Rating: 3 Stars

Format: Audiobook

Genre: Mystery, Romance, Christmas/Holiday

This was just okay, it served as a pretty entertaining read to listen to throughout my boring workday, which is what I was looking for. It’s a mystery romance but focuses a lot more on the romance. The mystery was mostly just a plot device to drive the main couple together and force them to reconcile from their “rival” status. I enjoyed the main couple a lot and some of the dialogue was genuinely funny. I found their relationship semi-believable but I think a bit more time to develop their relationship over the years would’ve helped make such a sudden turn in how they feel about each other feel more satisfying. 

I think the mystery felt underdeveloped not because there weren’t fun twists and engaging moments that kept me guessing, but mostly because I didn’t feel connected to any of the other characters/potential suspects. The reveal left me feeling like “oh okay I guess that's the explanation” because we didn’t spend enough time getting a sense for the other characters and their potential motivations for that suspense to build. I’m not a very seasoned mystery reader so maybe it was a me issue, but I didn’t get that satisfying feeling of trying to piece together the clues based on what information was slowly given to us. 

I think other people will vibe with this more than I did, so if the premise sounds interesting I think it’s worth trying. Also, I highly recommend the audiobook! The performances for the two main characters were excellent and made the whole reading experience very enjoyable.