I was so excited about this arc and was so excited to read it! Definitely loved it and can see myself rereading it for the next christmas! thank you netgalley for the arc and i cant wait to read more of Talia!

Full of comical misunderstandings and Christmas magic, this sapphic romance was a wonderful addition to my holiday. While the story was primarily focused on the budding romance between Margot and Ellie, and the fake relationship of Margot and Ben, it also touched on some tougher topics that added extra depth to the characters and story. Margot is struggling to let go of her toxic ex-girlfriend, and Ellie is coping with her Grandfather aging and his possible dementia. While the majority of The Christmas Swap is lighthearted fluff, I appreciated the added emotional plot points as they rounded the story out. Beyond the general romance, there are also some mysterious subplots like the Gibson’s pregnant dog and the pup's paternity, along with the pony that Ellie and Ben’s Grandfather insists he has seen. These extras create some added humor that was just the right touch to an already cute story.

This was a fine, entertaining romance! Nothing really stood out to me though. The characters weren't super special and I wasn't very invested in the romance. But it was still a cute time and perfect for the Christmas season.

This book definitely suffers from being too similar in plot to "Kiss Her Once For Me" which I absolutely loved.

Overall, this isn't poorly written I just found it to be kind of boring. None of the characters are particularly interesting or deep except for maybe Margot and Taylor. The 'conflict' is not large enough to actually create any tension. There's not really sufficient reason given as to why she decided to do this. The only part of the plot that was actually interesting was Taylor's abusive behavior which is... sort of(?) appropriately addressed.

More than anything I was like "idk Margot, Ellie seems pretty toxic too and you should maybe stay single after only just starting to unpack how abusive your ex was for a bit and see a therapist."

It's about time the lesbians have a bad Christmas romance book. We've truly made it as a society. And this sure was a bad Christmas romance. The set up was some guy hiring Margot, one of the aforementioned lesbians, to be his Christmas date. But when they arrived at his family's ancestoral home turned hotel, there was a meet cute between Margot and the some guy's gay sister Ellie involving Margot hitting a pregnant dog with a car door and accidentally motorboating Ellie's tits. Insert some Christmas themed bonding scenes and way too much miscommunication and misunderstandings because these two have exactly one brain cell to share and they both fail to use it ever, mix it all together, and you get your bad Christmas romance! And the moral of this Christmas romance is to spay and neuter your pets and don't assume a girl your brother brings home is a gold digger because your family is NOT that rich and you're all grown ups in your 30s.

I was nervous about picking this one up since Alison Cochrun's "Kiss Her Once For Me" is a similar concept and I loved that book, but I liked this one, too. I had a few frustrations -- I really dislike the miscommunication trope and this one had miscommunication out the wazoo. I liked the main character, Margot, but I found her love interest, Ellie, kind of infuriating. Grandpa is an A+ character, though - I'm a sucker for a good side character.

I absolutely loved this book. It was cute and cozy. I was able to read it in one sitting and it just made me so happy. Taylor is the absolute worst but I loved the dynamic between her and Ellie. Also, Ben is so stinking adorable, I cannot handle it! I normally hate fake dating tropes but I loved the twist on this one.

There are so many holiday reads out there that they have to really stand out for me to enjoy and unfortunately this did not. It’s cute and I loved the inclusivity and unique spin of fake dating/dating a family member but everything felt forced and rushed. It was okay and an easy read but not super memorable

The Christmas Swap
Talia Samuels, 2023
New Release! A copy of this book was provided by Netgalley for the purpose of review.

Margot and Ben are driving to Ben's family home for the holidays. So far, so normal. Except Margot and Ben met through work a week ago and aren't actually dating, but are planning to lie to Ben's family so his parents will stop making him feel bad for being single.

The story gets even wackier once Margot starts to actually fall for Ben's sister Ellie. Meanwhile, Ellie can tell something is weird about Margot and Ben's supposed relationship, but she jumps to a lot of downright farcical conclusions.

This new holiday romance was quite good, although not exceptional. The characters do a few very dumb things that cause some painful miscommunications and misunderstandings, and those made me cringe. I've described the premise, and you need to be ready to suspend your disbelief a lot early on to get on board with Margot and Ben's initial plan as well as Ellie's immediate jump to the worst possible interpretation of everything. Also, who owns a country hotel and closes it for Christmas? Do they not like money?

However, once Margot and Ellie get on the same page, their romance is very cute. Very "I don't think of myself as romantic but YOU make me see stars" vibes from both of them. They're lucky that the author arranged a convenient happy ending for Ben as well so they aren't left being complete jerks for the way they treat him at one point.

However, I thought the best part of the book wasn't the romance, it was that both main characters (and several supporting characters) have other complex problems that are addressed in (eventually) healthy ways.

Ellie, Ben, and their other sister Kate each struggle with their parents' expectations while they also each assume that the other siblings are doing just fine. This comes out in pieces throughout the book and I found their sibling relationships just as compelling as the romance.

Margot, meanwhile, is just getting out of a long-term relationship, and it wasn't a good one. I thought the narration did a great job of slowly revealing to the reader that Taylor had been an abusive girlfriend, and how long it took (even sped up for the sake of the story) Margot to start to accept how unhealthy their dynamic had been and take little steps to help herself.

That said, how well everyone takes most of the various revelations and emotional conversations is often unrealistic, but such is romance. It's not so bad to read about people reacting in an objectively emotionally healthy way some of the time.

There's a lot here to recommend this to fans of holiday romance and family dramas.

This was such a sweet sapphic holiday romance - I loved actually being able to witness the characters getting to know eachother and work through their misgivings/miscommunications. And there is no real third act break up!
The plot - fake dating your client and going home with them for christmas only to call in love with their sister upon arrival is now the christmas move I NEED in my life. Until then I will happily settle for the book alone. I cannot wait to read more from Talia Samuels

Thanks to Netgalley and Alcove Press for this copy in exchange for my review

This was an incredibly sweet story and I loved all of the characters. Everyone was quirky and lovable (with the exception of Taylor), and I loved watching Margot and Ellie get over Ellie's misunderstanding and Margot's past trauma and finding happiness with one another. Cannot recommend this enough for someone looking for a Christmas romance.

I really wanted to love this one, but it was just okay. One heroine is fake dating someone and goes home with him for Christmas. His sister is suspicious and thinks she's using her brother. But it turns out they end up falling for each other. I don't think the story or the characters had a lot of depth and this as just going trough the motions of a Christmas romance where the sister didn't feel seen by her family and falls for her brother's girlfriend, who ends up being a fake girlfriend. Nothing had me loving the story and it ended up being an audiobook I was just passively listening to.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! When I saw the cover of this book, I knew that I wanted to get a copy of this ARC. I love a Christmas romance and this book ticked so many boxes for me. I liked Ellie and Margot and I would read another book with both characters again. This book was exactly what I wanted, it served Hallmark movie realness but it provided some depth as well. I can't wait to discuss this book with others, I know a few librarians that I know will adore this book.

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.

This book follows a woman who agrees to fake date a guy over the holiday season. However, she ends up falling for his sister. The setting of this book is a family mansion in England. Most of the year it is a BnB, except for during the holiday season when the family comes together for Christmas. The man she dates is likeable enough but all of the characters felt bland.

I wanted to love this one. It has a trope I love of fake dating than falling for their fake partner’s family member. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to feel the chemistry between the two love interests. It felt a bit forced.

Title: The Christmas Swap
Author: Talia Samuels
Summary: Margot Murray is a newly single, successful business woman with no interest in a cutesy seasonal romance after her breakup with her long-term girlfriend. Ben Gibson is an unlucky-in-love sweetheart in need of a woman to bring home for the holidays. Together, they make a pact: Margot gets two blissful weeks away from London in a picture-perfect manor, and Ben gets a fake girlfriend for his holiday at home with his family.
Upon arriving to the manor, Margot meets Ben’s sister, Ellie, who is suspicious of the supposed relationship right from the start. Ellie intends to get to the bottom of their relationship, not being able to see how the two of them work as a couple. As Ellie and Margot grow closer, will Ben and Margot be able to keep the charade up, or will Margot and Ellie risk the chance at something real?
Copy provided by @netgalley in exchange for honest review.
Likes: Could easily be a movie on Hallmark, fake dating trope, ornery dog.
Dislikes: I had a hard time connecting with the characters and it overall fell flat for me.
#TheChristmasSwap #NetGalley #AlcovePress #LGBTQIA+ #WLW #bookstagram #queerbookstagram #lesbianromance #romance #holidayromance #booksbooksbooks

This one was mid for me. It had a lot of the good stuff but I just didnt feel very much of an emotional connection to anyone.

Likes:
-Cute & fluffy romcom
-Classic hallmark set up
-LGBTQ+
-Family drama
-Fake dating

Disliked:
-Miscommunication which did not favor any of the plot, it just made it cringey
-No character development

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin & PRH Audio for advanced copies!

This was such a sweet and cute holiday read! I love how Talia tackled some deeper, heavier issues within the confines of the idyllic holiday setting (emotional abuse, gaslighting, deceit, family pressure, senility). The dual POV we got from Ellie and Margot was nice, but sometimes made the pacing lag and could feel repetitive. I also wish we'd gotten a little more depth and development on Ellie and Margot. Ben and Grandpa Mo were probably my two favorite characters, and I adored the side plots of Ben and Roberta, and the heartwarming friendship that developed not only between Margot and Ben, but also Margot and Grandpa Mo.

While the storyline was predictable, it gave me a warm, cozy feeling to read/listen to this one, and heads up, it will make you hungry!!!

Thank you so much to Talia, Alcove Press, Libro.fm and Netgalley for my complimentary e- and audio copies!

first christmas romance of the season (i refuse to acknowledge window shopping and wish i could bleach my eyes to forget i ever read that)! it was very sweet, like most christmas romances are and i enjoyed the different setting/storyline here. it’s pretty rare to find christmas books set somewhere that isn’t the US or Canada and this one takes place in the UK. the story was also a little different, it’s not your typical small town romance which i’m a big fan of. the characters were well written and their internal conflicts were quite interesting topics to touch upon. a fun romance to read now! 3.5⭐️

✨ Review ✨ The Christmas Swap by Talia Samuels

This had a great premise -- fake dating to a remote holiday locale. Margot is a lesbian but has nowhere to go from xmas, and the Ben just wants to prove he can bring a girlfriend home for the holidays. Ben's sister Ellie, also a lesbian, thinks something's fishy but is off the mark and tries to catch Margot as a gold-digger out to get her brother's money. With a quirky cast of family characters, this book had a lot of promise, but just didn't quite deliver for me.

The characters felt a little underdeveloped, sometimes the narration felt a little TOO inner-monologue-y, and there just felt like there was a lot of repetition. Also sometimes it was hard to distinguish between the two character's POVs and it felt a little homogenous.

I really wanted to love this one, but honestly, in the wake of Allison Cochrun's Kiss Her Once for Me, this one had a high mark to surpass.

What I did love though was the continual comedy gold of the animals (the mysteriously pregnant dog and the mystery horse), the lovable grandpa, the silliness of the golddigger storyline, and would have loved a better balance of the silly and the serious (maybe more silly?)

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: f/f holiday romance
Setting: rural UK
Reminds me of: Allison Cochrun's Kiss Her Once for Me
Pub Date: 10 Oct 2023

Thanks to Alcove Press and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!