In *The Christmas Cottage* by Davis Bunn, Dillon Farrow and Olivia Greer return to their hometown, both struggling with personal and financial hardships. Forced to spend Christmas together after a flood, they reconnect in a plot that promised festive warmth but ultimately fell flat. I was hoping for a heartwarming holiday story, but it failed to capture my attention. Worse, the inclusion of the phrase “I was busy flirting with a ten-year-old” was completely inappropriate—especially as a mother of four girls, this is not something I want to read in a Christmas novel. Despite Graham Winton’s soothing narration, the story was disappointing and missed the mark for me.