Well this was a cozy cute one! One could technically argue it was a second chance romance AND an enemies to lovers trope. And just who doesn’t love a two for one special? I’ll tell ya- Nobody! This book got me super excited for the holidays. The cabin described in the story is picturesque. The only travesty reading this book was that I couldn’t do it snuggled up next to a fireplace because it’s still too dang hot! But I digress…

Poppy is an interior designer and has been tasked to do a home makeover on a cabin in the woods. A big promotion is on the line, so she needs this project to go as smooth and fast as possible. Insert Aaron. He is home early from deployment and has no clue his sister made all these arrangements for his home. So naturally he is incredibly annoyed by Poppy’s constant presence (until he isn’t) and the fact that his house is a literal construction site. Oh and clearly the hippocampus function of his brain is failing him because he has forgotten that he went to high school with Poppy and kissed her! Only she hasn’t forgotten…So this forced proximity is just too good to be true folks!

This was a perfect palate cleanser for me. This is not for everyone though lol. The book reminded me of indie published romances from way back in the day like 2012-2017 era. It’s under 300 pages, grumpy sunshine, and forced proximity.

Poppy is determined to finish the cabin and get her well earned promotion. Aaron is determined to keep Poppy out of his cabin and life. What starts as a negative experience transforms into something different. This book creates a love/hate warm Christmas vibe with all the feels.

Thank you netgalley for an arc of When in December by Kendra Mase

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, for the ARC!

When in December (294 pages) drops on October 8th, and honestly... it was just meh. Not terrible, not amazing, just kinda there. You know those books you read when you’re in the mood for something easy and light? This is one of them. I wasn’t mad about it, but if I’d never read it, I wouldn’t have missed out.

✧ Grumpy x Sunshine 💕
✧ Opposites Attract 💖
✧ Forced Proximity 💗
✧ Grieving MMC 🖤
✧ Slow Burn 🔥
✧ Workplace-ish (renovating his cabin) 🛠️

Poppy is this bubbly, optimistic interior designer hired to renovate Aaron’s cabin, but he had no clue about it and was not thrilled when he found out. Aaron’s dealing with some serious grief after leaving the military, and his brooding, rude attitude didn’t exactly win me over. He even calls Poppy a <i>homemaker</i> in a not-so-cool way. 😒 But, as these stories go, he eventually comes around and sees that Poppy’s actually fantastic at her job. Classic slow burn.

Poppy had a huge high school crush on Aaron and they even shared a kiss back then, but he doesn’t remember her at all! The grumpy x sunshine dynamic is cute, but it didn’t have the zing I was hoping for. The ending was pretty predictable, and while there were some sweet moments, the story didn’t offer much that stood out.

Overall, it’s a decent read if you like these tropes, but don’t expect it to be groundbreaking. It’s one of those books that’s fine for a light read but might not stick with you.