Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: The Holiday Exchange
AUTHOR: Riley Hart & Christina Lee
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 110 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 3, 2025
BLURB:
Dawson
I have the most ridiculous crush on Briar, a customer who frequents my café. We never run out of things to talk about, and I find myself looking forward to his visits.
Just when I’m about to ask him on a date, he shows up at Sip and Savor with none other than my twin, who beat me to the punch. Definitely not how I hoped things would go.
Except my brother isn’t the settling-down type, so three months into dating Briar, he chooses the worst time to dump him—right before Christmas and straight after Briar asks Nathan to accompany him home for the holidays.
As I try to console Briar, he surprises me by cooking up a plot straight out of the movies, where I go home to Maine with him, pretending to be his boyfriend.
It’s supposed to be a friendly favor, I get a trip to the perfect Christmas town, and Briar can save face with his family and childhood ex. Only just like back in Boston, we have fun together, get each other, and I swear the spark I always felt between us grows.
But how does a guy tell his twin’s ex that he’s had feelings for him all along? And can what starts out as a holiday exchange turn into the perfect happily ever after?
REVIEW:
This was the perfect book to kick off the holidays for me.
Dawson has had a crush on his newest, favorite customer for a couple of months. And he has now finally worked up the courage to ask Briar out on a date. But when Briar shows up for his Thursday afternoon beverage at Dawson’s Dip and Savor it appears Dawson waited a tad it too long. Because, by the look of it, Nathan, his twin brother, appears to have snatched up his crush. Fast forward 3 months and now Dawson is consoling his new friend after Nathan dumps him right there in Dawson’s shop. That’s where Dawson’s dreams suddenly come true. Because Dawson is now going to his ultimate Christmas dream place right out of his beloved Hallmark Christmas movies with his crush for Christmas!
This was such a sweet book that packed so much into this novella. Being a huge fan myself of Hallmark Christmas movies, this one really touched me. I felt for Dawson as he saw his chance with his crush implode. What made it worse was, even though he loves Nathan, he saw the writing on the wall on with where this would go. Briar seemed very much like a committed relationship kind of guy and Nathan definitely wasn’t. And of course sweet Dawson would be there for his new friend when that all imploded just like he knew it would. But even he didn’t see the perfect invitation coming.
I loved that these guys were tentative in moving forward on their individual feelings. The fact that Briar dated Nathan first and then Dawson and Briar “caught feelings” while fake dating in the romantic little holiday town wasn’t surprising. But it was a delicate situation for both of them. First the whole “he just finished dating my twin” thingie. And then “oops, we have been lying to the parents and how do we come clean”. And they really were the perfect pair.
I think what clenched it for me was Dawson getting to experience what most families are like at Christmas. That phone calls on Christmas Day to his parents cemented it. Briar’s parents opened their home, arms and heart to Dawson while his own father couldn’t even be bothered to personally say hello to his own son on Christmas Day. All because he was too busy getting ready and leaving for a holiday with “friends” in Europe. At least Nathan took the time to talk to his “younger” twin and listen to his concerns. I truly believe that Nathan loves Dawson and cares about what’s happening in his life. Even though the two are as different as night and day, they still have the strong twin bonds and love each other.
I highly recommend this sweet, fun book that gave me all the “feels” I look for in a holiday novella.
RATING: 
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