Maybe This Christmas

As soon as I saw the adorable cover of Susannah Nix's latest novella, "Maybe This Christmas," I knew I had to read it, and it did not disappoint. This cute, sweet story features a pair of likeable main characters, Lucas and Alex, who were surprisingly well-developed given the novella's short length. I particularly enjoyed the novella's structure, which seemed to me more like a series of vignettes than a traditional novella. I've never read anything like it before, but I found it to be a great way to highlight the main characters' development over time since they were often dealing with pretty big changes in their lives from one Christmas to the next. Overall, "Maybe This Christmas" was a wonderful read, and I highly recommend picking it up today. It's the perfect early Christmas present to yourself! :-) *ARC provided by the author via BookFunnel. All opinions expressed are my own.

Alex and Lucas are best friends in high school, when they start dating. They stay together until Alex leaves for college, while Lucas stays home to work for his dad and attend community college. Lucas sets her free, and Alex doesn’t think twice about it, because she’s ready to experience all that college has to offer. Their group of friends gets together every Christmas holiday to have a bonfire at the beach and catch up. Some years are awkward, while others are better. There are some good friends that also return each year, and it’s possible that there are other stories about them, but that’s just a guess. This story offers a glimpse into each of their lives every Christmas for 10 subsequent years. It’s not a very long story, yet there is enough detail given in each chapter to give the reader an adequate snapshot of each of their lives and their motivations. They grow and change and mature, and perhaps appreciate each other a bit more after each separation. No spoilers here, but this story had surprising depth for its brevity. The pacing moves along, because each new chapter occurs one year later. It’s an effective way of telling this story. This is an enjoyable read. The ending is satisfying and somewhat inevitable. Nonetheless, the ending isn’t fully clear until the final chapter. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This was such a cute story that spans over 10 Christmases. Alex and Lucas have been friends forever but when they tried a relationship it didn’t work out due to distance. They spend the next 9 Christmases trying to move on and be friends but something always pulls them back. Loved this sweet second chance romance and I am not a big fan of sweet romances but this one had my heart. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.