This story is told in first person by Sam(wise). This was my second read by this author and I enjoyed it much more than the first. It was filled with British humor that had me laughing hysterically throughout the book from the collective nickname for the boss “His Royal Dickishness” to Jonathan’s large, loud family as they planned their Christmas celebration at his house much to his dismay.

I enjoyed the slow building of the relationship between Sam and Jonathan though it did start to drag for me eventually. I was curious about Sam’s past and wish that it had been addressed with a little more depth before suddenly coming to a quick resolution. The quirky supporting characters were some of my favorite parts of the book from accident prone Brian to giant Christmas tree happy Del.

Recommended for a light, funny holiday read

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for a copy provided for an honest review.

I don't know who needs to hear this rn but i think it's important to just put this out there, in the wake of readership spaces being attacked and all that. I guess it bears mentioning that just because I intuit this book on a level (or any other book for that matter) does not mean everyone is gonna get this book. This review is representative of how i feel and what is provocative and affects me may not resonate with someone else, because life.

You can love what you love and it's ok if socials don't, and vice versa. Read that again.

There's absolutely NOTHING cookie-cutter about experiencing artistry of any kind, and you are at liberty to love and dive in and perceive differently and change your mind and flex on your level and discover another track and muddy the waters and burn bridges and cry when you're sad and hone in on what you want and break your heart over and over again. Or not. That's your prerogative.

You do you.

Just, if you can, try to be kind. Because you don't know people, and you don't own people, even if you think you do, or feel entitled to their work, time, and effort. You don't have to care. But if you do a little, then I'm asking you to try to go about life with a mind for common decency and respect, for all the human and furbaby hearts out there. So do your best, yeah.

Anyway, thanks in advance for being the reason someone smiles today instead of cries, because it matters, whether or not you care. Being a quality human is sometimes a stretch, i know, but maybe being remembered for your heart, a moment in time down the line, will be worth something to someone more than you can ever imagine. Because life is hard and messy sometimes. But we don't always have to be.

I would like to thank Edelweiss and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This book I felt in my bones. It was torrential and hilarious and distressing and deeply resonating. I was fuckin enchanted. I was fuckin heartbroken. I was everything in between. And i'm still crying a day later.

I dunno why I was expecting something...else...like I thought the time between AH releases would have somehow dulled my capacity to vibe with comedic yet earnest storytelling, resulting in some middling appraisal. Well, whatever i was thinking that made this win feel somewhat like a surprise can just fuck right off because i'd bawled my ass off from 94% on, and there's nothing middling about that reaction. I sort of want to read this again...but i also don't want to for another 10 years or something drastic like that, so i could run with this forgetting business and feel like i'm reading this for the first time again.

For me personally, there was just something toothy and real about the way the story was told, how it unfolded, how it gripped me, how it was impossible to let go of until it was over...and still not even then. It's not pretty or fluffy or lighthearted fun. It was raw and honest in a way that very few writers can convey. I think this'll probably hit more if you've been through some shit and can fucking cry about it, but still push through because life and living has to still get done no matter how heartbroken you are.

I was riveted. I felt feelings all up in my feelings.

Spoiler

I feel like if I was going to have a Christmas meltdown it would be exactly like Jonathan's. Sure he's rude as fuck but I mad sympathize with the whole crazy loud family thing. Like he could be me, even if i'm not entirely a renowned cunt.

this story isn't about a grumpy/sunshine and how to be a better person by loving an asshole. Or rather, it's not just about that. It's also satirical and impactful and exposes a bracket of industry that contributes upwards of something like 500 billion to a country's GDP, and yet this sector's entry level staff are treated like they're somehow lesser than say some cubicle grunt who plays on their phone all day and gets full dental. It shows the value of transparency, and the vagaries of clemency and elicits ruthlessness as both a virtue and a bane.

but it doesn't have to be about all that. sometimes a story is just a story and that's ok too.

what it comes down to is that, for me, this book was meaningful, and I loved this

audiobook

FAKE AMNESIA?! We may have unlocked a new face trope

2.1⭐️
Quite boring. No smut. The storyline is lacklustre. Wouldn’t recommend. The only reason the rating isn’t one is because of the cute cat.