Hillary > Recent Status Updates

The popcorn garland scene and its conclusion made me want to punch someone - it was that stupid. I’ve decided Meghan Quinn wrote this under duress. There’s no way this is written by the same woman writing her non-holiday books. This is obnoxious and tedious and uncomfortable and just the absolute worst.

The narrator is just as annoying as he was in the first book, but at least he worked with the Grinch story in that one. He’s obnoxious AND useless in this book.

I can’t get over how unprofessional she is. It’s really insane.

I swear I’d love this so much more if it weren’t for this god-awful male narrator. His voice for women makes me want to punch him.

At this point, I’m dragging myself to the finish line and hoping the covers with the random animals makes sense soon.

Ollie has just about crossed the line into irredeemable for me, and I’m barely halfway in.

Lottie has no spine around Ollie, and that’s annoying me because he’s literally evil around her.

This has so far been an excellent editorial on the negative impact of a class-based society. Ollie and his Mom are the worst.

Hit that weird forced plot device where someone who dearly loves and cares for the heroine ignores her desire to put space between her and the Hero. I hate that with a passion.

Are you telling me you can’t find a LOGICAL reason to put them in the same room? You have to have someone she loves betray her and invite him over because they “feel bad” for him? Who needs enemies when you have friends like this?

I’ve read one too many awful books being labeled as great grovels lately, and none of them delivered.

Give me your best grovel romance. I want to HURT for the heroine then watch the hero suffer when he realizes what he’s done.

Honestly, I’d take a chapter of her just giving him the silent treatment.

This needed trigger warnings. Seriously, why the fuck would you not include trigger warnings?

Chapter 12 is a textbook example of an author writing to meet a word count and not for any sort of comprehensive plot. Seriously, what is that dialogue with her mom when she finds out about the car crash? Is all of her dialogue like this, and I just haven’t noticed? Did I just ruin this author for myself?

First listen of 2025. Doubt it’s my last - this is my comfort audiobook at this point

I probably should’ve read the synopsis of this because reading another holiday romance with an “authors who are arch enemies” trope so soon after the god awful one I just finished probably isn’t a good idea…

Story may be the most annoying character I’ve read all year. I say drop the romance plot, and just let me read chapters about Coal beating her at every competition.

This is supposed to be why choose, but it feels more like a why NOT choose. Only one of these men has a genuine connection with Sloan, and her interactions with the others just don’t measure up (some even seem cheap in comparison).

Also, how is this going to be two books?

Liz Tomforde’s going to have me eating my words about romance books being over 400 pages by the time I finish this. How am I 70% through this book and a little sad I’m already over halfway through??

I’m slightly disgusted by this couple. Jennsyn is so “pick me girl” coded, it’s RIDICULOUS. I was more forgiving of Toren at first. Yes, he was attracted to her when he was a coach and she was a student, but he did everything he could to avoid her. It was Jennsyn constantly seeking him out. But now it’s Toren making moves. I can’t bring myself to like either of them at this point. May DNF soon

“I hate socks, but I don’t like wearing shoes without socks. Any chance I get, I skip both. It’s a quirk.”

Who’s that TikTok creator that does the skits of cringey indie characters? We need to put her on to Jennsyn - I can’t with this character 💀

Using his daughter to manipulate the woman who’s asked him to stop kissing her into doing what he wants. I can’t believe this was written last year. It reeks of early 00s misogyny

Ugh, giving into the guy who’s badgering you for drinks is never romantic. She’s a doormat, and he’s a pushy ass.

I’m on page 15 and had to stop after two lines of the heroine’s brother, Elliott, to check and make sure he’s getting his own book. That’s how quickly I fell for that character.

If Tucker Talbot has no haters, I’m dead. So Nova better wise up quick because I’m well on my way to despising her too.

I’m having Dr. Stanton flashbacks, and the trauma of it is almost enough to DNF.

Also, I HATE that microtrope where the guy’s an asshole then continuously ignores the woman saying to go away just to push himself into her life because he’s sorry and is ready to be with her. HATE IT.

It’s WILD how protective of these characters I feel after two books. Not even two chapters in, and Shaw Valance even daring to approach them has been seeing red.

Oh my god, I’m absolutely shattered with this. I was promised a good grovel, but I don’t know if a good enough grovel exists!

What’s that trope where she hates him but can’t resist her body’s reaction to him? Because I hate it. It feels like such lazy writing.

This started with both these characters being fun to read. Then they both turned into absolute assholes (which I think is meant to be a cute banter but is a complete fail if so…). Even the sister’s kind of unlikeable. Fingers crossed they move past this soon because I’m not even halfway through this book yet.

When the first kiss makes you pause and check Audible to see if the book’s eligible for a refund…

It’s not. And neither are the other three books in the series I haven’t read yet. Serves me right for buying the whole series while they were on sale.

I’ve seen so many people talk about this series, but I’m. So. Bored. Someone convince me to keep going, please…