*I was given a copy of The Christmas Cupid in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to HQ and Jennifer Joyce*
Synopsis:
Zoey Beake is having a bad December. She’s just been dumped, she’s had an extremely dodgy haircut that even the biggest woolly hat can’t hide, and then a tragic accident – involving an elf outfit, stilts, and a red double-decker bus labelled ‘The Santa Express’ – leaves her dead.
But then Zoey is given a second chance at life. Sent back to the start of December, if she can match six couples by Christmas Eve her life will be saved. Which gives her the perfect opportunity to win her boyfriend back too…
Can Zoey find love in time for Christmas?
Review:
The Christmas Cupid is the type of Christmas book that I know instantly to not take too seriously. I actually think this was the first one I’ve read that includes magic/supernatural vibes. It wasn’t magical beyond Zoey seeing the ghost of her grandmother and the watch keeping track of the matches, so it didn’t cross the line of ridiculous too often.
I actually would have loved for this to be inspired by A Christmas Carol. Seeing how different her past, present and future would be without Scott would have been really fun. That wasn’t the case though.
Instead, you got to read about her pining for a no-good man who treats her horribly. The absolute naivety of Zoey sometimes was uncomfortable to read. I don’t want a character who thinks taking a load of crap from their partner and not mentioning it in fear of them breaking up with them is a good thing. It really isn’t fun to read.
What was fun though, was the Christmas market and events they attend. I liked how each event was Christmas themed and it really made the book quite festive.
It’s actually quite a shame that the cover gives away so much of the story, I’m not including this as a spoiler because it’s obvious from the get-go. The couple on the front does include Zoey, but that’s not her boyfriend, he doesn’t even have the right skin tone. I won’t lie, I didn’t pick up on it at first, but once you get around halfway through The Christmas Cupid, it’s obvious where it is going.
There seemed to be a little too much filler in the middle and the end was definitely rushed. I get that festive romances are completely over the top, but I always find it quite difficult to look past the ‘I’m instantly in love with you’ trope.
The Christmas Cupid was a decent, festive-filled read. It’s the perfect book for those who want a bit of Christmas injected into their December with a quick read. Don’t go into this expecting the best book ever though, take it with a pinch of salt. The premise is a bit ridiculous and the characters are often very dumb. You do kind of like them though.
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Like this post? Why not read this one too: The 12 Books of Christmas: Maybe This Christmas by Jill Steeples
[…] Like this post? Why not read this one too: The 12 Books of Christmas: The Christmas Cupid by Jennifer Joyce […]