The Plight Before Christmas

A top ten best seller on Amazon and the top best selling on holiday romance! And a top best seller for a rom com Clark Griswold Christmas 🎄

This book is about Whitney who doesn't get a promotion from work that she's busted her ass for and goes home for six days to NC to spend Christmas with her family. All seems to be okay until her car breaks down in the driveway.. literally. To top that off, her brother arrives with a plus one besides his wife and two little kids..ELI. Eli is a consultant and works for her brother but also..Whitney's Ex, COLLEGE EX. They had a bad breakup 17 years ago and well.. Here he is: The fun begins...

Review: Where do I begin?? There is so much to pack in but I don't want to leave a five paragraph review because no one wants to read a review that long so I'll say what my fifth grade teacher taught me: KISS aka Keep it simple stupid. Here it goes: This was well written. The characters were well brought out, well made. My heart tugged in places. I smiled at the family dynamic. I could totally relate to the dysfunction which made me laugh a little. There were some heavy hearted and difficult truth bombs. I had to withhold tears otherwise I would have bawled. Then there were freaking hilarious moments that I had trouble getting through because I couldn't stop crying from laughing so incredibly hard. I was gasping. It took me what seemed like forever to try to read past the hysterical moments. One part of the book, I laughed so hard, it too me FOUR TIMES to read it to where I could finally get through it. This book was witty, funny, hysterical, sad, heavy, truth bombed, inspirational and heart felt. It was also very Christmassy. A absolutely perfect Christmas book to read and reread a hundred times. I'll never forget this book. I'll cherish it. I'll hold it close and I'll definitely be buying it. I absolutely definitely recommend this. I also encourage you to spread this all over the net! It deserves it.

My rating is a ten out of ten!

Ps. Don't read this while everyone is sleeping..you will wake them up (I did by accident from laughing so hard)

This was perfect! Maxine & Joe as narrators are CHEFS KISS!! I laughed so much! WELCOME BACK TO TRIPLE FALLS! Kate Stewart is perfection! I now have one book left out of all the books she’s ever written & this is one of the top ones! SO FUNNY! I’m in my 30’s as clarification of my age, so if I can laugh; many can as a bitter old maid status that I am.

Narrators: Maxine & Joe, is there a better duo? No, I don’t believe so! I might be biased due to them being my first ever audio book I listened to, but since listening to several more afterwards; I do not believe you’ll find a better team than them. The way both of them are able to capture emotions and voices are miraculous! They tie EVERY. SINGLE. STORY. They are in together perfectly! You can easily tell the difference between character voices as well. Again, keep my age in mind; also know that I have an implant device in my ear to help my hearing (previously 3/4 deaf in right ear) so I’m still hard of hearing in right ear & I’m able to distinguish the voices.

Story: Christmas story, now I didn’t think I was going to get down with this right? I’m bitter about the holidays after all the grief I’ve faced through the years, & the holiday seasons have always been more challenging than most on me. I don’t ever read or listen to holiday books, but I’m determined to get through the Kate Stewart list of books (putting this one & Euro Dreams last). This story was epically hilarious. I’m talking about laughing like the Grown Ups movie funny, or Deadpool funny, just inappropriate humor, innuendos, but still life lessons to be learned (why I love Kate Stewart books). Now is there a part where you’ll be shocked? Oh yeah! I called one part, but the other, I was crying at one am… But also, welcome back to Triple Falls! You HAVE TO READ THE RAVENHOOD SERIES FIRST! MAJOR SPOILER!!!!!! & when you come back afterwards…. HIII SEEEAAAANN!

📚𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖📚

The Plight Before Christmas by: Kate Stewart

5⭐️

I rarely read holiday themed books, but I am so glad I decided to pick this one up. Obviously I am a huge fan of the Ravenhood series and I know Kate Stewart holds the power to destroy me in her hands- this book was no different. 


Eli and Whitney dated for almost a year in college and when Eli ended things, he destroyed both their hearts. Now, 17 years later, Eli has somehow found his way to Whitney's family Christmas as a guest of her brother. He's successful, rich and even more handsome than he was in college. But he's still the man who broke Whitney's heart, something she's never fully recovered from.

I loved the dynamics between all of the family members so much. Whitney's irritation with Eli boils over as her siblings try to work out their own issues: Serena and her husband are in the thick of it, basically living as roommates instead of spouses. Brendan and his wife seemingly have the perfect relationship, until someone drops a truth bomb on them. Her mom, Ruby, is trying to give everyone the perfect Christmas since the grandparents have passed away. And her dad, Allen, is just trying to remember to put his hearing aids in. Throw in a pre-teen and some toddlers and you've got yourself a first class mess.

Everyone in the family loved in a really big way, which also meant that the hurt they all felt at one point or another was so deep. It's my own first holiday season without my grandparents and it made me emotional to see the family try and keep traditions going. I cried for Eli so many times- as a child, as a college student and as a man trying to win back the love of his life. His back story was much deeper than I anticipated, but I could feel the truth and hurt starting to unravel from him the more time he spent with the Collins family. Seeing their past through memory flashbacks was one of my favorite parts of the book. Eli is the one person who hurt Whitney the most, but he also might just be the only person who can help put this family back together.

If you like the movie The Family Stone, you will love this book. And honestly, I would read this book at any point in the year. It's set at Christmas but the holiday is definitely just a background feature. BONUS, if you're a Ravenhood fan like me, you'll get a special surprise in chapter 25. (I died died DIED because that is my MAN!)

—𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝: 💍the family stone vibes 🥹second chance romance 🎭family drama 🤡hilarious family antics ⏰unique dual timeline 👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻his & hers POV

This was such a cute little winter time story that will tug at your heart strings. Eli and Whitney (college ex's) get thrown together for the holidays when Whitney's brother brings him to their family home. Eli tries to make amends with Whitney for everything he put her through and why he acted the way he did when they were together in college. But Whitney is stubborn even after 17 years later and still figuring things out for herself. The banter between them and the rekindling of their relationship is amazing. Definitely loved the cameo link in chapter 25 as well 🐦‍⬛ and the end of chapter 40 had me absolutely dying with laughter. The family can see just how much Eli is trying and they root for him to try and fix things with Whitney and wins the family's hearts in the process

Well I definitely teared up, per usual. Triple Falls, special appearance from King’s Automotive had me screaming “Sean MF-ing Roberts” so loud I got looks from the fam, BUT sooooo worth it! Eli was flipping adorable with her fam, Peyton was too cute, Ruby was hilarious, and Whitney was such a romantic. It was all so sweet and a great HEA and Sean Mother Trucking Roberts!! Enough said.

The Plight Before Christmas by Kate Stewart

5/5⭐️

Oh. My. Gosh. I loved this so much. The characters, the EMOTIONS, the banter - all wrapped up in a holiday package were FANTASTIC.

•My Blurb• Whitney has had a run of bad luck and being passed over for a promotion is the last straw. A Christmas reset with her family at their mountain cabin seems to be exactly what she needs. When her brother decides to bring home a friend, no one is more surprised than Whitney that it’s her college ex whom she hasn’t seen in 17 years. Eli was Whitney’s first love and he broke her heart - all these years later, his reappearance proves that her heart wound that she thought was healed is still raw. Why is he back? Why now? And can anything he says make up for the hurt he inflicted all those years ago? The holiday season can be tricky on its own but when you add deep hurts, secrets and unexpected family dynamics it’s even more complicated. Risking your heart again takes a lot of bravery and maybe even a little Christmas magic.

•My Thoughts• Look alive, people! This book was a holiday romance, yes, but it was SO MUCH MORE. Every single character was so relatable and the family dynamics were so real and raw and still absolutely hilarious all at the same time. I loved the way this story was written with flashbacks to the past but not a full dual timeline. There was a twist near the end too that I didn’t see coming at all and it just added even more depth to the story. The side characters each had their own stories and issues and their journeys are so relatable. Woven through all of these dynamics is the importance of family and honesty.

And now that all our masks are off, we’re floating in the same chaotic, directionless atmosphere together. Hopefully—at some point—no matter how bad the turbulence gets, we’ll rely on each other to get us through it and bring us back to the ground—the very definition of gravity.

My heart was so full while reading this - the swoon of the MCs rekindling relationship, the sibling dynamics both good and bad, the supportive parents all tied with a nostalgic holiday bow. Kate Stewart is a genius and this book is most likely on my top reads of the year list!

#holidayromance #contemporaryromance #theplightbeforechristmas #katestewart #bookreview #bookrecommendations

The Plight Before Christmas was a fabulous book. Just what I needed in a Holiday romance. I laughed during the entire book and I genuinely loved all the characters. I would not change one thing in this one. The setting brought me into the cabin for Christmas, the character details made me their long lost family member, and the plot gave me all the drama for a typical big family Christmas gathering. I know some people do not like slow burn romance, but I didn't mind it at all since there were so many family dramas going on at the same time.

Could you imagine going to meet your family for Christmas only to find your brother's coworker he is bringing along this year is your Ex? Not just a normal Ex either, THE Ex... you know... the one who took your heart and gave you all your future relationship issues!? Whitney and Eli are two ex lovers who dated in college. Eli lost his parents and harbored a huge secret from Whitney during their relationship. Whitney loved him with everything she had until she could no longer force him to see a future with her so she walked away. Fast forward seventeen years later and he has shown up with her brother at her grandparents cabin in time for their Christmas stay.

You will read about Whitney and Eli trying to coexist through their past memories and current situations. You will learn their faults, their secrets, and their inner feelings towards each other. You will laugh and you will cry. You will look around the room and make sure no one is watching you when you read the spicy bits. You will not want this book to end! I could go for a second book to be honest.

Dual POV Ex Lovers Forced Proximity Second Chance Romance Slow Burn

I adored this book! Second chance isn't my favorite trope but done right and they're great. This one did NOT disappoint. I don't think I have read one where this much time went by either, 17 years!

This was written so well, the family dynamic felt so relatable to real life family dynamics with the issues that popped up, how the kids acted, how siblings act together as adults.

There was also a twist at the end that I wasn't expecting but did explain sooo much. Every Kate Stewart book I have read makes me feel all the feels and this one lived up to that!! Just read it!!

🛷The Plight Before Christmas- REVIEW 🛷 By: @authorkatestewart 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 3/🌶🌶🌶

This is the perfect holiday traditional Christmas story. A Story that made me feel so wholeheartedly happy. All the feels, the swoon moments, the giggles, and the happy traditions made me wish I was part of their family.

Whit is having the worst luck in history. One bad news after another. The promotions that she had her heart set on was given to someone else, her car almost left her on the hill to her parent's Christmas cabin, and the cherry on top of bad lucks, her brother shows up with his new best buddy, his new associate, her collage ex AKA her first love.

Eli, the one who got away, her first love who broke her heart into pieces. Shows up after 17 years to apologize and to tell her the truth about what happened that one heartbreaking day. He wants her back and he is willing to do anything for that to happen.

This story is definitely a slow burn, the angst is build-up to become so so good, that it's worth waiting for it. Their connection and chemistry have stayed with them since day one. The eye-catching, the silent moments were just ughh so good!! 😍😍

The emotions were at an all-time high with Eli and Whit, not to mention every Collins sibling going through something in their love life, and only this one Christmas weekend to fix it all. but I highly recommend reading this book. There are some plot twists toward the end that I was not expecting which broke my heart.

Spoilers & Thoughts Below!!

•The Plight Before Christmas was a heartwarming second chance romance book.

•It is dual POVs of the main characters and they are each in their late 30s, which I really liked.

•The storyline was a bit heavy and heartbreaking at times but still well written and entertaining. All the side characters and their storylines were also really interesting and I loved the heroine’s family dynamic.

•The main characters, Whitney and Eli were great. They each had their own journeys and inner struggles to overcome, which was well developed and written.

•The romance between them had a bit of a push and pull due to their prior history. But nonetheless, they had amazing chemistry, angst, and tension. While, it was a slow-burn the spice that happens was really passionate and steamy.

•There were also a few flashbacks of the Whitney and Eli’s past relationship that I thought were so beautiful and heartbreaking. So I really liked seeing their history and connection when they were younger.

•The easter egg in chapter 25 was absolutely incredible and made me shed a few happy tears.

•The ending did wrap up a bit too quickly but still an enjoyable conclusion.

•Overall, just a heartfelt read with a beautiful romance.