It was a cute read, although I expected More Christmas feels.

All that said, I loved the story and how they both grew to know that they were meant for each other.

This book had all the potential of a five star read and I was so sure that's where it was heading but it just fell flat for me.

I loved the characters, they were all fun and likeable. I really enjoyed reading about them.

But the author just seemed to skip over some major events. Like I really thought the Vegas wedding was going to be the plot of the book but it's almost brushed over, especially the aftermath.

Honestly it's a little difficult to say what didn't work without spoiling the book. I just felt like the author really had trouble keeping all the threads of the story going. For example, we meet Millie, a troublesome friend. We meet her at the start of the book. We then meet her again so much later than I actually forgot she was in this book. She makes a random appearance, says one line and that's it for Millie. Never to be seen or heard of again.

I understand that obviously in a romance there's going to be some boundaries to the characters being together but it really felt like the author took these a step too far.

In the end, the resolution was totally anticlimactic and I really wish it had been something more because I was set to love this book.

That being said, it was still a good read and I did still enjoy it.

I gave it 3 stars⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Jo Lovett & Bookouture for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

dnf @ 11%

Yeah this one’s just not working out for me. The reviews are not looking good and I don’t want to waste my time reading a book I’m not enjoying.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars - A nice and light read with a few festive vibes here and there.

Evie & Dan are friends who make a pact to get married if Evie is still single at 30 and then drunkenly, and somewhat unintentionally, follow through with it by getting hitched in Vegas. I enjoyed the time jumps to the events leading up to Evie's fateful 30th birthday celebrations but they were mixed with time jumps forward after the fact and this sometimes left me confused as to what point in time things had happenned.

The story is not dissimilar to 'Where Rainbows End' (aka Love, Rosie) by Cecelia Ahern (there's even a baby also called Katie) which I love but for me Evie and Dan were not quite as loveable characters and I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated by their actions - particularly Evie's treatment of Matthew - he deserved a lot better!

Personally the ending felt a little rushed and disjointed but still provided those warm and fuzzys you're looking for in a chicklit/romcom book like this.

I liked the premise of this cute friends to lovers festive read but was not a fan of the execution. The romance story line was a bit too drawn out to the point that it felt repetitive. I also felt that the subplots having to do with the characters' personal lives were one dimensional and felt more like filler content than an actual part of the story.

It was an easy read with total Hallmark movie vibes, but it wasn't nearly as engrossing as some of the other festive romances I've read and loved.

I really enjoyed this book and it is one that I read quickly. I loved how the author explores the sometimes blurred lines between friendship and romance, whilst never detracting from the worth of having a solid set of friends and of being friends first and foremost, even if you do find yourselves romantically involved.

I loved the characters of Evie and Dan and the vibrant yet complex family and friends that surround them. These characters become far more than side characters, as they become central to the story and the development of the central characters’ emotional and personal lives.

The pact at the core of the story is silly and yet realistic. It’s totally something I can imagine young people thinking up at a young age and laughing about it many years later.

However, this pact carries an unexpected significance and the tension and drama that surrounds it is amplified by the writer’s choice to tell the story from Dan and Evie’s point of view. The complex storyline of “then” and “now” that covers quite a significant timeline in terms of years of these characters lives, through their ups and downs, also peaks the reader’s interest.

I do admit to sometimes feeling that frustration of will they, won’t they, and more importantly, when! But I guess that’s all part of the fun and package when it comes to this genre of books.

Overall, a heart-warming and uplifting read that provides a unique perspective into the development of a relationship. This is a story that reminds us, in some ways, to trust that’s what meant to be, will be. Another gorgeous read from this very talented author.

The Mistletoe Pact has a very When Harry Met Sally vibe of two people who are obviously perfect for each other but the timing is never right. It is a bit of a painfully slow burn as you watch the two of them missing out on time together and wasting years and years! It has a satisfying ending for not just two characters but several within the book.

Unfortunately The Mistletoe Pact didn't quite work for me. I liked Evie and Dan well enough, but the plot moved on too slowly and I didn't care for the extra problem they had at the end, after they had been through so much already. Favorite part for me was Dan coming into fatherhood.

Thank you for the opportunity to review.

Cute story of two friends promising to marry each other if they are not married by the time they are thirty and then going ahead and doing it on a drunken holiday in Vegas. Should they get a quickie divorce or just admit to each other that they have secretly been in love for years! A fun easy read, predictable but still enjoyable

One of my favorite episodes of Friends is when Ross and Rachel marry in Vegas. Just like that episode we find two best friends who marry after a night in Vegas.

This was a blast of a book. Evie and Dan vowed that if they weren’t married by the time they were thirty they would marry each other. When they go through with the plan they realIze a quickie divorce is a lot easier said then some when you actually love someone.

Thank you for granting me an advanced copy!

The friends to lovers trope has never been my favourite, as I only believe it when a story explains why the characters didn’t give a relationship a chance earlier in time. In the mistletoe pact flashbacks spanning 7 or so years try to tell us why the couple is meant to be together but hasn’t figured it out any sooner.

The characters were likeable and reading this in December I appreciated the many Christmas scenes. Unfortunately, I just could not get on board with the slow burn and the other men and women our hero and heroine Date over the years. The ending also felt strangely messy and I am never going to rate bad communication between two characters who apparently value and trust each other highly!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing the free eARC, perfect Christmassy timing!

I was really anticipating reading this book and I decided to wait for the holiday season to start it. It had a lot of potential but in the end I ended up being just a little it disappointed with it. I really liked Evie and Dan as individuals and some of the scenes with them together made me grin like crazy. What I didn't enjoy as much was how slow it got at times and how repetitive and confusing it was. There are alternating timelines and at some points they got extremely confusing and I had no idea if what I was reading was happening before the Vegas events or after. We got a lot of similar scenes - them seeing friends, weddings, family talks and they felt very repetitive. Also, how can you as an author name two seperate characters JOSH?! Both Evie's roommate and her sister's father had the same name and one time it came up in two sentences next to each other?! The pandemic references were also not it for me, but that's just a personal preference. Overall, a cute Christmassy read but I wouldn't necessarily call it easy both because of the topics it touches (infidelity, pregnancy, marriage, divorce etc.) and also because it took me a pretty long time to read.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book!

A sweet book but also overall not that Christmassy. I like my Christmas romances to be focused on that period, but this had some episodes rather than the overall feel.

An enjoyable read with likeable characters- but the will they won’t they drove me mad! Great setting in Vegas and realistic relationships- I loved the best friend / sister as it brought them together so well

I will read more by this author as it was a light easy read but it needed a little more Xmas oomph for me.

Such a fun, light easy, read.
With Christmas coming up, it felt like the perfect time to read this.
I love friends to lovers, so this was super great for me. Although at times I felt like screaming through the book to the characters to just communicate with each other, but then Where's the fun in that.

This was a very light-hearted, cute, slow burn romance consisting of friends to lovers. With alternating timelines and alternating perspectives it was fast paced and extremely engaging I couldn't put it down.

8 years ago on Evie and Dan made a pact if they were both single on Evie's 30th birthday they'd marry each other.

When they then wake up on Evie's 30th birthday, married, after a quickie Vegas wedding they both decide a quickie divorce will get things back to normal.

But neither of them want to admit their true feelings and will they realise what they want before it's too late?

A very cute Christmas romance. I will definitely read more from Jo Lovett in the future.

There was nothing technically wrong with this book, but there was also nothing that actually pulled me into it. The writing style didn't work for me - I found it too snappy, with too much repetition of words, which took me out of the story. I also didn't particularly like the characters or the story - I feel like I wasn't really given anything to make me care about them. Because of this, I didn't finish the book.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I honestly tried considerably hard to get into this seemingly quirky book, but it was just cringy instead. The premise is eyecatching and is what drew me in however, nothing backed it up and instead flawed it.
This is a sad and quick dnf.

Evie and Dan shared a drunken kiss on Christmas Eve when she is 22 and they make a pact to get married if they are both single when she turns 30.

This story flicks between now and the past piecing together their lives and how the end up drunkenly getting married in Vegas the night before she turns 30.

The problem for Evie is that Dan is her best friends older brother and she feels loyalty to her friend, no matter how much she fancies him.

They have fleeting meeting through the years and it seems like their feelings for eachother never change, they are just not committed enough to try. A mix on the wrong time and ending up with other people prevents them from working things through.

It is not really a Christmas book as a large portion takes place throughout the year but the begining and the end take place during the Christmas period, which sort of makes it a festive read.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley! Again another one I've taken time to get too.

The Mistletoe Pact is the story of two people who make an innocent pact that if neither of them is married by age 30, they will marry each other. It is a story of unsolved emotions, hidden feelings, and several "almost" moments. It is also a story that involves two people who have basically known each other their wholes lives - he is her best friends brother so yes there is that dynamic too and it is so good!

The Mistletoe Pact starts on Christmas Eve 2021 when Evie and Dan wake up in bed together. After hazily piecing the previous night together, they realize that they got drunk and married in Vegas. Cue the awkwardness between them. It is then revealed that in 2013, Dan had offered to marry Evie if she was still single on her thirtieth birthday and they sealed their pacts with a mistletoe kiss. Christmas Eve is also Evie's thirtieth birthday and thus everything comes full circle.

The story of Dan and Evie's evolving relationship is told in both of their views and flows back and forth between past and present day. The reader learns about their deep connection which has evolved over the years from both of their points of view. This dynamic involves alot of slow burn and hidden feelings that these characters even struggle to admit to themselves. When they are together it is magic and there is so much chemistry yet for some reason they are both in some serious denial. Alot of this had to do with their home life when they were growing up. Both them witnessed their parents struggle with love and relationships and decided at a young age they did not want that for themselves. It is a long journey with these characters but a journey that I found was well worth it.

Evie and Dan are both part of a solid group of friends who enjoy getting together and celebrating occasions. There was alot of heart in these dynamics. Their friends are also not afraid to call each other out on what others might be afraid to admit. From 2013 to 2021 and then 2022, there is alot of growth in all of these characters and I loved how real these friendships felt to me as a reader. I wanted to be friends with them going to the bar and trivia night and celebrating their weddings.

The holiday season paints a beautiful backdrop for The Mistletoe Pact. It is not necessarily the primary focus but is still a nice detail. The locations of England and Vegas also paint a beautiful picture of where the story is taking place and the distances between the characters. Even though Evie and Dan had a distance between them, they always felt connected. And this connection was so heartwarming to read and will bring joy to those who love slow burn friendships turned romances like me.

**Rating: 4.5 Stars

I had to put this one down and did not finish about half way through the book. I found myself not wanting to read it at all, so need to move on. The story itself felt like it had a lot of potential. It’s a “beat friends brother” trope, which I don’t mind. But the writing was just not good. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it at first but realized SO MUCH is over-explained that it turns paragraphs and dialogue into a confusing jumbled mess. The dialogue was also not great. I think it was supposed to come off as quirky, but just came off as stilted and off. It’s possible I will come back to this at a later time, but I’m not quite sure.