Another delightful title in the All I Want for Christmas series.
This one takes the character of Isla from the previous title and has her falling for rich boy, August Harker.
They meet when August accompanies his sister to her meeting with Isla and her mom for wedding planning services.

Definitely a fun romance title for the holidays. While you can read it as a stand-alone, it is nice to have already met some of the characters in the previous title.

Thank you to Wise Wolf Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

I did enjoy this book, but there were a few things I wasn’t expecting going into the third instalment of this series, most notably that it is much less Christmasy as the first two books in the series, which was all right but not what I was expecting. We also had two new main characters for this book, Isla and August. Like the previous two instalments, I enjoyed the relationship between the two and I liked how they were brought together by planning for his older sisters wedding (I love weddings). I liked how she pushed him to be who he really wanted to be and not just go along with the life that others had planned for him. I like romances where the two people bring out the best in each other. Overall, i think this was a good romance but not a holiday centred one.

Plot:
Isla Riddle has been obsessed with True Love for as long as she can remember. Books, TV, movies-if it's a story about star-crossed lovers, ill-fated love, or love conquering all, Isla has read it, seen it, and talked nonstop about it. She spend her life helping her mom build up Riddle's Bridal Boutique and Wedding Planning. They started it together after her dad left town and they've just received their biggest break yet: a high society bride with a million-dollar budget.

August Harker doesn't have to think much about his life as it's been planned for him. He has the parent-approved heiress girlfriend, the 4.0 GPA at an elite college preparatory school, and over a dozen lacrosse and debate team trophies. He has no reason to think his life won't turn out just like his dad's. He finds himself tagging along as his older sister prepares to walk down the aisle.

Thoughts:
This is the third book in the series. I hate to say it but I didn't love it like the other two. The second book was the strongest for sure. This one didn't have the Christmasy feel that the previous books had. We see some of the characters from the last 2 books but only on the phone.

It had some good banter. I loved that they watched RomComs together while talking on the phone. That was very cute. Other than those times in the book I didn't feel a huge connection between the two. It also felt icky to me because it was definitely cheating. To me the relationship felt very rushed. The end of the book could have had a lot more to it. The other books I struggled to put down and this one I put down a few times. I liked it. I don't regret reading it. I will definitely read the fourth book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! ❤

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of All I Want For Christmas is the Boy I Can't Have by Chelsea Bobulski.

This third installment in Bobulski's "All I Want for Christmas" series follows Isla and August. Continuing from the friends in "All I Want for Christmas is the Girl in Charge" we get to see Evelyn, Beckett, and Savannah again though it is a year later and they are not a large part of the book but it is nice to have that continuity of characters and already have been introduced to romantic Isla in the previous book.

Isla and her mother run a wedding planning company in Christmas, Virginia and when Kathleen Harker comes in with her mother, father, and younger brother, August, looking to plan a wedding for Christmas which is six weeks away they are the only ones who say it can be done. Instead of begging off of any wedding planning duties August keeps showing up to these appointments making Isla fall deeper in love with him each time.

I enjoyed the way that this book read as well, more like a Nora Roberts than the previous book but again it felt like it fit the storyline since Isla and August are obsessed with romantic comedies. I felt like the story progressed both as expected but also in a way that was enjoyable to read about. The happily ever after ending is what it is all about.

Overall 3.5 stars.

I enjoyed this one and liked the characters and the drama that Bobulski created. A fun read for anyone who loves a little holiday romance.

This is the third book in the holiday romance series. I'm finding that these books just are not for me. The MC have an instant connection while one is still dating someone else which I am not a fan.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for an honest review.

This is a sweet series of books that all have the Christmas theme and read like a Hallmark Movie which I love. Isla is not familiar with true love even though she helps her mother run the best wedding shop in the small town of Christmas. As they struggle to keep the small business afloat, they take on the wedding planning for a wealthy bride. Along with this bride though, comes a brother that takes Isla's breath away. Will Isla find her true love with a boy who isn't available and has family problems he needs to deal with. or will her heart break for the boy that she can't have? Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t hate this but I didn’t like it either. I found a lot of it awkward. There was a bit of emotional cheating going on, and I’m really not into reading that. I also don’t get much Christmas vibe. I was mostly left with a well that’s that. Nothing remarkable.

This book was quite interesting. I read the whole series out of order (2, 4, 1, 3) but did not feel that I missed anything and recommend that the reader choose the order as well. This book happens during the same time as the fourth without giving away any spoilers.
I have only ever seen the theme of wedding planning in a handful of YA novels so the setting felt unique. I do wish that I could have seen a bit more of the actual planning though.
August and Isla did a very good job of challenging each other to follow their dreams. I really enjoyed seeing August as he worked in the kitchen.
This may be a small spoiler, but I cannot believe that everyone acted as if August's father's behavior was normal. I was like...umm...something is wrong here.
Besides for that, this was a solid read that I would recommend to teens.

4 Stars

Content: occasional language (d***, a**), verbal abuse, emotionally involved with someone else while in a relationship, kissing

*I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

Another cute Christmas love story by Chelsea! I’m scared to state that I relate to this story because I know others were shunning the blooming love idea while the male MC had a GF, but I’ve been there. I was there at 13, and he was 15.

So yeah, I relate.

This captured all the feelings, thoughts, and struggles of a young girl who is falling for an unavailable boy only to have *spoiler* happen. It was written to a YA audience and definitely succeeded at showing the state of love at that age.

This song playing through my head the entire read? August by Taylor Swift.

If you are triggered by emotional cheating (even if the girlfriend is kinda awful), then you may want to think hard before reading this. If you understand how that can just happen…then proceed ahead.

All I want for Christmas is the boy I can't have
by Chelsea Bobulski
3 stars

This is another good one by Chelsea, another quick cute read. Definitely captures how the teenagers and even adults can be the awkwardness of when you really like someone how you don't know sometimes how to speak. Unfortunately, I was really hoping this would have the dialog like the other books had and was kind of disappointed that this one didn't have much of it. This book shows how one kid could struggle to try to please his parents and find his way into his dream profession. It shows that sometimes as adults we don't realize the pressure the kids have these days and sometimes how we can add more pressure to that. These characters overcome so much in a relationship and keep working at it is amazing. I just love these books. On to the next.

This third installment to the All I Want For Christmas series was such an enjoyable read. A fiction loving girl obsessed with true love and a rich boy who hasn't thought much of love even come into each others lives, and what blooms between them is something special.

As the story goes on August finds new dreams for himself and his life that don't mesh well at all with the life that his father has had planned and mapped out for him. Some things are worth fighting for and the more time that Isla and August spend together the more they realize that. But even being a fighter the world around them, especially August, has potential to suffocate and smother the new dreams he has discovered that he hopes he can follow.

I really enjoyed reading the journey that these characters take throughout the novel. The slow burn romance was so worth it and the friendships were so great. Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this novel.

“I was fine before I met you, you know. A little too in love with love, maybe—a hopeless romantic who couldn’t wait to find someone—but I wouldn’t have been in such a rush to fall in love if I’d known that finding someone would turn my whole world upside down.”

As Isla’s mom jumps into planning August’s sister’s wedding, Isla realizes that the swoon worthy little brother is going to be a bigger part of the planning than is typical of a brother of the bride. Despite the difference in Isla’s single parent loving home and August’s wealthy, love lacking family, the two form a connection over a shared love of romantic comedies. August sweeps Isla off her feet, despite having a self-centered girlfriend he keeps around because his father approves. As Isla challenges August to break from the cycle of seeking his Dad’s approval to following his heart, the two find each other and make space for love in their lives.

I enjoyed the lighthearted banter, cute romcom scenarios and the emotions of two high schoolers falling in love. A fluff-filled holiday read 🎄

Check this one out if you are looking for:

🎄 a lighthearted, Hallmark love story
🎄 YA romance
🎄 Christmas wedding planning
🎄 A high school boy proclaiming, “I could start a rom-com revolution—tear down the walls of toxic masculinity and make it okay for men to feel.”

Thanks to @netgalley and @wisewolfbooks for the ARC!

Such a quick and cute Christmas read! I’m a huge mood reader so now that it’s getting colder this was the perfect Christmas book to read!

Such a cute love story! I read this in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you're looking for a quick, charming, will they/ won't they romance - this will definitely be your book. I also read and enjoyed book 2 in this series, but this book was my favorite of the 2.

Rating: 2.5 stars
I love a good Hallmark Christmas movie as much as the next person, and now that it's officially Christmas season, I thought I'd pick up another one of Bobulski's "All I Want for Christmas" books. One of the biggest disappointments about this book was the fact that it was not very Christmassy. It still takes place in Christmas, VA, but other than a few references to holly and pine, the story felt more like a fall story than a winter one.

I love rom-coms and weddings, so this should've been a homerun for me. It's cute and totally gives off those made-for-TV-movie (even if it's not a holiday movie) vibes, but it just didn't really work for me. Isla was awkward and should've been super relatable, but there's endearing hopeless romantic and then there's willfully oblivious. August seems too perfect to be believable. Isla spends a lot of time asking if he's real, and I felt the same way. The biggest flaw I could find--other than the "fatal flaw" that pops up later--is the fact that he likes Red Vines (ew). The insta-love and ensuing romance/drama didn't give either character much space to develop or grow, and they both ridiculously one-dimensional.

My biggest issue with the book was the story. It was all fun and tropes until Bobulski decided to turn it into a will-they-won't-they. I think one of the main issues was the fact that they fell in love so quickly, she needed an excuse to keep them apart until the end. (Hopefully no spoilers here because, seriously, how can you read the synopsis and not figure out how it ends?) Unfortunately for us, the obstacles she gives our couple are the type that are the most frustrating and not particularly convincing. It's pretty much all willful miscommunication and unnecessary drama, and I am not about that life.

If you're looking for the literary equivalent of a forgettable rom-com All I Want for Christmas is the Boy I Can't Have will hit most of the notes, but don't go into it looking for lots of holiday cheer because you'll be disappointed.

I absolutely adored this book. It follows Isla, a teenage girl in her senior year of high school who runs a wedding planning business with her mother, and August, the son of the bride in one of the weddings that they're planning. Isla instantly falls for him, but he has a girlfriend. The romance was adorable; I shipped the pair a lot, and was genuinely invested in their getting together. It felt like a rom-com (which is fitting, because rom-coms are mentioned quite a bit, and Isla and August bond over them). I also absolutely loved the setting, where most of the action takes place around events related to planning August's sister's wedding, which was adorable. The plot was relatively simple and predictable, but still completely enjoyable. My only critique would be that, considering that the book takes place over only six weeks, Isla and August do get very dramatic with their feelings very quickly; it definitely wasn't enough to make me change the rating, but it was one thing that bothered me a little bit. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed the book (hence the 5-star rating), and I would recommend it to anybody looking for a fluffy and quick romance read, particularly around the holidays.

Ah, okay! This was my favorite in this series.
These characters are definitely my favorite in the series.
Isla was such a fun MC. I love her! I love how awkward she is. I found it hilarious how she would speak what she was thinking without even realizing it. Her humor was the best. I was cracking up so many stinkin times. And August is my favorite guy in this series. He was just so sweet, I couldn’t help it. And he tried to be a gentleman.
They’re my favorite couple too. Their banter was so fun. I thought it was so fun how they watch rom-com movies together while talking on the phone. I love how they do spontaneous things and stick up for each other and just have a fun friendship while also they’re more than friends… the tension was real.
Unrequited love is a trope I really like for some reason (I like emotional books) so I figured I’d like this one. Watching Isla love August but not say anything was just… ughhh. I wanted to hug her. And I also wanted to punch August towards the end… but yeah.

Since the other two in the series had language, I was expecting it with this one but hoping it wouldn’t be as much. And it didn’t! It had a lot less language than the others which I was glad.

I do like how while there’s drama and romance, it goes a bit deeper too. I felt like this one went a bit deeper as August is dealing with wanting to please his parents even though he has a dream of his own.

Overall, aside from the curse words and a few suggestive content, I liked this book!

*I received an ARC in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

The third installment in the All I Want For Christmas series was just as wholesome and cute as the first two. This series is the perfect thing to get me in the holiday spirit. I feel like this whole series would make a perfect Christmas gift for romance lovers.

So far, Isla and August have been my least favorite couple in this series. They seemed to fall in love instantly and the whole "being in love with a guy who already has a girlfriend" trope was just a little bit too much like real life for me. The two seemed a little too compatible for my taste. They were basically the same person and their one fight was basically over nothing.

I really loved August and Isla's date at the MET though. So cute! Their moments in New York together were my favorite.

This book is supposed to be YA, but the references felt too old. As someone who is currently 15, I haven't seen any of the rom-com mentioned in this book (I have heard about two though). I also had no idea who the actresses Isla talked about such as Nora Ephron (I'm assuming she's an actress- I don't actually know) are.

Love Love LOVED!

Another sweet Hallmark movie inside of a book. I adore this series. If you enjoy romances around Christmas, pick this up!