Elizabeth Neep | Twelve Days to Save Christmas

twelve days to save christmas elizabeth neep

The Book:

Twelve Days To Save Christmas by Elizabeth Neep
Published October 19th 2021 by Bookouture
Date read: November 3, 2021

The Characters:

Poppy
George
Theo

The Plot (from Goodreads):

On the first day of Christmas, my true love… dumped me.

Poppy loves Christmas and always goes all out to make this magical time of the year extra special for her boyfriend George. But George is strangely not in the spirit this year. As Poppy wrestles him into her Christmas jumper built for two for a holiday snapshot, she finds out why.

He’s leaving her. And she only has twelve more days until he moves out.

Poppy is heartbroken. But she’s not going to give up on their five-year relationship without a fight. George is the love of her life, and his warm and stable family are worlds away from her own chaotic upbringing. And she is sure he still loves her too – she just needs to remind him of all the reasons why. Twelve days: twelve chances to get her man back and save Christmas.

But festive surprises aren’t only found under the tree. As Poppy’s twelve days count down and she goes to ever more ambitious lengths to prove to George she’s exactly the kind of girl he wants, she starts to realize that maybe the Christmas miracle she’s working towards is not the one she really needs. And that the person she’s truly meant to spend Christmas with is closer than she thought…

The Review:

George is Poppy’s whole life, so when he dumps her just before Christmas, she is understandably devastated. She misguidedly decides to change who she is to prove to George that she can indeed be the girl of his dreams.

Anyone who has been dumped from a one-sided relationship will certainly relate to Poppy. We’ve all been there, convinced we can win their affections back despite the relationship being long-dead. Right?

For me, though, I went through all that in college and high school. I (like to think that I) am past that point in my life of changing myself for men, or trying to force a relationship that isn’t working. Poppy didn’t quite seem to act her age.

Poppy’s enthusiasm was no doubt infectious, and I loved how the chapters of the book were themed around the “Twelve Days of Christmas” song. So too were the ways Poppy tried to win back George’s affection.

Theo and his sister were the best characters. Theo was an adorable grump, and his sister refused to let the hardships of life get her down.

I really enjoyed the character growth from Poppy throughout the story. Although predictable, she learns to love herself and accept her past as being in the past. I’m glad she was finally able to see George and Theo for who they really were!