Controversial opinion, perhaps, but I hate the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. But if you make anything sapphic, I’ll at least consider giving it a go. And lo and behold, I can finally enjoy this story. At least a bit. It’s cute and seasonally appropriate. I liked it better than the movie for sure.

The Book feels familiar to the film its a wonderful life. I did enjoy the story but in parts it felt a little bit flat.

If you're looking for a silly sapphic holiday read without much substance, this may fit the bill for you. The protagonist was pretty whiny, and her dilemma about the town Christmas event was ridiculous.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

3.5 Stars

If you know the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the plot to this book will be familiar. One of the most frustrating things about IAWL is that no one seems to notice or care the toll that having to be THE person that steps up takes on George. The weight of expectations is heavy and the sense of guilt that George feels is looked over. This book explores that toll on Bailey in an interesting way and lets the reader feel those emotions alongside her. The Angels being drag queens was a “fabulous” idea and I loved how they added to the story without taking it over. This was a fun, holiday romance that I think most readers will enjoy.

A sweet little sapphic Hallmark movie of a romance novel. Christmas town, Christmas festival, magical drag queen fairy godmothers, what more could you want?!

English

All I have to say is that this book took too much time to finish. I was very excited over the theme, the sinopsis and so on, but it just did not click.

I liked the concept, in fact it is loosely a retelling of one of my favourite movies: It's a Wonderful Life. Still, there are some mayor changes with the story that I somwhat enjoyed. I loved the angels being drag queens. I rarely find books with this representation and it was so over the top, amazing.

The only thing is that the original material is supposed to talk about death and life, this one is just a protagonist who does not want to participate in the christmas event of her town. I feel like the stakes are very different. I understand, though, that we do not want sad sapphics. I agree with that, but the main problem of the story, the thing that is supposed to move the characters just felt superficial.

Honestly? One of the biggest deceptions of the year. It put me on a reading slump. I don't think its a bad book, but it was not good for me. Perhaps I was not good for it, I don't know. I didn't like it either way.

Spanish

Todo lo que tengo que decir es que este libro me llevó demasiado tiempo terminarlo. Estaba muy entusiasmada con el tema, la sinopsis... Pero no acababa de encajar conmigo.

Me gustó el concepto, de hecho es una versión de una de mis películas favoritas: Qué bello es vivir. Sin embargo, hay algunos cambios importantes en la historia que me han gustado. Me encantó que los ángeles fueran drag queens. Rara vez encuentro libros con esta representación y fue tan desmedido, maravilloso.

Lo único es que el material original se supone que habla de la muerte y la vida, esta adaptación es solo una protagonista que no quiere participar en el evento navideño de su pueblo. Siento que lo que está en juego es muy diferente. No obstante, entiendo que no queramos sáficas tristes. Estoy de acuerdo con eso, pero el problema principal de la historia, lo que se supone que debe mover a los personajes, me pareció superficial.

¿Sinceramente? Una de las mayores decepciones del año. Me puso en un bloqueo lector. No creo que sea un mal libro, pero no fue bueno para mí. Quizás yo no era buena para él, no lo sé. En cualquier caso, no me gustó.

- Ele

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the eARC! A sapphic retelling of It’s A Wonderful Life? Sign me up! This was SO good! Sapphic holiday novels always seem to hit the best and this was no different! I can’t wait to see more from Kelly Farmer!

A Christmas romance set in a small town called Lanford Falls. The story is about two women who grew up in the same town and met again as grown ups in said town. Bailey George has always wished to leave Landord falls, but because of duty and having taken over he’d dad’s business early, she could hardly manage a holiday away. Her childhood crush, Maria Hatcher has just moved back to Lanford falls and taken up position in the local library. The two got to spend my time together planning the town’s annual Winter Wonderfest. Clara, drag queen/angel is trying to get her wings. She needs to complete certain tasks before she can get her wings and it is help Bailey to believe in Xmas again. Will she be able to convince Bailey?

This is a sapphic version of it’s a wonderful life (even the names are somewhat similar). A very light hearted read that got more interesting at the latter part of the book. Definitely a Christmas read. However, not very original seeing as it was rather similar to a classic.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super fun modern retelling of It's a Wonderful Life. Bailey George has been stretched way too thin by the demands her hometown and it's Winter Wonderfest have on her, and she's ready for a much deserved vacation. Instead, a last minute emergency means Bailey's once again in charge of making sure Winter Wonderfest is successful, and even Maria Hatcher's return to the town isn't enough to make Bailey feel anything other than frustrated by her obligations.

I thought the interludes from the magical drag queens, specifically Clara Angel, were super fun and a great way to bring in the angelic element of the movie. I did get fairly frustrated by Bailey and her over-commitment to large projects and inability to say no, but that's kind of the point of the character. It was a fun read that followed the beats of the original story while adding it's own spin.

This is a super sweet holiday romance- I loved turning the original story from the film into something altogether more current- and entertainingly off kilter. Love loved the three Angels, and the heroine grew on me as she figured out her own motivations. A cute read! Four stars, with a little extra bump since I do just love a holiday romance..

For fans of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, this lesbian spin on the classic should be right up your alley, however, I knew from the first chapter it was not for me. I finished it because the heroine Bailey George is strong, competent, caring, and above all else, generous with her time and energy. I wanted her to find a happy ending! She finds herself stuck in her hometown working to save the family business, the local Winter Wonderfest, and basically everyone in town. She’s given up her dreams, her passions, and even her vacation to New York City. While I appreciate the view that we should all value the people and places that we love, this poor woman has been a codependent martyr for her community and spends the entire book being gaslit into the acceptance that she should continue to do it. It feels like the author struggled with this tension because she never explicitly states what Bailey wanted to study in college or what her plans were before taking over the family business, almost as if giving name to these goals would give her agency to fight for them.

I received this book for free for an honest unbiased review from Netgalley.

I wish more books were this well written. Characters were witty and the setting fantastic.sapphic fabulous

This absolutely adorable reimagining of It's a Wonderful Life as a sapphic rom-com got me in the holiday spirit!
Bailey George (see what she did there?) is a burnt out eldest daughter trying to keep her town's Christmas festival afloat while running her late father's real estate business. She wants nothing more than to escape Lanford Falls and its Winter Wonderfest, but when this year's festival coordinator winds up in the hospital, Bailey has to cancel her Christmas vacation and take on the burden of Winter Wonderfest once again. The return of her high school crush might make sticking arounhd worth it, but Bailey's holiday spirit is so depleted it'll take the help of three magical drag queens from the House of Angel to help her see what she already has right in front of her.

I couldn't put this one down it was so good. The book stands on it's own, whether you're familiar with the movie it's inspired by or not, but it's also full of references that anyone who's seen It's a Wonderful Life will love. Much like Bailey, this book reignited my holiday spirit and definitely has me in the mood to read more holiday rom-coms. I can only hope they're all this good!

This has such a charming premisse, and such a charming execution as well. I loved the drag queen twist on the small town holiday romance trope. I loved the (re)meet cute at the dog park. And I especially loved how warm every interaction between the main character and love interest felt. I've been wanting to read from this author for quite a while, and I'm so glad I finally have. I definitely want to read more of her books now.

Kelly Farmer brings us a very progressive and cute It's a Wonderful Life, the lite version. Bailey George cannot wait to escape her hometown and vacation in New York City. It means she finally will not be responsible for Lanford Falls' annual Winter Wonderfest. But, of course, the new person in charge has a medical emergency, and Bailey winds up on the hook, yet again. The only bright spot is that her old high school crush, Maria Hatcher, is back in town, and she agrees to help Bailey out.

LIFE glosses over a lot of the more depressing aspects of the original while keeping somewhat to its framework. If you're a huge fan of the Jimmy Stewart classic, you'll love seeing what stays in this story and how the parallels are made. There's the romance between Bailey (who runs her family's real estate business and battles town nemesis Felicity Potter) and Maria, who works at the local library. Bailey's desire to leave Lanford Falls and her disgruntlement with the Wonderfest leads to the arrival of the Angels, a trio of drag queens, and her own personal queen, Clara, who are determined to help her find her Christmas spirit again.

Nothing has quite the same gravitas as the film, but, hey, we're reading a holiday romance. Bailey's reason for a lack of spirit--and her eventual "tada" moment--feel a bit forced. As with the original, you do wonder why she has to give up all her dreams in the name of friends and family.

But, this is a really cute read overall. I loved seeing what quotes and pieces came across from the movie. The small town charm of Lanford Falls really shone through, and while Bailey irked me sometimes, Maria was such a sweet character. She and Bailey each had adorable dogs who were literary stars in their own right. The book is packed with queer characters--always a winning combo for me. There are some really funny inside jokes and great messages sprinkled throughout. As Christmas romances go, I liked this one.

I really like Kelly Farmer’s writing, but I honestly struggled so much with this book trying to be a queer “It’s A Wonderful Life”. Had this book been its own thing and didn’t lean so hard in that direction, I’m pretty sure I would’ve like it much more.

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Alcove Press. All opinions are my own.

Español abajo ⬇️

Well, I must start by saying that this book had everything to become a favorite .... Sadly that didn't happen.

I loved that it was inspired by A Wonderful Life, the Christmas season, the small town, the sapphic romance and I adored that the angels were Drag Queens 💖

What I didn't like is that even though the main characters are adults they behave like they are teenagers, just like the writing feels like middle grade.
I also didn't like at all that Bailey was forced to stay only because the others pressured her, I just think she's an adult and can make her decisions alone, but she's the kind of character that pleases everyone and that didn't grab me.

It's a cute and sweet book, but it wasn't all that it promised ... I still recommend it if you want a short, easy and fun read for the holidays ❤️

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC copy.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Bueno, debo empezar diciendo que este libro lo tenía todo para convertirse en un favorito ... Lamentablemente eso no ha pasado.

Me ha encantado que está inspirado en Una vida maravillosa, la época navideña, la pequeña ciudad, el romance sáfico y adoré que los angeles fuesen Drag Queens 💖

Lo que no me gustado es que a pesar de que las protagonistas son adultas se comportan como si fueran adolescentes, al igual que la escritura se siente como si fuera un middle grade.
Tampoco me ha gustado nada que Bailey se viera obligada a quedarse solo porque los demás la presionaron, simplemente creo que es una adulta y puede tomar sus decisiones sola, pero es el tipo de personaje que complace a todos y eso no me ha atrapado.

Es un libro lindo y dulce, pero no ha sido todo lo que prometía ... Igual lo recomiendo si quieres una lectura corta, fácil y divertida para las fechas navideñas ❤️

"It's a Fabulous Life" by Kelly Farmer is a heartwarming story about second chances, redemption, and the power of community. Farmer's storytelling is endearing, and the characters' journeys of growth are relatable. This book offers a delightful and uplifting read for those who appreciate tales of transformation and rediscovering life's beauty.

This was okay. I am a huge fan of It's A Wonderful Life and I thought this was a fun spin on the original story, drag queen angels and all.

There was just something missing. I simply can't put my finger on what, but I didn't love any of the characters and I didn't really care what happened.