Holly Jolly Realist - Book 3 Review!
Title - The Season of Second Chances
Author - Kristina McMorris, T. Greenwood
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stars ⭐ - 3.5
Overall, I think The Christmas Collector carried this collection. Absolutely no fault to Gifted, it was also a good book and T. Greenwood is obviously a well-respected author. It just didn't have the flow that The Christmas Collector did.
I do think this collection as a whole is worth a read. Both stories are very heartwarming and can be that pick me up a lot of us need in the holiday season. With that being said, even though these two stories are technically in the same book, they are completely different novellas by different authors and deserve their own moment. Below will be my individual review for each novella. I will link the standalone version of The Christmas Collector. Upon some research, it seems that for the time being the only way to get Gifted is to purchase the collection. However, I doubt you will disappointed by the collection if you choose to purchase it.
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Title - The Christmas Collector
Author - Kristina McMorris
spice 🌶 - 0
scare 😱 - 0
plot 📖 - 4
characters 🧍- 5
stars ⭐ - 4
"As if transformed by a wand, the old, worn items surrounding Jenna became anything but “junk.” "
When I think of a Christmas book from now on The Christmas Collector will come to mind. This book reads like a Hallmark movie in the best possible way. As someone who had to help my grandmother move out of her longtime home about 2 years ago and then lost her a year ago some elements of the story really hit home. Estelle's relationship with her grandson has a lot of similarities to what my grandma and I were like. The reminder of that was something I needed this holiday season. The rest of the characters in this book are written so well, that you can't help but love all of them. The characters mixed with such a heartwarming plot actually brought tears to my eyes a couple of times. The Christmas Collector is a story you can easily get invested in!
There are only a couple of things that kept this book from a full five stars for me. Firstly, there were some spots where the plot got muddied. Some things happened in the book that I think needed more attention as they greatly affected the plot. There were a few "wait, what?" moments for me throughout the book regarding the plot. Secondly, the ending got a tad cheesy. I rarely ever say this, but I think McMorris could have left it a little less wrapped up. It was just too good.
I would define The Christmas Collector as a holiday romantic historical fiction novella. If you are not interested in the other book in this collection I recommend picking up this title solo. It is a read you won't regret!
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Title - Gifted
Author - T. Greenwood
spice 🌶 - 0
scare 😱 - 0
plot 📖 - 3
characters 🧍- 3
stars ⭐ - 3
"A gift is not to be squandered."
Gifted is a heartwarming story following two people who could not be in any more different places in life and how they are handling adversity. The first person is Simone, and while the story is told from her daughter's perspective it is Simone who is truly highlighted in this storyline. The second is a ballet dancer named Alex. I personally relate to Alex a lot during this book. When I was younger an immense amount of pressure was put on me revolving around sports. What I ate, how I acted, and how my time was spent all had to relate back to softball. That element of the story really hit home for me, and I'm sure will to other people with a similar experience as well.
As for the story itself, I did like the plot a lot more than I thought I would. Neither storyline sounded up my alley from the synopsis, but I did enjoy it! That being said apart from relatable chapters with Alex and some heartwarming touches the book as a whole was pretty dull. The ending also droned on for me. Greenwood really could have cut or combined the last few chapters. The ending could have been sweet, short, and heartwarming as I'm sure she intended. Instead, I felt myself pushing to get to the finish line.
Unless the synopsis sounds up your alley I would personally skip this read. However, if you want something short and sweet to round out a holiday reading list this could be a decent option. There are some other books by T. Greenwood that look very intriguing and I'm excited to check those out!
❤ Les
P.S.
Many thanks to Goodreads, the publisher, and both authors for offering this book in a giveaway! All thoughts above are my own and it was a privilege to read this collection.
View my review on Goodreads here.
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