Author: Tessa Bailey
Genre: Holiday Romance
Summary: The son and daughter of a famous rock duo from the 90s set off on a journey of trying to reunite their estranged mothers. Although Beat and Melody have only met once before, they feel like they’ve known each other forever. But the task of getting their feuding mums back together for a grand show at Rockefeller Center is not without its obstacles! From a love triangle turned sour to family secrets and childhood trauma, the two have to work through it all. Oh, and they’re doing it whilst a cameraman and a producer follows them around and captures each moment – streaming it live on social media.
My Review of Wreck the Halls
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Plot
The plot of Wreck the Halls was okay, it was one of the things I didn’t mind about the book. In a time of influencers and social media fame, it’s fun to read about a couple falling in love literally in front of the camera. Beat and Melody (yep, those are their names) trying to get their mums back together for a one-off reunion show and having all these hurdles in their way makes an entertaining story. The aspect of the fans knowing their every move and fangirling over them is real. And I enjoyed the side romance of the production team.
Characters
What I wasn’t a fan of here was the way that trauma was the main attribute of the characters. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging the characters for having baggage. Who doesn’t have some? But this was like the childhood trauma of the pair was the focal point of the book, their trauma overriding their personalities. Maybe that’s the point though… I’m not sure.
I just would have liked to appreciate the characters without some of the things they did in the name of trauma. For instance, Beat was so over-protective that it was hard to read about by the end, he’d become quite annoying. Melody couldn’t take a breath without him glaring at her afraid she would choke on the oxygen. It was a bit much and ruined the sweet side of him, turning it creepy and dominant (which is seriously ironic given how his trauma manifests in his sexual relationships).
Writing
The writing in this book was fine, as in the writing itself wasn’t incredible but it wasn’t awful either. My issue with the writing of the book though was that a lot of things were unrealistic and that could have been completely avoided. I understand this is fiction but humans are humans. It feels like some emotional corners might have been cut to fit the time constraints of the story. The book was deep in a lot of ways but then lacking in the emotional responses in other areas. Examples and therefore SPOILERS incoming…
The main characters are soulmates after knowing each other for 5 days. In what world? This insta-love trope is clearly not for me. And then the dad finds out that his son of 30 years isn’t actually his and he’s forgiven the woman before the end of her confession! Kissing her and hugging her and whatnot when she’s kept this huge secret for 3 decades, and he’s raised this boy believing him to be his. That doesn’t sit right.
World-building
Wreck the Halls is set in New York City in December, so there wasn’t a lot the author had to make up. It was all about conveying the feel of NYC at Christmas. And whilst the reader can tell we’re in the city and the amount of detail given is adequate, the element of Christmas is lacking.
Vibe
I really liked the vibe of the book in general. It’s a love story taking place in New York – always amazing! But despite being marketed as a Christmas book, there is nothing about this plot nor setting that is festive. The storyline would have made a perfectly good any-time-of-year romance book.
Going into it thinking you’re reading a Christmas romance will set you up for disappointment.
I know that this was a popular book over December so I’m curious to know if you’ve read it. Let me know in the comments, and share your Wreck the Halls review with us.
Follow me on Goodreads to see my reviews earlier! Or check my last review here, which was for Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros.
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