Monica Adams Skips Christmas

by Krista Harper

Nineteen-year-old engineering student Monica Adams is excited to be back home in the Windy City for Christmas, even if she’s planning to tell her parents she’s dropping out of college. But when her longtime boyfriend unexpectedly dumps her, her elderly grandfather moves in, and her parents are too busy working to notice she’s home, Monica decides she’s skipping the holidays this year. It isn’t until she begins spending time with her neighbor Paige that things take a turn towards yuletide glee.

Eighteen-year-old Paige Yoshida is an art student, local bookseller and self-proclaimed Christmas fanatic. She’s also lived upstairs from Monica since they were kids and may have had a secret crush on her during high school.

As the countdown to Christmas continues, Monica and Paige find themselves unexpectedly spending more and more time together. Will the two take a chance on love this holiday season, or will they ignore their building chemistry and keep things strictly friends?

Book One in the Wicker Park Books Series.

What to Expect:
2HR Short Read
Friends-to-Lovers
Grumpy vs Sunshine
Sweet, Feel Good Holiday Nostalgia
Guaranteed Happily Ever After

Representation:
Sapphic Romance
Bi-Sexual MC
Lesbian Love Interest
Polish Immigrant & Japanese Characters

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

80 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 29, 2022

Reviews

[MerLuni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this one! I actually didn’t know it was a novella before starting it and honestly I would have loved to read a full novel about Monica and Paige, they deserve it!

I can relate to so much of Monica‘s life, especially the shitty sister. Yes halfway through she was kind of nice but it was shitty what she did before nonetheless and having a sister similar to her.. it‘s annoying and in my opinion Monica was okay with it way too quickly!
Anyways, I absolutely love Seth even tho he was there for like 2 seconds but I fell in love with him right away. Wish I could be his best friend!!
Paige is so bubbly and lovable, I loved her energy and she is so perfect for Monica.

Obviously, a lot of things were cut short because of the book being a novella and I feel like they could have been explored more, like literally everything that happened with her grandpa, her relationship with her parents and sister‘s family and of course more about Paige and all the stuff that happened before Monica flew home for Christmas.

Overall I absolutely adored this cute and quick Christmas read!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

[AnnMaree Of Oz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just OK. A fast paced novella that packed a lot in, but it suffered from a lack of emotional connection.

[LGBT Representation in Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trigger Warnings: break-up, cheating, biphobia, past death of a grandmother, Alzheimer’s/dementia symptoms, immigrant parents

Representation: Polish-American, Bisexual, Lesbian

Monica Adams Skips Christmas is a sapphic Christmas novella. When Monica Adams comes home from her fall semester, she is struggling with how to tell her parents she doesn’t plan to go back in the spring. Her homecoming is less than ideal when her boyfriend breaks up with her, her grandfather has taken over her bedroom, and her parents work nonstop. Monica runs into her neighbor and old classmate, Paige, quite a few times which kickstarts their relationship.

This eARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Yay! Another gay Christmas book! This was a great little novella, very easy to read, and quick- I read it in one sitting. Both girls are very likable and while my parents weren’t immigrants, the pressure from Monica’s parents is very relatable. I wish the story was longer though. I think there were a lot of story arcs that could have lengthened it. I would have liked to learn more about Paige or Monica’s sister, the grandfather’s story could have way more depth, and a bit more development for the parents as well. Overall though, this was a very cute Christmas rom com that anyone looking for a HEA will enjoy!

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hey if you really like this book or author, maybe don't read this review. I really disliked it, but it's fine if you loved it. Okay so now on to my thoughts:


How did this get published? Like I know that it's not technically published yet since I got an early review copy (thanks NetGalley!) but I can't see this being a success if it isn't completely rewritten.

I was excited for this book because the plot sounds like something I would really enjoy reading. It's sapphic + it has the christmas vibes I'm looking for atm AND the cover is so pretty. But even after reading just 2 pages I knew that this wouldn't be good. The sentences are way too long sometimes and everything just feels so forced. It feels like a rough draft that hasn't been edited at all. There is so much telling without showing and so many eyeroll worthy moments. From stereotypes to trying to be cool and knowledgeable and failing.. you can find it all in this books and all done badly.

She describes everything so blandly it doesn't feel real at all. I feel like I'm reading a preschool essay or what a kid thinks relationships / romances are like. There are no real emotions, no chemistry, no character development, no banter, nothing to be intruiged or entertained by. I really don't get why someone would read this.

Besides the obligatory 'I blow out the breath I didn't know I was holding' and other phrases that just say absolutely nothing, it genuinely just feels like bad fanfiction. Like if this was fanfiction I would stop reading and go find something better.

I am pretty sure I would have dnfed this book if it wasn't so short and I wanted to get it over with. Everything felt super rushed but I didn't mind that much because I just wanted it to be over.

Also this book made me really uncomfortable. I know it's queer and it doesn't say anything against lgbtq+ people, but because everything is so underdeveloped it sometimes feels homophobic nonetheless.
And when the polish grandpa says things like 'Elzbieta, I need hat for work. I no find mine.' (direct quote) I can't help but feel like this is just weird and stereotypical.

Because of how little the characters, their emotions, flaws, background etc. are explored everything feels like a cliche and that just makes it feel inappropriate and uncomfortable.

I did not like any of the characters. Well actually I pretty much actively hate most of the characters. The parents are basically non existent, but shitty nonetheless. They are an absolute cliche of the absent, unsupportive parents while still trying to be good? The main character and love interest are so incredibly bland and have no chemistry whatsoever. The ex boyfriend is bland aswell and also has no personality besides being a football douche. I disliked the sister in the beginning because her character is just weird and kind of irrelevant to the story. In the second half I started ti hate her though. She is a bad sister and just such an annoying character. Also she's bland like everyone else. I couldn't even hate her properly because there is just not enough character information to hate.

I very rarely give 1 star reviews, but this one does deserve it. I was looking forward to the story and it could have been good, but not by this author and not while being this short.

Also while reading this book I was convinced that it was a debut novel. It is not. Somehow that makes it even worse. I don't think I will every read anything by this author again. I feel bad about leaving such a bad review but I really disliked this book.
And it's such a shame as well because the cover is so beautiful!

[lifis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Я читала багато новел до цього, і це перша, яка мені сподобалася від початку і до кінця. І якщо по ній видно, що вона різдвяна, то вона дійсно така. Новела про кохання двох дівчат. Пейдж і Моніка підкорили мене, але мені було мало☺️

[Nev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this novella bit off more than it could chew for the very short page count it had. The story is about Monica dealing with being dumped, not liking what she’s doing for school and potentially wanting to drop out, her grandfather beginning to decline in his health, her parents being absent, not feeling in the holiday spirit, and starting a new romance with a girl who lives in her building. The story is only around 80 pages so there’s just not enough time for any of these different aspects to feel completely fleshed out.

If this were a full length novel then I think this could’ve been really good. But as it stands most of the stuff here just felt so underdeveloped. I liked the idea of the romance between Monica and Paige, but there wasn’t enough time or enough chemistry built up to truly make me care about them.

I did appreciate this being a story about a girl in her first year of college and figuring out that she actually wants to do something different with her life. The pressures from her family and them having immigrated from Poland gives extra weight to that portion of the story. But again it doesn’t get enough page time to fully develop. There’s also some nice, atmospheric wintery and Christmas stuff with the Chicago setting. Overall I think this was a fine and very quick read.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Anniek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a little sad about this one, because there was a lot to love and it had so much potential, yet it was super short even for a novella, and every interesting theme that was brought up felt glossed over by the end, including the romance and the explorations of family relationships. I honestly wish this was a full-length novel, or at least a longer novella, so it could have lived up to its potential.

[charlotte, · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rep: bi mc, Japanese American lesbian li

Galley provided by publisher

Monica Adams Skips Christmas is, to me, a novella that's trying to fit too much in, in too short a space of time. It has promise! I can see myself wanting to read more of these characters and more of the romance. But 70 pages or so is just not enough time to cover as much as this book wanted to. In trying to wrap everything up in a neat little bow by the end, the various plotlines felt shallow and unsatisfactorily resolved. This is, obviously, a novella, so there might always be some element of that, sure, but it felt pretty major here. So, in the end, this was a book that I only ever really felt was okay. It showed brief moments of promise but was, ultimately, just alright.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! Truly heartwarming Sapphic romance with an MC suffering a "where do I go from here?" crisis incited by immense parental pressure, university courses not aligning with her passions, and dumping by a Narcissistic boyfriend. Luckily this girl perseveres! I cheered her all the way! Fast read with a plethora of Heart!

[Astrid Inge · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf @39 %
Kerstverhalen mogen fout zijn, sterker nog: ze móéten zelfs fout zijn, maar je hebt fout en fout. Dit boek is niet cheesy of fout als een rendier-trui, maar echt irritant fout. De mc is onsympathiek, een Poolse opa spreekt Engels als een peuter met ernstige verbale dyspraxie en de schrijfster heeft nooit gehoord van 'show, don't tell'. Op deze manier wordt het nooit kerst.

[Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novella/short story. With a suggested reading time of 2 hours I expected it to be longer than 80 pages. Monica Adams (19) returns home to Chicago on her first break from college. She wants to tell her parents she wants to drop out but they are so busy working she hardly sees them. Her boyfriend dumps her and her grandfather has been moved into her room at home. Christmas isn’t turning out like she planned. And she is more than a little whiny about it.

Upstairs neighbor Paige Yoshida (18) is the one bright spot. They went to school together but weren’t in the same crowds. As they get reacquainted during the break Paige confesses she had a long time crush on Monica.

The author tries to put a lot into the story; first generation immigrants, caring for aging (grand) parents, family expectations and it is almost too much for a new adult romance. Especially when there is almost no romance in the pages. If this the set up for ongoing series then the set up is good. If this is the entire story for these characters then I was left with a lot of questions and am not satisfied. (2.5 to 3 stars)

[Oliwier · Rating 2 out of 5]

PIEROGI IS ALREADY PLURAL. YOU DO NOT NEED TO WRITE IT AS "PIEROGIES". Also, everyone is too busy to talk for 5minutes, but apparently pierogi (which take HOURS to make) are lying around in the fridge??

regarding the book itself, it should have been a bit longer : the plot feels rushed, the characters too flat.

But what bothered me most was the badly done Polish representation. Some polish words were written correctly, some weren't. If you can write café, you can write Kraków. The way the MC's grandfather (who is Polish) speaks English doesn't sound like a Polish person speaking in broken English. When we speak a foreign language, a lot of the mistakes we make come from translating our mother tongue directly (for example, polish people would tend to forget "the" or "a" because we don't really have an equivalent in polish).
The MC's sister is born in Poland, yet her first name has a letter that isn't used in polish ? The MC's name is also written with the American spelling, not the polish one. It's said in the text that their family name has been americanized, but we don't have any explanation for their first names.

In conclusion, I liked the idea, not the execution.

[monica • · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so so so soft. sweet. I loved the message of always putting yourself first and finding your joy again. The romance was so sweet. I know it was a short story but I do wish I could’ve read more about them. Thank you netgalley for the arc.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

2+

Thanks to Southside Mountain Press and Netgalley for this ARC. I picked it up because 'tis the season, and I like me some seasonal LGBTQ+ romance. Unfortunately there wasn't a lot to like about this one, apart from representation.

Monica Adams comes home for Christmas break, only to be dumped by her long term boyfriend and ignored by her too busy family. Fortunately, her cute neighbour Paige is around to soften the blow.

This seems like it could have been something, had it been more fleshed out, but as it stands the characters were flat and there's not really a plot here. There's not much in the way of conflict to begin with, and what there is could easily have been resolved if people had taken two minutes to talk to each other. I know Monica and Paige are teenagers, but damn, just literally have a straight forward conversation, OK? It's not that hard.

And when the family does end up talking, things are resolved way too quickly. I was mostly bored, and don't feel like this story was ready for publication, to be perfectly honest.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet holiday romance, it does have some potential. However, it feels like the book has been stuffing too many things and ideas at once in this short story. They deserve a few more chapters.


Thank you, NetGalley and Southside Mountain Press for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

[linda hole · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a Quick read. And sometimes sweet

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monica Grant Skips Christmas is a short, and I do mean short, novella about Monica, a bisexual who comes back to Chicago to be home for the holidays with her folks, expecting to meet up with her long distance boyfriend, only to discover that he has been cheating on her all year, and tells her this when she is waiting to be picked up from the train station.

Meanwhile, she runs into her childhood next door neighbor, Paige, who seems to be a good companion to hang out with, now that her boyfriend has dumped her, and Paige has dumped her girlfriend.

And seeing as this is a short book, you have to get them together and realize that they are made for each other. 🙂

And so, this novella does. It isn’t a total “bah humbug” in the end, as you can be sure since this is a romance.

Light, quick and queer. What else could you want for a good read, other than more of the same.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Lydia Hephzibah · Rating 1 out of 5]

The plot would make for a cute Christmas film but the writing left a LOT to be desired. This is marketed as a queer Christmas romance but there is virtually no romance in it, and in about 50 pages there are a painful number of cliches. This needed a lot more editing - there are times that it randomly switches to past tense despite being written in present tense. Also, based on the portrayal of a British character in this, the writer has clearly never met a Brit. It was painful.

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Monica Adams Skips Christmas caught my eye when I saw it on Netgalley and I am glad I got approved for a copy. It's a fun and sweet Christmas novella with a well done romance, clear Christmas vibes and some other topics that got touched upon.

Monica Adams Skips Christmas is told from Monica's point of view. When she's returning home for Christmas she dreads having to tell her parents she's quitting college, then her boyfriend breaks up with her and leaves her stranded at the train station, when she finally gets home she realizes her grandfather has taken her old bedroom.

I was immediately impressed with how many topics the book addressed and the way it made Monica's life feel real with everything doing on. It felt well done, but with the shorter length of the book I felt like it was a bit to much. And I would've liked a slightly longer read so the topics could be delved in a bit more and everything had a bit more time to develop.

I thought Monica's struggles with what to study and do with the rest of her life felt realistic and I liked how this was part of the story, although I would've liked to see what she does decide to do/ study. Then there was her grandfather who is confused at times and wanders outside at times, but her parents don't seem to listen. It was sad to see her grandfather in that state, but I liked reading about the bond he and Monica shared. There is a bit of family expectations and struggles going on and touches upon the struggles of her family who immigrated from Poland and the pressure and expectations they put upon their daughters. Besides that Monica has to deal with her boyfriend who broke up and her feelings regarding the matter and her new budding romance with her neighbor Paige.

I liked the romance between Monica and Paige, especially those first few times they spend together and grow closer. I liked the way Monica wasn't afraid to apologize after being a bit stand-offish to Paige when she just arrives home. I liked how Monica confided in Paige about her boyfriend breaking up and her decision to quit school. It was fun to read about them spending time together. There was a clear connection there and I enjoyed reading about them. I thought the last part went a bit too quickly and I didn't really like how Monica didn't go and explain things when something happened to cause miscommunication between them. I liked their romance and wanted to see more of them.

The Christmas vibes were clearly present and I enjoyed reading this one so close to Christmas. Monica loves the season, but is struggling to find her Christmas spirit this year. I liked seeing how she eventually found some joy this Christmas season after all.

To summarize: I enjoyed Monica Adams Skips Christmas. It's an easy read with plenty of sweet and fun moments, a well done romance, plenty of Christmas spirit as well as touching upon some difficult topics like deciding what to study, family troubles and her grandfather being confused. While I liked and was impressed with the variety of topics the book tackles, I thought the book tried to address a bit too much in such a short read and felt the ending felt a bit off due to that as I wanted to delve a bit more into these topics and see how everything played out. The romance was well done and I liked seeing Monica and Paige spend time together, things do progress a bit fast in the second half and I wasn't a fan of the miscommunication issue, but appreciated how things got resolved. The Christmas vibes were well done and I liked seeing Monica find some joy this season after struggling to find her Christmas spirit.

[Joana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is just a small three stars read, I'm sure if you're looking for a light Christmas romance, it can work for you, but I just kind of wanted more from this... I kind of wanted the romance, to have more family time - and I was not a fan of the sibling relationship and maybe the grandfather arc hit too close to home - and the romance itself to tell me a bit more, to make more attached to the characters, but they didn't grab me much... I can't explain why this didn't work for me much, but I'm sure it can work well for romance fans who are looking for an easy holiday story!!!

Disclaimer: I received this book through BookSirens in exchange of an honest review

[dahiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very quick with a lot packed into less than 70 pages. I barely felt any connection between Monica and Paige, just that Paige had a crush on Monica since the tenth grade and barely any feelings from Monica towards Paige. It was a bit too focused on Mon’s familial issues and less romcom :/

Thank you Southside Mountain Press for the egalleyof this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Hayley Gallant · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I recieved this as an ARC from netgalley!**

Okay, so for reading a Christmas book in June, I actually loved it. It was so cute and whitty and I loved the majority of the characters. The ones I hated (Bryce & Monica's mom for a small amount of time) I feel was just and were just well written to help me feel those negative emotions.

Was a super short read (which I love) but packed a big punch with such a great story!

Paige and Monica forever 💗

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a short romantic christmas story! Really loved the characters but the story is so short that I really missed the depth in the characters and book. Loved the christmas vibe that the book give me :)

[R.J. Sorrento · Rating 3 out of 5]

Juggles a lot of topics and tropes and the romance suffers because of it. Wanted to love it, but this one wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

[Cami · Rating 3 out of 5]

ehh

[Ash Reads Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"Monica Adams Skips Christmas" by Krista Harper is a short and sweet story about a young woman named Monica returning home for her first Christmas after her first year of college. While waiting for her ride home at the train station, she learns that her boyfriend, Bryce, has been cheating on her and wants to break up. Monica's pretty sure that this is the start to a terrible Christmas break - until she runs into Paige, her cute neighbor

If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I'm absolutely a sucker for sapphic holiday romances. And this definitely fit the bill! But on top of the Christmas cheer, Harper also tells a story of the Adams family: Monica's parents, Polish immigrants who moved to America in the hopes of a better life for their children. Monica's sister, an aspirational woman born in Poland but raised in America, who went on to study law. Monica's grandfather, who is sweet but who Monica worries may need more care than her parents realize in his old age. And Monica (of course) who went to college to become an engineer but who is currently wondering if that's what she wants to do for the rest of her life. Harper examines the inter-generational relationships of this family and how they've shaped Monica's life. I thought it was done well, and was still interesting to read.

And then there's Paige - the perfect love interest, she's fun and interesting and (naturally) an art student who works at an independent bookstore. We get lots of sweet trope-y romance moments and they were all so fun to read!

I don't want to say too much and accidentally spoil the book (it's a short, quick read, after all) but suffice to say this is an adorable Christmas read if you're looking for sappy sapphics with a bit of extra plot and character study thrown in the mix! I only wish there'd been more of it to read.

[Jane (whatjanereads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rep: bisexual polish american MC, lesbian LI

I really liked this! But there was just way too much going on for such a short story. It needed to either be a full book, or to have a few less topics.

Monica comes home from university for Christmas and is immediately being stood up by her boyfriend at the train station. Not only is she not getting picked up, no, her boyfriend brakes up with her over the phone and just leaves her stranded.
In this way her whole day continues until she is so fed up with everything, she just decides to fully skip Christmas altogether.
I loved the idea of this, and I also really loved the premise that her neighbour Paige is making her excited for Christmas again.

But in the end this story wasn’t too christmassy at all, it involved a lot of drama with her ex, her grandpas declining mental state, Paige’s ex and a fight with her parents because of school.
It was simply too much for such a short story. I was very surprised when Monica kissed Paige, it just moved too quickly after she just got dumbed and then a lot of love drama followed too. I would have liked this story more if all the love drama would have just been left out and they’d just have kissed in the end after knowing each other several days already.

This story had a lot of good ideas, I liked the style of writing and the characters a lot. It just didn’t work at all in this format.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for an advanced copy in exchange for a review!

Monica Adams loves Christmas with every fiber of her being. Even from her childhood years, it has always been her favorite holiday. So, after a rough first semester of college, she's excited to be back in Chicago for the holidays. But her boyfriend dumps her as soon as she gets into the city, and her parents are too busy to pay much attention to her homecoming. Christmas just isn't what it normally is, so Monica decides to skip Christmas. However, after a chance re-encounter with a neighbor and high school friend, Monica might change her mind and realize that Christmas is too important to skip.

This was a cute read! I'm usually not a big fan of novellas because they often leave me dissatisfied and wanting more. While I would like to see more of Paige and Monica, I felt like Monica Adams Skips Christmas perfectly told the story that Harper was wanting to tell and made it feel complete. I was laughing alongside the characters at times and wanting to fight other characters that made me mad. Overall, it's a cute holiday novella that any holiday romance lover will enjoy.

Monica Adams Skips Christmas releases November 29th, so make sure to get your copy!

[aub · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

this technically wasn’t a good book, but it was cute and fast paced and made my wait in the airport a lil more fun.

[Andrea ☾ [is inconsistently consistant] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️ Gay YA Christmas novellas are so cute.

If you’re in a bit of a reading slump, I feel like this would be the perfect little treat that might just get you out of it.

Monica is coming home for Christmas after being away in college for three months. On her first day back, her boyfriend of three years breaks up with her over a phone call, and admits he’s been kind of cheating on her… right after telling her that he’s not going to pick her up from the train station where she’s already waiting. She makes her way home only to see that her parents have given her room to her grandpa, who’s had to move back home with them. So they’ve given Monica a little cot and heater and have send her to the basement - Or they would’ve, if her parents were home when she got there, but they’re so busy with their shop that they barely have time to eat or sleep, let alone see their daughter home. And thus, Monica gets home to an apartment that’s not decorated for Christmas, an abundance of memories and Christmas traditions with the guy who used to be one of her best friends but now's nothing more than an ex, and a cold basement. The only kind of ok thing is her cute upstairs neighbour, Paige, who’s been checking in on her grandpa during the days when he’s alone at the apartment. But, no. Monica decides she's officially skipping the holiday season this year.

My absolute favourite thing about this story is the bisexual representation, and the tackling of just how much biphobia is still rampant, even within the LGBTQ+ community. So many people who are attracted to just one gender have such a hard time understanding that someone could be different than themselves, that they invent stories in their head about how some who’s bi is “actually just confused” and they’re either really straight but they’re “going through a phase”, or they’re gay and afraid to admit it… Yeah… No. We left that mentality behind with the boomers, but apparently bisexuals aren’t granted the same understanding that gay and lesbian people do - and honestly, these days the world is a scary place for everyone, and we’re still pitting ourselves against each other. Seriously? But yeah, I'm rating now. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk, and all that.

There was a lot of emphasis on family and on Monica's polish decent and traditions, which was also really fun to read. Overall, this novella’s nothing extraordinary - but it’s a fast, easy, not all that romantic, more just angsty YA experiences with a fun twist.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
0 / 5🌶️

ps: I want to read more about Sophie and the cute English guy!