The premise of this story had a lot of potential—two former lovers find themselves in an arranged engagement to help boost the prospects of a movie production, all tied to a Christmas theme. It sounded like it could be a fun and engaging read. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations.

I found it hard to connect with any of the characters. They felt flat and lacked depth, and it seemed like they were running in circles throughout the book. The heroine, in particular, was frustrating to read. She was overly cheerful with little agency, constantly following the male lead instead of standing up for her own beliefs. Her character could have been more assertive and independent, but she just seemed to go along with everything.

The story’s plot was plausible to some degree, but it didn’t hit the mark for me. The pacing also felt off—the book dragged on much longer than necessary, with many chapters feeling repetitive. By the time I reached Chapter 15, I was seriously tempted to stop reading. Ultimately, it just didn’t resonate with me the way I had hoped.

In "The Trouble with Tinsel", Juliet and Keith Giglio deliver a holiday rom-com wrapped in second chances, sprinkled with movie magic, and tangled in enough miscommunication to rival a family Christmas dinner. Kerri Williams, now a Brooklyn teacher with a fiancé, has left her screenwriting days—and her ex, Jon Romano—firmly in the past. Or so she thought. When their old script Fire and Ice suddenly gets the green light, she’s forced back into Jon’s orbit for a month of Hollywood chaos. Then, because no holiday rom-com is complete without an extra helping of ridiculousness, the film’s star, Amari Rivers, mistakenly assumes Kerri and Jon are engaged. Instead of correcting her, they roll with it. Because nothing fixes a complicated past like a fake engagement in front of an entire film crew.

The Giglios bring an insider’s charm to the Hollywood hijinks, from diva demands to on-set disasters, giving the story a playful, behind-the-scenes feel. Kerri and Jon’s chemistry still crackles, making the will-they-won’t-they dynamic fun to watch unfold. But while the premise has all the makings of a great holiday rom-com, the execution doesn’t always hit its mark. Some plot points feel as well-worn as last year's Christmas sweater, and the ending is wrapped up so neatly it borders on too tidy. The charm is there, but the story never quite digs deep enough to give the emotional beats real weight.

At 2.5 out of 5 stars, "The Trouble with Tinsel" is a light and breezy holiday escape—fun while it lasts but not quite memorable enough to pull out year after year. It’s the literary equivalent of a Hallmark movie you watch once, enjoy, and promptly forget until it pops up in your recommended list next December.

Really struggled with the writing. It fell flat, missed the mark on a few things. The cover was what initially drew me in. Thanks to the publisher for my copy.

This book has been on my Netgalley for a bit and I haven’t picked it up. I haven’t been into romance in a minute, so I’m not the right person to review it anymore.

Read the majority of this before giving up so I wanted to provide a review.

I love a good romcom, especially a good Christmas romcom, but this fell short. I felt like the writing was flat, characters were unenjoyable, and at one point hatable.

Here’s the thing:

There are too many books and not enough time in the world. My ADD is outrageous, and if you can’t grip me in 2 chapters, I will lose the plot I fear. Now here we are still waiting for a review. Well, here is what I have right now. Even if I were to “choose not to review” it counts that ratio so let’s chat about it.

This was sadly a DNF for me. I could never get into the story. I’ve read others in the series but this one just lost my interest and couldn’t get back into it.

Unfortunately this one really missed the mark for me. I really did not enjoy it and I’m only writing a review for my NetGalley ratio. (You guys should really consider not making DNF books count against our ratio). I really really wanted to like it.

I think the third person pov got in the way with this one…. There is no solid voice to follow and it moves very slowly. I think it would have read better with a first person perspective and lots more dialogue and less story telling. It’s an interesting concept, but the follow through just didn’t do it for me.

The writing style of this really got in the way of my enjoyment of this story. Definitely one that may be better read through audio if there are multiple narrators.

I respect the effort! And I loved the concept. Unfortunately these voices did not resonate with me. It could have used a bit more TLC on dialogue to flow and be more realistic.

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

This was a fun and light holiday rom com. If you’re looking for something to read while cozied up with some hot chocolate this holiday season, this is the comfort equivalent of a Hallmark Christmas movie.

When their Hollywood script is finally greenlit for production in LA just before Christmas, Kerri and John, ex-writing partners with a rocky romantic pastm must put aside their grievances—and enter into a fake engagement—to save their movie and their dreams.

This book was not good. For the record, I’m pretty sure I fell asleep for part of it so maybe I missed something _ BUT I had zero desire to go back and try it again.

Whether you're sipping cocoa by the fireplace or lounging on a beach, this book will wrap you in its warmth. The Trouble with Tinsel by Juliet Giglio & Keith Giglio is a magical Hollywood Christmas story set in the world of ex-screenwriting partners.

Meet Kerri Williams and Jon Romano. A few years after their professional and personal breakup, fate throws them back together when an old script gets green-lit. Now, for the month of December, Kerri must leave her life as a teacher in Brooklyn and return to sunny Hollywood to work with the man she used to love.

But there's a twist: the star of their movie believes Kerri and Jon are engaged. To keep the star happy, they pretend to be in love. Will they risk rekindling old feelings that they've tried hard to forget? Will they be able to navigate this awkward reunion? And will this Christmas be the one where they finally get their own happy ending?

The Giglio duo weaves a delightful second-chance romance against the backdrop of twinkling lights, red carpets, and Hollywood glamour. Their multi-POV storytelling adds depth to the characters, making them relatable and endearing. This is more than a cheerful Christmas comfort read. It's a heartwarming tale of love, forgiveness, and the magic of the holiday season.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The plot was 4 stars for me, but I dropped my original rating to 2 due to the writing. Simple, repetitive sentences and random jumps inside the heads of minor side characters often pulled me out of the story.

A charming holiday romance and a light read.
Many thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a big nope. I felt like I was going dizzy reading this in the third person PoV, and it switched mid-page to to a new PoV. It could have worked, but the writing was just not engaging or very good. It's sad because the plot sounded really cute. Good idea, but poor execution.

This was a very enjoyable Christmas read. Super cozy and filled with witty banter. I would definitely recommend for fans of classic Hallmark movies.

I loved this Christmas second chance romance. The story was so fun. I loved the banter between Kerri and Jon. I am also a fan of fake dating tropes. I adore this author duo. I cannot wait to read more by them. Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

One of my biggest downfalls as an ARC reader (in my opinion) is that I continue on with books even when I just do not vibe with the content. It is something that I need to work on but this was not the case with The Trouble with Tinsel. I did try to give it my all but in the end, I couldn't.

I was often confused with who was telling the story. I know it is written in third person but sometimes it switched between characters and it just didn't make sense to me at all. Fake Dating is one of my favorite tropes but it just didn't work for me in this book. Mix in cheating (which is my least favorite trope ever) and it quickly went to DNF.

Seriously, Christmas romance novels aren't supposed to have cheating. It just takes all of the cheer out of the season. This was just too much for me.

Thank you to NetGalley & Sourcebook Casablanca for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Ohhh how I hate to give up on a good book but damn I just couldn't get in to it at all. I don't know why but last 3 books have been so hard foe me to get in to and this is one of them. Not for me but I wish it was.