I was so excited to read a book where the woman is the one that hates Christmas, I thought this would be a breath of fresh air. Oh boy was I wrong. I’m still not entirely sure what I’ve just read.

There was no need for this book to be set around the festive season other than giving Summer a reason for being a horrible person. The reason why she despises Christmas so much is never really explained other than her dad leaving and her mom throwing away the Christmas tree. I get that her dad leaving was probably traumatic but the Christmas element was definitely an afterthought as it wasn’t mentioned any of the previous times her dad leaving was brought up.

Anyway, let’s go back to the beginning of Summer Hates Christmas. My first impression of Summer really wasn’t great. There’s not liking Christmas and then there’s just being a horrible person. She shouts at Noel and calls his business “bullsh*t tat” and then kicks his Christmas tree so hard it falls over and the baubles smash.

After this incident, they meet again at a bar that evening and he buys her a drink to apologise. For what?! She literally damaged his property.

She’s very short with him at the bar, I’d go as far to say rude. He asks if she needs a taxi, she says no and then for some reason does a complete 180 and invites him for food and ‘giggles’ at something he says. What is going on? These characters are all over the place.

There was absolutely no build to their relationship. They both decide to hate each other, the next day Noel tell her he likes her and the next thing you know they’re kissing. I’m aware this is an ‘enemies to lovers’ book but firstly, they’re not your enemy if lasts like two days and secondly develop their relationship first. You can’t have them go from childish I hate you’s to agreeing to date within 10 pages. It just doesn’t work.

The most intricate character was Summer’s mom. She had real trauma and felt like a well-rounded character. Her chapters/scenes were quite sad, but it was great to see the perspective of an actual adult with reasonable emotions. Which is saying something because she literally has PTSD/trauma (I don’t remember it being clarified).

I was also more interested in the relationship between Summer’s cleaner (I can’t remember her name, oops) and her new next-door neighbour. They were very cute and she was by far the best character. Also, this is a multiple-POV book, but that isn’t said in the synopsis.

Bringing back the point of this not needing to be set around Christmas. There are about 10 pages of festivities (if that) and it’s quite underwhelming. Christmas is in the title and you barely get a glimpse at it.

I think I could go on for days about the underwhelming and quite frankly confusing elements of this book, but I don’t have the energy. I did manage to finish it, but mostly because it was quite short. This wasn’t for me, sorry!

I read this book on the heels of another by the same author. That said, there is not much in common between the two. We have a woman who runs a travel agency and has her mother in her life, which seriously curtails her movements since the mother in question is struggling with mental health issues.
In the same week that a man opens a Christmas store next to her own more sedate company, Summer decides to give her mother a nudge in a different direction. I guessed the twist quite early on because of the stress on a few key facts in the first half.
I would have appreciated this book even more if the constant back and forth between the central couple was not so imbalanced. One knows straight off that they want to make an effort, while the other keeps going back and forth between what makes the most sense and what can actually be done.
There are some serious issues tackled here, but the romance and Summer's changes in life are the central focuses. Fans of the genre would like this book.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Summer hates Christmas and I’m surprised everyone doesn’t hate Summer, TBH (at least in the beginning)

She KICKED his Christmas tree!!!!! Who does this!!! Noel is a far more patient human than I could ever be. He is also way too patient 😂

I did come around to her by the end, but it was so hard to like Summer when she chose to be cruel so often she astonished even her friends. And the chaos with her family was a whirlwind. Somebody should probably have been arrested at least for a few minutes.

This was a fairly quick read, quirky and hectic and with lots of drama without feeling too heavy! Good for cozy cold months (even though Summer hates them).

It was more than I expected tbh. Super related to summer and really felt for her! Love Avril spirit and the love she had for her sister and balls to go looking for her. Noel is such a dream boyfriend, it’s a shame he’s not real. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

This was a sweet and cosy read, but heavier than I initially thought it would be. Summer has issues with Christmas due to her dad leaving at that time of year and her mum has since become a recluse, making their relationship, and Summer’s life, very difficult. When Noel opens a Christmas shop next door to Summer’s travel agency, they immediately clash before coming to terms with their feelings for each other.

The romance between Summer and Noel is so endearing and their chemistry was undeniable and instant. Although I enjoyed the other characters and their stories, I would have preferred the focus to be on just Summer and Noel with their friends and family being part of more secondary plots. I so wished there had been an epilogue as well - this was crying out to end with the next Christmas surely!

What to expect:

- festive feels
- heavy family drama
- enemies to lovers
- small town romance
- golden retriever MMC
- grumpy x sunshine
- closed door romance

I picked this book because the cover and the books title. But I must say I was little disapointed.
Wanted to love it. Wish for a Christmasy feely book, but it wasn't for me.
It ended as just okay read for me.

3 stars

Looking at the title and cover, I got the impression this would be a typical , sweet Christmas story. While it does definitely give off holiday vibes, it delves more into the personal growth of the characters and the emotional journey they go on. Summer and Noel were both wonderful, well-developed characters and I enjoyed getting to know them and follow them on their journey. Summer missed out on a lot of things because of the conditions she grew up in and that has hardened her. She prefers to stay in the sunshine and at the beach and would rather not have anything to do with Christmas. She runs a travel agency and travels the world through her customers. When Noel moves his Christmas shop next door to her, annoyed doesn't even begin to describe how she feels about that. But Noel is determined to win her over and break through her armor, and in the process falls in love with her.
This was a very enjoyable enemies to more story, with some pretty emotional scenes as well that will pull at your heartstrings. Though it did address some tough themes, it was a thoroughly heartwarming read. Glad to have had the opportunity to read it.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and Boldwood Books and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I gave this one a shot but it just wasn’t for me. I got to 35% and had to DNF. I just couldn’t stand Summer. Her actions often felt so immature. The plot was all over the place like the author just threw ever storyline in there. I can appreciate a grumpy/sunshine trope but the grumpy was too much for me here. This one just wasn’t working for me.

I loved this!!! I so didn't want to get rid of Summer and Noel. I could have kept reading their story. This was a great holiday romance book. Loved it!!!
I just reviewed Summer Hates Christmas by Rachel Dove. #SummerHatesChristmas #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Summer Hates Christmas is about Summer, who hates Christmas. She is dealing with Noel, who loves Christmas next door. Their names also give away their preferences. While the book was a fun holiday read, and it is written very well, it may not have been my cup of tea, however it still was enjoyable.

Well well well well...... What do we have here? As many of you know I absolutely love Christmas books and can't wait to get my hands on them, <b>BUT</b> this two star rating makes me feel so guilty and heart broken to rate a "Christmas" book this low. Summer Hates Christmas written by Rachel Dove is <b>NOT YOUR TYPICAL CHRISTMAS BOOK.</b> The cover definitely had me fooled, it's way heavier than the cover portrays. I'm not really sure why this author would have this beautiful cover on this book when it has <b>NOTHING</b> to do with Christmas. I have heard really good things about Rachel Dove's books, but this one just wasn't for me, but on the bright side I won't let this stop me from reading her books. I know not every book is going to be unicorns and sprinkles, but why portray a Christmassy cover when the story has nothing to with Christmas at all? I have seen many people stating the same thing I have said, but I knew I had to read this book before I can make my own judgement. Please don't let this review stop you from reading this book, you may have better luck than I did, but these are just my own opinions and how I felt about this book. Like I said in the beginning, I truly feel guilty rating a book so low.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND BOLDWOOD BOOKS FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!!

TRIGGER WARNINGS:
-Physical abuse
-Verbal abuse
-Depression
-Cheating (mentioned, but off page)
-Alcoholism (mentioned, but off page)

Summer Hastings absolutely hates Christmas, She loves sunshine, the beach, running her travel agency, and sending people off to their dream destinations. Summer hasn't really had an easy life, her mom was emotionally abusive, which caused Summer to miss out on a lot of things. Handsome and charming, Noel Pritchett moves his pop up Christmas shop into the store right next to Summer's travel agency business, when Noel does this Summer just sees red, what could this possibly mean? Is Noel a red flag? Noel LOVES Christmas, but he likes Summer too and she HATES Christmas. If Noel can break through the anti Christmas armor Summer has surrounded herself with then Noel can really show Summer that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Noel has more questions than answers, but as he gets to know Summer those answers will start revealing themselves as to why Summer hates Christmas so much, can Noel be that person that shows Summer what Christmas is all about? I totally understand why Summer hates Christmas, but she acted so childish when Noel opened his Christmas pop up shop, Summer literally kicked his Christmas tree.

Perfect read for Christmas before it’s time. The characters were so cute and I am obsessed with the concept. Easy 5/5

Fun christmassy things is a definite yay!! I loved Noel's shop!

🏖 Sweet romance with heart & a lot of love but not without pain.

🎄 Rachel wrote a very touching story that isn't all sunshine & rainbows, but there was still laughter & love, making it feel very real & emotional.

🏖 The relationships were all special & really shone at the end, which made me happy! No spoilers!

🎄 I would say a cute festive read, which it is, but I read it way before Christmas & enjoyed it, so you don't have to wait till then! 😄

Book Review:

⭐️⭐️💫

Summer hates Christmas.
Noel loves all thing Christmas.
Summer runs a travel agency.
Noel just opened a Christmas shop next door.
These two are destined to be enemies.
But Noel can’t resist perusing Summer.
Can Summer and Noel find common ground, or are their differences just too big?

If you picked this book up hoping it would put you in the festive feels, you will sadly be disappointed. While Christmas is in the title, I wouldn’t say this is necessarily a Christmas story. Instead I would say this is Christmas adjacent. Most of the story takes place during autumn and has little to do with the holiday other than Noel’s shop and one or two chapters.

I was also taken aback by how heavy this book was. I anticipated a much lighter, fun read. Sadly, this is not that. The book deals primarily with the breakdown of a family and the after effects. Summer as a result has a hard exterior that often leads to angry outbursts, primarily directed at Noel. She is a difficult main character to get behind and with the absence of proper character development, I was left wanting more.

I wish I could say that I would recommend picking up a copy of this book, but with other great holiday reads on the market I just can’t.

Thank you to a Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Rachel Dove for gifting me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This one didn't work for me. I couldn't gel with the main character. I found her too harsh, uncaring and a little bit annoying. I'm sure others will really like it. Just not for me.

I really struggled to like Summer and sympathise with her as she has such a harsh way of speaking and can be so unpredictable. It is only as her story unfolds, that you realise quite what is going on in her life and why she reacts as she does. Then you begin to have empathise and wonder how her future is going to pan out. Noel seems to be able to disregard her harshness and despite everything she says to him, has the patience to get to know her. Family is an important component of the story and there are some surprising twists in Summer's background which I did not see coming.

I did enjoy Jean's part of the story and her growing friendship with her neighbour. She also has a sympathy for Summer and Summer's mother. There are some genuinely funny parts of the story. I especially liked Noel's reaction to the thieving seagull and to Summer's spray tan sessions. With mental health very much at the centre of the story, this is a book with plenty of light and shade.


In short: enemies to lovers with a festive twist

Train wreck of what I can only assume is an unedited first draft.

Summer lives in a small coastal English tourist town. She owns her own travel agency and enjoys planning trips for others (even though she has never left her town). Noel moves to town to open a pop up Christmas store in the fall. Noel’s pop up store is next door to Summer’s travel agency. Summer is described in the blurb as “hating Christmas”, but in this novel hate isn’t a strong enough word. She loathes Christmas with a passion and will fight any stranger who dares to reference the holiday in her presence. On the first day of meeting Noel she loses her mind on three separate occasions. She is an adult woman who is described as feral at the sight of a Christmas tree. The story continues from there with added in plot lines from Summer’s mother (who is agoraphobic) to Summer’s cleaning lady.

This novel was all over the place from the characterizations to the plot to the narrative to the writing style. Several times throughout the book it felt like the author was trying to squeeze in way too many plot line or tropes when she was lost as to how to continue the story.

Brief highlights building to the train wreck:
-Zero idea why Noel was attracted to Summer. She was rude and terrible to him the first several times he met her. She acted like an immature child anytime someone mentioned Christmas.
-This may be a personal issue, but I really don’t like when POV changes without notice. Several times POV would change in the middle of a paragraph. To me this is completely jarring and forces me to go back to reread the page to figure out which POV we are viewing now.
-This was described as a “romantic comedy”, but had several trigger warning issues pop up out of the blue and seemed very unnecessary to continue the story (such as a drug overdose death of an adult child of a tertiary character).
-I can only assume that when the author wasn’t sure how to continue the story she would add in another POV. By the end of the novel we had 6 different POVs.
-There was never a true explanation for the depth of Summer’s hatred of Christmas.

Okay, first off, don't you just LOVE that cover?
The image is very striking with the colors used, but you can already see the potential for connection with their outfits matching each other's sides. So cute! But I digress...

Summer and Noel...
... from the moment they meet, it's anything but cute, but they're just unwittingly laying the groundwork for all that's to come!

She likes summer holidays, and travel, but Christmas isn't in her good graces. He lives for the holidays, and runs a business to match, and seems to have a growing affection for Summer... just not specifically the season. 😉 Together there's magic to be made, if only they can get past their own issues, and life stops throwing in new monkey wrenches to unsettle things... like a particular school girl that turns up looking for work (I had a feeling about her... which turned out to be right!). There are more surprises, both good and not so good, but in the end, things turn happily merry and bright in unexpected ways, giving us a HEA worth the read.

Aside from the grumpy sunshine romance angle, this story also deals with some pretty big issues like loss, abandonment, emotional trauma, and the healing effects of moving on. It shows in a real light the struggles that can plague some people, as well as the aid that the right helping hand, including that of a professional, can provide. It reminds us that getting help doesn't make us weak, but STRONG because we can acknowledge the problem and grow from them. When Summer's mom finally made steps forward, I couldn't help but give a little cheer... even if the outing ending in a little bloodshed 😆.... you'll have to read it to find out... even if I'm not certain I could forgive and not forget move forge a new path, it worked for them. Noel was a gem with all his holiday cheer, but even with all the jolly man facade, he was true blue at heart, which helped a great deal with the struggles later on in the book.

A great pick for Contemporary Fiction fans looking to jumpstart their holiday reading or for those that simply need a little Christmas now. 😉

Another Christmas read I was here for and really think you should read! Summer Hates Christmas by Rachel Dove is a magical read that will have you laughing, catching your breath, and cheering for a happily ever after. My heart was so happy while reading this.

Meet Summer. She hates Christmas with every fibre of her bring. A shop opens up next to hers and guess what? It’s a Christmas themed store. Will this handsome stranger be able to show Summer everything there is to love about Christmas? Or will Summer spend the rest of her life kicking Christmas trees?

This was my first book by Dove and will not be my last. From the first chapter where a Christmas tree was kicked, I was hooked! Dove has a writing style that has you watching the story play out as a movie in your head as you read. Aren’t those the best?! Just like J.K. Rowling, I agree with other reviewers who have said Dove has magic in her words.