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Santa Overboard by Carolyn McBride

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Christmas, Novella, Women's Fiction, Romance Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I’m still not used to hearing about Covid in books, sometimes it feels like a weird dream till I’m reminded it happened like in here and there was quite a bit about Covid and its impact on small towns that not many city people would have thought of. It is a tiny but K name dense with 3 characters all sharing K names and I did get them mixed up once at the beginning but they’re different enough characters so that it isn’t a major issue (if you're not having a cog fog moment). I liked the presence of the chapter titles and appreciated the sisterhood solidarity of the Beach Bonfire Babes that I’m sure will shine through in other books in the series. Overall it was a short warm and cozy read with just enough Christmas to start to get me in the spirit without being hit in the face by the season. Favourite Quote: “Coming ...
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Christmas Fling by Lindsey Kelk

Rating: 5 Stars Themes: Romance, Christmas, Fake Dating Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is such a funny festive romance that had me laughing out loud more than once. I fell in love with Laura instantly as she felt like such a relatable character and her quick wit really made the book. What can I say about that first meeting but it was unexpected and hilarious. It took me a little longer to get a read on Callum but he was a great character and the ups and downs of their plan don’t go to plan but it makes it even funnier. Also Desi and Joel may technically be side characters but they really shone through the pages they were in and I’d love a bond as strong as those 3 have (I mean an 11 hour drive, that truly is love).
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Social Skills Essentials for Teens by Morgan Tyler

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Teen, Self-Help Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This book will be helpful to many young people in helping themselves develop in the teenage years. It was well researched and full of useful advice for teens while not coming across as overly lectury or talking down to them. The checklists and exercises are really helpful as well. However, as an ARC reader this was very difficult to read with the watermark across the whole page in each page, benign across the writing throughout. 
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Mind, Body, Spirit, Food by Nicki Sizemore

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Cookbook, Mindfulness  Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. While I myself am not gluten free, I was attracted to the mindfulness element of this book since I am interested in the theory of mindful eating (called intentional eating here). The recipes were clearly labelled for which allergens they were free from which makes it easier finding an appropriate recipe when cooking for someone. I really liked the intention/affirmation before each recipe and it fits in with the title and approach the book takes well. The photos at the beginning are also good as they show what we’re aiming for clearly and make everything look so appetising. The recipes are easy to follow and there being more than one version available for recipes gives us more dishes than we initially expect.
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The National Trust Book of Biscuits by Linda Collister

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Cookbook Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a lovely little cookbook for biscuits and would be a great accompaniment to baking with children. There being a whole section on chocolate is great for a chocoholic like me and having one for “Something Fancy” highlights great biscuits to show off for company. The recipes themselves are easy to follow and don’t overcomplicate things like some cookbooks do. The only potential downside is that there are no pictures of the biscuits throughout the book but I have to admit that the illustrations remind me of a cooking book that I had growing up. 
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The Body Can Tolerate by Loria Mendoza

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Poetry  Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I struggled with the formatting of this book, being used to poetry books where there is a new page per poem, jumping into and out of this where in one case there were 2 poems on one page alone was difficult. The poems themselves portrayed relationships and loss well and there were some emotive ones too, like Angel. Favourite Quote: “My father told me that life is too short life is too unfair. For brief moments of time, these truths are more than my deter- mined heart can take.”
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Love Me Merrily by Alyssa Jarrett

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Christmas, Romance, Short Story Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This was my first formally atheist holiday romance (although some not declared as such also missed the overtly religious tones) and it was a great introduction to them for me. I liked the way in which such sensitive topics have been handled and it outlined the characters' behaviours early on so we didn’t need to waste time slowly digging out motives and the characters themselves were loveable. I also liked how natural the romance progression felt, despite how fast it happened it didn’t feel rushed or fake.  Favourite Quote: “Why should Christians get to have all the fun? Yes, the chokehold the holiday has on this time of year is annoying, sucking the air out of absolutely everything else, but the Merry Masquerade is my way of reclaiming Christmas on my own terms.”
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