This is one of my quickest, most entertaining reads and an instant five-star rating without hesitation! Why do I ever reconsider my ratings? I am obsessed with the enemies-to-lovers trope, and the well-constructed heat, volatile chemistry between the main characters, increased by the tension of forced proximity and witty banter. In this book, the holiday spirit, best friend’s little sister, smart and hilarious pranks involving glitter, and several Casio watches make it irresistible! I laughed so much and enjoyed the immature yet perfectly hot encounters between Tristan and Nina! I truly loved it and couldn’t put this book down, turning it into my guilty pleasure (it’s worth skipping daily errands to bury my head in the pages).

The story revolves around Nina Thompson, who is planning to spend a peaceful Christmas with her family, reading her book, munching on her favorite snacks, and drinking gallons of hot chocolate. But when she finds out her bane of existence, the "Prince of Darkness" as she saved his name in her phone, her brother Dylan’s best friend and roommate Tristan, is invited to spend the holiday with her family due to weather conditions that caused his flight to San Diego to be canceled, things take a turn.

Tristan and Nina have known each other for nearly 15 years, and their tumultuous relationship involves too many insults, revenge plots, and nonstop pranks that rekindle their hatred and annoyance. Nina hates him calling her "Gremlin" since her childhood, and Tristan has no idea how his words impact her or how his actions are judged by Nina from a negative perspective.

As soon as he reaches the house, the nonstop pranks start—the game is on! But when their screaming contest starts to threaten the family’s peace, Tristan realizes he has never gotten Nina out of his head since the day she dared to drop the towel around her body in front of him. Nina also notices her childhood crush, who has turned into her arch-nemesis, giving signals that confuse her mind. Their hatred starts turning into hyperventilating attraction, which means they have to get each other out of their systems. Could one night together solve the problem at the risk of getting caught at a family gathering? But what if one night is not enough and their attraction is more than sexual, something more concrete that they cannot deny anymore?

Overall, this book is hot as hell, an easy, very entertaining, humorous read with a well-executed version of my favorite tropes! I had an amazing time, and yes, I wholeheartedly recommend it! Grab your margaritas, daiquiris, or any of your favorite refreshments as you lie on your couch, sipping them while you flip through the pages! Enjoy the full experience!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bollywood Books for sharing this very entertaining romance’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I am a huge sucker for any holiday romance. Christmas time? ✅
Cheesy romance? ✅✅
This book had me laughing out loud pretty much immediately with the fun nicknames Nina and her roommates have assigned to Nina’s brother’s best friend/roommate/Nina’s nemesis. Although very much born out of loathing, Tristan and Nina’s prank war was actually pretty fun and harmless; they seemed to be more about confusing and inconveniencing each other rather than actively trying to hurt one another. Tristan’s challenge to Nina that changed everything in the beginning of the book is full of tension and is such a fun moment and you can clearly see how things progress.
I did find Nina to be pretty childish in the beginning for someone who was supposed to be 28, especially when Tristan first shows up at the house and she’s screaming at her brother over it. There was also a dynamic between Nina and her mother that I felt wasn’t really explored, but seemed set up like it would be. Dylan being an over protective big brother wasn’t surprising, but I still wasn’t a fan of a certain behavior... There were a few things that took me out of the story- Dylan and Nina calling each other ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ in a non-sarcastic manner felt odd and more like something written by someone who doesn’t have siblings and thinks that’s how they interact, and there were a few moments where things were referred to in words that would be more common in other countries, not as people from CT & CA living in NYC (see: Tristan calling his suitcase a ‘trolley’). Overall I’d give this 3.5 ⭐️, it was a fun holiday read.

I want to start off by saying I was stalking NetGalley for this book every couple hours until I could get my hands on this book. Isley’s novels are always a win for me, and they are a great cure for book hangovers and book slumps.

So, diving into this book I didn’t expect to finish it within 10 hours of receiving an ARC. Yet somehow I was completely transported into Tristan and Nina’s story and I couldn’t stop. Ok, I stopped for dinner and a nap but that is it.

The trusty enemies to lovers trope always draws me in. It’s probably my favorite trope. I loved how Isley threw in the older brother’s best friend, but it wasn’t too cliche. The dynamic with the prank wars was fun.

The only downside with this is the first 30% of the novel I found Nina to be a bit childish. Her and I are both 28, and I can’t see myself behaving this way. Well, maybe if I had a hot nemesis, but alas I do not. I will say this greatly improves after the famous vase scene.

I loved Tristan. He is such a great guy and is funny. I know he is supposed to have black hair, but I can’t be the only one who pictured Tristan from Gilmore Girls.

Nina was a fun character who actually has a voice. I could connect with her because I grew up hearing negative things about my appearance and became very self conscious about it too. I appreciated how she spoke her mind and was her own person.

Side characters Dylan, Hunter, and Rowena were amazing!!!! I can already see these characters were their own books. Isley sets us up with their plots at the end of this novel, and I for one cannot wait. Thank goodness Isley is a fast writer!

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me an ARC of this novel. As always, my reviews are 100% genuine. Trust me, I don’t lie on Goodreads.

If you want a novel that has Christmas vibes and will keep you reading this is the one for you!