I generally have very varied genre interests and among those, romantic comedies have always found their place. What's more, be it in books or movies, I'm a real sucker for Christmassy romantic comedies. You can probably guess why I was totally sold on "The Mistletoe Pact".

Having said all that, I can admit to being totally fine with cheesy stories and romantic novel tropes. Two characters meet, they sort of like each other, things keep happening so they are not actually a couple, but at the very end love wins, and most of all, love always wins on Christmas. Fair enough. And even more than that, such books don't require either too much of a convoluted plot or much complicated characters - just cute enough ones.

Unfortunately, neither the characters in "The Mistletoe Pact" were cute enough, nor was the story.

Evie and Dan have always known each other, considering that they live near each other and Evie's best friend is Dan's sister. On the Christmas that happens to also be Evie's 22nd birthday they make a pact to get married if neither of them is married by Evie's 30th. They do get drunkely married, then they annul the marriage and each continues with their life.

And then we read pages on top of pages of them actually being in love with each other, unbeknownst to themselves and each other. Understand, that's a huge majority of the book.

If you've read "Pride and Prejudice", you might tell me "But that's so interesting!", and you would be right... in the case of "Pride and Prejudice". In the case of Dan and Evie there are no social, behavioral or other barriers, there's just nothing but each of them pining and pining and pining, always misunderstanding each and every desperate gesture of the other as rejection, always having such a good time together, and then deciding "Oh but I shouldn't, oh but he/she doesn't want me to...", etc. etc.

It takes them years (!!!) to sort out their feelings just by the way of wanting to kiss but never doing so, thinking how sexy the other is, but never saying so - you get the point.

And all the same, they change not at all, living a stagnant life in the span of a decade in this loop of hopeless and pointless pining.

Not much to go on with, really. Which is too bad, I really wanted a light Christmas romance.

The Mistletoe Pact
Jo Lovett
Bookouture
Publication Date: Oct 1, 2021
Review Date: September 16, 2021
3 stars

The Mistletoe Pact is a pact made by two long-time neighbors and friends who jokingly commit to a marriage pact if she is not married before age 30. Turns out, that on her thirtieth birthday she and her friends celebrate by a trip to Vegas, where everyone gets drunk and the two end up marrying each other in a Vegas chapel. Horrified in the morning—but secretly in love with each other—they file for an annulment. Years go by and they flirt excitedly with one another, but she has different boyfriends and he gets a one-night stand pregnant. About 60 percent of the way through the book I was so frustrated that I just wanted to scream at them to get it together! But, you’ll have to read what happens because well, you know no spoilers!

Everything happens around Christmas which is my favorite time of the end. The long walks in the snow were wonderful, but the frustrations between the two on the walks was excruciating. I wish Ms. Lovett had not taken so long to reach the conclusion of her book. I’ll definitely read another book by her and recommend this one to those who adore Hallmark movies.


Thank you to Net Galley and Bookoutre for this eARC in exchange for this honest review.

This is the third book which I’ve read by this author, and considering I really enjoyed the other two I knew this one would be a safe bet! The Mistletoe Pact is obviously a Christmas book, and even in the slightly warmer climes of early September the festive spirit oozing out of this book was enough to make me want to put the tree up! Eight years ago on Christmas Eve, Evie and Dan made a pact that if they were both still single by the time they were 30 then they would get married. And that’s exactly what happens! But, it’s not as romantic as you would imagine as they wake up, the day after their wedding, in a Vegas hotel room after drunkenly saying ‘I do’ in a Chapel of Love! As the stark sober realisation of what they’ve done begins to hit home, we are treated to their journey, not just after the marriage, but from 8 years previously!

The chapters switch back and forward in time, introducing us to a younger Evie and Dan. This is all done effortlessly, and there’s no confusion as to where we are in the timeline with clearly marked chapters. I liked both of the main characters, with Evie being fun and cute and Dr Dan being serious and gorgeous! They did have their issues though, with their parents’ relationships seeming to path how any of their relationships would end up. Their relationship as friends was heart-warming, but the ‘will they become more than friends’ part of the storyline was fun and kept me turning the pages throughout. They were supported by a group of great characters, and I loved Evie’s best friend (and Dan’s sister), Sasha!

There were little parts of the book which I thought didn’t need to be in there, such as Hannah and Katie’s involvement, and I did think the big secret regarding Dan’s brother Max, was a little bit of an anti-climax. However, overall this was a light-hearted, fun, flirty, festive read which connected me with all the characters, had me hooked and left me with a feel-good feeling! Would recommend!

Thank you to the publisher for approving and sending an ARC copy through NetGalley.

The Mistletoe Pact By Joe Lovett is a novel directed to people who like Christmas vibes and friends to lovers stories.
It's about Evie and Dan each of them has a crush on the other but doesn't admit it because Evie is Dan's sister best friend and they grew up around each other and are afraid to acknowledge their feelings. Until one Christmas eve, they make a pact that if they are single by 30 they will marry each other. Time passes by and on Evie's 30th birthday she wakes up in bed with Dan in Vegas and both married. They were highly drunk and got married in Vegas and lived together an unforgettable night. Would they admit their feelings and keep their marriage or go their separate ways?
The story continues between the past and the present showing us, Dan and Evie friendship and relationship. It was funny at times, I liked Evie friendship with Sasha ( Dan's sister) but it was long it could have been shorter with fewer misunderstandings and more communication between the two. Overall, it was a nice love story full of Christmas Vibes that you would enjoy if you like these kinds of novels.

I really wanted to like the Mistletoe Pact as it seemed like the perfect Holiday read almost Hallmark movie. However, there were some parts of the story which didn't seem to flow or match up. Also, you need to like slow-burn romances. If not, you might wanna skip this one. But if slow burn, best friend's brother and marriage pacts are your thing, then this book is for you.

This was very cute and sweet and exactly what I needed. This book is set in Las Vegas and then later on spread over an entire year between two lovers. I think it was realistic for me that’s why I ended up loving and enjoying it so much. I do love a good romance just like everyone else so this was really perfect for me.

The characters were super endearing i loved them. They were awkward with each other at times but you could quiet literally feel the love through the pages which was the best part it was perfect. I’m giving this 5 out of 5 stars it was pretty easy for me to do and I really loved this! It was perfect!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This was a typical Hallmark romance at it's core with a lot of cute moments. I was expecting there to be bumps along the way, however, I was put off by just how far apart Evie and Dan are pulled from each other throughout the novel.

I was hoping to read scenes of them making the marriage work, which was the expectation I got from the blurb, so for them to annul it pretty much straight off the bat disappointed me.

In the memories, Evie and Dan show a lot of chemistry that I feel is missing from the present day versions of themselves, making it hard to root for them.

Rating: 1.75 Stars

CAWPILE: 3.43

*I received an eArc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My, My, My, where do I start with this book?

First of all, I want to preface. I don’t think that the large amount of negative reviews or low ratings on Netgalley or Goodreads are necessarily the fault of this novel. I think that the book has been marketed as a funny, sweet, brother’s best friend, married in Vegas rom-com at Christmas and that just isn’t what it is.

Because, at least to me, this book isn’t a romance.

It’s a slice of life.

This Mistletoe Pact flips around over the course of about 10 years, following the turbulent relationship of Dan and Evie. On Evie’s thirtieth birthday, they drunkenly get married at Vegas, fulfilling a years long joke pact that if both were single at 30, they’d wed. Sounds like your typical comedic romance, doesn’t it?

But, for most of this book, the characters are apart. They spend so much time moving from one miscommunication to another. One relationship to another, that we never really get to see the best parts of their own dynamic, just the angst around it. Hell, Dan even has a child in the time that it takes the two of them to get themselves together.

I think this book mostly appeals to anyone that likes slice of life – it certainly feels as though you are reading about Dan and Evie’s day to day movements more than the romance itself. You follow their own internal struggles that are completely separate from the romance and many scenes that have no bearing on the relationship at all. But if you can’t stand miscommunication, I wouldn’t pick this one up because it WILL drive you insane.

Overall, I think the low rating for this book is due to a mixture of misplaced marketing and expectations. I would have liked to see the author spend more time on Evie and Dan and actually think it might have worked better as a novel if it just started from them waking up in Vegas.

Give this one a go, but be aware that it is not a romance, but a slice of life.

I wanted to like it so bad , I was just waiting for that moment where I fall in love with the two mcs and their relationship but that never happened, it kept stretching and the charm never appeared. Even though they have known and probably liked each other for so long, i still couldn't see the spark or chemistry.
This book had the perfect setup to be one of the best romcoms with friends to lovers and Christmas but it's just missed a spot.

I really wanted to love this one. I love everything about the holiday season and I was expecting a Christmassy feel good rom-com. Unfortunately, this one missed and mark for me. I did really enjoy Evie’s character and how kind hearted she was. I liked her and Dan’s relationship and how they had so much history.
However I struggled with how long it took for them to figure things out and finally get together. It felt sort of depressing to me in the middle and I wasn’t expecting that from this one. Overall it was a cute story but it wasn’t what I was expecting for a feel-good Christmas love story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Bookouture and Netgally for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I really liked the concept and the way Jo Lovett goes back and forth showing Dan and Evie's history while giving us the slow burn of their current romance. But MAN was it a slow burn. They are together for what feels like 10 pages. I, personally, don't love it when the couple gets together finally at the very end. I like seeing them get together and enter the first phase of a relationship. It just felt really drawn out without giving us a real climax.

The Mistletoe Pact

2.5/5 Stars

I received and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book, don’t get me wrong. It was cute, but it felt like filler chapter after filler chapter. I was promised Christmas and mistletoe but the most Christmas you really get is on the cover – which is honestly so disappointing.

This was a mindless read for me, I didn’t really have to pay attention to it at all. It wasn’t something that really captured me and made me want to read it, I more so read it because I didn’t want to DNF it.

The characters are very disjointed and don’t really have a lot of depth or chemistry with each other, they’re stock characters that could have been replaced with anyone and you’d have the exact same book but with different names.

I’d recommend this book if you just need something light, a space between more intense books that may be on your TBR. It was fun, it was cute. But it just wasn’t really my thing. I don’t really like dual-timeline books on the best of days, but this was hard to get through, especially since the years would change the moment I would get into the timeline that I was currently reading.

I am a sucker for the holiday season. The Christmas music goes on on November first and runs through December 26th. Each and every one of those cheesy Netflix holiday movies is watched and rewatched. I am all about the magic of the holidays. I am also a huge fan of romance as a genre. There are very few tropes I don’t enjoy. So naturally, I wanted to check out The Mistletoe Pact.

The book follows Evie – so named because she was born on Christmas Eve – and Dan, her best friend’s older brother, as they deal with the fallout of a deal they made on Evie’s 22nd birthday: if she’s not married by the time she turns 30, then the two of them will get hitched. They seal the pact with a kiss under the mistletoe. A kiss the two of them enjoy a lot more than expected.

The book opens with the two of them making good on that promise, waking up next to each other in a Vegas chapel’s honeymoon suite. After that, the book is split into two timelines – the past, which shows how Evie and Dan keep just missing each other, and the present day, showing them finding their way back to one another.

As protagonists, both Evie and Dan are great. They’re both kind, sincere people who suffer from always being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And that really is their only issue is properly getting together. Even when they’re not actually a couple, the two of them actually communicate like adults, never drawing out a revelation, but instead being honest with one another. A both of them face unexpected hurdles in both the “past” and the “present” that act as obstacles to their inevitable happiness, the two of them always make sure to go through it with the others knowledge and implied support.

Evie and Dan are really good together. Almost too good together. With such natural chemistry, and such a frank dynamic otherwise, I found it really difficult to comprehend why the two of them didn’t actually get together sooner. The late-in-the-game revelation about their insecurities helped make sense of it, but it was still a struggle to make sense of. One of the biggest issues with a romance novel – or really, any romantic plot – is finding a reason for why the two leads can’t be together. The Mistletoe Pact didn’t really have much of a reason. They get along well, their families support it, and best (worst?) of all, Evie and Dan are usually so honest with each other, it was hard to believe they wouldn’t be honest about their feelings too. I do credit author Jo Lovett, because the premise of the book kept Evie and Dan apart for so long, for giving the two of them enough going on in their individual lives to keep me invested.

The holiday setting, while it does provide a narrative, chronological framework is purely incidental. If you’re expecting Hallmark movie in book form, this isn’t it. The text isn’t saturated with Christmas decor, hot cocoa and cozy sweaters – though Evie does have a thing for extremely long scarves. Instead, part of the story just happens to take place at Christmas time, which might actually be to the book’s benefit, since that makes it an evergreen (pardon the pun) read.

The only thing that does date this book is the confusing half-references to the COVID-19 pandemic, and resulting lockdowns. Since the “present day” portion of the book takes place in the year between Christmas 2021 and Christmas 2022, there are some mentions in the “past” sections to time spent in lockdown. It is an interesting question that creatives are clearly already asking themselves: do you, or do you not address COVID in your contemporary stories? But The Mistletoe Pact‘s treatment of the pandemic and lockdown as a thing of the past when there’s no way for us to actually know that put the book both in our real world, and in an alternate timeline where COVID was controlled much quicker. I found myself wishing that it hadn’t been mentioned at all. Besides wanting a bit of escapism, it’s strange to see an ongoing event already being treated anachronistically. That, however, is a minor quibble with the book and is easily overlooked.

If I had to pick one thing to compare it to, I would say it’s probably Four Weddings and a Funeral where Charles ends up with Fiona instead of whoever Andie McDowell was playing. The companionship is easy, the surrounding holidays and events are a framework rather than the focus (and there are actually three weddings thrown in as well, no funerals though). The Mistletoe Pact is a cute, cozy read suitable for any time of year.

I’m not quite sure what I feel about this book. I liked the writing and the characters felt very realistic and relatable, and yet the story just wasn’t what I wanted. In the beginning I felt like this was going to be this fun cute christmassy rom com, but it kind of took a turn when it started to focus on all the things that were wrong in Eve and Dan’s lives. It got kind of depressing. And it took them way too long to get together. The cute romance I wanted when I picked this up only started happening in like the last fifty pages of the book and then the author went and ruined it with more drama. Honestly it was not necessary.

I wanted to love this book so badly based on the description, the Christmas, and the cover... But I agree with Mrs. Bird. This is all very messy. I never felt any chemistry between Evie and Dan. All their interactions were pretty awkward, even before their whole Vegas thing. I skimmed through more than half the book after I realized that this really isn’t what I thought I’d be reading. The only reason this is a two star instead of a one star is because I adored Evie and her way of bringing people together.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of The Mistletoe Pact. All opinions are my own.

If you’re looking for a Christmas love story tied up in a neat Hallmark bow, this book might disappoint you. While the story revolves around Evie’s Christmas Eve birthday, the plot has very little to do with the holiday season.

The story jumps back and forth between the past and the present to fill in the details that transpire between Evie and Dan while dipping between their first person takes. Sometimes it’s tough to catch back up to the time change, but the author is a good writer so I’m the story is enjoyable all the way through.

The story is super predictable, they fall in love and the book ends happily ever after. I would give this a 3.5 star, but rounding up since it was a good book overall.

If you’re looking for a quick read where a girl and her best friends brother realize after years of listing for each other that they’re meant to be - this is a good choice.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this prelease. This review includes spoilers.

I'm a huge fan of Christmas books. Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It tells of the tale and turmoil of two friends who don't realize that they're right for each other - or at least aren't willing to admit it to themselves or others. I think this book had more substance than most lighthearted holiday books. Although winter, going home for the holidays, and holiday traditions are definitely featured in this book, there is more to it then that. For example, there were lots of dynamic relationships (instead of just the main two characters), flashbacks that fill in gaps of time, etc. Really, this book could be easily turned into a series.

Overall, I enjoyed it and I highly recommend that you add it to your reading list.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Mistletoe Pact definitely gave me those Hallmark Vibes. Mostly because it seems like two friends, who became lovers, took FOREVER and a day to finally become a thing. Of course things got messed up after a little trip down to Vegas... but honestly what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Unless you want to divorce someone? Again, not sure but these two seriously needed to acknowledge their feelings for one another and just freaking talk to each other. It frustrated me to no one with their little dance around one another. At times, things could be cute but other times it felt like nails on a chalkboard for me because of the miscommunication.

Other than that, I did actually end up liking the book. Mostly because of the cute moments but that's it. I could have done without all the extra drama that came attached to certain characters. Still, somehow, these characters made it all work out in the end.

I'm happy that I got the chance to dive into this because I'm very excited for the colder weather to come my way. So I will definitely need to dive into more Holiday books soon.

A fun romantic read. Evie and Dan were entertaining main characters and I loved how their friendship remained strong even as their lives moved on from their initial pact.
The flashbacks to different stages of each of their lives were good fun - I especially enjoyed the gatecrashing of the Abba themed wedding. I really enjoyed the relationship Evie had with her mum and felt it was interesting to see how it impacted on how Evie behaved in her own relationships.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters and the storyline were brilliant and I liked how the book started and then went back to the beginning of the pact to explain the storyline. The only negative I have of the book is the jumps in the timeline as it sometimes gets a little too confusing with all the different times. Saying this, I would definitely recommend the book and I cannot wait to read it again.