December Chick Lit Challenge Read: Mistletoe in Manhattan

I have to tell you all how amazing Talli Roland is. I knew she had a new holiday novella out this year, Mistletoe in Manhattan, and had heard lots of good things about it. I have also read and loved Build a Man and Construct a Couple so I thought this would be a great Christmas read to buy. I don't have a Kindle, unfortunately, so I wasn't able to get it through Amazon. Off I hopped to kobo aaaand...nothing. Smashwords? Nada. Apparently it was just not meant to be and, guys, I was so distraught! I mentioned on Twitter that I wasn't able to find and buy the book and Talli, the fabulous person that she is, emailed me a copy and didn't expect a single thing in return. I, of course, thanked her profusely and am giving back by posting this review.

Here's the synopsis of the novella:

As Little Missington's first Christmas baby in fifty years and the daughter of 'Christmas When You Like It' party-planners, Holly West has been surrounded by the holiday spirit since birth. Trouble is, she's not exactly filled with festive cheer. In fact, Holly can't wait to ditch the tinsel and Santa suits for champagne and celebs, and become a party-planner to the stars.
When British film star Dean Layton hires her parents' company to throw his holiday bash in Manhattan, Holly jumps at the chance to help, confident she can handle a little Christmas in exchange for access to Dean's exclusive world.
But New York and Dean's over-the-top demands are more than Holly bargained for. Can Holly deck the halls and make it a party to be proud of, or will this Christmas be one she'll never forget . . . even if she wants to?

I thought this was just such a fun Christmas read. Well, I suppose I should say holiday since it doesn't really feature Christmas too much. But that was fine with me. The Christmas aspect came with the party Holly was throwing and the fact that her parents want her home for Christmas (which is also her birthday).

I really liked the party planning aspect of the story. I have a diploma in event management so I've always had an interest in any wedding or party planning stories. Holly's story was really fun and different than anything else I had read before. A British party planner transplanted to New York City to plan a "real" Christmas party? Sounds like fun to me!

I do wish that the ending was a little different. I obviously won't say much because I don't want to give anything away so please forgive the vagueness. Holly meets a ridiculously good looking bar tender and they really hit it off. But what's going to happen when she goes back to England?

Overall, Mistletoe in Manhattan was a fabulous holiday read and I definitely recommend it. If I can find some time before now and Christmas, I'm also going to try to read Talli Roland's Christmas novella from last year,  Miracle at the Museum of Broken Hearts.

Side note: I meant to have this post up earlier today but then this happened...

This, my friends, is my new bunny. I've been wanting ones for awhile and today my boyfriend came home with this little one for me as an early Christmas present! I'm not sure if it's a boy or girl (apparently they didn't know at the pet store) but I think I'm going to name it Tonks. As in Nymphadora - from Harry Potter. If I had known it was for sure a boy, it would have been Willoughby :) Anyway, just wanted to share!