Title: A Very Perry Christmas
Author: Marie Landry
Publisher: Independently published
Genre: Family, Christmas
Pages: 124
My Rating: 6/10
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A very Perry Christmas
Evan Perry and Gwen have been a couple for a year now and they are already living together. But Gwen has never met Evan’s family but she is going to meet them soon because they are spending Christmas days together with the whole Perry family. But it is not going to be a very relaxing Christmas, as Evan said before they left and he was right. His brother is a control freak and he has made a schedule for everyone: when to buy a Christmas tree etc. The other brother is a newlywed and he and his wife are constantly making out, sometimes in inappropriate places. The oldest sister joined them later and she is a famous writer and can’t stop talking about herself. The other sister came back from backpacking through Europe but Evan (and Gwen) can tell she is hiding something.
Review
I bought ‘a very Perry Christmas’ for the holidays, but eventually, I did tread during Christmas weekend. So on the first day of 2022, I decided to read it. The cover looked cute and I maybe bought his book because I had a cat named Perry. But I did not even read what the book was about before I started reading it.
This book is very short, so I finished it in just one day. This book had 300 pages on my reader, so that is 124 pages in a physical book. Although I have to say it felt longer than just 124 pages. But let’s start at the beginning, I bought this book because I thought it was going to be a romance book. I mean, it kind of is. But I was expecting the two main characters would fall in love, but in this book, they are already together and their relationship is pretty good. So I learned my lesson. I should always read the synopsis of a book. I like to read romance books and about how people get together. So I guess I was a little bit disappointed by this book, even though it was my fault.
But on the other hand, I could imagine that this is the kind of book you want to read during Christmas. It gives you a warm and good feeling. In the Perry family, they only see each other once a month probably. Evan and his little sister are closer but other than that it felt like they were forced to spend Christmas together. But luckily Gwen is there too this year and she kind of sees that this Christmas is a disaster. She misses those Christmas with her dad and how much fun that was. But Gwen is the kind of woman that wants to fix everything. She talked to everyone and somehow they all changed a bit and they grew as a family. They became closer. But this book was good in the way that they became closer as a family and let go of their habits. Because making a tight schedule for Christmas is no fun and it is also not fun if someone talks about herself all the time. And in the end, there was just a lot of love in this family. I liked that.
But I also like when a book has a plot twist or when something fun happens. I was missing that. I mean, they all grew as a person and it was nice to read about that. But other than that it felt like I was reading someone’s diary. For example: ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’ is a reality program and it follows their life. Somehow it is entertaining for some people but at the same time, it is also a bit boring. I had the same feeling when I was reading this book. It was a mix of entertainment but also a bit boring. I get that 124 pages are not enough to put too many things in it. But I don’t know. I just don’t think this was the right book for me. It was just average. I don’t think I will remember this book in a year.
And maybe it was me, but weirdly I was kind of hoping that Gwen would fall for the oldest brother. Somehow I felt there was a vibe between the two. And I thought that he was acting weird because he had a crush on Gwen. I was kind of hoping that would happen. But then again, I don’t think that would not fit the vibe the author was going for. But somehow I was still hoping, maybe I read too many enemies to lovers kind of books.
Again, it was not a horrible book. The writing style and storyline were not that bad at all. But I think I just picked the wrong book. I kind of have a specific taste in books. Or maybe I was just disappointed it was not really about romance. Again: that was my fault I know.
Can I still recommend this book? It was not the worst book I’ve ever read so I think some people will like this. When you are looking for a book about family and how they become closer as a family, then this is the book for you. It will give you a warm Christmassy feeling. And if you liked this book, there is also a second book about the Perry family called ‘A Very Perry Wedding’. I am not sure if I will read that book soon because I have hundreds of books I still want to read, but who knows.