4.5! It took me a while to figure out what was different in this book, and I think it was possibly as simple as single point of view! It really worked and made the book fresh.
I found the making up with the best friend emotional, and the love interest coming to the rescue also lovely. I was angry at the partygoers behaviour. I love a book that makes me feel, be it ahhhh that’s adorable or I’m so annoyed that they did that!
I loved the book and couldn’t wait to get back to it when I had to put it down.

I had a hard time with this book. Parts were so slow, making my interest in finishing wane. I slogged through, and there were parts that picked up, but overall, this wasn't they type of book I was hoping for.

I didn't care for the main character, Davis. I get that was probably the intention as the readers watches her grow, but she felt one-dimensional to me. There was a spot in the book that felt unresolved to me too (the drugging and aftermath).

We follow Davis, an actress who makes terrible decisions when she's drunk (which is fairly often in the L.A. party scene).

To escape the fallout of her latest debacle, which has also meant that she is killed off from her role in a successful TV drama, Davis returns home to the town of Christmas, Pennsylvania.

Not only is Davis shallow and self-serving, but the lies pile up as she hides from the paparazzi and herself.

Davis gradually becomes more self-aware and starts to mature as the story progresses. She spends time with her mother, who is recovering from surgery, and her attention is captured by the town's theatre where she acted in her childhood, the current play that's being produced, and the writer and director herself: the beautiful and fiery Asia.

Asia has a grant to write and produce a play in the Christmas theatre. She can't afford the drama and negative press that Davis has surrounding her, so she keeps Davis at arm's length... until she doesn't.

And this is where things start to fall apart for me. Davis has become a relatable, flawed, and yet likeable character that the reader has a vested interest in... but we know absolutely nothing of Asia or her motivations.

Then there's a scene where Davis is drugged and receives minor injuries in an off-screen car crash, which is quite a catalyst. The bad guys are caught... but nothing happens to them, and the storyline just fizzles out!

Finally, we get to the abrupt ending where everything magically works out between Davis and Asia, even though nothing is resolved between them. I really don't buy Asia's sudden change of heart, and the HEA ending is flimsy at best.

I liked the story from the points of view of Davis' development, the theatre, and acting... but for a story that started by painting Davis as unlikable and shallow, I ended up feeling this way about Asia by the end.


*I received an advance reader copy for free, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review*

A sweet, angsty Christmas season book by D Jackson Leigh kept me immersed from the beginning.  

I love the chemistry and banter between the MCs.  One made the other work for it, which resulted in having the character grow. 

There are moments that made me laugh out loud and feel for the MCs. 

The secondary characters are well done, necesary and enjoyable. They rally around the MC and help with guiding her on the right path. 

I enjoyed all the books by Leigh and look forward to more books in the future.

I love a story where someone has to go home to hide and it forces them to grow. Throw in a great Christmas setting and you have a fun read.

The major problem is that It took too long to start the like the characters. There were parts I had to force myself to keep reading but the back half was better over all.

Thanks to NetGallery and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Unwrapped by D. Jackson Leigh begins with actress Davis Hart returning to her hometown of Christmas (this is the town’s name) supposedly to help her mom after surgery but really there was a scandal and she’s been fired from her tv show. Christmas used to be known for its local theater productions but in recent years the theater and the town have seen smaller and smaller crowds. While back home, Davis meets Asia du Muir, a playwright and director, who has been given a grant to put on a show in Christmas. Davis is instantly interested in Asia and spends the book trying to win her over.

The characters in this were hard to relate to. Davis comes off very unlikeable. From the reason she was fired to her actions towards others throughout this book, I just found her hard to root for. Similarly, it was hard to understand what Asia was thinking. Her scenes with Davis didn’t give me enough insight and I found myself confused and frustrated with some of her actions. On a positive, the author did a very good job showing character growth. While for most of the book Davis was hard to like, by the end I did like her better.

Overall, it was a typical holiday book. It was well written and easy to read. However, I would have liked to have seen more meaningful interactions between the main characters. It felt like it was lacking romance.

Thank you NetGalley, Bold Stroke Books, and D. Jackson Leigh for the ARC.

I didn't like this book at the start. I thought that Davis seemed like a caricature of the spoiled Hollywood celebrity. However, as the book goes on she changes quite a bit and ends up having a lot more depth and development than I was expecting.

I was surprised to find myself becoming much more invested in the play and Davis's growth than the actual romance. In fact, the romance may have been my least favorite aspect of this book. Asia's character fell pretty flat to me. We never learn much about her, and her main character trait is rejecting Davis again and again. I find it hard to believe why Davis is so interested in her and tries so hard to be with her when all Asia keeps doing is hurting her. I do think there are a few cute scenes they have together, but overall the romance was not the main draw for me. Despite this, the book is still well worth reading. It's very engaging and I really enjoyed following Davis's adventures in Christmas. Overall, 4/5 stars.

I've previously read a book by this author that I really liked, so this is doubly disappointing.

It starts off with the main character Davis Hart getting drunk and outing her closeted costar, which is super not a great look to begin with, but then Davis thinks it's super unfair that her character is killed off the show as a result of it. So she moves back to her hometown called Christmas on the East Coast, supposedly to help her mom after a major surgery, but she's really trying to escape the fallout. Enter Asia du Muir, a producer and playwright who is heading up the Christmas community play, and Davis is instantly smitten.

Okay, so Davis is not super likeable. She's egotistical, tries to lie to everyone, takes zero accountability for a lot of the book, and constantly pushes her luck with Asia. This book really suffers from not being dual POV because Asia is super against the idea of getting involved with Davis, then suddenly they're sleeping together, then suddenly it's too much for her and there's almost no explanation as to why she freaked out so much.

Worst of all, there's a plot point in which <SPOILER> Davis is drugged because her drink is spiked, and Asia acts like it's Davis's fault because of her "party girl ways"! AND THEN NOTHING HAPPENED TO THE GUYS WHO DRUGGED HER!

The writing (minus a couple of proofreading issues) is good, which made this book easy to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

This took a while for me to get into. There wasn't enough about the characters to actually care about them. Neither Davis or Asia were portrayed as likeable at the beginning. Davis grew on me as the story unfolded as we were experiencing it from her point of view. Asia did not grow on me, perhaps she was just never really there in the story - just on the edge. Strange really.
The story had promise - a mishap derailed Davis' acting career and sent her home to Christmas (yes the festive themed town where she grew up - published just in time for Christmas). The community theatre has a new young playwright (Asia) who has a grant to put on a production - Davis wants to help out. Asia does not want her to.
To be honest all the other characters work quite well, Davis' mum and the neighbour, Tommy and his husband. Davis fleshed out as the story progressed. Asia not so much.
There is of course an epilogue.
6 months after the story ends they are working together and still together.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!!

A quick, fun read. Asia’s stubbornness grated me at times, as well as Davis’s immaturity so it took a little to get into but a decent read in the end.

This was a great read. It was nice to see the slow maturity of Davis. Lots of angst, but lots of nice romantic moments as well. This is the third book I’ve read by this author, and I enjoy her style of storytelling. I enjoyed the secondary characters as well. I will continue reading this author’s work.

This was a fun Christmas read. Davis was such a do not care about anything fuckboy in the beginning, but is forced to rethink her whole life after being fired from her TV shop after her drunken mess up. It was great to see her grow and realize what she loves to work with and that family, friends and a love interest is what actually make you happy. A lot of nice Christmas vibes add and extra layer of enjoyment.

This is an interesting take on a Christmas novel in that Christmas is the name of the town in which the novel takes place. Hitting both celebrity and small town romance tropes, as well as a touch of one-sided enemies to lovers, there was no shortage of drama in this novel. It took me a while to get into this story and become emotionally invested in both main characters, but once I hit about the halfway point, I basically stayed up all night to finish it.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

It took me a wee while to get into this story but I persevered as I like this author's books. It was funny at times and sometimes a bit sad but overall I did enjoy it. The two MCs had their moments when I didn't like either of them but not to give away any details they came good in the end.