Decked With Holly

Decked With Holly

Marni Bates

244 pages

Released: September 25, 2012

Publisher: KTeen

Source: purchased

★★★★★

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

There comes a time in the middle of every hot summer that I start yearning for the holiday season and all it's cheerfulness.  It hit me a couple weeks ago, so I picked up Decked With Holly, which I purchased on my birthday last year but had yet to read.  So here you go: a review of a Christmas book just in time to celebrate Christmas in July.

Holly has lived with her grandfather ever since her parents died when she was just a young girl.   This year, Grandpa is taking everyone on a cruise to celebrate his birthday, though the thought of being out in the ocean with her evil cousins isn't exactly appealing to Holly.  On top of that, she is experiencing some serious motion sickness on the ship.  Bursting into an open suite, just to throw up in toilet, she's met with pepper spray to face and that's how she meets Nick... the drummer from her favorite band, ReadySet.  Suddenly caught in the midst of a tabloid scandal, Holly must act like Nick's girlfriend in order to save face.

I was immediately drawn in by the fun plot in Decked With Holly.  Imagine accidentally finding yourself face to face with the drummer from your favorite band, and then having to be his pretend girlfriend for two weeks.  Sounds like a dream come true, right?  Well, not necessarily for Holly and Nick, who don't exactly hit it off right away.  But the chemistry between them was strong and listening to them banter back and forth was infinitely amusing.

The pair spends the next two weeks both on and off the cruise ship, playing the happy couple for the press.  They eat breakfast, frolic on the beach, and Holly even gets a makeover and the star treatment for her own birthday.  Hilarity and hijinks ensue.  But what happens with the cruise is over and both are left to return to their own separate lives?

There's nothing deep or prolific about Decked With Holly, but it has been one of my favorite reads of 2013 so far.  It's light, fun, and a great escape.  Five stars!  Decked With Holly is a ridiculously fun, spirited read.  Pick it up for a good time and even if you're a grinch who complains about all things holiday outside of December, pick it up and save it for Christmas Eve.