Review: Exactly what I needed in a Christmas novella: steam, a bit of angst, love, and holiday cheer!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 10, 2013
So I loved this one. LOVED! This was exactly what I needed in a Christmas novella: steam, a bit of angst, love, and holiday cheer! I am really into the whole idea of rekindling a romance after being separated. However, Ivy does not make this easy. Her entire life the plan has been simple: get out of Saltwater, Maine. She dreads going back home for Christmas- yet her mother begs for her to come home so they can all be together again. Reluctantly, Ivy agrees and finds that things are exactly as she left them, save for the boy she left behind. Of course the one person she actually didn't want to get away from is the one she would run into first.I really liked Sawyer. He's a good guy who has gotten dealt some rather unfortunate hands. He was hurt deeply when Ivy decided they should end things before parting ways to attend school. Now, they keep running into one another and the tension between them is high. Ivy is genuinely sorry for how she left things with him, yet she knows she is not there to stay and neither one can survive the heartache again. Things with Ivy and Sawyer were awesome when they were together. I don't think ending things with him were really what she wanted, but she really felt as if she had no other choice. Both were going to different schools and it's hard to hold on to that high school love when you know you will be separated.Ivy's family, while a bit crazy, really do love her and want what's best for her. Even if that means playing matchmaker! I love how Ivy's mom meddles and sticks her nose in her and Sawyer's business."Why doesn't she just shove the two of us in my room, lock the door and tell us that we're not allowed out until we've re-consummated our relationship? Actually, it wouldn't shock me if she did that."Ivy and Sawyer left things unresolved, unsettled. Neither have them have been able to move on because they both still care about the other. Ivy is definitely stubborn, but the heart wants what the heart wants and she needs to stop thinking so much and just feel.Overall, this is a really cute read not only about two people finding their way back to one another, but also about a girl discovering that maybe there really is no place like home.