A super cute, super short, hallmark Christmas, LGBT+ romance Novella!

That says it all really!

The book was pretty good. I loved the development of the characters, however I felt like the book itself was a little under developed.

I know the whole point of novellas is to be a quick read, but I just felt like I (as the reader) was going to the effort of constructing the scene in my head, more than what the actual words on paper was outlining. This would normally be a great example of the whole ‘show, don’t tell’ tip in writing literature, but as I said, it left the whole book feeling a little like I was following the bullet point form of the draft instead of the fleshed out Novella.

The two MC’s were very cute together. They were an awesome mix of sunshine/grumpy energy, sprinkled with that friends to lovers vibe. I like the representation of LGBT+ romance, but also the coming together of two really interesting cultural groups.

I also really like the idea that this book comes across as super relatable. One of the MC’s is struggling with what to do at University/college and where she wants to take her future. I believe readers will see themselves in that plight and insecurity and want to read further.

This was fine for a novella but didn’t really give any emotional connection to the characters. I think there’s too much in the story. Immigrant parents, aging grandparents. Family, cheating. Breaking up. Biphobia. There’s just too much to take on in 80 pages.

👩🏻‍❤️‍👩🏼BOOK REVIEW👩🏻‍❤️‍👩🏼

Monica Adams Skips Christmas - Krista Harper
Rating: 5/5 ⭐️

This is the sweetest little novella I’ve ever read. It follows Monica as she visits her family home for Christmas after a devastating break up. There, she learns more about herself, her family and love than she thought she would.

“What to Expect:
🌲2 hour Short Read
🌲Friends-to-Lovers
🌲Grumpy vs Sunshine
🌲Sweet, Feel Good Holiday Nostalgia
🌲Guaranteed Happily Ever After

Representation:
💜 Sapphic Romance
💜Bi-Sexual MC
💜Lesbian Love Interest
💜Polish Immigrant & Japanese Characters”

Published: November 29, 2022
✨ Available now on Kindle Unlimited!

Thank you to @netgalley, @xpressotours and @kristaharperwrites for the opportunity to read this one!

#monicaadamsskipschristmas #sapphicreads #lgbtreads #christmasreads #novella #kindleunlimitedromance #bookstagram #netgalley #bookreviews #netgalleyreviews #bookshelf #booktok #sapphicromance

Honestly this was not for me. I did not enjoy it. I know it's meant to be short but it was rushed and not even done well and there eas a lot left to be desired. The premise could have potential but everything fell flat. I didnt like the characters. The family sucked. It didn't feel like a feel good Christmas story to me. I don't like giving one stars bit this was just awful for me.

Thank you so much to Netglley and the publishers for a chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

It was a good novella it just needed to be longer for what was included in the book.there was definitely too much going on for how short a book it was.I did feel like there was a lack of an emotional connection between the two main characters. I did enjoy it though it was sweet and quick.

This was the perfect Christmas novella. It was fast-paced, loaded with representation, and very cozy. I loved Monica Adams as a character and loved seeing a little peek into her life. I would highly recommend it for everyone looking for a cute easy to read Christmas contemporary.

This is a short read that gives some holiday vibes but isn't super Christmasy. Monica Adams returns home when her high school boyfriend dumps her. A Merry Christmas isn't looking like a possibility until she gets reacquainted with her upstairs neighbor, Paige.

This is a no spice, sweet book with a quick romance that doesn't feel like instalove as both characters have been acquainted with each other for several years. There's a lot going on between both the characters relationships and Monica's own dysfunctional family. We meet a lot of characters and most feel fairly fleshed out. We also get a lot of story but it doesn't feel rushed. Both the main characters were likeable, though I feel like we don't get to know Paige as well as I would have liked. I loved the care Monica shows for her grandfather and how much character development we get even within a short story. I did feel like we could have gotten a full book out of this story and I would have definitely read it!

Very cute afternoon read with light holiday vibes and diverse representation. If you're finding you can't focus on long books this holiday season, I would pick this up!

It was a sweet and short novella. . It had some tender moments. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

I’ve been trying to read this for over 2 weeks now but I just don’t understand how something only 80 pages long can be so unbearably boring? Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC

Simple and quick holiday read! The storyline is sweet, if shallow. But what bothered me was the major inconsistencies in the descriptions of Chicago. The author's bio states that she is a native Chicagoan, but a lot of the descriptions don't add up. As someone who has lived here for years, no one calls the Macy's Christmas display Marshalls anymore, Wicker Park is on the north side/West town not north Chicago, and there hasn't been ice-skating on State street in 20 years. I could understand if this book was set far in the past, but from everything I could find, including cell phone use etc, it's a present or near present-day book. So if you're not from the area, you'll probably enjoy this book and I do enjoy LGBTQ+ romance. But if you're from Chicago or lazy research on locations by authors really bothers you, I would skip this book.

a cute and quick read! it wasn't super festive but that's okay because it IS called "monica adams SKIPS christmas" after all ahahaha i enjoyed it and quickly loved the characters, i only wish it could have been longer as i was becoming invested! i would recommend if you're looking for a short and easy read to get you in the winter mood, or maybe just to help you hit that end of the year reading goal ;)

4,5⭐
Monica Adams Skips Christmas is a short Novella where Monica is coming back to her spends Christmas in her hometown with her family and boyfriend. But as soon as she arrives she gets a call from her now ex boyfriend. Devastated she thinks about not celebrating Christmas this year but than a reunion with an old "friend" can bring feelings she didn't know existed.

I personally love this Novella its a pity that is so short. I understand some of the notes that people gave about this book; somethings happens too fast. But again this is a short novella, just to fell some cozyness in this time of the year

I really like to thanks the publisher and NetGalley for providing a Arc in exchange for an honest review. ♥️♥️♥️

I loved this little novella. It was such a fast read and it was sooooo cute. Perfect to get into a little bit of a festive spirit and just to feel warm inside.

I’m not much for shorter stories, give me a 800 page high fantasy book any day of the year but this was such a perfect little palette cleanser. I may have been short and therefore fast paced but I really didn’t mind it. I showed both the ups and downs of coming home for the holidays and how fast things in one's life can change. How scary those changes can be but also great.

I will say I would have LOVED it if this would have been a full length novel as well, I would have just devoured it and I think all the elements for a great rom-com were there.

Would recommend it to EVERYONE.

This is a short and sweet story, I enjoy how things were not drawn out and the characterization was well done for not having a ton of space, A nice read for the holiday season!

Representation: Bi, lesbian, inmigrant family
Tw: Biphobia, decesed family members (grandmother)

This story is about Monica, an engineering student who comes home for Christmas hoping to have a good holiday with her family and her boyfriend, but when she gets home her parents are never around for work and her boyfriend suddenly dumps her. While she makes the decision that year not to celebrate Christmas and to pass on everyone, she begins to get along better and better with her neighbor Paige.

I'm a little sad about this book. I loved the story, it has very good characters, and a lot of potential, but I feel that it has fallen very short. It is a story that could have developed much more and given us more moments of romance, family, Christmas... I feel that everything has happened quickly and superficially. In any case, it is a very beautiful story and knowing that it is a short story more than a novela, I recommend it.

I really loved the relationship between Monica and Paige, and I loved the themes explored in this novella - family dynamics, bisexuality, being an immigrant in Chicago, figuring things out for yourself, etc. I agree with the other reviews, though, that I would love it if it was longer. It had so much packed into around 80 pages. There is a lot of potential for something more, and if there is a full length novel written about them in future I would love to read it!

A short and sweet story for anyone looking for a quick holiday read.

Monica Adams has always loved Christmas but when she’s dumped by her boyfriend and her family barely has time to see her, she decides maybe she’ll skip Christmas this year. That is until she starts to spend some time with her neighbor, Paige.

This novella tries to pack a lot in with several big subplots. Unfortunately, this meant that they didn’t all get enough attention. The interactions between Monica and Paige were cute but could have benefited from a little more of the time that was spent on the subplots. I did really like the storyline around Monica’s grandfather which was probably the most developed subplot.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Monica Adams skips Christmas is a sweet sapphic novella that tells the story of Monica, a 19-year-old girl who returns from college to spend Christmas with her family.

Right at the beginning we see how much unresolved issues there are between Monica and her parents. While Monica tries to figure out what she really wants for her future, which is not engineerin (as her mom wants), she meets Paige, her neighbor and high school classmate.

The plot was a little rushed but because the novel has only 9 chapters but you still enjoy it.
Overall, it was a cute story of self discovery, family and Christmas, of course.

This is a fun sapphic romance set at Christmas. The story is like a hallmark movie, with the plus that it is about a relationship between two girls. The characters are likeable, the narrative is quite entertaining, and it's generally easy to read. I finished this story in three hours.
The two protagonists make a nice couple, and also mentions some interesting problems such as biphobia or family issues.
The novel, in addition to having a consistent narrative, is also very short, just nine chapters, so conflicts are resolved quickly.
The only reason its rating isn't higher is the plot. This is a simple story, without many surprises and therefore I did not have a deep impression of the book. The characters are a bit simple, so it's hard to connect with them, plus we don't have much time to get to know them. The most interesting thing was to see the interactions between the two protagonists.
“Monica Adams skips chrismans” is a nice book, but it could have been better, I still enjoyed reading it.

This novella is sweet, but it packed a lot into a small package. It felt like a full length novel with all of the extended details cut out, which made the whole thing feel rushed. There was just too much going on between the family plots, Monica trying to figure out she doesn’t want to go back to school, and the budding romance between Monica and Paige. In one way this felt true to how WLW relationships progress in real life (things can move pretty quickly), but here it felt amateurish. Several of the conflicts and miscommunications were weak and very transparently placed to progress the plot without being how people would actually respond in certain situations.

Overall it was cute and a holiday-y read with some interesting Polish family dynamics, but it’s not something I would pay for or recommend. It feels more like it could be a freebie bonus novella to flesh out a romance between side characters in a longer novel.

That being said, I do think there is potential here if the author wanted to develop this story into a full length novel. That’s what this really needs to be.