Unfortunately this was a dnf. It was much to “telling” over showing anything. The concept lost me right at the start. It felt like a cheesy teen story mixed with a Hallmark movie. The only thing I liked about it was the first line as it was relatable. I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief with it.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio ARC!

This was such a cute holiday romance. I loved it! Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and this book did it justice. I loved the main characters and the storyline was great. I highly recommend.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

"I'm not sure why it's hard to learn things about ourselves. But it's in the searching and the waiting that the answers come."

Merry Kismet is the perfect holiday read. This book was so incredibly sweet and cozy. It had a sprinkle of holiday cheer, but also touched on heartbreak and new beginnings. At 202 pages it was also a breeze to get through!

Brie is a sunshine first grade teacher in her late twenties and Rockwell is her high school ex-boyfriend who moved to the big city right after graduation. In a moment of kismet, the two are reunited when Rockwell comes back to the small town to visit his mom for the holidays, and the two of them rekindle their friendship.

When his mom finds him spending time with Brie, she assumes they are back to dating, and soon enough the rest of the town seems to join in on that belief. While everyone is rooting for them, can they look past their differences and rekindle their love again?

"This isn't kismet. It's a blind man in need of his eyes opened and a generous woman willing to give him a second chance."

Things I loved:

🎄 Second chance
🎄 Small town
🎄 Sunshine x Cinnamon roll
🎄 They claim they're not dating but no one believes them
🎄 Forced proximity
🎄 No third act breakup

I really enjoyed the audiobook, however I felt like the male narrator was muffled and not as clear and crisp as the female narrator. It made me turn the volume up and down every time the POV switched.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for providing this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a second chance romance trope, and this one was simply adorable. Remember when writing out your Christmas wish list that you just might get what you asked for! 💝

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Merry kismet🎄
By Anneka R. Walker💕

Review🥰

This was a very cute romance that you could read in a day. It has some Christmas magic that will make your heart swoon. I loved the characters, and the second-chance romance was so nicely done. It’s such a great read for the holiday season. The small town was so comforting, like a warm blanket. I really enjoyed this one.

Second Chance romance🫶🏻
Small town🏡
Holiday romance🎅🏼
Forced proximity👀

4 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Part of The Gift-Wrapped Series, this is an adorable Christmas rom com! It will definitely give you all of the Hallmark feels. Brie never got over her best friend turned high school sweetheart, Rockwell. When he shows up at her door years later, does it mean her wish is coming true? Merry Kismet has all of my favorite things: Kismet of course!, second chance, dual POV, slow burn, friends to lovers, small town shenanigans, comedy, forced proximity, Christmas lists, a crazy cat, accidental fake dating, and "ASK ME TO STAY". You'll swoon the whole time! I absolutely loved the narrators, Elise Taff and Sean Yves Lessard. I recommend adding this to your holiday reading list! Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Sweet Christmas story. This story is one of the magic of Christmas A sassy store clerk, a Christmas wishlist and mistletoe can change everything. The story was great, the narrators were not my favorite. Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy. I’m voluntarily leaving this review.

3.5 rounded up.

This was a cute, second chance holiday romance that has Brie making a Christmas wish list only to have all of her wishes suddenly coming true.

Top of that list? Having her high school ex, Rockwell return home and when he shows up next door out of the blue Brie's Christmas starts to look much brighter. The only catch is Rockwell does not want to stay but the more he's around Brie the harder it is to leave.

While this wasn't my favorite in this series it was still a fun read and I liked the narration by Elise Taff and Sean Yves Lessard. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review.