The Wrong Gift: A Christmas Romantic Comedy

by Emi Leon

A Scrooge of a boss gets more than the wrong Christmas gift when he fires his full-of-sunshine temp…

After I accidentally post confidential info on my social media, I give my coworkers presents to save my job. That doesn’t stop my grumpy boss from firing me. VP of Marketing, Ashton Lowe, belongs on the naughty list, but I still give the sexy, broody guy his present. Too bad it’s the one meant for my bestie.

When news of my firing goes viral, 'tis the season for damage control. Now I’m stuck with Ashton as we try to repair the company’s tarnished image before a new product launch. We’re complete opposites, but our attraction grows in ways HR would hate. It’s difficult to keep our distance in a studio apartment…with only one bed.

Maybe it won’t be such a blue Christmas after all.

The Wrong Gift is a steamy holiday rom-com, featuring a grouchy boss who hates Christmas, a well-intentioned temp who wants to believe Santa exists, and an adorable silver glider named Buttercup who falls head over heels for the grumpy Scrooge.

Genres: Christmas, Holiday, Romance, Contemporary, Ebooks, Holiday Romance, Fiction

188 pages, Paperback

Published December 8, 2022

Reviews

[Tay_is_reading_again · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute, quick holiday romance novella that was plot forward with a few sexy scenes. I really enjoyed these two characters romance including some tropes I enjoy

🎄grumpy x sunshine
🎄 boss x employee
🎄mutual pining
🎄a mistletoe moment
🎄a cute sugar glider pet
🎄found family

[SCBookAddict · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute Holiday Story!

Thus story was fun, cute and a little naughty!
Chloe has a string of bad luck happen to her one after the other. However, she is an outwardly sweet person that doesn't let her circumstances give her the reason to moan and whine to others.
Ashton has been burned and is the Scrooge in this story but he learns quickly that being a Scrooge can bite him in the butt.
I truly enjoyed this story and recommend it to anyone looking for something fun to read!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chloe just started a new job and made a major mistake. She tries to win everyone over with holiday gifts the next day. Chloe thought her plan would work but instead she is let go of her job. Later that night her apartment complex goes on fire and she losses everything. Since Ashton fired her, he is ordered to help her find a new place to live. This is all because she had to say the companies name on the news!
Ashton can’t find an apartment that will allow a sugar glider so Chloe ends up staying with him. As they spend more time together things starts to heat up. Will they cross the line from coworkers to lovers?

The Wrong Gift was a steamy holiday rom-com. I found myself laughing quite often. Overall the story felt very rushed. Spice level was 2/5. It would be interesting to hear Ashton’s brothers story as a second book!

[Ashley Oestreich · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chloe and keeping jobs do not go hand and hand. Just when Chloe thinks she has a good thing, there’s a social media mishap and she is fired. To add to her already upsetting time her apartment catches fire. But it doesn’t stop there…Chloe does an interview and the company that fired her gets a ton of bad pr. Ashton gets sent in to try and “clean up” the mess that is Chloe. Ashton offers Chloe a place to stay and then a job.

I had a really hard time getting into the book. It was definitely missing something. Too many things felt like they just worked out when it shouldn’t have or things that were impossible really should have had other solutions. Just wasn’t the book for me.

[Kaity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for an arc for an honest review.

This is a steamy little romcom with holiday flare. The FMC, Chloe, is totally the sunshine and optimistic one, and the MMC, Ash, is quite the grump - Scrooge if you will. There’s lots of Christmas references and silly banter with cheesy lines. This novella is a quick read. The string of bad luck that Chloe has and the need for Ash to rectify the situation puts them in a close proximity, one bed situation.

🎄Grumpy Sunshine
🎄One Bed
🎄Boss/Employee
🎄Workplace Romance
🎄Christmas
🎄Novella

[Kourtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are looking for a very short holiday read, this might be for you. However, start with caution. This was an early morning, still in bed read, so light and fluffy was the goal. But.. had I had a different book cued up, this would have been a DNF.

There were major plot jumps not fleshed out, I found the lead to be not relatable (no one has that much happen to them and that terrible at life). All rom com books move quickly, but this felt like it was a short story they added a few chapters to. Wasn’t for me, though the ratings and other comments on here tell me that others enjoyed.

[Apoorva Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a sweet novella where the characters are exact opposite and can rule each other up but when they start easing up to each other it’s so cute and heartwarming to see.

I loved their dynamic and the banter was good emotional watch.. the game nights were amazing >>

[M.E. Carter]

What a fun book!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

This was an adorable Christmas story. Chloe and Ashton are amazing. I love the Grumpy/ Sunshine trope. Can't wait to read the rest of this series

[Mahee Lafreniere · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

[Danielle Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

While The Wrong Gift isn't massive on the spice level, it is full of humour, emotion, and cuteness overload in the shape of a sugar glider called Buttercup. Normally I'm not one for the slow burn and love some fast and hard smut, but that didn't matter at all with this book, as I loved reading it. It's a genuinely feel-good book, and the characters and storyline more than make up for the small amounts of sexy times.

Chloe is chaos reincarnate; she causes havoc accidentally everywhere she goes; she's been through a hell of a lot and has no right to be so chipper; yet she manages to be sunshine personified, and everybody around her can't help but love her. Sadly, her boss Ash doesn't get that opportunity to find out, as he fires her before spending any time with her, much to everyone else's chagrin. When her home burns down the same day and she mentions she just lost her job when interviewed by the local news, he rushes in to be her white knight in order to save his company's reputation, while also giving him the perfect chance to get to know the whirlwind that is Chloe and the little bundle of trouble she brings along in the shape of Sugar Glider Buttercup.

Their interactions are fun, and I loved the way the author made it impossible for Ash to continue with his grumpy persona with Chloe and her ray of sunshine attitude around. They grow together, bringing lots of laughter, especially when Ash accidentally gets the gift intended for Chloe's very gay best friend. There are also some tender and sweet moments, and through their dual POV, we get to experience their growing attraction to each other. Although they try to fight it, it's inevitable. When they do finally submit to how they feel, it's fast-paced and very all-in, although not overly detailed within the book. Only they lack communication about their feelings, and with Chloe's past, she feels let down, but not for long. The author makes sure Chloe's belief in Santa and Christmas miracles lives on.

Emi wrote some fantastic characters; Chloe was contagious with her happiness, and I loved how everyone was with her, especially her best friend Roddy. He was protective of her, but they had this amazing bond that radiated off the page. I also can't express how much the sideline characters impacted the story with minimum effort: Nate and Zelda, Roddy, and last but not least, Buttercup, a character that was an animal, spoke no words, and yet stole the show and Ash's heart.

[Leslie || original book nerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎁𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒲𝓇𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝒢𝒾𝒻𝓉 – 𝑅𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒸𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒢𝑒𝑒𝓀 𝒮𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹𝒶𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑒 – 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌🎁

Author: Emi Leon

Couple: Chloe & Ashton Lowe

Tropes: enemy to lovers, workplace romance, boss/employee, bad luck FMC, broody MMC, forced proximity, roommate romance, holiday romance, reverse age-gap, grumpy/sunshine

Review: A short, spicy and swoony holiday read that will put you in the Christmas spirit! Everyone loves a good workplace romance during the holidays and Emi Leon adds the star on top of the tree in this forced proximity romance about a young woman down on her luck and her icy and cold hearted boss. Chloe and Ashton are full of laughs and heat and pack a punch in their whirlwind of a romance.

Chloe was hands down the favorite character for me. I found her hilarious and full of impulsivity. The trope of her giving the wrong gift out to her boss made me fall off my chair in laughter and I enjoyed how she was mortified by him opening what she got her best friend. The way bad luck seems to follow her around also added to her charm and I found myself wanting to have a little Christmas magic herself. Emi did a good job with developing her character within the story and I enjoyed how she finally found her groove after Ashton re-hiring her and moving her into his apartment. 

Ashton is the Grinch in this book and I found myself enjoying his icy heart thawing out. His pull towards Chloe made me swoon since he had a deliciously dirty mouth but could also be super sweet. I found his silent and broody attitude to be perfect for his character arc and LOVED how he was either all in or all out. My favorite parts of his POV was the love-hate bond he had with the sugarglider and the tenuous bond with his brother since they added depth to his storyline.

This is a good roommate and forced proximity romance. While short, I found that I was happy with how everything went down. Ashton and Chloe are full of sparking tension at the beginning the builds into scorching heat and intense love. The whirlwind romance they shared was perfect for a holiday novella fan!

Rating: 4/5, a hilarious holiday read!

[Lia Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎄❤️ 𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆❤️🎄
*⭐️⭐️⭐️.5*
*🌶️*

🎄Grumpy/Sunshine
🎄One Bed
🎄Workplace Romance
🎄Christmas
🎄Boss/Employee

𝙁𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝘾𝙝𝙡𝙤𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙨𝙝𝙩𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙂𝙞𝙛𝙩. 𝘾𝙝𝙡𝙤𝙚 𝘾𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙣𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖. 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙟𝙤𝙗, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧, 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙜𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙨𝙨. 𝘼𝙨𝙝𝙩𝙤𝙣 𝙇𝙤𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙗���𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢, 𝙈𝙧. 𝙇𝙤𝙬𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨. 𝘼𝙨𝙝 𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝘾𝙝𝙡𝙤𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮. 𝘼𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙮. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤? 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩.

The Wrong Gift was a very cute holiday rom-com with a dash of spice. I thought about adding a serious quote to this post but I couldn’t help but laugh at the very one I added in the next slide. Between that scene and the one with the “flesh light” I just couldn’t help but die of laughter. I genuinely enjoyed this holiday romance the only thing I could say was that I felt it was a bit rushed but it was good nonetheless. Chloe and Ash are definitely total opposites. Chloe could light up any room she walked into, a true sunshine while Ash was a complete grump. I loved seeing how Chloe brought out Ash out of his very scrooge shell. The way the two interacted with one another was everything! This story was very funny, cute and a little naughty 🤭. Looking for something fun filled with romance and Christmas spirit? This one’s for you!

[Kissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things can get complicated when you mix up gifts for two very different people, especially when one of the recipients is your now-former boss. Chloe and Ash (and Buttercup the sugar glider) were enjoyable to read about, and I enjoyed having the story flip back and forth between their perspectives. While the romance was sweet, I felt the pacing was extremely quick for my liking. It felt weird for barely strangers/former co-workers in a matter of days suddenly be sexually active on an intimate level. It's often said a location can be a character itself; when I saw this was taking place in Seattle, I was excited to see how the author portrayed it. Unfortunately, I was left disappointed. Aside from generalized comments about Pacific Northwesterners and a vague mention of a big event taking place nearby resulting in all of the hotels being booked, I had no clue which part of Seattle the story was taking place. I wished we could have seen the characters go out into town and have specific landmark locations mentioned (i.e. Pike Market). Honestly, with how the location was portrayed, if you took out the Pacific Northwest-specific comments and changed the city to any other major city, I don't think the story would be affected by it. There were also several details of the story that felt conflicting: Chloe can barely make rent but she somehow has enough money to buy all of the people at work presents ((and some of the items mentioned were definitely not something cheap)); and a minor fire suddenly becomes a multi-alarm blaze that condemns the entire apartment unsafe (and we never see them actually go to check if there's anything salvagable)? Issues aside, it was a fun read for the holiday season. If you are looking for a cutesy rom-com version of Fifty Shades of Grey, this would be the one to look into.

[Cigi cini · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎄Grumpy/Sunshine
🎄One Bed
🎄Boss/Employee

🎄Workplace Romance

🎄Christmas

🎄Novella

Star: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

Spice: 🌶️

"The Wrong Gift" by Emi Leon is a delightful contemporary romance novel that puts a unique twist on the classic enemies-to-lovers trope. The story is centered around the clash between a grumpy boss and his sunny-tempered employee, leading to unexpected holiday fireworks.

Chloe accidentally posts confidential information on social media, finds herself in a precarious situation at work. In an effort to save her job, she attempts to make amends by giving her coworkers presents. However, her Scrooge-like boss, Ashton Lowe, still fires her. This sets the stage for a charming and witty tale of redemption and romance.

It takes us on a humorous turn as Chloe mistakenly gives Ashton a Christmas present meant for her best friend, leading to a series of events that keep readers entertained. The ensuing viral fallout of her firing sets the stage for a fun and engaging story as they team up to salvage the company's reputation.

The slow-burning attraction and banter between the sunshine-filled Chloe and the brooding Ashton Lowe create a tension that keeps readers turning the pages. The development of their relationship, despite their stark differences, adds depth and authenticity to the story.

Emi Leon skillfully weaves the holiday spirit into the narrative, creating a festive backdrop for the romantic developments. The setting of a studio apartment with only one bed adds to the tension and sparks moments of humor and intimacy, making the story even more engaging.

[Patty Baumeister · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Book Review
The Wrong Gift
A Novella Written By Emi Leon
Fiction - Holiday Romance
Published 2022
190 Pages
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a modern day version of A Christmas Carol. This retelling uses these tropes: grumpy/sunshine, one bed, boss/employee, and a workplace romance.

Chloe Crane is a sweet person whose life has not been easy. She lives with her best friend, Roddy, and a sugar glider, a possum. Roddy pretty much supports Chloe since she has a difficult time holding down a job. I found her to be ditzy when I first started reading the story. A temp agency has placed her working for a pharmaceutical company. It’s a job she is hoping will become permanent. She is fired after three days because of a social media mishap. That night she loses her apartment in a building fire.

When the media uncovers that she was fired the same day that she lost everything in a fire, the company that fired her takes a hit. Ashton Lowe, the VP of marketing for the company, is the grumpy boss or Scrooge who fired her. He is encouraged to help Chloe, aka Tiny Tim, get back on her feet. This involves Chloe and Buttercup, the sugar glider, moving into Ash’s one bedroom apartment.

As the two spend time together in very close proximity, feelings between the two start to grow. Chloe and Buttercup are melting Ash’s cold heart. Are Ash’s feelings for Chloe genuine, or is this all a publicity stunt to help Ash’s company?

There are sweet moments and laughs throughout this book. Look out for the Christmas gift mix-up.

“I love this man so hard.”

[Raquel Constanza · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wrong Gift is a super cute Christmas Novella that follows Chloe, a 20 something year old just trying to survive and hold down a job. When a social media post causes Chloe to get fired yet again, and a fire in her building leaves her both unemployed AND homeless on the same day, her interview with a news reporter goes viral.

Now, on damage control mode, Ashton, the Scrooge who fired Chloe over a simple mistake days before Christmas, has to make it better and help Chloe with shelter, clothing and accessories. Sharing a studio apartment for a few weeks can't be that hard, right?

The Wrong Gift had the best side characters. Roddy is the gay best friend every girl needs and Buttercup is just the cutest thing! Even though I maaaayyyy have had to google what the heck a sugar glider was 😆

Chloe's heart was the real star of this book. The thought of her being along for the holidays made me so, so sad. Also, I loved, loved, loved that when everything went up in flames (literally) Chloe's first and only thought was to save the two things that meant the most to her best friend, Buttercup and "the painting".

Run and grab your copy of this one, it's out now.

This is the first book by Emi Leon I've read, but it definitely won't be the last. I'm excited to see where Zentello's journey with The Happy Pill leads!

[Rainbow Shelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

"𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳."

I devoured "The Wrong Gift" by Emi Leon like it was the tastiest slice of cake! Emi Leon's books top my favorites, and this one was a delightful, quick, and cozy read – the perfect way to kick off the holiday vibes.

Chloe's work situation is like a comedy show gone wild. Picture this: she spills secrets on camera, gets the boot from her nasty boss Ashton Lowe, and to top it off, her bestie's off to Hawaii on a business trip, leaving her jobless and friendless with a side of Christmas chaos.

But fear not! Ashton swoops in like a hero, or maybe he just wants to save the firm from Chloe's cringe-worthy interview. Chloe crashes at Ashton's place with just three things until her buddy returns from Hawaii.

Ash and Chloe's love story unfolds naturally, and their connection clicks from day one. Chloe becomes Ash's sunshine, and she finally gets the family she deserves. Love, drama, and holiday vibes – "The Wrong Gift" has it all!

𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚃𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚜:
🎄𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
🎄𝐁𝐨𝐬𝐬/𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐞
🎄𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐝
🎄𝐆𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐲/𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞

If you want to get into the Christmas spirit this is the perfect book for you🫶🏻

[Minnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐|3🌶|2🥵
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I got an ARC copy of this book to write an honest review.
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This is a really cute Christmas story. It's a mix of slow burn but also insta love because it all happens in just two weeks 😎 It's also funny.
I loved Chloe. She is such a huge sunshine. I even would say, she is too good for this world. She can't hold a job for more than a few days. And because she is afraid to get fired again she buys all her co-workers Christmas presents. Even though she doesn't have enough money. And sure, she also gives her ex-boss one. But... can you guess it? Yes, it's the wrong gift. It's the gift she wanted to give her best friend 🙈
The gifts didn't help and she gets fired again. Just before Christmas. But she is still all sunshine. Her best friend and roommate Roddy is in Hawaii during Christmas, her favorite holiday, so she is all alone, but she is still all sunshine. Until a fire starts in her apartment building. And because of a lot of trouble, she ends up sharing an apartment with her ex-boss... 🙈 Not before she has to save "THE PAINTING" and Buttercup from the fire. Oh, I LOVED Buttercup. God, she is such a sweet thing 😍 She is Roddy's sugar glider. She is so so so cute and intelligent. And she is SOOO in love with Ashton 😁
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[Annette ~ wellstothebellsbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

STORY
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
(rounded to 4⭐️)

SPICE
🌶️ mild(ish)

RECOMMEND
💳 yes

The Wrong Gift is a saccharin holiday novella that is set in Emi Leon’s world of Romancing the Geek series. Chronologically, the novella fits before Chemistry of the Heart.

A lot happens in a short amount of time in this story. A series of events leave Chloe unemployed & homeless. The media believes Zentello Pharmacy is at fault for Chloe's situation. Ashton (Ash), who was Chloe's temporary boss, now must find a place for her to live over the holidays. There isn't a hotel available to Chloe with a conference in town & because she's babysitting her best friend's sugar glider. [This is a bit out there.] Desperate to make all the negative media attention go away, Ash invites Chloe to temporarily stay with him until her best friend, Roddy, returns from Hawaii.

Chloe is sunshine, thoughtful & is full of kindness. Ash is a man scorned from an earlier relationship, a workaholic & grumpy. Chloe & Ash see a different side of each other while living together. As their time comes to end (about 3 weeks), both Chloe & Ash admit their feelings for one another after a brief miscommunication. They end up with their happily ever after living together & engaged.

Chloe gave the wrong gifts to Ash & Roddy by accidently switching them. Chloe gifts Ash the number-one-selling male sex toy, a fleshlight. Chloe gifts Roddy a bottle of Grey Goose. This was funny but didn’t really contribute to the plot other than it’s the holidays. There is a tiny surprise with a painting. The surprise is interesting, but I’m not sure how it contributes to the plot.

If you enjoy cutesy instalove holiday novellas, then read The Wrong Gift.

Thank you for the e-ARC. It was a nice palette cleanser between my usual dark romance reads.

[Kate Deeds · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story: 5/10
Spicy: 1/5
Spice Hierarchy: Open Door
Chloe has the worst luck keeping a job. She finally has one she thinks she will enjoy but has a social media mishap and is fired. That night her apartment catches fire. In a perfect storm, she announces on the local news that she had just been fired from said company. People are not happy with the company (not that they had anything to do with the fire). Now it’s a PR nightmare and Ashton is forced to try to clean up the mess. Due to the holidays, there are no hotels available that take pets so he offers Chloe his place. And then offers her a job.

Something was missing. It seemed like it was a weird blend at times between realistic and far-fetched. I wasn’t sure which way each chapter or event would go. And at the holidays I am all for far-fetched. Too many elements felt forced to me. The roommate being gone, no apartments allowing pets, Ashton having a tiny apartment, Chloe never lasting longer than 2 days at a job yet having a job created for her. It was a stretch for the title to make sense to me as well.

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had everything you want from a Christmas Novella.
It was funny, cute and gave me Christmas tingles. It was just a perfect little read to get you into the Christmas spirit.

Just like goldilocks, this Novella was just right. Not too Christmas's where you feel silly in November but just christmassy enough where your ready to watch a Christmas film and maybe pop on your Christmas jammies.

Our resident Ray of sunshine chloe was hilarious, and our scrooge Ashton was a loveable grump. I loved their banter and how chloe grew on Ashton and brought out his fun side. And can we take a moment for the sugar glider (which I totally had to Google because I didn't trust myself to know what it was). The one bed trope and the forced proximity created a perfect blend of intimacy and humour.

Now I don't normally enjoy the insta-love tripe but I can forgive it here because Its a Novella and I only actually had to endure the insta-love element for about 3 chapters.

[thebeespot72 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Holiday Read

Author Emi Leon gives readers a Grumpy/Sunshine ala The Christmas Carol style this season within her rom-com stem universe in “The Wrong Gift.” Ashton is such a scrooge and ends up firing the perky temp, Chloe, who has some hilarious mishaps. Unfortunately, those mishaps cause Chloe to need a place to stay, which leads her to stay with her ex-boss. The two are in a predicament, considering both have feelings towards each other. There is so much schm/3xual tension and awkwardness between the two as they fumble their way to each other. I enjoyed “The Wrong Gift.” The humor, the spicy scenes––it was a fun read, and it wasn’t too in-your-face with the holiday stuff, but it still had the vibe I could enjoy the main story.

I received a copy of this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Hannah Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wrong Gift by @emileonbooks tells a cute Christmas story about Chloe, a sunshine-filled woman who always tries to look on the positive side of life, even when she keeps being fired from all of her temporary jobs. After a fire destroys her and her best friend Roddy's apartment, Chloe has no choice but to move in with her former boss, the grump Ashton Lowe who was responsible for firing her before her first week at Zentello even came to an end.

This is a cute grumpy/sunshine Christmas novella where the main male character definitely acts like and gets called a Scrooge many times throughout the book. 😂 If you're just as much of a sucker for the grumpy/sunshine trope as I am, you will enjoy this novella. There also is a very sweet edition of a sugar glider named Buttercup who causes mischief and jealousy wherever she goes! 🥰 I gave this book a ⭐⭐⭐.✨ review rounded up to ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ because there were a few things that kept it being a five-star read for me, notably just how extremely FAST the plot moves in the last couple of chapters and the epilogue. Overall, though, this was a great little Christmas novella and I enjoyed getting to read it.

(I received an electronic ARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.)

[Melanie MacInnis · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚Review: The Wrong Gift
This was over the top. I still can’t figure if it’s OTT good or OTT bad. It is quite the comedy of errors to contrive to get Chloe and Ash living together. I know it’s a novella, but I felt like their relationship wasn’t really developed. There was so much time spent in the beginning that maybe could have been more streamlined to allow for more relationship development. I want to know WHY she is always so positive and why exactly is he such a hard ass at work?? Their overall could have been more character development to make it much more satisfying when they got together.

But I overall really enjoy this world being built at a pharmaceutical company and the focus on STEM in the main novels. I’m looking forward to what’s next.

I received an advanced reader copy to provide an honest review

[Hayley Giroux · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

🎁 Workplace Romance
🎁 Holiday Novella
🎁 Forced Proximity
🎁 Opposites Attract
🎁 Grumpy x Sunshine

The Wrong Gift was a cute & fluffy, holiday rom-com. The FMC, Chloe Crane, was a kind-hearted, down on her luck, ray of sunshine. While the MMC, Ashton Lowe, was a grumpy, broody, Marketing Exec.

By unfortunate happenstance, the two characters are forced to spend an unexpected amount of time together. As one would guess, feelings develop and things progress from there.

This was light and cute, I just wished that both the storyline and the characters had a little more substance and depth. At times, the story felt a little choppy, and like the MC’s relationship skipped steps along the way. All in all though, this was a feel good, fast, festive read.

Thank you to The Author Agency & Emi Leon for the chance to read and honestly review this ARC.

[Yoneidis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Chloe, I can't stop laughing with her. She's super sweet but she also has very bad luck.
She's working as a temp at a pharmaceutical company and during her lunch break she records a video, uploads it to social media and then finds out that in the background of the video there's confidential company information, which is why she's fired by Ash, Nate's brother who is the owner of the company. When she gets to the house she shares with her best friend Roddy, who is currently on vacation in Hawaii, it catches fire. So she ends up on the street, she, Roddy's pet and an odious painting and looking like that she is interviewed on TV. When Nate sees it he sends Ash to fix the mess since the company's image is plummeting. Ash takes her to live at his house temporarily until he finds her a new apartment, what he didn't imagine is that he would never want to let her go.
Very very funny.

[Kari Tidwell (karisbookstodevour) · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable Christmas book where a social media mishap and a wrong gift lead to a grumpy Marketing exec falling for a ray of sunshine temp. Bonus cuteness for a jealous and obsessed sugar glider who wants her own piece of the sexy grump.
Enjoyed the heck out of reading this book, Ash is just so grumpy and it’s funny how everything about sunny and optimistic Chloe drives him crazy but it’s also all that same stuff that makes him crazy about her. I love how much attention Ash pays to Chloe and what she likes and it’s adorable when it leads to him watching Christmas movies, going along with family game night, and making Chloe feel seen and giving her a much-needed confidence boost in herself. A great holiday read from Emi Leon!

[Menthie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was cute & straight to the point. Our FMC is the sunshine but is portrayed as being sort of ditzy (not stupid, but kinda airy) from the beginning. So, the leap from that foundation to the level of praise that she got for later employment just seemed kind of weird to me. It didn't feel fluid. It was just like a switch flipped in the positive for some reason?

I liked that no matter what was thrown at her, she tried to see the positive. It's a great trait to have.

Our MMC is a wealthy co-CEO of hos company, fires the FMC, and then end up helping her fix so many problems. I liked him a bit - his personally was a tad dry, but he got a bit mushier aS fhe story went on.

🎄Grumpy Sunshine
🎄Boss/Employee
🎄Workplace Romance
🎄Christmas 
🎄Novella 

Overall - excellent read.

[Christa · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review ✨

Rating - 4.5 ⭐️ & 3 🌶️

At first, diving into this book felt like unwrapping a mystery gift. All I knew was that I'm a sucker for delightful tropes, and with a Christmas tale thrown in, I couldn't resist. Well, let me tell you, the magic between Chloe and Ashton in this story is like a burst of holiday fireworks. They're a match made in storybook heaven, and it's the kind of grumpy sunshine tale with a 'one-bed' twist that, let's be honest, who doesn't secretly adore?

This gem is a quick read; it's petite, like a literary treat you can savor in one sitting. If you're craving a cozy read, especially in this festive season, I wholeheartedly recommend diving into this enchanting world.