Melody Carlson delivers another delightful holiday tale with “The Christmas Swap.”

When the affluent Landers family decides to do a Christmas house swap, daughter Gillian invites her best friend, Emma, to accompany them and her brother Grant’s friend Harris to a home in Colorado.

But when the Landerses arrive before homeowner West Prescott can leave, he quickly decides to pretend he’s the caretaker to hide his true identity — a professional songwriter for a major hitmaker.

As Gillian, Grant, Emma and West get to know each other, all while enjoying the ski slopes and quaint town, they must overcome issues while maintaining friendships and developing new relationships.

“The Christmas Swap” is a sweet tale full of holiday cheer, cozy moments, and a touch of drama. It deals with themes like jealousy, honesty, forgiveness, being true to one’s self, allowing one’s self to be vulnerable, and finding your true home.

Carlson is the master of holiday delights, and “The Christmas Swap” is no exception.

Five stars out of five.

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.

This is a lighthearted tale of Emma and West and their unlikely meeting. It's Christmastime and Emma's friend's family have swapped houses with someone at a ski resort in Colorado and they have invited Emma to go with them. West's family have without his knowledge "swapped" his house with the family in Arizona. He's not happy about it. He wants snow and skiing instead of sun and 90 degrees. Through a couple of misadventures the visiting family thinks that West is the caretaker of the house instead of the owner. Of course there is love and some trickery by Emma's friend Gillian. You will have to read the book to see if this is a happily-ever-after story. I think you will enjoy it especially if you are a fan of Christmas Hallmark movies.

Lives up to the tag line “great Christmas tale to warm your heart” any time of year! I love Melody’s ability to quickly captivate me in her stories and this one is no exception. The idea of a house swap for the holidays is so fun, and I must confess, being a regular patron of Breckenridge, I could not help but be drawn to a Christmas story set there. I was not disappointed. The magic of Christmas in the Rockies is captured and conveyed very well. Gillian and West create a sweet, magical romance, riddled with speed bumps, mishaps and misunderstandings, not to mention some very unlikeable people. It is a fairly quick read, so give yourself permission to curl up and enjoy!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087RSN9LX/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
I know you are thinking- are you serious, she is reading Christmas books in August- the answer is YES ABSOLUTELY! I feel that Christmas is really the happiest time of the year and when else would you read these books except when you need this! We are in a tremulous time and things are still unsettled and well, I am unsettled and need a little grounding, so I will seek out my Christmas books on my Netgalley bookshelf, read them all and thoroughly enjoy them so that you can read all about my excellent book choices!
We begin this book with Emma Daley deciding to spend Christmas alone. Emma has not spent Christmas at home since her parents left to go to Africa. They actually run a mission school in Uganda, which is noble work, but lonely for their daughter. Gillian, Emma’s best friend is inviting her to spend Christmas with them again. Gillian’s father arranged a house swap for Christmas. She is headed to Breckenridge, Colorado that has an awesome ski area! First class, nonetheless! SNOW, she has never seen snow before! We are next introduced to Gillian’s family, elite in their own right and snobby to go along with it. Gillian’s mother is quite the piece of work to say the least. Her unrealistic expectations! I would say she was a momzilla! This book has it all, missed connections, romance, deceit, white lies, skiing, campfires and SMORES. Did I mention hot tub? Can I move into this book? PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE!!
This leads me to an important question- Is a lie of omission of your real identity forgivable? Imagine being Justin Bieber for example and you meet someone that you really like, but isn’t used to the paparazzi and the amount of security needed just to go out to eat or even just to leave your house. Would you lie and tell them you were JB and play it off like you were a regular person and expect to be forgiven? This book was so good, it made me want to grab a ski jacket and my skiis and head off to somewhere chilly and ski some slopes. This was so well written and exciting. I will be looking for more books by this author in the very near future!

How about a little Christmas in September! Melody Carlson has written another fun holiday story for 2020. Something to take your mind off of this dreary year! Ski in the mountains with Emma and Tyler. Sip hot chocolate with GIllian and the family. You'll find all this in Melody's latest story. Emma is a sweetheart, Tyler has a kind heart, but will they finally have a chance to get to know each other despite Gillian's devious ways. This light-hearted romance is not my favorite holiday story from Melody Carlson, but it is a great escape to the mountains for a few hours. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

"A Christmas Swap" by Melody Carlson
A fun clean contemporary romance story with some laughter, a bit of angst, and a happy ending. I got so angry with one of the characters that I had to put the story aside and go for a walk to cool down (more than once). But I couldn't stay away for long and soon was back reading those pages to get to happier times. I have read other stories by this author and was sure I would love this story, too! And, I was right!!
note: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley with the request for posting of an honest review.

What a truly magical book to get you into Christmas. This story is a typical house swap from one hot summer location to a much cooler location. Arianna vs colorado. The landersers are rich and their children need or want for anything but their daughters best friend always joins then for Christmas so Emma joins them along with another friend Harris.
The landersers are quite difficult to please and when west forgets an item at the house he goes back to hide it from the family but he encounters them all and he then becomes the caretaker. The only person who he likes is Emma as she's humble and not a rich girl who is after a rich man. Noone knows who this west is but gillies finds out and tries to get him because after all, she needs a rich man. West is only interested in Emma and he takes her skiing for the first ever time in her life and she takes to it like a duck to water. Their relationship blossoms and then gillian removes it because she is jealous.
As time goes on, west has realised whats going on and needs to talk to Emma but she has been hurt by him, lies, deceiving so will she stay or will she go home?
Its a delightful book, beautiful surroundings I can only wish what colorado is like when the snow arrives. Melody in one fabulous writer and has become a big contender in my top 10.

#TheChristmasSwap#NetGalley
Another great read by Melody Carlson. It puts a smile on your face which is needed right now. It's a great Christmas story of families swapping houses for Christmas. Emma is spending the holidays with her friend Gillian's family in Colorado. T W Prescott "West" is going to Phoenix to be with his family. West leaves to late and is still there when Gillias family arrives. Emma thinks West is the caretaker, and he doesn't tell her the difference. They both feel a connection. Is it just a holiday romance? Will the truth come out a d now will Emma react? Thank you to Revell Publishing and Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this wonderful book.

A Christmas in August read for me again, but the way this year is it cannot come soon enough, so this was nice to read as it distracted me from reality for a bit , but it was a bit problematic at some Points with the attitudes of characters and some language used in reference to characters, but old fashioned, it’s a quick nice read, but not one I’d go back to

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This was a very quick read. Two families who don't know each other switch homes at Christmas. The trouble comes in when the one homeowner hasn't left town yet and becomes intertwined with the family. The characters of West and Anna were enjoyable but Gillian and her mother were spoiled and manipulative.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I've always enjoyed Melody Carlson's books and was excited when I got an early copy thanks to @netgalley . The book was a fast read, and played out in a fun Hallmark style story! Emma and Tyler (West) had great chemistry and I loved seeing how things got mixed up, thanks to Gillian, and how it all played out! I only wish the ending didn't feel so rushed, as I would have loved for a bit more.

Thank you #NetGalley for an early copy of #TheChristmasSwap in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It definitely got me in the Christmas spirit!

The Christmas Swap by Melody Carlson is a sweet novella of romance, misunderstandings and fun that will prepare your heart for the Christmas season. A little early, but we could all use some Christmas cheer right about now, don't you think?⁣
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I was instantly transported from the middle of summer to the cool fresh-packed ski slopes of Colorado with vivid and detailed descriptions. Thank you, Melody, for making me totally forget this pandemic and the heat!⁣
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The story had an intriguing concept (though it did remind me a lot of the movie The Holiday) - strangers swap their houses for Christmas. One family goes to Arizona and the other to Colorado. The Landers family is in Colorado and unbeknownst to them, the owner of the house never left. Let the hi-jinks begin! ⁣
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The owner, West Prescott, is a famous songwriter and tells everyone that he is the home's caretaker. Emma Daley, invited to spend Christmas with the Landers family, has no idea who he is, and West prefers it that way. He wants someone to like him for who he is, not because of his fame or money. Unfortunately, his deception is found by Emma's friend Gillian, a devious, selfish, spoiled little brat (I didn’t like her nor her mom). I'll let you guess what happens.⁣
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While definitely a clean read with lots of humour, my reason for giving this book three stars was the quick ending. It should maybe have 1 or 2 extra chapters. However, if you don't mind that and just want a Christmas book to read, you will enjoy it!⁣

The Christmas Swap, by Melody Carlson, is a fun novella that will get you ready for the holiday season. Emma Daley must decide where she wants to spend the holiday. Either she will stay in her hometown of Tempe, Arizona, or travel with her friend Gillian's family to Breckenridge, Colorado, for a house swap. The opportunity to experience her first Christmas in a world full of snow wins out!

Unbeknownst to the Emma and Gillian's family, Tyler Prescott, a popular songwriter, owns the house that they will be occupying for the home swap. When Tyler gets accidently "caught" outside the house, as he is on his way to the airport, he explains that he is the "caretaker". This explanation leads to a whole lot of confusion!

This is a fun tale to follow. You will see Emma loving everything about this home and its location, while the matriarch of the family absolutely hates all the she sees and experiences. Sparks will fly in a multitude of ways after Emma befriends the "caretaker"!

Hang on to see where everyone lands by the final page of this tale!

Thank you to NetGalley, Revell, and Melody Carlson for the ARC of The Christmas Swap. This is my personal review for the ARC .
Emma had decided to spend Christmas alone this year while her parents were halfway around the world at a missionary school. But her friend Gillian had other plans and insisted she come with her family to Colorado where her parents had swapped homes for the holiday. Never having seen real snow and a chance to learn how to ski was the deciding factor for Emma to go along with the family.
He was almost at the airport when he realized he had forgotten a bag on the table, and he went back to get it. In the bag were songs he was working on that he needed to get done over the holidays. West in in fact a famous song writer was still at the house when Gillian and her family arrived, and he did not want them to know who he really was so he told a small fib and said he was the caretaker for the property.
The story is a sweet romantic feel good holiday story that I am sure you will enjoy.

A sweet and quick read. I liked West and Emma and understand why he started the relationship deceptively. The ending was way too quick.

What I didn't care for is Gillian and her family. What a rude and obnoxious group! They're so superficial and snobs. I couldn't figure out why Emma would want to spend Christmas with such a family. They treated her like a servant at every chance.

I received a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinions .

A quick read, not particularly great in my opinion. It was just ok. Wouldn’t particularly recommend to others and don’t plan to buy it for my church library.

I love Melodie Carlson books and this one is probably the best I have read yet. It’s the perfect winters read great for a bit of escapism!

Eh.

I usually enjoy Melody Carlson's books much more than this one. In the beginning I was very confused about who was who. I don't know why I thought the songwriter guy (West) was the brother to Gillian. I spent a good amount of time untangling myself from that mistake. I don't know if I was just tired or what, but that confused me for a good, long while.

I found the Landers family as a whole very obnoxious. They were not fun, they did not really care about Emma, and I have no idea why she was friends with any of them. I understand Emma's parents not being around since they were in Africa, but she didn't have to go with them to Colorado.

I actually enjoyed the storytelling until the 'misunderstanding' happened. It really read like a Hallmark movie. Not my fav. Every book needs a crisis, but the one in this book was just ridiculous. Here they are, a group of adults, and Gillian tries to go from drama queen spoiled rich girl to relatable girl next door. All while shutting out her so-called friend Emma, and telling a lot of lies in the process.

It was frustrating and annoying to read through the conflict. And the resolution wasn't awesome. The romance didn't just bud, it sprouted and fruited overnight. Not realistic.

This book may be good for those who want a quick, fluffy read, but not for me.

I have read other books by Melody Carlson and have loved them, The Christmas Swap is no exception. Emma gets a chance to swap houses, the heat of Arizona, for the cold of Colorado. Its a great paced book. I loved the adventures Emma got in, not always smooth sailing.

Melody Carlson is one of my favorite authors & I always look Vforward to reading her books. To me this wasn't one of her better books. It was sweet and cute but somewhat unbelievable and I really had a hard time sticking to it even though it was somewhat short.

Emma is a young unmarried teacher living in Arizona. West is a musician who lives in the Colorado Rockies. His mom convinces them (their families) to do a vacation swap for Christmas. West forgets some of his songs that he has written so he goes back to get them & sees Emma & her family at his house. Through the next few days he becomes somewhat taken with Emma & ends up staying in the "guesthouse" so he can stay around Emma. He tries to portray himself as the caretaker of the property. Emma's friend figures out who West is & tries to set her sights on him but he really is more interested in Emma. Interesting story line but again I had a really difficult time staying interested in his book & that was somewhat disappointing since I love reading most things by Carlson!

Thank you to the publisher,Revell and Net Galley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of the book.