Book: War on Christmas
Author: Elle Campbell
Genre: Romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
E-Book
Dual First Person POV
Second Chance Romance
Release Date: 7 November 2023
I loved this book so much! Freya is such a relatable character. From her edgy 'no fucks given' attitude, to her complete outlook on how one doesn't really truly need to be married to feel complete. She really is a force of nature.
Despite finding comfort in all things nerdy with her twin brother and their best friend, Jeremy, being the so-called "black sheep" of her siblings came with a lot of uncertainty of whether or not she truly fit in or if she was loved by her parents growing up. She felt so misunderstood, like she was second best, and in the end ran with how different she was to follow her dreams and true calling in theater.
Next door, Jeremy was also dealing with a lot. His mother had remarried when he was 8 years old and while he thought he was going to have a father figure to loop up to, he was sadly met with hostility by his moms new husband. While his step-dad never caused any physical pain, the mental trauma was enough to feel like he too wasn't loved.
Freya and Jeremy really leaned on each other knowing that they both had family issues. While first and foremost they grew up as friends, it wasn't until their hormones started to take over and high school days neared that they felt a connection that ran deeper. Of course as young kids are and the raging emotions brewing, Freya retreated after she shared her first kiss with Jeremy leaving him confused. So what did Jeremy do? He started to date other girls in school and began to mold himself to fit the popular kids, thus starting the infamous Frey/Jeremy high school feud, that went well into their adulthood.
Even though this is marketed as a simple, steamy, second chance at love novel, it's more than that.
I think Elle Campbell did a spectacular job of wrangling all of these characters together. She gave light to all the backstory we needed so we could understand the complexity of not just Jeremy and Freya's relationship, but the relationships between their respective supporting characters.
From Freya's dynamic with her family and friends, to Jeremy's family and friends. You felt for everyone involved and never got confused as to who was who. There was so much heart and soul that you rooted for both Freya and Jeremy, laughed with them, cried with them, and felt that warming sensation deep in your tummy once they finally hooked up.
This was very much Hallmark on late night HBO.
I highly recommend checking War on Christmas out on 11/7/23
Disclosure: I would like to clarify that this review is based on an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) provided by the talented author, Elle Campbell. I want to assure my readers that this is not a paid review, and all opinions expressed here are my honest and unsolicited thoughts on the book. If you have any queries or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly.