was too “online” for me. I am not interested in seeing someone spiral about the possible implications of a “like” on an Instagram story for multiple pages, even if its realistic.
-A lot of things were underwhelming to me. For example, I wanted to know the story behind why Priscilla hasn’t seen her friends in six months but the answer was……meh.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.

[Parker]

Thank you to Dial Press for providing me with a digital ARC via NetGalley to be able to read and leave an honest review.

Rounded up to 4 from 3.75s tars

A Very Merry Detour takes on the Hallmark movie vibe taking place in a skiing village at Christmas where everyone knows each other and gets involved in their lives, but make it sapphic. I enjoyed the book and would also watch it as a movie.

Priscilla (Sil) rescues Alaina who put her car into a snowbank while driving cross country to chase down her ex, Cole.

Not, I do have to question whether they had any thought to safety, I mean bringing home someone you just met and letting them stay with you for a week, or going back to someone's house you'd met on the side of the road doesn't seem the smartest thing to do. I know, I'm overly safety conscious and it makes for a great forced proximity trope, but yikes!

Sil, for all her walls, in such a kind person, and what she does for Alaina to help her win her boyfriend, is beyond selfless.

I found Alaina to be a touch oblivious, not just to Sil's feelings for her, but also how she had allowed herself to be completely swallowed up in her boyfriends life and not having her own identity in the relationship.

There are some fun winter experiences that included learning to ice skate and downhill ski which had me both laughing and cringing. The pain of falling on ice is real!

I would have liked to have learned more about Priscilla, I think there was a lot of depth to her character that really wasn't explored. I also found the fixation on Cole by Alaina to go on too long for my liking, part of this was because I really wanted her to realize what a good match she had with Sil, and the other part was I wanted her to realize her own worth.

If you are looking to get lost in a small town Christmas forced proximity, one bed, found family, coming out sapphic romance then pick up A Very Merry Detour.

[Anna Kraft]

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this arc!
A Very Merry Detour by Court Behr is the perfect queer Christmas romcom for any Hallmark movie lover. I thoroughly enjoyed this story from beginning to end and it was exactly the cozy grumpy/sunshine romance I was looking for.
This story follows our main character, Alaina, who in the aftermath of a surprise breakup, is determined to spontaneously drive across the country to “fight for love”, until she ends up unwillingly stuck in the middle of nowhere only days before Christmas. With her truck waiting for parts, she has no choice but to stay with her rescuer- a no-nonsense bookstore owner named Priscilla who, much to Alaina’s dismay, is very much not overtaken by the Christmas spirit.
Alaina’s character kept the plot moving and kept me turning the pages, but who I really enjoyed getting to know was Priscilla. The slow reveal of her personality and story felt like a juicy slowburn, and I couldn’t wait to hear the next piece. I felt like these characters were incredibly relatable- which kept a classical over–picturesque romance story feel a bit more personal. The minor characters of the book, such as Priscilla’s friend group, were also well rounded and so entertaining.
Not only did this book check the mark for some lovely sapphic representation, but it also did so in a not so overdone way. Yes, Alaina is having her bi-awakening, but that’s not the real focus of the story, which I really enjoyed. The focus is less on being bi, but more on the actual romance (and feelings associated with that) that is taking place.
Overall, Behr’s story just made me want to wrap up with a blanket in front of a fireplace with a mug of hot cocoa in the middle of April. I loved this story and these characters and think this should be everyone’s cozy Christmas read this autumn/winter.

[Cam Bautista]

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book!

This book was absolutely lovely and so so fun! Christmassy and so full of holiday cheer with a healthy dose of shenanigans and the best queer friend group anyone could for. The story starts when our protagonist, Alaina, gets stranded in a snow bank during a storm. How did she get herself into this situation, you ask? Well, this happy ball of sunshine happens to be a hopeless romantic and was in the middle of a cross country trip from California to New York to win her ex back. Her vehicular woes obviously throw a wrench in her romantic grand gesture and leaves her at risk of hypothermia in the middle of nowhere Utah. Before she can become an icicle, she's gallantly rescued by a tall, dark, and mysterious stranger named Priscilla. To add insult to injury, her car is out of commission for a week and what does Alaina do to pass the time? Why, she embarks on a series of fun winter holiday activities like ice skating, camping, and skiing in an attempt to show her ex that she can in fact be the fun and spontaneous girl he's looking for. Anddddd cue a series of utterly adorable adventures where Alaina and Priscilla slowly but surely get closer and maybe realize that what they've both been looking for is right in front of them.

I really enjoyed this book! It was the kind of straight up holiday rom-com I eat up and featured a whole cast of side characters that really added to the mischief and shenanigans that made me laugh out loud. That being said, the characters were well written and had fears and struggles that motivated their actions - as maddening as some of them were, you couldn't help but empathize with them during those moments. If you're a fan of all things Christmas and love and hijinks, then you'll love this one!!

[Megan]

Lately, I've read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy books, but I needed a bit of a change of pace, so I was looking for something a little more simple--a book where everything wasn't life and death--and decided to go with A Very Merry Detour. I just wanted a good, straight up (figuratively speaking) romance, and thankfully, that's exactly what I got with this book.

Alaina and Priscilla were both interesting characters, albeit frustrating at times. Alaina could be annoyingly oblivious, while Priscilla was often too stubborn for her own good. Even though this was frustrating, the characters were a nice change from some of the other romance books I’ve read. These two characters were flawed and damaged in their own ways; they weren’t perfect, which made them more interesting and left me rooting for them even harder because of it.

The book was generally fun. I particularly enjoyed them completing the activities on Alaina’s list and the times when Priscilla actually opened up. Since it’s from Alaina’s point of view, I liked when I got to learn more about Priscilla. The thing that really sucked me into the book, though, was the chemistry between the two main characters. I always prefer a slow burn to an insta-love story. The build up is always the best part to me, and this book did a great job of that despite the relatively short time span.

It did take me a few chapters to get into the book, but once I did, I was annoyed every time I had to put the book down. My only regret was that I read this in April and not around the holidays. I think that would have made it even better. Overall, 4.5 stars, rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Meagan]

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! This comes out on October 13th.

Alaina goes on a cross-country trip in order to win back her ex-boyfriend and finds herself stranded in the snow in the small town of Brooks. Priscilla, a local, rescues her. As Alaina waits for her car to be repaired, she makes a list of adventures to go in order to impress her ex and win him back. But Alaina quickly realizes she’s falling for Priscilla.

My biggest takeaway from this book was that it was cute! I liked the grumpy x sunshine dynamic between Alaina and Priscilla, though I do wish they had a bit more personality beyond that. I don’t expect this book to stick in my mind - it’s very pleasant and a good book if you want to read something with your brain turned off. It’s predictable and inoffensive.

I liked that Alaina realizes she’s bi without having an identity crisis or a big coming out scene. While those have a space in queer books too, I do like casual revelations like Alaina’s.

I wish that the friends in this book had been better fleshed out. Priscilla’s friends are all queer and are either very nice or grumpy but with hearts of gold. Alaina’s best friend, meanwhile, is barely part of the story and my biggest takeaway is that they’re nonbinary and had a feeling Alaina was queer. It’s great to have all this queer representation of course, but I wished there was more to them all as characters.

My favorite part, as a bookseller, was the scenes in the bookstores. I wish they were a bigger part of the store.

Overall, this novel felt like a pretty surface-level story, without much depth. Not just in terms of character development but the story as a whole. It’s incredibly simple, which isn’t a bad thing but I like a bit more meat to my books.

[Kay]

3 ⭐️ 2 🌶️

This book is a cozy, quick, read for the upcoming Christmas season. Thank you to netgalley, the publishers, and the author for giving me the Arc 🫶🏽


Christmas books for me are completely meant to be read on the season and I need to be in the mood for the story. That being said, this was a cute and easy read to get lost in. The small town Utah vibe, the lost city girl, the prickly book keeper love interest, and the found family aspect were wonderful. This book had the makings of a cozy tale and it delivered.

It didn’t blow me away, but I wasn’t underwhelmed either. This sapphic love story between Alaina and Priscilla was adorable. Their grumpy x sunshine vibes, lover girl x ice queen, forced proximity and the meddling/overly supportive friends were enjoyable to read. I feel like the characters could’ve had more depth emotionally/ a better flushed out backstory, i wish Nico could’ve had more present time especially after their whole conversation over text about their friendship. I really wanted them to come visit the town. I also would’ve liked it if we got a bit more on Cole as her ex. I mean most of the book was centred around Alaina trying to get to him and we don’t really know the why other than that they dated. It just made me a little confused because why even add that in when she could’ve just met Priscilla and fell in love anyways???

Anyways, this is a sapphic hallmark cozy read perfect for the Christmas season. It’s quick and easy and puts you in the spirit of love, family, and festivities!

[Stephieloohoo]

Review of advanced copy received from NetGalley.


A Very Merry Detour is a cute, easy read. It’s very low angst story with small mountain town activities.

Overall it’s just an okay read, imo.

Alaina has a fun, bubbly personality and tends to bring positivity out in most everyone around her. At times she comes off younger than her 25 years and I think m ultimately, I got bored very quickly with her obsessions with Cole-which I get is the hole premise for the book is to win him back.

I think I would have liked it a bit better if the author had more gradually eased Alaina into the realization that perhaps her feelings for Cole truly weren’t what she thought they were. When she realizes it, it’s sort of like “oh okay maybe I don’t love him” and here’s all the reasons I’m into Priscilla.

I enjoyed Priscilla as well. She’s got her own trauma but has wonderful friends who help here though everything and I like that she’s a tad prickly without being too ice queen or outright mean.

In the end I do appreciate how Lani straight up said “hey I wanna be with you let’s make this work” and didn’t give up after hesitation. She reiterated “why can’t we at least try” and attempted to communicate.

Ultimately, I wanted a little more from this book that I got. I wanted the relationship between Lani and Sil to be more fleshed out and less “I love you” after 7 days.

[Jamie P-Kretzschmar]

Sometimes I just need a break from heavy reading. A sapphic holiday romance is the perfect remedy. Court Behr's A Very Merry Detour delivers exactly the kind of cozy, atmospheric escapism I was craving. The premise is wonderfully classic. Heartbroken Alaina gets stranded in a snowy Utah ski town. There, she crosses paths with Priscilla, the terse local bookstore owner. From there, it's all hot cocoa, ice skating, and charming small-town vibes. It's incredibly comforting. I really enjoyed the festive bucket list they work through together. The pacing is fast and lighthearted. It's an easy, low-stress read where you know a happily ever after is absolutely guaranteed. But honestly, it's also highly predictable. I knew exactly how it was going to end by chapter three. Behr leans heavily into standard holiday clichés. A manufactured misunderstanding right near the end felt particularly flimsy to me. The conflict keeping Alaina and Priscilla apart just didn't carry much weight. Simple communication would've solved it instantly. Still, I can't deny it has a certain warmth. It does exactly what it sets out to do without overcomplicating things. I'm giving it a high 3 stars for the sheer cozy factor.

[Cass]

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early.

A Very Merry Detour follows Alaina, who takes a road trip trying to show she is more spontaneous for her ex boyfriend and ends up stranded in a small town where she meets Priscilla, the closed off bookstore owner.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book! Alaina had such a fun energy and it was so fun to see her interact with all of her new friends in the town. I also enjoyed her and Priscilla’s interactions as their chemistry was palpable from the beginning.

I feel like the book was also a bit too long. The story hadn’t really moved much by the 40% mark and the last 40% was Priscilla and Alaina dancing around each other while it was clear they really liked each other. I also really didn’t care for how hung up Alaina was on Cole (who didn’t seem to fit into her world or her life, even before they broke up) or how insistent she was on getting him back for most of the book.

But I really did like the characters and their interactions with each other and understood why Alaina was so hung up on Cole, even if I didn’t love that.

Thank you again to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the chance to read this early.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

[Brina.readz]

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an advanced readers copy of "A Very Merry Detour" by Court Behr for an honest review.

Although reading this book at the beginning of April and with Summer right around the corner, 'a very merry detour' immediately had me in a Christmas mood, craving snow and cozy Christmas decorations. The book follows our FMC Alaina who gets stranded in the middle of nowhere Utah on a trip to New York to win back her ex. And enter our love interest Priscilla and feelings (and a sexual orientation) Alaina did not expect.

This was such a heartwarming small town romance story and I really enjoyed following Alaina around and experiencing Brooks for the first time along side her while handling all the feelings she had about her life, relationships and Christmas. She was a great FMC with a funny sense of humor and cute little moments with Priscilla.

AVMD happened to be my first wlw romance and I did not feel like I was missing anything and really enjoyed the realistic aspect of Alaina coming to terms with her sexuality while also deeply bonding with Priscilla.
Brooks, Utah is definitely a town I would return to!

[Marie]

Thank you netgalley for this eArc.

This book was both infuriating and endearing. I wish this was dual POV. There were times I wanted to grab them both and shake them. It was a fun holiday romance, with some real issues inlayed.

I loved the characters in this. They were well developed, interesting, and complex. Alaina and Priscilla both have complex emotions around/about Christmas; something I think many people can relate to.

I didn’t understand the element of Alaina trying to get back with Cole. He didn’t seem to like her all that much. She was just a prop for his posts; the only gift he’s ever given her is the wrong birth stone. I did however love the scenes of them doing her plan to get him back with Priscilla. It was what made this book a ‘Christmas’ boom to me. I also didn’t agree (or maybe understand) with the reasoning that Priscilla had for avoiding her friends. It felt very flat for her character.

Overall, I don’t love but don’t hate this book. The plot was a bit odd but I adored the characters. It’s definitely a book I recommend giving a chance if you like bi-awakening sapphic romance books.

[avery]

A cute and cozy holiday romance, perfect for fans of Alison Cochrun's Kiss Her Once for Me.

This story quickly drew me in and had me rooting for our two main characters, Alaina and Sil. Both women have past trauma associated with the holiday season, and while Alaina is determined to embrace this Christmas, Sil is the opposite—at least until she rescues Alaina from a snowbank. However, their burgeoning feelings for each other are undercut by Alaina’s mission to spontaneously drive across the country and win back her ex (a wannabe influencer, who is also a man). What ensues is an exploration of bisexual awakenings and the joys that come from pushing past discomfort into the unknown, made even sweeter by a small, snowy montane town and Gilmore Girls-esque cast of side characters rooting for the two women.

All in all, a lovely wintertime read I will definitely be adding to my seasonal rotation!

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this ARC!

[Isabel Krakoff]

Thank you NetGalley and Dial Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

(4.5 stars rounded up). This was such a cozy read with a solid dose of angst and yearning. It was fun to watch Priscilla slowly let her guard down and open herself up to Alaina’s whimsy/chaos.

I appreciated that the characters were coming from somewhat similar experiences of loss and grief that they still hadn’t fully processed. I also really liked the “make Alaina seem exciting” list and how it starts off all about Cole and very slowly becomes not just about Alaina’s deepening connection with Priscilla but her experience of the town and the people in it. Behr also does a great job depicting Alaina’s realization of what it truly means to be loved.

Although this is a single POV story, I felt like the conflict towards the end was a bit rushed and would have appreciated a bit more depth to Priscilla’s reaction to Alaina’s declaration. It felt rushed in the sense that there was little exploration of what makes Priscilla decide to actually take a chance.

Overall, this is a wonderful holiday romance that would pair nicely with a hot chocolate covered in whipped cream.

[Morgan R]

A Very Merry Detour follows Alaina on her roadtrip to reclaiming lost love. Except, girliepop strands herself in a snowbank in the middle of a blizzard and has to be saved by the grumpy (yet incredibly cozy and soft!!!!) Priscilla. AVMD is a warm and cozy, small-town, Christmas Romance (think Hallmark with less secondhand embarrassment) with a healthy scoop of bi-awakening. And oh boy, is that bisexuality awoken.

♡ Forced Proximity
♡ Indie Bookstore
♡ Bucket List
♡ Found Family
♡ Competency Kink (lowkey mine, Priscilla is so good at everything she does—except emotions lol)

I love the way Alaina wasn’t afraid to unapologetically be herself, even if she felt insecure in the moment. She seizes life with both hands and is dragging everyone along on the journey. I appreciated her willingness to own up to being a distant friend and making steps to rectify that, I still struggle with that. The way she and Priscilla complete one another made me emotional.

I really loved this. I’m very grateful to have received an eARC. 💜

[BookishKB]

🎄🚗 A Very Merry Detour 🚗🎄

This book started off so strong, I genuinely thought it was going to be a 5 star read for me. The snowy meet cute, and the cozy holiday charm pulled me in❄️

Unfortunately, around the 40% mark, the story started to lose momentum for me. There were still aspects of the romance that I really enjoyed, but I struggled with a lot of the relationships outside of the two FMCs. Some scenes also felt more like filler and slowed the pacing down instead of adding to the story.

What I loved most in the beginning was that cozy stranded-in-a-snowy-town feeling, and I felt like some of that charm faded as the book went on. But overall, I still enjoyed this sapphic holiday romance🎄✨

❄️ What to Expect
• Sapphic romance
• Snowed in small town
• Grumpy bookseller
• Christmas bucket list
• Forced proximity
• Utah ski town
_ _ _ _

⭐ Final Score: 3.5 stars
📅 Pub Date: October 13, 2026
Thank you to Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback, and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.