ROMANCE

The Holiday Mix-Up

Sourcebooks Casablanca. Oct. 2023. 352p. ISBN 9781728256528. pap. $16.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
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Christmas is coming, but waitress Katie Smith has no one with whom to celebrate, so she’s overjoyed when handsome diner patron Juan Martinez, also her crush, asks her to pose as his girlfriend for the holiday. But before they can confirm the details, Juan is injured and put into an induced coma. At the hospital, his large and boisterous family, believing Katie to be his serious girlfriend, bring her under their wing. Katie could tell them the truth, but that would mean betraying Juan’s secret. As the days pass, Katie becomes close to his family, especially his gorgeous, sensitive, intelligent brother Mateo. The plot of this chaste, heartwarming romance features Latino characters and a plot that parallels that of the film While You Were Sleeping. Secondary characters are fully realized and form a delightful ring of love and chaos around the lonely Katie, and readers will easily understand her discomfort with keeping her relationship with Juan—or lack thereof—a secret.
VERDICT Fans of Hallmark movies and authors Sophie Cousens and Lia Louis will appreciate this wholesome holiday offering from Baird (Right Girl, Wrong Side).
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