Arden James left her small town to make it big in LA - leaving everything and everyone behind without a goodbye. Caroline Beckett was one of those left behind without an explanation and she's done her best to move on with life and support Arden's family as best she can. When Arden rocks back into town with the request for fake-dating 12 times, Caroline can't say no.

She Gets the Girl was very good and I therefore jumped at the chance of an ARC of this novel. Unfortunately, Make My Wish Come True was a letdown. It was very predictable and also similar in nature to Finding my Elf. As a probably demisexual, I can't imagine holding onto the idea of loving someone for four years when they've left you. Caroline is finally moving on for someone else, and Arden just waltzes back in and expects her to jump. And she does!

How many teenagers really relate to a popstar/celebrity relocation to LA? I can tell you that today's teenagers (that I know) couldn't care less, because tiktok and other social media has made it possible to be famous without moving. On the other hand, Caroline's dreams of journalism are achievable, if a bit typical of teenage novels. I think that young lesbians could still love this novel, particularly if they like seasonal reading (and snow).

I think I'm allowed to be picky with the #queer novels that come across my path now because there are so many great ones out there! I don't love Christmas either. That being said, I did recently read another ARC of a Christmas novel (barista/artist/fake-engagement) that I did enjoy. So it's not just that. 3 stars for this novel from me for a protagonist who seems to be missing a backbone and a storyline that's a little too predictable.

A cute and kitschy Christmas small town romance from everyone's favourite sapphic writer wives, Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick. A must read for any Hallmark movie lover or Happily Ever After seeker.

Arden James, actress, must prove with 12 holiday dates that she's a small town gal with a One True Love back home, to win her dream acting role a la How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days

This was by far my favourite book by this duo, it's been a while since I watched How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days but this felt like a great take on that plot. The story starts off quickly and the backstory is weaved throughout which worked really well for this story.

I really liked Arden and Caroline as characters (they weren't anything crazy special but they were likeable and well written), the romance developed well and the side character was decent. I really appreciated the way Arden as a teenage star was written, nothing about this book glorified teenage celebrity and in fact, it focused on a lot of very real issues young actors face (while keeping up the generally light-hearted tone.

Sometimes I think YA novels really struggle with writing teenagers as WAY too immature or WAY too old, but in this one, it felt pretty realistic. There were moments of teens being teens but also moments of clarity since these are people about to enter college not 10-year-olds.

I'll probably be nabbing a physical copy of this once it's out as I do think it's worth a purchase! Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for an arc in exchange for an honest review