Book Review: The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo

Lila, our main character – a Filipino-American girl about to finish High School – works at a local inn part-time. It’s not just any regular old inn. In Holly, her hometown in New York, the inn holds a special place of memory for a novel-turned-book that took place, Holiday By The Lake. Lila is a huge fan of it, so working there is a major plus for her. And she gets to create her own bookish corner too, something she’s immensely passionate about as a book lover and secret blogger. 

But the holidays don’t go without a hitch. Lila plans to work extra hours to pay for her upcoming tuition to University, but then her boss’s nephew Teddy arrives, absorbing her highly coveted hours as her new co-worker, tumbling straight into her life, striking a nerve as he does. Only one afternoon, they accidentally switch phones in a mishap, Lila not even realising until it’s far too late. Suddenly she’s face-to-face with Teddy, both of their secrets on display to each other. Her secret blog – Tinsel and Tropes – is now a secret held in his hands, and she’s slowly learning that he’s sitting on secrets just as large. What should drive them further apart only brings them closer together though, and slowly Lila and Teddy melt from enemies to friends to something a little more, blurring the lines with each new slice of their lives that they divulge to one another. And with a huge event upcoming at the inn – plus Christmas and New Year’s, it’s a matter of time before their secrets, and their newfound fondness of one another, is up in the air.

Overall, I absolutely adored The Holiday Switch. What I thought would be a light and fluffy holiday romance actually made me feel so comforted and happy in a way. I really love Tif’s style of writing, her way of describing the holidays being so immersive and atmospheric. I don’t read a lot of nemesis-then-friends-then-more tropes as it’s quite overdone when not done right (like this book was done perfectly), but also Lila and Teddy make it so easy to love the trope even more. Also the family/friendship parts were *chef’s kiss* stunningly written! This was such a delightful pun-filled festive romance with enemies-to-lovers and all the feels for the season. Beautiful read!