In this enemies-to-lovers YA novel, The Christmas Clash is a modern Romeo and Juliet retelling of two Asian teens and their families rivalling restaurants within the neighbourhood mall, featuring everything from high school drama, mouthwatering food, and of course, a touch of all things Christmas.
Chloe Kwon and Peter Li are far from being friends, just like how their parents loathe each other. A 15 year grudge separates their families, despite each family owning a restaurant (Chloe’s being Korean and Peter’s being Chinese) within the local Riverwood mall’s food court. However, a notice goes out Riverwood is going to be demolished in favour of building a mixed-use space. Eviction notices are also sent out to all the mall tenants, and the Kwon’s and Li’s have no idea what to do next. An unlikely collaboration between Peter and Chloe forms to figure out how they can save the mall and all that their families hold dear.
As for the plot of the story, I thought it only gave subtle touches into Christmas and the holidays given it was the wintertime. It didn’t encompass the book as a whole, but wouldn’t necessarily deem the title of it “book bait.” This comes into play knowing that Chloe and Peter have seasonal jobs at the mall, with Chloe working as a Santa’s Workshop photographer, and Peter working at a Santa VR experience. The plotlines that arose were Chloe and Peter figuring out how to save the mall, and Chloe’s big photography mentorship. Both elements brought the plot together, but it didn’t contribute to the pacing since it seemed it was on the slower side.
Following both of the protagonists around and with their point of view’s switching off throughout puts the story into a broader perspective. There wasn’t really too much of the “enemy” element coming from Chloe and Peter, and the communication between the two at first came off more as teasing than an actual rivalry. The romance subplot came off as the typical YA love story which was enjoyable. Where Chloe is more of the spoken figure, Peter comes off as a bit more reserved, which in turn balanced their eventual relationship out. Speaking for the rivalry of their parents, I was hoping to see more petty comments and arguments spewed, but instead was met more with the silent treatment. This didn’t cause too much of an issue, but it would’ve added more depth and context to the rivalry of the families.
Strong elements included the diversity of the characters. Chloe and Peter are both the second born children of their families, and each have to deal with the older “golden” child of the family. Where Chloe compares herself to Hannah, Peter with Sam. This is a rivalry within itself, but important points are made in the book about self-individuality and the yearning for what you want rather than everyone else’s desires of you. Park does a great job of describing this, and I feel this is an important aspect for the audience to understand.
Another element of this book was its overall representation of Asian cultures. Firstly, the descriptions of the food from the Li and Kwon restaurants were amazing. It had me wanting Shrimp Lo Mein and Korean Mandu throughout the whole read, and it was wholesome (and cute) to see Peter and Chloe partake in meal swaps behind the backs of their parents. Secondly is the yearn for the American Dream and the potential for opportunities, and this is especially seen in Chloe’s family who immigrated from Korea to seek a better life. This is important in today’s day and age, and seems to represent all those who look for opportunities beyond their conventional life.
The Christmas Clash had its ups and downs as a YA novel, but nonetheless gave representation to the Asian community, and communities as a whole. It’s a novel of teen romance, working together, forgiveness, and a willingness to fight for those things you care about.
The Christmas Clash is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Who’s naughty and nice at Riverwood Mall? In this hilarious holiday rom-com, two rivals get together to save their families’ livelihoods, and Christmas, too!
Chloe Kwon can’t stand Peter Li. It’s always been that way. Their families don’t get along either: their parents operate rival restaurants in the Riverwood Mall food court―Korean food for the Kwons and Chinese food for the Lis. Now it’s the holiday season and Chloe’s the photographer at the mall’s Santa Land, and Peter works at the virtual reality North Pole experience right across the atrium. It’s all Chloe can do to avoid Peter’s smug, incredibly photogenic face.
But it turns out the mall is about to be sold to a developer and demolished for condos. Eviction notices are being handed out right before Christmas. Their parents don’t know what to do, and soon Chloe and Peter realize that the two of them need to join efforts to try to save the mall. Just when it seems like they can put aside their differences and work closely (very closely) together, they discover that the Kwon and Li feud goes far deeper than either of them realize…
