i am floored. shooketh.
i'm an avid hater of christmas/new year's romances, simply because i hate it—christmas, romances, you name it. but genuinely, this was one of the best romance books i've read in a while.

the idea behind it was interesting, and there's really no better word to describe it. it wasn't exciting, it wasn't thrilling, but it was insightful, plain interesting. a great concept, "random acts of kindness."
maybe i'm just thinking that because i've tried something similar before (and failed, shamefully); i wanted to do a kind thing (doesn't matter how small or seemingly insignificant) every single day and write it down. i didn't last very long, but it was still a unique experience and something that continues to intrigue me.
that's why i picked this book in the first place, out of the many other christmas romances available.

the plot ended up being okay. some of the kindnesses were more entertaining than others, but that was to be expected and that's also sort of realistic. i loved how we got to read each of the different people's POVs after, really got to dive into how these acts of kindness actually affected them, their days, even lives. it also made you distinctly and bothersomely aware that every single person you see has their own life, their own thoughts, their own problems. it's kinda trippy.

the author also definitely knows how to write realistic and likable characters. they're all a little flawed, but very mature and willing to communicate with each other. (these 18-year-old kids actually do a better job communicating than some adults in other novels, just saying.)
they had their ups and downs, and failures and achievements and hobbies and goals. 
they were perfect—not in the sense that they were little mary sues, no. they were simply so very normal and sometimes reading about insanely normal and average people can just be so comforting.
if you're looking for escapism, this might not be it, but it's seeking out the nice side of reality, and that feels great once in a while.

i loved max's character arc, and his character development.

at the beginning, he struck me as someone who only lived to please others and cater to their needs, but at the end he actually starts seeking out what's best for him and i do respect kendall for making that possible, or at least encouraging it.

i also really enjoyed that there was no useless drama. i was really scared the author would villainize eliza and use her as the "jealous ex who wants to ruin the guy's relationship", but she didn't go down that road and i was so relieved. there were lots of choices made in general that i thoroughly liked and respected, like

them not having sex that first night

.

what i thought was a little bit weird was kendall's reaction to the ad girl.

why was she so rude, thinking all these negative things about this girl, simply because she was popular and beautiful i guess? that felt a little mysogynistic, and very random. sort of ruined kendall's character for me.

but whatever. still a comfy read, very much enjoyed it. i might re-read it around new year's!