Author: Maggie Knox
Publication Date: 5 October 2021
Publisher: Putnam
Page Count: 351
Reading Method: Physical [Thank you to the publisher!]
Dates Read: November 20 – 23
Review
Twin bakers swapping places and falling in love? Say no more!
As with most dual POV stories, I found myself preferring to read Charlie’s chapters over Cass’, though both were enjoyable. Maybe it was the sexy firefighter that kept me eager to read more about Charlie. Ultimately, though the reader is told repeatedly that the twins couldn’t be more different, I had an incredibly difficult time distinguishing between the two’s personalities. You could have continually swapped them back and forth and I wouldn’t have known the difference. I found them to be quite interchangeable.
Did that stop me from enjoying this book? Absolutely not! I loved the baking show and how Cass approached the situation with a difficult (asshole) co-star. I loved watching Charlie fall back into the routine of being home for the holidays. I did find myself getting frustrated with Charlie because she literally could not be bothered to keep in contact with Cass. It didn’t really make any sense because you would think she would be obsessed with making sure Cass is doing a good job, yet she continually fails to send Cass the recipes she promised. This *does* allow for Cass to have fun with her own creations, and it was exciting to be a part of the creative process.
Overall, an enjoyable and sweet holiday read that is easy to get lost wrapped up in. I loved the small town setting, the descriptions of the holiday feelings, and the romances that developed as the story progressed. The ending was a lovely conclusion for all involved.
About the Book
All they want for Christmas is a different life.
When chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the L.A. set of her reality baking show, she loses a lot more than consciousness; she also loses her ability to taste and smell—both critical to her success as show judge. Meanwhile, Charlie’s identical twin, Cass, is frantically trying to hold her own life together back in their quaint mountain hometown while running the family’s bustling bakery and dealing with her ex, who won’t get the memo that they’re over.
With only days until Christmas, a desperate Charlie asks Cass to do something they haven’t done since they were kids: switch places. Looking for her own escape from reality, Cass agrees. But temporarily trading lives proves more complicated than they imagined, especially when rugged firefighter Jake Greenman and gorgeous physician assistant Miguel Rodriguez are thrown into the mix. Will the twins’ identity swap be a recipe for disaster, or does it have all the right ingredients for getting their lives back on track?
About the Author
MAGGIE KNOX is the pen name for writing duo Karma Brown and Marissa Stapley. Brown is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author of five novels, including the #1 national bestseller Recipe for a Perfect Wife, as well as the non-fiction bestseller The 4% Fix: How one hour can change your life. Her writing has appeared in publications such as Self, Redbook, Today’s Parent, and Chatelaine. She lives just outside Toronto with her family and a labradoodle named Fred. Stapley is a former magazine editor and the internationally bestselling author of four novels: Mating for Life, Things to Do When It’s Raining, The Last Resort, and Lucky. Marissa Stapley’s journalism has appeared in magazines and newspapers across North America, including The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Elle, Today’s Parent, and Reader’s Digest. She lives in Toronto with her family and a precocious black cat named Oscar. The Holiday Swap was their first novel writing together as Maggie Knox.
