About the Book
The holidays were never her thing, until she accidentally conjures the Holiday Spirit…before her very eyes.
Bettie Hughes once knew the comfort of luxury, flaunting a collection of designer purses and an enviable dream home in Hawaii. That was before she lost all her money. Long obsessed with her public image, Bettie boasts an extravagant lifestyle on social media. But the reality is Bettie is broke and squatting in Colorado, and her family has no idea.
Christmas, with its pressure to meet familial expectations, is looming when Bettie plays a vinyl record of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” backward and accidentally conjures up Hall, the Holiday Spirit, in the form of a charming and handsome (if offbeat) man. Once the shock wears off, Bettie knows she’s stumbled upon the greatest gift: a chance to make all her holiday wishes come true, plus a ready-made fiancé.
But as some of Bettie’s wishes lose their charm, she finds herself thrown off-kilter by Hall’s sweet nature. Suddenly, grumpy Bettie is finding her heart merry and light. But the happier she gets, the shorter Hall’s time on earth grows. Can Bettie channel the Christmas spirit and learn to live with goodwill toward all men? Or will her selfish ways return as soon as the holidays are over?
My Review
I wasn’t quite sure what I was in for when I read the opening pages, but knowing this was a bit of a fantasy holiday read, I wanted to stick with it. I initially thought maybe I could relate to Bettie since we are both social media influencers, but I quickly realized how different we are. Bettie values the materialistic, which is evident when Hall, the Holiday Spirit, is conjured and she gets to make endless holiday wishes that he must grant. But amongst all the … things … Bettie begins to find herself enjoying the company of Hall – who is now playing her fake fiancé around her family. But the more Bettie begins to enjoy herself, the shorter time she’ll have with Hall. We get to see Bettie – and most of her family – change little by little with the help of the Holiday Spirit.
I actually think I would have liked the book more if it was a touch more realistic (Holiday Spirit and all) but it was pretty over the top in fantasy. Bettie wasn’t an extremely likeable character, nor were most of her family – her grandfather excluded. Again, sometimes holiday novels can be a little out there so I’ve come to expect that with the books I download, but it wasn’t a favorite of mine.
3 star
