Thursday, December 8, 2016

Ex-Mas by Kate Brian

Series: Standalone

Publication: October 6th 2009 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Source: My Sister's Bookshelf ;D

Goodreads Summary: Two Exes. One holiday adventure. Merry Ex-Mas?

Seventeen-year-old Lila Beckwith's parents just left for vacation, and Lila's all set to throw the holiday party of the season. But when her Christmas-obsessed little brother, Cooper, discovers that global warming is melting the North Pole, he and his best friend, Tyler, take off on a runaway mission to save Santa.

Lila has to get Cooper safely home before her parents get back on Christmas Eve. But the only person who can help her is Tyler's older brother, Beau — a.k.a. Lila's musician, anti-everything ex-boyfriend.
It'll take more than a Christmas miracle for Lila and Beau to overcome their differences and find their fugitive brothers. But could a journey destined for disaster help these polar opposites fall in love...all over again?
Goodreads Page

My Thoughts:

Read for #AVeryMerryReadathon
Challenge #2: Read a book with Christmas colors on the cover

I liked this book much more than I expected to. I've read two Kate Brian books in the past so I'm not sure why I expected this book to be incredibly clichéd and cheesy like most Christmas books but it certainly is not just as her other books are not.

The characters, while not unique in any way, were still enjoyable to read about for me. I liked that the main characters' pasts were revealed throughout the plotline and we got to know who they used to be compared to who they are now. Lila's and Beau's past relationship and the reason they broke up was very different than what I'd pictured but a nice surprise. I've always liked the alternative/grungy type of aesthetic and Beau definitely was an interesting character for me in that respect. Lila's chosen path was interesting in her dedication to changing everything about herself to become one of the popular girls in school. Between the two main characters, I feel that there would be something for most readers to relate to.

The plot was fun and fast-paced. Just as it seemed that Beau and Lila were about to finally catch up to their brothers, everything went wrong again and they were off to solve another problem. In the meantime, Lila's and Beau's short conversations discussing the past and why they broke up and their resentment for each other definitely brought a "real issue" type of feel to the book which I really appreciated and felt was well done. Their banter was one of the highlights of the book for me.


There were definitely some issues I had with the book. For example: Lila's parents somehow being able to afford to give their 17-year-old daughter a BRAND-NEW VW Beetle Convertible (do you have any idea how much those things cost????), Beau's apparently everlasting iPhone battery (that was probably the funniest goof of all. As if an iPhone would ever be able to be used constantly for over 24 hours without going dead), as well as Lila repeatedly driving on just a learner's permit and completely unafraid to drive packed, gridlocked California freeways. But overall, if you're wanting a faster-paced, not-cheesy Christmas book with some surprising real issues discussed, this would be a good book to pick up this season!




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