The kind of real connection that I crave: THE HOLIDAY MIX-UP.

The Holiday Mix-Up by Ginny Baird
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I really need to learn my lesson now. Kristy, you love cheesy Christmas movies, but not so much Christmas books. Please stop requesting them, because then you must read them. For instance, THE HOLIDAY MIX-UP is billed as an updated WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, which is probably in my top-five movies. I love that movie. I watch it every year. I will watch it when it's not Christmas.

Well, MIX-UP is no SLEEPING. This book hurt me. I get that it's supposed to be a lighthearted, fluffy Christmas story and nearly everyone else seemed to enjoy it, so please take my review as such. The writing here is painful. Nothing is left to the imagination, but instead is explained in excruciating detail with all telling and no showing. Nothing really happens, so we're left with a repetitive plot stuffed with character introspection and people bemoaning about their feelings over and over (and over).

Katie works at a diner, where she meets Juan, a regular customer. For some reason (supposedly to avoid his aunt fixing him up yet again), he asks her to join him and his family for Christmas (as a secret favor), but before she can, he walks into the street and is nearly killed by a van. Katie shoves him out of the way, but he's still placed into a coma by the doctors. His family is led into thinking they are dating, so they take her in. Katie has no living family of her own and welcomes their care and attention. (Honestly this all sounds so much better as described versus the agony we go through to learn this in the book.) Once she meets his family, she meets Juan's younger brother Mateo, whom she immediately crushes on, and it seems the feeling is mutual. In the background is the story that the family's long-held winery is going under, thanks to bad business decisions by Juan. (This is the only remotely interesting plot piece, though where it will end is telegraphed a mile away.)

Katie and Mateo have zero chemistry, but instead opine in the narrative about their potential feelings for one another constantly--only to dismiss that the other could care for them. There is no excitement, banter, or anything fun. Mateo and Juan's grandparents have more zest. Things slowly progress up until Christmas. We all know how everything will end, but there's no real joy about it, because everyone is too busy thinking or repeating themselves for any real happiness. Instead, we execute the Christmas romance playbook step-by-step. I wanted to love this one, but I just couldn't. 2 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca in return for an unbiased review.

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