Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: Barbies and Beaches
SERIES: 2018 DSP Advent Calendar
AUTHOR: Asta Idonea
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 21 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2018
BLURB:
For the first time ever, Shane is not looking forward to the annual Boxing Day barbecue at Matty’s house. He recently divorced, none of his friends know what to say to him now, and Shane is tired of the pity and awkwardness. Things take a turn, however, when he meets Matty’s English cousin. Neil is struggling with the Australian heat, having left the UK after a bad breakup. When Shane suggests the two of them head to a secluded beach to cool off, the growing intimacy between them might make both reassess their current situation.
REVIEW:
I’m a girl who is used to a cold winter climate, so I was excited to read a holiday-themed story with an exact opposite setting. It’s a challenge for me to see “holiday” without thinking of “snow,” but the brief, sweaty romance between Shane and Neil has that hopeful holiday feel.
The one thing that took me out of this story was the epilogue. A 21-page short story does not need an epilogue, sweet as it might be. It just makes the story seem more like an outline than a whole piece of writing. It assumes we’ve become more attached to the characters than we have. Shane and Neil have chemistry, but we’re just not invested enough to be interested in their epilogue.
I do like the generally optimistic feeling of the story. I didn’t mind Neil’s spontaneity when it came to staying in Australia to possibly make a new relationship work. It’s a long shot in real life, but for a holiday story, it leaves us on a note of hope and freshness. He’s ready for a change, and he took the plunge!
I don’t think this is a particularly memorable short story, but it is a fresh take on an unconventional holiday setting. This is your pick if you need a holiday read without the snow and cold.
RATING: 
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Thanks for the review.
Thank you for the review. I’m kinda torn ‘cos really how much more than the blurb can the story give? It’s all there :/
It’s a little short for my liking, but I might give it a try.
Thank you for the review! I kind of feel weird about the epilogue for such a short read. Would it be like one or two chapter than an epilogue?
I’m not into epilogues to begin with, but this does sound nice…
Looking forward to a hot Christmas – or in this case, Boxing Day
Thanks for the review. I thought – with the length of the novella – it must be pretty straightforward. I might need this kind of story once in a while. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your review. This story was way too short for my taste.