Thank you to the author and Luna Literary Management for the eARC!

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TROPES
💀 Age Gap
💀 Dual POV

This road trip went in so many directions and I could’ve never guessed all of them. Everything from wholesome holiday fun to Spider-Man jokes to seedy motels and back again, this is the Christmas Eve of a lifetime for Chris and Daphne and I think I’ll always remember it for them. 

There were times that I was genuinely concerned if they would have their happy ending (and if their Christmas Eve would ever end). Everything that could go wrong did go wrong, but also everything that could go right and create a magical holiday did. It gave them plenty of time to realize why they felt such a sudden and sharp pull toward each other and go deeper than surface level questions. There was a great balance in everything between them, which I think is why Chris struggles so much after he finds out why, in his mind, they can’t be together. It can feel like the universe is working against you in these moments, and I’m glad he doesn’t let that ruin everything.

I love that we got to see Daphne stand up to her mother and have a bit of closure where that’s concerned. Having someone who cares about her and what she needs out of a relationship gave her the perspective she needed to realize things would never change with her mom. As someone who is estranged from my mom, it’s hard to see those things until someone changes the view, and even then, it’s difficult to put yourself first, and I’m glad Daphne was able to do that.