It Happened at Christmas

by Christen Krumm

In this enchanting YA spin on While You Were Sleeping, Christen Krumm delivers laughter and Christmas sparkle through a swoon-worthy story of first love and belonging.

Life at Iverson Preparatory Boarding School isn’t easy when you’re basically the maid.

Murphy Cain spends her days cleaning up after her upper-class peers in exchange for tuition while dodging their cutting remarks. All of that changes when she rescues her crush, the popular and hunky Tripp Harrington, after a near-fatal accident and is mistaken as his girlfriend. Murphy finds herself struggling with the choice to reveal the truth or play along. As Tripp’s girl, his wealthy family will offer Murphy something she's been craving her whole life—a chance to be one of the “in” crowd. A chance to belong. Without it, she’ll be right back where she started. It only gets worse as Tripp’s brother Hank enters the picture. He’s handsome, down to earth, and seems to understand Murphy better than anyone else. The only problem? She’s supposed to be dating his brother.

As Christmas break draws to a close, Murphy must decide if telling the truth is worth losing it all or if the risk will bring a greater reward in the end.

Genres: Christmas, Young Adult, Retellings, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance, Clean Romance

272 pages, Paperback

Published October 20, 2019

Reviews

[Malia Saldaña · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book!! It is based off of the movies “While You Were Sleeping” and Cinderella. I love both of these. So, I was so excited when I found this book last year. I’m so glad I re-read it this year because I feel like it was even better.
Here is what I loved....
1. I LOVED Hank!! He is seriously the best. He’s so kind,caring,and what he did for Murphy at the end.*heart stops* I also loved how he took care of his little sister. That was so sweet.
2. Grandpa Jack is so funny,and I love how he plays cards.(If you read the book. You would understand.)
3. Mrs.Potts and Mr.G are the best. No explanation needed
4. Floyd and Lloyd! Oh my gosh! They’re too much. They were so funny,and I felt like they were practically her little brothers. The parts with them in it were always fun.
5. Emmaline is the best friend everyone needs. Don’t believe me? Read the book and see the sweet things she does for Murphy. That’s best friend goals right there. Also, she was always drinking Diet Cokes. That reminded me of my Lola.
6. Eloise is such a fun,spunky girl. I absolutely loved her. She was too sweet,and I loved how she and Murphy were practically almost like sisters.
7. You don’t hear much about Tripp, but the little bits I got of him. He didn’t sound too bad.
8. Murphy Cain!! I loved Murphy. She was so relatable,and I loved all the outings she would go on with Eloise and Hank. All she wanted was a family and to fit-in. I do have to say. Some moments, I did just want to scream at her because she was lying, but I know that is what the books is about. So, I liked seeing a bit of her character growth.
Overall,this book was so cute,and I highly recommend it. I loved the characters. (Well,except the ones you aren’t supposed to like.*Claire*) I loved reading about Murphy hanging out with Hank and Eloise. It was so fun. My only complaint is my copy had a bunch of typos. Which, I would just “fix” in my head, but it still kind of bothered me. Other than that, it was very enjoyable. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a light,Christmas romance. Also, that cover is GORGEOUS!!😍 I absolutely love it,and it’s such a pretty one to have on display during the Christmas season.
*This is my third time reading this book*
Murphy drove me crazy!!! I hated all of the lying and deceiving. She’s not a good friend to Emmaline at all. I’m still keeping the five stars because it still has a special place in my heart, but wow! That was kind of a tough finish.

[Alissa J. Zavalianos · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were so many things I enjoyed about this story: the romance, the friendships, the characters.

And though I wasn’t thrilled about Murphey’s lie and how much it affected the entire plot, not to mentioned Emmaline’s hand in furthering her lie, this story was really fun to read. And I’m so relieved it ended well!

Hank was literally the sweetest and most understanding, not to mention his family and Eloise were wonderful, and I’m really happy Murphey got the happily ever after she always wanted.

Content:
So much cute.
No cursing.
No sexual content.
Some wicked stepmother vibes seeing as this is a sort of Cinderella retelling/twist.

[E.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet Christmas read that is a light retelling of While You Were Sleeping and I LOVED that! Such fun characters that will make you smile and sweet romance that will make your heart warm and happy.

A definite must read for Christmas!

——
I received a free copy of this but the opinions expressed are my own!

[Toni Shiloh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an adorable mashup of Cinderella and While You Were Sleeping. I enjoyed this Christmas read and would read more books by Ms. Krumm.

*I downloaded this book via Kindle Unlimited.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this is a YA retelling of one of my very favorite romantic comedies: While You Were Sleeping.

Like the movie, the main character in this book saves her crush...



only to be mistaken as his girlfriend when she goes to the hospital to check on him. She bonds with his family...



...especially her crush's charming brother.




Add in a few Christmassy elements and a dash of Cinderella, and that's the book in a nutshell.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I was expecting to. Sadly, there weren't many interactions between Murphy and Hank. I also didn't find Murphy anywhere near as charming as Sandra Bullock's character in the movie. She came off as quite flat. The ending was somewhat rushed and came out of nowhere.

2.5 stars, rounded down. Cute idea, but it needed to be a bit longer to be fully flushed out.

(Also, I really want to rewatch While You Were Sleeping now.)

[Rissi · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘It Happened at Christmas’: The Best Kind of Fairy Tale YA Romance


THE STORY | Murphey Cain’s life is something of a Cinderella story. She’s a teenager without family or the means to find a way to become "unstuck" in this life. Still, she dreams of the day she can leave behind the snooty lifestyle of the private school she’s been allowed to attend, on condition she also work in the kitchen, clean and do any other jobs no one else will do. But she has friends, and soon as she leaves, she’s planning to travel the world, just like she and her father always planned.

When her unattainable crush, Tripp Harrington ends up injured just before he goes on Christmas break, Murphy is somehow mistaken as his girlfriend by his family. With Tripp unable to correct them, Murphy is pulled into Christmas festivities she isn’t used to, and she also begins to spend a lot of time with Tripp’s brother, Hank…

Five Things to Know about the Contemporary Fairy Tale It Happened at Christmas

1: All About the Fairy Tale Tropes

This may be a contemporary YA romance, but golly, the fairy tale elements are REAL. I kinda’ love it all. Whether it’s the Cinderella throwbacks or even the faint reflections of A Little Princess, this one brings together so many of our favorite “comfort stories.” It’s definitely a "pleasing to the reader" kind of read, and that’s a very good thing.

Read post in full on Finding Wonderland

[Tyler Scott Hess · Rating 5 out of 5]

There will come a day when all my hairs have turned gray and I am surrounded by grandchildren and they will ask me when I finished this book and I will say…it happened in March.

[Cait | GoodeyReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

PERFECT FOR THE SEASON.

BLOG || INSTA

SO CUTE. I am so pleased with this book y’all. It is what a Christmas book should be. All the warm fuzzies and happy endings. This was recommended by a friend (and is on Kindle Unlimited!) and I’m so happy I picked this one out as my first Christmas book of the season (which I realize this post is coming way after the fact).

The romance between Murphy and Hank was really sweet. I thought that for a book with a short time frame the way this romance played out was on point. I was smitten with the flirtatious banter of Hank and watching Murphy trying to figure out her feelings for him. They had a lot of tender quiet moments and perfectly swoony for the season.

It was also rewarding seeing Murphy find a place to belong and call home. After being forced to be a Cinderella at her own school I was intensely frustrated with her whole situation. Hand claps all around that this absurdness was rectified with a glorious moment brought on by Hank. I mean, could this guy get any better?

Atmospherically this screamed Christmas, and that was EXACTLY what I was going for. I feel that’s the best part of seasonal books. Really letting myself feel the spirit of the book made me appreciate and love it all the more.

I did take off a half star because there were a few noticeable grammar mistakes throughout. And I’m only mentioning it now because it happened often enough for me to really pick up on them. Otherwise, the writing was great and it was a super quick short read.

Overall audience notes:
- Young adult contemporary [seasonal: Christmas]
- Language: none
- Romance: some kisses
- Violence: mentions of losing parents through a car wreck

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It Happened At Christmas by Christen Krumm is the most delightful contemporary tale that will have you believing that wishes really do come true.
The novel was reminiscent of Cinderella, A Little Princess and While You Were Sleeping all wrapped up into one charming story. The lead characters were wonderfully drawn and totally realistic and lovable. Being down-trodden but bouncing back takes much courage.
There is the search to belong and an orphan longing for a home. She is a breath of fresh air, breathing life wherever she goes.
Being set during the Christmas holidays adds to the nostalgia and festive atmosphere. With delicious descriptions from Christen Krumm, I ‘floated’ through the novel, savouring every minute.
True friends are worth their weight in gold. We all need friends who will love us for who we are and not for the size of our bank account.
I adored It Happened At Christmas and never wanted it to end. Every once in a while a novel comes along that really makes your heart sing and this is that novel. Any producers out there – this would make a fabulous Christmas box office movie. With romance, snow, goodness and kindness all happening over the festive period, this really is the perfect read.

[H.S. Kylian · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5-3 stars.

I picked this one up because it's a retelling of While You Were Sleeping, with Cinderella and A Little Princess (which I haven't read, but I think I've seen bits of the Shirley Temple movie) mixed in.

Interesting mashup, right? The overall execution of it left much to be desired though. The character development was either rushed or underdeveloped, and the truth scene...fell flat.

There were a couple of interesting twists that made it different than the movie, but I'm not sure they were executed to their fullest potential. And, the story doesn't exactly fit the YA genre, in my humble opinion. Hank should've also had his own POV chapters.

A few other gripes were the typos and punctuation errors. Oof. And at least one line or two sounded suspiciously just like lines from the movie...

All in all, it's an okay read. Just needed a bit of polishing.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really cute twist on While You Were Sleeping with shades of Cinderella thrown in for good measure. I enjoyed Murphy's journey to finding a family, and I especially liked her relationship with both Hank and Eloise Harrington. The story is different enough from WYWS that I couldn't guess everything that was going to happen, but it still stuck to the spirit of the story. The ending did strike me as a bit convenient, and there were quite a few typos that pulled me out of the story. (It felt like it could've benefited from one more proofreading pass through before publication.) Overall, though, I enjoyed the book, and I'll definitely be looking for more from this author! 3-1/2 stars.

[Kristen Parnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This young adult novel retells the Christmas movie, While You Were Sleeping, and I absolutely loved Krumm’s story! It also reminded me of a little of Cinderella and A Little Princess, because after Murphy’s dad died, the headmistress of Iverson only allowed her to remain at the school if she moved to a small room near the kitchen and earned her keep. She did all the menial tasks from scrubbing toilets to picking gum off the bathroom wall.

But when her crush Tripp hits his head on the ice at the train station right as everyone else leaves for Christmas break, Murphy is the one who gets help. In doing so, Tripp’s brother Hank accidentally mistakes her for his brother’s girlfriend. Lonely and starved for love, Murphy lets herself be accepted by Tripp’s family and falls in love with Hank in the process. But the pretense can’t last forever.

I like how Krumm added her own twists on the traditional story, such as having a different family member discover Murphy’s secret. From start to finish, this book was a delightful Christmas read that delivered a classic happy ending.

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
A Little Princess meets While You Were Sleeping meets Cinderella meets Harry Potter story vibes. Full review coming soon.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christen Krumm is a new to me author. This is her first YA fiction novel and I enjoyed that it was set during the Christmas holidays. It was based from Cinderella and While You Were Sleeping. I really loved this story.

[Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first heard about this one, I knew I needed it in my life. While You Were Sleeping has always been one of my all time favorite movies, and I couldn't wait to read this young adult retelling of it. This is such an adorable story, and I loved the characters, the boarding school setting, and the fact that it leaves every reader with a big case of the warm fuzzies after finishing it.

Murphy was a pretty likable protagonist, and I enjoyed the fact that despite all the odds stacked against her, she's determined to overcome her current situation. She also has such a big heart for everyone, and even with how the popular crowd has treated her throughout her years at Iverson, she doesn't even hesitate to jump right in and help Tripp. Likewise, Hank is a total riot, and I adored every one of his scenes throughout the story. He's a really great friend to Murphy, an actually pretty awesome big brother, and isn't the slightest bit self centered, despite his family's wealth.

I've been saying for years that we need more holiday themed young adult reads, and I'm so happy that another amazing one is now available in this market. It Happened at Christmas is a truly delightful, and clean holiday themed read that I know I'll be reading and rereading for Christmases to come.

I only ended up having a few small issues with it, but overall I really ended up loving it.

Firstly, I personally wasn't a fan of the Cinderella trope running throughout. I don't think it was done badly or anything, I'm just not usually a fan of this trope as I feel it's overdone, and I think I personally would have enjoyed the story a bit more without it.

Secondly, I thought there were a few bits and pieces of the ending that really didn't make any sense, and didn't really seem plausible. I was happy with the way everything wrapped up, I just didn't think it made a lot of sense as to how it got there.

Third, while I thought the writing style was amazing, and definitely kept me glued to the page, I have to mention that there were quite a few grammatical errors scattered throughout, and I found them a little distracting from the main story.

All in all, I think this is a great holiday story, and I will be highly recommending it. It's definitely one of the best young adult Christmas stories I've ever read, and I'm sure fans of sweet, Christmas romances are going to love this. Definitely go ahead and pick this one up, especially if you're a fan of While You Were Sleeping.

Final Rating: 4/5.

[Dedra ~ A Book Wanderer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It Happened at Christmas is a cute Cinderella and While You Were Sleeping young adult retelling, but, sadly, I found it hard to love this one.

It's my own fault, but I didn't realize this was a young adult book when I started it. I've always loved the film starring Sandra Bullock, so when I heard this was a retelling of that movie, I was eager to read it. But, I think I would have preferred it to be an adult retelling. (If there's one out there, someone let me know!)

While I liked the main characters, Murphy and Hank, some of the plot points felt too contrived and rushed. I wasn't a fan of the rich boy, poor girl plot. In the film, while Peter (the brother who is "sleeping") is rich, Jack (the brother she falls for) is not. And I liked that they were more equals. But that doesn't work when the characters are all teens.

There was a nice surprise twist at the end that varied from the film, but while the ending was sweet, it felt rushed. The ending also seemed to have some plot holes that left me confused.

However, I couldn't get past all the grammatical errors throughout the book. Missing words and letters, especially. I purchased this on Kindle, and was repeatedly surprised by how many mistakes I came across. I even went to the Amazon website to make sure I wasn't missing an update. They were very distracting, and I almost stopped reading except that I had paid more than I'd liked for giving up on a book. I've seen a few other reviewers mention the mistakes, too, so I know it wasn't just me. A good editing would definitely help future readers!

[Erin Laramore · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for this cute Christmas story that was a cross between Cinderella and a YA While You Were Sleeping, with a surprise twist at the end. I don't know if this was marketed as Christian fiction, but the author is well-known in Christian fiction circles - however, while clean, there was not any faith thread included in this book. For those read Christian fiction for the faith element, this is not one that includes it. But if you read for the clean-ness, this is still a good one. While I enjoyed the story line and was able to be drawn into the story, the YA factor of it made it less relatable to me. There were also a lot of typos to contend with. If you enjoy YA novels and typos don't take you out of the story, though, this is one I'd easily recommend as the story was fun and engaging.

[Tanya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish

I just couldn't finish this book. The grammatical errors were abundant. I highlighted some of the errors on my kindle, but stopped after a while. I only made it into chapter 3, but I just can't do it.

[Miss Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Think "While You Were Sleeping" meets Cinderella as a teen at a fancy school and that is basically the plot. It could easily be a Hallmark film if they aged up the characters a few years. Cute, but very frothy and simplistic.

[Abbey Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I immediately wanted to read this book after I found out it was based on the movie ‘While You Were Sleeping’ which is basically my favourite ever. It is also loosely based on Cinderella.

I enjoyed this book but it definitely wasn’t perfect. It was sweet, romantic and a little cliche at times and it was clearly self-published. There were so many grammatical errors and missing words that made it difficult to read because I would have to stop and figure out what the sentence was trying to say. That said, it became less annoying as I became more absorbed in the actual story. It’s just a pet-peeve of mine and I get a little irritated whenever it happens in books.

Hank was cute and funny and I loved him. Murphy was frustrating at times but overall sweet and I just mostly felt sorry for her. The plot of the story was a little underdeveloped in my opinion and the resolution was too convenient and confusing. It just seemed highly unlikely to me. Overall, it was a good book with an interesting story but I think it would have benefited from a little more development and much more editing.

[Despina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, honestly, solid book. I found myself skimming a bit of it though, because there were just too many unnecessary words. It felt slow-paced and so I got impatient. I enjoyed it overall because I liked the plot even if it was trite. I liked Murphy and Hank’s chemistry, that was really well done. The characters in general though weren’t as dynamic as I hoped—they were super cliche, but this entire story was so it’s not a big deal. I wasn’t expecting to be blown away, especially because the beginning was so slow for me. Then the opposite happened at the end, I felt like it was so rushed! I would’ve liked an epilogue. It seems like a bad Hallmark movie. So there’s definitely a specific vibe to this kind of book. It was an interesting read though, passed the time, easy and quick! Honestly Hank got me through this book, plus Grandpa Jack, Eloise, and Jarvis lmao. Also, Floyd and Lloyd OBVIOUSLY. AKA fred and george from hp bc that’s the same exact vibe I got from them. Except one twin didn’t die in this one. Rip, too soon? always. Also, Fiona the cat??? I’d die for her.

[Janice Gard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern day Cinderella

I enjoyed this story quite a bit. Murphy is a student at a very exclusive private school but unlike the usual student, she is also part of the staff and must clean toilets, do laundry, and help serve meals. The headmistress seems to hate her and most of the other students look down on her. Murphy just wants to belong and maybe be noticed by Tripp Harrington, her secret crush. There is no fairy godmother but things do seem to be looking up when her nemesis has left for Christmas break and Murphy is befriended by Troops family. It's complicated and fairly improbable but that's the joy of fiction.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story with a good heart

I’m an older reader, but I enjoy YA books on occasion. I found this to be a very enjoyable read. I found the characters to be well developed and not one dimensional at all. Anyone who has ever felt “less than” can relate to Murphy. While the plot was a familiar trope, I thought the author handled it in a refreshing and not predictable way. There were a lot of errors, however, that I hope might have come from the formatting. If not, a thorough editing would help. But I just read over them and did not let them keep me from enjoying the book. I would definitely read another from this author!

[Josie Siler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a combination of some of my favorite stories, While You Were Sleeping, Cinderella, and A Little Princess. I was drawn into the story quickly. I loved the characters, especially Hank! I would have given this book five stars if there weren’t so many typos and missing or repeated words. They really took me out of the story, which stunk because I really liked the story. I do wish it hadn’t wrapped up so quickly. I would love to know what happens next!

[Meagan | The Chapter House · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF solely due to All. The. Typos. Literally 1-2 a page. And I'm spending so much time reporting them to Amazon/Kindle ... I just can't do it anymore. Which is a bummer, because the book's premise is fantastic, and there's so much promise here (not to mention the author and I are both in a Christian-fiction FB group, so I'm very familiar with her name and career aside from authoring). But gahhhhhh the typos! #alltheweep

[Nina Hilden · Rating 4 out of 5]

great story

I really enjoyed reading this book and I liked the characters a lot. However there were two confusing things. In the beginning of the book Murphy talks about looking at the world map with her dad and planning all these trips they want to do together but later on Murphy tells Hank that her dad left her mom and her when she was only 6 months old. Also at first students are taken to the train station and then it suddenly changes into an airport.

[Rachael Ritchey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute cute cute!

What a sweet Christmasy book, great for teens and older. Murphy is an adorable spitfire, and Hank is a dashing Scottsman with a soft squishy inside! Pick up It Happened One Christmas if you love stories that feel like While You Were Sleeping mashed up witb A Little Princess meets Cinderella. Seriously, all the quaintness of a classic with modern flare and unique plot.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute Christmas read!
I have always adored While You Were Sleeping so I was definitely on board for a YA retelling of that story with a little Cinderella thrown in as well. I totally fell in love with Murphy and Hank. I liked how they brought out the best in each other and I was rooting for them all along. The other characters in the story were fun and fabulous as well.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an excellent read!!!

This book—what a great story!! I loved the characters—but I was yelling at Murphy to come clean many times...but that is a sign of a great story!

This book is a great Christmas read, but not necessarily needing to be read then...as you can tell by when I read it. Go grab a copy and read it right now!!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

While You Were Sleeping is one of my favorite movies and I was so excited about this YA twist! It was a little slow to start, almost read too similar to the original, but once I got into it...it took off and I really enjoyed it! Throw in the Christmassy feel to the story and this novel is definitely a need to read! The perfect book to end my year on!