If you’re looking for a “what did I just read” this is definitely it. I’m just here for the good time.

I received All I Want for Christmas is Utahraptor by Lola Faust through NetGalley, and I went into it expecting a fun, quirky, and entertaining monster romance. While I don’t mind a bit of over-the-top absurdity in my monster smut, this one ultimately missed the mark for me.

My Thoughts

At first, I was on board with the premise. I enjoy short monster smut and have read plenty of it, so I wasn’t expecting high literature—but I was hoping for a solidly entertaining read with a bit of spice and charm. However, my enjoyment quickly took a nosedive when it reached the love scene.

The descriptions were… not it. Referring to a woman's privates as a love swamp was baffling, and comparing a body part’s taste to fish sauce was downright off-putting. These choices completely took me out of the moment, and instead of being immersed in the fantasy, I found myself cringing.

Beyond that, the story itself was barely there. I understand that short monster romance often prioritizes the spice over the plot, but even in that realm, there’s usually some level of engagement or chemistry between the characters. Here, it felt like the book was just rushing to the inevitable scene without giving me anything to invest in. The interactions lacked depth, and without a compelling story to anchor the absurdity, the whole thing felt hollow.

Final Verdict

I love weird, fun, and spicy monster romances, but this one just didn’t work for me. The writing choices, especially in the intimate scenes, pulled me completely out of the experience. If you’re looking for something on the wild side of holiday monster romance, this might still be up your alley—but personally, I’ve read much better in the genre.

⭐️⭐️ (2/5 stars)

I tried but nope, I just couldn't get into this one. Maybe dinos are just a little outta my comfort zone.

This was hilarious. I am obsessed with the fact that the dinosaur is her childhood friend. Unhinged and I loved it

Quick and easy read
A world where they bought dinosaurs back to life. But they talk and go to school.
Holly is in a relationship with an awful.guy and when she goes back home for Christmas she runs into her friend dinosaur from college

I love monster romances, but I never, ever thought I would run across a dinosaur/human monster romance. I loved it though. For what it was, it was cute. But I also laughed because a donor and a human?!?!

Always bonkers. Always a wild ride. Never a disappointment. Faust’s Dino romances are unique and delightful.

I absolutely loved this book. I am a big fan of all the crazy monster romance and this one was the perfect amount of insane to plot

Fun dinosaur romance story. I have enjoyed this author’s Dino romances. A bit silly but fun to read.

I don't know what I was expecting.....but that wasn't it.
Best part about this book was the trigger warnings and dedication. Made me laugh.

This was sweet and short and (weirdly) religious, and not at all what I was expecting after having read Faust’s Wet Hot Allosaurus Summer. I enjoyed it just fine, but found myself cringing more often than not. I missed some of the signature humor from Faust’s other book and from her trigger warnings. Have to give it some props though for conveying a surprisingly wholesome love story with a love-is-love type message and theme of acceptance.

This book was wild. The dinosaur was definitely better than her boyfriend was. If you like dinosaur romance I think you would like it? Just not my cup of tea.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

All I can say is WTH did I read. I am so sorry but I really did not like this book but I think its because its just not what I expected. I really wanted to like it but it just felt rushed, no character development. I wish I liked it but I did not.

I never thought I’d find dinosaur erotica wholesome but here we are. This was a quick, funny, cute read. Many of the metaphors and similes made me chuckle, and the dialogue was dramatic in an amusing way. There was only one sex scene, so if you’re looking for a lot of dinosaur sex, then this isn’t the book for you. It focuses more on Holly and her emotional journey, from realizing her current boyfriend, Thad, is an asshole, to rediscovering her love for her old high school feathered friend, Rocky the Utahraptor.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t high literature, but I didn’t see any grammar mistakes, and the whole world is creative in an amusingly unserious way, so I say pick it up if it piques your interest.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to review this book.

DNF. Sorry! Felt weird to read this. I know this is a sub genre that works for some audience, but that audience isn’t me. And I love dinosaurs lol.

Set aside any expectations of reality and you'll enjoy this story of Holly and Rocky the Utahraptor. Lola Faust's Dino erotica are wonderfully ridiculous and a great way to escape into a quick read.

Set aside any expectations of reality and you'll enjoy this story of Holly and Rocky the Utahraptor. Lola Faust's Dino erotica are wonderfully ridiculous and a great way to escape into a quick read.

This is my 2nd book by the author. The first being Wet Hot Allosaurus Summer. Just by reading the trigger warnings at the beginning you can tell that this author has a sense of humour. For example some listed are: Etsy, Christmas, jewelry, coffee, cottages, mountains, Canadians, hockey….etc. You get the jist. This was a really fun second chance/friends to lovers. She goes homes for the holidays and reunites with her high school friend Rocky. Who is……..you guessed it a Dinosaur. Short and sweet. Something different to read for the holidays.

Thank you netgalley and Lola Faust for an arc.

I mean -- I would recommend you go into this with zero expectations. Full of shenanigans and a glass of alcohol. It was entertaining for sure.