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The Christmas Clash
Who's naughty and nice at Riverwood Mall? In this hilarious holiday rom-com, two rivals get together to save their families' livelihoods, and Christmas, too!
Chloe Kwon can't stand Peter Li. It's always been that way. Their families don't get along either: their parents operate rival restaurants in the Riverwood Mall food court―Korean food for the Kwons and Chinese food for the Lis. Now it's the holiday season and Chloe's the photographer at the mall's Santa Land, and Peter works at the virtual reality North Pole experience right across the atrium. It's all Chloe can do to avoid Peter's smug, incredibly photogenic face.
But it turns out the mall is about to be sold to a developer and demolished for condos. Eviction notices are being handed out right before Christmas. Their parents don't know what to do, and soon Chloe and Peter realize that the two of them need to join efforts to try to save the mall. Just when it seems like they can put aside their differences and work closely (very closely) together, they discover that the Kwon and Li feud goes far deeper than either of them realize...
Chloe Kwon can't stand Peter Li. It's always been that way. Their families don't get along either: their parents operate rival restaurants in the Riverwood Mall food court―Korean food for the Kwons and Chinese food for the Lis. Now it's the holiday season and Chloe's the photographer at the mall's Santa Land, and Peter works at the virtual reality North Pole experience right across the atrium. It's all Chloe can do to avoid Peter's smug, incredibly photogenic face.
But it turns out the mall is about to be sold to a developer and demolished for condos. Eviction notices are being handed out right before Christmas. Their parents don't know what to do, and soon Chloe and Peter realize that the two of them need to join efforts to try to save the mall. Just when it seems like they can put aside their differences and work closely (very closely) together, they discover that the Kwon and Li feud goes far deeper than either of them realize...
349 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2022
230 people are currently reading
10848 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Park
8 books1,150 followersSuzanne Park is a Korean-American writer who was born and raised in Tennessee. In her former life as a stand-up comedian, she was a finalist in the Oxygen Network's "Girls Behaving Badly" talent search, and appeared on BET's "Coming to the Stage." Suzanne was also the winner of the Seattle Sierra Mist Comedy Competition, and was a semi-finalist in NBC's "Stand Up For Diversity" showcase in San Francisco alongside comedians Ali Wong and Nico Santos.
More info about her books can be found at https://linktr.ee/suzannepark
More info about her books can be found at https://linktr.ee/suzannepark
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 768 reviews
December 23, 2022
After having read one of the hardest reads of my life (because of all the tragedy it involved), this book has been exactly what I needed to feel more upbeat and regain a bit of confidence on this crazy world.
Probably not the best read ever, but it's been fun and entertaining to come across family clashes, school days, memories, harships, and more. I agree this is YA fiction and that it might be more suitable for such target population, but young people are also part of our world, aren't they. I guess we sometimes focus too much in our adult world and we don't give ourselves the opportunity to take a trip down memory lane to those days where we were young and our worries were quite different from our current ones.
Something particularly interesting is the involvement of social media, which is virtually now an unalienable part of our daily lives, and which is constantly mentioned thoughout.
The book in the end meets its purpose of providing us with a bit of the so-called Christmas magic, and I am glad I was able to finish it right before Christmas Eve.
Probably not the best read ever, but it's been fun and entertaining to come across family clashes, school days, memories, harships, and more. I agree this is YA fiction and that it might be more suitable for such target population, but young people are also part of our world, aren't they. I guess we sometimes focus too much in our adult world and we don't give ourselves the opportunity to take a trip down memory lane to those days where we were young and our worries were quite different from our current ones.
Something particularly interesting is the involvement of social media, which is virtually now an unalienable part of our daily lives, and which is constantly mentioned thoughout.
The book in the end meets its purpose of providing us with a bit of the so-called Christmas magic, and I am glad I was able to finish it right before Christmas Eve.
August 12, 2022
I love this book <3
When my publisher asked what I thought about writing a YA holiday-themed novel, I said HELL YES. There aren’t enough Asian American stories in the world, and I can think of only a handful of holiday-themed ones. And I have pretty small hands.
THE CHRISTMAS CLASH is dual perspective with Chloe Kim being the lead protagonist, and it’s a coming-of-age + rivals to romance (swoonemies?) story. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
When my publisher asked what I thought about writing a YA holiday-themed novel, I said HELL YES. There aren’t enough Asian American stories in the world, and I can think of only a handful of holiday-themed ones. And I have pretty small hands.
THE CHRISTMAS CLASH is dual perspective with Chloe Kim being the lead protagonist, and it’s a coming-of-age + rivals to romance (swoonemies?) story. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
December 24, 2025
3.5⭐
Genre ~ YA
Publication date ~ October 4, 2022
Est Page Count ~ 357
Audio length ~ 8 hours 18 minutes
Narrators ~ Jay Lai and Jennifer Sun Bell
POV ~ dual 1st
Featuring ~ high school ~ 16yo, rival families, enemies to likers (since they're kids), photography, Christmastime, racism
Chloe and Peter's families each have a restaurant in the local mall food court. Korean vs Chinese. They have been rivals for years, which means they never really got along. But when the mall is placed up for sale, Chloe and Peter work together to try save their parents livelihood and business.
I liked that they put their differences aside to work together. As they spend more and more time together they slowly begin to realize that maybe the other isn't as bad as their parents have made them out to be all this time. It was light and cute. I liked how they swapped meals and now I want some shrimp lo-mein. I probably haven't been to a mall food court in 13 years, maybe 16, so that was a fun little nostalgic element.
There wasn't a whole lot of Christmas going on, except for Chloe working with Santa, so don't go into this one thinking it'll be all ornaments, reindeer and snowball fights on Sunday's.
Narration notes:
Their voices sounded age appropriate.
*Thanks to Dreamscape Media, the author and NetGalley for the audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Follow me here ➡ Blog ~ Facebook
Genre ~ YA
Publication date ~ October 4, 2022
Est Page Count ~ 357
Audio length ~ 8 hours 18 minutes
Narrators ~ Jay Lai and Jennifer Sun Bell
POV ~ dual 1st
Featuring ~ high school ~ 16yo, rival families, enemies to likers (since they're kids), photography, Christmastime, racism
Chloe and Peter's families each have a restaurant in the local mall food court. Korean vs Chinese. They have been rivals for years, which means they never really got along. But when the mall is placed up for sale, Chloe and Peter work together to try save their parents livelihood and business.
I liked that they put their differences aside to work together. As they spend more and more time together they slowly begin to realize that maybe the other isn't as bad as their parents have made them out to be all this time. It was light and cute. I liked how they swapped meals and now I want some shrimp lo-mein. I probably haven't been to a mall food court in 13 years, maybe 16, so that was a fun little nostalgic element.
There wasn't a whole lot of Christmas going on, except for Chloe working with Santa, so don't go into this one thinking it'll be all ornaments, reindeer and snowball fights on Sunday's.
Narration notes:
Their voices sounded age appropriate.
*Thanks to Dreamscape Media, the author and NetGalley for the audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Follow me here ➡ Blog ~ Facebook
November 30, 2022
Cute & fun Christmassy read but too YA for me😅
Read
December 7, 2022This book just isn’t grabbing me in any way. It’s sort of bland, I’m sad to say. And the whole "family feud" and "I HATE him just BECAUSE" thing seems contrived. Totally a case of it’s me, I’m too old for this and the characters are reading really young to me 😆 I’ll be dnf-ing otherwise I’ll just keep going and will probably keep bitching about it and nobody has time for that.
No rating because I quit at the 95 page mark.
No rating because I quit at the 95 page mark.
October 6, 2022
Happy, er, release week!
Oof, there it is. This book releases October 4th, 2022, thanks to Netgalley for a copy to review.
I wanted to enjoy this; The Christmas Clash was an earnest story that wanted to be a heartwarming, diverse Christmas tale, but just didn't quite successfully nail the main lures that made me request it: the romance, the Asian leads, the nostalgia, and the whimsical feeling of holiday media.
First, there wasn't much of a Christmas mood to the whole thing, besides Chloe occasionly photographing at the Santa mall exhibit and wearing elf ears a few times.
But my main gripe here is: it reads young. Very young. Not 20-somethings in a Hallmark holiday movie - teenagers, and not very mature ones. The book read like a middle grade story to me, and also like it wasn't plotted well - so much was going on that the reader doesn't get a rounded romance, fleshed-out family cultural moments, or even that much time with the mall setting.
It's also in first-person POV which led to nightmarish statements like "cold AF" being included in overall narration passages, not even dialogue or a text. Peter is introduced and at the end of his passage he thinks "you're on my naughty list" re: Chloe. That was my first grimace, and there were many more.
I appreciated the messaging, the attempt at a love letter to mall culture. But the generations who hold the most mall nostalgia probably cannot relate to kids born in 2006 very well; I think it'd have been better if the book were set in the Y2K era, though of course that might mess with some of the racial dynamics in play within the story...
I can usually suspend my eye-rolling and disbelief if I'm watching a sappy holiday movie, but for some reason, perhaps the time I sat with this book (I dragged my feet through it for like three weeks?), I couldn't handle my WHAT moments. The worst of them was...these characters end up appealing to the emotions of a real estate mogul in this day and age? And succeed? That would never, ever happen where I live and I suspect most of gentrifying America is the same.
Side note to the publisher - the inner cover said this was the copy for publication and I spotted at least two typos in here! I also wasn't a fan of some formatting choices, like how text messages were portrayed - in a font much tinier than the standard of the book, crammed in.
So...yeah, I'm disappointed this missed the mark.
Oof, there it is. This book releases October 4th, 2022, thanks to Netgalley for a copy to review.
I wanted to enjoy this; The Christmas Clash was an earnest story that wanted to be a heartwarming, diverse Christmas tale, but just didn't quite successfully nail the main lures that made me request it: the romance, the Asian leads, the nostalgia, and the whimsical feeling of holiday media.
First, there wasn't much of a Christmas mood to the whole thing, besides Chloe occasionly photographing at the Santa mall exhibit and wearing elf ears a few times.
But my main gripe here is: it reads young. Very young. Not 20-somethings in a Hallmark holiday movie - teenagers, and not very mature ones. The book read like a middle grade story to me, and also like it wasn't plotted well - so much was going on that the reader doesn't get a rounded romance, fleshed-out family cultural moments, or even that much time with the mall setting.
It's also in first-person POV which led to nightmarish statements like "cold AF" being included in overall narration passages, not even dialogue or a text. Peter is introduced and at the end of his passage he thinks "you're on my naughty list" re: Chloe. That was my first grimace, and there were many more.
I appreciated the messaging, the attempt at a love letter to mall culture. But the generations who hold the most mall nostalgia probably cannot relate to kids born in 2006 very well; I think it'd have been better if the book were set in the Y2K era, though of course that might mess with some of the racial dynamics in play within the story...
I can usually suspend my eye-rolling and disbelief if I'm watching a sappy holiday movie, but for some reason, perhaps the time I sat with this book (I dragged my feet through it for like three weeks?), I couldn't handle my WHAT moments. The worst of them was...these characters end up appealing to the emotions of a real estate mogul in this day and age? And succeed? That would never, ever happen where I live and I suspect most of gentrifying America is the same.
Side note to the publisher - the inner cover said this was the copy for publication and I spotted at least two typos in here! I also wasn't a fan of some formatting choices, like how text messages were portrayed - in a font much tinier than the standard of the book, crammed in.
So...yeah, I'm disappointed this missed the mark.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2022
I’m going to come right out and say this . . . .
(which pretty much is an attempt at reviewer shaming for less than 4 Stars) put a bad taste in my mouth. But I would have overlooked it and went on to give my usual 3 Star review with zero guilty conscience had I liked the story. (And let’s clear things up - 3 Stars is perfectly okay. For me it means I liked the book and wouldn’t steer other away from it.)
The problem here was too many ingredients spoiling the soup. What should have been a cutesy teenage holiday enemies to (strictly PG) lovers where the two children of feuding restaurant owner parents join forces to save the local mall and said businesses hit bogged down in side stories regarding a photo competition and workout sessions and part time jobs at Santa’s photo booth and a holiday arcade. When it comes to holiday books the old KISS method should be followed. Keep it simple.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
(which pretty much is an attempt at reviewer shaming for less than 4 Stars) put a bad taste in my mouth. But I would have overlooked it and went on to give my usual 3 Star review with zero guilty conscience had I liked the story. (And let’s clear things up - 3 Stars is perfectly okay. For me it means I liked the book and wouldn’t steer other away from it.)
The problem here was too many ingredients spoiling the soup. What should have been a cutesy teenage holiday enemies to (strictly PG) lovers where the two children of feuding restaurant owner parents join forces to save the local mall and said businesses hit bogged down in side stories regarding a photo competition and workout sessions and part time jobs at Santa’s photo booth and a holiday arcade. When it comes to holiday books the old KISS method should be followed. Keep it simple.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
January 9, 2023
This is a cute YA holiday romance with enemies to lovers, feuding families, and some great representation. I loved the foodie aspect, and often found myself hungry will reading this book.
The banter between Chloe and Peter was perfection and I loved seeing their relationship shift and change as new feelings developed. I would have liked a bit more character development of the two main characters in order to connect with them individually a bit more than I did, but honestly, this is something I struggle with in many holiday reads.
If you are looking for super cute YA read that’s not super christmasy and on the younger side, add this to your holiday read list.
The banter between Chloe and Peter was perfection and I loved seeing their relationship shift and change as new feelings developed. I would have liked a bit more character development of the two main characters in order to connect with them individually a bit more than I did, but honestly, this is something I struggle with in many holiday reads.
If you are looking for super cute YA read that’s not super christmasy and on the younger side, add this to your holiday read list.
June 21, 2022
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THIS REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.
From the synopsis, seems everything is likable
✓ Christmas Rom-com
✓ Enemy-lover
✓ Family rivalry
Chloe and Peter's parents own Korean and Chinese restaurants in Riverwood Mall, respectively. Riverwood Mall is like a second home for them, they spend all of their time after school there while doing part-time jobs and helping their parents. Due to some unknown reasons, both families hate each other, and Chloe and Peter inherit that rivalry.
This book was a tiny bit of Christmasy. I never felt like Chloe and Peter were enemies at any point, it was just writing that was trying hard to push this fact to the reader's throat. There were hardly a few chapters where they were "ENEMY". I like their chemistry and they were so cute together, I was totally digging for them. As an Asian, I can say that family rivalry was also diluted. Both families just don't like each other, they never went out of their way to spite other. It was another disappointment, I was hoping to see a full-fledge, hard-core family rivalry. But it was so easy Peter and Chloe were hanging out publically and they didn't even comment on it.
I enjoyed the book but not the pace. I felt like this book was trying to bite more than it can chew. Everything felt out of balanced. It started from Chloe's love for photography soon it faded into the background and was only used when it was convenient, same goes for all of the elements of the book. At one point, the story turned into all that law-oriented. I just felt that story jumping from one place to another and it all felt so forced. There were so many elements that could have been covered in a proper way but they all faded into the background in presence of chaos in the story.
From the synopsis, seems everything is likable
✓ Christmas Rom-com
✓ Enemy-lover
✓ Family rivalry
Chloe and Peter's parents own Korean and Chinese restaurants in Riverwood Mall, respectively. Riverwood Mall is like a second home for them, they spend all of their time after school there while doing part-time jobs and helping their parents. Due to some unknown reasons, both families hate each other, and Chloe and Peter inherit that rivalry.
This book was a tiny bit of Christmasy. I never felt like Chloe and Peter were enemies at any point, it was just writing that was trying hard to push this fact to the reader's throat. There were hardly a few chapters where they were "ENEMY". I like their chemistry and they were so cute together, I was totally digging for them. As an Asian, I can say that family rivalry was also diluted. Both families just don't like each other, they never went out of their way to spite other. It was another disappointment, I was hoping to see a full-fledge, hard-core family rivalry. But it was so easy Peter and Chloe were hanging out publically and they didn't even comment on it.
I enjoyed the book but not the pace. I felt like this book was trying to bite more than it can chew. Everything felt out of balanced. It started from Chloe's love for photography soon it faded into the background and was only used when it was convenient, same goes for all of the elements of the book. At one point, the story turned into all that law-oriented. I just felt that story jumping from one place to another and it all felt so forced. There were so many elements that could have been covered in a proper way but they all faded into the background in presence of chaos in the story.
September 7, 2022
I've read two of Suzanne Park's previous works (Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous and Loathe at First Sight). Neither were total knock outs for me, but were enjoyable enough for me to finish. Of the two, I enjoyed Sunny Song more, so I was looking forward to a festive Christmas YA book! Nothing can go wrong, right?
Unfortunately for me, this book read like a bad Disney Channel movie from the 90's. I recognize that it is Young Adult (and, for the record, I LOVE Young Adult!) but this read more like middle grade to me. It felt like it was targeted at 12 year olds. The internal narratives from each character had my face in a permanent "What the heck?" position and the dialogue was equally awful. And there was no differentiation of "voice" between Peter and Chloe, so the whole thing kind of ran together. The lack of character development....all of it was just missing.
There was little to no Christmas content in this book minus Chloe's photography job at the Santa stand, and the side stories of saving the mall, the photography competition, the Li/Kwon rivalry, and so much more made the entire story feel messy. It was going in 5 different directions at all times and none of the directions did a good job at holding my attention.
Sadly this one was a big miss for me, but the good news is that there are a lot of Christmas books ahead of me to read in 2022!
Unfortunately for me, this book read like a bad Disney Channel movie from the 90's. I recognize that it is Young Adult (and, for the record, I LOVE Young Adult!) but this read more like middle grade to me. It felt like it was targeted at 12 year olds. The internal narratives from each character had my face in a permanent "What the heck?" position and the dialogue was equally awful. And there was no differentiation of "voice" between Peter and Chloe, so the whole thing kind of ran together. The lack of character development....all of it was just missing.
There was little to no Christmas content in this book minus Chloe's photography job at the Santa stand, and the side stories of saving the mall, the photography competition, the Li/Kwon rivalry, and so much more made the entire story feel messy. It was going in 5 different directions at all times and none of the directions did a good job at holding my attention.
Sadly this one was a big miss for me, but the good news is that there are a lot of Christmas books ahead of me to read in 2022!
December 12, 2022
This book didn't have a lot of Christmasy vibes but it was a cute one that took me back to my teenage years and my 'Sweet Dreams' series obsession! Gosh I loved every book I read in that series (which weren't a lot tbh)!
Reading this book was a nice reminder to those days which as an adult I do miss at times 💕.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Sourcebooks Fire and the author for the e-Arc of the book.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨💫
Reading this book was a nice reminder to those days which as an adult I do miss at times 💕.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Sourcebooks Fire and the author for the e-Arc of the book.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨💫
June 18, 2022
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Christmas Clash was all kinds of cute if I'm being honest. In it, you will meet Chloe and Peter. They have been rivals since before they were even born. Seriously, it's in their blood. Their families do not get along one bit. It also doesn't help that they have to work within the same food court either. Then again, it also doesn't help me since I love both Korean and Chinese food.
Before the food war can commence, eviction notices are passed out and its bad news for everyone involved. Well, that is until Peter and Chloe come up with an idea to save the family businesses. Now I really liked these two getting along. The modern day of Romeo and Juliet but no one dies. Of course, once they start to like one another drama quickly unfolds. It's all about assuming the worst and not talking about anything. It seriously drove me nuts!
Once they started to talk, though, they eventually realized they really do like one another. On top of that, the finally figured out how the family feud started. I was really happy when that reveal came because it was eating me up! I just wanted to know every little thing before the last chapter came.
In the end, I'm happy that I got the chance to jump into this. One can never go wrong with a Holiday book (in my eyes). Will have to be on the lookout for Suzanne's next book!
The Christmas Clash was all kinds of cute if I'm being honest. In it, you will meet Chloe and Peter. They have been rivals since before they were even born. Seriously, it's in their blood. Their families do not get along one bit. It also doesn't help that they have to work within the same food court either. Then again, it also doesn't help me since I love both Korean and Chinese food.
Before the food war can commence, eviction notices are passed out and its bad news for everyone involved. Well, that is until Peter and Chloe come up with an idea to save the family businesses. Now I really liked these two getting along. The modern day of Romeo and Juliet but no one dies. Of course, once they start to like one another drama quickly unfolds. It's all about assuming the worst and not talking about anything. It seriously drove me nuts!
Once they started to talk, though, they eventually realized they really do like one another. On top of that, the finally figured out how the family feud started. I was really happy when that reveal came because it was eating me up! I just wanted to know every little thing before the last chapter came.
In the end, I'm happy that I got the chance to jump into this. One can never go wrong with a Holiday book (in my eyes). Will have to be on the lookout for Suzanne's next book!
August 29, 2022
I love Christmas rom-coms and this one was really cute. Chloe Kwon and Peter Li are two teenagers whose families have been holding a 15-year grudge and not speaking to each other. Chloe's parents own a Korean restaurant and Peter's parents own a Chinese restaurant, both at Riverwood Mall. Chloe and Peter are kind of thrown together when they find out the mall is going to be demolished and their parents livelihoods are threatened. They work together to try and save the mall.
This was a light, fun rom-com with cute high-school characters. The plot was interesting with the mall issues as well as Chloe's photography contest pursuit. I enjoyed the story. The characters were friendly and easily likeable. It's also a coming of age story as Chloe finds her strengths and Peter does somewhat. The book didn't really have anything to do with Christmas other than things were happening just before the holidays. The book was relevant to the times in that malls have declined in popularity and many have been shut down and lost their anchor stores - I know the one in our town has.
Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Fire through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published October 4, 2022.
This was a light, fun rom-com with cute high-school characters. The plot was interesting with the mall issues as well as Chloe's photography contest pursuit. I enjoyed the story. The characters were friendly and easily likeable. It's also a coming of age story as Chloe finds her strengths and Peter does somewhat. The book didn't really have anything to do with Christmas other than things were happening just before the holidays. The book was relevant to the times in that malls have declined in popularity and many have been shut down and lost their anchor stores - I know the one in our town has.
Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Fire through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published October 4, 2022.
Want to read
May 20, 2021'The holiday-themed YA rom-com follows Chloe Kang, Santa's Village photographer, whose rivalry with her nemesis Peter Li escalates when he opens a North Pole virtual reality experience next door. But when they learn their mall is in danger of being demolished, they must work together to save it—and save Christmas.'
November 12, 2022
Full Review on The Candid Cover
The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park is a Christmas rom-com that combines a family rivalry with a fight to save the local mall, all set during the holiday season. I loved the social themes the author tackles, including the importance of malls, although I would have liked to see even more Christmassy elements in the plot.
As a result of a decade-long rivalry between their families who run rival restaurants in the mall food court, Chloe and Peter are sworn enemies. When they find themselves working at the mall during the holiday season–Chloe as a photographer for Santa and Peter at a virtual reality North Pole experience–the holiday cheer comes to a halt as they learn that the mall is going to be demolished for condos, meaning eviction is imminent. In order to save their parents’ businesses, Chloe and Peter must team up, and as they spend more time together, they begin to question why they are even enemies in the first place.
❀ MALL SETTING
I loved the mall setting in this one and the way the author explores the purpose of these spaces. Malls have been less popular these days in favour of online shopping, but I liked the way this book highlights the importance of malls not only for entertaining holiday pop-ups but also for the many shop owners. Suzanne Park does a fantastic job capturing the sense of community surrounding the mall, and it was heartwarming to see the different owners coming together to fight to save the mall.
❀ NEEDS MORE CHRISTMAS CONTENT
Something I found myself hoping for while reading this book was more Christmas content. The cover and synopsis hint at a lot of holiday cheer, but beyond a few scenes of photography for the mall Santa, this one feels like a regular contemporary. I do appreciate the social themes the book tackles, but I would have also liked to see more of a Christmassy plot.
❀ CUTE ROM-COM
The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park is a cute enemies-to-lovers holiday rom-com. I enjoyed the idea of a family rivalry in the mall, and the author does an excellent job bringing the mall and its community to life. I would have enjoyed even more Christmas from this one, but it would be a great choice for those who enjoy more subtle holiday reads.
The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park is a Christmas rom-com that combines a family rivalry with a fight to save the local mall, all set during the holiday season. I loved the social themes the author tackles, including the importance of malls, although I would have liked to see even more Christmassy elements in the plot.
As a result of a decade-long rivalry between their families who run rival restaurants in the mall food court, Chloe and Peter are sworn enemies. When they find themselves working at the mall during the holiday season–Chloe as a photographer for Santa and Peter at a virtual reality North Pole experience–the holiday cheer comes to a halt as they learn that the mall is going to be demolished for condos, meaning eviction is imminent. In order to save their parents’ businesses, Chloe and Peter must team up, and as they spend more time together, they begin to question why they are even enemies in the first place.
❀ MALL SETTING
I loved the mall setting in this one and the way the author explores the purpose of these spaces. Malls have been less popular these days in favour of online shopping, but I liked the way this book highlights the importance of malls not only for entertaining holiday pop-ups but also for the many shop owners. Suzanne Park does a fantastic job capturing the sense of community surrounding the mall, and it was heartwarming to see the different owners coming together to fight to save the mall.
❀ NEEDS MORE CHRISTMAS CONTENT
Something I found myself hoping for while reading this book was more Christmas content. The cover and synopsis hint at a lot of holiday cheer, but beyond a few scenes of photography for the mall Santa, this one feels like a regular contemporary. I do appreciate the social themes the book tackles, but I would have also liked to see more of a Christmassy plot.
❀ CUTE ROM-COM
The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park is a cute enemies-to-lovers holiday rom-com. I enjoyed the idea of a family rivalry in the mall, and the author does an excellent job bringing the mall and its community to life. I would have enjoyed even more Christmas from this one, but it would be a great choice for those who enjoy more subtle holiday reads.
October 15, 2022
*Thank to you netgalley for the arc, all thoughts are my own*
This book was definitely not my favourite. The cover and the title imply it's a christmas book, but aside from taking photos of people with santa, there was absolutely no christmassy stuff. oh and the characters were never even enemies. Like they argued a bit and then by 25% in, they were friends... wha.. no, just no.
oh and asides from all that, I felt like I have read this exact same plot 500 times. It reminded me of tweet cute, and felt like an exact copy of a pho love story. Im so sick of the restaurants-owned-by-two-rivalry-families-where-the-kids-fall-in-love troupe. It happens so much, and honof estly, I'm just sick of reading the same half baked plot.
4/10 entertaining, but it felt like there was no actual substance to the story.
This book was definitely not my favourite. The cover and the title imply it's a christmas book, but aside from taking photos of people with santa, there was absolutely no christmassy stuff. oh and the characters were never even enemies. Like they argued a bit and then by 25% in, they were friends... wha.. no, just no.
oh and asides from all that, I felt like I have read this exact same plot 500 times. It reminded me of tweet cute, and felt like an exact copy of a pho love story. Im so sick of the restaurants-owned-by-two-rivalry-families-where-the-kids-fall-in-love troupe. It happens so much, and honof estly, I'm just sick of reading the same half baked plot.
4/10 entertaining, but it felt like there was no actual substance to the story.
December 9, 2022
This was a good book but I didn’t really get the Christmas vibes. It felt like it could have been set during any time of year with only a few references to the holiday here and there. Not every holiday book needs to focus a lot on the actual holiday but this one has Christmas in the title itself. It just felt like it didn’t deliver on the holiday spirit.
I liked the plot overall but there were some cringey and over the top parts. I like an enemies to lovers romance but this one didn’t really stand out to me.
I didn’t absolutely hate or love anything. It was kind of just forgettable.
I liked the plot overall but there were some cringey and over the top parts. I like an enemies to lovers romance but this one didn’t really stand out to me.
I didn’t absolutely hate or love anything. It was kind of just forgettable.
December 18, 2024
Closer to 3.5 Stars probably.
This was a cute read but it wasn't really a holiday read. Yes, it's called The Christmas Clash, but aside from it being set at Christmas, there really isn't anything that brings out the holiday feelings. This book could have been set during anytime of the year and still have the same outcome.
This is your classic enemies to lovers in the vein of Romeo & Juliet. The Kwon's & Li's have hated each other for as long as Chloe and Peter have been alive. They may not know why their parents hate each other, but it's just something they've grown up with and accept as fact. When news of the malls possible closure comes, the two decide to put aside their differences and work together to try to save it and by doing that, saving their parents food court restaurants.
I think if the book had just focused on the feud it might have been a little tighter story wise. It seemed like there were so many elements in this and none of them were really fully given time to blossom. Aside from the feud and the mall closure, there was the budding romance, the weird bullying that Peter received, the photo competition Chloe was part of... There was so much going on that each storyline didn't fully form and just maintained surface level.
I thought the story really shined with Chloe and her friends - her friends were the best part. Their support was the friendship we all need. I also liked how Park showcased the pressure parents can put on their children. But sadly, the romance struggled for me. It went from zero to relationship without any buildup. Don't get me wrong, they were cute together, but I just didn't understand how they were suddenly kissing and okay with it. I don't know. It was a cute concept but seemed a little stitched together.
This was a cute read but it wasn't really a holiday read. Yes, it's called The Christmas Clash, but aside from it being set at Christmas, there really isn't anything that brings out the holiday feelings. This book could have been set during anytime of the year and still have the same outcome.
This is your classic enemies to lovers in the vein of Romeo & Juliet. The Kwon's & Li's have hated each other for as long as Chloe and Peter have been alive. They may not know why their parents hate each other, but it's just something they've grown up with and accept as fact. When news of the malls possible closure comes, the two decide to put aside their differences and work together to try to save it and by doing that, saving their parents food court restaurants.
I think if the book had just focused on the feud it might have been a little tighter story wise. It seemed like there were so many elements in this and none of them were really fully given time to blossom. Aside from the feud and the mall closure, there was the budding romance, the weird bullying that Peter received, the photo competition Chloe was part of... There was so much going on that each storyline didn't fully form and just maintained surface level.
I thought the story really shined with Chloe and her friends - her friends were the best part. Their support was the friendship we all need. I also liked how Park showcased the pressure parents can put on their children. But sadly, the romance struggled for me. It went from zero to relationship without any buildup. Don't get me wrong, they were cute together, but I just didn't understand how they were suddenly kissing and okay with it. I don't know. It was a cute concept but seemed a little stitched together.
December 8, 2022
3.5 stars. This was good! A quick and easy read with an enjoyable plot and lovable characters. There were some grammar errors and areas I felt could have been explained better/expanded upon, but overall I enjoyed this!
Read
January 21, 2023needed more kissing
November 22, 2022
It is August, but I am reading Christmas books already.
Chloe Kwon and Peter Li are two teenagers whose families are not speaking to each other and have been holding a grudge from 15 years.
Chloe's parents own a Korean restaurant and Peter's parents own a Chinese restaurant, both at Riverwood Mall. But now Chloe and Peter need to work together as they find out that the mall is going to be demolished and their parents might lose out their business.
Chloe Kwon and Peter Li are two teenagers whose families are not speaking to each other and have been holding a grudge from 15 years.
Chloe's parents own a Korean restaurant and Peter's parents own a Chinese restaurant, both at Riverwood Mall. But now Chloe and Peter need to work together as they find out that the mall is going to be demolished and their parents might lose out their business.
December 23, 2022
RATING: 3/5⭐️
REVIEW
I am such a sucker for competing restaurants or anything dealing with food in romance books. It was a fun twist that this also took place in a mall because we saw a different side of the restaurants and other businesses. However, I didn’t feel like the “feud” because Chloe and Peter was shown enough. It seemed like they fell for each other really quickly.
I loved how this was more than just competing restaurants, and it also involved saving the mall and Chloe’s future in photography. However, I feel like there was so much going on in this story and so many problems, it almost felt like too much. I also didn’t like the third act break up.
Overall, I had a fun time reading this book. A mall is such a fun setting!
REVIEW
I am such a sucker for competing restaurants or anything dealing with food in romance books. It was a fun twist that this also took place in a mall because we saw a different side of the restaurants and other businesses. However, I didn’t feel like the “feud” because Chloe and Peter was shown enough. It seemed like they fell for each other really quickly.
I loved how this was more than just competing restaurants, and it also involved saving the mall and Chloe’s future in photography. However, I feel like there was so much going on in this story and so many problems, it almost felt like too much. I also didn’t like the third act break up.
Overall, I had a fun time reading this book. A mall is such a fun setting!
December 22, 2023
Another fun YA romance book! I wish there was a bit more Christmas-vibes in this book but it was still a great read. I liked seeing the connection form between the two main characters and it was really sweet!
December 19, 2022
Romeo + Juliet meets the mall food court! The Kwons and the Li’s have hated each other for years. Until teens Chloe Kwon and Peter Li team up to save the mall from being demolished.
-Yoda elf ears
-delicious food
-dying mall
-enemies to lovers romance
-sympathetic characters
-sesame ball sweet romance
-Yoda elf ears
-delicious food
-dying mall
-enemies to lovers romance
-sympathetic characters
-sesame ball sweet romance
November 27, 2022
i LOVE suzanne park her books are SO CUTE. I'm so happy she has a Christmas novel this is so fun i can't wait to have the perfect Christmas book to reread this year!!
December 22, 2023
Suzanne, if you're reading this, let the lesson of this book be to FUCKING RESEARCH YOUR GOD DAMN BOOKS. Your main character is a photographer but you know absolutely zilch about cameras (and its so obvious). You kept referring to an SLR. Girly, that's a film camera. A DSLR is a digital one with a memory card and you can look at the pics you've taken by looking at the back. And then you continuously used that phrase, peppering it in like it was an absolute must to refer to our girls camera and camera accessories specifically as her "SLR camera" and her "SLR camera bag". I will list more of your camera related bullshit now because I couldn't fuckin deal with it. As a girly that actually was learning to be a photographer at that age and is now a professional years and years later, ALL of it read as so fake, annoying at best.
Things that absolutely incensed me and tell me that the author has never even spoken to a photographer before without telling me that the author has never even spoken to a photographer before:
"i cringed behind my canon camera" WHAT. no one refers to their camera that way. instead of saying my canon camera you could've just said "I cringed behind my viewfinder, thankful no one could see with my camera in the way." The canon name drop was unnecessary.
"i didn't need to zoom in with my high res camera". The display on the back of that camera is so small she would've had to have zoomed in no matter how high res the camera was... that's just how it works babes.
"She scrolled through her slr history" bro if it’s an slr, you can’t do that. you specifically need the d in the dslr god dammit
There are more but I just refuse to go back and look because I hated the book that much. Those were just off the top of my head.
Let me count the ways that this book absolutely enraged me -- had it not been for a buddy read in one of my groups and I would have dnf'd around chapter 3. That's how bad it was. I wasn't even giving it my courtesy 25% through dnf. It truly feels like they gave a 12 year old a book deal and were like "tell me a bit about how you think life will be when you're 16". That's the only way to explain how our girl chloe had ZERO clue how to work her camera at the start but somehow got a nom for a prestigious national art award and then got to work with her idol and WON THAT AWARD. Did I mention that all this took place in 2 months? Be so fucking for real. They truly just give anyone a book deal these days...
Anyway /end rant
Things that absolutely incensed me and tell me that the author has never even spoken to a photographer before without telling me that the author has never even spoken to a photographer before:
"i cringed behind my canon camera" WHAT. no one refers to their camera that way. instead of saying my canon camera you could've just said "I cringed behind my viewfinder, thankful no one could see with my camera in the way." The canon name drop was unnecessary.
"i didn't need to zoom in with my high res camera". The display on the back of that camera is so small she would've had to have zoomed in no matter how high res the camera was... that's just how it works babes.
"She scrolled through her slr history" bro if it’s an slr, you can’t do that. you specifically need the d in the dslr god dammit
There are more but I just refuse to go back and look because I hated the book that much. Those were just off the top of my head.
Let me count the ways that this book absolutely enraged me -- had it not been for a buddy read in one of my groups and I would have dnf'd around chapter 3. That's how bad it was. I wasn't even giving it my courtesy 25% through dnf. It truly feels like they gave a 12 year old a book deal and were like "tell me a bit about how you think life will be when you're 16". That's the only way to explain how our girl chloe had ZERO clue how to work her camera at the start but somehow got a nom for a prestigious national art award and then got to work with her idol and WON THAT AWARD. Did I mention that all this took place in 2 months? Be so fucking for real. They truly just give anyone a book deal these days...
Anyway /end rant
December 12, 2022
First of all, thank you to Netgalley and the wonderful Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an e-ARC copy of The Christmas Clash, in exchange for my honest review.
This end of year has been very chaotic and I'm only now getting to review it, but it's been out for two months now.
The Christmas Clash is a YA contemporary set around the holidays that follows Chloe and Peter, two Asian Americans - Korean and Chinese respectively - that work at their town's mall and who come from warring restaurant-owning families. Something happened in the past, and these two families just hate each other. Of course, Chloe and Peter will end up NOT hating each other. The mall is about to get shut down, and with it their respective families' American Dream, so the two teens team up to try and save it.
Chloe is creative, introverted, and socially anxious. Peter is laid back and social. Opposites attract, naturally. And their different skills lend themselves to working together on a plan to save the mall.
I really enjoyed the representation in this book, the look into two immigrant families, how they differ, and how they're alike. The characters and plot were cute, not too Christmassy but it definitely felt cheerful. Chloe's photography plays a role both in her character development and in the plot, a pleasant surprise to see for a YA character's hobby. I knocked off a star because this was sold more as an enemies to lovers, and it was more a my-family-hates-you-but-I-think-you're-cute to lovers.
Overall, if you read YA and like books set around the holidays, this one is a solid recmmendation.
This end of year has been very chaotic and I'm only now getting to review it, but it's been out for two months now.
The Christmas Clash is a YA contemporary set around the holidays that follows Chloe and Peter, two Asian Americans - Korean and Chinese respectively - that work at their town's mall and who come from warring restaurant-owning families. Something happened in the past, and these two families just hate each other. Of course, Chloe and Peter will end up NOT hating each other. The mall is about to get shut down, and with it their respective families' American Dream, so the two teens team up to try and save it.
Chloe is creative, introverted, and socially anxious. Peter is laid back and social. Opposites attract, naturally. And their different skills lend themselves to working together on a plan to save the mall.
I really enjoyed the representation in this book, the look into two immigrant families, how they differ, and how they're alike. The characters and plot were cute, not too Christmassy but it definitely felt cheerful. Chloe's photography plays a role both in her character development and in the plot, a pleasant surprise to see for a YA character's hobby. I knocked off a star because this was sold more as an enemies to lovers, and it was more a my-family-hates-you-but-I-think-you're-cute to lovers.
Overall, if you read YA and like books set around the holidays, this one is a solid recmmendation.
December 16, 2022
I wanted to put this book down at the 20, 40, and 60 page mark.
But, I did not because I’m going to be talking it over in a writing craft book club. So, yes, I finished it, but if reading for my own pleasure alone, I certainly would have dnfed this.
I’m going to articulate the single thing that most often tried my patience with this story.
(1) There is little to no internal conflict for either of the protagonists in their romance, most of the conflict is external, and, on closer inspection, also largely irrelevant to their romance.
Probably the greatest source of tension and conflict in this novel is that the mall that provides the livelihood of both protagonist’s families is potentially going to be demolished. Can Chloe and Peter stop this? That’s the primary plot question motivating this story.
Interesting, potentially, but entirely irrelevant to the fundamental question of whether the two protagonists are romantically compatible in virtue of their characters and desires.
Presumably, whether the mall survives or not, these two can still date?
A better version of this romance would have made the ability of Chloe and Peter to fall in love contingent on saving the mall. That would tie the romance and saving-the-mall plots together.
But, because the Christmas Clash does not do this, the romance and mall plots do not support each other. This necessarily limits how much tension the author can generate in any scene, and thus how much the reader can feel that the story has any real stakes as a romance.
But, I did not because I’m going to be talking it over in a writing craft book club. So, yes, I finished it, but if reading for my own pleasure alone, I certainly would have dnfed this.
I’m going to articulate the single thing that most often tried my patience with this story.
(1) There is little to no internal conflict for either of the protagonists in their romance, most of the conflict is external, and, on closer inspection, also largely irrelevant to their romance.
Probably the greatest source of tension and conflict in this novel is that the mall that provides the livelihood of both protagonist’s families is potentially going to be demolished. Can Chloe and Peter stop this? That’s the primary plot question motivating this story.
Interesting, potentially, but entirely irrelevant to the fundamental question of whether the two protagonists are romantically compatible in virtue of their characters and desires.
Presumably, whether the mall survives or not, these two can still date?
A better version of this romance would have made the ability of Chloe and Peter to fall in love contingent on saving the mall. That would tie the romance and saving-the-mall plots together.
But, because the Christmas Clash does not do this, the romance and mall plots do not support each other. This necessarily limits how much tension the author can generate in any scene, and thus how much the reader can feel that the story has any real stakes as a romance.
October 12, 2022
This was a sweet YA Christmas Rom Com. Chloe Kwon’s family owns the Korean restaurant in the mall and Peter Li’s family owns the Chinese restaurant in the mall and they’ve been rivals ever since Chloe can remember. They both now have individual jobs in said mall, Chloe as a photographer for Santa and Peter at a VR North Pole.
When Peter and Chloe find out the mall their parents restaurants are in they band together to try to do what they can to save their respective families livelihood. At the same time Chloe has made it to the finals of a photo competition that os very important to her.
As Peter and Chloe continue to work together to find out the source of their families feud they find themselves falling for one another on that sweet young love way.
This was a cute and well paced YA read with a fun holiday spin.
The audio narrator did a good job with this story.
4 stars!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
When Peter and Chloe find out the mall their parents restaurants are in they band together to try to do what they can to save their respective families livelihood. At the same time Chloe has made it to the finals of a photo competition that os very important to her.
As Peter and Chloe continue to work together to find out the source of their families feud they find themselves falling for one another on that sweet young love way.
This was a cute and well paced YA read with a fun holiday spin.
The audio narrator did a good job with this story.
4 stars!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 22, 2022
3.5 rounded up.
This was a fun, feel-good YA holiday rom-com featuring two Asian American teens from rival families who team up to help save their local mall. Full of friendship, first love and madcap adventure. I enjoyed this on audio and recommend it for fans of books like A pho love story, Made in Korea or The holiday switch. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for access to early digital copies in exchange for my honest review.
This was a fun, feel-good YA holiday rom-com featuring two Asian American teens from rival families who team up to help save their local mall. Full of friendship, first love and madcap adventure. I enjoyed this on audio and recommend it for fans of books like A pho love story, Made in Korea or The holiday switch. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for access to early digital copies in exchange for my honest review.
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