Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. 4.75 ⭐️ rounded up
Janovsky does it again! I just love his storytelling and the magical realism in this was just perfect. I’m not normally one to reread books but I could totally see myself reading this annually or every few years at Christmas for the vibes! The creativity in his setting was paramount and so much fun. I found myself highlighting a lot of not only sweet romantic moments but also some great quotes about identity and family dynamics. I love the balance of whimsy, romance, and emotional depth. Gonna be honest and say I missed his usual spice (🤪) but I get it for this type of novel. Highly recommend for a sweet holiday romcom!

When I received this e-ARC from the publisher, I got all the festive feels and decided to do a little Christmas in July reading 🎄

It takes a twist on my favorite Christmas movie of all-time, The Santa Clause, and while at times it was a little too similar, I loved that dash of merry magic ✨ It’s a story about falling back in love after the pressures and responsibilities of adulthood weigh on Patrick and Quinn leading them to question themselves, their love and their lives together.

A chance to take over Christmas as Santa and the first Merriest Mister is just the jolly jolt they need to take a breath and reevaluate what they want in life and reconnect. My favorite part of the whole book was seeing all the traditionally female-focused gender stereotypes for Mrs. Claus be overhauled for the Merriest Mister, Quinn! The LGBTQ+ representation outside of Patrick and Quinn’s relationship was also great to see 🏳️‍🌈

While there was much to enjoy, I did struggle with the pacing and flashback chapters. I think they could’ve been incorporated differently in a way that would’ve worked better. The book takes place over the course of a year, but it’s very short, and ultimately, I felt a lot of moments were skipped, glossed over or rushed by the end.

Overall, this is a cute, short holiday read; however, I personally preferred “You’re A Mean One, Matthew Prince” by the same author, which I gave 4 stars last year! It was less cheesy and more rooted in reality.

Thank you St Martins and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. A fun Christmas story that will have you feeling the holiday magic! Quinn and Patrick have been married for a year but things are going so well. When Patrick thinks he has killed someone they realize it was Santa. Now one of them has to become Santa and the other Mr. Claus in order to save Christmas. However the elves want them to sign on for a year. Will being at the North Pole save their marriage? Or will it result in the end of it? A funny rom com with the magic of the holidays wrapped in! Everything you would expect from a Timothy Janovsky novel! Heartwarming, heart wrenching, sweet, and comical! Plus this adds in all the vibes of the holiday season!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a good book!!! Such a good story and great writing style. This was my first by this author and will not be my last! Such a cute holiday romcom!

Sweet, quirky and loveable describes the characters and the book. Still the adorable mess you’d expect but a more mature grown up version perfect for the holidays. Cozy up and enjoy.

When I picked up The Merriest Misters as an ARC, I had recently finished Timothy Janovsky’s previous book, The (Fake) Dating Game. I absolutely adored it, and combined with the fact that I love Christmas rom coms, I had high expectations for his newest book.

My expectations have been exceeded. My only complaint is that I read this book in July, in 100 degree weather, instead of in December with a cup of hot chocolate. It had elements of all my favorite nostalgic Christmas movies, with a special nod to The Santa Clause.

This wasn’t just a story of rediscovered love, but also a story of rediscovering oneself. I will be rereading this one in a few months when I can light some balsam candles and sit under my heated blanket.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. This was really cute and cozy! It felt like watching a Hallmark movie. I requested this because I read Janovsky’s Never Been Kissed a few years ago and loved it. I didn’t read the description of The Merriest Misters, so I was taken by surprise when the book took a turn into a retelling of The Santa Clause. Honestly, I think that was the most fun I’ve had going in blind to a book! While I may have hesitated to read it if I’d known, I ended up being pleasantly surprised. The Santa plot ended up being my favorite part of this book!

I really enjoyed the approach a queer marriage in crisis storyline. I’ve read very few books with this trope and I enjoyed seeing it from a new perspective. I thought adding in the Santa Claus aspect gave it a fun twist and unique backdrop for the couple’s reconciliation. The overall ambience of this book was so much fun and just felt like a cozy winter evening watching a Hallmark movie.

A few things about this book didn’t work for me. I struggled to differentiate Quinn and Patrick’s POVs and often found myself checking to see who was supposed to be narrating. The characters just didn’t stand out to me and I felt there was an overall lack of character development. Even though there were flashbacks (and they were very cute!) I never really connected with Quinn and Patrick’s relationship and didn’t feel like I just had to know how their relationship turned out.

Highlights:
•queer marriage in crisis
•the Santa clause
•closed door
•cheesy!!!

Take the Santa Clause movie, make it LGBTQ cozy, give it a bit more Hallmark feel, add some modern day twists and a miscommunication in marriage troupe and you have yourself this cute little Christmas read. I enjoyed the flashbacks for Patrick and Quinn pre marriage, and the very realistic of marriage struggles before they are dropped into some Christmas Magic shenanigans.

I do feel that the last 25% of the book was rushed and the progress they were working for (communication) never came to a satisfactory ending for a Christmas book. I would have liked to see a happy ending with a clear showing of a certain character TALKED and didn’t MAKE the decision. But, it is a bit realistic as they are still “working” on it, I just like my Christmas books to end all wrapped up in a pretty shiny bow.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Marten's Press for the ARC!

I read plenty of holiday rom-coms and I really loved how inventive and different this one was, while still maintaining the things that I love best! The plot had a married couple working through some really holiday and NOT holiday-specific challenges while going through a very The Santa Clause-reminiscent plot. I loved the character development and the real life challenges that each Patrick and Quinn faced while being immersed in all of the holiday spirit, coziness and snow I could want. I'm planning to read it again before the holidays!

3.5⭐️ rounded up!

I’ve never really read a marriage in crisis trope book but I was sent a widget and it IS a Christmas book so I wanted to give it a shot!

The TLDR of this book is that Patrick, a recently unemployed architect, and his husband Quinn, a very burnt out elementary school teacher, are in love with each other but not their current life. Stuck in a house they both hate (but don’t talk about) with jobs they aren’t fond of, they are drifting apart. After being voluntold to host Christmas, they frantically decorate their home. When an argument ends in Quinn going to bed alone, Patrick unexpectedly has a frying pan run in with Santa. Santa quits on the spot and Patrick takes up the mantle of the big man. But being Santa isn’t just a one night thing. It’s a commitment. And while Patrick is all in on this life change, Quinn isn’t sure if he wants to go along for the sleigh ride.

I really enjoyed reading the first 3/4 of the book. The Christmas magic and description of the North Pole was everything my Christmas obsessed heart wanted. You could feel the joy and warmth that resonated from the elves, the council and Patrick and Quinn.

The author does a great job at describing the atmosphere, explaining the lore of this North Pole and setting the tone for how everything operates. The plot moved very quickly, with some parts being given only a few sentences and then the scene changes. I wish that the story was allowed to be fleshed out a bit more. There’s a year worth of time to cover, which I imagine wasn’t easy to write. But it would’ve been nice to not have everything happen at breakneck speed.

Now, I will say, I don’t think I would read a marriage in crisis book again. I found that o was getting g very frustrated with both Patrick and Quinn. There are very heavy elements of miscommunication in this book. Quinn bottles things up and just goes with whatever is being suggested. And Patrick is very pushy (some might say selfish) with decisions. I honestly found myself hoping they would separate as the third act progressed.

I know I sound somewhat harsh. I honestly adored the first 65% ish of the novel. When the third act breakup came I found that I was getting annoyed with the characters and my enjoyment went down because of it.

If you want an extremely Christmas-y, miscommunication book with a lot of LGBTQIA+ rep then you should give it a shot.

Thanks very much to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, I received an ARC ebook.

Overall, this story held more depth than I originally anticipated. Quinn and Patrick’s love story holds so much truth to it - two people that desperately love each other but don’t know how to show it.

As a teacher myself, I was able to empathize with Quinn’s career challenges and the desire to want to do and be better for students while also realizing that it’s just not sustainable.

This story was a breath of Christmas in my hot July, which I was thankful for!

Christmas themed books are sometimes hit or miss for me so I am often reluctant to read them. However, this book was a delight! It has a unique perspective on the Santa Claus theme and throws in working through challenges in a loving relationship. I couldn’t wait to see how everything resolved for Quinn and Patrick. Highly recommend!

This was a boundless rollercoaster read! The fantastical Christmas aspects were thoughtful and kooky. Patrick and Quinn were deeply human characters that I learned from while watching grow and process their changing work life, love life, and futures. "The Merriest Misters" had surprises at every turn and is a sweet holiday read.

I love Christmas books! I haven’t read a bad one at all!!! I loved it so much I NEED IT on my shelf!

A gay twists on the Santa Claus? Count me in! Timothy had become and instant read author for me and this was the perfect holiday romance for fans of classic holiday movies

Thank you to Timothy Janovsky, St. Martins Press, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Oh. My. Heart! This book was the most heartwarming book I've read in such a long time. As other reviews have stated this book was giving all the "The Santa Clause" vibes. It had the perfect mix of magical realism combined with a character storyline that felt believable. I finished this book in only 3 days (which when you have seven kids home for summer break is pretty quick!)

I read this book during a heat wave in July but let me tell you, this book had me dreaming of snowy mornings, hot cocoa, and listening to Christmas carols all day long. Janovsky was able to pull us into every setting (both "at home" and up at the North Pole), making it feel like we are right there with Quinn and Patrick along for this adventure of a lifetime.

The storyline between Quinn and Patrick was so well done! I loved how both sides had their own issues to work out but both knew that the only way their relationship would survive and thrive was to work through these things, both together and alone.

The LGBTQIA+ representation was very well done in my opinion. It highlighted both the struggle to be accepeted in certain areas of their life (like the workplace) but also how in other areas their relationship was a non-issue. There was plenty of romance between Quinn and Patrick but kept the spice to the imagination which keeps this book open to a more sensitive reader as well as keeping the book within the "cozy Christmas read" genre.

I will be seeking out more books from this author in the future and recommending this book for the holiday season!

Be sure to get yourself a copy when this book comes out on October 1, 2024!

This was...fine. A gay couple becoming the new Santa Claus while trying to save their marriage is so interesting, but the execution was just lacking for me personally. I didn't connect with the characters even though the story itself kept me invested.

The Merriest Misters was everything I want in a Christmas rom-com. It is light but touches on serious issues very well. It was a whole lot of fun! I loved every character in Merriest Misters. Quinn and Patrick were absolutely adorable together and apart as well.

This story follows the premise of the movie The Santa Clause pretty closely in the fact that Patrick becomes Santa because of a certain event (which had me in stitches btw). It just gets further into the North Pole and you meet a lot of Christmas people and the elves of course. I love the growth between Quinn and Patrick as well as the Christmas council and everyone actually.

This is a fantastic read for Christmas in July as well as regular Christmas season and I can see rereading this every year because it was a blast.

I got this as an ARC thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin however, I am definitely going to be adding this one to my physical shelf!

I would give this book five stars if I could. This was one of my favourite christmas stories so far. I love these men with my whole heart. I need to get a physical copy as well.

4.5*

Though this started off a bit slow for me, by the end I was feeling pretty darn enchanted by this story. I thought the heroes, Patrick and Quinn, were both quirky and sweet and there was an earnestness to them that I found particularly endearing. I also happened to really like the magic-ness of it all; I didn't need it to always make sense because it was just fun. This was my first book from Timothy Janovsky and I look forward to reading more of his books in the future.