In Blame it on the Mistletoe by Beth Garrod (originally released last year as All I Want for Christmas), social media influencer Elle, or @OneElleOfATime, decides to swap lives with a follower who lives in her mother’s childhood hometown, Little Marsh United Kingdom, in an attempt to win a high-stakes social media challenge. Christmas-fanatic, @OneElleOfATime fan, and Little Marsh resident, Holly, decides to apply for Elle’s holiday switch after finding out that her family is moving, her sister won’t make it home for Christmas Day, and her ex-boyfriend has already moved on. Once Elle and Holly figure out that their mothers know each other, plans are made for Elle to come to Little Marsh and for Holly to come to America for Christmas. Elle’s time in Little Marsh mainly consists of trying to ignore internet trolls while finding the most epic Christmas-themed photo ops (in an attempt win the drama-filled social media challenge) with the help of Holly’s cute yet quirky friend named Fred. Meanwhile in America, Holly gets all the holiday feels while hanging out with Elle’s Scrooge-like and secretive twin brother, Nick.
Blame it on the Mistletoe is a unique and “Christmassy” take on the classic switching places trope. Fans of Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox, Let It Snow by Johnson, Green, and Myracle, and So, This Is Christmas by Tracy Andreen will all adore this new release. I would also recommend Blame it on the Mistletoe to fans of Jenny Han as well as fans of Christmas movies like The Holiday and The Princess Switch. This book would be great to read during the winter months because it is full of festive adventures and holiday traditions. Whilst it is a festive book, it also deals with themes such as change versus tradition, desire to escape, family, growing up, love and heartbreak, and technology. As a result of temporarily switching lives, Elle and Holly develop a stronger sense of self and learn to embrace the true spirit of Christmas.
I loved all the holiday-themed and fun-filled adventures that Elle and Holly went on during their swap; my favourites were Elle’s #OneElleOfAChristmasDayInLondon shenanigans, including a visit to King’s Cross Station (a.k.a. the station where Platform 9 ¾ from Harry Potter is located), and Holly’s trip to Manhattan with Nick. Similarly, I loved Holly’s extremely festive personality; she breaks out the Christmas decorations and attire super early, she writes herself a Christmas card every year, and she has “golden rules” for Christmas (never say no to a holiday drink and never wimp out of the high notes in Mariah Carrey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You). Also, I enjoyed the Christmas Day playlist included at the end of the book—I will definitely be listening to this in December! Lastly, without giving anything away, I thought the ending of Blame it on the Mistletoe was perfect.
Some cons for me were that the book was slow to start and rather long; furthermore, it was frustrating to have to wait approximately 100 pages until Elle and Holly swap places and the holiday-filled fun ensues. I also didn’t like how the book was constantly switching between Elle and Holly’s perspectives because it was hard to keep track of and the storylines didn’t crossover with each other that much.
Overall, Blame It On The Mistletoe was a cute, fun, and festive Christmas read that I highly recommend adding to your December TBR list.
Blame It On The Mistletoe is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of November 2nd 2021.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Tweet Cute meets the movie The Holiday in this funny holiday rom-com where two very different girls swap lives for a Christmas adventure.
Elle is a social medial star with the #DreamLife…or so it seems. Determined to shake up her content and gain new followers, she’s on a mission: can she find a British fan to swap with for Christmas?
Holly loves everything about Christmas. But after a mortifying mistletoe disaster with her ex, her perfect plans unravel like a bad Christmas sweater. Can Holly save the holidays when she switches places with favorite social media influencer?
Elle gets more than she bargained for when she meets the cute boy from across the street. And Holly wasn’t expecting Elle to have a handsome twin brother. This holiday is full of surprises.
