I was pleasantly surprised by this delightful queer holiday romance story! When I first started reading, it seemed like 3 individual love stories would be a lot, verging on overwhelming. But each main character is so distinct that it wasn’t an issue at all!

The novel follows the three Belvedere siblings as they all end up returning home to their mother, the iconic Babs Belvedere, for the holidays. Each has a different crisis that needs confronted, and has a different reason for returning home.

There were some heavy hitting topics explored in this story. Substance abuse, mental illness, career and life expectations, tense family dynamics, there was something for everyone to relate to! I thought the pacing was great, the atmosphere was wonderful, and for the most part, the character were lovable.


I will add that at times, some of Birdie’s one-liners were pretty cringey, but I guess that’s her type of comedy!

Most Wonderful shows the three Belvedere siblings leading up to to Christmas. This was packed full of touching on sensitive topics and three separate love stories that I had a hard time getting invested in them. Clark did a good job navigating all the different plot lines and characters, but it still felt rushed and a little chaotic at the end, especially. Liz, Birdie and Rafi were interesting MCS and well developed, but it lacked something I can't quite name as it didn't focus on one love story, but three.

It was a good book, but there was too much going on for me to fully appreciate the book. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ahhhhh, I liked this.

3 gay siblings with their own unique story. I was expecting it to be more interesting, but it was still a good read.

I really enjoyed this book! At first, I was worried with the multiple points of view that I was going to find myself slightly confused but it was easier to follow than I had expected. We follow three siblings as they return home for Christmas or the month of December but they’re very famous Mother. One of them is going through an issue of some sort you have the oldest sister Liz, who is a control freak and perfectionist whose found herself attracted to the star of her show that she produces you. You have the middle child, Birdie, who Is a complete disaster in her life. She is a stand-up comedian with a drinking problem. And then you have Rafi, he is the youngest of the three children who has just had his girlfriend reject his proposal in front of all of their coworkers at a Christmas party. Talk about embarrassing.

Multiple other site characters that are brought into this obviously the love interests of all three siblings as well as their mother, whose name is Babs. She in enough herself is a story on her own. She is a riot from some of the flashbacks maybe not flashbacks maybe more like stories but the children and her hotel. I mean each room upstairs in her house is based off an old Hollywood character and she has a massively, huge naked portrait of herself hanging in her house. It’s not we get towards the end of the world that things really start to escalate. All three siblings have hit pretty much the lowest point in there potential relationships and then something terrible happens and they have to pull together as a family.

The only issue I had was connecting with Bertie’s character , she was so incredibly immature and I know she was a comedian, but I really struggled to understand some of her comedy show. She’s a raging alcoholic who is compensating for her daddy issues with sex and alcohol. I mean it’s not until she Hits the bottom of the barrel that she finally pulls her head out of her butt and grows up. I actually didn’t even like her character until she basically grew up.

Liz was definitely my favorite character I enjoyed reading her chapters. The most. I also feel like her relationship with her mother was one of the pure relationships that developed for the better the most.

thank you to NetGalley for the arc

Thank you author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!!

Um HELLO! This book is everything! There’s 3 storylines about the 3 children of a very famous actress in her 60s. They’re all super juicy and very gay. I didn’t know I wanted to read about 3 nepo babies during Christmas time but here we are. ALSO! Babs having a nude photo of herself near the entry way of her house is just so iconic and I want to be her!

Thank you for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! It put me straight into the holiday spirit (in May). It was a really cute, endearing book and I loved how each sibling had their own unique story. The only thing that gets me is that it doesn't really stand out to me; I definitely enjoyed it, it just wasn't anything so special that I'll reach for it again.

Thank you for the opportunity to read!

Christmas has come early! 🥹🎄

If you want a TL;DR (even though I did of course read this heavenly, wintry story), here it is: A juicy, sexy, delightful upstate holiday romp! And make it gay, please!

Georgia Clark has done it again. The queen of crowd control created a brand new cast of characters that are titillating, so very whole in their layers and aspirations, and relatable. There is so much to be cherished and loved in this story. A love story about romantic love, familial bonds, and the moments in this crazy world that make us feel warm, and cozy and safe (shoutout to cauliflower gratin, small town shopping, and all things snowy). The creative life – including all its struggles and wins, microagressions and hard-fought battles – is featured in such a refreshing way. Careers like stand up comedy and acting get depth in Georgia's adept literary hands, and her well-rounded trio of siblings each delve into a dual journey. Love and ambition.

I loved this book. For more than the vibrant Christmas Party scene that made me want to speed through this spring, summer, and autumn. And for far more than the realistic skewering of how social media and celebrity conflate and often hurt real flesh and blood people. This book is sheer joy, in a smart, confident package. The story flies by, I found myself devouring it late into the night and finished it in a few short days (no easy feat with a full time job and toddler, but when a story centers the human experience so skillfully, I can't help but answer the siren song).

And the dialogue! Georgia Clark puts the COMEDY in romcom. The conversations between characters, the small asides, the delicate use of sensory details drops the reader right into the heart of Belvedere Inn feel so immersive. Honestly, I want to go and read it again to defy the call of reality. It's escapism holiday fun at its finest, and it's what I love about good romcoms. Like I mean, really excellently written romantic comedies. There's so much more to the story than getting the guy or the gal. Because just like in our own lives, we have so much more going on that just romance. But romance makes life that much better!

Most Wonderful will put you right in the Christmas spirit while also offering a refreshing take on the traditional holiday romcom by centering around a family of queer adults. At the helm of this family is their iconic and glamorous mother, a famous Hollywood actor who is both well-meaning and delightful.

Each sibling has their own little romance brewing and for any rom com aficionado, it really hits the spot. You will be rooting for them, while simultaneously swooning over each story within a story. Some of the scenes get wonderfully steamy which will no doubt delight other fans of this genre.

You will be transported to the Catskills at Christmas, and wish you were a guest at the Hollywood starlet's annual holiday party and/or a member of this fascinating family!

Delightful from start to finish!

Most Wonderful is a multiple POV that follows siblings; Liz, Birdie and Rafi as they navigate their love life, trauma and the holidays while visiting their eclectic mother who is a famous actor and singer.

Most Wonderful is full of queer joy and it is executed so well. We get to follow each sibling equally with their own unique love story. You get a little bit of everything; friends to lovers, a meet cute, and workplace romance. I loved that each sibling has their own trauma that they need to sort through when dealing with their prospective partners and the conversation of depression was dealt with in such a caring way. There is a lot going on these stories but it’s done in a way that doesn’t feel chaotic or hard to follow.

Overall this is such a fun wonderful queer story. It’s not overly Christmas heavy but certainly a perfect read to put you in a bit of the holiday spirit. This does deal with some deeper issues like chronic illness, depression, and alcoholism but it’s done in a very respectful caring way. The cast of characters are memorable and fun. I highly recommend adding it to your TBR.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for this review.

I don’t celebrate Christmas nor am I gay, and I LOVED this book. It was a fun (and steamy!) read.

The Belvederes family structure is much like my own and I thoroughly enjoyed the family dynamics. They were hilarious and touching, much like my own family. I would have enjoyed each character’s story on it’s own (in a “Love Actually” kind of way), but putting the children all together in the same space made for some beautiful moments and introspection (for the characters and for myself). Often when I read a romance, I find myself wanting to skip everything but the romantic couples together; while reading this book, I never felt like I wanted to be anywhere other than where I was currently reading.

The book managed to be beautifully written and poetic while still cracking me up. Each of the siblings’ storylines was satisfying, and ended exactly as it needed to. I’m dying for the show mentioned in the book to become reality. And did I mention this book is steamy? I will absolutely read again!

It’s very difficult to find a good queer romance book! But imagine finding an absolute perfect holiday queer romance ?? I mean can’t get better than that!!

Queer joy, perfectly executed. This Christmas romance takes place in the Catskills, following siblings Liz, Birdie, and Rafi as they navigate love, family, mental health, and self-realizations. I absolutely *adored* this story. Seeing all the siblings discover themselves while also falling in love was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Clark has a way of making every character- the siblings, the love interests, the memorable mother- feel like they’re a new friend that you met while on a winter vacation. They will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet and chaotic. Most Wonderful follows three siblings—Liz, Birdie, and Rafi—leading up to Christmas. The novel spends equal time with all three siblings and all of them have their own rom-com storylines. There was constantly a lot going on, but I thought Clark did well to go through everyone’s stories through their own eyes and their families. I struggled with the narrative voices at times—Birdie’s sections were a lot to get through and a lot of the dialogue felt too corny and extra (“Lady of the labia”, “Sexy Head”, “You haven’t taken V.G. to pound town? Thrown your hot dog down her hallway?”, etc)—and Rafi’s complete inability to read romantic situations properly gave me incredible amounts of secondhand embarrassment. I enjoyed Liz’s parts the most, but felt like her happy ending was the least satisfying. Since there were so many characters and plot lines to juggle, it felt like the resolutions were rushed and stressed. Clark works through many issues at once—racism, homophobia, self-identity, chronic illness, familial pressure, and so on—that a lot of the discussions felt simplified and reduced to therapy speak. The solutions weren’t easy, but the progress didn’t necessarily feel earned. I don’t mind leaning into the fantasy of romance and I enjoy the inclusion of “heavier” topics, but it falls flat when the dialogue sounds like someone reading from a textbook definition instead of speaking like a human. Overall, Most Wonderful is a very queer and fun Christmas-themed romance book, and I think lots of people will enjoy reading it.

This was very cute. It’s a cozy feel-good, heartwarming, refreshing, and engaging story which has got one of the most swoon worthy romance. I loved and enjoyed reading it.

This was a delightful and wonderful novel. There was a LOT packed into this single novel and it was all woven together very well. It was heartwarming and sexy, happy, sad, and everything else in between. This was a great Christmas novel but would also be enjoyable at any time of year. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

This novel gave us three love stories in one novel, plus some extra plotlines and stories on the side. This was delightful! None of them were as well-developed as they could have been if the novel focused on only one plotline, however they were all satisfying to experience and well done given how many pages they each received. It was like reading a three-novella series, except they all took place concurrently. The more I think about this the more that I like it; the characters from each story also served as side characters in the other stories, and all of the plotlines benefitted from it. The stories were sweet, they were spicy, and satisfying.

Alongside the love stories were also plotlines about family dynamics and expectations, personal exploration, careers and life choices, mental illness, the dangers of social media and pressures of being a public figure, and addiction and substance abuse. This was a very full novel, but it never felt rushed or crowded. I appreciated how it touched on deeper and more serious topics alongside the fun elements and cute romance. As the novel had three relationships and 6-8 main characters, they were able to touch on a lot of topics in a manner that felt organic and natural.

My only complaint is that there wasn’t more to this novel. It could have been quite a bit longer, and I would have loved it, but it didn’t need to be. I am personally a fan of longer novels (when they are good!) and this one had the substance to support that. It wasn’t needed though and this isn’t as much of a complaint as a backdoor-compliment.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a fun holiday read! This novel put me into the christmas mood. Three adult siblings, all different personal lives all brought together at christmas. Sit back with a cup of hot chocolate and a cozy blanket, and enjoy a cute, fun, christmas read!

Most Wonderful shows the three Belvedere siblings, Liz, Birdie, and Rafi, on a countdown to Christmas and the days leading up to New Years. Most Wonderful quickly put me into the holiday spirit through the author’s evocative descriptions of characters and settings. Overall, Most Wonderful made me want to curl up with a cozy blanket and some hot chocolate and be fully emerged into the lives of the Belvederes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advanced copy of Most Wonderful in exchange for my honest review.