The Trouble with Tinsel by Juliet Giglio; Keith Giglio was a fun and festive holiday rom-com.
This book was super cute. It had good humor with amazing characters.
The writing style is very easy to read and the characters all shone in different ways.
The story building is done so well. These authors kept my attention and never once did I get bored.
It had all the warm and charming Christmas vibes that I expect from a Christmas book.
A super charming read. And I’m excited to read from this duo in the future.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

While I enjoyed this Christmas-vibey read, there were a few things that knocked it off kilter for me. The characters didn't really seem to be on the same page, despite always saying "how on the same page" they were. The POVs often felt disjointed as the single POV often morphed into a few POVs and it got a little confusing after awhile of reading. However, this didn't make the second chance romance any less enjoyable to read. I do wish that there had been a bit more of like a backstory lead up rather than just being chucked into the deep end. Overall, it was a cute read and I will continue to request stories from this writing duo!

DNF at 25%



I don't like the writing or the narration. The sentences are choppy and chapters end abruptly. I haven't read a single character description - and I've met so many characters, I don't have a single clue what any of them look like. There's no chemistry between the main characters, Jon just sounds sad and desperate as he continuously fixates on details of their previous relationship together.

Thank you to the publisher for this eARC and the opportunity to read it. I will not be finishing this book.

This was a supper quick hallmark- Christmasy read. I enjoyed the banter of the characters. I did like the story overall, I wouldn’t say this has made it to my favorites list but I would absolutely recommend it to someone who wants a quick holiday contemporary.

**Thank you to Netgalley for the arc**

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I’ll be honest I expected more as I liked the first book from this author duo but this book just wasn’t for me. Too all over the place to follow and was not invested in the characters.

I'll be honest, I didn't finish this.
The story kept jumping from person to person without any direction and it seemed no one was off limits (rather than just back and forth between the main two characters). I couldn't relate to the main character and there was just no chemistry or draw to the book. The characters just seemed dull and unlikeable.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

The Trouble With Tinsel by Juliet and Keith Giglio is a Hollywood Christmas romance and the story of Kerri and Jon.
 
Kerri and Jon were screenwriting partners, and they developed the manuscript of a romcom movie called Fire and Ice. However, their relationship broke apart and Kerri moved to New York and changed her career path. She wants nothing to do with the film industry and is happy working as a drama teacher. Jon is still working on making it as a screenwriter in Hollywood and is staying afloat by doing Uber.
 
When their manuscript is opted for production, Kerri returns to Los Angeles and the two pretend to be together. I really liked that aspect and it just showed how great of a couple they could be. And of course, not everything works right with the movie, and they get to build their relationship back up and must work together. It’s a lovely second chance romance and I really liked the behind the scenes look on screenwriting and I could tell that the authors have experience in it. I also think the cover is gorgeous and perfect for this book.
 
Overall, this is definitely a romance with Hallmark vibes, and I recommend it for the Christmas season. 3,5 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

Kerri and Jon broke up and she's moved on but now now they're back in close quarters because their screenplay is at long last being filmed. Except that Amari, the star, wants to believe they are still engaged so to keep her in the game they fake it. And it's Christmas. This has all the trope-s except, gotta say for really likable characters. I. liked the behind the scenes look at making movies (as implausible as some of it is). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Meh for me but over to others.

very flat characters characters with chaotic happenings but atleast it looked good on the secondary characters, and not so great on main characters who were supposed to carry the emotional weight of the story.

loved the side couple, amari and richard, the actress and her agent. they made this book sooo much more bearable, because I was very invested in them.

This book is about two exes, Jon and Kerri, who reconnect after a rough breakup in order to work together again on a manuscript that they wrote together years ago. After being sold into a movie, they now have to work together and fake an engagement to keep the movie in production, except one thing, Kerri is currently engaged. It’s a Christmas romance and a friends to lover story, however I am sad to say that I didn’t enjoy this one. My full review on what exactly I did not like is posted on good reads, but the main problems I had was the writing and the characters. The writing was quite choppy and bad, as it was very plain and many sentences could’ve been combined into one, but the writing felt a bit juvenile. The characters were all horrendous people, as there is plenty cheating and enabling. I couldn’t get past it. I’m sorry to say I didn’t enjoy this one. Thank you net galley and sourcebooks Casablanca for the e arc.

"The Trouble with Tinsel" by Juliet Giglio and Keith Giglio sounds like a heartwarming and delightful holiday romance that combines the magic of Christmas with the complexities of love and second chances.

The premise of two ex-writing partners coming together to save their movie and realizing they have to pretend to be engaged is both charming and filled with potential for humor and emotion. It sets the stage for a story where the lines between fiction and reality blur, and where characters are forced to act out their roles not only on the movie set but in their personal lives as well.

The holiday backdrop adds an extra layer of warmth and festivity to the story, making it a perfect read for the Christmas season. It promises to be a tale of rediscovering old feelings and rekindling the sparks of romance against the backdrop of twinkling lights and holiday cheer.

The themes of second chances and the idea that the magic of the holidays can bring about positive change in people's lives are likely to resonate with many readers. The book appears to offer a delightful blend of romance, humor, and holiday spirit, making it an ideal choice for those who enjoy heartwarming, feel-good stories.

Overall, "The Trouble with Tinsel" seems like a charming and heartwarming holiday romance that will leave readers with a warm and fuzzy feeling, making it a perfect choice for curling up by the fire with a cup of cocoa during the Christmas season.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Trouble with Tinsel by Juliet Giglio and Keith Giglio!

Two former writing partners are brought back together when their script is bought, but a lie makes the whole situation even more complicated.

I’ll say it; a sequel now please!

The book is a combination of 30 Rock’s behind the scenes looks and Netflix’s Love Hard’s new romantic comedy feel.

Jon and Kerri are two well-developed characters, making readers feel as if these are two people who could actually be met in the real world.

The whole LA at Christmas setting will convert even the biggest snow-fan, and I truly didn’t want this book to end.

The book doesn’t shy away from the ugly side of the movie business, while also being sure to not over-dramatize, thus creating a relatable and bighearted book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book and provide my honest opinion.

Such a unique book, I loved the plot, and oh my god the characters were so amazing!! I definitely will be recommending it!!

I had to DNF at page 87 of 250. Their was no flow to the story, it felt very choppy. Or maybe it was the characters that seemed over-caffeinated.

"Were you married?"
"Worse. We were writing partners."

Sweet, romantic comedy about second chances and fake engagements. In the land of dreams, LA, Kerri and Jon, ex lovers and screenwriters partners, will have to world together again to make their story happen with an actress who believes in love only when she thinks they are engaged. Only Kerri is about to marry someone else so they will have to pretend and in a game of forced proximity, fake engagement and one bed trope, they may or may not find their way back to each other and realise that dreams are not too far away. This book was unexpectedly fun and the Christmas vibes it gave were pretty great to be honest. I was laughing one chapter and then giggling the next. As a romcom it was very PG but it was fine because it didn’t ruin the light hearted atmosphere and vibes the whole plot was giving. I enjoyed it very very much and it is truly a great Christmas romcom for the season!!!

“fake marriages don't have real honeymoons.”

“And remember, Jon, this isn't a movie, we are not going to fall back in love again."

I received this book from NetGalley.

Overall this book was fine. I love a good rom com, probably more than the next person, but this one has way too many unbelievable things happen in it. And yes, I realise how that sounds.

No one says anything as a director messes up a movie? Everyone just sits by and let's it happen? Even knowing how much money it costs.

Richard and Amari - Amari kissing him once and realising she's in love with him and Richard just immediately being okay with everything else that happened?

Kerri and Jon were good together, that much is obvious. However, the treatment of Beau was unacceptable. Things could have been handled way better.

Kerri's parents throwing all of that money around was a bit bizarre, and I feel like Jon's father was an afterthought. How did that add to the book in any way?

Overall it was okay, but not one I'd likely read again.

Second chance romance between two exes who were also writing partners as they are forced to pretend to be fake fiancees to save their movie and their Hollywood dreams. Kerri Williams and Jon D'Angelo broke up not only their relationship but their professional partnership. They never thought they'd see each other again or be working together on a movie set again. Kerri is now living in New York and is a teacher and has a fiancee while Jon is an uber driver. Yet when their old script is sold and now they get the chance to make it into a movie they both have to work together, the only issue is that the lead movie star mistakes them as an engaged couple and both of them have to pretend to be to appease her. Yet the more time they spend together the more in love they fall with each other again. This one was a big miss for me, I especially am not a fan of the cheating trope and this book was rife with it. Also I was not invested in Jon and Kerri's relationship at all, all throughout the book you get Jon saying how much he is in love with Kerri but we never know why and then the fact that the story itself was so boring I had to force myself to read it to get to the end. Seriously this one missed the mark completely for me and I adore second chance Christmas romances but definitely not ones with cheating. Kerri also was a pretty bland and unlikable protagonist. If you like second chance romances where one partner is engaged then maybe give this one a go, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

2 stars for the way they pulled the movie off at the end, but what even was that cheating plot 😭 I thought this would be a cute second chance forced proximity romance, but nope, there was a lot of cheating involved

Also, I found the narration to be a bit unstable, because it was mostly third person pov with one narrator per chapter, but then, there were times when there were multiple povs per chapter

-- ty to the authors, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy.