This is much more than a cutesy Santa rom com. I love romance books with married couples who are just trying to work through LIFE together. I adored the concept of them “rewriting” the Santa bylaws to accommodate a queer couple. Overall, the magic and pure realness of this book was very charming.

The narration was great as well. I sped it up and listened at 2.5 speed.

Another delightful book from Timothy Janovsky. He is my go to writer when I am looking for a MM love story. Although it is a little early for Christmas, it really put me in the Christmas spirit. I want there to be snow, drink hot coco, and get cozy while watching Christmas movies and reading more Christmas books. Unfortunately, it is only September so instead I will focus first on Halloween. I love the Santa Clause aspect of this book. It was nice to see a more modern version of that story. My favorite part was the North Pole wanting to be more inclusive since Santa Clause was married to a man. Forget Mrs. Clause, we get the Merriest Mister!!!

STOPPPP. THIS IS TOO CUTE!

If you took the "The Santa Clause" movie, added in some fun of 'Elf' and then tacked on some cute holiday drama from The Family Stone... You'd get The Merriest Misters. I was so pleasantly surprised with this one!

Patrick and Quinn were great characters - and I loved the little blips back to when they first got together. Holiday chaos mixed with the loss of a job, navigating marriage and Christmas being in jeopardy all makes for a delightful, adventurous and festive read.

I cannot recommend this cheery read enough this holiday season!

The Merriest Misters was… fine. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. Like the synopsis states it’s pretty similar to the movie The Santa Clause but make it queer + marriage in crisis trope. I’m not like mad I read it or anything but I could have skipped it and been totally fine. If it sounds good to you, go for it, but I’m not necessarily recommending it.

The audiobook was well done and both of the narrators did a good job.

Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio for an advance copy of this!!

This book is an absolute delight! The holiday reads that I have read previously never fully gave me the holiday vibes but this made me want to go to the North Pole and got me in the spirit of Christmas.

"Marriages are, as silly as it may seem, tandem bicycles. If you can't learn to pedal together, you'll end up tipping or crashing or worse."

The Santa Clause is one of my all time favorite holiday movies so I was excited when Janovsky announced that this was going to be a retelling. I felt that it had the same spirit but written for 2024 and with the author's own flair. Marriage in trouble is a new trope for Janovsky to write and I thought he did a good job navigating it. My heart felt for Patrick and Quinn - they both had so much love for one another but wanted to still do stuff on their own.

They both were at different crossroads - Quinn realizing that he might not want to be a teacher anymore and Patrick being overworked & losing his job and not sure what his next move could be. Going to the North Pole was a reset for them as a couple and really allowed them to spend that missed time together and to realize why they love one another. Patrick and Quinn just seemed so happy in the North Pole and it had made me wonder if for Quinn not having the "timeline" would have perhaps made him more present instead of just waiting for the ultimate end to occur. I will say I am nervous for the couple for being separated majority of the time but they seem to have a plan and to make it work especially with the epilogue.

As I mentioned above this book made me want to go to the North Pole and that is credit to the way Janovsky describe the setting. All that was missing was Judy's hot chocolate. Hobart was such a delight as a head elf!!

I thought the pacing was really well done. Throughout the book there was a countdown until the next Christmas with a sprinkle of past moments that give the readers a glimpse to their lives previously which was a nice touch.

Mark Sanderlin once again knocked it out of the park with his narration taking on the role of Quinn. I felt that based on what we knew of Quinn, Mark's tone and cadence fit his character perfectly. Zach Barela is a new narrator for me and I thought he was so good as Patrick. Just like with Mark, Zach's tone felt like it matched Patrick wonderfully! I love a dual POV and thought this was well done via audio and easy to follow by listening.

If you are looking for a book that emits Christmas magic and just is a feel good read - give this one a read!

4.75 stars

This was such a fun take on The Santa Clause but instead of a strained father/son relationship we have a marriage on the rocks. I really enjoyed the "a memory" chapters to see how they originally fell in love. I also felt the conflict was very real and understandable. The way the characters had to deal with their family's expectations on their life while also coming to terms with their own identities and desires was nice to see. And to see both of them do this on their own and together even without therapy was believable. I was glad to see they were never outright mean to each other during their struggles and could see where they may have added to the struggles on their own. And now I want to get all of my Christmas decorations out already!

Regarding the audiobook, both narrators were fantastic and had different enough voices to where I didn't get confused on whose POV it was.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC!

✨ALC Review✨

I love this (sort of) second chance romance. We have some realistic miscommunication between husbands, Patrick and Quinn. These two met in college, had a friends to lovers situation, and are now married. They aren’t doing a great job of communicating. This aspect felt real to me. I don’t mind a miscommunication trope when it’s miscommunication that makes sense. They’re both struggling at their jobs, their finances, their fixer upper house, and their relationship is suffering because of all this.

On Christmas Eve, Patrick walks back into the house from the garage and sees a man in their kitchen. He’s nibbling on the cookies Quinn set out for Santa. Patrick knocks him out with a frying pan. Long story short, the man IS Santa who quits on the spot. Hobart the elf appears and explains that unless one of them puts on the magical cloak and continues Santa’s mission, Christmas will be canceled.

Obviously, they have a quick sidebar and agree Patrick can be Santa for the night. After Patrick and Quinn have given out all the gifts, they expect the sleigh to fly them home to New Jersey. Instead they end up at the North Pole and are given the option to stay as Santa and the Merriest Mister.

During this time, without the pressure of jobs, family, and finances, the two work to find their way to be the people they’re meant to be and how that works as a couple. This is a sweet, funny, complex story of learning to truly trust your partner and let them see not only your bright light, but also the dark worries that can sometimes overtake us.

Great book by @timothyjanovsky. Excellent narration by @itsmarksanderlin and #zachbarela.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I received a copy of this #alc from #netgalley and @Macmillan.audio. All thoughts are mine alone.

#romance #contemporaryromance #gayromance #lgbtqia+ #loveislove #romancebooks #themerriestmisters
#christmasromance #christmasfiction

Thank you for this book in exchange for my honest review. While I normally love Timothy’s books, I was unable to devote my attention to this book because it didn’t appeal to me as I began reading it. The premise was great, but I was wholly uninvested in the character’s lives.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advance copy! This was a sweet, magical story of husbands fixing their marriage for the sake of Christmas and sustaining holiday magic around the world. The dual-POV, dual-timeline setup made the story more interesting and provided a level of depth and connection to the characters that I appreciated. I liked learning about how the Christmas magic worked in this world. Some of the recurring issues were slightly annoying (looking at you, Patrick) but one of my favorite parts of the book was watching Quinn become more comfortable and confident regarding everything from his clothing to his in-laws and his path in life.

It was pretty cute and could honestly be used as a YA book if the romance scenes were a little less steamy. I liked the main character and how he stayed true to who he was.

Oh my goodness did I love this book! At first I thought it would be like the gay version of Santa Clause but it was so much more. The true meaning of this story goes well beyond Christmas and shows the importance of being true to oneself in order to make any type of relationship work.

I want to thank Macmillan and Netgalley for the Advanced reader copy.

I adored this book. It was very heartwarming when the characters who were on the brink of divorce, learned to love each other again. Janovsky showed the main issues in relationships lately. The lack of communication and monotony of life after being with the person for a long time. This book made me both happy and sad for the characters. I laughed at the little squabbles they had. It also talked about the idea that sometimes you can not buy someone's love whether it be with the dream house or gingerbread houses.

This was a book that quickly climbed to my favorite book of the year and Janovsky became one of my favorite authors. It was like The Santa Clause as stated but it was also like a true Hallmark movie.

4.25 stars

I had so much fun with this. This is marketed at The Santa Clause meets Husband Material, and that is definitely accurate. I wasn't entirely sure about requesting an ARC with the basis being Christmas (I feel very strongly, personally, about not wanting to celebrate Christmas too early), but after reading this I'm so glad I went for it. Timothy Janovsky is such a great storyteller. He writes very real and relatable stories with a good helping of humor. The Merriest Misters is no different. Patrick and Quinn are newly married and experiencing some marital woes due to the stressors of life and adulthood. I really appreciated seeing a real and relatable representation of an established relationship experiencing struggles and how to work through them together. It's not just love that conquers all. Listening, compromising, and putting in the effort is what works when love is there. I especially related to Patrick's desire for approval from his parents, even as an adult. That is something I think so many people can empathize with, and I feel Janovsky handled that aspect of the story really well. We get a lot of Christmasy magic, adorable elf children, fun reindeer friends, and an unfortunate situation with a frying pan. This is a story about healing. Healing relationships, healing love, and, at times, healing your inner child. This was sweet, hilarious, and emotional. My only issue was that some of the pacing felt a little off with all the time jumps throughout the year. That said, this is an overall fun read and definitely worth checking out for a fun, Christmasy read.

Are you ready for the next holiday read? Try The Merriest Misters. It was a fun holiday romcom that will warm your heart.

The Merriest Misters is a cute, queer The Santa Clause retelling perfect for the Christmas season.

We follow Quinn and Patrick, who have been married for less than a year but hitting some rough patches. Their lives are turned upside down when they are given the opportunity to be Santa and the Merriest Mister (Santa's partner).

This is cute and whimsical and light like a Hallmark movie. It hits that silly Christmas story itch in a great way and makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.

4 stars

Patrick and Quinn have been married for less than a year, but their relationship is less than perfect. With Patrick constantly worried about their extravagant mortgage and Quinn tired of not having his partner by his side, their once passionate romance has become stale. When Patrick accidentally knocks out Santa Claus, Patrick and Quinn are given the chance to become Santa Claus and the first ever Merriest Mister. Will this new opportunity allow them to revive their failing marriage or ruin it forever?

This was a fun book to listen to. I loved the two narrators and preferred the audiobook over the physical copy. The character growth of the two main characters was one of my favorite parts of this book. Not only did Patrick and Quinn grow as a couple but individually the learned what they needed to be happy in their life. Overall, this was a fun Holiday read focusing on the rediscovery of love for your partner and yourself.

The Merriest Misters comes out on October 1st.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to review The Merriest Misters. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What better way to work on your marriage by randomly becoming Santa clause and the Merriest Mister! This book is such a cute relantionship based book that shows the struggles after marriage and the start of growing apart.
The audio book was well narrated!

This was a miss for me. I think my biggest problem with it was it never felt like a romance when that's what I thought I was signing up for. I didn't buy the characters or their motivations. I didn't care about them and they kind of just annoyed me. They didn't really even seem to like each other. It was all problems and conflict and then they decide to just... live apart for awhile. Which is fine but not what I was wanting to read.

The whole Christmas plot was sort of hackneyed and didn't really work for me. Maybe I'm just not a fan of Christmas books but I've read and loved others so I don't think that's it.

The audiobook narrators annoyed me too and I was actively avoiding listening.

*Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy for review.

As a millennial, I am really enjoying this era of being pandered to. Nostalgia is great! Of course, I want to revisit all the things that brought me joy when I was young and full of hope!

So obviously, I was very excited to dive into this updated queer, marriage-in-trouble take on The Santa Clause. I also really enjoy Timothy Janovsky's writing so this was pretty much a comforting slam dunk. Thankfully in this version no Santas have to die for beleaguered architect Patrick to don the festive cloak that ultimately whisks him and his husband Quinn off to the North Pole. The only question now is where this new magical vocation will save their relationship on the rocks or just speed up their split?

In the highest form of praise, this book was exactly what it says it is and what I wanted to read at the time. I loved how we got little flashbacks throughout that provided helped context to their relationship and individual pasts and all of the little jokes and nods to the original source material.

The Merriest Mister is a heartwarming and hilariously light-hearted story that beautifully captures the ups and downs of marriage, making it a standout holiday read. One of the book's strongest elements is how it portrays the realistic struggle of keeping a relationship afloat. Marriage isn’t always a smooth ride, and this story nails that sentiment with a heartfelt and honest approach, particularly with the memorable line, “Marriage isn’t driving in the car with one person driving and the other a pillow passenger. It’s a tandem bike, with both having to pedal together.” This quote perfectly encapsulates the book's essence—marriage is about working together, even when the ride gets tough.

The humor is amazing, with so many great lines that had me dying of laughter. The light-hearted tone engages the story and adds a whimsical touch reminiscent of 'The Santa Clause' movies. But beyond the laughs, This story dives deep into themes of self-acceptance and realizing that the perfect house or job pales in comparison to the value of love and connection with those who matter most.

I loved how the characters not only fought for their marriage but grew together, showing that relationships take effort from both sides. Their journey of working through their differences and recognizing what truly matters was incredibly moving and relatable. 'The Merriest Mister' is more than just a holiday romance—it's a celebration of love, growth, and the true spirit of Christmas.