Book Review | Christmas at fireside cabins | By Jenny Hale

My thoughts

Narrative and Plot

Christmas at Fireside Cabins starts off strong with Lila Evans wanting to have one final Christmas hurrah with her besties. That is until she reaches Fireside Cabins. Lilaongs for home and love and she finds her solace with the Christmas celebrations along with her friends – Edie, Charlotte and Piper. At times Lila feels like quite unrealistic but one can see where her heart is coming from. In an ideal world, one might be able to relate to Lila

The plot starts strong and is full of festivities and holiday cheers. The food and the atmosphere makes it a perfect cozy read. But keep in mind, that this is a cheesy holiday romance read and expect no more. The main character did have a compelling voice that kept me going till the end.

Characters and Conflicts

When it comes to characters, I enjoyed Eleanor and Lila’s friendship. It was two kindred souls meeting and sharing their warmth. However, Lila’s lifelong friends were not given much of that space to shine through. The story quickly shifted to a romance between Theo and Lila.

Now I am all in for a cozy holiday romance and I enjoyed quite a few romantic moments between Lila and Theo. But as I get older, I feel like romanticizing the emotionally closed off hero is a bit problematic. However, the Theo sort of made up for his mishaps in the end. But it just made my brain think – that happens only in fiction.

Another thing that bothered me was a lack of hero’s journey for Lila. Everything just fell into her lap in the end. You do not need your main character to just sit and whine when everyone around is working to solve her issues.

While, what I pointed out are only minor setbacks, it doesn’t not prevent me from enjoying the story as a whole. There is warmth and Christmas spirit filled in every turn of the page. And I loved all those elements.

Conclusion

Christmas at Fireside Cabins is a cozy holiday romance that you can escape right away to get some holiday cheer. It might be cheesy but if you’re looking for the seasonal festivities and food, the book wraps it all up in a great package.

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