Blog Tour: Over the Holidays by Sandra Harper

Disclosure: I obtained this book from Pocket Books for review during a blog tour. The opinion expressed here is solely my own. The book I received was the only compensation I received for this review.

Title: Over the Holidays
Author: Sandra Harper
Paperback: 325 pages
Release Date: October 6, 2009
Publisher: Pocket Books
Reading Level: Adult

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The best holiday traditions are meant to be broken.

It’s only December 1, and Vanessa Clayton has been dreading Christmas since she spotted tinseled trees at her local mall in September. Thankfully, she and her husband, JT, can’t afford to drag their twin boys across the country to New England for the annual celebration at her stuffy sister-in-law Patience’s home. Not that Vanessa has prepared a proper Christmas for her family in years, and she has less time than ever since she agreed to consult on the script of a local play. Her older sister, Thea, is no help — she’d rather make art and flirt with surfers than babysit her nine-year-old nephews. Then Patience drops a holiday stress bomb: Her family will come to California instead.

In between “baking” cinnamon rolls for the school potluck and overbearing Patience testing her patience, Vanessa can’t stop thinking about the difficult but charming playwright at work. Meanwhile, Patience’s teenage daughter, Libby, obsesses over a college boy she has met by the pool, and Thea searches desperately for the meaning of Christmas — for her latest installation, of course. As their holiday plans go comically awry, these four women discover the true spirit of the season is hidden in every festive surprise.

My Thoughts:

Unfortunately, though I plugged on to the end of the book, I did not care for this book too much. It was far too easy for me to put the book down. The writing in and of itself was wonderful, but the story was lacking for me.

The plot had too much going on. You had a family worrying over money but yet buying expensive gifts for Christmas. You had one family with an overbearing wife/mother. A single woman who is getting blasted for not having a husband/kids by her sister. A teenager falling in love with a college boy. The one woman is working for a playwright and trying not to have an affair with him. Too much going on, and none of it is really connected with the exception that they’re all related to each other and it all happens over Christmas break!

The characters didn’t hold much love from me either. Patience is an overbearing woman, although she shows a softer side a couple of times, but for the most part, she’s just a test of patience.

Vanessa is too wrapped up in “how am I going to pull this off” and trying to fend off the playwright who claims to be in love with her to be of any real interest.

Libby is a typical teenager, so she wasn’t quite as bad.

Thea was the only character I really felt had any substance and even she didn’t fare so well in the brains department. But hey, haven’t we all done something stupid?

To be perfectly honest, like I said, the story was well written, but it simply was not my cup of tea – it was an ok book, but not one I am likely to read again.

My rating: **

Blog Tour Stops:

Rundpinne: http://www.rundpinne.blogspot.com
Frugal Plus: http://frugalplus.com/
The Life (And Lies) of an Inanimate Flying Object: http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com/
Drey’s Library: http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
Wendi’s Book Corner: http://wendisbookcorner.blogspot.com/
Opinionated? Me? : http://readingwatchingliving.blogspot.com/
Me, My Book and the Couch: http://memybookandthecouch.blogspot.com/
Libby’s Library News: http://www.libslibrary.blogspot.com/
Bookin’ With Bingo: http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/
Books, Movies, and Chinese Food: http://books-movies-chinesefood.blogspot.com/
Psychotic State: http://www.psychoticstate.blogspot.com/
Readaholic: http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/
That’s A Novel Idea: http://thatsanovelidea.blogspot.com
All About {N}: http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/
Starting Fresh: http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/
A Sea of Books: http://aseaofbooks.blogspot.com/
Just Another New Blog: http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com/
Blog Business World: http://www.blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com
My Friend Amy: http://www.myfriendamysblog.com
Cheryl’s Book Nook: http://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/
One Person’s Journey Through A World of Books: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/
I Read: http://sumanam.wordpress.com/
So Many Books, So Little Time: http://purplg8r-somanybooks.blogspot.com/
Keep on Booking: http://keeponbooking.blogspot.com
Reading at the Beach: http://ilratb.blogspot.com/
Found Not Lost: http://jmomfinds.amoores.com/
Brizmus Blogs Books: http://brizmusblogsbooks.blogspot.com/
Book Reviews by Buuklvr81: http://www.buuklvr81.blogspot.com/

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