Christmas Cliche

This is going to be a quick review… Hold on to your britches, Mrs. Sivec has once again delivered a hilarious, fun, awkward, heart-warming, joyous book. If you don\’t find yourself lost in the love and laughs in this book, then you are dead to me. There is no way you can\’t appreciate this nutcracker of a Christmas Cliche. Jump on your sled and ride through the mountains of West Virginia with these awesome characters, with all of their flaws and traditions, and enjoy the circus show!

I loved \”Christmas Cliche\” so much. I haven\’t laughed so hard while reading a book in ages! The characters were wildly entertaining and tremendously likeable, the romance was sweet, and the over-the-top Christmas theme was a lot of fun. The book\’s main character, Allie Parker, was wonderfully snarky but kind, friendly, and down to Earth at the same time. It\’s hard to imagine how Allie and her younger sisters grew up in the same family but turned out so differently. I guess Allie was lucky to be several years older than the twins, Tori and Zoey, and have extra time under her father\’s influence before he passed away. Allie\’s love interest, Jason, seemed like a great guy and perfect match for Allie. He was a hard worker who really loved his job, but also loved his family even when they were driving him crazy. And they were very good at driving him crazy! His parents delighted in trying to \”help\” him win Allie\’s affections, even going so far as to tell Allie that Jason had \”no game\” and begging her to go out with him anyway. It seemed to me like Jason was doing just fine on his own in pursuing Allie, but his family\’s antics were very amusing, and it was sweet how quickly they embraced Allie and made her feel at home. The secondary characters in this book, especially Allie\’s best friend, Millie, added a tremendous amount of depth to the narrative. Millie was so out of touch with reality, and it should have been sad or annoying or offensive or something, but instead, it was incredibly endearing. Millie was so sweet and supportive of Allie, not to mention spot on in both her assessment of the twins and Allie\’s need to get a life of her own. One of my favorite parts of this book was Millie\’s (scarily accurate) mishmash of various Hallmark Channel Christmas movie plots. I also loved when she turned Jason\’s dad into Fashion Santa. I laughed so hard I was crying just imagining his outfit! Finally, I have to note that, as far as I\’m concerned, small children swearing will never NOT be funny, so I found Jen\’s daughter Maddy, with her \”new and improved\” name for nutcrackers and her names for the cats, to be completely hilarous. Maddy reminded me a bit of young Gavin in Sivec\’s earlier book, \”Seduction and Snacks.\” Overall, I really can\’t recommend this book highly enough. It is both hilarious and heartwarming, and will certainly put readers in the Christmas spirit as they read. (P.S. My opinion? \”Die Hard\” is totally a Christmas movie. I realize that this is a controversial opinion, but I\’m going with it.)

With believable circumstances and lots of humorous moments, Tara Sivec makes her holiday romance constantly engrossing. One scene after another left me with a big grin on my face, because either the comments of a character were witty or their actions came across as amusing. There are also some very funny thoughts inside the head of Allie, the main female character. The Christmas holiday definitely comes alive in the story, as decorations are everywhere and unique customs are being carried out. From the very start of CHRISTMAS CLICH to its touching conclusion, there was not one situation that did not draw me into the happenings and make me smile. Going to West Virginia to spend Christmas with many of her dads relatives was a highlight of Allie Parkers childhood. But things changed, and now she stays in Los Angeles with her high-maintenance sisters and their mother over the holiday. When the stress becomes too much for Allie to endure, she impulsively goes back to the place where she was always happy and just wants to relax plus think. But her plan does not work out as she hoped. There are so many memorable moments in CHRISTMAS CLICH that I will fondly recall. Her dislike of nutcrackers was shown in various ways, and I totally agree with her opinions. Numerous discussions with her friend Millie were repeatedly hilarious, and some of their remarks are priceless. Then there are the episodes where she and Jason Redinger interact that are romantic and even emotional. I immediately found this story to be original plus engaging, and I loved every imaginative scene created by Tara Sivec.

I\’m not sure why this year is different to others but for some reason Christmas novellas are my happy reading place in December. I absolutely loved Christmas Cliche and know that it will be a regular reread every holiday season. Holy shamoly I absolutely loved the hero in this story. I think Jason was a Christmas miracle…he listens. Every time he made one of Allie\’s Christmas wishes come true, it made me smile. He was always keeping an eye out for her and making sure she was okay. Their attraction jumped off the pages and I was never in doubt that they were perfect for each other. Christmas Cliche was a story about families. It was a realistic portrayal of normal family dynamics. I recognised the push and pull of obligation, duty and guilt mixed with love, loyalty and trust. Yes, family can take advantage but if it\’s a good and loving family, you want to do stuff to make them happy, even if it\’s at the expense of your own happiness. Sometimes it takes an overreaction or breakdown to stop and realise that you\’re not seeing to your loved ones needs. A little thoughtfulness, love and caring will see you through the rough patches. The characters were lovable, the storyline was interesting and the love story was heartwarming. This is not a hot and steamy read but it was easy to see the connection between the characters. I loved the family dynamics, traditions and Christmas spirit that made me laugh, sigh and squirm. Christmas Cliche left me extremely satisfied and desperate for more.

This is a laugh out loud, un-put-downable riot of a story. That\’s full of unforgettable characters, situations, hilarious one liners and holiday cheer. And it\’s by far the best and funniest Christmas story I\’ve ever read. But a word of warning you will get strange looks if you read it in a public place. Would definitely recommend!!

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