Book Review: The Winter Boyfriend by Christina Benjamin

Title: The Winter Boyfriend

Author: Christina Benjamin

Release Date: November 27, 2018

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Trigger Warnings: Loss of a parent, depression, pregnancy

Summary

Chloe Price is ready for a quiet Christmas, working at her family lodge, missing her sister, who has planned a trip to Italy with her sorority, and trying to get over Brady, the ex-boyfriend who cheated on her and broke her heart. However, when her sister surprises her by coming home for the holidays, Chloe is ecstatic, only to learn that her sister is not alone. She has brought home her boyfriend… and his brother, Ethan Hall. The connection between the two is instant, but Chloe still needs to sort out her feelings from her last relationship before she can dive head first into a new one.

What I liked

• It was like a Hallmark Christmas movie: Now, for anyone who knows me, my favorite holiday is Christmas, and one of my favorite things to do during this season is parking myself on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa and a plate full of fudge and cookies and watch Hallmark Christmas movies all day (literally all day). This book read just like one of these movies. The family literally lives on a Christmas tree farm. I loved it from the very beginning. I know it may be a couple weeks after Christmas that I am reading and reviewing this book but I felt the spirit of the holiday strongly while I was reading this. From the log cabin in the middle of a snowy forest to the constant strings of Christmas lights in every scene, this book extended one of my favorite holidays in the best way. Also, I want to try every flavor of hot cocoa that was discussed in this novel! Peppermint mocha, gingerbread hot cocoa, cinnamon horchata hot cocoa! I mean come on!!!
• Family: This book held strong themes of family. Chloe and her sister have such a strong relationship that goes through rocky times but still remains strong. It reminds me of my sister and me when she went across the country to college. The entire Price family unit is strong and only becomes stronger with the three new additions to the family (You will know what I mean when you read the book 😉 teehee). Ethan gained so much more than a relationship with Chloe, he gained a family and it was a beautiful thing to read.
• The characters: You may be sick of hearing this but… I love Christina Benjamin’s characterization. Something I discovered in this read, that as always present in her other novels, is that there is always something new to discover about these characters. Every single character has a depth that is never revealed fully until the end of the story, which makes these books interesting to read and definite page-turners. And of course, I even felt an attachment to the antagonist, Brady. I mean he is a harmless young man who will grow out of his stupid ways and I hope he finds himself in a great relationship.
• The ugly Christmas sweaters (What can I say, I have a soft spot for them)

What I did not like

• Beginning: I will say, it did take me almost half of the book to become attached to these characters, but once I was, I was hooked. By the end, I was flipping the pages, wanting to know what will happen in the end.

Overall…

I loved this book. It was a super short and sweet read that is perfect to read while cozied up under a blanket with a cup of hot cocoa, coffee, tea, or anything else. I recommend this book at any time of the year, but especially during the Winter!

“They are bookends, designed to hold each other up the way no one else could.”

– Christina Benjamin, The Winter Boyfriend

Talk to me!

What is your favorite season?

Do you have any other Christmas/Winter books you can recommend?

What is your favorite hot drink to read with?

Let me know in the comments!

Love,

Jackie

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