I’m a big fan of Timothy Janovsky’s work, and I really wanted to love this one. There were some fun moments—I loved the Christmas magic, and the scene where Patrick discovers Santa is good physical comedy—but a lot of the story fell flat for me.

I wish there had been some significant character development by the end of the story. Patrick and Quinn weren’t very good communicators, and it felt like they just stumbled upon a solution that worked for them both rather than actively communicating and working out their problems as a couple.

Holy cinnamon was this a cute story! Like a queer The Santa Clause! I wanted to cancel plans to sit and read this because it was so incredibly cute I couldn't put it down. The characters are lovable, there's an awesome explanation for Santa's magic, and it's a perfect book to get you into the Christmas spirit....even if it is only June. If you see me out and about singing "Baby, It's Cold Outside" in the middle of summer, blame this book!

Enjoyed this little spin on The Santa Clause (because that is definitely what this is lol). I appreciate the quirky and easy humor thorughout the book, it maintained well with the pacing. I never felt like I was forcing myself through the book. As always, I hate a third act break up, this one wasn't as bad as the rest, but I still hate them.
I loved switch POV's throughout and flashbacks for context, b/c I truly hate when an author expects you to just put it all together without any assistance. Good love story and funny.

#bookreview The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky

🤔where did ya come from?🤷🏼‍♀️
- eARC via NetGalley from the publishers (St Martins)

😍the good stuff😍
- Christmas story with Santa and North Pole elements
- Fairly likable characters.
- I liked the essence of the idea of beating up Santa, having him quit, and then having to save Christmas.

🫢my complaints🤫
- I felt like the characters were developing okay but their relationship was odd. It’s supposed to be a romance, but it never gave me any warm fuzzies or made me want them together at all tbh 🤷🏼‍♀️ I just didn’t care. I felt like maybe they had married too fast and they weren’t supposed to be together 🤷🏼‍♀️
- Quinn’s desire to return to non-gendered clothing choices seemed sort of pushed in the storyline, but then sort of abandoned? I liked that he was trying to get back to himself, but the clothing thing seemed more representative in the story than it needed to be? I just felt like he was making these decisions and then BAM it’s over and the story goes on without really acknowledging his growth in this area 🤷🏼‍♀️ Maybe this was just a me peeve.
- Patrick’s obsession with his parents and making them proud. I get it was his journey but it just seemed really stupid to me.
- They disappeared for a year and didn’t even bother to call/talk/message anyone? Really? And thought everything would just go back to normal like they hadn’t disappeared.
- Patrick’s complete dismissiveness about the project he was supposed to do for Kacey’s nonprofit. He just keeps forgetting 🤦🏼‍♀️ What the hell, dude. At least email her that you aren’t doing it.

☺️the tropes☺️
- Becoming Santa
- Second chance sort of

⚠️the warnings⚠️
- Cheesy. Lack of character or plot development.

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This heartwarming novel perfectly captures the magic of Christmas and the journey of self-discovery alongside romance. The characters are engaging, and the adventure, reminiscent of a cozy holiday movie, kept me captivated. While it echoes the charm of The Santa Clause, it stands on its own with a unique and touching storyline. A delightful read that I look forward to enjoying again during the holidays. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Look, I may not be the most objective review here - I love a magical christmas romance AND I have a soft spot for the film classic, The Santa Clause - so obviously I was a big fan of this novel. I also love when a romance novel is not just about finding your way to eachother, but also to yourself. It had a great cast of chatacters, a magical setting (I'm talking about New Jersey, obviously) and it made me tear up at the end... what more could you want in a holiday escape??

This book was so cute and really put me in the Christmas mood but in June, I liked how it was kind of adventure-esc but also a good journey of finding your way back to those you love most. It gave off Hallmark vibes which I loved!

This was such a a ride and I loved every second of it. It definitely gave the Santa Clause vibes. I plan to reread during Christmas and if this is your vibe please give this a read

Quinn es maestro y no está contento con su trabajo, se siente abandonado por su esposo y está pensando en el divorcio.

Patrick es arquitecto, se la pasa trabajando, busca la aprobación de todos, está tan centrado en darle una buena vida a Quinn que no se da cuenta que lo está alejando.

Hay capítulos del pasado donde muestran como se conocieron y que pasó para que en el presente su matrimonio este en crisis.


El día de Navidad Patrick golpea a Santa y tiene que sustituirlo, junto con Quinn y uno de los duendes tendrán que repartir los regalos que faltan antes de que la gente despierte.




Spoilers ⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️
Estuvo entretenido, pero Patrick no me cayó bien, no tuvo un crecimiento y al final no creo que haya aprendido la lección porque se hizo lo que él quería.




Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was so sweet and tender of a story. I loved the nod to the Santa Claus. It read like a movie I would watch cozied up with hot chocolate and popcorn to laugh and cry right along with the characters.

Thank you for letting me read another amazing ARC! I think this might be one of my favorites! I am not a Christmas person at all. Ba humbug but, I always enjoy Timothy’s books. Patrick and Quinn are in for a treat with this book! You will love where the “Santa suit” takes them!

Thank you to Timothy Janovsky, St. Martin’s Press, and Net Galley for this ARC!

All thought and opinions are my own 💕

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Find more on my IG @kayreads_romance

⚠️ !! Please be sure to check any TWs before diving in !! ⚠️

What to expect:
* Dual POV
* Told in first person
* Marriage in trouble
* Christmas Vibes
* The Santa Clause vibes!!
* Dual timeline



My thoughts:
I immediately liked the writing style! It drew me in from the start.

I enjoyed this book a lot! I really appreciate journey we were taken on with the characters. I am excited to read more from this author!!

This book was a wild ride. I went in a little blind, only going off of my familiarity with the author and not reading the full description, but I had so much fun with a surprise jump into the world of Santa and the North Pole.

Despite feeling like a fairly lighthearted holiday romance, this did have a marriage-in-crisis trope and dealt with a few heavier topics - relationship struggles, financial difficulties, and family estrangements.

While I enjoyed reading this book, I didn’t love the narration of it, and at points it fell a little flat. I also struggled to connect with Patrick, one of the MC’s, and had a hard time rooting for the main characters to rebuild their relationship.

Timothy Janovski is a hit or a miss for me, but lately, sadly, more of a miss. Maybe it’s a me thing because I had to read the blurb better, and I am not much of a Santa Claus lover. I might have liked it more without the whole Santa Claus/North Pole setting. I’m still hoping for another book like New Adult because I loved that one!

This was a cute Christmas story and a great palate cleanser! I loved the magic and the live story between Patrick and Quinn. Thank you for allowing me to read and review this ARC!

A Santa Clause type story with an angsty love story. Patrick and Quinn are struggling newlyweds. They do love each other, but they're drifting apart with other responsibilities pulling at them. A chance encounter on Christmas Eve has Patrick becoming Santa Claus. Quinn reluctantly decides to go to the North Pole with him. They rekindle their marriage, but still aren't quite where they should be. They don't fix their problems and they end up separating to save Christmas. Being apart helps them find themselves and each other again. Both grow and become better versions of themselves. I'm not sure that their compromise to be together would work for anyone else, it's their HEA. Mostly a fun read, but a little heartbreaking too.

This is an adorable book of two men in love! I love the dualogue between both men, the North Pole scenes, and all of the holiday fun! This is one of those great holiday books you read to relax after your day. Hallmark has nothing in this author!

I chose this book without reading the summary because I was in a Christmas-y mood. I'm not a huge fan of The Santa Clause, which this book is loosely based on, but I decided to stick with it because I found myself really liking the character Quinn, one of the protagonists. Quinn and Patrick, his husband, find themselves taking on the mantles of Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus (now Merriest Mister) after a Christmas Eve snafu. As Patrick takes on the responsibilities of Santa and begins his journey to self-actualization, Quinn steps into the role of Merriest Mister, where he's able to reevaluate some of his choices and where he wants his life to lead. I really empathized with Quinn's character (undervalued school teacher, extra-glittery personality that he tones down to be more "normal") and enjoyed his journey of self-discovery over the course of the book. HOWEVER, I saw a lot of red flags in his relationship with Patrick, especially for them having been married for less than a year. The major issues that they went through (rushing into marriage, home ownership, keeping secrets, etc) didn't really get resolved over the course of the book, and their plan to move forward with their relationship after their first year as Santa/Merriest Mister seems like a breeding ground for those issues to take hold again. Overall, this was a cute, Christmasy story, but the relationship between the two main characters was a miss for me.

3.75 stars

Much like your favorite Christmas movies, this book is cheesy, heartwarming, and a little outlandish.
I love a marriage-in-crisis trope so I was excited to see how Patrick and Quinn resolved their issues. They rushed through a lot of life steps and are now having a lot of trouble communicating, leading to them both being unhappy.
They’re thrown into a whole world of magic and Christmas and all kinds of changes, while still trying to figure out their relationship.
This book had all the Christmas magic and some sweet moments as well as decent character growth. However, I felt like these characters still weren’t communicating as well as they should have been.

I also am not really sure how I feel about the ending. While it wrapped everything up (no pun intended) I felt like the biggest problem they had was that Patrick kept making decisions for Quinn and that’s… pretty much what happened at the end. It was also in general just kind of a dissatisfying ending.

This book was sweet and festive but I just wanted a little bit more both from and for our characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
This was a hard one for me to sort out how to review.
On the one hand, I love love love the overall concept here of the Christmas/North Pole setting, taking up the claus mantle, etc and just how much of a fun romp that creates.
But the author also chose at the same time to delve into some really deeply complex interpersonal issues that did not, to me, get resolved in a realistic or believable way. I was left at the end feeling like I’d watched a relationship trainwreck where everyone was in denial and thought they were just fine. Reader, they are not going to be fine without a heck of a lot more work and therapy.