The Mistletoe Pact was one of my highly anticipated Christmas reads for 2021, the premise sounded perfect and we all love a best friend’s brother romance, right?! Unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations.

Evie and Dan make a pact on Evie’s 22nd birthday (which also happens to be Christmas Eve) that if they’re both single by her 30th birthday then they’ll marry each other. We immediately see that they did in fact get married, only it wasn’t a planned affair, it was after an extremely drunken night in Vegas!

I’m sad to say I had issues with this book! It wasn’t the feel good festive romance I wanted (and expected), in fact it had very little to actually do with Christmas other than the timeline occasionally being set around Christmas time. I didn’t connect to either main character so I didn’t particularly care if they ever got together, which by the way took forever (the very last chapter of the book!). My main issue was just how frustrating and boring it was to read, I generally don’t mind a good slow burn but this was far too slow for me.

Disappointing!

2 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun little romance novel, that was a quick read. I really enjoyed the "Then" and "Now" timelines and watching them slowly come together in the end. While I know the trope here was supposed to be "friends to lovers," I still found it to be super frustrating, as the characters constantly thought about how wrong the other person was for them, but none of their reasons for feeling that way truly made sense or were in my opinion fully explained. It seemed all signs pointed to them being together, and yet they kept denying them. I also went into this book feeling like it was a Christmas-novel, and yet this could totally be read any time of the year. It was cute.

Great cute book for those that love a good Hallmark movie! The Mistletoe Pact has a cute premise, Evie and Dan make a pact that if they aren't married by the time Evie turns 30, then they will marry each other. Right out of the gate the book moves ahead in time and they actually get married in Vegas! The rest of the book goes back and forth in time, from after the pact to the time after their wedding. The storyline took a different path than I was expecting, so that was nice surprise.

The characters in the book were likable; however, I never really felt a strong connection. The book felt rushed (especially the end) as if the author were trying to tell you about many different events and activities quickly, rather than going in depth. The character development seemed flat and the book lacked those rom-com scenes where you can feel the chemistry and tension between characters. Easy read, just wanted a little more Christmas spirit and depth.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"So that’s a deal then. We’ll get married on your thirtieth birthday if we’re both still single..."
*
Christmas Eve eight years, Evie and Dan made a pact under the mistletoe. If by thirty she wasn't married then her and Dan were going to tie the knot. And they sealed the deal with a kiss. But it was a joke, neither of them took it seriously. Until they wake up in a honeymoon suite in Vegas beside eachother, the day before Evie's 30th birthday, and they're married. Nothing a quickie divorce can't fix and then things can go back to normal. But is that easier said than done? What happens when their paths keep crossing and they can't seem to stop gravitating towards eachother? Do they take a chance or are they ready to let go of their pact?
*
"You know: with all our fantastic twenty-first century medicine, we can’t save everyone, and we can’t prevent bad things still happening to some of the people we save..."
*
This was for sure a cute read - a festive feel, childhood friends to lovers story with some rom-com worthy humour in the style of an unplanned Vegas wedding. The story is told through a mix of flashbacks over the past eight years and present day events, highlighting the blossoming relationship between Evie and Dan, her best friends brother. I was drawn in by the Ross and Rachel 'we got married in Vegas when drunk' plot but I felt this could have been developed further it was resolved so quickly. At times this book felt a bit slow, as it wouldn't fully describe scenes with Evie and Dan instead stopping and skipping to other scenes with side characters when I would have liked to have seen more interaction with the leading pair. It's called The Mistletoe Pact but could easily be read any time as the present day events take place over a year. I did love how their hometown was described at Christmas time, both in the flashbacks of the past and in the present day moments. The style of writing, with the flashbacks, gives off vibes similar to How To Save A Life, One Day and Love, Rosie.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.
*
"You have to be brave and fight for what you want sometimes..."

A lovely light read where it is easy to fall in love with the main characters, Evie and Dan. Their story starts the morning after their Vegas wedding that happened as a result of a pact they made years before. The rest of the story is then told using flashbacks and present time story line. Although the book is called Mistletoe Pact this is not really a festive book so it could be enjoyed at any time of the year. Fun and flirty easy reading.

I have such mixed feelings about this story. First off, I’ve never been a fan of friends to lovers. I’m more of an enemies to lovers kind of reader, so if friends to lovers is your thing, take my review with a grain of salt.

I enjoyed the fast pace this story began with, but then it kind of hit a lull. It was told over the course of a year and that just seemed like such a long drawn out time for these characters to try and figure out their feelings for each other. However, the tension was there and I enjoyed that aspect. It kept me turning pages. Overall, this was a great seasonal feel good read.

I really enjoyed this book! It was fun, flirty, intense and perfect for what I needed at the time. Would definitely recommend!

Eight years ago, on Christmas Eve, Evie and Dan made a pact to marry each other if they weren’t married by thirty.

Now they have woken up in Vegas on the eve of Evie’s thirtieth birthday - married.

Can they get an annulment and go back to how things used to be? Or will they both realise that their, not so secret, crushes could turn into a romance?

A cute christmasy read.

3.5. I did enjoy this book but I think the ending let it down....I was just expecting better. I loved the relationship between Evie and Dan and reading about them throughout the years. It is a decent read if you enjoy a slow burn romance, but it's just not the best that I've read by Jo Lovett.

If it's meant to be, nothing will stand in the way of true love - not even a drunken wedding in Vegas.

The Mistletoe Pact is a heart-warming - and at times side-splitting - story of true love finding its way through friendship, a marriage pact sealed with a kiss under mistletoe, a one-night stand and an awkward annulment.

After a string of failed relationships, and watching her mother's poor track record in love, Evie fears she'll never find the one. Rejected once again on Christmas Eve, she turns to her best friend's brother Dan and they make a joke pact (sealed with a mistletoe kiss) to get married if they're both single when they reach thirty.

Eight years and one hell of a hangover later, they wake on Christmas Eve to find themselves together in bed and married. A couple months and one embarrassing annulment later and it looks as if Evie and Dan will never find their fairy-tale ending.

Jo Lovett creates beautifully believable, relatable characters who capture the reader's heart as she takes us on a rollicking adventure through which we see Evie and Dan challenge their pasts to create a magical new future together.

I loved 'The First Time We Met', by Jo Lovett, so I was really looking forward to 'The Mistletoe Pact', but I was a bit disappointed by it to be honest. It's okay, but it could be so much better. I found myself irritated by Dan in particular. If he had just communicated a bit more... There wasn't really anything keeping him and Evie apart, and I have to say I found Dan annoying at times. He was supposed to be reliable, but it turned out he wasn't for a large part of the book. I liked the Christmas elements. I did like Evie, but she was quick to turn to another man when things got bumpy with Dan. There wasn't much in the way of angst. It had enough to keep me reading, but this was nowhere near as good as Jo's other book.

Friends become lovers in this cute rom-com about an accidental vegas marriage turned HEA. Perfect read for the holiday season. This is the first title I've read by the author and it can be read as a standalone. Check out The Mistletoe Pact by Jo Lovett wherever you buy books!

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TAGS: holiday, fiction, romance, contemporary romance, women's fiction, chick-lit, rom-com, romantic comedy, marriage pact, accidental marriage, elopement

*Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, & Jo Lovett, for providing a free eARC in exchange for my honest review #TheMistletoePact #NetGalley @NetGalley #Bookouture @Bookouture #JoLovett #JoLovettWrites @jolovettwrites

The Mistletoe Pact delivered on exactly what it said it would. A pair of friends joking around and making a pact that by the time they turned 30, if they weren’t already married, they would marry each other. Simple enough, right? Cliché? Kind of a Hallmark Christmas movie miracle type of thing? The whole thing with getting drunk and married in Vegas then wanting an annulment was very Ross and Rachel to me.

The plot seemed fun enough; an easy Christmas read for the holidays (which I love). Although the plot here isn’t exactly the biggest problem. For me, the biggest problem was the delivery. There was a lot of telling > showing. And when there was showing, it always led to miscommunication (my least favorite trope). This story felt kind of rushed at times and the characters weren’t as easy to connect to as I hoped the would be.

I was a little conflicted on this story and still am. It wasn’t bad and I did enjoy it at times but it wasn’t anything special to me and there were times where I felt frustrated and wanted to put it down.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

My favourite type of holiday romances tend to be at Christmas time. I love to read or watch love stories that are centred around the holidays since winter-time can be so magical. And I was hoping for a novel that would have a dash of humour (the synopsis was so promising!) paired with the wonder of the season.

And I was sadly dissappointed.

"The Mistletoe Pact" has a cover and synopsis that really piqued my interest, but upon opening the novel, from the first chapter, I had a sinking feeling that this novel would disappoint but I persisted. The most interesting aspect of the book is in the title, and what you end up with is a very slow burn romance devoid of chemistry or charm. The relationship was dysfunctional at best and I really did not care about the two love interests finding their way together -- in fact, I was completely apathetic about the whole thing entirely.

It dragged, however I felt like sticking it through might be beneficial for others to read this review.

I feel like this book would suit those who are looking for a slow burn romance and want to see the lives of two individuals unravel over time, demonstrating everyday events and miscommunications.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review.

A cute Christmas Romance! I loved this story it was so cute! I love Christmas books and this was def a must read. Will post a full review closer to Christmas!

Cute Christmas read! Very predictable, as most of these books are but I enjoyed it. I can see this turning into a Lifetime movie.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a free digital copy in exchange for a honest review.

I never give up on books. But this one was an exception. The description sounded so promising and I started reading the book eagerly. I don't understand why so many words are italicised. It ruins the intended effect. Yet, I tried to continue reading, hoping to find something to motivate me to finish the book. The shifting POVs and going back and forth between the past and present were strong approaches that could have done a great deal of good for the book if only the characters had been developed well. I had to stop reading at 35% because it was too painful to continue.

NYCC gave me a wonderful opportunity to read a lot of ebooks, but this one just didn't suck me in. It was a nice clean, slow burn romance that felt TOO SLOW. We see roughly a decade of their lives, and it was a tad shocking just how little communication there was. I really loved Evie's interactions with her mother and Autumn, and Dan's interactions with Katie. The main problem was they didn't have a lot of chemistry with each other. It's all just a few kisses, and you can't even expect more because they just didn't talk. And when they did, Dan seemed kinda mean. No Bueno.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Unfortunately early on in this book, I recognized it wasn't for me. The premise was up my alley, so it's a bummer!
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the copy of this book.

A cute read albeit a bit frustrating. I just wanted the main characters to get on with it and get over themselves at times