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rainy days and cliches

reading and relaxing in Seattle

what I’m reading: 25 days ‘til christmas by poppy alexander.

book reviews, books and reading · December 30, 2019

Single mom Kate sets out to ensure her son Jack has the greatest Christmas this year. She decides to create a countdown to Christmas and in the 25 days leading up to December 25, Kate and Jack will do something Christmassy each day. When their paths cross with Daniel, who is dreading his first Christmas since his sister died, they find that the magic of Christmas is all around.

I was expecting your typical light-hearted Christmas read, full of cuteness and fun and romance. But what I got was so much more. This book runs the gamut of feelings. There is sadness, despair, hopelessness, but also love, friendship, and optimism.

This was a lovely Christmas story, although it was a bit depressing at times. Kate seems to have all the problems and while I did find myself thinking “Another issue?” when they would crop up, I did feel that everything was realistic and not honey-coated as many other books would have been. I guess I just wished that she could have had a couple fewer problems and then the problems that she did have could have been more complete or we could have had more detail about them. I felt like the issues with her son Jack and his schooling kind of came out of the blue and then all of a sudden they were solved. I suppose I felt like all the drama was a bit much, for a novel about the spirit of Christmas.

The romance is a very slow burn – I can’t tell you how far along it was in the book before Kate and Daniel actually spoke to each other. The romance is also not a very large part of the book. Rather the book was about these two people – Kate and Daniel, trying to get through the holiday season.

This was a very appealing book, just as long as you go in knowing what to expect.


To check out other reviews, find this book on goodreads or amazon. Please note, all links are affiliate which gives a small portion of profit to Rainy Days and Clichés. Thank you so much for your continuous kindness!

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Hi friends, I’m Shanna, a book lover currently living in the Seattle area! I run on lattes, eat way too many grilled cheeses, and have a never-ending to be read list. Come join me on my reading adventures!

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