Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle
.ePUB, 368 pages
Publication Date: October 4, 2022
By: G.P. Putnam's Sons
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About The Book:
Bettie Hughes once knew the comfort of luxury, flaunting a collection of designer purses and an enviable dream home in Hawaii. That was before she lost all her money. Long obsessed with her public image, Bettie boasts an extravagant lifestyle on social media. But the reality is Bettie is broke and squatting in Colorado, and her family has no idea. Christmas, with its pressure to meet familial expectations, is looming when Bettie plays a vinyl record of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” backward and accidentally conjures up Hall, the Holiday Spirit, in the form of a charming and handsome (if offbeat) man. Once the shock wears off, Bettie knows she’s stumbled upon the greatest gift: a chance to make all her holiday wishes come true, plus a ready-made fiancΓ©. But as some of Bettie’s wishes lose their charm, she finds herself thrown off-kilter by Hall’s sweet nature. Suddenly, grumpy Bettie is finding her heart merry and light. But the happier she gets, the shorter Hall’s time on earth grows. Can Bettie channel the Christmas spirit and learn to live with goodwill toward all men? Or will her selfish ways return as soon as the holidays are over?
My Review:
“He gives his harness bells a shake, to ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep of easy wind and downy flake.” - Robert Frost
Like the title suggests this book was pure Christmas magic and very much like a HallmarkChritmas movie, which usually isn't my thing, but Sarah Hogle did something here that I very much enjoyed. What I have noticed a lot of lately are stories of characters with (a fake) happy social media life but real life is actually a suck fest. It really is the case a lot of the time.
I found it funny when Bettie wanted to restart her entrance over and over again, with her wild wishes getting more and more outrageous as she goes along. That was the best part of the book for me. Hall has a childlike innocence that I found very sweet. I loved these characters so much but especially Hall he was over the top and very cheesy! Bettie, it took a minute for her to grow on me but over the course of the book, her heart grew three sizes. I guess the old saying that opposites attract is the point of this plot.
This book was a combination of the movie Elf (Hall) and the TV show The Grinch (Bettie) Who Stole Christmas. I loved all the old movie references as I am a lover of classic film myself. being my favourite actor of all time and he gets his due in this book.
This book surprised me in all the best ways but especially by how emotional it got and gave me all the feels. Three and a half stars rounded up.
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