Book Review: Finding Christmas by Karen Schaler

Author: Karen Schaler

Title: Finding Christmas

Genre: Romance, Chick Lit

Format: ebook

Pages: 382

Published: October 15, 2019

Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

With all the glittering decorations, twinkling lights, snow angels, gingerbread men and mistletoe, Christmas is Emmie’s first love.

This year, she can’t wait to share her favorite Christmas traditions with her boyfriend, Grant. She thinks he’s “the one.” So when Grant’s hectic work schedule has him more “Bah Humbug” than “Ho, Ho, Ho,” Emmie creates a holiday-themed scavenger hunt to help him find his Christmas spirit. At the end of the journey, Grant will arrive at the charming town of Christmas Point where she’s planned a romantic weekend filled with holiday activities.

But Emmie’s plan backfires when a mix-up has the wrong guy following her clues! Sam, a best-selling mystery writer, thinks Emmie’s clever Christmas riddles are from his agent, who is trying to help him get over his epic writer’s block.

When he arrives at Christmas Point and finds the stunned Emmie, he immediately feels she’s someone special, but she can’t see beyond the fact that the wrong guy has shown up. Inspired by the small, charming town, Sam decides to stay and convinces Emmie to join him in a little holiday fun while she waits for Grant.

When Grant finally shows up, Emmie is disappointed to discover he’s not enjoying the activities she planned and can’t help wonder if he’s really the one for her. She also can’t get Sam out of her mind and all the great times they had together. With Christmas coming fast, Emmie will need the magic of the season to help steer her in the direction of true love…

Review:

The cover....the title....Christmas love! And the writer is the writer of "A Christmas Prince". SIGN ME UP!!

Emmie LOVES Christmas. She wants to share that love with her boyfriend, Grant, but he is too busy with work. To help him find his Christmas joy, she creates a scavenger hunt for him. Her plan backfires when the wrong man follows her clues. Enter in Sam. Sam is a writer and he is suffering from writer's block. He thinks the clues are from his agent trying to help him, so he follows the clues. It leads him to a Christmas Point....a small town obsessed with Christmas....and to Emmie. Emmie, still waiting on Grant, teams up with Sam to have some holiday merriment! When Grant arrives...she starts to realize that maybe Grant isn't the one she was meant to be with.....

Grant is an IDIOT. Poor Emmie. She does adore him, but he is an idiot. Yes, I get work is important but you can be away from your phone for two flipping minutes. 

Sam is a gem. 

Dasher is a good boi. 

Loved Ruby. 

LOVED Christmas Point. Does this place exist? I wanna gooooo!

This was a lot of fun. Yes, small amounts of cheese, but the author did a good job making this believable. It wasn't love at first sight with Emmie and Sam. Attraction? Sure. But they became friends celebrating Christmas together first. It was sweet. 

I loved the final blow (no spoiler here you know she and Grant will break up). I felt for Emmie, but it all tied in nicely together. Kuddos author. I didn't expect that. 

If you love Christmas romances you'll love this one. It was very sweet and fun. That cover is simply the prettiest!

5 stars from me because I needed a read like this. I've been struggling the last couple of months. 

ONE WORD SUMMARY: Adorable

Reading Challenges: 

- Library Love #33

Audiobook Review: Once Upon a Christmas Carol by Karen Schaler

Author: Karen Schaler

Narrator: Brittany Pressley, Ryan Paevey,& full cast

Title: Once Upon A Christmas Carol

Genre: Short Stories, Holiday, Novella, Fiction, Romance

Format: Audiobook

Published:  December 1, 2022

Where I got It: Audible

Summary: 

Rachel Rinehart’s Christmas season is on the brink of disaster when her record label suddenly drops her, threatening to end her music career. Then she receives a mysterious Christmas card, and everything starts to change....

Inside the card are lyrics to a classic Christmas carol urging her to return home to Crystal Falls, the snowy mountain town she left behind 15 years ago.

Once she arrives in Crystal Falls, a stroke of fate brings her face-to-face with her first love, Matt Meyers, who’s now a devoted single dad. Rachel continues to receive mysterious cards filled with Christmas carol lyrics and clues she must follow—all leading her back to Matt. Is it the work of a hometown matchmaker, or could it be Christmas magic? And will the music and majesty of the season help Rachel discover where she truly belongs?

Review:

Yayy Xmas!

Here we follow Rachel who's life seems to be unfolding in front of her. Her career is falling apart when her record label drops her for being too old. She receives a mysterious Christmas card that sends her back to her childhood town of Crystal Falls. She doesn't plan to stay. Just long enough to figure out who sent the card, get her dad, and escape to some warm island. Hopefully with the help of her father, her old friend (and ex-flame) Matt, and Matt's daughter...maybe she will figure out the mystery and then get to leave. 

This was very, very cute. Gotta love these Hallmark-y type stories. They are SO predictable, but always a blast. One nice element was that romance wasn't the main focus. Literally, Rachel finding her voice and growing up are the main objectives. She had been 18 when she became famous and has been told what to do her whole life. Her being dropped was the best thing that ever happened to her. 

But don't get me wrong...there is a small romance. A second chance! And a good second chance. Long distance is hard and they were young with different life stuff, so there weren't really any fences that needed mending. It was very sweet. 

Now...I did struggle with the audiobook itself. Not sure if I had a dud of a copy, but there were chunks of time that it seemed to be just pausing for a second or two before moving forward? My last audio didn't have these issues, so I'm sure if the app was just having issues. We shall see. But it was SO annoying since it seemed to happen randomly and it sort of ruined the magic for me. 

The ending also bugged me a hair. I thought it was cute but I would've liked more of an epilogue or something. Just a touch longer. 

All-in-all, very sweet for the holidays. I'll give it 3 stars. 

Challenge(s):

- #58 for Audiobook Challenge