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Blogmas Day Eight: Kiss Me in New York by Catherine Rider Review

Welcome to Blogmas Day Eight Everyone :)




Thanks so much for joining me today on The Preppy Book Princess. :)


I'd hoped to include quite a few book reviews during Blogmas, however in the last week and a half or so, I hadn't had a lot of reading time.


I was finally able to finish another holiday themed novel in the past couple of days, and I thought today it would be fun to share with you all my review of it.


Kiss Me in New York by Catherine Rider:



Source: Library

Publisher: Kids Can Press

Publication Date: October 3rd, 2017

Synopsis:

It's Christmas Eve at JFK in NYC.

Charlotte is a British student, waiting for a flight home after the worst semester of her life. Anthony is a native New Yorker, surprising his girlfriend at the airport after three months apart. Charlotte has just been dumped, and Anthony is about to be dumped, right in the middle of the holiday crowd.

Charlotte's flight is canceled when a blizzard blows in, and Anthony can't bear to go home. So, they set out into the city together, clutching a book Charlotte picks up in the airport gift shop: Ten Easy Steps for Getting Over Your Ex. For this one night, they'll focus on healing their broken hearts ... together.

Step-by-step, the two struggle to put the past behind them. But the snow is so enchanting, and the holiday lights are so beguiling, that soon their shared misery gives way to something else. Soon, they're not only over their exes --- they're falling for each other.

Then a subway ride splits them up by mistake. Will they reunite before Charlotte's flight leaves New York forever?
 


My Review:

YA Christmas books are kind of hard to come by, so I was really looking forward to reading this newish release by Catherine Rider, especially since I'm the queen of reading contemporaries. Add that to the fact that this novel is obviously set in New York, which is literally the city I dream of visiting someday, and can we take a moment to appreciate just how beautiful the cover is on this book? Taking all of that into consideration,  I figured this book would probably be a win win in my eyes. 

Charlotte and Anthony have one thing in common; they've both been dumped, just in time for the holiday season. Catherine's breakup happened two weeks ago, and she wants nothing more than to leave New York, and head home to England to be with her family for Christmas. However, fate has other plans when her flight is canceled, and rescheduled for the next day. And she's looking towards a lonely Christmas Eve spent by her herself in a hotel room. Charlotte and Anthony's paths cross at the airport, when she witnesses him get dumped by his girlfriend in front of her new boyfriend. Two teenager dumpees in New York on Christmas Eve, they decide to join forces and try their hand at following the steps in a handbook on "Ten Steps To Get Over Your Ex", which was accidentally purchased for her. With Anthony a seasoned vet of New York, and Charlotte hesitant to give the big city a second chance, they set off on an adventure that includes reconnecting with old friends, makeovers, and taking chances on the unexpected.

Kiss Me In New York was a sweet holiday read that pulled me into the story, and had me rooting for the characters. The way the author mentioned so many of New York's famous areas throughout the story really brought the setting to life, and I enjoyed the way the plot moved in directions I really hadn't been expecting, like the back story on Anthony's family, and the way Charlotte is able to help him overcome his negative feelings towards them. The way the characters both learn they need to let go and move on, and take a second chance on love and life was probably my favorite part of the story, and I liked the way the author made this seem realistic, and didn't leave me feeling like I couldn't possibly believe what I'd just read.

However, after finishing this novel, unfortunately it was still only a three out of five star read for me. I've mentioned many times before that I'm not a fan of insta-love in the slightest, and that's definitely what the relationship is in this one. Most of the events between Anthony and Charlotte all happen over not even a twenty four hour period, and although it was pleasing to see they way they were learning to trust and to love again, it just didn't work for me with how fast it was all happening. I'd love to see the author revisit these characters in a future novel, and give their relationship more of a chance to fully develop. For the meantime though, while I'm glad I took a chance on this sweet, sugary contemporary that definitely had its deeper and surprising moments throughout the plot, I don't think it'll be a reread for me in the future.

Thanks so much for reading guys! I hope you all have a great rest of your day, and I'll see you all tomorrow for Blogmas Day Nine!


This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The tree photo was taken by me with an Iphone, and belongs to me. The book cover photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners. 




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