‘Miss Christmas’ by Gigi Garrett: Smart, Fast-Pace Christmas Romance in a Novella Package
STORY: All’s well in Holly Kuhn’s well-ordered world. She’s succeeding in a career she loves, and gets to pay homage to her favorite holiday – Christmas, every day because of it. Holly is the go-to girl (aka Miss Christmas), who ensures there’s that shiny, beautiful and perfect Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center each year. miss Christmas novella review
TV FILM REVIEW | Miss Christmas (2017): Sweet Christmas Novella Transports to Small Town Wisconsin
This year, she finds the perfect tree in a letter from a boy living in Massachusetts. This discovery derails her travel plans, and instead she makes a detour to the McCary farm. Once there, she meets the entire family, including the young writer’s uncle, Sam. Everything seems to be leading Holly to this perfect Norway spruce, but…
Unlike the rest of his family, Sam is less than enthused by the notion some big city girl is about to take his family’s tree. It’s up to Holly to prove to him why he should want to.
Miss Christmas Novella Review | Gigi Garrett
‘Miss Christmas’ by Gigi Garrett: Smart, Fast-Pace Christmas Romance in a Novella Package #FWarchives Share on XSince this is a novella story, instead of flailing about and weaving in and out of the pros vs cons, with this little write up, let me get
right to the point. Wrapped inside these 80-some pages is magic. Because of the condensed time, there isn’t a lot of room for character backstory or growth, but this is excused because the story is so darn adorable.
“People always say that change takes time, but that’s not always true. You’re born in a second, you die in a second, and it’s quite possible you fall in love in a second.” – Miss Christmas
Holly’s persistence is a cute trait, and I love that she’s not the stereotypical “city girl.” She’s as comfortable walking among the bright lights as the green grass of countryside. The connection between Sam and Holly suffers a little because of the short page length, but that doesn’t stop the “opposites attract” idea from still being cute.
If you recognize this title, but it being in book format seems a little “off,” this may be because you know it as a Hallmark Christmas
original. Where this story lacks a bit in the character romance, the film makes up for in spades (read: sassy chemistry!!). What I feel like this novella does do better than the script is the settings. I really liked that while this is definitely a Christmas story with appropriate feels, this is actually (primarily) set months before Christmas. Plus, I also like that this seems to “flow” a bit more than the script; there’s a natural ease and storytelling (realism) quality that the script misses.
Despite any minor complaints, I enjoy the film adaptation and this novella both. Each have their strengths and weaknesses, but both are packed with infectious holiday cheer. Those looking for a quick Christmas read need to look no further than Miss Christmas. It’s a piece of Christmas magic you can enjoy during a snowy afternoon of reading. ♥
ABOUT the BOOK
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Author: Gigi Garrett
Publisher: Unknown
Publication Date: 2015
Genre: Fiction; Contemporary Novella
Source: Kindle Purchase
FIND the BOOK ELSEWHERE: Amazon | Goodreads
FIND the REVIEW ELSEWHERE: Goodreads
Rating: ★★★★
Content: there may be some minor innuendo or profanity (nothing that I remember), but for a secular release, this story is clean.
So I'm chuckling at our WILDLY different reactions to this novella! You said you enjoyed the "natural ease and storytelling (realism) quality," and I said it lacks realism. Proof again that two readers who normally enjoy the same books will sometimes see a book very differently :-) That said, I do agree with you on the setting–I think it's much more realistic for Holly to be searching for the tree in the summer than in the weeks leading up to Christmas. But yeah … I liked the movie much more than the novella :-)
It's entirely possible if I were to read this one again I could walk away with a different opinion. I've been a really distracted reader lately. ;) That said, I think what I mean by the "natural ease" (and I probably didn't elaborate on this) is how the story SETS UP. Its narrative just "feels" so much better. (I.E., the whole summer setting with a Christmas end.) The novella doesn't focus much on the characters in terms of Holly finding love. That the film does better.
Bummer you didn't care for this one – but as you say, we all find something different in a story and that's what makes books so awesome. Or ONE of the reasons. ;)