New Year’s Kiss by Lee Matthews

|Synopsis|

Tess and her opinionated older sister Lauren are spending the week after Christmas at the snowy Evergreen Lodge in Vermont and they aren’t happy about it. Their stern grandmother, who owns the holiday resort, is not known for her warmth and good humor. But when shy, straight-laced Tess meets Christopher in the lobby, things are suddenly looking up. And when she decides to get out of her comfort zone and create a bucket list of things to accomplish before the New Year-like singing in public and skiing a black-diamond slope-Christopher is happy to help, even as he keeps a secret that could turn everything upside down. When the ball drops, will Tess and Christopher share a magical kiss-or will Tess start the new year off alone?

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|Review|

Tess and her sister Lauren are sent to their grandma’s resort for the week of New Year’s while their parents finalize their divorce. Things are not so great between the sisters. Besides the divorce they’re both complete opposites, with Lauren being bold and taking chances while Tess prefers to play by the rules and go along with things to not hurt peoples feelings. All of that changes though when Tess meets Christopher in the resort lobby and tells her she should be selfish sometimes and do what she wants. From there the New Year’s Bucket List is created! 

I immediately liked Tess. Her internal monologue was so funny and she’s very much a Type A introvert who is nervous to takes chances. I definitely remember being like her at that age so I felt and instant connection to her. Her journey to change her life in small, yet big ways really inspired me to make some changes in my own life.

The relationship between the sisters was my favorite part of this book though. They start off at odds with each other, slightly mean comments and blowing each other off. Obviously the divorce is putting a strain on their relationship, but Tess is a tad harsh in her sister for just doing what she wants versus what others expect. It was cute watching how the list changed their relationship.

Obviously we have some romance going on but it took a backseat to everything else happening in the book I felt like. It was very subtle and utterly charming. Christopher was so cute and genuine! I kept waiting for like a secret reveal or the other shoe to drop but he was a stand up guy through and through. His adventures with Tess and the list were fun and funny at times. 

This was a quick and easy read and I’m actually sad about it. I would love to follow more of Tess’s adventures and definitely felt like there was so much that could be expanded on. I love these quick reads by Underlined but they always leave me wanting more. If you’re looking for the Hallmark version of New Year’s Eve this is definitely the book for you and I cannot recommend it enough.