About the Book
-
Author:
- Abiola Bello
- Genres:
- Boy-Girl Romance
- Contemporary
- YA Romance
Cover Story: Festive
BFF Charm: Eventually
Talky Talk: Holiday Cheer
Bonus Factor: Winter in the English Countryside
Relationship Status: Snuggly
Cover Story: Festive
Even without the snow, garland, wreath, and oddly giant bow in the corner—which I get, it’s a present, but it’s a strange juxtaposition with the illustration—I’d know this was a holiday story. There’s something wintry about the way the two are dressed. Quincy and Tia are also both very pretty, which matches their descriptions in the book.
The Deal:
Tia Solanké has plans for the holiday. She’ll celebrate her boyfriend’s 18th birthday a few of days prior to Christmas at a party she’s planned from top to bottom. She’ll then spend the day with her mom and sisters, enjoying family time in their small apartment. Maybe hang out with her best friend while they’re off of school. Nowhere in those plans did she prepare for a multi-week holiday at a farm in the country—but when her mom foists the trip on them in celebration of her new job, Tia realizes she doesn’t have an out. And then her boyfriend texts her that he needs some space …
At Saiyan Hedge Farm, Quincy Parker is fretting over not having a date for the upcoming Winter Ball, which his family will host—the first time ever by a Black family. He’s recently broken things off with his longtime girlfriend, for reasons, and he doesn’t know how to find a new date without dragging folks through the mud. (And in their small town, people talk.) When the Solanké family arrives, with a grumpy Tia in tow, Quincy’s immediately intrigued. But it’ll take some time for the two of them to realize there could be something magical in the air.
BFF Charm: Eventually, Yay
Tia is a sweet, caring girl with a pretty good head on her shoulders. She lacks confidence, however, no thanks to her crappy boyfriend Mike. She’s a city girl who’s afraid of horses, so the idea of spending her holiday on a farm is an absolute joke. But as she’s forced to spend time away from the hustle and bustle of London, she begins to rethink her priorities and shakes off the figurative heavy cape she’d been wearing for a long time. I like her, but it took me a while to rid myself of some very Roger Murtaugh-y feelings.
Quincy, much like many teenage boys, is immediately taken by Tia’s good looks. But he’s more than that, and he tries to be nice to her even when she’s being a snot. He’s loyal, funny, sweet, and kind to his parents. Exactly the kind of guy I’d want to hang around with, even though I didn’t feel those sort of feelings toward him. He’s got a bit of a lost puppy vibe at first, but through the Power of LoveTM, he really blossoms.
Swoonworthy Scale: 6
Quincy and Tia are not fans of each other at first, but they soon enter into an arrangement that benefits them both: Tia will pretend to be dating Quincy, and be his date for the Winter Ball, in exchange for him getting her to London for Mike’s party. Naturally, the two have a lot of chemistry, and they quickly realize that, in their case, opposites do attract.
Talky Talk: Holiday Cheer
Although a large part of this story is the drama surrounding Tia and her maybe boyfriend and Quincy and his ex, for the most part this is a very cheerful novel. The Britishisms threw me a bit from time to time, but I appreciate that Bello and the publisher didn’t make this too American. (It wouldn’t have fit the English countryside setting!) (The fact that Tia and Quincy go to college, but it’s like high school, continues to confound my American brain.) Quincy and Tia have great chemistry and it was entertaining to read their back and forth.
Bonus Factor: Winter in the English Countryside
I really enjoyed London in the one time I’ve visited, but setting this book in the city wouldn’t have had the same resonance that setting it in a small town did. The descriptions of the farm, the decorations, and the surrounding town are absolutely idyllic. And even though I hate snow, reading about it falling made me feel Chrismassy. (Especially nice when it’s been in the high seventies here in Texas. Nearly 20 years of warm Christmases, and I still find it unnatural. I know half the world experiences a summertime Christmas, but I didn’t growing up!)
Relationship Status: Snuggly
Reading you by the fireplace in the light of our Christmas tree helped me get into the proper spirit, Book, and I thank you for that. I don’t think our relationship will last much past the winter break, but that’s OK. Sometimes you just need a bit of holiday cheer.
Literary Matchmaking
Bello’s YA debut, Love in Winter Wonderland is another holiday love story, but this one’s set in a bookstore in London.
The short stories in My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories are equally sweet holiday tales.
Uzma Jalaluddin and Marisa Stapley’s Three Holidays and a Wedding is another sweet holiday romance, but this one’s for adults.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Soho Teen, but got neither a private dance party with Tom Hiddleston nor money in exchange for this review. Only for the Holidays is available now.
