This was a great unexpected Christmas themed book. I love the cover and the way the characters hide parts of themselves as they are becoming more self aware and comfortable with their identities. The author did a fantastic job with this. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Four stars.

This was a quick, cozy read but it doesn’t really stand out from the other Christmas romances.

Ben Gibson is tired of being the only one in his family who is single during the holidays and all the questions that come with it. When he finds out that Margot Murray, a coworker of his, is going to be alone for the holiday after being dumped by her girlfriend he comes up with a plan to have her join him as his fake girlfriend. The only problem is Margot’s immediate attraction to Ben’s sister, Ellie, who’s convinced something is up with their relationship and is determined to prove it.

Ellie and Margot do not hit it off right away but instead are hot and cold. They have moments where they don’t get along and moments where they get along great. It was a bit disorienting to have this back and forth so early in the novel. This is the type of story that leaves you wishing the characters would just have a simple conversation with each other rather than jumping to conclusions so it can be frustrating at times. My favorite character was probably Ellie and Ben’s grandfather however the storyline around his memory ended up being a little too ridiculous to believe.

Ultimately this is a cozy Christmas romance that is a little different than other falling for the sibling romances but it’s pretty easy to forget right after reading it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book gave me Kiss Her Once For Me vibes and I loved that!

The whole fake dating trope in this book is chefs kiss! Margot doesn't want to deal with romance after getting out of a rocky relationship with Taylor. So she makes a pact with her client Ben since he was tired of being questioned about when he would finally be in a relationship and she needed a getaway for the holidays.

Then comes Ellie, his sister, whom knows something is off right away and wants to get to the bottom of their "relationship".

I honestly disliked Ellie's character a lot a the insults towards Margot where over the top.
Overall this is a cute holiday book and it's Igbtg which makes it even better.

Wish it was a little shorter though.

This book gave me all the cozy, holiday vibes, even in the heart of summer! THE CHRISTMAS SWAP follows Margot Murray, a successful businesswoman who's just suffered a devastating break-up with her longtime girlfriend. The last thing she wants for Christmas is romance, but she agrees to pose as her marketing client Ben Gibson's girlfriend in exchange for two weeks at his family's glamorous manor. Everything is going according to plan...until Margot meets Ben's sister, Ellie, and starts to develop real feelings for her fake boyfriend's sister.

This book was so warm, heartfelt, and fun! I enjoyed its lighthearted tone and premise, but also appreciated how it delved into some heavier topics, like emotional abuse in relationships and the pressure to be perfect/meet your family's expectations. I loved seeing the friendship grow between Margot and Ben, and really liked them both as characters. Margot and Ellie also had such a sweet dynamic—I loved watching them discover that they were more similar than they realized, and how they brought out the best in each other. Overall, I would definitely recommend THE CHRISTMAS SWAP, and look forward to re-reading it over the holiday season! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

While I wasn't particularly blown away by the main romance of this story, I really appreciate the detailed and nuanced discussion about emotional abuse in relationships. Abuse in lesbian relationships is something that isn't written about enough, so I think it's an important topic to see represented in fiction. I think that it was handled really well, and I loved seeing the friendship grow between Ben and Margot. I think it's a fun twist on the fake-dating trope, where the relationship grows with someone who's in on the secret, but not the actual fake partner. I was also really invested in Ellie's personal story and her relationships with her family members, and in Margot's efforts to reconnect with friends in the wake of her abusive relationship. I really liked both of our main characters and I was rooting for them on their journeys, but for some reason I just couldn't connect to the chemistry between the two. All that being said I think it's a solid romance and an important entry due to the discussion of abuse in a queer relationship.

this was good! i've been wanting to read more sapphic books lately and this one was a good contender. i don't know if i was particulary in the mood for a christmas book in the middle of june, but that had nothing to do with the book, because it was so cute and very much the right vibes for a cute, lovey-dovey wintertime read.

YES YES YES, THIS BOOK. Christmas plus romance plus queer representation! I love THIS. I will definitely be recommending this book for purchase in my library. My patrons will love this one too!

Thank you netgalley and alcove press for the free e-arc in exchange for my honest review. Big yikes I expected to love this and it sounded like the perfect June read however the writing and just in general gave me big ick.. I hope this goes to sensitivity readers or own voices as it didn't seem genuine or real...

I liked this book enough. The plot was good. The characters was good. The only issue I had was, at times, it felt more like reading a diary. It wasn't my favorite type of writing style.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is different from the other fake dating books I’ve read and I enjoyed it a lot! Ben’s fake girlfriend falls for his sister. I’m a sucker for Christmas stories and all the main characters had a special place in my heart. From Grandpa Mo, Mitzy, Ellie, Ben, and Margot.

Ben and Ellie have been pressured most of their life that everything needs to be perfect including their dating life. So Ben sets up to have basically a stranger pretend to be his fake girlfriend.

Ellie, not believing the couple is set out to prove something is going on. What a way for Margot to be introduced to Ellie. I laughed out loud at that scene.

Watching all the magic play out gave me all the fun, cozy, family Christmas vibes. The multiple grand gestures on Christmas morning was so beautiful! I even put my iPad down to clap how well it played out.

I look forward to checking out more books by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley EARC! As always, my review is my opinion and thoughts.

What a fun read! I loved the changes in perspective especially times where it overlapped so you could see what had been happening in the other room. The main characters were all well written and enjoyable. You felt attached to them quickly and were rooting for them throughout. Ben and Ellie’s family were great too especially their grandpa. The bond that he had with Ellie was especially adorable and I really loved the exchange he had with Margot later in the book. The book was funny and warm and heartfelt and also handled the parts about emotional abuse with a lot of care. I could definitely see this being one of those cute holiday movies and even pictured it like that as I read. I especially loved that we got an update a year later to see how everyone got on after. Definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, rom-com read.

This book is nice. It is sweet. It is... just nice.

The premise is fun, and I enjoy many of the characters, the writing is good, and it has all the trappings of a quality Hallmark Christmas movie...

....but it is very much Hallmark Christmas movie quality rom com. Things are INCREDIBLY predictable, not a single reveal is a surprise at all. Rom coms are often very predictable, but there is fun in how we get there... the journey in The Christmas Swap is kind of bland. Characters jump to conclusions and then immediately talk themselves out of those conclusions with an elevated self awareness that seems to come out of nowhere. There are some quality relationship building moments, but for the most part things are very instantaneous which has never been my jam.

I give it 3 stars for "I liked it, but I definitely didn't love it and I wouldn't read it again.". If you want a very feel good, sweet, Christmas themed story with multiple points of conflict that all get very nicely and neatly wrapped up in record time... this might be the book for you. But if you can't make it through a B level Hallmark Christmas movie, you will not enjoy this book.

The Christmas Swap is a sweet, sometimes ridiculous, sapphic romance. Faced with a Christmas alone after her emotionally abusive girlfriend dumps her, Margot Murray agrees to pose as her marketing client Ben Gibson's girlfriend. He's perennially single, and tired of being a disappointment in the eyes of his uber wealthy parents, who own a hotel/manor in the countryside.

Their plan works well, until Ben's nosy younger sister Elle gets the wrong idea about Margot, and does some digging, ultimately uncovering the truth. She agrees to keep Ben & Margot's secret, but she also ends up falling in love with Margot herself. Hijinks ensue.

This is a nice cosy novel for anyone looking for a bit of holiday fun and romance. I found it to be a little surface-level, apart from the very heavy topic of Margot's status as an emotional abuse victim. But even then, there was no real depth given to the subject matter. For the right reader, it's the equivalent of a sapphic Hallmark movie. 2.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove for the ARC.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book!
I really love Christmas time, so I was so excited to read this (yes, in June). The plot of the book is adorable—wonderful yet perpetually single man convinces his lesbian contract employee to join him at his family’s estate for a Christmas week? And he has a hot hot hot sister? What could go wrong!?
Honestly it ended up being so very cute and I adored Ben, he was so unproblematic and sweet. Margot was funny and smart and so put together and I will stomp on her ex if I see her 👀 ugh. Ellie was very fun and free! Ugh and all the other characters 🥺 everyone was so lovely.
A couple things that I would like to touch on (this might not be a biggie for you which is great!) but, I found it to detract from the story with how…flippant Ellie was? She would be very determined and then at the slightest inconvenience or quite frankly a pin drop and she ran or got mad at someone and idk if it just triggered me or what 😂 also I felt like the end was finished so quickly—there was a ton of build up and then it was over. I would have loved a little more! Otherwise I think this was a really cute story!

To start, I want to say that I really enjoyed reading this book! It has some of my favorite elements; a Christmas theme and the enemies to lover trope!

Though the story starts out straightforward, it fizzes out to a bit of a slow burn romance. Margot, Ben, Grandpa Mo, and Mitsi were my absolute favorite characters. I enjoyed getting to know them through their storylines; I legit wanted to reach out and give them a hug while I was reading!!

However, there were two things that didn’t work for me. First, was Ellie’s character did not seem flushed out all the way; we’re not given much of her background story. She seemed a bit all over the place and quick to latch on to and obsessive over incomplete thoughts/ideas without exploring other possibilities. Though by end, Ellie did grow on me a bit. Secondly, i don’t think Margot was completely able to process what she went through and her past relationship. And we don’t really get to see how that affects her relationship with Ellie; assuming that it does.

If you’re looking for a cozy sapphic Christmas romance, this is definitely the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and the author for the eARC!

I adore Ellie & Ben's family. This is absolutely the coziest Christmas story I've read in quite awhile. Grandpa, Mitzy the pregnant dog, tacky Christmas jumpers, hotel villa manor house straight out of a Hallmark movie, all of it.

And Margot. My favorite character. The chapters from her point of view are my favorite. I love when you know from the outset that a couple is made for each other!

If you need a reminder that sometimes attraction just works, this is your story. Oh, and a bit of seasonal magic. Despite the sham and the inability to keep up appearances, Margot & Ellie are meant to be.

"I smile. I suppose there's always next year for a nice normal Christmas."

(The story does deal sensitively with a past of emotional abuse, so be aware of that. But the story is, in fact, a healing one.)

I can't wait to reread this book during Christmas! Such a sweet, classic sapphic rom com. Enjoyed the characters and the writing.

Let’s start with the good: Fake-girlfriend that falls for a friend's sister? Check. Takes place at Christmas? Check. Sweet Chemistry? Check. With that said, The Christmas Swap did let me down.

Maybe it was the poor formatting of the book, which made it really hard to read and digest, that made me lose interest, or maybe it was the fact that Ellie thought Margot was a gold-digger, which rubbed me the wrong way, but for the life of me I couldn’t connect to the story and characters. Don’t get me wrong, the concept is perfect and something I would normally eat up and I’m sure others will enjoy this book.

If you’re looking for a quick read that takes place during Christmas to cool down these hot nights, then check it out.

I received an ARC from Alcove Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Christmas Swap was a sweet and fun read. I hadn't read anything by Talia Samuels, but bases on this book, I will seek out any new books she writes.

4.25⭐️
Content warnings: Toxic relationship, gaslighting, emotions abuse (all in relationship prior to this book but it’s aftermath is very much there)

This was a really cute lesbian Christmas romance. There were some beautiful quotes and the characters were incredibly developed. It was pretty predictable, but that doesn’t bother me much when it comes to romance (I just wanna feel something).

This was first person multiple pov, which is my favorite way to read romance. However, one of the narrators assumes the worst of people, so the first half of her pov’s were kinda painful to get through.

Other things some readers might not enjoy: there was some cringey dialogue with references to modern day musicians and phrases which doesn’t always bother me, these were extra cringey tho. (A reader is referred to as an alpha. Unironically).

Overall, I recommend this if you’re looking for a queer winter romance!

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and the author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.