Miss Claus

OH MY GOD. I'll be honest, when I started this book, I didn't read the whole back blurb and was like, "Oh this sounds cute and fun!" Miss Claus definitely was that, but SO MUCH MORE! This book went from, "I'll read this quickly and get kind of in the mood for Christmas" to truly one of my absolute favorite books of the year.

Miss Claus is a book about Kristine Claus, the daughter of Santa, and the apparent heir to the role. As the daughter and assistant to Santa, she is the most qualified for the role in several areas. When her father announces his retirement, the North Pole Council decides to enforce a law stating that women can't be Santa, and she is barred from the role that she has prepared for her whole life.

I loved Kris. She felt like a real person who cared about people and fought for her beliefs using available channels and when that failed, took a different approach. Kris was constantly coming up with new ideas to revitalize the North Pole based on efficiency, economic impact, and also her personal feelings. I honestly only expected to see the last one as that's usually how it is in other books. I loved how assistant to Santa was a real role where she had to take notes, go on business trips, and manage schedules, without falling into traditional tropes. She was in a relationship with the wrong person and I thought the portrayal of emotional abuse via lying and gaslighting felt really real. I want to read 5,000 more books about Kris.

Kris also happens to be trans. I loved hearing about her journey and why she decided to fight or not fight and how she decided to fight for what she believed in. I really appreciated the level of representation in this book. There were a couple of times where I thought, "what about..." and then the next sentence would acknowledge what I was thinking. Amazing. I love how these really important topics are fit seamlessly into a fun, fantasy setting.

Overall, I was blown away by how much I liked this book. I have never read a seasonal book that I enjoyed, and Miss Claus blew right past enjoyment to love. J.H. Hart proved me so wrong that that makes me so happy. HIGHLY recommend if you are at all interested in Christmas stories, awesome characters, politics, or fantasy/myth retellings. 10/5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and NineStar Press for this electronic advanced reader's copy!