Thank you very much to the publishers and Netgalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
City girl Tia Solanké is dreading the festive period. She’s on a break with her boyfriend and the last thing she wants to do is spend Christmas away from London. Arriving at Saiyan Hedge Farm, Tia takes an instant disliking to it. She falls in horse manure, is chased by sheep and the Wi-Fi sucks. How is she meant to stalk her ex now and concoct a foolproof plan to win him back?
Country boy Quincy Parker and his family run the farm, and this year they’ve been selected to host the biggest event in the town’s calendar – the Winter Ball. Preparations are underway, and Quincy is working around the clock to make it a success. The only problem is, he’s told everyone he has a date to the ball, when in reality that couldn’t be further from the truth.
At first, Tia and Quincy don’t see eye to eye, until they realise they both have something to gain by pretending to be a couple. But when a snowstorm threatens to cancel the Winter Ball, their fake relationship is put to the test. Will Tia and Quincy be able to keep up the pretence and save the day, or will real feelings get in the way?
If you are on the hunt for a book to read in the days before Christmas, or if you are looking for a wintery rom-com, then you need to look no further than Only for the Holidays. It is the perfect light-hearted YA contemporary and I would highly recommend it.
City girl Tia is dreading the festive period. She is on a break from her boyfriend and doesn’t want to spend Christmas away from London. Country boy Quincy and his family run the farm Tia and her family are staying at. His family is hosting this year’s big Winter Ball and Quincy needs a date. Tia and Quincy don’t see eye-to-eye until they realise they both have something to gain by pretending to be a couple.
I love that this book features dual POVs so we get to see Tia and Quincy’s personalities first-hand. Tia is so caring to those around her, feisty when she needs to be and knows what she wants. But, we get to see the more vulnerable sides of her at times too. Quincy is adorable. He is so gentle and patient with everyone around him and he is just an extremely endearing character.
The side characters are all excellent too. I loved both the main character’s families. Sometimes side characters are easily forgettable but these weren’t at all. Each of them had their unique personalities from Quincy’s brother to Tia’s younger sister and everyone in between.
The relationship between Quincy and Tia is adorable. It has a natural progression and I appreciated that a lot. They care for each other, embrace each others imperfections and help each other to be better people. Plus, the fake dating element was cute and excellently done.
Abiola Bello is an author I think deserves more hype. Both books I’ve read by her now, including this one, have been amazing. This one is an easy, fast-paced read that kept my attention the entire time. You can easily visual the setting of the book, the characters and what is happening. She is certainly an author I’ll read more books by.
Overall, Only for the Holidays is an adorable Christmas romance which explores friendship and family dynamics. Plus, an unexpected romance. If you are looking for just that you will love this book!
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