So This Is Christmas and So This Is Love By Tracy Andreen Reviews: Cozy and Heartwarming Winter Books
Synopsis of So, This Is Christmas (So, This Is Christmas #1)
Sarah Dessen meets Let It Snow in this new YA Christmas romance!
When Finley Brown returned to her hometown of Christmas, Oklahoma, from boarding school, she expected to find it just as she left it. Christmas hasn’t changed much in her sixteen years. But instead she returns to find that her best friend is dating her ex-boyfriend, her parents have separated, and her archnemesis got a job working at her grandmother’s inn. And she certainly didn’t expect to find the boy she may or may not have tricked into believing that Christmas was an idyllic holiday paradise on her grandmother’s doorstep.
It’s up to Finley to make sure he gets the Christmas he was promised. This is Finley’s Christmas. It’s about home and family and friends and finding her place, and along the way she also finds the best Christmas present of all: love.
Synopsis of So, This Is Love (So, This Is Christmas #2)
In the sequel to Tracy Andreen’s debut romantic comedy So, This Is Christmas, we follow Finley and Arthur back to Barrington Academy for a swoony semester.Finley and Arthur are back at boarding school and neither quite knows where the other stands–are they couple? Are they not a couple? What does one magical Christmas Eve kiss in Oklahoma mean for their relationship status?
This confusion isn’t helped by the re-entry of old enemies into their school lives, especially ones that may or may not be crushing on Arthur. Finley is at a loss when navigating the complexities of her new (maybe) relationship, which could very well turn into love. . . if she doesn’t blow it.
Genres/Categories
YA, Contemporary Romance
Trigger Warnings
Teen pregnancy, homophobia, parental separation, overbearing parents, mild racism (mentioned), lies, secrets, bullying, humiliation, ostracization.
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I don’t know about you, but where I am right now, it is freezing. Temperatures are at an all-time low but there is hardly any snow! Aside from weird but mild rain and snow flurries, my current abode hasn’t had a white blanket on the ground yet.
This is why books are perfect to make up for the weather during winter, especially the So, This Is Christmas Series.
Why The So, This Is Christmas Series by Tracy Andreen Are The Perfect Books To Read This Winter
The Female Protagonist’s Is Super Realistic
I’ve come across so many characters in books. I’ve mused about characters’ unflinching confidence. Admired and envied characters who are marvelously talented at something and they are not shy about it.
And I love reading about these strong characters because I always learn from them. Characters who are seemingly fearless inspire me.
But time and time again, I’m drawn to characters who are overthinkers, who make decisions anxiously, who can be warm a second and cold the other. Characters who are weird.
Maybe it’s because I do these things, and I’m weird, but also because these characters represent quite a lot of the world.
Right from the first page, our main protagonist, Finley’s realism shines through. She saves a bee. She loves naps so much that she even schedules them. Her decisions are slightly unhinged. And no one else ships her parents as much as she does.
If this hasn’t already made her endearing, Finley learns from her mistakes. “Learning from our mistakes” is a sentence we throw around a lot, sometimes without fully acknowledging it’s weight. But Finley Brown does it.
She has these moments of introspection sprinkled throughout the books. Moments that will make you think, “Oh, that’s a great way to look at it” or “Wait, don’t I do this too—I never realized that this could be perceived this way”. I love that we were given these heartwarming nuggets into Finley’s thought process.
The Romance is Tender and Relatable
This isn’t a story of first loves but it is a story of love. I adored Arthur and Finley. In the first book, So, This Is Christmas, you witness their growing connection, how they slowly build trust, how they open up to each other about things that matter. The ending was so sweet.
And I’d be perfectly fine with the first book itself if Tracy Andreen hadn’t crafted such a delicious second book, So, This Is Love.
So, This Is Love revealed a new side to Finley and Arthur’s romance. They realize that they must be friends before anything else. I loved reading about them solving problems together. Both Finley and Arthur overthink about their relationship, and in general. It truly was great watching them grow from like to love.
The So, This Is Christmas Series Has Delightful Supporting Characters
I have never shipped a characters parents as hard as I’ve shipped Finley’s. Finley and Arthur made me swoon but Finley’s parents made me swoon harder. And then there was another relationship in the series that I couldn’t help falling for.
Not to mention, I adored Finley’s blooming friendships in So, This Is Love. And I definitely need spin-off/companion novels with those characters as the leads because Tracy Andreen definitely did some hinting.
The Backdrop and Writing Style
Tracy Andreen’s experience writing Holiday Romance screenplays shows in both books. The writing struck a balance between sweet, hilarious, and serious. I was surprised by how she subtly weaved homophobia, racism, and another culture into the storylines.
Some books throw in a person of color for diversity but they never elaborate much more than that. Arthur, the male protagonist, is part-Indian and Tracy Andreen didn’t take his character lightly.
The first book is set in a small town called Christmas (isn’t that so cool?). I devoured all those wintry and Christmasy (season and town) descriptions.
Her writing in So This Is Love (set in the boarding school) made me want to do high school all over again—which is saying a lot from me because I despised high school.
And oh- the drama. I’m not a fan of drama in real life. I stay as far away from it as I can but the sticky situations these characters ended up getting in, I savored.
The So, This Is Christmas Series in a Nutshell
Pros
Relatable; tackles heavy, ever-present issues; adorable and clean romance; A++ main character; magical small town and boarding school settings.
Cons
Lovable side characters need books of their own—still waiting on that!
Recommended for
Those looking for some comfort and warmth during this winter
Comment Down below!
Have you read The So, This Is Christmas Series? If yes, how did you feel about it? Do you have any favorite books that you love reading during winter? Let me know in the comments below!
