Tif Marcelo | The Holiday Switch

The Book:

The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo
Published October 5th 2021 by Underlined
Date read: October 26, 2021

The Characters:

Lila
Teddy

The Plot (from Goodreads):

Lila Castro is ready to take on her last winter break of high school. The snow is plentiful, the mood is full of holiday cheer, and she’s earning extra cash working at the cozy local inn. But her perfect holiday plans crash to a halt when her boss’s frustratingly cute nephew, Teddy Veracruz, becomes her coworker. When they accidentally switch phones one afternoon, they both realize they’ve been hiding things from each other. Will their secrets–and a dash of holiday spirit–bring them closer to love?

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The Review:

Ever since I started Bookstagram and book blogging, I’ve been so drawn to books about other book bloggers. The concept of blogging about a book about book blogging cracks me up.

I loved reading Lila’s posts on her blog, Tinsel and Tropes. Lila’s blog focuses primarily on holiday-related books, which there are certainly hundreds of! I think I only read one holiday book last year, but this year the holiday reads have been pouring in. It’s certainly getting me in the spirit way too early! I loved that she sticks to a theme year-round.

Early on in the book, Lila comes across an application for a company similar to NetGalley, and has to decide whether to apply or to go to college for pre-med as intended. She feels a lot of pressure to take care of her younger siblings, so feels obligated to head towards a higher-paying career. I enjoyed reading about her family dynamics, but wish there was more about Lila’s Filipino-American background. Lila grows a lot throughout the book and learns to prioritize her interested, which I loved to see.

My taste in romance tropes is the exact opposite of Lila’s. She mentions in a blog post that enemies to lovers is her least favorite trope, which is funny because this book is enemies to lovers mixed with workplace romance and forced proximity. Luckily for me, this is one of my favorite tropes. I’m shocked that Lila’s favorite is second-chance romance! Boo lol.

The town of Holly is cute, touristy, and over-the-top Christmasy. Even Lila’s swear words were holiday-related, which was a little cheesy but definitely fun. This is definitely one you should get your hands on this holiday season!