“New Year’s Kiss” by Lee Matthews reminded me so much of those holiday movies I binge-watch in December while wrapped in my favorite blanket!
The story follows Tess, our shy bookworm protagonist, who decides to complete a bucket list before the New Year strikes. Think of every teen movie cliché – the basketball player love interest, karaoke scenes at a ski resort, and that classic “coming out of your shell” storyline. It’s like High School Musical met Before Sunrise, but somehow missed capturing the magic of either.
When I first started reading, the premise hooked me. Who doesn’t love a good transformation story? But as I kept turning pages, I found myself getting increasingly frustrated with how surface-level everything felt. The story hits every predictable beat you’d expect – love triangle? Check. Temporary breakup? Check. Grand reunion? Double check.
The character development left me wanting more. While Tess does grow throughout the story, her journey feels more like checking boxes off a list rather than genuine transformation. Christopher, her love interest, shows promise but mysteriously vanishes for the final third of the book. It’s like when you’re really enjoying your hot chocolate and suddenly realize you’ve hit nothing but marshmallows at the bottom.
What particularly disappointed me was how the story handled its deeper elements. Serious moments get brushed aside faster than fresh snow, with characters bouncing back from emotional breakdowns without any real resolution. The relationship between Tess and her mean older sibling had potential for complexity but instead stays firmly in stereotypical territory.
The writing itself is light and breezy, perfect for a quick winter read. At under 230 pages, it moves along at a brisk pace, though this brevity means many plot points and character arcs don’t get the development they deserve.
There are enjoyable moments scattered throughout – some genuinely sweet scenes between Tess and Christopher, fun bucket list adventures, and cozy winter vibes that made me want to book a ski resort getaway. The story captures that magical “anything can happen” feeling of New Year’s Eve, even if it doesn’t quite deliver on its promise.
I wish Matthews had dug deeper into the characters’ motivations and relationships instead of relying so heavily on romance tropes. The story could have explored the complexity of sibling rivalry, the challenge of breaking out of your comfort zone, or the pressure of reinventing yourself. Instead, it skates along the surface like a novice on the bunny slopes.
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