Really cosy young adult romance perfect for those chilly winter days. Jasper the main character will be relatable to so many and as someone who is from a small town the author really nailed how both charming and stifling it can be.

A beautiful and charming romance for YA readers. Full of Gilmore Girl vibes and neurodiverse representation. A must read!

I unfortunately didn't have the time to read this one in time before the archive date but will definitely give it a try in the future.

Wow, wow, wow!! Elle McNicoll does it again and with a genre that’s not even my usual type of book!

This book was perfect, and I felt myself really identifying with the main character at so many points in the book. Her thoughts were definitely some that I have had and it made me feel seen!!

I love that Elle writes from experience and includes neurodiversity in her writing. She hits the nail on the head with EVERYTHING she writes and I cannot wait to read more from her in the future!

A small two, deeply romantic YA that centres a neuro divergent lead and the boy who's loved her from afar. And a whole lot of family drama.

I think Elle McNicoll managed to capture the small town vibes really well here, with everyone knowing everyone else's business and pitching in together to create a community. It's wholesome on the one hand but for Jasper it also creates a lot of problems, as she's constantly having to mask her behaviours and not be herself. This feeling is further exacerbated by a family who doesn't really understand her at all - especially older sister Christine. Arthur, our small town hero, is the friendly local cinema guy. The Mr Reliable who's taken up the reigns of the family business and it's filing a small documentary about small town life. I loved the inclusion of this movie scenes into the story, as it made me feel like a part of the plot. The chemistry between the too is really sweet and heart warming. Arthur really does seem to love and accept everything about Jasper.

I do think the writing is a bit juvenile, and on the younger YA side, which sometimes jarred with the language used. I also didn't like the family dynamics at all. Jasper's family are, by and large, horrible people who don't seem to care about Jasper at all. Christine goes beyond being a simple 'Bridezilla' (a term I think people overuse to excuse rude and downright horrible behaviour) to hurting Jasper's feelings all the time. She's so selfish it's unreal, and I just couldn't get past that to really enjoy the story.

Amazing representation, great chemistry but the family drama overwhelmed the true heart of this story, which is Jasper.

Gorgeous Romance book with really brilliant neurodivergent rep.

I really loved how the main character saw the good in people despite their ugly behavior. I found this portrayal to be really relatable and loved how it took someone else to help her see how she deserved better.

Really loved the dual POV.

27. Some Like It Cold by Elle McNicoll

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Such a cosy, wintery romance! Not my usual cup of tea but I adored Jasper and this story made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

❄️ ND representation
❄️ Cosy town vibes
❄️ Friendship, family and romance

Reading this made me want to rewatch Gilmore Girls!

Another hit from Elle McNicholl. Some Like It Cold is a book to read in front of the fire wrapped in blankets while imagining snowy towns full of markets and mazes and a lot of charm. This is a book to save for when the winter chill hits.

As always, Elle McNicholl’s ND representation is just perfect and at some points so accurate that it hurts just a little. In a good way. As an autistic girl, this book was cathartic. One of the things I love most about her books is that she finds a different type of autism to show in each. Because as the saying goes, If you meet one autistic person, you have met one autistic person. Every single one of us has a unique perspective and McNicholl has truly committed to showing it.

The narration was perfect. One of the things I loved most about Sanderson was that she made the voices subtle but so distinct that you could get a sense of who was talking before the dialogue tag. I always love when narrators do that.

This book was cosy, it had small town charm and it’s the perfect book to break into the Young Adult market.

Nobody's surprised this was a five star for me. I adore this. It felt comforting and familiar - cosy and warm and just.. I want to be back in it, please.

This book was so cosy and it gave me all the feels. The rep in this book was amazing and I felt it was done so well. I am looking forward to reading something else of McNicoll's!

I completely adored this book! It brings rivals to lovers, complex characters, small town vibes, and people finding their paths. It’s impossible not to love Jasper, who’s written so perfectly. She has character and depth, her emotions feeling genuine and the difficulties of her story and the future she’s fighting for making you root for her. Seeing her through Arthur’s eyes also adds an extra element to her character - and maybe to his too. You can feel the youth in them, but not in the way where some YA books are written with an immaturity to the writing and characters. Arthur and Jasper feel like young adults, finding their feet and their places in the world, but as fully formed people that could step off the page. It was at times difficult to read Jasper’s POV as the way she’s treated by her family is painful, as is the way the world has made her feel the need to become a chameleon instead of herself. Her relationship with Arthur is refreshing and his interest in the woman behind the mask is exactly what I need in a romance (and such an underrated trope). Their characters bounce off each other well and the rivalry from high school adds to their chemistry.

My one complaint would be that Jasper’s family, and especially Christine, were perhaps too over the top obnoxious and could have perhaps been awful but in a more realistic way. However, I loved everything else in this book. The characters in this town are brought into the mix too and help to create a community, another element which make this story realistic and make the town feel as though it could be a real place.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Jasper's story is cute and she is incredibly lovable, backstage and onstage. An 18 year old trying to manage a life that has been carefully curated by her family. Jasper has allowed herself to take on a mask in order to meet those expectations, rather than be wholly true to herself. We see Jasper figure out how to change all that as she returns to her hometown after 18 months at university.

There is a lot of winter cosy in this book and you can't help root for the love story to come to fruition.

As I'm not the intended audience, I think my grumbles, might just be my age and misunderstanding the nuance of young afult writing. I found it a little repetitive at times, with a lot of spelling out what was happening instead of allowing the reader to discover themselves.

In saying that, I think Lake Pristine is a beautiful place to spend some wintery nights cosying up, especially for teenage readers.

I wish this book was around when I was younger. Honestly that feeling is a common theme for me whenever I finish Elle McNicoll’s books. As a late diagnosed autistic, having accurate and relatable representation was what led me to realising I could be autistic. I can’t explain how much it means to be that children, young adults and beyond have books like these to see themselves in, as well as neurotypical people being able to gain a better understanding of how it feels being neurodivergent.

Some Like It Cold made me laugh, it made me cry, it had me nodding in understanding and feeling all of those familiar frustrations on Jaspers behalf.

Every second of this book was perfect, I literally wouldn’t have changed a single thing. The storyline was really well paced and kept me thoroughly entertained, the characters (even the bad ones) made me feels all the feels and rage and sorrow. The representation was great. The Christmas vibes were perfect.

I’d rate this higher than 5 stars if I could.

I really loved this book. It felt naturally cosy and small town and the representation of autism felt genuine and relatable.

I loved the wider cast of characters in the town and the geography too, the cinema, Jasper's home and the town square all featuring several times.

I would love to get a physical copy as I know I'd enjoy re-reading this in future years.

There were a few tiny touches that didn't work for me as much. I couldn't situate Jasper's age, if she had been at university for 18 months, how was she 18? I also found that the way some of the threads were tied up at the end didn't do justice to the depth of writing of some of the relationship dynamics.

However, overall this was a brilliant time and I feel really lucky to have got to have read it. I'd warmly recommend it.

Gosh this one has caused real conflicting feelings and I have so many thoughts about it. Might be a long rambly review…i apologise in advance 🤣

I was expecting a light holiday romance with an autistic main character. Whilst there is a romance central to the story and the autism representation is AMAZING, this was not light! At least not for me. I actually found reading this INCREDIBLY stressful.

That’s not to say it’s not good! It’s very good. As an autistic woman myself, I find Elle McNicoll’s way of writing about autistic women the most relatable I’ve ever come across. Which obviously makes sense as she’s autistic too.

Her books are actually quite a challenge for me. I’m simultaneously re-traumatised and healed through reading them. My response to them is pretty visceral.

For so much of this book I struggled. Other than Jasper and Arthur, most of the characters gave me the ick. There was just so much overt and subtle nastiness and I was pulling a disgusted face most of the time reading. I mean I have experienced periods of my life when I’ve come across people like those depicted and it captured so well the micro-aggressions aimed at autistic people and indeed anyone who is a bit different. It definitely triggered a lot of unwanted memories if I’m honest.

One of the hardest moments for me was when her best friend, Odettte doesn’t believe her after an incident. I’ve had similar situations happen to me so many times. And you just want to be like I’m autistic, I’m not gonna lie or cause unnecessary drama, do you even know me!? I just want to help you.

Also Jesper’s family. Ugh. Hated all of that dynamic. Then it seemed to be resolved quite easily in the end. Not sure that quite added up.

However, I equally hated the shaming film about the family dynamic. It worked for the story, but that was so cruel. If something like that was done in real life and I was in Jasper’s situation, I’d be standing up and saying switch this off now!

Yeah there was a lot I didn’t like. But it’s complicated because I also appreciate the strength of the representation. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a character I identified with more than Jasper, in terms of personality (not the family and wealth stuff).

The portrayal of overcompensating by being the most perfect version of yourself, being what everyone else needs you to be and never letting the mask slip because people will instantly turn against you. Yeah that hit really hard. So like me before I became chronically ill. Spinning a dozen plates, looking the most calm and collected person, being kind to everyone (even when they’re cruel). People going…how are you doing it all? Or assuming you secretly think you’re better than everyone. Whilst inside you feel the biggest chaotic anxious mess and break down in private every day. Yeah I felt attacked 🤣😂

I will say, Jasper finally telling everyone her true wants and desires, as well as finding the person she could lose her mask with, was very healing. I cried. A lot.

There is soooo much more I could talk about, but this review is way too long already.

I’m giving this 4⭐️
The autism rep is 5⭐️worthy!!
There was just some bits of the plot I wasn’t too keen on and the experience of reading it was so stressful on a personal level!
I need to read something escapist now…

Jasper returns to her home town for Christmas and her sister's wedding with a list of tasks to do before she leaves forever. Her family is one of the oldest in the town and sort of rule the town. Her sister is difficult, especially around wedding planning. Her best friend seems to have new friends and no time for Jasper, adding to her struggles.

Arthur has clashed with Jasper his entire life and now she's back. He runs his father's cinema and decides to entire a film competition about small towns. What he and his cousin capture might not be what the town expects.

This is an own-voices story with an autistic main character. The descriptions of Jasper's struggles are eye-opening. I've read a lot about autism recently and this is one of the books that I think shows the struggles of autism in a neurotypical world in the clearest way.

I really loved this story. It's immersive, sweet and a perfect YA novel. It's definitely got a Gilmore Girls, small town vibe (the bandstand lit up with fairy lights features in a key moment). While reading the beginning of the story, I was a little confused about where it's set - it has the small town America vibes (see Gilmore Girls!) but talks about "mum" and being under 18 when going to a club. Ultimately it doesn't matter, the story takes over and you get engrossed.

I've read some of the author's fantastic middle-grade books but hadn't connected the name when I requested this book from NetGalley. I'll be reading more from Elle as soon as I can.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was so stinkin' cute!

In this book we follow Jasper Montgomery as she has returned to Lake Pristine for the holidays. Ready to leave everything behind and start her new life. But things don't quite go to plan as she accidentally disrupts her sister's engagement and crosses paths with her teenage adversary, budding filmmaker Arthur Lancaster.

I really enjoyed this book, ,y favourite thing by far, was definitely the cozy small town setting. The imagery was so beautiful, and it aged to create an almost nostalgic feeling.

I also connected wholly to the characters. I specifically enjoyed how Japer depicted being autistic.

The romance was also super cute, not my favourite as it definitely could have had more depth but the chemistry and banter really leaped of the page.

All in all, I reccommend!

I couldn't wait to read Elle McNicoll's YA neurodiverse romance story and she's nailed it. A gorgeous tale, Jasper and Arthur are totally loveable and authentic charcaters who are at odds with each other and their up and down love story is both relatable and ground-breaking in terms of representation. McNicoll writes with heart, warmth and draws on the classic romance genre to tell a raw and bold modern tale full of family drama set in a small town setting. Through Jasper, McNicoll highlights how exhausting it is to mask your true self and how overwhelming situations can be on a sensory level. Personal, moving and just wonderfully done!

If you, like me, love Gilmore Girls but can't stand the main characters then this book is for you. With all the cosiness and warmth of Stars Hollow and characters who are (mostly) likeable, Some Like It Cold is the book equivalent of a mug of hot chocolate.

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.