Hello Readers! I was happy to be invited to read and review four upcoming original holiday short stories, two of which I’d already had my eye on. Each story will be released throughout the holidays and they’re free to read for Amazon Prime subscribers or $1.99 for everyone else. 🙂
While I enjoyed some more than others, each story is well-written and well-worth the time. I had a wide range of emotions while reading these four stories. They’re perfect for the busy holiday months when we want something short, but festive to pick up. I’ll be giving you a synopsis of each story and quick review to let you know what I enjoyed most.
Let’s see which ones were my favorites!
Model Home by J. Courtney Sullivan
Title: Model Home
Author: J. Courtney Sullivan
Genre: Fiction, Holiday
Published On: October 28, 2021
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Source: digital
Pages: 39
Synopsis:
Not happy? No problem. Fake it. From New York Times bestselling author J. Courtney Sullivan comes a sharp-witted short story about the reality of reality TV.
Judging by the popularity of her home-makeover show, Katie has it all: a sweet-natured husband, Damian, as her cohost; adorable tween daughters; a designer mansion; and a just-folks appeal that has made the happy couple home-renovation royalty. Out of the spotlight, it’s a different story. Katie’s marriage is disintegrating, her spoiled daughters despise her, and her money can’t do anything to repair her personal problems—or her professional ones. With a contract up for renewal and Damian ready to bail after one last holiday special, Katie can kiss her artificial world goodbye too. But if there’s one thing a pro like Katie knows how to do, it’s negotiate.
Goodreads
Amazon
My thoughts
(Spoiler free)
Model Home is not a happy read; don’t expect likable characters. But if you’re a fan of dark comedies or if you’ve always imagined what really goes on off-camera on those addictive home improvement shows, then give this one a try. Think Chip and Joanna Gaines gone very wrong.
“I don’t always recognize myself these days. My hair is longer and blonder than ever and thickened by extensions. My body’s like a teenage lifeguard’s. Better than the body I had at sixteen. There is no better powerful motivator for going cold turkey on the mint Milanos and committing to a daily spin class than seeing yourself in high-def on a regular basis.”
J. Courtney Sullivan, Model Home
I’ve only read one other book by Sullivan, her second novel Maine, about the female members of a family in varying stages of life when they reunite for their summer holiday in Maine. But I enjoyed it enough to pick up another novel by her, Saints for all Occasions, which is waiting to be read on my shelf.
I was impressed with how quickly Sullivan sets up the plot and characters in Model Home. She even weaves their backstory in, showing the reader how far this couple has strayed from the happy marriage they once had when they were desperately in love. But seeing how extreme their professional and private relationship has become is what makes this one so intriguing.
If the Fates Allow by Rainbow Rowell
Title: If the Fates Allow
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Fiction, Holiday
Published On: November 18, 2021
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Source: digital
Pages: 37
Synopsis:
After a long, lonely year, two people stumble toward each other in this holiday short story by the #1 New York Timesbestselling author of Eleanor & Park and Fangirl.
Social distancing came easily to Reagan. Maybe a little too easily. She’s always liked people better from afar. But Reagan doesn’t want her grandpa to be alone for Christmas this year—he’s already spent too much time on his own in 2020. So she heads back to her hometown with a dish of holiday Jell-O salad, hoping they can have a little normalcy. Hoping it will be safe…
She isn’t expecting to run into the boy next door. Mason is all grown up now. He’s considerate. He’s funny. He doesn’t mind how prickly Reagan is—he maybe even likes it. And it makes Reagan feel like her defenses are falling. She needs her defenses, doesn’t she? In a time when six feet is close enough, how long can they keep their distance?
Goodreads
Amazon
My thoughts
(Spoiler free)
Rainbow Rowell has hit the right notes when crafting a story set less than a year ago, Christmas 2020, when the world was trying to navigate its first holiday season during the divisive Covid-19 pandemic. This sweet and witty story took me back to the emotions, fear, and small joys I experienced last Christmas.
“You must think I’m crazy. Paranoid.”
Rainbow Rowell, If the Fates Allow
“I would have,” she said, “before. But now…I don’t even know what it means to be crazy. If you’re as careful as you’re supposed to be, you seem neurotic. I feel neurotic. Now. And I never used to be. I’m the sort of person who’d share an ice cream cone with a dog.”
I’m a fan of Rowell’s, having read and enjoyed almost all of her previous work. I’ve read her previous short stories, as well, and I was confident I would enjoy this one, knowing how well she can craft a story with such few words.
I couldn’t help but see myself in Reagan. As an introvert, social distancing isn’t much of a hardship for me, either, but having that human connection is irresistible. And watching Reagan and Mason connect with all the complexities and confusion of social distancing is rewarding and inspiring. This holiday story is hopeful, setting the perfect mood for Christmas 2021.
The Marriage Test by Suzanne Redfearn
Title: The Marriage Test
Author: Suzanne Redfearn
Genre: Fiction, Holiday
Published On: November 23, 2021
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Source: digital
Pages: 65
Synopsis:
From the bestselling author of In an Instant comes a heartfelt short story about one couple’s journey to discover if there really is a secret ingredient to happily ever after before their upcoming holiday wedding.
When Ava Barnes’s boyfriend, Justin, proposes after a whirlwind romance, the young couple embarks on a quest that will test their love. For generations, engaged couples in Ava’s family have traveled into the Everglades to retrieve the egg of the magnificent frigate bird in order to bake it into a marriage cake. Those who succeed live happily ever after, while those who fail are destined for heartbreak. With Ava’s beloved grandmother gravely ill, never has the marriage tradition meant so much. Ava’s dream is to pass the test so her grandmother can attend Ava’s holiday wedding to the man she loves.
So Ava, Justin, and their best friend Walton as a witness set off on a remarkable adventure that will challenge the true depth of their character and devotion. An emotional, heartrending journey of self-discovery, The Marriage Test turns out to be far more than any of them imagined.
Is there any test more challenging than a test of love?
Goodreads
Amazon
My thoughts
(Spoiler free)
Out of all the short stories here, The Marriage Test is the longest and least “festive”. Maybe because it’s set in sunny Florida, but Christmas also isn’t a big part of this story. However, it does involve a lot of baking, and the marriage cake sounds delicious!
“No marriage is perfect,” she says. “And not everything you do together will work. The question is what you can live with and what you can’t live without. For me, I could live with my husband not sharing my love of cooking, but I could not live with a man who did not understand my love of cooking.”
Suzanne Redfearn, The Marriage Test
The unique plot of an engaged couple needing to complete a task to guarantee their marriage will be a happy one kept me reading, however I never really connected with the main characters. Unfortunately, I didn’t find them very likable, and the ending left me unsatisfied.
I’ve only read one book by Redfearn, Hadley and Grace, but I enjoyed it! I do have In an Instant, the book she’s best known for, but I haven’t had a chance to pick it up yet. The Marriage Test is well-written and I was a fan of the plot, but the execution left me wanting a bit more.
Oh. What. Fun. by Chandler Baker
Title: Oh. What. Fun.
Author: Chandler Baker
Genre: Fiction, Holiday
Published On: November, 30, 2021
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Source: digital
Pages: 46
Synopsis:
Everyone is home for the holidays, clamoring for all the Christmas cheer only their mother can whip up. They can already smell the chestnuts roasting—or is that Mom’s hair on fire? From a New York Times bestselling author comes a laugh-out-loud short story for any mom who’d rather wreck the halls.
Tyler, Channing, and Sammy Clauster have descended on their childhood home, with significant others and four-year-old twins in tow, for another good old-fashioned Christmas. Overwhelming holiday magic, as always, comes courtesy of their mom, Claire. They know she’s thrilled to cook, wrap gifts, decorate, accommodate, play games, overprepare every Christmas Eve Eve Eve tradition, and still let Dad be known as the Fun One. It’s her thing, right? Maybe the family should have paid closer attention. Because this year, something is a little off-key—and it’s not just the carols.
Goodreads
Amazon
My thoughts
(Spoiler free)
Chandler Baker’s Oh. What. Fun. is the short story I had the most fun reading. I smiled and laughed so much with this one—so much so, I read it again! The Clauster family takes their mom for granted and she’s finally hit her limit. If only her family would have been paying attention…
“We love Mom, really we do, but Dad is just fun to be around. He’s not afraid to be goofy. Like when we were kids it was Dad who played freeze tag with us in the backyard, who taught us kick the can, who made silly faces in family photos and, looking back, maybe Mom has always had some predisposition to disappearing because what was she doing in the house alone after dinner? How long did it really take to fold laundry? How many times a week does one need to go to the grocery store? It was out of deference to authority that we personally never thought to ask.”
Chandler Baker, Oh. What. Fun.
I’ve read two of Baker’s previous novels, The Whisper Network and The Husbands, both of which capture her wit. She’s an intelligent writer, creating characters who leap off the page, placing them in extraordinary circumstances. The clueless Clauster family may be my favorite of her characters, so far.
So much of this story is familiar—which had me a little worried at first—until I realized every mom will find something in this story to identify with. This is a story for all the moms who’ve felt overwhelmed at the holidays, who’ve felt unseen, unappreciated, and unloved. And who’ve imagined doing something drastic to make their family notice. Oh. What. Fun. may become an annual holiday read for me!
Thank you to Pitch Lit for providing me with an early copy.
Will you be adding any of these to your TBR? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Wandering!
Rowell’s and Baker’s sound like the winners here!
Yes! They were the most festive, as well. 🙂
It’s been a long time since I read anything by Rainbow Rowell. I’ve missed her writing but since her concentration in recent years has shifted to comics and YA fantasy, I’ve been without a fix. If the Fates Allow sounds like the RR of old that I loved so I’ll be looking forward to reading it.
Me too! And yes, this one was reminiscent of the Rainbow Rowell of old. If you haven’t read her other short stories—that aren’t fantasy—I would recommend those, too. <3
These sound like fun! I’ve read some of the Amazon Originals short stories before, and they really do seem to be a very mixed bag in general. I’ll be looking into Oh. What. Fun. at least, though, because that sounds like a perfect holiday treat.
I believe this was my first time to read Amazon Original short stories. But I know I’ve put some on my tbr before. Short stories, in general, tend to be a mixed bag for me, too. 🙂
I read all of their Forward collection, as well as their fairy tale one (that I’ve forgotten the name of). Honestly, though, from your experience it sounds like the holiday one was a better collection overall than the other two which I read.
I remembered that I’d actually read an Amazon Original short story by Taylor Jenkins Reid that I enjoyed. I think I gave it 3.5 stars. So I wasn’t blown away, but it was worth the read. 😉 I hadn’t heard of the Forward ones, but I looked them up and I’m impressed with the authors. I may have to give them a try sometime!
The Forward ones had some good stories in them, I hope you enjoy any that you decide to try!
Great post Dedra. I have Amazon Prime in Canada, so will have to see if I have access to any of them. I like the sound of Oh What Fun as it is so Christmasy.
Yes! I hope you get to read it. I loved that one so much. I think they’ll be available as audiobooks, as well, but I don’t know for sure. 🙂
I absolutely love the colourful covers and they 100% give me happy holiday vibes! Oh. What. Fun. sounds like a really funny read and I think I’d definitely like to check it out this season 🙂 Great reviews, Dedra!
I hope you get to pick it up! It’s a fun one, for sure. 🙂