Christmas People by Iva-Marie Palmer

Narrated by Patti Murin

Standalone Christmas Romance

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the complimentary ARC for review. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

I think I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Christmas People by Iva-Marie Palmer. I loved the premise and overall storyline, the magical realism was fun, and I genuinely laughed out loud more than once. But the FMC’s self-esteem was so low at times that it made me feel more sad than charmed.

Jill Jacobs is definitely not a Christmas person, especially after the love of her life left her on Christmas. Granted, she practically pushed him out the door, but still. Now she’s a struggling screenwriter in LA who has just been fired from her job at a kids’ arcade. She hasn’t been back to her suburban Illinois hometown in years, mostly to avoid running into her ex, especially since she has no career success to show for it.

This year, she heads home anyway, carefully shopping out of town to avoid him. Which of course means the very first person she runs into is her ex. After drinking away her misery, Jill wakes up to a very different version of her not-so-quaint hometown. The snow is blindingly white, the air smells like peppermint, and everyone is bursting with holiday cheer.

Jill quickly realizes she’s woken up inside a Heartfelt (Hallmark) Christmas movie. And apparently, the only way out is to complete the movie and earn her happy ending. The problem is, she has no idea what that happy ending is supposed to be. It seems to involve the perfect former high school jock she once tutored, now a widowed single dad who is very into her. They get paired up for a cookie baking contest, but Jill cannot stop thinking about her ex.

“Fuck me with a Kitchen-Aid mixer attachment…”

At just over ten hours, Christmas People felt a bit long for a Christmas romance, and the first half dragged for me. Jill’s constant self-loathing wore on me, as she repeatedly assumed the worst about everyone’s intentions and sabotaged her own happiness. This is a love triangle, and for a while it truly isn’t clear who she’ll end up with, but once the story hit the second half, I found myself much more invested and entertained.

The Narration:

Patti Murin did a great job carrying the single-POV narration and was an excellent fit for Jill’s voice. I definitely recommend the audiobook.

The Down & Dirty:

The concept behind Christmas People by Ava-Marie Palmer is genuinely fun. Waking up inside a Hallmark-style Christmas movie while being the least Christmas-y person alive is a great setup. There were moments that made me laugh out loud, especially in the second half of the book. That said, it felt a little long for the story it was telling, and Jill’s level of self-hatred and self-sabotage became frustrating at times. Still, if you love Hallmark movies but want one with more grit, stronger language, and a touch of steam, this one may work for you.