Married for under a year, Patrick and Quinn are already feeling the strain in their relationship between job woes and a sizeable mortgage on a house in desperate need of repairs. When Patrick accidentally knocks out Santa Claus with a frying pan, he has to take over as Santa that night. The following morning, Patrick and Quinn are shocked to learn that they need to take over as Santa and the first Merriest Mister for at least a year – or Christmas will be cancelled permanently. Will staying at the North Pole help them rediscover the spark in their marriage?

This was such a cute Christmas story and possibly my favorite Timothy Janovsky book yet! It really helped me get in the holiday spirit this year. I loved seeing both men grow individually and together during their time at the North Pole. The past Santas and Mrs. Clauses still residing at the North Pole was a nice touch.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This book was absolutely adorable. Patrick and Quinn are one of the most relatable couples I’ve ever read - and the whole Santa clause plot line was so fun and original compared to the other Christmas stories I have read this year.

I love that this story focused more on Pat, Quinn, and their love/marriage, and had the Christmas plot line/story take a main role that also let the growth of themselves and their marriage really shine through. I appreciated so much how the characters go through as individuals and as a couple. It really is a great example of how a story can portray real issues in relationships without sugar coating it, yet also giving readers hope and joy through the story.

I can’t wait to see what this author cooks up for us next.

Oh my God, this is the perfect queer Christmas reading! I’m so happy right now, I feel so warm and comfortable and I’m in love with this book so damn much!
I love all Timothy Janovsky’s books, I’m a huge fan of him and his work, but I think I love this the most!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

***Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

The Merriest Misters was such a great choice to read during the Christmas season. I liked the way it took a premise so familiar and crafted such a new, heartwarming story with it. The book had a good mix of humor, festiveness, and heartfelt soul-searching. It managed to explore some pretty heavy, emotional themes without becoming too overwhelming by leaning into the absurdity of the premise. It really worked for me.

The Merriest Misters was big on the miscommunication trope. I usually HATE this trope, but this story handled it better than most. The integration of the memory chapters gave a lot of context to how the dynamic between the characters evolved. So, I felt like I understood their miscommunication and its history and wanted to see them overcome it to heal their relationship.

I genuinely enjoyed the plot of The Merriest Misters. From the characters' first interaction with Santa, which involved a frying pan, up until the end, it was such a fun ride. I loved getting to explore the North Pole and learn about how to be Santa alongside Patrick and Quinn. I do wish the world-building had been a bit deeper, though, with better explanations of some of the history and rules. A few parts felt a bit hand-wavey and forced to fit the plot. The pace also seemed too quick at times with the reader hopping in and out of the story with each chapter as it raced to cover a year of time in only 320 pages.

The main characters in The Merriest Misters, Quinn and Patrick, were well written. I liked getting both POVs and seeing how each of the men interpreted the same life events and relationship problems. Patrick was a workaholic who was constantly striving for parental approval. Quinn was a burnt-out teacher. He also struggled with figuring out what being a husband meant to him. Both men had to learn a lot about themselves in order to figure out what they needed to do to be able to fit together in the future. The story explored traditional gender roles and stereotypes, especially within a marriage, as well as the difficulties of getting married before really knowing oneself.

Overall, I had a great time reading The Merriest Misters. It was refreshing to read a story about a married couple working through their issues rather than the usual romance. The holiday trappings were entertaining and provided a fun backdrop for the exploration of some deep themes. Therefore, I rate The Merriest Misters 4 out of 5 stars.

Quinn and Patrick's marriage is already falling apart, and it's only been a year. But Patrick has become a workaholic, Quinn hates his own job and the Suzy Homemaker role he's been forced into, and there's no time for the two to connect--romantically or otherwise. So on a stressful Christmas Eve, when Patrick attacks a man who seemingly broke into their home with a frying pan, only for him to proclaim he quits, it might be just what the two need. Patrick decides to take on the role of Santa Clause in hopes he finds himself and time with Quinn, while Quinn reluctantly agrees to a new adventure.

The Santa Clause meets marriage counseling meets an LGBTQ romcom... what more could we want? Seriously, The Santa Clause (and its sequel) are some of my favorite holiday movies and this book brought all of that charm with perhaps more likable heroes and a queer spin. This book is fantastical and fun and a bit campy, but I love that in a Christmas read and this one ultimately brought me so much joy.

Thanks to St. Martin's for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 8/10

Merry and happy to all who celebrate! ❤️💚 I’m not typically a fan of the second-chance romance trope, but this book is a clever, compelling, a little sad, magical twist on the genre.

🛷 THE MERRIEST MISTERS by Timothy Janovsky, October 2024 (thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the eARC). Patrick (a struggling architect in a dead-end job) and Quinn (a committed but burnt-out school teacher) are married, but life is not going so well. They’re working too hard, they’re like ships passing in the night, and their fixer-upper dream home is a debbie-downer. Patrick’s parents are too involved in their lives, while Quinn’s mom is not involved enough. Then one foggy Christmas Eve, sparkly magic takes hold of their lives and they become Santa Patrick and his Merriest Mister for one year. They move you-know-where and try to save Christmas and their marriage. Will the power of their love be enough to get all the jobs done? Read this sweet holiday tale and find out! This is not your typical Christmas story! 🎅🏽🎄🍪🥛

This was an adorable holiday romance with one of my favorite tropes: an established couple stumbling, but ultimately renewing their love for each other. (It’s not a spoiler, it’s a romance book, after all!) While I did get annoyed at Patrick and Quinn’s lack of communication, their love for each other was evident on every page, even if their actions were a little misguided. One thing I loved was the emphasis on finding out who you are outside the context of anyone else. It has no bearing on how much you love your spouse, but it’s really important for the health of the relationship overall. I think the pacing could have been a little better. The middle third dragged a bit, but all in all, this was a sweet queer romance for the holidays!

This book was just so much fun. It took so many fun turns, and some not so fun. I really enjoyed every single character and all of their growth. This may just be my favorite holiday book of the year.

I usually don't expect to be blown away with christmas rom coms, but they're just fun and easy to read! This one sadly was not lol I thought Patrick and Quinn were toxic for each other and I just hated the dialogue tbh

This was the most surprising and delightful holiday read. Timothy Janovsky really can do no wrong, but I adored these characters and their dual POV let us into their thoughts.

Patrick and Quinn's new marriage is already struggling with the pressures of owning a fixer upper and both working demanding jobs, but when they accidentally attack Santa Clause and have to take over his job, they're forced to take a break from their life and their problems. But even in someplace as magical as the North Pole, they have to figure out how to fix their relationship.

I thought this was a fun holiday read. I occasionally got frustrated with Patrick's choices, but I loved the way the story wrapped up.

If you've lost your childhood love of Christmas, you may just find what you need in The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky!

This delightful little story starts after the typical "happily ever afters" have finished, making it a fun twist on the norm! Quinn and Patrick's relationship being on the outs means their happily-ever-after is that much more satisfying! Individual and separate character arcs were so heartwarming!

What else?

The gender and sexuality representation was incredible!

Janovsky weaved such magical imagery, which was exactly what I'd expect from Santa land!

This book had me chuckling to myself, jolly as old St. Nick himself!

My hat goes off to Janovsky for teaching me that "travelators" is an actual word!

Mark Sanderli and Zach Barela did an outstanding job with this audiobook narration! Perfect character casting!

This book was like The Santa Claus but for grown-ups. Absolute perfection!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

DNF

1 – one of the main characters is complaining because his husband doesn’t “leave his work at work” and yet he himself is a teacher so obviously you also bring work home so what’s with the double standard
2 – the premise starts with one husband agreeing to host and cook Christmas for his family at their new house without even consulting his husband that’s an immediate no for me like that’s not how relationship works and the husband says oh I’ll let it go because a spouse‘s job is not to create unnecessary drama

When I grabbed this book, I was just looking for new holiday reads - I had NO idea I was going to laugh this hard! This was the perfect blend of cozy mystery and light hearted holiday romance I didn’t know I needed!

This story is told in dual alternating first person by Quinn and Patrick, a couple approaching their first wedding anniversary that are struggling with their connection. For traditional romance readers, this might be a departure from the 'they got married and lived happily ever after', but I really enjoyed the story and how it acknowledges that real life takes continuing compromise and adjustments. Not only is this couple struggling with their relationship, but they also have individual personal and professional issues.

Patrick previously went against his family’s expectations to pursue an architecture degree and now has a position at a big corporate firm, but his creative needs go unfulfilled despite all the hours he puts into rote designs that have no imagination. Patrick also struggles with feeling he should adhere to the traditional man of the household example that his father set. I was a little annoyed with him at times for not considering that he is half of a partnership.

Quinn is an elementary school teacher and while he loves children and teaching, lately the school seems to be doing everything to tie his hands rather than focus on learning, and to suppress his personality. He used to dress feminine and flamboyant but has felt pressured to tone it down over the years due to perceived family and professional expectations until he seems to be just a shadow of his former self.

Their story has a bit of The Santa Clause movie plot to it in that Patrick injures Santa and must choose to take his place or cancel Christmas. I love that movie, and I thought it was cleverly worked into this story of a struggling relationship with two complicated individuals just trying to figure it all out.

I really enjoyed watching this couple reconnect and work things out both individually and as a couple. Their resolution wasn’t any more traditional than the story and while I’ve seen some mixed reviews about this, I thought it was well done and reflects the real life of a lot of couples with jobs that require something other than a traditional 8-5 workday.

Recommended to holiday romance readers looking for something a little different with heart.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for a copy provided for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the arc I didn't get to in time. This was so cute, I love Timothy Janovsky's novels and this was no exception. I also really love established relationship romances and navigating the after of the happily ever after. A queer riff on The Santa Clause was exactly what I needed and more. I loved both of these characters and how they grew over the course of the story. I listened to the audiobook and really recommend it, both narrators were excellent. If you are looking for a festive queer story I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARCH and MacMillan Audio for an ALC.
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The Santa Clause is one of our family’s favorite Christmas movies and this one gives those vibes. If Scott Calvin had a Merriest Mister instead of a Mrs. Claus.
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I loved Patrick and Quinn. And while their story was fun, it also had its serious times. Mark Sandrelin and Zac Barela did an excellent job narrating and I enjoyed the dual narration.
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Loved the whole North Pole scene, the elves, the family. Especially loved the growth of both Patrick and Quinn throughout their journey, both as a couple and independently.

Quinn and Patrick's marriage is on the rocks. Less than one year in and a divorce is looking more likely than an anniversary celebration. When they knock out a would-be burglar who turns out to be Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, they spend one frantic and magical night forced to work together to keep Christmas from being ruined. Is filling in for Santa really the way to save their marriage, though? Patrick seems to think so. And sure, life at the North Pole is like one big romantic getaway. But Quinn isn't ready to give up his life in the real world for a fantasy. Will working to save Christmas save their marriage--or just push all their problems out into the open?

This was a really well-done second chances romance. I especially enjoyed the fantasy aspects of life at the North Pole and all the Santa Claus lore.

The merriest misters by Timonthy Janovsky is a m/m romance novel that is a holiday story and it was super cute and heartwarming but also hard hitting at the same time! We follow two main characters Patrick and quinn, they met in their college years and fell in love ever since but it's been two years and their relationship is rocky! Patrick gets fired from his job and gets offered a new job. Quinn wasn't a fan of the new job but ended up loving it!!(:
This was a super cute and fun read with some hard hitting topic and I enjoyed it imensley!! I can't wait to read more from Timonthy!! 5 out of 5 stars

The Santa Clause has always been my favorite Christmas movie so this sold me immediately. this was seriously everything I want in a holiday book. like, could not as for better Christmas vibes. I loved Quinn ❤️ Patrick I mostly felt frustrated by. I was honestly on track to give this 5⭐️ for most of it but the last 20% kind of lost me and it ended up feeling a bit long. overall though, I HIGHLY recommend this especially if you love the Santa Clause as much as I do! thank you to @netgalley and @timothyjanovsky for the gifted digital copy ✨