Book Review: The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk

“Punting the pudding hadn’t worked. It was still Christmas Day.”

Lindsey Kelk, The Christmas Wish

Happy publication day!

Review:

Full disclosure: This is not a genre I typically read nor is this a book I would pick up on my own. I was generously gifted an ARC copy and have decided to be fair to the situation, I need to keep my rating somewhere in the middle.

In this Groundhog Day-esque romance (though it focuses more on family), Gwen seeks Christmas with her family to pull her out of her funk. With both her professional and personal lives in shambles, she longs for something stable. But what happens when she gets stuck in a Christmas loop? 

As I already mentioned, stories like this are not my cup of tea. I didn’t latch on to any of the characters and I found the plot cliche as anything. However, that is the point. For people who enjoy quirky romances, this is going to be an enjoyable read. As someone who leans more toward psychological thrillers and introspective literary fiction, I was bored. I did enjoy bits and pieces of the family drama, though. I was glad that was the prominent plot over the romance. 

I can’t stress enough that I’m not a fair judge in this instance. Please take my review with a grain of salt if you think this is a book you would enjoy.

A huge thanks to HarperCollins/Harper360 for sending me a lovely surprise package containing this ARC!

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The bigger focus being on the family.
• Christmas.

What I didn’t like:

• The endless pop culture references. I don’t know if this is normal for this genre, but it annoyed me to no end.
• I found it to be rather vulgar at times. Not something I associate with a Christmas story.
• The characters. I didn’t connect to or sympathize with any of them.

Afterthoughts:

If I’d picked this book up on my own, the best I would have given it would be a 1.5 rating. I try to avoid reading books I know I’m not going to like for this reason. Sometimes it’s strictly a matter of personal opinion. Once more, I have rated this in the middle under the circumstances. I was touched to be included in this ARC campaign and it truly made my day when I received this package. Definitely the most exciting book mail I’ve ever received. I am sorry that I’m not the best audience for this genre.

Where to buy the book: