The Mistletoe Pact is a slow-burn romance between Evie and Dan, childhood friends who've both unknowingly had crushes on each other for forever. The story is written in a dual narrative from both characters alternating between the past and present which highlights the nature of their relationship as well as both their reasons for never getting together perfectly. On her 22nd birthday, Evie and Dan made a pact to get married at 30 if they were both availableThe pace of the story was tortuously slow and some points but it was actually beneficial to the character growth of Evie and Dan. This shines in the family relationship theme explored throughout the story. The most intriguing aspect was the dive into how much a parent's relationship can affect how their children go on to perceive romantic relations. Dan's parents were married well into his adult life however his father was unfaithful to his mother for the majority of their marriage. Evie never knew her father as a result of her mother always having more casual relationships and when she wanted to get serious she always chose the wrong men. As a result, both Evie and Dan were restrictive in their dating styles to avoid ending up like their mother and father respectively. It was fun to see them mature and unlearn their childhood ideologies and develop into individuals that were a better match for each other. I would love to read more of these two.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was really excited about the premise of this book - who doesn't love a friend to lovers romance, marriage pacts, and a little holiday cheer. From the blurb, I expected this to be a quick read with loveable characters and a smooth storyline.

The book started off fine. I liked the characters okay, but didn't necessarily relate to them. As the story progressed, the type of storyline I had anticipated isn't exactly what it panned out to be. IF you're looking for a light, fluffy, feel-good holiday story, this probably isn't the book for you.

This was a quick and easy read, and kept my attention. I enjoyed the flashbacks to see how Evie and Dan’s relationship evolved over the years, but the do they/don’t they will they/won’t they part of the book seemed to be drawn out. I started to get more into the story towards the end of the book, but then it seemed to end rather quickly.

I was not a fan of the Hannah/Katie story. It felt like it was put in just to cause drama, but there was no drama to be had. Also, the surprise pregnancy just didn’t seem to fit in the story.

Thank you NetGalley and the published for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Interesting plot but was a little slow getting to the point. I didn't really get those romantic feels I long for when reading chic-lit but would definitely try this author again

Oh, how I loved The Mistletoe Pact! It had some real laugh out loud times as well as some tearjerker moments. I was drawn in by the reality of the storytelling, in such a beautiful setting. Perfect book to snuggle under a blanket with

The premise was great, but the story didn’t quite deliver. I loved that there were dual pov’s, but there were too many flashbacks that slowed the story down. The begin and ending were great, but I skimmed a few chapters in between just to get to the end faster. Nevertheless if you like the slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance then this is a cute holiday read for you.

This was a fun idea, but it just wasn’t executed well. It was hard to follow, had too many random plot points, and the main characters were awful.

On the morning of her thirtieth birthday - Christmas Eve, 2021 - Evie wakes up in Las Vegas... married to her longtime crush (and her best friend's brother), Dan. Through her hangover, she remembers the night before - the birthday dinner with friends, the drinking and flirting, the wedding. But it was all a mistake... Except that it wasn't. Eight years ago, on Evie's 22nd birthday, she and Dan made a pact to get married if they were both single when she turned 30. And all this time that she's been secretly pining for him, Dan has had feelings for her too. But both of them have seen their parents suffer through difficult romantic relationships. Are they willing to take a chance on true love?

The Mistletoe Pact is absolutely adorable and highly readable, with realistic and sympathetic characters whose relationship I was rooting for from beginning to end. Although the first scene takes place in Las Vegas, most of the story is set in England, either in London or the village where the characters grew up. The Christmas element provides a pretext for the characters to periodically reunite with family and childhood friends, which provides a nice framework for the plot and feels realistic to the lifestyle of a twenty-something.

The book has an unconventional structure, alternating between chapters set "Now" (the 2021 wedding and the events that follow) and "Then" (the pact in 2013 and the years between then and 2021) as well as switching between Evie and Dan's viewpoints. The multiple timelines are occasionally confusing (they could be better marked) and seem to prevent the development of deeper subplots.

4 stars: A light and easy-reading story that skims over its more serious points.

This book was so adorable from the start. I loved the character's chemistry throughout the novel. This book also has dual POV and seeing into the male's perspective is my fav.

There was a little bit of a slow beginning but once you got past that the book was amazing and I highly recommend.

Eight years ago, on Christmas Eve, Evie and Dan made a pact sealed by mistletoe - if they weren't married by thirty, they'd marry each other. They'd know each other for most of their lives, and if they're being honest ... they're totally smitten with each other.

But now today, it's Christmas Eve again ... and Evie and Dan are married, the day before Evie's thirtieth birthday. But they don't remember a thing; waking up with the worst hangover in Vegas, they quickly try and end their accidental marriage and move on with their lives. But how do you move on from a relationship that never really started?

The Mistletoe Pact is not the cute festive romance I was expected; there is very little chrismassing involved aside from the fact there are two events that take place on Christmas Eve and Evie having a Christmas birthday. It's actually a lot more heavy than expected, dealing with some serious issues in our characters pasts and present that while written well, weren't really part of a holiday romance for me. I usually love the classic friends-to-lovers trope, but their relationship was full of passive-aggression and almost toxic jealousy so I just wasn't able to get behind them as a couple.

If this book was marketed differently, this could have been a decent story - and while I don't want to know the whole story in the blurb, if it's marketed as a cute easy read, that's what I expect when I read it.

Thank you @netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC copy of the Mistletoe Pact by Jo Lovett. Trying to find a Christmas aesthetic in September was a little challenging but here we are. I really enjoyed this story! I loved the personalities of both love interests and of the supporting characters and felt they all added something to the story. I also really enjoyed the relationship of Evie (one of the narrators) and her mother. The contrast to the other narrator (Dan) and how he had such a detached relationship from his family made for great character growth. If you do not care for a slow burn romance with lots of tension-(think Jim and Pam) this may not be the story for you but I did enjoy it! I also have always wanted to visit these storybook villages in England and this book just added to that wanderlust. Pick up your copy on October 1! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a lovely escapism read and an enjoyable rom com Evie and Dan have been friends for ever and made a pact that if neither of them was married by the time they were 30 they would marry each other and the mistletoe pact shares the ups and downs of this decision with the reader with a lot of other stuff about friendship and love thrown in along the way. The book parallels present day with Christmas of times past and all that has gone on in between. Despite being called the mistletoe pact there is more to it than a typical Covid read.

I enjoyed this authors previous books and this one didnt disappoint.

Lovett has produced a cute romance. Friends swore they’d marry at 30 if neither was attached. Then to each’s horror that’s exactly what happens in Vegas. The narrative follows a year of changes for both Evie and Dan as they embark on life changes and figure out what it is each really wants. If you’re looking to ease into the holiday spirit, give this book a go.

*arc provided in exchange for an honest review*

wow it's been a hot second since a romance book has made me feel so many things. After I finished this, I kinda had to lay and stare at the ceiling to process everything. While reading this I had to put my phone *down* several times and just glare at it because I was afraid of what this book was going to do to me.

These two characters hit so close to home for me, I could see myself in certain elements of both characters. The way Evie goes through life almost unintentionally, especially her love life, because that's a fear of mine, or the way Dan deals with all his familial issues. Both characters and their relationship to the concept of love were written beautifully. This book felt like a love letter to christmas, a love letter to love, a love letter to england, but also a story of two people doubtful of love, because they'd both seen how the reality can (sometimes) corrupt such a simple thing as love. I also loved how slow of a love story this way, the way the book was an exploration of love and friendship over more than ten years, because it meant any developments felt really natural and believable.

There were a couple small things that, in my heart of hearts, meant I couldn't give this the full five stars:
- The way max's backstory was 'hidden' from the reader felt a little pretentious, and it would've worked much better if instead of dan making comments like "after the accident" etc., we had seen a slow unfolding of it from Evie's perspective.
- The timeline became a bit messy. I loved how the book spanned over such a long time, but because the time (present vs. past and the year) were only given at the start of a chapter if there was a change in time, the two timelines kinda blurred in my head. If they were given at the start of every chapter, that would've been so helpful.
- Overall, I really liked the writing but there were small phrases or sentences that I didn't really get? I don't know if it's because I'm not British and those are words traditionally used there, but while this confused me, it didn't hinder my love of the writing.

I will say, though, that if you're going to read this book, you shouldn't hold onto the synopsis too tightly, since the Vegas wedding is only used as a starting off point, if that. The book is closer to a look at these two characters over more than a decade of their life, and while the effects of the vegas wedding or pact are discussed, it's only a small part of the novel.

Cute Christmas love story. Evie & Dan wake up married in Vegas from a pact they made 10 years ago.
Dun, cute and easy read.
Thanks NetGalley for the early copy.

Book Review
The Mistletoe Pact by Jo Lovett
Publication Date: October 1, 2021
4☆☆☆☆ for a fresh take on the friends to lovers, fall back (or back-up) plan marriage novel

Let me begin by saying that if you choose to check the GoodReads rating for this you’ll see that I’m overshooting the average here. I did, very fairly and honestly, consider giving this read 3 rather than 4 stars. Why? Read on.

The story begins in a post-COVID world (Hallelujah and good try) and although it’s all up to date we don’t get dragged through any COVID horror as much as we probably should have. That aside, the story begins with lifelong friends Dan and Evie waking up after a drunken night (that includes a wedding) in Vegas. Okay, go on.

The story then switches between the perspectives of the two, working forwards both from that point (a Christmas holiday amongst friends) and a Christmas ten years in the past. We watch Evie and Dan grow up, grow together and apart. And of course, back together - but you really have to stick with it to get to this part so please do.

If you’re looking for a light, fluffy romantic twirl, this might not actually be it - and maybe that’s part of why I gave it a four rather than a three. I’m not saying there aren’t swoon worthy bits and that I didn’t want to see the two of them back together from the start, but I think the growth of people and their love is an important part of this story and gives it a slightly more serious tone than one might otherwise expect from something called “The Mistletoe Pact.”

This is not your light, everything works out kind of romantic Christmas read. A lot of it isn’t set at Christmas, although yes we keep coming back to it (especially as it provides a convenient return for Dan from urban London to rural Coswalds, England where of course he and Evie run into one another) - and most of our character’s growth and depth comes through their multi-month, multi-year life experience.

I do find that this book includes a bit much, emotion wise. I would have loved to see one or maybe two of the three major issues/life events for Dan be unpacked - was three really necessary? If anything it leaves me with more questions than answers in some cases - although there’s also a lot left unsaid, so maybe Jo wanted to let us read between the lines, imagine it for ourselves.

And in Evie’s case, was she really so okay with not knowing who her own father was? Parenthood and family is such a key theme of the book yet Evie brushes off her father’s identity (unknown) so quickly and easily (it seems). Maybe Jo’s saving that for the sequel? Either way it seemed odd to have it brought up and then so quickly and tidily swept away.

Do I recommend? Yes.

Have I added all of Jo’s other books to my TBR list on Goodreads? Yes.

Do I recommend you do the same? Sure. My next pick will be the House Swap, hands down.

What does this book remind me of? Strong nodes of One Day in December (and not just because of the Christmas theme) by Josee Silver and Maybe This Time by Jill Mansell.

I think this is for the more mature, ready for deeper issues romantic-reader.

2 1/2 stars.
it was very close to a 3, but there were so many things that didn't work well in this story.

This story follows Evie and Dan, who have been friends for a long time (she's best friends with his younger sister) and have feelings for each other. On her 22nd birthday, at Christmas, they make a pact that they'll marry each other when she turns 30, if they're not married by then.

The story starts with the day after they married, in Vegas and under the influence. It would have made more sense to take the narrative from there instead of going back and forth between the present and the past.

But the premise was really good but the story fell short, which is unfortunate.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

This book definitely ended up falling flat for me. It started off good, two people make a pack to get married if they’re still single at 30, they go to Vegas get drunk and have sex. But then the book takes a completely wrong turn and I honestly just dislikes the rest of it. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC but this was a fail for me.

The Mistletoe Pact started off with a great premise that it didn’t quite live up to. It’s a second chance romance between Evie and Dan, her best friend’s brother. Nearly ten years earlier Evie and Dan make a slightly intoxicated pact on her Christmas Eve birthday that if they are both still single on her 30th birthday that they will get married. Fast forward through years of failed relationships and lots of hurt feelings, they wake up on her 30th birthday in bed together… in Las Vegas… after a passionate night together after getting married. They quickly decide to get a divorce, although they both wonder if it’s really what they each want. The two then spend the next year going back and forth trying to make something work between them and hurting each other by dating other people.

The premise was good and there were a lot of things about this that could have really worked, but overall it just felt a little flat. Nothing really jumped out to me - the timeline was hard to follow (I could never seem to remember if it was before or after their marriage), the characters lacked real emotional depth beyond embodiment of their parental damage, and the lack of chemistry between them didn’t fuel much emotional connection from me. I missed the real yearning and heartbreak that I’ve found from other stories - ones where I could actually feel it myself through the writing.

It had real promise that it failed to deliver on beyond the HEA, but if you like a good holiday romance, this might do it for you.

This book is about Evie Greens and Dan Marshall who happenly made a marriage pact if they are both single in their thirsties.

I really recommend this to my fellow reader who loves romance more likely a friends to lovers in a slow paced situation. I love their family gathering in their village.
Evie and Dan, the chemistry they have wherein, everyone knew but only them couldn't admit it because Dan value so much their friendship that couldn't handle to get hurt or destroy the things they have when they changed their friendship into a romantic relationship.

I love how the story tackles every kind of love, and how it impacts around the people you love.