Tracy Andreen | So, This Is Christmas

The Book:

So, This Is Christmas by Tracy Andreen
Published October 12th 2021 by Viking Books for Young Readers
Date read: October 25, 2021

The Characters:

Finley, Arthur

Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon

The Plot (from Goodreads):

When Finley Brown returned to her hometown of Christmas, Oklahoma, from boarding school, she expected to find it just as she left it. Christmas hasn’t changed much in her sixteen years. But instead she returns to find that her best friend is dating her ex-boyfriend, her parents have separated, and her archnemesis got a job working at her grandmother’s inn. And she certainly didn’t expect to find the boy she may or may not have tricked into believing that Christmas was an idyllic holiday paradise on her grandmother’s doorstep. It’s up to Finley to make sure he gets the Christmas he was promised. This is Finley’s Christmas. It’s about home and family and friends and finding her place, and along the way she also finds the best Christmas present of all: love.

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The Review:

Thank you to PRHA for this complimentary audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first YA Christmas novel I’ve read! So, This Is Christmas was lighthearted, funny, and certainly heartwarming. If you need a feel-good Christmas novel, you’ve come to the right place.

Finley was a blast. Her inner dialogue was hilarious, as well as her banter with Arthur. Arthur cracked me up with his absolute Britishness–especially well-done on audio. Even Pat joined in laughing at some of his British-isms while I was listening on speaker. There was just the right amount of teenage angst, and I thought the characters were portrayed realistically for their age. I also appreciated that the parents weren’t absentee, and played an important part in Finley’s growth.

I loved that the town of Christmas wasn’t an inherently perfect Christmas town. In the last few holiday books I’ve read, the town in which the story takes place is perfectly Christmassy. This was a nice change of pace, and I loved to see the town pick itself up throughout the book.
So, This Is Christmas was an adorable read, and I definitely recommend adding it to your holiday TBR this season.