what a wonderful feel good young adult romance read , it had all the vibes of the girlmore girls for me set in the winter ,snowy small town , cosy vibes which is what i love .setting is perfect .

I thought that Ella writing was just so beautiful,it flowed wonderfully Elle she left me wanting more and more which is the best .

I thought Elle did an amazing job writing about the autism rep i thought she was very delicate but you can also tell she did her research into i have a son who has autism so i understood much more what was happening with the character which helped me even more to the story its self .

i thought the plot of the story was fantastic, i really want to read more by Elle and i cant wait for others to read this book

i'm giving the cosy book 5 stars

Some Like It Cold is a delightful Young Adult romance full of all the Gilmore Girls / Hallmark movie vibes readers will adore!
18 year old Jasper is home for Christmas. Covered in snow, her hometown of Lake Pristine is absolutely picturesque. The trouble is, Jasper never really liked perfect, unblemished things and it’s what her parents (and the town) always expected of her. How is she going to tell them she’s dropping out of university and pursuing her dreams of design school instead?
As she navigates her perfect sister’s engagement, reconnecting with her best friend and the awkwardness of spending time with an old foe, Arthur, Jasper battles between being “back for now” and being “back for good”.
With a feisty, autistic heroine, Some Like It Cold reveals the realities many young women face with pressure from external expectations, feeling the need to mask and trying to be true to themselves.

The reason I wanted to read this was because it was sold as a book with an autistic heroine which I thought was great and underdone. For a long time it was hard to see how the heroine was autistic and then little things started to happen to explain this and I worried about that or a while. Was it trying to underplay autism? But I’ve decided actually what it was doing was more true to life and realistic and challenges the usual idea of autism (for example, 8 really loved the A word on BBC but not all autistic protagonists need to wear huge headphones to prove neurological differences). I had heard of the author through ‘A Kind of Spark’ but not realised it was connected until after. I liked the male character and the setting, and Jasper’s loyalty to her family.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan for this ARC of ‘Some Like It Cold’ by Elle McNicoll.

WOW! The Autism Rep in this is probably the best I’ve read about. The author truly explored what living with autism is like and did so whilst avoiding society’s stereotypes. I read this and could’ve immediately re read it. I will be ordering the physical copy of this and looking into more of this authors work!

SOME LIKE IT COLD is a cosy, wintry romance centring an autistic woman in a small town that knows everyone's business - except she's always had to hide herself from them.

This book captures what it's like to be an autistic woman, the expectations and demand to mask that much more. The fact that the stereotype of autism is very male centric and so "you don't look autistic" is used like a weapon to force you into a different shape. The fact that there's so much less leeway given to women who don't conform. The energy drain of always, always having to mask and be perfect.

There was something cathartic - so incredibly painful but also freeing - to see that laid out on the page. Everything hidden being dredged up and shown to any who read it. The pain and anger and resentment and fatigue of continually being misunderstood and having to shrug off comments (I could write an essay on why "Oh, I couldn't tell" is awful to hear.) The overwhelming fear and claustrophobia of overstimulation and the physical and mental effects of that.

And yet for all that painful openness, this is a love story that centres autism, that says you do not need to hide any part of who you are to be acceptable, to be worthy, to be loved. It's so empowering.

I also loved that the book has a more creative woman as the autistic lead. There are quite a few stereotypes about autistic people being naturally inclined to science and maths and not being creative or artsy (and I'm saying this as an autistic physicist!) but that is only one sub-group of the autistic community. It was so nice to see that stereotype challenged, to explore facets of the community that don't traditionally get shown (and the book does not hold back from blasting the role autistic characters are usually given in media.)

Jasper loves interior design and pink and movies. She is a dancer even if she's lost the love of it, and is a great mentor, encouraging and boosting others rather than fighting with them for space or putting them down (her and Grace had such an amazing relationship!)

I look forward to any other YA Elle McNicoll writes.

Small town setting, true romance, Neurodivergent representation everything I needed and more.

My Thoughts:

First of all thank you to PanMacmillen & NetGalley for allowing me to read this book for review.

Lake Pristine to me feels like Stars Hollow those are the incredible feelings you get with the town.

If you enjoy small town romances then you will love this book, Jasper has always been the person everyone expects she masks with a perfect person persona and does everything for everyone. Everyone apart from herself.

Jasper is the towns favourite character and you see that throughout the story for how she is portrayed by everyone. I enjoyed the slow burn of this romance and the slight aspect of enemy to lover. The aspects of neurodivergence has been touched on very well and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who feels that they aren’t able to be who they truly are because this book will make you see otherwise. Throughout the story we see all parts of Jaspers mind and how she feels, she goes through Shut-Down in an overstimulating environment she overthinks and sees things differently we feel everything from her perspective we can truly experience how she must see the world.

Arthur sees Jasper for exactly how she is and he always has done; he has a very gruff initial persona with her and part of that is his own denial and belief but he has always loved and respected her for exactly as she is and prefers her feisty power that she reserves only for him

I have loved everything Elle McNicoll has written so far and in this, her first trip into the YA age group, she once again excels with such heartwarming grace and poise

An inventive and different book, definitely not the classic romance. Life as neurodivergent is really well told, examples of the day to day living that ring true and ways that Jasper has tried to protect herself and mask so as to be able to feel part of the community. The community of Lake Pristine is a small town, and the stories of everyone’s business are mostly fun. when the fun turns bitter the writing is very well done, the cruelty of the spurned, the maliciousness of those who are hurt and jealous, and the meanness of parents is all exposed.
It took me a little while to get into the book, so many characters, with links and shared histories that I struggled to get them all straight, it was absolutely worth it though, the second half of the book was frenzied with ideas and changes if direction and love flooding it. A great read.

Some like it cold
By Elle McNicoll
Published by Pan Macmillan

What a fabulous love story from bestselling, award-winning author Elle McNicoll!Some Like it Cold is perfect for middle grade and teenagers who love adventure, love struck teens and village gossip.

Not only does she know how to tell a story but she holds our heart and minds in the palm of her hand as she weaves those words into a beautiful tale of love, friendship and trust. 

Jasper Montgomery is heading home for the holidays.
University life is not what she thought but her mind is made up. She must say goodbye to Lake Pristine. Her small town has one last chance before she leaves for good. Or so she thinks! And just like that Jasper doesn’t bank on accidentally ruining her sister's engagement, or bumping into her teenage crush of a filmmaker Arthur Lancaster.

Full of family feuds, old relationships, small-town tensions and a certain brooding film buff - You will not want to put this novel down!
Can Jasper decide what she wants from Arthur, and from Lake Pristine, before she leaves them both forever?
Will you solve the village feud or jump on the wrong band wagon?

Joanne Bardgett - teacher of littlies, lover of Children’s literature.
#Netgalley

Here comes my honest review, but first things firs. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Ok, so… i think the story is cute but I have some doubts about it. I appreciate the neurodivergent representation, being one the author herself, but I have read books where the FMC happens to be the light of the story, they bring me a sense of admiration and respect, cause they always feel more than what we can see (or read). Sadly in this case, I felt as if Jasper weren’t anything but autistic, as if that defined her. And I think part of that is because the author kept repeating throughout the book that Jasper was neurodivergent, seriously, she took every opportunity she had to remind us, so that held me at arms length and I didn’t feel any connection to her, I didn’t care about her for the first 70% of the book. I though she lacked personality.

Second thing (I’m sorry) I don’t like Arthur (I said what I said) I just think he’s boring. Also, he seemed to be kinda snob for me. Why would you dislike someone just because they’re rich? It doesn’t make sense.

I think this tried to be an enemies to lovers (kind of) but it didn’t work out. This thing between him and Japser felt rushed for me, although they were cute.

I would recommend this book if you like cute stories, small town and cozy vibes.

Again, thank you very much Netgalley and the publisher. Sorry for my bad English.

I am sucker for enemies-to-lovers tropes, and cosy small town romances so this was golden for me. Really liked the main protagonist - there was a depth, honesty and vulnerability to her that drew me into her whole narrative. The author OBVIOUSLY loves romances, and there was loving nods to so many tropes and plot-points which made for fun reference-spotting if you are also so inclined. Themes of belonging, and hiding who you truly are in order to try and belong, were woven throughout.

Some of the side characters who acted as barriers for Jasper felt a little villain-by-numbers to me, but a] who doesn't lilke a good villain to hate on, and b] this was balanced out enough by the depth of personality/diversity present in the other characters surrounding our girl.

Also this was targetted nicely for a younger/mid YA audience, clearly a little harder-hitting than her childen's fiction, but not the 'adult-romance-pretending-to-be-YA' that can sometimes happen. I'll probably reread this when the weather gets cold again, Lake Pristine's christmas market and arthouse cinema really were a joy to wander through.

This was super cute! Really quick reading and a great enemies to lovers trope. I’ve seen a few people mention it’s very Gilmore Girls feeling and I couldn’t agree more. I loved the representation also. Heartwarming and cosy feels. Great book, would recommend! Thankyou so much for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Books for providing me this arc!

4.5 stars!

I absolutely adored this heartwarming small town romance. The town reminded me of Gilmore Girls and I could picture everything so perfectly in my head as if I were watching a film. Our main character, Jasper, is autistic and I’ve never read a book with such positive representation. I applaud the author as it was such a pleasure to read and see this representation. There was also representations of neurodivergence in secondary characters as well (e.g. ADHD) as well as subplots of LGBTIQA+ romance.

All elements of a typical romance novel are also present in this cozy winter read. It was a pure delight to read and I will highly recommend to others.

I was really pleased to see this book. I was recently asked for enemies to lovers romance in my school library and struggled to find any that weren’t fantasy or same sex, which the reader didn’t want. The real bonus with this book though is that the main character is autistic. With a recently diagnosed teenage girl of my own it is fantastic that there is a book showing autism as a part of a normal life. Yes, she faces some challenges that neurotypicals don’t, such as sensory overload in a nightclub. This was turned into an opportunity for a rescue by the love interest.

All the elements of a typical romance are present, wrapped up in a small town wintery blanket. It’s feel good (with some serious moments) and a fun read. Thank you Elle for the positive representation.

I've read and loved everything Elle McNicoll has written so far, and Some Like It Cold is no exception. Jasper is a gorgeous, three-dimensional heroine ... and yes, she just happens to be autistic. Arthur is a prickly but loveable hero who I can imagine some of my students loving. The writing style is charming and easy to read as always.

I will admit, I found the very ambiguous setting a little offputting and was pulled out of the story more often than I would like by incongruities. It reads like a book that should be set in the UK (with some specific references to school years and other details) but seems to have been intentionally written without any specific detail and with hints of Americanisms in some wording that I have never heard used here. The most egregious of these is a reference in one scene of Jasper being too young to drink in a club, although her age has clearly been established as 18 multiple times earlier in the book.

Jasper is returning home from university for the Christmas holidays, having avoided coming back for 18 months. What no one else yet knows is that she has given up her course as she had not enjoyed it at all it being the course her parents insisted she do rather than the one she wanted. Now she is determined to do her own thing after telling her family. What Jasper does not appreciate is how much she is loved in her little home town. This is in sharp contrast to her elder sister who is a nightmare to deal with. Her newly engaged sister is full of wedding plans which Jasper is expected to go along with.
Arthur is committed to the town, having taken over the family run cinema with his elder brother after the death of their Father. Arthur and his cousin are shooting film footage of the town for a competition and focus on the approaching nuptials of Jasper’s elder sister.
Although many people in the town are covering up or blatantly lying about their feelings and actions, they can’t hide from the camera and a preview showing of the footage sets off fireworks.

I loved this book so much if your looking for a good enemies to lovers thus is a good book for you. It was so beautifully written and it foloows the story of the precious girl of her town trying go find her own path
I liked the plot and the characters and Arthur love for Odette was wonderful and very cute

Some Like it Cold by Elle McNicoll
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes: Small town, enemies to lovers.
Release Date: 3 October 2024

Jasper returns to her hometown of Lake Pristine from college. She’s looking for way out from her current life and this small town. Then… in steps her old childhood adversary, Jasper.

I loved this book! The author did a magnificent job of putting the relationship between Jasper and Arthur down on paper. It was a cute, cosy read with characters that you could easily fall in love with.

I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more work from Elle McNicoll in the future.

I LOVED this book!

Thank you Netgallery for this arc.

Prepare to fall in love with Jasper. This book overall was fun, charming, cozy and overall a warm and welcoming read.

This book will now be on my reread list and I will absolutely be recommending it to everyone I know. It was adorable.

I adored this book from start to finish. As an autistic female, it was nice to see myself in a book for a change.