this was truly a joy to read. It reminded me of The Santa Claus with Tim Allen but make it queer and i adored that.

There are deep themes of fixing a marriage on the brink of divorce, so protect your mental health if that is a hard subject for you.

I found myself just feeling joyous and like i was being given a warm hug while reading this.

I can really think of anything i didn’t really enjoy about this book - the characters are likable and you want to root for them, the story plot was cute and fun, and it was a quick easy read.

If you want something that’s more lighthearted and sweet, i would definitely recommend this! 🎅🏼

I really enjoyed the narration of this! It definitely added to the overall story - the emotion was top tier and i really loved the characters they brought to life.

I will admit I am a sucker for a "Santa is real" story and The Merriest Misters is one of the best I've listened to in a while. Main characters Quinn and Patrick are both lovely men and author Timothy Janovsky shows us their strengths, vulnerabilites and the depth of their love for each other. Their relationship is truly the heart of the story. The journey of each man is wrapped up in Christmas fantasy and fun. I loved Janovsky's Christmas world and how the magic works there. The minor characters were all well-drawn and likable. At a certain point, I began reading more slowly because I knew that the "dark moment" was coming and I just did not want to see these guys get their hearts broken. That's how much I related to them. However, the dark moment had to happen eventually and all was resolved most satisfactorily after a good cry and a few more chapters. While the cover makes this book look like a lot of fun and fluff, don't be fooled. It is fun but It's more like a warm cup of homemade soup that fills you up and nourishes you when you really need it. I come from a conservative small town so I know that many people out there are still hestitant to pick up a book starring a same-sex couple. If you are one of those people, this could be a good place to jump in. This is a "closed door" romance. While there are many signs of affection shown between Quinn and Patrick, there are no graphic sex scenes. Plus, the men's characters are so well developed it is natural to think of them as individuals rather than "gay men." Finally, in this audio edition, I enjoyed that Quinn and Patrick each had their own narrator. The story is told from their alternating points of view. Mark Sanderton and Zach Barela did an excellent job of personifying Patrick and Quinn. I cannot recommend this book enough. If you are a Christmas fiction fan, (and I know you are otherwise you wouldn't still be reading this review) you need to add this to your keeper shelf.

The Santa Clause is my favorite Christmas movie, so when I saw that The Merriest Misters was a take on that, with a twist, I was immediately in.

I loved the romance in this book because it felt so realistic. I think most married couples can relate to the troubles Patrick and Quinn are facing in their marriage; a deep, passionate love, buried under all the responsibilities and stresses of day to day life. I appreciated how the flashback memories helped to illustrate to us as the reader exactly how Patrick and Quinn had found themselves where they are, as they came to the realizations of where they may have gone wrong and how to fix things.
I also adored that the way they found their way back to each other romantically, was via a one way frying pan smack and reindeer sleigh ride into becoming Santa and the very first Merriest Mister.
All the depictions of The North Pole and all its magic was adorable and exactly what I would want the daily life of Santa’s home to look like.
The third act separation, while not my favorite, was also refreshing because it actually served a purpose in this story. I also enjoyed how the time apart was utilized not only to self reflect regarding their marriage, but their family issues as well. Seeing those resolved was nearly as satisfying as them living there happily ever after.

The Merriest Misters is a sweet, heartwarming Christmas story full of magic and happiness that I really enjoyed. I’m absolutely interested in reading the author’s other work now that I loved this one so much.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC via NetGalley.
Publication date 10/1/24

Had the merriest time. 🎄 This book wrapped me in the holiday warmth I’ve been craving as summer winds down. 🤪

While it delivers all the cozy vibes, it also hits home with more serious themes like:

🎄 Marriage in Crisis
🎄 Role Reversal
🎄Communication in a relationship
🎄 Power of personal growth
🎄 Societal expectations
🎄 Holiday Spirit

Ever wonder what it would be like to run Santa’s workshop while trying to save your marriage?

We follow Patrick and Quinn, who find their marriage on shaky ground under the pressures of life. A chance encounter on Christmas Eve uproots them to the North Pole, where they’re thrown into new roles that test their love and resilience. Janovsky cleverly balances the challenges of early marriage with deeper themes, all set against the backdrop of festive cheer. The dual narration in the audiobook kept me engaged throughout. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, and these thoughts are entirely my own.

3.5 stars rounded up.

The Merriest Misters is a cute queer reimagining of the Santa Claus where the conflict comes from a strained relationship instead of anything involving children.

Timothy Janovsky's novels are always filled with heart and humor and this is no exception. It's light on the spice, which fits a lighthearted Christmas novel. I appreciate a romance focusing on an already established couple and how their love can continue to grow and redefine itself. Their conflicts were realistic and the end was satisfying. It's an amazing example of how a HEA can be right for a particular couple, but not for everyone.

Will I listen to this over and over? No, but I enjoyed listening to it the one time I did.

Both narrators did a fine job, but it took me a minute to figure out which narrator/character was which.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF at 19%.

This book is full of the tropiest tropes and unhealthy behavior. Patrick is "the man" 🙄 in this narrative with all the unhealthy heteronormative stupidness of "being the provider" and not showing weakness and all that other crap. As soon as he and Quinn got married, he disappears into his job trying to "provide" for them. This is irritating in a m/f book but completely obnoxious in and m/m book.

Quinn is the caretaker in their relationship with the stupid and unhealthy behavior of shoving done his resentment and always being the nice one who takes care of Patrick.

And then... the Santa Clause knockoff plot begins and I could NOT stop rolling my eyes. It's not great. Do not recommend.

The narrators were pretty good tho.

I received this as an audiobook advanced reader copy.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!!

I really enjoyed this book!! It was so cute!! I enjoyed the setting and all of the characters! I love a good Christmas book!

3.75/5 story 3.5/5 audiobook experience

Patrick and Quinn are silently, separately, struggling in their marriage. Patrick feels crushed by the expectation of his parents, the recent loss of his job and the daunting task of renovating a fixer upper he convinced his husband to buy in lieu of going on a honeymoon. Quinn is feeling alone, neglected and taken advantage of by his husband, his school (he's a teacher) and his divorced parents. All of these silent battles come to a head when WHAT Santa is real and Patrick has to take over his job for a year?!

I have to say this book was very Halmark-ish which I think some people will love but left me a little meh. This is also a closed door romance which is also not my favorite. Felt very PG but it was relaxing. Definitely a food vibes read.

I did feel that Quinn and Patrick had extremely similar narrative voices so that was challenging and I did not feel that the audiobook voice actors helped that in any significant way. Both voice actors (Mark Sanderlin, Zach Barela) gave good engaging performances but I just feel that the tone of both characters were so similar it was occasionally hard to tell who's perspective I was getting.

Thanks #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for the ARC of this audiobook.

This is such a happy little read. I experienced this book during the heat of august, so it was a nice little reprieve to get me in the joyous mindset of Christmas. I loved how the author unpacked both of the main characters and their journeys both together and separately. While some of the book felt a little tedious and maybe unnecessary, it was overall a sweet story I would recommend to others!

I absolutely adore Timothy Janovsky's books!!! this is such a cute spin on a holiday favorite filled with so much love, fun, merriment, and joy. Patrick and Quinn are an adorable, loving couple going through a big adjustment in their first year of marriage that has caused many unforeseen bumps. I love the marriage in crisis trope, and this book is no exception! they have so much love for each other, they just need to learn or relearn how to best show it in words, thoughts, and action. its so lovely seeing them find this all while becoming the merriest husbands of the North Pole (aka Patrick becomes Santa Claus) !!!! I had so much fun reading this story, I def feel it will become an annual holiday reread for me!

thank you so much for the alc!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In this magical, Christmas rom-com we are introduced to Quinn and Patrick as they are struggling to keep their marriage afloat, with work making Patrick forgetful and messy, and the home renovation making Quinn a little crazy their marriage takes a back seat to it all.

And on Christmas Eve Patrick encounters a stranger in his home, who he happens to knock out. Patrick and Quinn set up to save Christmas.

This was a very fun book, it had Laugh out loud moments, heartfelt moments between Quinn and Patrick, and both Patrick and Quinn learned to know themselves better, which in turn made working on their marriage easier.

I would recommend this book if you’re a fan of holiday love stories. Hallmark style! The audiobook was excellent with the narrators giving life to every emotion Quinn and Patrick were feeling.

Thank you to NetGalley for this Arc.

Patrick and Quinn are a pair of newlyweds struggling to be what everyone else expects them to be. A magical mishap on Christmas leads them to take over the roles of Santa and the Merriest Mister(a.k.a. Mrs. Claus) for a year in order to save Christmas. During this time they learn more about themselves and who they want to be both individually and as a couple.

Their issues are very relatable. Due to outside pressure, they got married too young, bought a run-down house they can't afford, and have jobs they don't like. Their lack of communication and misguided attempts to please each other have only made things worse. They take the opportunity of their year as the Clauses to learn and grow, all within the setting of the North Pole.

This book is a treat for anyone who loves Christmas romances!

What a delightful read that is sure to get you in the Christmas spirit.

I am thankful to have gotten the audio ALC for free from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio so I can leave my voluntary review.

I debated giving this 5 stars not because I don’t thoroughly enough it but because it’s not like by typical 5 star books that I’ll read over and over. But I figured I should rate it according to what it is.

It is a quintessential fluffy hallmark-esque romance that’s based off the movie The Santa Clause. There aren’t any surprises or twists as it’s fairly straight forward but it’s simply fun and endearing to read/listen to.

I highly suggest the audiobook as the narration was outstanding and completely added to the story. As the title suggests this is a a MM clean romance.
I listened to it at 2x the speed rate and got through it in 1 sitting with a dinner break as I was doing about.

It comes out October 1 2024 so get it on preorder now! It’ll definitely get you into the holiday spirit!

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

It’s like The Santa Clause, but queer! This was a delightful holiday romance that I enjoyed. It was whimsical and heartwarming in the ways you want a holiday story to be. I appreciated that both characters in this relationship on the rocks had issues to work on, and I liked how they worked on things themselves and together. Definitely recommend for the holiday season!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I did not enjoy listening to this book mostly because it started out so negatively and ho hum.

I loved getting in the holiday spirit for this one. 😃 I’m always down for a “marriage in trouble” trope too. The characters were fun and the narration was nice. Def recommend if you wanna start Christmas early! 🎅🏻

I was excited to see a book with queer romance. I admit to not reading the description, but I've read lots of books with similar covers. Hallmark-like light novels.

It was an unusual twist with Santa Claus and the north pole. Mixing "real life" fiction with imaginary is not what I expected when I started this book. The characters and the setting did not catch my fancy, but that's just personal preference.

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy.

A delightfully fun and entertaining tale reminiscent of The Night Before Christmas and The Santa Clause, but better. Patrick and Quinn have been married less than a year and have hit a rough spot in their marriage.

It's Christmas Eve, and Patrick thinks he killed a man with a skillet in their kitchen! Little did they know, but the man Patrick knocked out was none other than a very cranky, angry Santa who quits on the spot. Soon Patrick and Quinn get a visit from Hobart (Bart) the Elf who explains that Patrick must now assume the role of Santa and his husband Quinn will take on the duties of The Merriest Mister.

The story continues with many laughs and a few teary moments as the duo tackles the requirement of moving to the North Pole, taking on many roles (including role models), and trying to repair their fractured relationship. Misunderstandings, ah-ha moments, vivid memories of their childhoods and their relationship abound in this raucous rom-com.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan audio for the free ALC. My opinions are being left voluntarily. Is this my new favorite Timothy janovsky book ever. I literally lol with the part about lacey chabert being tired for all the hallmark movies she's in - same agree. But the way Timothy has pumped out such delightful books is outstanding.

So fun didn't miss the steamy Ness that we are used to with his books the fade to black worked well for this book. Also it was super clear it was a play on the Santa cause (movie)

4.5/5☆