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A review by aphantomslibrary
Holiday by Candlelight by Laurel Greer
2.0
In this new release by Laurel Greer, two people will have to learn to work through their trauma in order to find love.
Caleb is looking for a way back to normal. After being caught in an avalanche that ruined his surgeon career, he's moved to a sleepy ski town to find himself again and work through his trauma. Garnet has enough trouble knowing herself. She's always changed for others, and wants no part in changing for yet another man. But when the two meet, sparks fly. Will they be able to work through their separate traumas in order to find a life together?
I'm pretty disappointed in this book. First things first, the cover implies that Hanukkah has a front and center part in this story. In reality Hanukkah, or any Jewish theme, is really not mentioned much. It felt a little like false advertising, and I was super upset that Jewish themes didn't play a larger role. Another thing I didn't like was the way PTSD was handled. The way Garnet was written was too blunt to handle such a topic, and it came off as completely insensitive writing. I found myself really not enjoying Garnet as much as I would have liked because of it. There were definitely some plot holes with Garnet's character, as well. I didn't really understand her backstory or where she came from, and it made the story feel really lopsided. I will say that Caleb's character was decently well written; the way he handled PTSD was real, and the way he worked through his trauma was believable. Overall, I feel really let down by this read.
Caleb is looking for a way back to normal. After being caught in an avalanche that ruined his surgeon career, he's moved to a sleepy ski town to find himself again and work through his trauma. Garnet has enough trouble knowing herself. She's always changed for others, and wants no part in changing for yet another man. But when the two meet, sparks fly. Will they be able to work through their separate traumas in order to find a life together?
I'm pretty disappointed in this book. First things first, the cover implies that Hanukkah has a front and center part in this story. In reality Hanukkah, or any Jewish theme, is really not mentioned much. It felt a little like false advertising, and I was super upset that Jewish themes didn't play a larger role. Another thing I didn't like was the way PTSD was handled. The way Garnet was written was too blunt to handle such a topic, and it came off as completely insensitive writing. I found myself really not enjoying Garnet as much as I would have liked because of it. There were definitely some plot holes with Garnet's character, as well. I didn't really understand her backstory or where she came from, and it made the story feel really lopsided. I will say that Caleb's character was decently well written; the way he handled PTSD was real, and the way he worked through his trauma was believable. Overall, I feel really let down by this read.