Merry (belated) Christmas to all those who celebrate! I hope your holiday season was filled with joy, and maybe some festive reads too. Speaking of festivity, today I’ll be reviewing The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo. Enjoy!
(Synopsis 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?
The Holiday Switch was the cozy read I was looking for this holiday season. It’s both fun and festive!
The main characters Teddy and Lila are strong characters, but only on their own. Their interactions were cute, but the chemistry just wasn’t there. One thing that made me uncomfy was that Teddy borderline threatened to spill Lila’s secret if she spilled his. Without spoiling too much, the issue wasn’t called out much. This also made me uncomfortable because Lila is in high school, and Teddy is not. Yes, she’s eighteen. However, this doesn’t excuse the fact that she was practically threatened by a college student.
On a better note, I loved how family was represented in the book. Lila is the oldest sibling, and has a lot of pressure to do well in life. I think many teenagers will relate to her in that sense. Lila also has a book blog, which was so cool because if it wasn’t obvious, I do too! 😆
“Books are an escape. Books are a reminder that opposites can exist at the same time, both good and bad, positive and negative.”
― Tif Marcelo, The Holiday Switch
In addition, the dialogue didn’t sound like something teens today would say. For example, phrases like ‘har har’ aren’t sayings kids use often. Fortunately, there was some great talk about the importance of representation in the media. I really liked that aspect of the book.
Moreover, the writing was very clunky. I found myself frequently re-reading sentences. This unfortunately did decrease my enjoyment of the book. Luckily, the story was very cozy. From sledding to drinking hot cocoa, the warm-and-fuzzy vibes in The Holiday Switch were amazing!
Overall, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I hoped. The Holiday Switch was cozy though, so if that’s your jam then I recommend this book!
Age Rating: 14 and up
Trigger Warnings: Blackmailing
Overall Rating: 7/10 or 3.5 out of 5 stars
⭐⭐⭐
What’s your favourite Christmas-themed book? Have a wonderful day!
Yesterday’s post ➡️ The Best Books I Read in 2021!
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