Publication Date: 12th Sep 2023
Genre: Small Town Christmas Romance
4 Stars
One Liner: Adorable (but a bit too long)
The Mistletoe Gardens is set to be demolished in the coming January to make space for a real estate venture. Folkhornton is aghast. How can their beloved garden with such a legend (you’ll have a year full of happiness if you kiss your love under the mistletoe in the garden) be destroyed by the council?
Local baker Essie Browne announces a mega Christmas celebration as a goodbye to the Mistletoe Gardens. She plans to make a huge gingerbread house that will attract people from all over to visit the event. However, Essie has no idea how to get this done.
Joss Hallissey, aka Joseph Hallissey Jr. (don’t call him that), is a grumpy local builder who wants nothing to do with the event or the townfolk. However, he agrees to help Essie after some persuasion. Can the two make it happen, or will the Mistletoe Gardens not even get a last goodbye?
The story comes in Essie’s first-person POV.
My Thoughts:
This is my second book by the author, and I enjoyed it more than the first. I also see a few common themes in both.
Essie and Joss are sunshine vs. grumpy at the initial glance, but soon, we realize that both are dealing with personal issues. While Joss’s issues seem heavier, it’s clear the two complement each other very well. I like both of them.
Though this is a small-town book where the community members have good roles, the focus is more on the main lead and the mega gingerbread house. We see them know more about each other, become friends, and maybe more.
The scenes with baking are, of course, my favorite. I always love reading about cakes, cookies, and icing. The side characters are decent; some better than others. Essie’s mom can feel like surviving a dust storm. She’s a go-getter with endless energy, and let’s say even reading about her can be a little tiring at times. It helps establish one of the themes in the book – comparing children to their parents and expecting them to be the same.
Little Rob is such a cute addition! He (I’m assuming the gender) even gets to be on the cover. Isn’t that super sweet?
The narration is slow. The story moves at a languid pace. Repetition doesn’t help (this happens in the other book too). The story feels a little too long at times. I wouldn’t have minded if it was short by some 20-30 pages.
However, I like how the main leads have enough time to spend with each other to talk and heal. It’s sort of a slow burn with enough bits of humor. I chuckled and laughed quite a few times throughout the book.
There is a mini third-act breakup. I was afraid of this, but the issue was handled well towards the end. There are a few lighthearted and funny moments, even during this stage. It balances out things to a good extent.
The solution to the core issue is thoughtful and sensible. It provides a rounded solution where the past and present co-exist while also being practical enough to generate money for the council. After all, communities need money to survive.
The tidbits about gingerbread (and gingerbread houses) at the beginning of each chapter are a great idea. I tend to skip quotes under the chapter titles, but not in this one. I read each of them.
It’s a clean romance with some kisses towards the end. The characters do go touchy-feely a lot (it was the same in the other book, too). Since I like touch as a love language, I enjoyed these scenes in both books. It may not work for everyone.
To summarize, The Gingerbread House in Mistletoe Gardens is a sweet, heartwarming, Christmasy book dealing with second chances, love, healing, self-confidence, and small-town communities.
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC.
#NetGalley #TheGingerbreadHouseinMistletoeGardens
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P.S.: I wish Beryl would crochet me a Santa zombie hat or a gingerbread vampire. Her creativity is next level!
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