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Love in Winter Wonderland by Abiola Bello
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. In no way did this affect my review or my rating of the novel.
Love in Winter Wonderland is a YA romance about Trey and Ariel, two high school students who come together in an effort to save Trey’s family bookshop called Wonderland. Trey has been in a long-term relationship with Blaire, the popular but shallow half of a set of twins, and he has always felt like they belong together. However, after discovering that Wonderland might need to close from lack of sales, Trey dives headfirst into a solution, and finds that his girlfriend Blaire quickly loses patience when he isn’t as available for her as he always was. Ariel is a temporary hire at the bookshop while Trey’s father recovers from an accident, and she can see the passion Trey and his family have for their business. Together, they use Ariel’s creativity and passion for art, and Trey’s avid social media following, to draw the attention of their community onto Wonderland’s struggles.
The real strength of Love in Winter Wonderland is the plot: the author does an excellent job of leveraging the reader’s passion for books and indie bookstores and the struggles of black entrepreneurs to push the plot forward. There were certainly times when the romance in the novel fell a little flat: Trey and Ariel are fairly typical high school students who make dumb mistakes and sometimes can’t see past their own egos, but I stayed invested in the fate of Wonderland, and itw as always clear that Trey and his family cared deeply about Wonderland as a representation of their family legacy. The plot structure was fairly straightforward with a clear goal, a typical third act break-up, and a tense climax when Trey isn’t certain whether they will raise the funds they need to keep Wonderland open. It worked quite well though – even if I could see the simplicity of the structure, it made for a cozy read and I enjoyed following along.
I appreciate the effort the author placed on keeping characterization unique: Blaire was the only character that really felt like a stereotype. Trey managed to walk the line between popular kid with his social media followers and good looks, and genuine geek with his love of books and music, and I appreciated how approachable he felt. Ariel too was more than just a quirky artist – she and her family are struggling after her father’s untimely death, and her history of an eating disorder, paired with her own passion for books and music, made her an interesting and dynamic character that I could root for. My struggles with the characters ultimately boiled down to their age – they’re teenagers and often act like it, and I can’t relate quite as well as I once could. Trey makes choices several times that go just as wrong as I think they will, and Ariel often struggles with boundaries and self-awareness. It makes them realistic, though, and probably more relatable to readers of a similar age, so it’s not a real complaint, just a personal preference.
In all, I’ll give Love in Winter Wonderland a 7 out of 10. This is a cute, light-hearted YA romance, and I think readers who are looking for something in that genre will really enjoy this. Readers who want a little more maturity out of their characters though are better off finding something aimed at an older audience.
The Perspicacious Bookworm 