It was an enjoyable book but not the best I’ve read as a Christmas version of this trope. Our three main characters were well presented to the reader and stood out individually. Some odd side stories (featuring the neighbours dog) but overall a decent book.

I absolutely adored the Christmas Swap. Loved, loved, LOVED it actually.

What is not to love? A fake romance, set at Christmas time, SNOW, a Manor House in the Countryside; all leading to a real QUEER ROMANCE??? I am all over that.

I loved the alternating POV's, it really allowed me to get to know both characters and see the story and romance truly blossom. Yes, things do become very predictable, and at times slightly cliche, but they are done in such a cutesy and fun way, you just cannot knock it. Both Margot and Ellie make some very dumb decisions, but as you get to know them through the alternating POV's, you become to realise that these decisions and actions are not make with any malice.

Have to give the author a pat on the back for addressing some difficult and raw side subjects too, including emotional abuse and dementia. They were touched upon so well, with a good amount of sensitivity. There were some very sad scenes that were challenging to read at times, but also explored so well.

On a side note, do not read this book on an empty stomach OR without snacks. The baking, the meals, the food, the Christmas spreads. Food is a huge part of this book and it will make you very hungry.

If you are looking for an easy, light-hearted, festive, sapphic romance then this book is the one for you xxx

Unfortunately, I could not read this book on time, and due to it being a few months after publication, I am putting it aside but will read it in the future.

I was excited and still am excited to read this book, but I honestly cannot push myself to read a Christmas book now during the 2nd month of the new year.

Reading all of the amazing reviews on Instagram, though, has confirmed that I will love this book when I do read and finish it.

Loved this story! So adorable. I hope to see these characters again. The part with the dogs was fun and now I want cream puffs.

The book maintains a steady balance of fun and seriousness throughout. The chemistry was pure fire and the dialogues were witty. Overall, I really enjoyed this.

A light-hearted sapphic Christmas romance, by definition - an excellent love story by nature. Enough said.

This was just the sapphic, lighthearted festive read I was looking for. It's a little chaotic at times, but I was 100% here for it! Will be reading this author's next release for sure.

This was my first ever sapphic festive read and I loved it wholeheartedly. It hurt my heart seeing Margot come to terms with the fact that she was emotionally abused, something that I have been through myself, and I’m glad that she re-established a support system for herself in her former best friend (those two reconnecting made me sob my eyes out), her new friend, Ben, and his sister, the girl she’s falling for, Ellie. I also really loved seeing Ben and Ellie and their other sibling realise that their sibling’s were as affected by their parents as they were and them bonding!!! Really sweet book and very enjoyable!!!

This was a sweet holiday sapphic romance. It did feel sooo similar to "Kiss her once for me", almost too similar which spoiled the reading experience for me as in head I could feel myself consistently comparing them.

It was a bit of a slow start but I started to really enjoy it mid way through. I enjoyed the main characters friendship to lover and I really enjoyed the setting and the side characters.

The Christmas Swap by Talia Samuels takes the festive fake dating trope and turns it on its head in this sweet sapphic tale of a woman who falls for her fake boyfriend's sister.

32 year old Margot Murray recently split with her long-term girlfriend Taylor, who is proving to be a little hard to get rid of. Ben Gibson hates going home for Christmas, because... guess. Go on.

hIs FaMiLy QuEsTiOn HiM aBoUt BeInG sInGlE!

I can't. I hate that trope so much and it has cropped up in almost every festive book I've read this year.

Anyway, that aside, Margot & Ben decide to pretend they're in a relationship. Ben gets to relax, and Margot gets to spend some time getting over Taylor in a gorgeous Cheshire mansion that the family run as a hotel.

Only - there's one problem. Ben's sister, Ellie. There's an instant attraction there, but Ellie is highly suspicious of Margot's motives and comes to the assumption that she's after Ben's money. There's only one solution - Ellie has to get rid of Margot.

This book actually has a very serious issue at its core, as Margot begins to realise that her relationship with Taylor was emotionally abusive. Taylor isn't going to go away easily - but can Margot find the strength to stand up to her ex while she's trying to keep the charade going for Ben, all the while fighting an attraction towards his sister?

It's different to the usual rom-coms, the family relationships in it reminded me of The Family Stone a little bit. Everyone wants the best for everyone else, but they have their own funny way of showing it.

It was a very cute addition to my festive reading, and the sensitive issues of gaslighting and manipulation were handled with care.

🎄❄️ The Christmas Swap by Talia Samuels ❄️🎄

⭐️.75/5

The Christmas Swap has been on my TBR since I received ARC approval - and I only got around to it in December, i.e. after it had been published for a month (well done to me - always about two steps behind of the game, but better late than never I suppose). I would like to start this review by thanking NetGalley and Penguin Books for this ARC.

The Christmas Swap is a dual perspective, “cosy christmas romance” revolving around website designer and independent business woman Margot Murray and sister of her “fake boyfriend” Eliie Gibson.

Margot, recently single and mourning the death of her grandmother, agrees to go home with her client Ben Gibson for Christmas, as his fake girlfriend. After all, two weeks in an English Manor with all the amenities she could ever wish for, can’t be a bad way to spend the Christmas period. The only caveat is, she is a lesbian with no interest in dating men and cringes away from the barest touch - thus sewing the seed of doubt in Ben’s sisters’ heads. After all, Margot is far too attractive and successful for her brother - therefore setting Ellie on a mission to reveal Margot for what she is; i.e. a gold digger after her brother’s money and their family’s valuables. Meanwhile, Margot and Ben are working to ensure they are pulling off a convincing front for his family, as the loved-up couple - Ben hopes that by bringing home a girl for Christmas, he will be off his parent’s radar for a while.

However, rather predictably, Margot and Ellie begin to catch feelings for one another, despite their best efforts to avoid this. Can Margot and Ben pull off their plans without a hitch, or will Ellie through it out the window?

❤️ Fake Dating
💚 F/F Romance
❤️ Secret Rendezvous
💚Long Lost Childhood Sweetheart


This book had the makings of a cute (albeit slightly predictable) queer romance and my hopes were set high at first glance at the adorable cover, however, it fell short in several areas. The main issue, which was extremely difficult to ignore, was the writing. Whilst contemporary romance writing is different from other genres such as fantasy, in terms of language style and adopts a characters personality in a much more casual and “real world” manner, The Christmas Swap read much like a Wattpad fan-fiction from 2013. As a girl who lived and breathed fan fiction as a teen, the overly descriptive and narrative writing made my heart cringe and was extremely distracting from the plot. On such example of this being:

“Before the warm cosy feeling deserts me, I step out of the shower and into a huge towel. The fluffy cotton is incredibly soft against my skin and wraps around my body nearly twice over. I rake some argan oil through my wet hair, slather myself in lotion, and step into my PJS: an oversized Pixies band tee and fleece grey pyjama bottoms”

“I wake up at 6:30 in total darkness, feeling light. I hop right out of bed and turn on my salt lamp. A pinkish glow fills the room. I sort my duvet and blankets into a semi-made arrangement (in that they are all actually on the mattress where they belong), then I rummage around for a big jumper, pull it over my PJs, and head down the hall to the bathroom.”

“I bury my hands deep inside my coat pockets and start making my way across the garden, back towards the house. The cold hasn’t bothered me over the last hour. I’ve felt all cosy, wrapped up inside my big jacket while the sharp wind blows around me. Now I enjoy the feeling of it lifting my hair. I like the sound of my boots crunching on the frosty grass. I am the only thing out here that is daring to move against the wind.”

On reading this, you would expect that the main characters are teenagers, but no. They are in their thirties - however neither act, think or talk like they are above the age of 20; their characterisation was completely bizarre to me. The queer/ lesbian representation was heaped in stereotypes, that had me cringing in my seat.

In addition to the poor writing style, I was also off-put by the characterisation of the main characters, Ellie and Margot. Ellie more so than Margot. From her vendetta about fairy lights - are they too “twee”? , to snobbery about what a “proper band” is or isn’t, to slagging off people who are “clumsy” - Ellie was not a personable or pleasant character, on top of being entirely self-absorbed and completely disregarding her siblings and their own struggles. I could not find an ounce of likability or relatability.

Margot was more tolerable; with the majority of her character arc being her coming to terms with her previous girlfriend (Taylor)’s emotional abuse and accepting that she was in fact involved in an abusive relationship. The author outlines instances of emotional, physical and psychological violence which occurred in Margot’s past and Ben helps her come to terms with these experiences. This was done in a progressive manner, with Margot resistant to labelling her relationship (which she thought to be idyllic) as abusive - this was tackled reasonably well by the author.

Margot and Ellie as a couple lacked chemistry and depth, finding very few things in common (bands?!?) The romance and plot line between the two was predictable and quite dry. And whilst Ben was portrayed as the “betrayed” brother/best friend, he was also not very likeable and came off as quite pathetic. The only saving grace for me, was Misti the mysteriously, heavily pregnant family dog… and Grandpa Mo.

Overall, I wanted so much to like this book however in reality I struggled to finish it and I am unlikely to recommend it to fellow readers or friends. That isn’t to say that it would not be an enjoyable read for other readers, but for me it missed the mark entirely.

It's cute, sweet, sexy. There is snow and plenty of misunderstandings. It's all that a Christmas novel should be.

Plus, did I mention that it's deliciously queer?

Really enjoyed this festive read. Loved the British humour, and also the exploration of some big issues without being super heavy to read. Enjoyed the relationships between Margot and Ben, Margot and Ellie, Ellie and Mo, etc.

I enjoyed this sapphic Christmas romance. What starts out as a fake dating set up, the sweet Ben hires Margo to be his Christmas date, everything is strictly platonic, the twist: Margo is lesbian and coincidentally so is Ben's dramatic (but loveable) sister Ellie!

I loved the mystery behind the 'immaculate conception' of the dog. Grandpa was such a sweet character, and I envied the relationship Ellie has with him.

The family were all so sweet and likeable, and if you're looking for a HEA, this is perfect for you!

Loved this christmassy romance! it gave me all the feels and had me giggling at phone screen on the bus home!

Well, this one was a festive joy. With nowhere else to go after a recent breakup, Margot Murray accepts her client’s offer to spend Christmas with his family out in the country. Ben needs someone to pose as his girlfriend, to get his family off his back, and the two quickly become fast friends. Margot’s keen to fully escape the city and take a much-needed break, and there’s no chance of Margot falling for Ben, either, though the same can’t be said about his sister, Ellie.

This one definitely ranks among the top of my Christmas reads. It’s sweet, very festive, and full of Christmas cheer. Ellie is headstrong and realises very quickly that Margot is hiding something, and becomes determined to discover exactly what. The scenes between the pair of them are full of chemistry and they really bounce off each other, and I spent so much of the book mentally screaming just kiss!

When Margot reveals more about her past to Ellie, I found myself gripping my Kindle, hard. The book is overall pretty light, but there are wonderful parts that deal with toxic and abusive relationships, and throughout we see Margot really getting on the path to recovery from her own experiences. The book doesn’t shy away from the complexities of emotions and relationships, either, and it really does show characters who may not understand, but are willing to. It’s something I really liked, and it was wonderful to see Margot have the same thoughts and feelings many in similar relationships will have experienced, and it’s clear how much it’s impacted her, but she’s still supported by those around her.

It feels like sapphic festive romances are becoming that little bit more common year by year, and it’s really lovely to see. This one definitely deserves a place high on your Christmas TBR – it’s festive, fun, emotional at times, and overall a very satisfying read, leaving you with the kind of warm and fuzzies you want after a Christmas romance.

Thank you to Penguin for providing a copy of this book – views, as always, remain my own.

For a feel good Christmas story, this is very cute!

Margot and Ben agree to fake-date for Christmas so she doesn't have to spend Christmas day with her mum, who always has an awkward new toy boy, and he doesn't have to be the only single one at his family's grand manor house. Unsurprisingly, it gets messy when Margot falls for Ben's sister Ellie, who suspects Margot isn't being truthful about something from the beginning!

As much as I enjoyed the general themes and the feel good nature of it, I found the writing style a bit confusing, as parts were written almost like diary entries, and others seemed to happen in present time. I also found there to be too much going on, with random subplots that dipped in and out, without actually having time to flesh any of them out. The HEA was also a little too sickly sweet!

Overall it was a cute, festive read that I enjoyed, but found a bit chaotic and forgettable. I'd probably read another book by the author still though!

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Feels painfully cheesy, but don’t let the characters hear you say that because they hate all things cheesy, apart from cheese. They’re not like other girls, they like indie music, but girl in red isn’t indie enough for them. And they hate it when girls are clumsy in real life, because apparently that’s something that you can choose, although my shins beg to differ from where I hit them on the coffee table every other day! Obviously not on purpose, just because I’m a klutz - how dare I!

The characters felt so immature. If you told me they were on break from uni, I would believe you. But actually they’re supposed to be like 30.

I don’t know, this book just irritated me a lot.

Margot Murray has no enticing plans this Christmas so when one of her clients, Ben Gibson, asks her to come to his family’s country home and pretend to be his girlfriend, she says yes.

Fake dating, at Christmas, in a countryside house; Margot and Ben are the stuff romcoms are made of, right? Wrong. Margot is as gay as they come, but Ben’s sister Ellie is most definitely her type.

Too bad Ellie thinks Ben’s new girlfriend is a gold digger.

I do enjoy some sappy Christmas romances and movies this time of year, and this sapphic festive love story was exactly what I was in the mood for. I loved that it wasn’t the usual fake dating, small town family drama setting.

One of my favourite things was the mystery of Mitsi the dog’s immaculate conception. It had me giggling a few times.

Talia Samuels has brought out an awesome debut novel for anyone who loves
- Fake dating
- Queer love stories
- Countryside dwellings
- Mysteriously pregnant dogs
- Festive cheer