BOOK REVIEW: All I Want For Christmas by Maggie Knox
Put on those cowboy boots for a little holiday fun at the Grand Ole Opry
I’m struggling to decide exactly how I feel about this book. I enjoyed The Holiday Swap last year, so when I was in the mood for a new holiday read, I thought this one sounded fun. I mean, I love reality TV competitions! This was a holiday rom-com AND a music competition. What I wasn’t expecting was to not connect with either one of the main characters.
The story follows Sadie Hunter who is trying to break into the Nashville scene and get her big break into the music industry with her spot on Starmaker. Max Brody is trying to get out from under the shadow of his famous musician father and regain his rightful place in the Nashville limelight.
One misunderstanding and zero communication after another find these two both in jeopardy of losing their chance at achieving their dreams and driving me to insanity. I always tell people that I don’t read a lot of romance, but I would have to admit that I have read more last year than I have in a long time. I think that is part of my problem. I need to step away for a while and then maybe I won’t be so judgy about some of the more common tactics and tropes used in this genre..
I am a big fan of enemies to lovers, as in I don’t like to read friends to lovers at all, but what I noticed is the amount of communication issues these characters end up having. It hit oppressive levels in this book, and I literally wanted to slap Sadie across the face. She gets all upset and mad at Max, but she is the cause for most of what is happening. It was so annoying and thus I found her really annoying. Their interactions and banter is lackluster at best.
Max wasn’t as bad, but I think the focus on his knitting sweaters for puppies was a little over the top. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it and the scene when he drops them off melts my heart as you get a little more insight into his life. I bought into this side of him and into his passion and connection to his guitar. I honestly feel that this could be a very common thing among musicians.
Take it from me, life doesn’t always play out you imagine it will. But that doesn’t mean what you do instead isn’t worth anything.
The alternating chapter POVs between Max and Sadie was a nice touch. But, I am a huge fan of multiple points of view. This structural element allows more multiple characters to be developed instead of a primary focus on just one. Here it gave me a chance to get away from Sadie for a little bit.
So, while the main characters were going through the motions set forth by the storyline, I focused on the roles of the secondary characters like Gran and Patsy, Max’s dog. I loved Gran, her impact on the story and to Sadie was important and touching - Sadie just handled it so poorly! And Patsy? OMG, what a cutie!!! I unfortunately can’t leave out the villain of the story, Cruz, the evil producer who uses his role to prey on young innocents trying to find their way into the industry. The character development around him to illustrate his scumbag status was well done since it was easy to hate him.
The storyline itself was fine. Sadie and Max are thrown together as a pair to compete and forced into a fake relationship to melt the hearts of the viewers and increase votes. Their managers continue to have ideas to move things forward to achieve their goals, but again with ineptitude of these character’s communication skills plans run amok.
My favorite scenes of the book:
When Gran comes to visit Sadie in Nashville
All the scenes in Banff, Canada
I thought the ending was done well and brought a nice conclusion to the story and all the little subplots that were woven throughout. Overall, it was a good read, but I just wasn’t connected and as a result I feel that it dragged on, and I struggled to get through it.
Where does it land on my bookshelf?
Solidly on the middle shelf. This was a nice little holiday romance with a musical twist. I wouldn’t say it’s a rom-com because I didn't really see the “comedy” aspect of it, but others might. I enjoyed the references to Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette and even Taylor Swift, and the portrayal of the pull and grandeur of the Grand Ole Opry was done well. If you can get past some of the character issues, this is a nice holiday read to add to your TBR for next year if you didn't get to it this year. But, for now, I am going to take a step away from this type of romance book for a while.
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