DNF. The book needed some editing and re-read. I couldn't get myself to finish it, it felt like a draft. There was almost no effort, only dialogues for pages without any description of surroundings or feelings or whatsoever.

Michael asks his best friend Fiona Ng to pose as his girlfriend for a long family Christmas weekend. The red headed Arkansas family is huge, friendly and has very competitive traditions. Sister Lizzy catches Fiona's attention and Fi is wishing she was in this family but with Lizzy and not Michael. This reads very much like a screenplay with silly antics and family members with zinging lines. I smiled, laughed and enjoyed the first 3/4 of this book very much.

There was really so much to love in this fake holiday romance; snowball fights, gingerbread house decorating and big family dynamics. There were also racist comments from grandma that Fi had to explain to Michael how it felt to be on the receiving end. But their friendship showed through as she challenged him to "Do better". Lizzy and Fi were flirty and fun interacting together until the last quarter. A painful forced coming out scene, an oddly placed physical moment and varying acceptance from family members brought my enjoyment down a little. I still like this quick read and will read others from the author.

A book that manages to create from one big impossible situations, lots of others when trying to are things right! This book mixes humour, sensitivity and a good dollop of sarcasm as Lizzie, Fiona and Michael navigate themselves through some tricky family situations as well as trying to be truthful to who they are whilst keeping friendships tight. A fun, loopy read!

This book is hands down my favorite sapphic Christmas book. It also cemented falling-for-my-fake-boyfriend’s-sister as my top romance trope. I loved Fiona and the entire McElroy family (with the exception of the grandmother because she can eff right off). The whole dynamic was so wholesome, with lots of good natured sibling ribbing, hilarious competitions, and so much warmth and love. I particularly loved the snowball fight, which was definitely my favorite chapter. The romance was a delicious slow burn and the eventual reveal was satisfying and handled well. Only one spicy scene, but it was well worth the wait. I only wish there was a follow up novella about Fiona and Lizzie returning to visit the family the following Christmas.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

Bang on accurate family dynamics in this hilarious Christmas story

If you have siblings, there's plenty of familiar arguments, ganging up and being embarrassed by your mother as she airs your past to relative strangers you'll recognize in this book. Fiona gets to witness all this and a highly competitive Christmas holiday at the McElroy house which she visits with her best friend Michael McElroy. They're both hiding something from the family (they're not the only ones) so hilarity ensues as they try to convince the other McElroys that they are a couple. Fiona, an only child, is a true fish out of water as she is surrounded by the many children in the family, all of whom are ginger haired and seem to be everywhere all at once; it's a memorable holiday in more ways than one.

KL Hughes really nails the sibling rivalries and shifting loyalties that happen among them so their dialogue and actions are spot on and believable. Mother Rosie McElroy may not be a main character but she certainly steals the prize for best character in my opinion; she is the ultimate mother to her kids and take no crap from anyone! It took me some time on day two reading the book to reacquainted myself with the characters, mostly the who's who, and who's older/younger, since their personalities are what distinguish them more than their physical appearance; it's not a deal breaker in part because what's often going on is so very funny that the humor overtakes who's actually the one inspiring it.

I highly recommend this for holiday reading (or any time of the year) whether you're surrounded by family or are missing them from a distance; this will definitely remind you what you love and what irritates you about them. The overall plot is predictable but it makes no difference given the rich details that fill in those broad strokes of the fake relationship trope. It does hit on some serious issues along the way but overall it's a comedy romance bound to be re-read annually as a holiday or family tradition. My only criticism is the lack of a pre-sex talk and safe sex practices between relevant characters and wish that those elements occurred more regularly in lesfic books in general. I look forward to reading more by KL Hughes in the future.