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Upstairs at the Party
Book
'If you go back and look at your life there are certain scenes, acts, or maybe just incidents on...
Alice (117 KP) rated The Switch in Books
Mar 3, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio and Flatiron Books for early access to this audiobook
I wholeheartedly adored this book! After reading and loving The Flat Share I knew I wanted to read this book as well so when I saw it was available as an audiobook on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to get to read it. Also, the fact that it was narrated by the absolute ICON that is Alison Steadman and Normal People's Daisy Edgar-Jones really sold it to me! I love when audiobooks have multiple perspectives narrated by different actors as I feel like it adds a lot to the story that you don't always get from a single narrator. This was just so charmingly Beth O'Leary and I loved this one just as much - if not more than I loved The Flat Share. I loved all of the characters and this was such a fun read but it also deals with very serious topics as well such as death, grief and abuse but all rolled up in a charming little tale of love, friendship and family. It gave me major Hallmark Christmas movie vibes as in I kind of knew how it was going to end right at the start but it was so fun and sweet and it was nice just to do life with the characters. I couldn't recommend this book enough!
I wholeheartedly adored this book! After reading and loving The Flat Share I knew I wanted to read this book as well so when I saw it was available as an audiobook on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to get to read it. Also, the fact that it was narrated by the absolute ICON that is Alison Steadman and Normal People's Daisy Edgar-Jones really sold it to me! I love when audiobooks have multiple perspectives narrated by different actors as I feel like it adds a lot to the story that you don't always get from a single narrator. This was just so charmingly Beth O'Leary and I loved this one just as much - if not more than I loved The Flat Share. I loved all of the characters and this was such a fun read but it also deals with very serious topics as well such as death, grief and abuse but all rolled up in a charming little tale of love, friendship and family. It gave me major Hallmark Christmas movie vibes as in I kind of knew how it was going to end right at the start but it was so fun and sweet and it was nice just to do life with the characters. I couldn't recommend this book enough!
Tic-Tac-Mistletoe (Hartbridge Christmas #1)
10.0
Rate It
Book
Hamish Kenneally is moving from Australia to the US for a fresh start, starting with Christmas at...
Contemporary Romance MM Seasonal
Debbiereadsbook (1202 KP) rated Tangled In Tinsel in Books
Dec 11, 2021
the letter made me cry!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Taken straight from the blurb, this best describes this book! This gay, Hallmark-influenced romance is a heart-warming, hilarious, steamy mug of Christmas cocoa.
And it really is a wonderful read! I have a lot of holiday stories in my review list this year and this is the most fun read, I think, of the lot.
Dean is chasing that elusive find, the one that would save his business and make his name in the antiques world. Finding it is Tinsel, and meeting Levi again, was fate. Then the snow comes, Dean's nemesis also arrives and Dean is faced with making the decision of his life.
There follows an hilarious tale of two men falling in love, over a cradle; a lot of interruptions to their moments and a horse ride from hell and I really can't go into too much more, save for spoilers!
But it really is a wonderful read. And I loved the connection that Levi had to the cradle, and just what else Levi has to give to Dean.
The letter though, made me cry!
Oh, and the epilogue did too!
I can't see that I've read anything else by this author, and I think I need to correct that, right quick (just as soon as my review list lets me!)
4 wonderful stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Taken straight from the blurb, this best describes this book! This gay, Hallmark-influenced romance is a heart-warming, hilarious, steamy mug of Christmas cocoa.
And it really is a wonderful read! I have a lot of holiday stories in my review list this year and this is the most fun read, I think, of the lot.
Dean is chasing that elusive find, the one that would save his business and make his name in the antiques world. Finding it is Tinsel, and meeting Levi again, was fate. Then the snow comes, Dean's nemesis also arrives and Dean is faced with making the decision of his life.
There follows an hilarious tale of two men falling in love, over a cradle; a lot of interruptions to their moments and a horse ride from hell and I really can't go into too much more, save for spoilers!
But it really is a wonderful read. And I loved the connection that Levi had to the cradle, and just what else Levi has to give to Dean.
The letter though, made me cry!
Oh, and the epilogue did too!
I can't see that I've read anything else by this author, and I think I need to correct that, right quick (just as soon as my review list lets me!)
4 wonderful stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Jul 30, 2022
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Lost At Christmas (2020) in Movies
Nov 23, 2020
'Tis the season for Christmas cliche and Lost At Christmas certainly fits the bill... but stay tuned for a "pleasant" surprise?
When life changes very suddenly for two strangers they need to make their way back to their normal lives, but it's Christmas, and the simple journey home becomes something of an epic adventure across the Scottish Highlands.
I have realised that many years ago I found myself in a very similar situation to the one in this film, though thankfully I wasn't the one travelling anywhere. I have never really considered how difficult it might be to do this sort of journey... I'm fairly certain that I wouldn't do what this duo do... but you never know! So quite how believable this scenario is I can't say, but it does allow for the expected drama.
There's a great Doctor Who contingent in the cast and I loved Sylvester McCoy and Frazer Hines as Ernie and Frank. They're a fantastic little double act and McCoy definitely helped areas of the film that struggled. Jen, played by Natalie Clark, was quite a likeable character and I enjoyed the performance, but it was difficult to get anything more out of it once she was paired with our leading man. Rob, played by Kenny Boyle, was the chalk to Jen's cheese, he's gruff and mean but doesn't really have the redeemable qualities these characters have in reserve that make you root for them at the end of the film, coupled with the bland performance I found myself hoping that another stray singleton was going to appear and sweep Jen off her feet.
In my notes I tried to do some maths... maths in a film review?! I know! It baffled me too. There felt like discrepancies in Rob's timeline with his girlfriend when you compare their initial interaction and his reveal to Jen later on. It may just be me overthinking it, but when it came up my reaction was confusion, these things are easily foiled by vagueness but... *shrug*.
There's some beautiful scenery involved throughout the film but when you mix it with the obligatory Christmas film shenanigans you're not getting to enjoy a lot of it. Even its use in the opening titles wasn't great. The main backdrop of the pub is fun, though there are some issues with the use of space. Some shots make it seem expansive and some claustrophobic, and there's one shot in particular that made me audibly groan. Nearly everyone is in it, adults talking, teens (about four foot away from the rest of the cast) kissing... no... no kissing teens are putting themselves in that position, especially not these two. There would have been plenty of opportunity to have them in the back of this shot had the camera had a different angle.
The thing I think we should acknowledge about this film though is that it has some balls. Whenever I discuss romcoms and Christmas movies there are always a handful of scenarios that make me say "wouldn't it be great if these films did [insert realistic scenario here]?" Lost At Christmas went for it! Yeah... so it turns out... I want the cliche! Real-life sucks and actually, I'd rather bitch about things being unrealistic than see something that is much more likely to happen. Well done for doing it, but to quote my notes... "F*** THIS FILM!"
Lost At Christmas has so much potential in it. Let's take a look at my scale... You have bad Christmas films, very few fall into this category because they usually drop down so far that they get pushed back up the scale to "so bad they're good". Right next to "so bad they're good" is a general level for Hallmark-esque schmaltz (NOTE: this isn't to say that Hallmark movies won't break out into other areas, this is just a general descriptor for films that are pretty consistent in their watchability and themes... AKA: quality Sunday holiday fodder.) Then of course we have the Christmas classic level, that holds things like Home Alone, Klaus, Love Actually and Die Hard. Lost At Christmas is somewhere in the snowdrift between bad and schmaltz. With a bit more glitz and a few changes I could easily see this film being a hop, skip and a jump over the other side of Hallmark schmaltz as something you don't just watch because it started on the TV and you can't change the channel because you're holding down wrapping paper with one hand and have a spiral of sellotape in the other.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/11/lost-at-christmas-movie-review.html
When life changes very suddenly for two strangers they need to make their way back to their normal lives, but it's Christmas, and the simple journey home becomes something of an epic adventure across the Scottish Highlands.
I have realised that many years ago I found myself in a very similar situation to the one in this film, though thankfully I wasn't the one travelling anywhere. I have never really considered how difficult it might be to do this sort of journey... I'm fairly certain that I wouldn't do what this duo do... but you never know! So quite how believable this scenario is I can't say, but it does allow for the expected drama.
There's a great Doctor Who contingent in the cast and I loved Sylvester McCoy and Frazer Hines as Ernie and Frank. They're a fantastic little double act and McCoy definitely helped areas of the film that struggled. Jen, played by Natalie Clark, was quite a likeable character and I enjoyed the performance, but it was difficult to get anything more out of it once she was paired with our leading man. Rob, played by Kenny Boyle, was the chalk to Jen's cheese, he's gruff and mean but doesn't really have the redeemable qualities these characters have in reserve that make you root for them at the end of the film, coupled with the bland performance I found myself hoping that another stray singleton was going to appear and sweep Jen off her feet.
In my notes I tried to do some maths... maths in a film review?! I know! It baffled me too. There felt like discrepancies in Rob's timeline with his girlfriend when you compare their initial interaction and his reveal to Jen later on. It may just be me overthinking it, but when it came up my reaction was confusion, these things are easily foiled by vagueness but... *shrug*.
There's some beautiful scenery involved throughout the film but when you mix it with the obligatory Christmas film shenanigans you're not getting to enjoy a lot of it. Even its use in the opening titles wasn't great. The main backdrop of the pub is fun, though there are some issues with the use of space. Some shots make it seem expansive and some claustrophobic, and there's one shot in particular that made me audibly groan. Nearly everyone is in it, adults talking, teens (about four foot away from the rest of the cast) kissing... no... no kissing teens are putting themselves in that position, especially not these two. There would have been plenty of opportunity to have them in the back of this shot had the camera had a different angle.
The thing I think we should acknowledge about this film though is that it has some balls. Whenever I discuss romcoms and Christmas movies there are always a handful of scenarios that make me say "wouldn't it be great if these films did [insert realistic scenario here]?" Lost At Christmas went for it! Yeah... so it turns out... I want the cliche! Real-life sucks and actually, I'd rather bitch about things being unrealistic than see something that is much more likely to happen. Well done for doing it, but to quote my notes... "F*** THIS FILM!"
Lost At Christmas has so much potential in it. Let's take a look at my scale... You have bad Christmas films, very few fall into this category because they usually drop down so far that they get pushed back up the scale to "so bad they're good". Right next to "so bad they're good" is a general level for Hallmark-esque schmaltz (NOTE: this isn't to say that Hallmark movies won't break out into other areas, this is just a general descriptor for films that are pretty consistent in their watchability and themes... AKA: quality Sunday holiday fodder.) Then of course we have the Christmas classic level, that holds things like Home Alone, Klaus, Love Actually and Die Hard. Lost At Christmas is somewhere in the snowdrift between bad and schmaltz. With a bit more glitz and a few changes I could easily see this film being a hop, skip and a jump over the other side of Hallmark schmaltz as something you don't just watch because it started on the TV and you can't change the channel because you're holding down wrapping paper with one hand and have a spiral of sellotape in the other.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/11/lost-at-christmas-movie-review.html
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated The Secret Ingredient in Books
Feb 27, 2019
I’m fairly new to Nancy Naigle’s work, having only read one other book by her. But, that said, let me tell you this: she is amazing! Having the chance to read this delicious novel was so fun! I loved her writing style, the hope and the characters that are woven together, all of it! It was a phenomenal read!
Andrew and Kelly’s characters were awesome. I loved the way they were chiseled, and seeing them interact together really played out like it was a movie on the Hallmark channel. I truly love when a book can do that!
Andrew’s character was my favorite. I loved how he developed throughout the story, and seeing how things were when he returned home. Though I’ll be honest. I wasn’t sure what to think of his breaking their engagement and traveling away. I wanted to shake him! But, I also saw how it needed to be like that to full feel the emotions of these awesome characters, to fully understand that it needed to be done so he could understand his true feelings.
This is most definitely a 4 star novel that I should high praises to. Andrew and Kelly needed just one thing from Naigle for this book……just one secret ingredient……..and she did it beautifully! Well done, Naigle. This is a keeper book on my shelf and I can’t wait to read more of your work!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Andrew and Kelly’s characters were awesome. I loved the way they were chiseled, and seeing them interact together really played out like it was a movie on the Hallmark channel. I truly love when a book can do that!
Andrew’s character was my favorite. I loved how he developed throughout the story, and seeing how things were when he returned home. Though I’ll be honest. I wasn’t sure what to think of his breaking their engagement and traveling away. I wanted to shake him! But, I also saw how it needed to be like that to full feel the emotions of these awesome characters, to fully understand that it needed to be done so he could understand his true feelings.
This is most definitely a 4 star novel that I should high praises to. Andrew and Kelly needed just one thing from Naigle for this book……just one secret ingredient……..and she did it beautifully! Well done, Naigle. This is a keeper book on my shelf and I can’t wait to read more of your work!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
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