The Christmas Invitation
Kate Kasch
3.5/5 Stars (I rounded up to 4 on Goodreads since they don't do half stars)
It is pretty easy to draw me into a book with the promise of Christmas holiday romance. So that was the first thing that made me want to read this. It has Christmas in the name and it's called a holiday romance. Two for two. As I got in to it, I realized it was also very clearly a modern retelling of Cinderella. I don't know how I didn't realize this at first and it took me some time to catch on, despite the main character's name being "Ella." And if it wasn't meant to be a Cinderella retelling, it sure took a lot of the same elements (girl who cleans, leaving behind an item that "Prince Charming" uses to find her after she slips away without fully telling him who she is, no one being able to recognize the "poor" girl as the beautiful woman at the party) And I was totally here for it. I do enjoy modern retellings of fairy tales and classic novels. Overall, I really liked the characters and found the story adorable, but I did have a few issues. Honestly, I felt like Ella became super obsessed with Wyatt shortly after meeting him and slipping away from the party with saying goodbye. Like even to the point of her almost failing exams and potentially her classes. I don't know, maybe I've just never felt that kind of heartbreak so I can't relate? Also, they barely know each other it seems before they're saying I love you. Despite my large quantities of romance novels consumed, I guess I still feel skeptical about people falling in love at first sight or first conversation. But that's just me. The timeline just felt off to me, but I get it was all supposed to be taking place around Christmas. I still personally think it's worth the read. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
