The Christmas Swap by Melody Carlson Review

Hello Friends :)

I hope you're all doing well, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

It's been a bit of a tough few days for me personally. I've been dealing with some personal stuff that's kind of dragged my spirits down a bit, but I'm so thankful for Jesus during all these hard times as I know He is always always there for me.

With His help I know I can get through anything that comes my way, and I'm forever grateful.

One of my favorite things to do when I'm having a tough week is read Christian fiction. I love how uplifting these books are, and since it's August I thought it seemed like the perfect time to go ahead and start reading some of the Christmas ARCs that I currently have from NetGalley.

I'm one of those weird people that can read Christmas stories all year long, but I especially enjoy getting to read them in the months leading up to Christmas.

Today I'm excited to be sharing my thoughts with you all of Melody Carlson's upcoming Christmas release.

This was featured on my most anticipated fall releases 2020 post, and keep reading to see if it lived up to all my expectations for it.

The Christmas Swap by Melody Carlson:

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Revell

Publication Date: September 1st, 2020

Genre: Christian Fiction/Sweet Romance

Synopsis:

All Emma Daley wants this holiday season is a white Christmas. But the young teacher and struggling musician sure can't find that in sunny Arizona. Luckily, there's someone living in a perfect mountain home in the Colorado Rockies looking to make a vacation trade this year.

Tyler Prescott is an in-demand songwriter and talented musician who put his own singing career on hold to write songs for celebrity acts to perform. When his mother convinces him to do a vacation trade for Christmas, he never imagined one of the houseguests would be so sweet--or so strikingly pretty. Naturally, he decides to stick around, and, to get better acquainted, he poses as the house's caretaker. But when Emma's friend Gillian discovers his true identity and sets her sights on him, things
get . . . messy.

Fan favorite Melody Carlson is back with another delightful Christmas tale to warm your heart on those cold winter evenings.

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

I have read a lot of Melody Carlson's books over the years, and I've come to look forward to reading her sweet holiday stories that always leave me with a smile on my face.

Her newest Christmas story is a heartwarming romance that focuses around a Christmas house swap. Emma will be joining her affluent friend's family in Colorado, while Colorado based songwriter West will be heading to Arizona to spend the holidays with his family in warmer climates for a change.

Hi jinks and hilarity happen when West ends up missing his flight, falling for his new house guest, and getting caught in the clutches of Emma's friend Gillian. With a case of mistaken identity, a beautiful small town backdrop, and an eclectic cast of characters, The Christmas Swap is a cute, clean holiday themed romance that I really ended up enjoying. However, I did end up having a few issues with it that kept it from being a five star read for me.

Gillian and her mother, Lisa, were not the nicest of characters, and both ended up grating on my nerves to the point that I could barely stand reading the passages that included them. I had an extremely hard time understanding why Emma would have kept herself in such a toxic friendship in the first place. Also, while I did really enjoy both Emma and West as characters, and thought their romance was sweet and adorable in many ways, it really came across heavily as insta love, and I'm never a fan of that particular romance novel trope. It didn't seem believable that their feelings for each other could be as strong as they both claimed when they'd only actually known each other for a few days.

Overall, this one was sweet and a shorter length novel that is enjoyable if you're looking for a fluffier story to get you into the Christmas spirit. It's definitely not my favorite of Melody Carlson's Christmas stories, but I'm still glad I took the chance and read it.

Final Rating: 3/5.

Thanks so much to Revell for allowing me to advance read this!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Revell) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks so much for reading guys! I hope you have a great rest of your day :)