Chloe Liese

The Mistletoe Motive

Leonie

“It’s cold as Satan’s balls out there. Let’s go find a closet to talk.” “But it’s hot in hell.” “Not according to Dante,” June mutters, guiding me ahead of her. “Find a closet, would ya? In Dante’s Inferno, Satan’s frozen up to his waist, his wings beating furiously, but ironically that just keeps the lake frozen. The innermost circle of hell is self-sabotage… and balls that are blocks of ice.”

After a moment of silence, Jonathan says, “Gear shift.” “Ready.” “What’s with the red dress of torture, Gabriella?”

Holy shit. It’s his Siri-get-on-your-knees voice. Commanding and deep and thunderously loud.

“What’s my plan, you ask?” I kiss her perfect pink nose. “I’m going to work tomorrow, and I’m bringing Jonathan Frost to his knees.”

“I’ve never heard your voice sound like that.” 

“Very stern and bossy.” I crisscross my legs against the ache that’s nearly painful now. “Like… bedroom bossy.” 

He gives me a disbelieving side-glance. “I told Siri to play a music station, Gabriella, not get on her knees.”

I relate to this soo much. The rink always was one place where I could easily shut up my brain for a while, either on the idea myself or watching others play. I miss that so much. 

Despite my grumbling about this late-night hockey game, I can’t help but smile as we enter and get our first glimpse of the rink. I love the atmosphere— the scrape and shoosh of blades on ice, the cold, dry air filling my lungs.

Behind the safety of a screen, I’m my most sophisticated self—articulate, witty, sharp.

“I’m just saying, for all sorts of valid reasons, not everyone loves the holidays.”

Here’s the thing about reading romance: it’s taught me an appreciation for a good grovel, but it’s also taught me to recognize a toxic character when I see one.

Stella 💫

I think it’s a cute little enemies to lovers but in real life situation minus the plot twist at the end.

Sierra Bennett

The author over explainined everything and I mean EVERYTHING.  The FMC is autistic so maybe this was supposed to be a reflection of that?? But it  was done in such a jumbled way that by the end , if I wasn't such a sucker for sappy , happy endings , I'd rate this lower. I wasn't rooting for the couple at ALL till the end and honestly would've preferred if Mr.Reddit was someone else. The author used the excuse that because he has *checks notes* type 1 diabetes that predisposed Frost to be incapable of communicating that he wasn't stomping away to sulk .  

jade

Okay this was super cute! The banter between these two was adorable and I absolutely loved them so much! The concept was fun and it was a lot in a smaller book I still had a super fun time reading this one. 

Priscilla Stanfield

3.5/5⭐️ • 1.5/5🌶️

Okay this was super cute! The banter between these two was adorable and I absolutely loved them so much! The concept was fun and it was a lot in a smaller book I still had a super fun time reading this one. 

Ellie M.

** spoiler alert **
           This was my first time picking up a holiday romance book and I surprisingly liked it. The vibes, the winter and bookshop aesthetic, and not to mention the beautifully-pleasing playlist.

However, first off, I felt underwhelmed about Jonathan and Gabby’s chemistry. They indeed looked good together, but there was something lacking about this story. However, secondly, the plot was beautiful and simple, and it made me feel like I was watching a Hallmark Christmas movie, which I actually appreciated a lot. 

Additionally, I can’t say how much personal this became for me because of the disability rep. I have already gone from highlighting every quote in which Gabby mentioned the difficulties of being a neurodivergent individual in a neurotypical world. I have ADHD, and so a few of the symptoms sometimes overlap with that of ASD, that was why I was so happy to learn about how it’s like for other autistic individuals, most especially with the sensory issues, building up routines, and the hyperfixating to borderline obsession. I’m so thankful to this book for making me feel heard and seen. Also, I loved learning a few things about Jonathan’s T1D, since two people in my life have T3D and has lived through medication and frequent hospital trips and check-ups for as long as I can remember.

To finish this review: I never really put much thought into the budding romance, only because to me, it was fine. But I did laugh, feel butterflies, and may have also teared up and smiled so badly my cheeks hurt so because of how much I could relate to Gabby, as a fellow neurodivergent who’s faced ableism multiple times growing up. I really I can’t say much more about the romance, because I was busy learning instead, but thebppo made me feel all warm and fuzzy, and it also made made me realize I will never find my Mr. Reddit.

alya adlina

i don’t have any expectations when i picked up this book. i just want something that gives me holiday and christmas vibes. AND THIS DIDNT DISAPPOINTS ME AT ALL. i’m not kidding this book IS SOOO GOOD! i couldn’t stop smiling and squealing LIKE THIS BOOK HAS NO BUSINESS TO MAKE ME FEEL LIKE THIS. 😩😩😩😩 IM LITERALLY SWOONING SO HARD OVER THE CHARACTERS I MEAN MOSTLY JONATHAN FROST. HELLO? MR FROST IS THE ONLY MAN EVER. can’t stop simping over him. let’s not talk about the hockey scene and the car ride after OH GOD *fanning myself* IM NOT KIDDING WHEN I SAID IM OBSESSED WITH THEM 😭 THE TENSIONS IN THIS BOOK ITS LITERALLY KILLING ME. THE AMOUNT OF ME SCREAMING OVER THE SEXUAL TENSIONS OH GOD ITS SO UNHEALTHY 😌✋🏻 the enemies/rivals to lovers and grumpy x sunshine OH SHUT UP EVERYONE HANDS DOWN THIS IS THE BEST HOLIDAY ROMANCE BOOK EVER 😭😭😭✋🏻✋🏻 i adored the plot, the representation and the perfect amount of THEIR BANTER 🦋🦋 that’s it i really enjoyed this book so much and i freaking loved it. this is a must read for everyone and perfect for the holiday. and oh yea this book is kind of christmas version of hating game!!! BTW HEY SANTA CAN I HAVE JONATHAN FROST FOR CHRISTMAS PLS? 🥺🥺

Go read this if you love: 
-grumpy x sunshine 
-workplace romance 
-enemies to lovers 
-austistic rep
-austen references

loren

le iba a dar cuatro estrellas porque tiene un "trope" que no me gusta pero la verdad es que me re chupo un huevo porque me encantó de todas formas, cinco estrellas sólidas 🙏🙏 no me importa lo que digan

This book is a solid 3.5 with an extra .5 for the spice. Overall it’s a cute little novella, however it’s a bit abrupt and disjointed. The spice scene, while good, seems sort of randomly squished in. The author also doesn’t really seem to understand the proper use of italics, which was distracting. 

Alyssa deRaad

melina25

THIS WAS SO FUCKING CUTE???? I am now sad I didn't read it back in December but holy shit it was so fucking adorable. The epilogue tho???? The beauty and beast reference I almost sobbed, because where in the world can I find my own Johnathan 😭😭😭😭

mar uriarte

PLEASE THIS BOOK IS SO CUTE 😭😭😭😢

dija

Sarah Eliz

“…maybe I understand it a little, living with something persistent and beyond your control. You can't take it off or walk away from it or lay it down for a while. And even when you've become accustomed to its reality, when it's not really bad or good, it just is, sometimes it's hard when you're with others. When you feel that sense of difference and distance from them as you deal with the part of yourself that they don't understand, that you have to think about in social situations and in your daily life in ways they don't."

wowowow this was good!! this gave me faith that a holiday novella can actually be well written and give all the feels even with only 185 pages. :”) it was simple but cute and had great autism and demisexual representation annnd made me crave peppermint hot cocoa the entire time. i loved the playlist that went along with the chapters too. my only complaint was you could really tell that Jonathan was a man written by a woman and that kinda gave me the ick at times cause he was so unrealistic lolol

Jasmine

3.75 Stars
An enjoyable Christmas romance! I had a good time reading this and despite being short this was still a nicely developed rivals to lovers, I felt like I got to know the characters and their relationship fairly well. Abby lives for the Christmas holiday and Jonathan couldn't be bother. They are opposites in so many ways but both share a love for books and shop they work at. This had Chloe Liese's familiar writing style and safe to say I'm a fan after reading The Bergman Brothers series so it was great seeing that I also enjoy books outside of the series. Also, the fact they both were falling for each other both online and in person I really liked<3

Marsha Evelyn

The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese

World building : ★★★★★
Character development : ★★★★★
Plot : ★★★★★

The Mistletoe Motive is the book that make me suddenly fall in love at the first time reading. This book is a fast-paced book for many reasons. I love that there's autistic representation here; which connected to Disability December and also Christmas vibes too.

We followed the journey of Gabriella Di Natale and Jonathan Frost that I guess so funny here. Their enemies to lovers trope I can feel it here. Such a clever, funny, beautiful and cute Christmas story with a neurodivergent main character.

Brilliant!

Nour Bassiouny

Typically i(personally)wouldn't give it 4 stars
But it just came in the right time
The exact type of vibe i was looking for
And i have to say that sometimes i couldn't help smiling or laughing
In general i had fun reading it

When the brain and soul work on the same goal, whatever the result be, the journey is sure to be exciting and wonderful. This is what this book felt like and we get a happy ending too!

Two words to describe this book would be cute and sweet. It made me happy. I would definitely recommend this for people who are just starting to build up a habit of reading books!

Prachi

Holiday Romance, grumpyXsunshine

When the brain and soul work on the same goal, whatever the result be, the journey is sure to be exciting and wonderful. This is what this book felt like and we get a happy ending too!

Two words to describe this book would be cute and sweet. It made me happy. I would definitely recommend this for people who are just starting to build up a habit of reading books!

It felt a little bit rushed because one day she hated him and the next day she already loved him but given the amount of pages it was expected to be a little faster.

It had the cheesy hallmark movie vibe to it so basically everything you could ask for in a christmas book :)

Sophia

It felt a little bit rushed because one day she hated him and the next day she already loved him but given the amount of pages it was expected to be a little faster.

It had the cheesy hallmark movie vibe to it so basically everything you could ask for in a christmas book :)

Such a cute holiday Novella providing all the good feels, the comfy kind of vibe and the setting that's just classically perfect. It's for sure no literary masterpiece but it does all it wants to do: the grumpy-grinch-sunshine arc, a sprinkle of hockey on top and christmas on the sides. Add a dash of demisexual and neurodivergent representation, include a character with a chronic health condition and voilà, it even does a whole lot more than the usual holiday romances. 

That it even swerves around the cliché 75% obstacles and includes characters who don't just get stupidly angry without for one second considering why their counterpart behaved as they did rounds it up to a perfect, cozy, holiday read for me. 

Such a cute holiday Novella providing all the good feels, the comfy kind of vibe and the setting that's just classically perfect. It's for sure no literary masterpiece but it does all it wants to do: the grumpy-grinch-sunshine arc, a sprinkle of hockey on top and christmas on the sides. Add a dash of demisexual and neurodivergent representation, include a character with a chronic health condition and voilà, it even does a whole lot more than the usual holiday romances. 

That it even swerves around the cliché 75% obstacles and includes characters who don't just get stupidly angry without for one second considering why their counterpart behaved as they did rounds it up to a perfect, cozy, holiday read for me. 

Giving stars where stars are due: 5/5. 



4.5 🌟 AHHHH THAT EPILOGUE IM CRYING!! Chloe Liese's writing gives me comfort like I'm being wrapped around a warm, fluffy blanket during this winter season

“Jonathan's the brain of this place. I admit that.

I'm the whimsical touches in the window display, the thoughtful addition of plush armchairs tucked into cozy corners. I'm the warm smile that welcomes you and the artful front display table that draws you in.

And Jonathan knows it. He knows that without me, this place would be industrious but impersonal, tidy but tedious.

In short: he needs me just as badly as I need him.”

This was such a fun read! It really was giving me major “The Hating Game” plus “You’ve Got Mail” vibes, so if you’re a fan of both you should definitely pick this up.

It was sweet, hot, a lil cheesy, and a whole lotta fun.

Kathryn

“Jonathan's the brain of this place. I admit that.

But me? I'm the soul.

I'm the whimsical touches in the window display, the thoughtful addition of plush armchairs tucked into cozy corners. I'm the warm smile that welcomes you and the artful front display table that draws you in.

And Jonathan knows it. He knows that without me, this place would be industrious but impersonal, tidy but tedious.

In short: he needs me just as badly as I need him.”

This was such a fun read! It really was giving me major “The Hating Game” plus “You’ve Got Mail” vibes, so if you’re a fan of both you should definitely pick this up.

You’ve got:

• a cute independent bookstore setting

• amazing representation

• enemies to lovers

• workplace romance

• a TON of pining

• snippy banter

All in a Christmas novella!

It was sweet, hot, a lil cheesy, and a whole lotta fun.

3.75/5⭐️

Yami🌷

Me encanto muchísimo y ellos son hermosos🥺💗

Ananya

caí pero mal con este libro, necesito más

The Mistletoe Motive

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