❄️ Book Review ❄️

Some Like It Cold by Elle McNicoll
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This book was sweet, charming, and a joy to read. Elle McNicoll brought Lake Pristine vibrantly to life, and she accurately captured both the whimsy, and the struggles of living in a small town. Jasper is a wonderful main character. The author did an excellent job of showing her neurodivergence without making it her entire personality. Jasper is autistic, but that’s only a small part of what makes her her. This book allowed her to be more than her diagnosis, and I love that! Jasper and Arthur have such a cute relationship. There’s vitriol at the beginning when they hate each other, then banter when they start to become friends, and finally chemistry when they begin to fall in love.
Charlie Sanderson does a great job with the narration. I loved her accent, and it really helped me get into the setting of the book.
If you’re looking for a heartwarming, delightful book that deals with the complexities of family relationships and expectations, autism, and romantic relationships, check this one out.
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My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️
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Read if you like:
▫️YA romance
▫️small town
▫️enemies to lovers
▫️neurodivergent rep
▫️dual POV
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Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and Elle McNicoll for the gifted copy and ALC. I received them for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

very cute little contemporary. I loved the way Jasper was written! The autism rep was done so incredibly well, Jasper felt like such a relatable and realistic character. I also really loved Arthur, and I thought they were very cute together. The rest of the characters is kinda where the story was lacking since almost every other character were like incredibly mean to our main character. I also wasn't a huge fan of the plot itself.

the narrator was very good!

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy of this audiobook. Written by a neurodiverse woman with the main character being a neurodiverse female paints a really good picture of the struggles and abilities faced in our culture for anyone who doesn’t fit into the round spot in life. The relationship between the main character and her best friend is priceless!

3.5/5 A cutsie YA romance. I loved the neurodivergent representation, especially in a girl. It was some interesting family dynamics as well

Some Like it Cold is a coming of age YA gem about a beautiful, intelligent, talented young lady named Jasper who is neurodivergent and living with the challenges that come from autism. She has been off at college for 18 months but it’s Christmas Break and she has decided it would be the perfect time to return to her hometown of Lake Pristine for one last time before starting her new life adventure. Only problem is, she hasn’t told her parents about these plans yet. But when she returns home, being part of a documentary being filmed about the town, helping plan her bridezilla sister’s NYE wedding, and helping with the town’s annual production of The Nutcracker were NOT part of her new life plans…and falling in love most definitely wasn’t.

Lake Pristine is a small town, think Stars Hollow, where everyone knows everything about everybody. Jasper is known as the Golden Girl of Lake Pristine because she has always been willing to help everyone in town, not because she necessarily wanted to, but because she didn’t know how to tell anybody no. She is a people pleaser and would rather mask her own feelings to make someone else happy. As she gets older she realizes she doesn’t need anyone's approval and wants to do things that make HER happy. She wants to be accepted and loved for who she really is, and not how she is portrayed by others.

I would be lying if I didn’t say that I originally chose this book because of the adorable cover. Now after reading it, it is so much more than just the adorable cover on the outside. The inside is a super cute, heartwarming love story with a powerful message and important representation! Although this was fiction, it was really informative too, giving the reader a greater understanding of the things that go on in a neurodivergent brain, from feelings and facial expressions, to overstimulation and sensory overload.

I really tried to get into this one but the narrator just didn't work for me. Also Jasper's family is just truly horrible and I couldn't get past that. It was unfortunately not the read for me.

Christmas time is coming, so college student Jasper Montgomery is headed home to her small town for the holidays. But it’s not just to celebrate with her family. She has an agenda. She wants to ice skate on Lake Pristine, the lake that gives the town its name. Jasper wants to go through the holiday maze and buy a hand-crafted ornament and go to the late show at the art house movie theater.

And she wants to tell her parents that she doesn’t want to go back to school. She doesn’t want to study psychology and then law. She wants to get a design degree and become an interior designer. And while her parents are footing the bill for the psychology degree, Jasper thinks they will be upset about the design school and cut her off. So she’s going to find a job or two while she’s home, to save up money for the life she really wants.

Unfortunately, her reentry to the town disrupts her older sister’s marriage proposal, so Jasper is immediately on the defensive. And the fact that she is neurodivergent makes her more aware of how she appears to others. She does her best to stay thoughtful towards others, so she is mortified to have interrupted her sister’s moment.

Arthur Lancaster has had a crush on Jasper since they were in school together. He runs the local art house theater with his brother, and he’s the one who chooses the late movies, the old Hollywood features they show for anyone interested. He comes up with the idea of making a documentary about the town to enter into a competition, and he starts filming around town. And he has two big events to focus his filming around—the upcoming wedding of Christine Montgomery and Kevin, and the annual ballet The Nutcracker.

It’s the Montgomery family who runs the ballet studio, and with Jasper home for a while, she is the one directing the show this year. Especially with Christine planning a wedding, the family will be very busy over the next few weeks. Jasper has a lot to get done, and Arthur is there for a lot of it, filming the Nutcracker tryouts and offering up the theater for the bachelorette party. And when he and his editing partner put together an early cut of the documentary to show the town, everything goes wrong. The edit that Arthur had agreed to is not the one shown—his editor goes rogue and shows the clips of the town he wants to, and that edit is quite revealing of some of the Montgomery family secrets.

Suddenly, Arthur’s feelings for Jasper are obvious to the whole town, and he is feeling vulnerable. But more than that, he’s worried about how Jasper is feeling about the documentary and thinking she’ll never talk to him again. Will he be able to undo the damage his documentary has done? And will Jasper ever find a way to tell her parents the truth about what she wants for her future?

Some Like It Cold is a beautiful love story about a young neurodivergent woman and the town that loves her for her. As she manages to work through her agenda, she is forced to deal with issues with a friend, her family, her past, and trying to figure out how to fall in love as a neurodivergent. Her choices show a depth of character and strength of resolve that is encouraging and inspiring.

I listened to Some Like It Cold as an audio book, narrated by Charlie Anderson. I thought Anderson did a beautiful job telling this story, keeping it lively and interesting as well as honest. After the story, there is a conversation between author Elle McNicoll, who is autistic, and narrator Anderson, who is ADHD, so they both bring understanding to being neurodivergent to the character of Jasper, which I think shows throughout the entire story. I loved this story, and I think it will appeal to both neurodivergent and neurotypical readers. Anyone who loves a good love story will find a lot to love in the story of Jasper and Arthur.

Egalleys for Some Like It Cold were provided by Wednesday Books and a copy of the audiobook was provided by Macmillan Audio, both through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I enjoyed this quirky, small town romance. A lot of the story revolves around Jasper’s neurodivergence and her battle to be truly seen. Her family (apart from her dad) is truly awful for much of the book but I appreciated the growth and redemption that the author gave these characters. I loved Arthur and his undeniable pull towards Jasper - taking the extra steps to get to know the true person behind the mask. I would label this as an upper YA category but really only due to the age of the characters, the problems they were facing and some strong language. The romantic content was YA appropriate which I always appreciate in romance books targeting that audience.

The narrator was a good choice for the setting and she did a good job performing the different points of view.

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook via NetGalley. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Content Notes: Kisses

Jasper has arrived home from college for the holidays and to see her sister get married. Being back in town stirs up a lot of feelings and some unresolved issues stemming from how long she’s had to mask her autism and play the role of the perfect daughter. Meanwhile, Arthur, her arch-nemesis, is filming the leadup to her sister’s nuptials for a film competition.

Why Kirsten loves it
I loved being inside Jasper’s head and learning more about how she views the world. It was incredibly eye-opening to understand the autistic experience firsthand from Jasper’s (and Elle’s) perspective. I wanted to throttle her family quite a few times, but I did fall in love with Lake Pristine and it’s townspeople.

Thank you Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for my advanced and audio copies. All thoughts are my own.

Every year when I see the holiday and Winter book covers start to drop, I add them to my ever growing holiday TBR. When I saw this book, I added it immediately! I’ve been reading less YA lately but I still love to dip into the genre. especially in the Fall and Winter.

I really enjoyed this book because as a teacher, i always want to find ways to better communicate with all my students. I think my favorite part about this book was that is brought up a lot of visceral feelings about what it means to be a teenager and part of a family.

Synopsis:

“After a long absence, 18-year-old Jasper is finally heading home for the holidays - and she's keeping secrets.Arthur, a budding filmmaker, is turning the town of Lake Pristine into a small town story worthy of the big screen. His plans are disrupted by the arrival of the town's golden girl - the antagonist of his school days; a girl he's never forgotten.Jasper Montgomery is back in Lake Pristine for one reason: to say goodbye. But before long small-town tensions start to rise, and a certain brooding film buff starts to look like a very big reason to stay . . .The perfect story to get lost in, Some Like it Cold centers Jasper as an autistic heroine in a big-hearted small-town romance that will melt your heart.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Setting—I love a small town and was surprised that this was a small town in the UK! A small town setting always brings out the best side characters and they did not disappoint.

The Neurodivergent/Autism Representation—YA will always be a favorite genre of mine because it is finding more and more ways to fill the genre with diversity.

The Visceral Feelings It Brought Up—While I cannot relate to Jasper on every level, I could relate to her feelings about how her family sees her and her desire to chart her own course.

What Didn’t Work For Me:

I think I might be getting a bit too old, but there were some things that just didn’t feel grounded in reality for me. Still, they didn’t take me out of the story.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: N/A Overall Rating: 3.75/5

Content Warnings:

ableism, bullying, toxic relationship

This book was an absolute delight. I loved the quirky small town (real Stars Hallow vibes), the pining that made my actual heart hurt (which is almost always an automatic five stars), the grumpy MMC, the relatable neurodivergent rep, the character growth—it was all excellent, start to finish. No complaints. I wish I was still reading it.

Thank you Wednesday books for the review copy and MacMillan audio for the audiobook.

Book: A delightful and charming small town romance that weaves in deftly developed points about neurodiversity in females (reminded me of Lizzie Blake and Mazey Eddings work in general!) and welcome notes that honor classic romances books and tropes. A delightful YA that is perfect for a high school age but also for fans of the general!

Audiobook specific: perfect voice acting to bring to life the nuances of the main character's identity and self growth!

Jasper came back to her small home town after nearly two years away. Arthur, a boy from her school, decides to start filming a documentary of small town life for a grand prize. Through the course of filming, the two connect and start to capture the underbelly of their family life and village, while growing closer as a result. I found the characters a joy to follow and gain their life experiences from. Additionally, there wasn't really a two dimensional character on the page - everyone had a personality that kept them pretty distinct.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed how the narrator brought the characters to life. My absolute favorite part of the book was the interview with the author at the end. There was something so organic and admirable with how honest the author was about their Autism and how it comes through their writing. It was a cherry on top with how much I enjoyed Some Like It Cold.

A cozy winter read, perfect for the cooling temperatures outside.

I liked this story, but never quite fell in love with it. I really enjoyed Jasper, and loved the neurodivergent rep, but the story just fell a little flat. It was too predictable and common. Would have loved something a bit more unique than the classic enemies to lovers, and classic mean sister and disapproving family.

Some Like It Cold is a wonderful, small town romance with a Gilmore Girls feel. This book is full of extremely well written imagery. The author does an excellent job with the enemies to lovers trope. I can not wait to read more books by this author. This would be a great winter read!

This was a fun story. I enjoyed the FMC’s perspective. I think that it’s important for us to have stories featuring main characters that are not the same as everyone else.

4 stars

This is a really charming novel with a fantastic m.c. and an engaging love story.

While this book is labeled as YA, it reads much more like New Adult to me (with an 18yo m.c. and a character who has been away at university). This distinction might be more pronounced if the character were American, but some of these factors impacted the way I read this book versus how I'd typically read a more traditionally placed YA novel.

Jasper, the m.c., is so easy to root for, and I did from cover to cover. She's autistic and makes clear her parents' and sister's discomfort not only with her diagnosis but seemingly with everything about her. It's tough to read about how uncomfortable and out of place she feels not only within her own family but also in her small town, and McNicoll, who is also autistic, does an exceptional job of talking about the way Jasper uses masking and other exhausting strategies just to get by.

Though this is a love story - and the pairing is amazing - Jasper's life is not at all relegated to the romance. This made me like the novel - and Jasper - even more.

I love the representation here and found this to be an extremely enjoyable read overall.

Thank you Netgalley,. Wednesday and MacMillan audio for the #gifted alc and e-arc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. You can feel the authors screenwriter job in this book very knowledgeable. I love the cast of characters and the side stories. The cover originally drew me in glad I picked it up.

4.5/5☆