This was a cute, quick holiday read. It's about all things Christmas and is part of a series (this is the first book I've read). If you're looking for a cute, high school aged, holiday, love story this is it. I liked the Purdue University mention (boiler up!). I did hate the name Elda.

I love it when books surprise me. I love it when they turn out to be something different than what one would previously think. That is what happened with this book and I'm super happy about it! I thought that this book would a fun cutesy little Christmas book but what I got was teenagers coming to terms with who they are, grief, and self esteem issues all in a little town obsessed with Christmas.

I really liked this! Holly was such a relatable character. She suffered some self esteem issues and as a result, kept people back and kept up a cool edgy facade. Her why put myself out there when I know I will be rejected thought process rang true with me, like I'm sure it will with other young girls. Elda, I felt, she was also extremely relatable. She is this stunningly beautiful girl that all the guys drool over and she is just so awkward and has a hard time talking to guys like that. Danny was self conscious and he was a guy. You never see that! I was genuinely excited to see this. He constantly doubted himself and so badly wants to prove he isn't some dorky loser.

If you want a book that shows teenagers/young adults (Elda is in college, while Holly and Danny are in high school) actually acting their age and being true to their age, then this is the book for you. If you are worried about this being too Christmassy (like that is an actual thing!), don't be! This book just happens during the Christmas but it doesn't shove it down your throat. I highly suggest this book to everyone.

note: this is part of a series but can read as a standalone.

this book honestly reminded me of those cute Hallmark movies they play around Christmas time. I really liked Holly and Danny. I also liked all the confusion that went on between them. Although Elda getting married? That was kinda weird, I mean, no one gets engaged right after they meet someone I started with this book as the first one I’ve read, so I can’t wait to read books 1&2 in the series!

Another cute couple from Julie Hammerle, this time inspired by Cyrano di Bergerac,she tells the love story of Holly and Danny.
Holly meets up with her cousin Elda in the little town of North Pole for the funeral of their beloved grandmother, where she meets up with her teenage crush Danny who just was cheated by his girlfriend and broke his leg in a dare, something that took him away from the basketball team .
Danny is devastated by everything that happened to him and is willing to move on and find a girl who wants him for what he really is. Seeing Elda, he thinks she may be this girl and begins to communicate with her by message without knowing that who actually answers the texts is Holly.
The confusion is done :Holly will be able to reveal who she really is? Does Elda really like Danny?
Holly is mourning and very sad at the loss of her grandmother who was her life reference and finding her planner decides to do the things her grandmother had planned to do, she just did not think she had Danny in her life.
This story is very light and enjoyable to read, I had a lot of fun with the muddling of Elda and the rides and adventures experienced by this trio.

Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of the third - and final - book in Julie Hammerle's North Pole, Minnesota trilogy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

WARNING: My review contains spoilers.

I enjoyed this storyline for the most part. I thought it was strange that Holly would help her cousin get the guy that she'd been crushing on for eight plus years but I did understand the insecurities behind her reasonings.

Elda wasn't as perspective as I thought until the ending. It made no sense as to why she wouldn't notice that Holly had liked him, I mean the girl had remembered his favorite candy for crying out loud! I also hated how Holly wasn't truthful about how she really was when she communicated with Danny in person. I understood that she didn't want to give him anything to connect the dots but she didn't have to flat out lie either.

I'm going to miss the town of North Pole, Minnesota as I've read the series since before Any Boy But You (the first book in the series) came out but I did read that Julie only had a three book contract. I'd love to see Craig find his own soulmate and find out how Holly and Danny are doing - along with Elda and Dinesh - if she were to ever write a fourth book!

This was another super cute book in the North Pole, Minnesota series by Julie Hammerle. I love that there are always cameos from other past characters in the series and this one didn't disappoint me. Dinesh, Craig, Tinka, Sam, and others all had parts. Some more than others. I adored Dinesh in this one.

Holly is a cool artsy girl, but had low self esteem. She is curvy and a bit nerdy and that definitely affected her thinking. Plus she had a bad experience with a guy friend she liked in the past and was afraid to put herself out there again.

Elda is beautiful, but super weird and awkward. She's the girl all guys drool over, but she's into dead things and plumbing.

Danny is the cool sporty guy. But after he breaks his leg, he has no idea who he really is. He's no longer the jock and his girlfriend of six years dumps him.

Holly and Elda's grandma died and they're only in North Pole to take care of things at her house. But Holly decides to enter the gingerbread contest she and her grandma always entered when she was young. That is where she first met Danny and fell for him. He was nerdy back then and she was in love.

However, because Holly is too afraid to be hurt, she decides to set Elda up with Danny. Who does that? Holly might be the kindest person ever, even if she frowns a lot. I loved how she was an introvert and awkward in person. Holly wasn't perfect and I prefer that in a contemporary.

As with all the Entangled Teen romance books, there is a huge lead up to a romance and this was a fun one to get to.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley for review.

Danny is a basketball star who just lost his season and found out his girlfriend is cheating on him. Holly is back in North Pole after her grandmother passed away. Disappointed that her longtime crush didn't remember her and only has eyes for attractive cousin, Holly decides to help her cousin land the guy she's been into forever.

I enjoy every visit to North Pole and this YA take on Cyrano de Bergerac was a cute, quick read. This standalone was adorable and completely got me in the mood for Christmas. I hope there's more visits to North Pole!!!

*This is my voluntary review of an advanced reader copy*

Danny and Holly's relationship was sweet but I felt like something was missing. I usually appreciate it when there's no love triangle but here I felt like there should've been more conflict than Holly purposefully antagonizing Danny. I also wish there was more of Elda and Dinesh's relationship, they seemed a bit more interesting. One positive thing for me was Elda and Holly's relationship, it was very sweet how much they loved each other and how they wanted to remember and honor their grandmother. Overall, this is a quick read, I would recommend it to someone who's read the first two North Pole books.
*ARC provided by publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This is the third and final book in the North Pole, Minnesota series, stories set in a town that is Christmas-themed all year around. My reviews of the first two books are here, both of those set in other seasons. So finally, here we are, in the lead up to Christmas and all the hoop-la that goes with it for the townsfolk and the visitors it draws.

Danny is not a visitor. He appears in the previous two books, as his mother owns the local coffee shop (Santabucks! Ha!)a favourite spot for our romantic leads to hang around. Up until this book, Danny has been cast as the local basketball hero, a skilled player and captain who the town hopes will be the ‘next big thing’. Danny’s own feelings on the matter are mixed. He has devoted himself to the game for years, and yet the sideshow of celebrity and reporters distracts and annoys him. The story does a really good job of tracing his life back to before basketball consumed him, before he was a sports star and committed boyfriend.

Turns out, Danny was a totally different person, and someone who remembers him from that time is newly arrived, grieving granddaughter Holly. She would compete against Danny in the annual gingerbread house competition, and their rivalry was fierce (for 8 year-olds). Slowly and gently, we understand how bereft Holly is by the recent death of her grandmother, Dolores, and coming back to the house in North Pole to clean it, ready to sell, is distressing. Many of Holly's best childhood memories are from her time spent herewith her family and all her cousins. Both Danny and Holly are feeling many confusing emotions, and their re-connection comes at a vulnerable time for both.

Danny’s injury forces him to reassess his life plans. Who is he now he can't win games and earn scholarships? Is he able to re-invent himself? Holly’s upset he seemingly doesn’t remember her, and that he seems to be attracted to her cousin Elda. Refusing to risk heartbreak, she encourages the two of them, and spends the majority of the book in denial.  This rift on the Cyrano de Bergerac story fits seamlessly into a 21st century tale because awkward Elda asks Holly to pretend to be her via text messaging, and we see Holly and Danny develop a chemistry through gifs, common interests and flirting. Poor Danny. He’s so unsure of himself. His long term girlfriend dumps him for the team water boy, and now he finds that he is more excited when talking to a girl virtually than in real life. It takes Holly and Elda a long time to own up to this terrible behaviour.

Meanwhile the town is gripped by the excitement of the celebrations of actual Christmas. Once again, parents play contrasting roles—Danny’s mum is supportive, whereas the girls’ parents are largely absent, seemingly unaware and uninterested in how much this taking apart of Mrs Page Senior’s house is hurting Holly and to a lesser extent, Elda. It’s jarring and noticeable.

Overall, I enjoyed it more than Any Boy but You or Artificial Sweethearts. In the former, I liked the female MC, Elena, and in the latter, I liked Sam more than Tinka. In this third one, both romantic leads are sympathetic and well developed. I love the way the cover matches, but also creates its own look. The ending is suitably happy. Maybe it's a mite too contrived and perfect, but who am I to deny Elda her HEA too (you go, Dinesh!)?

Thanks to Entangled Crush and Netgalley for the preview copy. Recommended if you have already read the first two, and enjoy a book that involves miscommunication and twisty love plots. Humour is supplied by Craig, and Elda's strange love of plumbing and her fascination with, of all things, roadkill! Both leads are deserving of each other, and it's a prefect seasonal read. Approximately Yours is released on October 2 (in the US).

i have so enjoyed the time i've spent in north pole, minnesota. approximately yours brings the series to a close with danny and holly's cyrano de bergerac-like story.

when elda and holly come back to north pole for one last hurrah at their grandmother's home before their parents put it on the market, they are pleasantly surprised to encounter their old gingerbread nemesis danny garland. an even better surprise is how cute he's gotten. well, it's a surprise for elda, but holly kind of knew because she's harbored a crush on him for years and googled him before coming into town.

danny has had a run of back luck, a broken leg has him off the basketball court and a cheating ex-girlfriend has him doubting his skills with the ladies.

the thing with holly is that she has a lot of insecurity and fear that she's holding onto. partly she's worried about her looks and her weight. but she carries herself with such coolness and confidence that people miss the part where she's terrified of how others will see her. so she does her best to push them away before they can get to close.

she's also kind of a know-it-all. she falls into the trap of thinking she knows what everyone else is thinking and not realizing that whatever story she is building in her head it doesn't actually reflect reality. she thinks danny is a hot guy with hot guy attitudes, but he's also a crumbling mess of insecurities, especially when it comes to girls. in her mind, elda is the only one that danny can be interested in, given the looks and whole package thing. but the reality is that he's more attracted to holly. but having just been dumped the last thing he wants is to be with someone who doesn't want him. and unfortunately for holly that's the vibe she gives off.

but when danny texts elda and holly takes over all communication. things really starts to deepend and danny finds himself confused by the fact that he isn't interested in elda except he really likes the girl he is texting. but at some point this comedy of errors has to come to an end. and soon enough all the characters find themselves respectably paired off. and it is as charming and sweet as you might imagine it to be.

While this is the third book in this series it can easily be read as a standalone novel. An overall outstanding holiday novel that is full of hope and love. The setting takes place in a town called North Pole which makes it perfect for a holiday romance.

Approximately Yours (North Pole, Minnesota #3)
Julie Hammerle
My Review: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I didn't want this book to end! :(

I would love to visit North Pole the Christmas town! Approximately Yours is the second book I've read in this series, and I'm totally hooked (This is book 3, but all can be read as standalone stories). My favourite thing about this author is that she doesn't make her characters perfect. They are dynamic and interesting.

Elda and Holly's grandmother has recently passed away. They are cousins, and the family have gone to sort out their grandmother's possessions. A visit to North Pole is a blast from the past. Holly used to enter the gingerbread contest every year and crush on the boy she knew growing up. Will she see Danny while she's in town and will he remember her? The problem is Elda thinks he's cute. Holly thinks Danny is out of her league and when she sees him looking at her cousin she decides to help them get together.

Approximately Yours is a sweet romance. It had me laughing and hooked on every page. It's about believing in your self and accepting who you are. 5 stars out of 5. I'm hooked on this series and I can't wait for more!

ARC received in exchange for a fair review

ebook £4.49. Pages 220.
Expected publication: October 2nd 2017 by Entangled: Crush

Danny lives in a town called North Pole. Unsurprisingly the town is an homage to all things Christmas, everything is Christmas themed and the town takes the annual gingerbread competition very seriously.

Danny had high hopes of playing professional basketball until showing off in front of a reporter he fell and broke his ankle. Now his big chance may have gone forever, his girlfriend has dumped him for the waterboy and he realises that he has no clue what he wants from life.

Holly's grandmother lived next door to Danny's family. Growing up Holly and her cousins used to visit North Pole every year at Christmas and Holly would enter the gingerbread competition, mainly because even back then she was in love with Danny. In those days Danny was less athletic and more nerdy.

After Holly's grandmother died the family have returned to North Pole one last time to pack up her house before putting it on the market. When Holly and her cousin Esmerelda (Elda for short) go into Santabucks for coffee they see Danny serving behind the counter. Holly is sad that her childhood crush doesn't even recognise and, just like every other guy she's ever met, he only seems to have eyes for her beautiful cousin. Whilst Elda might be every guy's wet dream, she is also a bit weird, fascinated by plumbing, and has difficulty talking to guys she likes. So a plot is born, Holly will help Elda when she goes on a date with Danny by telling her what to say (and what not to say). In Danny's defence, he is trying to avoid going out with another girl just like his ex, he is attracted to Holly but she seems to turn her nose up at him so he tries to do something different by dating Elda.

Just like in Cyrano de Bergerac, Elda and Danny are totally incompatible but Holly and Danny text each other constantly. Danny can't understand why the woman he chats to for hours at night about architecture and films and the gingerbread competition suddenly starts talking about plumbing and roadkill when they meet in person.

This was a sweet YA romance, the trouble is when you add the sweetness of Christmas in a Christmas-themed town it becomes almost too sweet. For those who know the plot of Cyrano there were few surprises and very little tension. Danny and Holly were so 'nice' that they didn't really have much character. I was more interested in Elda's obsession with plumbing.

Julie Hammerle is easily of my favorite YA authors. Her stories are sweet and swoony, with just right amount of wit. He characters have depth and I love them all and never want the stories to end, which is always the Mark of a great book, in my opinion.

Approximately Yours Approximately Yours by Julie Hammerle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I recieved Approximately Yours by Julie Hammerle from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was attracted to Approximately Yours when I first saw the cover. Then I was a little bit intrigued by the plot about a girl texting a guy while hiding her true identity. And then I was even more sold on this book when I realized it was going to be a Christmas season book! I love Christmas season books.

I sadly couldn't get into the fact that a guy just basically spent the whole book trying to be with somebody while really he wished he was with the other girl the whole time he was with the girl he was supposed to be with. I was glad when the girl called him out on that...not saying when or how, so that isn't really a spoiler.

I did like the secondary characters and the whole Christmas plot though. Not everything about this book was bad, I just couldn't get into the romance drama of it this time. That might work for other people if they want that type of stuff.

This book was a three for me, especially since it had potential to be an overall good story.

I'm still wanting to try the other books by Julie Hammerle. Thank you for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

I really liked this book, it was a cute, fluffy read that I wish I'd read closer to Christmas.

This is a book about;
A girl who has mastered the art of 'not giving a shit', because nobody can hurt you if you don't care, right? She's confident and spectacular at communicating with the dreaded opposite sex, but they are all repulsed by the idea of dating her (nope, not even a little bit true, as usual).
Her cousin who is stunningly beautiful but hopeless with boys (not as yawn as you might be thinking), due in no small part to the fact that she is obsessed with plumbing and dead things (see?!)
A boy who used to be the most popular jock but is now realising the life he enjoyed was hollow and not all that real anyway (okay, I'll give you that yawn..)
The shenanigans that ensue when girl 1 falls in love with boy, but decides to set girl 2 up with boy instead, and boy has no idea he's just along for the ride.

Hurray for a love triangle where nobody is an asshole.

Serieously though? I want a book about Elda, she's badass.

Pro: I am a fan of North Pole, and in this book, it's actually Christmas time! There a bunch of really fun celebratory activities going on with the gingerbread competition being the center of this story. By the way, the gingerbread competition was fabulous.

Pro: Danny and Holly actually share a past, and it was very sweet hearing about them in their younger years.

Pro: This was a fun Cyrano type story, where Holly had this texting relationship with Danny in order to help Elda win his heart. The exchanges were quite fun and adorable, and I couldn't wait for their next text exchange.

Con: Sometimes I thought Holly was a little too hard on herself and her looks, but I guess it worked with the story. Her self defense mechanism was a bit much at times too, but we did see a lot of her big heart, so I forgave her and sort of understood her a little too.

Pro: I love grandma stories, and although what brought Holly back to North Pole was her grandmother's death, I really enjoyed getting to share all her memories and I loved how she chose to honor her grandmother's memory.

Pro: As with all companion books, I was really happy to see what the other North Pole couples were up to, and was glad Hammerle included them in this story.

Pro: There are some really great silly, fun bits that I found quite amusing. A few of the side characters also gave me things to laugh at, and I always love to laugh.

Pro: I was really grateful for that ending. It was very sweet and gave me the sort of information and closure I need.

Overall: A super, sweet, adorable Christmas romance, that left me a sappy grin on my face.

3 1/2 stars

The latest entry in Julie Hammerle’s North Pole, Minnesota series feels like Cyrano de Bergerac for Christmas with teens and texting.

Holly used to visit her grandmother in North Pole every Christmas except for the past several years. She would always enter the gingerbread house-building contest with her grandmother, but would mostly be beaten by cute Danny, which she didn’t mind so much because she had a crush on him. The crush that Holly had on Danny stayed with her a long time. Unfortunately she’s had bad experiences in the intervening years. When she and her cousin, Elda, stop for coffee and Holly sees Danny for the first time in years, he doesn’t recognize her and seems more interested in Elda. As a result, Holly tries to get Danny and Elda to fall in love figuring that they are perfect together.

This is a cute story and a cute idea for a story incorporating all of the Christmas elements: gingerbread and hot chocolate and warm toasty fires. Unfortunately Approximately Yours didn’t work for me as well as the previous two entries in the series.

A little more than midway through two thoughts occurred to me. Holly and Danny were apart for most of the novel so it was really hard to just accept that they were a thing. When they finally do come together, it all feels rushed and a little unsatisfying because I didn’t feel like there was a spark between Holly and Danny and I don’t know if that was because they were ultimately too similar. As well, it was hard to believe Danny was falling for anyone considering that just a few days had passed since he found out about his long-time girlfriend cheating on him and their subsequent breakup.

Also, I found Elda a more intriguing character than Holly and would have loved for the subplot with Elda and Dinesh to be fleshed out more. Probably, it would have helped overall if this novel had just been longer to show more interaction between Holly and Danny and some fun between nerds Elda and Dinesh.

However, this novel is sweet and I think for anyone following the series, you don’t want to miss this latest installment, not to mention it’s arrival is just in time for pre-Christmas reading.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book more. It was a cute "Crush" book. But there were just a few flaws that stood out for me. 1) I dislike when the person on the cover looks nothing like the description. If that girl on the cover is plus size we are all screwed. 2) Unless I missed it they don't go over, Elda, Craig, or Dinesh's age which makes some of the stuff confusing. 3) The whole ending on how the house stays in the family was a lil far fetched to me. Like did not see coming at all and seemed weird.

I wish I would have loved the book more. I did enjoy it enough to still give it a good review overall just a few flaw that could have changed this into a much better book. I wish we could have felt the crush between the characters a bit more instead of just read about it. I didn't feel it like I should. But overall a quick easy read and I don't regret that I read it. I do plan on checking out the others in the series.

*I received an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Entangled Teen!*

I was so excited to read this book. I mean, the synopsis looks very interesting. Boy that falls in love with somebody because of their chat conversations and then discovers that the person writing those texts is not the one he thought it was? This plot promised a lot of drama, profound conversations and bubbly feelings.

Our main character is Holly, a very sarcastic girl who is now returning to the city where she used to live with her grandma, North Pole. The problem is that Danny Garland lives there. And who is Danny? Well, her eternal-childhood love. When they finally reencounter, Danny does not seem to recognise Holly at all. In fact, he looks rather interested in Holly's attractive but clumsy cousin, Elda. As a consequence, Holly decides that she is going to help her cousin so that she can date with Danny. They are the perfect couple and even though Holly loves Danny so much, he is, as she says, 'out of her league' (by the way, I hate understanding what she means with this sentences. I hate so much this type of generalised thoughts regarding beauty and relationships).

One thing that surprised me about this book was the narrator. It's not the typical first-person, but an almost omniscient third-person one. Some chapters focus on Danny's daily life and others on Holly's. Maybe that's why I haven't symphatised with these characters as much as I expected or maybe it's just that I needed more pages in order to fully grasp their love story. However, I'm not going to lie, I couldn't stop reading this novel and if you love Christmas you will understand my point. It's addictive, it's cute, it's about two teenagers who compete in a gingerbread contest, drink coffee at Santabucks and are surrounded by mistletoe! As I was reading, I could imagine everything in my head as if I was watching a Christmas romance movie. Julie Hammerle has managed to condense perfectly the Christmas vibes!

I guarantee this is not the best novel in the world, but it will definitely make your heart melt with such a lovely story. If the characters had been more round, Approximately Yours would have won some extra points for, as I mentioned at the beginning of my review, this plot required long chat conversations and powerful emerging feelings to actually believe that Danny falls in love with Holly and not with Elda. And I did miss some of those emotionally explosive drama scenes, to be honest.

A sweet story about accepting yourself, facing love and Christmas.