Ooh this was a lot of fun! I love Timothy Janovsky's books that have very silly, fun, unique premisses, and this was no different. This is exactly the kind of book I wanted to read for Christmas, something weird and funny and just a little magical.

I thought the premisse of accidentally knocking out Santa and having to replace him was hilarious and it was the start of so much magical fun. But this book also has a lot of, possibly surprising, emotional growth and depth. At its heart, this is a marriage in crisis book, and I thought it was done so well. Both characters are fully fleshed out, complex, and multifaceted, and it was so believable how their marriage problems had slowly come about. Their love for each other was very clear, and the only unclear thing was how they were overcoming their relationship problems, and I was rooting for them so much.

An entertaining and festive Christmas rom com featuring a gay married couple and a possible crisis
Entertaining, light, festive
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is a fun lgbtq take on The Santa Clause.
Timothy Janovsky has written another hilarious and heartfelt Christmas holiday romance.

I’m starting to think he needs to write Christmas romances exclusively because it’s so fun! The banter between them is amazing and it leaves you wanting more.

Did not finish.
I wasn't a fan of the writing with this book, it felt clunky and all over the place. I liked the dialogue but it wasn't enough to keep me engaged in the story.
I think releasing this closer to Christmas would have made this for a more engaging read.

First time reading Thomas and this was a fun festive read with a surprise to the story that I wasn’t expecting. Quinn and Patrick are married, however they need to bring the spark back, both are working hard and finding the time for them to just be together and enjoy married life. I loved the ‘memory’ chapters when we see how they met and became a couple as well, that was really good. I love that I’m discovering so many more authors this year and I’ve added Thomas to the list. Like I said earlier, this was a fun read, written well and perfect for the upcoming festive season!

Thank you Headline Eternal for the arc copy.

Thank you so much to Timothy Janovsky and Headline for the ARC of this delightful story!

Timothy Janovsky is a master at writing stories that are light and easy to read while still weaving in more difficult topics and fleshed-out characters. Reading about Patrick and Quinn and the nuances of their marriage and needs was so interesting and not what I expected in a great way!

Listen, when you pick up a book called The Merriest Misters in which one of the main characters knocks out Santa and has to take over so that Christmas won't be canceled, you get a sense of what you're getting into. Holiday spirit abounds, with lots of whimsy and room for creativity. I loved seeing Patrick use his architectural background to improve the elves' working conditions and how Quinn was able to help a young elf find their voice.

I was also thrilled to see a character exploring his fashion and needs after so many years of repressing those urges and both main characters confronting their parents about the ways they had been failed by them. Ultimately, I was delighted about how the happy couple managed to save their marriage. It wasn't what I expected, and I would love to see more novels take unique approaches to their characters' happiness.

It was so much fun and such a fast read. I'm not even that big of a holiday book reader, but I admittedly was starting to check the forecast in hopes of cooler days. Break out the hot chocolate!

I highly recommend it to people who love a quick, fun read, those who seek out established marriage stories, anyone who loves anything about Christmas, and readers who want something soft and cozy. Thank you again to Timothy and Headline!

Whenever I pick up a @timothyjanovsky book, I go into it expecting a lighthearted comedy (it must be the sweet covers?!) and I end up getting a beautiful, hard-hitting, well-written, emotional story, and this one was no different!

Patrick and Quinn’s marriage is in trouble. Patrick is struggling as an architect, Quinn as a teacher and they’re saddled with an unmanageable mortgage on a ‘fixer-upper’ house which neither has the time or money to actually fix. This all changes on Christmas Eve, when the men accidentally cause Santa Claus to quit his job and Patrick has to take up the reins! But whilst Patrick is thriving as Santa, Quinn is forced into the archaic supporting role of Mrs Claus, and he realises he has to do some serious life evaluation…

This one was a very emotional read; marriage in trouble is a trope I really enjoy and watching these two navigate the rocky road to happiness was wonderful. I loved the flashbacks interspersed throughout of their younger, happier selves and I also appreciated the wonderful array of diverse side characters. There was a lot of thought put into this book around traditional gender roles and how they’re subconsciously enforced… Quinn doing his best to subvert these was great to read about.

Read The Merriest Misters for:
✨ Accidentally becoming Santa Claus
✨ Dismantling gender stereotypes
✨ Marriage in trouble
✨ Exploring queer relationships in a heteronormative world
✨ Struggles with parental figures
✨ Reindeer are simply the best listeners
✨ Marriage looks different for everyone
✨ Love can look like whatever you want it to

Thank you to NetGalley, Headline Eternal and the author for an ARC of this book! It’s available on 1st October 2024!

The Merriest Mister is a queer reimagining of The Santa Clause (that Timothy Allen movie) featuring a gay couple whose marriage is on the rocks. Patrick and Quinn are in a funk when Patrick accidentally knocks out Santa on Christmas Eve so they proceed to take over delivering his gifts to the world. But what they thought was a one night thing turns into a whole year’s commitment for them as Santa Claus and his Merriest Mister. But can their relationship survive long enough to save the following Christmas?

Despite a rather silly premise, the book deftly handles quite a few serious topics. Like Nicolas DiDomizio’s Nearlywed from earlier this year, the book features a gay couple who are clearly still in love but also struggling with their roles in the relationship. Weighed down by parental expectations and heteronormative societal structures, their love is slowly chipped away at. With the whole Santa Claus concept, the book does require some suspension of disbelief and not asking too many technical questions on how things work. It’s a bit silly, but also quite cheerful and heartwarming and a good holiday read.

Raised by accepting but traditional parents, Patrick still struggles with his need for parental and societal approval. Longing for a love different from that of his divorced parents, Quinn has made himself as moldable and inoffensive so as not to rock the boat both as a school teacher and as a husband. It navigated the complexities of being a gay couple in a still heteronormative world and what it means to be yourself even in a marriage. I liked their journey and their growth as they confront their very different worldviews from a place of love. While I don’t think the resolution was perfect, I thought it was perfect for an ever evolving and growing world.

The Merriest Misters is a joyfully queer romcom about a gay couple whose marriage is tested when they take over the roles of Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

3.5 ⭐️
A fun Christmas adventure.

This really made me think of a family holiday movie, a bit like The Santa Clause films.
It’s a slightly ridiculous story, especially initially. I won’t spoil it here…
But it’s such good fun, with lots of funny moments, whilst also focusing on a queer couple reigniting their love and mending their marriage in a rather unusual way.

At first I thought this isn’t the most
original festive plot, but actually there ended up being more to it than I expected.

Queer people deserve this type of heartwarming, healing holiday story and I’m so glad to see books like this being published.

Feel like it would be the perfect read to cosy up with a hot chocolate on Christmas Eve!

I enjoyed parts of this a lot. The premiss was so fun and I was really excited to read it!

Quinn and Patrick are wonderful characters. I think that a lot of people will really relate to their love story. I think it’s important to portray relationships that aren’t necessarily conventional. It’s very typical of Timothy Janovsky’s style to write a very raw and real portrayal of a marriage set against an actual fairytale!

As always with Timothy Janovsky’s books, this one has a lot of queer representation and a fun/wholesome found family, which I really loved!

I feel like the pacing could have been a smidge better and I’ve have liked a bit more background on most of the characters. Overall though, this was a fun read with a few dashes of drama to balance it out!

Thank you Netgalley and Headline for my ARC copy.

4.5⭐️. I absolutely adored this book, it was like santa clause the movie but make it LGBTQ+. It was such a beautiful story of growth and love and all things Christmas.