**Book Review: *Unwrapped* by D. Jackson Leigh**

In *Unwrapped*, D. Jackson Leigh delivers a holiday romance that’s as much about personal growth as it is about the complexities of love. At its core is Davis Hart, a fallen television star whose self-centered personality and scandal-driven downfall make her a challenging protagonist at first. But Leigh masterfully reveals Davis’s vulnerabilities and inner struggles, creating a character arc that’s as rewarding as it is realistic. Davis retreats to her hometown to escape the fallout of her public disgrace, reconnecting with her roots and crossing paths with Asia du Muir, a disciplined playwright focused on launching her career. The instant attraction between Davis and Asia is undeniable, but their differences create a natural friction that fuels the story’s slow-burn romance.

The emotional tension Leigh builds between the two women is both compelling and frustrating in the best way. The slow pacing allows their relationship to develop organically, with each woman cautiously letting her guard down only to retreat when old fears or missteps arise. Asia’s no-nonsense ambition and resistance to Davis’s advances are the perfect counterbalance to Davis’s initial arrogance, forcing both characters to confront their priorities and flaws. Leigh’s ability to navigate these dynamics keeps the reader engaged, while the festive small-town setting adds charm and warmth. For those who enjoy character-driven romances with a touch of angst and the payoff of a gradual, hard-earned connection, *Unwrapped* offers a satisfying blend of holiday cheer and emotional depth.

Davis Hart returns to her hometown after a scandal gets her fired from a popular tv series. In the beginning she is a heroine you aren’t rooting for as she takes no accountability for her actions and blames others. But while at home caring for her mother who is recovering from surgery she finds enjoyment in helping out at the local community theater. Asia du Muir is the director and playwright for the current production having gotten a grant. This is an opportunity that can really help launch her career. Davis helps in coaching the student actors.

I like that Davis has growth during the storyline. But I didn’t really understand Asia’s attraction to Davis. It goes from, you only want to get into my pants, to sure why not, in the blink of an eye. I didn’t get the reasons. I enjoyed some of the funny bits including the appearance on the cooking show. I’ve read a lot of holiday romances this year. And while this story is fine I didn’t find anything that made it stand out or memorable for me.

As usual D doesn't disappoint with this cozy Sapphic romance. I enjoyed every minute. I definitely recommend.

Thank You Bold Strokes for this ARC copy which I received via NetGalley.

Good book, but it took me a while to get into this story. Parts of this story was so slow that it made it hard to keep my interest in reading it or finishing the story. But, I pushed through and got to some parts that were interesting to read. This was a book that was very hard too read especially because one of the main characters was very hard to like, because of here past misconduct. I would recommend this book and author, and I look forward to what's next from this author.

Asia has come to the small town to put on a play and (hopefully) make a name for herself. She does NOT need a party girl actress crashing her play. No matter how cute she is...

After drunkenly outting a actress, Davis Hart has gone home to lick her wounds. She has no plans to involve herself with Asia's play but her old friends are in it, and she finds herself intrigued by the director/writer.

Good read. Mostly told from Davis' pov, it's a good slow burn. The cast is good, and i liked Davis' Mom and the whole crew.

Mild gripe: a unnecessary third act breakup....

3.5 stars out of 5

During the early chapters of this book I really struggled with my dislike for Davis Hart due to the character's very self-centered personality and wasn't sure that I was going to be able to finish. However, every so often I would get a glimpse of a softer side to her character that was hiding under all that bombastic ego and looked forward to seeing how she would soften up as the story progressed. I'm very glad that I persisted in the end.

With the sudden demise of her television career following a drunken escapade/tell all and subsequent viral media coverage, Davis Hart slinks back to her home town under the guise of needing to care for her ailing mother but with the perspective that she could just keep a low public profile while the media frenzy dies down before returning to her normal life down the track. While there she reconnects with her old community theatre buddies and meets the single-focused playwright and director Asia du Muir to whom she is instantly attracted. However, Asia's single-minded focus on her career means that she has no time for some party-girl actress and Davis' advances are shut down immediately....and repeatedly.

D. Jackson Leigh does a fantastic job of building the tension between the two characters, with the occasional glimpse of each woman's wall's coming down before they are slammed right back up again when Davis does or says something that leads to Asia pushing her away again. It was quite the rollercoaster of a ride.

My overall advice with this book is to not give up if Davis Hart gets your goat at first. Be patient and give her time. There really is a heart and the ability to think of others before herself in there, it's just going to take a bit of effort, and a few reality checks to help her find her soft side.

Thank you to D. Jackson Leigh, NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book. I am providing an honest review and all opinions are my own.

would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this amusing book

i found both characters davis and asia very amusing ...davis for how arrogant and hollywood she was with her foot in her mouth all the time and like a dog on heat.... but endearing as well.... and asia for how she acted and how in control she was

the attraction between davis and asia is well played out but the christmas town called christmas is what pulled me in... that place sounds amazing and i want to live there....

with the theatre failing its down to one last show to bring the audiences back and shoppers back to the town of christmas, businesses are failing no pressure on asia its do or die by this one show

davis has left LA under a cloud and tries her best to worm her way into asia pants to no avail but her willingness to help the play does start to break down asia walls....

but will it be enough to save the town and any hope of a relationship between davis and asia

really enjoyed the angst and all that went with this book... cant wait to read more from this author

Actor Davis Hart’s career is in a death spiral after her drunken sleep-and-tell outs the star of their hit television show. Hoping time and distance will offer a new start, Davis returns to her small hometown where it’s Christmas year-round and the community theater where she honed her acting skills draws thousands of tourists every year. Only everything has changed. The theater is struggling to stay open, and its last hope is a mesmerizing hazel-eyed woman with a grant to produce an original holiday play.

Playwright and director Asia du Muir is serious and very focused on her career. She’s finished her education at Columbia University and hopes a fellowship grant to write and produce a play at a community theater will launch her career. She’s not going to let some party girl actress ruin her best chance to get noticed by a Broadway critic.

I have mixed feelings about this. I felt like we didn't get enough of Asia's side of the story, and that really took away some of the balance. I enjoyed the banter and chemistry, but felt like there was something missing overall. I wanted to like this more. For me, it was just okay. 3.5⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

I have enjoyed several books by D. Jackson Leigh but I was not drawn into this.
The two main character are actors which causes trouble in their careers and personal life.
There is a break up and misunderstandings while Asia works on her education and a play she’s working on.

Disappointing

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Davis acting career is put on hold when she accidentally spills a secret about one of her co-stars of hit show she is and was on. She decides to go to her hometown where it’s Christmas all year around to let things die while figure out what she going to do. Asia is determine to focus on her career and one things is to she wants to produce the play she wrote for her community theater that’s is struggling to stay open and she doesn’t want anyone to distract her from this. Davis wants to help but Asia doesn’t want her help as they work together despite Asia reluctant of Davis help they both can’t help the feelings that’s start to happen between them. This was ok read I love the character growth of Davis but Asia she became an annoying with the way she treated Davis which I question why Davis fell for her I like Davis mom as she was supportive.

Christmas isn’t just a holiday, it’s a place. A place which I grew to love throughout this book.

It was a cosy sapphic romance, perfect for the holiday season.

I don’t have much to say, it was a great book with a great plot, a nice cosy book

Davis gets into trouble and fired from her Hollywood TV show and goes home to the town of Christmas, where, you guessed it, it's always like Christmas. She gets involved in a stage production being put on by Asia. They get closer, but go through bumps too.

I was so surprised that this is a D. Jackson Leigh book, because I thought that it was severely lackluster. Both characters blow hot and cold so much, I never could guess which way they would go, nice or ass.

And then there's Asia, she's an asshole. Period. Davis at least grows during the book, but, Asia is just abruptly an ass near the end. It's totally out of left field, and I could find absolutely no in text reason. (Yes, some of this is probably due to the fact that it's a first person novel told from Davis' point of view).

Reading this book made me tense, and, honestly, Davis deserves better. (Really, victim blaming near the end too? Seriously?)

I didn't like this book at the start and took me awhile to get into it. I thought that Davis was a spoiled Hollywood celebrity, but as the book goes on she changes quite a bit and ends up having a lot more depth and development than I was expecting.

The story had promise - a mishap derailed Davis' acting career and sent her home to Christmas (yes the festive themed town where she grew up. The community theatre has a new young playwright (Asia) who has a grant to put on a production - Davis wants to help out. Asia does not want her to. The other characters work quite well, Davis' mum and the neighbor, Tommy and his husband. Davis fleshed out as the story progressed. Asia not so much.

I enjoyed Davis's growth more than the actual romance. In fact, the romance may have been my least favorite aspect of this book. Asia's character fell pretty flat to me. We never learn much about her, and her main character trait is rejecting Davis again and again. I find it hard to believe why Davis is so interested in her and tries so hard to be with her when all Asia keeps doing is hurting her. I do think there are a few cute scenes they have together, but overall the romance was not the main draw for me.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5! It took me a while to figure out what was different in this book, and I think it was possibly as simple as single point of view! It really worked and made the book fresh.
I found the making up with the best friend emotional, and the love interest coming to the rescue also lovely. I was angry at the partygoers behaviour. I love a book that makes me feel, be it ahhhh that’s adorable or I’m so annoyed that they did that!
I loved the book and couldn’t wait to get back to it when I had to put it down.

I had a hard time with this book. Parts were so slow, making my interest in finishing wane. I slogged through, and there were parts that picked up, but overall, this wasn't they type of book I was hoping for.

I didn't care for the main character, Davis. I get that was probably the intention as the readers watches her grow, but she felt one-dimensional to me. There was a spot in the book that felt unresolved to me too (the drugging and aftermath).

We follow Davis, an actress who makes terrible decisions when she's drunk (which is fairly often in the L.A. party scene).

To escape the fallout of her latest debacle, which has also meant that she is killed off from her role in a successful TV drama, Davis returns home to the town of Christmas, Pennsylvania.

Not only is Davis shallow and self-serving, but the lies pile up as she hides from the paparazzi and herself.

Davis gradually becomes more self-aware and starts to mature as the story progresses. She spends time with her mother, who is recovering from surgery, and her attention is captured by the town's theatre where she acted in her childhood, the current play that's being produced, and the writer and director herself: the beautiful and fiery Asia.

Asia has a grant to write and produce a play in the Christmas theatre. She can't afford the drama and negative press that Davis has surrounding her, so she keeps Davis at arm's length... until she doesn't.

And this is where things start to fall apart for me. Davis has become a relatable, flawed, and yet likeable character that the reader has a vested interest in... but we know absolutely nothing of Asia or her motivations.

Then there's a scene where Davis is drugged and receives minor injuries in an off-screen car crash, which is quite a catalyst. The bad guys are caught... but nothing happens to them, and the storyline just fizzles out!

Finally, we get to the abrupt ending where everything magically works out between Davis and Asia, even though nothing is resolved between them. I really don't buy Asia's sudden change of heart, and the HEA ending is flimsy at best.

I liked the story from the points of view of Davis' development, the theatre, and acting... but for a story that started by painting Davis as unlikable and shallow, I ended up feeling this way about Asia by the end.


*I received an advance reader copy for free, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review*

A sweet, angsty Christmas season book by D Jackson Leigh kept me immersed from the beginning.  

I love the chemistry and banter between the MCs.  One made the other work for it, which resulted in having the character grow. 

There are moments that made me laugh out loud and feel for the MCs. 

The secondary characters are well done, necesary and enjoyable. They rally around the MC and help with guiding her on the right path. 

I enjoyed all the books by Leigh and look forward to more books in the future.

I love a story where someone has to go home to hide and it forces them to grow. Throw in a great Christmas setting and you have a fun read.

The major problem is that It took too long to start the like the characters. There were parts I had to force myself to keep reading but the back half was better over all.

Thanks to NetGallery and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Unwrapped by D. Jackson Leigh begins with actress Davis Hart returning to her hometown of Christmas (this is the town’s name) supposedly to help her mom after surgery but really there was a scandal and she’s been fired from her tv show. Christmas used to be known for its local theater productions but in recent years the theater and the town have seen smaller and smaller crowds. While back home, Davis meets Asia du Muir, a playwright and director, who has been given a grant to put on a show in Christmas. Davis is instantly interested in Asia and spends the book trying to win her over.

The characters in this were hard to relate to. Davis comes off very unlikeable. From the reason she was fired to her actions towards others throughout this book, I just found her hard to root for. Similarly, it was hard to understand what Asia was thinking. Her scenes with Davis didn’t give me enough insight and I found myself confused and frustrated with some of her actions. On a positive, the author did a very good job showing character growth. While for most of the book Davis was hard to like, by the end I did like her better.

Overall, it was a typical holiday book. It was well written and easy to read. However, I would have liked to have seen more meaningful interactions between the main characters. It felt like it was lacking romance.

Thank you NetGalley, Bold Stroke Books, and D. Jackson Leigh for the ARC.

I didn't like this book at the start. I thought that Davis seemed like a caricature of the spoiled Hollywood celebrity. However, as the book goes on she changes quite a bit and ends up having a lot more depth and development than I was expecting.

I was surprised to find myself becoming much more invested in the play and Davis's growth than the actual romance. In fact, the romance may have been my least favorite aspect of this book. Asia's character fell pretty flat to me. We never learn much about her, and her main character trait is rejecting Davis again and again. I find it hard to believe why Davis is so interested in her and tries so hard to be with her when all Asia keeps doing is hurting her. I do think there are a few cute scenes they have together, but overall the romance was not the main draw for me. Despite this, the book is still well worth reading. It's very engaging and I really enjoyed following Davis's adventures in Christmas. Overall, 4/5 stars.