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The Holiday Stand-In
He's everything I've ever wanted. Too bad he's my boyfriend's twin brother.
When my boyfriend says he’s too busy working—again—to spend the holidays with me and my family, I’m sure Christmas is ruined.
Not only will I be alone, but my family is convinced he doesn't love me.
So when his identical twin comes to town, I realize a swap could be the perfect way to reassure my family and give me a date for the holiday season.
But our fake-out quickly goes from the solution to THE PROBLEM.
Because falling for your boyfriend’s twin brother is never a good thing.
And when my real boyfriend finally has time for me, things get confusing.
I'll need a Christmas miracle to get out of this twin-brother mess.
◆The Holiday Stand-In is a closed-door romantic comedy that brings all the sizzle, tension, and chemistry without explicit scenes or language.
Tropes in the
• Love Triangle
• Falling for the wrong "right" brother
• Fake Dating
• Christmas Tradition
• Small Town
• Snowed In
• Mistletoe Kiss
• Closed Door (nothing beyond kissing)
When my boyfriend says he’s too busy working—again—to spend the holidays with me and my family, I’m sure Christmas is ruined.
Not only will I be alone, but my family is convinced he doesn't love me.
So when his identical twin comes to town, I realize a swap could be the perfect way to reassure my family and give me a date for the holiday season.
But our fake-out quickly goes from the solution to THE PROBLEM.
Because falling for your boyfriend’s twin brother is never a good thing.
And when my real boyfriend finally has time for me, things get confusing.
I'll need a Christmas miracle to get out of this twin-brother mess.
◆The Holiday Stand-In is a closed-door romantic comedy that brings all the sizzle, tension, and chemistry without explicit scenes or language.
Tropes in the
• Love Triangle
• Falling for the wrong "right" brother
• Fake Dating
• Christmas Tradition
• Small Town
• Snowed In
• Mistletoe Kiss
• Closed Door (nothing beyond kissing)
346 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 20, 2023
About the author
Kortney Keisel
18 books1,057 followersKortney graduated from the University of Utah with an English degree and spent a few years before motherhood teaching 7th and 8th graders how to write a book report, among other things. But after a reading slump, where no plots seemed to satisfy, Kortney pulled out her laptop and started writing the "perfect" love story...or at least she tried. Writing love stories is her job...just kidding. Her real job is taking care of her five awesome kids and spending time with her husband.
Kortney loves a good romance movie or book, warm chocolate chip cookies, and traveling the world.
Connect with Kortney at www.kortneykeisel.com
Kortney loves a good romance movie or book, warm chocolate chip cookies, and traveling the world.
Connect with Kortney at www.kortneykeisel.com
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
December 1, 2023
I want to start off by saying that I tend to love a love triangle. I actively seek them out, in fact. But a lot of red flags popped up for me while reading this one. With two of the three characters already in an established relationship—I'm not sure how I wanted this to play out, but I couldn't get past the blatant cheating.
Summer Stanworth is addicted to Christmas. Too bad her workaholic boyfriend, Justin, refuses to find the time to celebrate with her, leaving the Stanworth family very suspicious that he is the right man for her. Enter Caleb, the reckless, athletic twin of Justin, and the perfect replacement to accompany Summer this holiday season and win over her family.
I think you have to suspend your disbelief that this situation could realistically work, especially with the brothers described with obvious differences, but the setup was definitely fun and cute. I especially loved seeing Summer and Caleb interact with the Stanworth family. Their traditions were a blast. I truly laughed a few times (the turkey spanking!).
There is no denying which twin was the better choice for Summer, but given the forbidden feelings between Summer and Caleb, it made me uncomfortable how often they repeatedly placed themselves in situations outside of their fake-dating arrangement. I often found it hard to escape in those sweet, intimate moments because my brain was constantly screaming BUT YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND.
(heat level: kissing only)
Summer Stanworth is addicted to Christmas. Too bad her workaholic boyfriend, Justin, refuses to find the time to celebrate with her, leaving the Stanworth family very suspicious that he is the right man for her. Enter Caleb, the reckless, athletic twin of Justin, and the perfect replacement to accompany Summer this holiday season and win over her family.
I think you have to suspend your disbelief that this situation could realistically work, especially with the brothers described with obvious differences, but the setup was definitely fun and cute. I especially loved seeing Summer and Caleb interact with the Stanworth family. Their traditions were a blast. I truly laughed a few times (the turkey spanking!).
There is no denying which twin was the better choice for Summer, but given the forbidden feelings between Summer and Caleb, it made me uncomfortable how often they repeatedly placed themselves in situations outside of their fake-dating arrangement. I often found it hard to escape in those sweet, intimate moments because my brain was constantly screaming BUT YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND.
(heat level: kissing only)
December 4, 2023
Not Okay.
Since I won’t review this book on my page, I shall go ahead and post my full review here.
First the positives, this had the holiday vibes I have been SEARCHING for. The family gathering, decking the halls, and all the merry, wintery feelings I wanted.
The book is extremely well written. It pulled me in and was complete bingeable. Not to mention the awesome kissing scenes.
Caleb was stinking swoony and I loved him a lot. He gave grace in unfair circumstances, he championed a girl who was being forgotten, he let his heart be trampled on, and he showed up. A gem of a man.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS
Now, to the problems. This is a cheating book. Plain and simple. If my boyfriend did any of the things that our FMC did, I would be DONE. Absolutely not. Zero chance. Not only is it emotional cheating, but physical as well.
Then we have the FMC. I didn’t love that we didn’t see any growth from her. She just wanted a boyfriend to avoid loneliness and I would have loved to see that emotional growth into more of an adult relationship
Since I won’t review this book on my page, I shall go ahead and post my full review here.
First the positives, this had the holiday vibes I have been SEARCHING for. The family gathering, decking the halls, and all the merry, wintery feelings I wanted.
The book is extremely well written. It pulled me in and was complete bingeable. Not to mention the awesome kissing scenes.
Caleb was stinking swoony and I loved him a lot. He gave grace in unfair circumstances, he championed a girl who was being forgotten, he let his heart be trampled on, and he showed up. A gem of a man.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS
Now, to the problems. This is a cheating book. Plain and simple. If my boyfriend did any of the things that our FMC did, I would be DONE. Absolutely not. Zero chance. Not only is it emotional cheating, but physical as well.
Then we have the FMC. I didn’t love that we didn’t see any growth from her. She just wanted a boyfriend to avoid loneliness and I would have loved to see that emotional growth into more of an adult relationship
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2023
'It's everything I wanted. It's just with the wrong brother.'
Okay, how do we feel about a love triangle?
I'll be honest, for a good long time I always said I hated them, like the 'loathe entirely' kind of hate on the triangle, but turns out-I don't hate it...at least in the literary world AND when you can clearly make a judgement call on who is the right option for the main character to be with.
One of my favorite things about Kortney's books is she writes what she wants to write. There is something amazing that happens when an author isn't trying to please readers only. That love she has for romances comes straight through the pages; and I am convinced makes them an even more entertaining read for the reader.
Back to the book.
Honestly? What is not to love about this one? It's got 'While You Were Sleeping' Vibes with a mix of 'Parent Trap' and 'The Proposal' and so much holiday cheer that even the grumpiest of scrooges will be wanting to deck the halls.
The connection between the main characters is electric. The banter/flirting/sarcasm/romantic tension are top notch throughout this entire book. I uncontrollably laughed out loud so many times that I've convinced multiple people already to pick this one up ASAP.
If you read Faking Christmas by Cindy Steel and loved it-this should be your next read.
Thanks to the author for the copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Content: love triangle (give it a chance in this one!!), family pressure, Christmas galore, fake dating/twin swap, mild innuendo, kisses/makeouts.
Okay, how do we feel about a love triangle?
I'll be honest, for a good long time I always said I hated them, like the 'loathe entirely' kind of hate on the triangle, but turns out-I don't hate it...at least in the literary world AND when you can clearly make a judgement call on who is the right option for the main character to be with.
One of my favorite things about Kortney's books is she writes what she wants to write. There is something amazing that happens when an author isn't trying to please readers only. That love she has for romances comes straight through the pages; and I am convinced makes them an even more entertaining read for the reader.
Back to the book.
Honestly? What is not to love about this one? It's got 'While You Were Sleeping' Vibes with a mix of 'Parent Trap' and 'The Proposal' and so much holiday cheer that even the grumpiest of scrooges will be wanting to deck the halls.
The connection between the main characters is electric. The banter/flirting/sarcasm/romantic tension are top notch throughout this entire book. I uncontrollably laughed out loud so many times that I've convinced multiple people already to pick this one up ASAP.
If you read Faking Christmas by Cindy Steel and loved it-this should be your next read.
Thanks to the author for the copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Content: love triangle (give it a chance in this one!!), family pressure, Christmas galore, fake dating/twin swap, mild innuendo, kisses/makeouts.
December 31, 2023
RED FLAG.
BLOG || INSTAGRAM
When I read a book with a love triangle, I give some grace to the fact that the FMC might kiss both love interests at some point during the book, BEFORE any true relationship boundaries have been created.
THIS THOUGH. Already had a committed (9 month long) relationship going before the book even started. Hence where I’m going with this. I became increasingly more frustrated as this book went one and hit that rage read level by the end. Summer was way too forgiving for way too much over and over and over again.
What I did like? All of the holiday traditions. I liked Summer’s family a lot. I did also enjoy Caleb’s personality and general demeanor. I can easily say there’s a few good things in here, but the overall story made me want to throw something.
Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Holiday Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Trigger/Content Warnings: cheating, loss of a friend (briefly mentioned)
BLOG || INSTAGRAM
When I read a book with a love triangle, I give some grace to the fact that the FMC might kiss both love interests at some point during the book, BEFORE any true relationship boundaries have been created.
THIS THOUGH. Already had a committed (9 month long) relationship going before the book even started. Hence where I’m going with this. I became increasingly more frustrated as this book went one and hit that rage read level by the end. Summer was way too forgiving for way too much over and over and over again.
What I did like? All of the holiday traditions. I liked Summer’s family a lot. I did also enjoy Caleb’s personality and general demeanor. I can easily say there’s a few good things in here, but the overall story made me want to throw something.
Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Holiday Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Trigger/Content Warnings: cheating, loss of a friend (briefly mentioned)
January 14, 2024
I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this one given there's a clear love triangle but Ms. Keisel did a great job creating the plot around it as opposed to just having this trope as part of the story. There were fun moments throughout and I loved the family settings especially when Mr. Right was a part of it. Overall a fun, Christmas story!
December 2, 2023
Ok, so this book could have been a 5 star read, because the chemistry between main couple was magnificent, the dates, the crazy family, there was so much to love, but it failed miserably. I would understand this, if Summer and Justin already broke up, then Summer would fail to mention the break up to her family and would need Justin for all the xmas stuff and then Caleb showed up and had to play her boyfriend. That scenario i could get behind, but this, no matter the chemistry, no matter how charming Caleb was, it still was cheating and with your boyfriend's brother. If you are not in a happy relationship, if you do not love each other, then break up. Toward the end of the book Summer was starting to be a bit annoying. But still i enjoyed this book, so will be looking into this authors other works.
November 27, 2023
Writing was good but I really couldn't stand Summer and the whole falling for one brother while being in a long term relationship with the other brother was just wrong. She seemed spineless, flighty and codependent while the author was trying to make her seem adventurous and independent at the same time.
December 1, 2023
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5)
Steam Level: 🔥 (kissing only)
Trigger Warning: cheating
The holiday season is about to begin, and Summer is excited to celebrate her birthday on Christmas Eve along with all the holiday traditions her family has scheduled. The only problem? Her boyfriend Justin is too busy with work to make time for her. Luckily, Justin has the perfect solution. He'll have his twin brother Caleb go in his place and win over Summer's family until the busy season at work is over. As Summer and Caleb fake their relationship, real feelings begin to grow. Will Summer end up falling for the wrong brother?
I have very mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I liked Summer and Caleb together. As the story progressed, it was clear that these two had chemistry, and Caleb showed he was the attentive and fun man that Summer needed. The things he said to her in the end were really sweet and romantic. If this had simply been a fake dating story, then I could have rated it higher. My problem is that even though Justin was a terrible boyfriend and set himself up for failure, I still wasn't okay with Summer and Caleb flirting and cheating. It was also weird that the family didn't notice the switch, despite it being pointed out that Justin and Caleb had physical differences. The whole situation just left an awkward and uncomfortable feeling that dampened the overall vibe of the story. I still look forward to trying Kortney Keisel's next book, but this was a bit of a miss for me.
Steam Level: 🔥 (kissing only)
Trigger Warning: cheating
The holiday season is about to begin, and Summer is excited to celebrate her birthday on Christmas Eve along with all the holiday traditions her family has scheduled. The only problem? Her boyfriend Justin is too busy with work to make time for her. Luckily, Justin has the perfect solution. He'll have his twin brother Caleb go in his place and win over Summer's family until the busy season at work is over. As Summer and Caleb fake their relationship, real feelings begin to grow. Will Summer end up falling for the wrong brother?
I have very mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I liked Summer and Caleb together. As the story progressed, it was clear that these two had chemistry, and Caleb showed he was the attentive and fun man that Summer needed. The things he said to her in the end were really sweet and romantic. If this had simply been a fake dating story, then I could have rated it higher. My problem is that even though Justin was a terrible boyfriend and set himself up for failure, I still wasn't okay with Summer and Caleb flirting and cheating. It was also weird that the family didn't notice the switch, despite it being pointed out that Justin and Caleb had physical differences. The whole situation just left an awkward and uncomfortable feeling that dampened the overall vibe of the story. I still look forward to trying Kortney Keisel's next book, but this was a bit of a miss for me.
November 21, 2023
I love this book soo much!
Summer's story is:
🎄Christmas time!
🎄Wrong 'right' twin brother!
🎄Excellent tension!
🎄While You Were Sleeping vibes!
🎄Sunshine-Sunshine trope!
🎄One Bed!
🎄Twin-swap shenanigans!
This book is SO GOOD!
Going into it, I was like twin swap? She falls in love with his brother?? How will it work?!
BUT KORTNEY CRUSHED IT!
•The characters!! I absolutely love the Sunshine-Sunshine trope, I think its very underrated and it's SO GOOD!! All the fun they have together, and the laughing together and flirting!😍😍😍 *the cutest*
•The brother's relationship🥹 They were both awesome through-out the story/playing their roles perfectly and I was so satisfied with how everything ended between everyone!
There's humor and heart in abundance in this story, so well done, and a swoooony forbidden romance complete with love declarations and I loved ALL OF IT!
I binged this book, didn't ever want to put it down, each scene was so well done, I was constantly rooting for Summer and a certain twin, and I couldn't wait to see their HEA!
If you enjoy romcoms, you don't want to miss this one!
Summer's story is:
🎄Christmas time!
🎄Wrong 'right' twin brother!
🎄Excellent tension!
🎄While You Were Sleeping vibes!
🎄Sunshine-Sunshine trope!
🎄One Bed!
🎄Twin-swap shenanigans!
This book is SO GOOD!
Going into it, I was like twin swap? She falls in love with his brother?? How will it work?!
BUT KORTNEY CRUSHED IT!
•The characters!! I absolutely love the Sunshine-Sunshine trope, I think its very underrated and it's SO GOOD!! All the fun they have together, and the laughing together and flirting!😍😍😍 *the cutest*
•The brother's relationship🥹 They were both awesome through-out the story/playing their roles perfectly and I was so satisfied with how everything ended between everyone!
There's humor and heart in abundance in this story, so well done, and a swoooony forbidden romance complete with love declarations and I loved ALL OF IT!
I binged this book, didn't ever want to put it down, each scene was so well done, I was constantly rooting for Summer and a certain twin, and I couldn't wait to see their HEA!
If you enjoy romcoms, you don't want to miss this one!
Read
December 12, 2023I thought this book was very well written, super funny and a really cute holiday themed story. I felt it was written much better then a lot of the rom coms I’ve read, even. However, I could not get past the cheating. Summer was in a relationship with Justin and even if it was his idea of swapping with his brother, it was inappropriate the staying over night together, the kiss at the dance and all the lustful thoughts. I couldn’t fully enjoy it even though there was such great chemistry and tension between Caleb (who I genuinely liked!) and Summer (also loved!) I just can’t get behind glorifying their relationship while Justin was still in the picture and had no idea. 😞
December 4, 2023
There was so much about this book that I loved, but I personally couldn’t get past the fake dating trope being with the boyfriend’s identical twin brother. It really gave me the ick for some reason. I *almost* stopped reading this book about 70% of the way through when Summer started to get jealous of Caleb flirting with another woman while she was sitting next to her boyfriend, who was Caleb’s brother. I just didn’t like it. At all. So that’s why I’m giving the book only 2 stars.
I did really love Summer and Caleb together, but I wish it was under different circumstances! For me, the book would have been a 5 star read if Justin wasn’t in the picture at all and Caleb was some cute new single in town that Summer met while giving him a tour of an apartment that she was managing. Then their fake dating adventures would have been more enjoyable to read about and get on board with.
I did really love Summer and Caleb together, but I wish it was under different circumstances! For me, the book would have been a 5 star read if Justin wasn’t in the picture at all and Caleb was some cute new single in town that Summer met while giving him a tour of an apartment that she was managing. Then their fake dating adventures would have been more enjoyable to read about and get on board with.
November 28, 2023
I love that this one was described as a little bit Parent Trap and a little bit While You Were Sleeping. I thought it was adorable!
January 2, 2024
4.5/5 ⭐️ This was a fun holiday romance to read around Christmas time. Both of the main characters chemistry clicked so well, making the book a quick read because you don’t want to put it down!
April 6, 2024
I honestly can’t believe how much I enjoyed this book. I don’t love the love triangle trope because it makes me so anxious. And this one was a love triangle with twin brothers. Oh and she’s already dating one of the twin brothers. Yeesh. But I adore anything Kortney Kiesel writes so I knew I had to give it a try and she managed to write a forbidden love/love triangle romance that I actually enjoyed. And honesty did not feel anxious reading.
THINGS I LOVED
•Caleb: He’s the standout character in this book for sure. Caleb is the life of the party and easy going and the kind of guy you can’t help but adore. However my favorite thing about him was how he paid attention to Summer. Also his love confession about broke me.
•Summer’s Family: Summer’s family was boisterous and weird and full of life and I loved them. The kind of house that’s full of loud noises and chaos but also full of love and support.
•Real Characters: One thing I think Kortney does so well is write characters that are flawed but that you still like. All three characters in this love triangle were flawed. Obviously Summer and Caleb blurred and crossed some lines that they shouldn’t have. And Summer also let her fear of being alone push her to settle. And Caleb had neglected his relationships with his family. And Justin was a workaholic who didn’t realize a good thing when he had it. But all of them tried to do the right thing and be good people.
I’ll be honest: these are some pretty polarizing tropes and this probably isn’t going to be a book everyone loves. These characters will do some things that your probably won’t agree with and you’ll want to scream at them to wake up or see what’s right in front of them. But if you’re even the least be interested I recommend trying it. (And also read Kortney’s other books because they’re wonderful).
This is a closed door romance with no language and mild innuendo.
THINGS I LOVED
•Caleb: He’s the standout character in this book for sure. Caleb is the life of the party and easy going and the kind of guy you can’t help but adore. However my favorite thing about him was how he paid attention to Summer. Also his love confession about broke me.
•Summer’s Family: Summer’s family was boisterous and weird and full of life and I loved them. The kind of house that’s full of loud noises and chaos but also full of love and support.
•Real Characters: One thing I think Kortney does so well is write characters that are flawed but that you still like. All three characters in this love triangle were flawed. Obviously Summer and Caleb blurred and crossed some lines that they shouldn’t have. And Summer also let her fear of being alone push her to settle. And Caleb had neglected his relationships with his family. And Justin was a workaholic who didn’t realize a good thing when he had it. But all of them tried to do the right thing and be good people.
I’ll be honest: these are some pretty polarizing tropes and this probably isn’t going to be a book everyone loves. These characters will do some things that your probably won’t agree with and you’ll want to scream at them to wake up or see what’s right in front of them. But if you’re even the least be interested I recommend trying it. (And also read Kortney’s other books because they’re wonderful).
This is a closed door romance with no language and mild innuendo.
December 4, 2023
This was so cute! Caleb was the perfect boyfriend! I loved the way he made Summer feel seen and his attention to detail. I also appreciated his willingness to try to damper his feelings in deference of his brother.
This story is filled lots of fun and quirky family. I loved Aunt Carma! The holiday traditions were so silly and really added a zany quality to the story.
If you love a good romance and are willing to suspend belief a little bit you will enjoy this book. It was a fun Christmas read for me! Kortney Keisel is the bomb!
This story is filled lots of fun and quirky family. I loved Aunt Carma! The holiday traditions were so silly and really added a zany quality to the story.
If you love a good romance and are willing to suspend belief a little bit you will enjoy this book. It was a fun Christmas read for me! Kortney Keisel is the bomb!
Read
November 6, 2024I hate love triangles, BUT
This love triangle was handled so well! I loved that the dual POV and her early doubts made it abundantly clear which twin was the “right” one for her (ergo, no spoilers), and that they fought to have integrity despite the pull of feelings. So sweet, and I love how Summer and Caleb get each other so well. It was very hard to put this one down. Excellent balance of the push-pull between them and trying to do the right thing.
This love triangle was handled so well! I loved that the dual POV and her early doubts made it abundantly clear which twin was the “right” one for her (ergo, no spoilers), and that they fought to have integrity despite the pull of feelings. So sweet, and I love how Summer and Caleb get each other so well. It was very hard to put this one down. Excellent balance of the push-pull between them and trying to do the right thing.
December 24, 2023
The codependency is crazy.
This book was a trip and not in a good way. If your boyfriend suggests getting a stand-in fella to accompany you places, sis, you need a new boyfriend. Why is the bar in hell?
This book was a trip and not in a good way. If your boyfriend suggests getting a stand-in fella to accompany you places, sis, you need a new boyfriend. Why is the bar in hell?
September 5, 2024
I have a lot of thoughts about this but overall it was good
December 3, 2023
This had everything! Summer and Caleb were adorable together! There were so many fun holiday moments and the way Caleb really appreciated Summer and then slowly came to adore her was the sweetest!
Of course that’s if emotional and physical cheating doesn’t bother you. Not in a cute “While You Were Sleeping” way either because Lucy wasn’t dating Peter for 9 months when she fell in love with his brother like Summer had been with Justin. And Peter was in a coma, not working late because he had a new business to run. Summer was lonely and insecure and so she jumped at the chance to have her boyfriend’s brother hang out with her. Attention is attention, right?
Anyway, as much as I loved Caleb and think he was ultimately better suited for Summer than Justin, every sweet moment between the two had me cringing because they were totally being disloyal to Justin who honestly wasn’t doing anything so wrong that it didn’t deserve a conversation and a respectful ending before they went behind his back. Summer needed to grow up and break up with Justin if she didn’t feel like he was meeting her needs instead of being selfish and falling for his twin brother. (And no, Caleb isn’t off the hook either. What he did to Justin was messed up. Like even more messed up than what Summer did to him! She’s your freaking twin brother’s girlfriend! He continued to put himself in tempting situations that he knew he shouldn’t be putting himself in.)
I’m giving it 3 stars because the writing was great and I would have enjoyed it had it been done without the cheating and the emotionally stunted, insecure FMC who came off like she just wanted a boyfriend…. any boyfriend, someone to entertain her and tell her she’s pretty.
Of course that’s if emotional and physical cheating doesn’t bother you. Not in a cute “While You Were Sleeping” way either because Lucy wasn’t dating Peter for 9 months when she fell in love with his brother like Summer had been with Justin. And Peter was in a coma, not working late because he had a new business to run. Summer was lonely and insecure and so she jumped at the chance to have her boyfriend’s brother hang out with her. Attention is attention, right?
Anyway, as much as I loved Caleb and think he was ultimately better suited for Summer than Justin, every sweet moment between the two had me cringing because they were totally being disloyal to Justin who honestly wasn’t doing anything so wrong that it didn’t deserve a conversation and a respectful ending before they went behind his back. Summer needed to grow up and break up with Justin if she didn’t feel like he was meeting her needs instead of being selfish and falling for his twin brother. (And no, Caleb isn’t off the hook either. What he did to Justin was messed up. Like even more messed up than what Summer did to him! She’s your freaking twin brother’s girlfriend! He continued to put himself in tempting situations that he knew he shouldn’t be putting himself in.)
I’m giving it 3 stars because the writing was great and I would have enjoyed it had it been done without the cheating and the emotionally stunted, insecure FMC who came off like she just wanted a boyfriend…. any boyfriend, someone to entertain her and tell her she’s pretty.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 10, 2024
I had my eye on The Holiday Stand-In by Kortney Keisel before it released. The cover is what drew me. It looks super cute, and it gives off the right kind of Christmas vibes. In case you’re wondering what the right kind of Christmas vibes are, for me, it’s everything NOT Hallmark. After I read the synopsis I thought, “This sounds like a story I would enjoy.” And enjoy it I did! I am not a fan of the character-swap trope. The lying and the cheating turn me off immediately. I told myself that if these two items were not addressed adequately in the book, I would DNF it right away. Keisel does a great job of tackling the lying and the potential for cheating throughout the story. She demonstrates how lies, small and big, are always problematic. Guilt festers and eats at us, and we truly are not set free until we get everyone in our life on the same correct page. Keisel also illustrates how cheating is more than just physical. She shows how foolish and naive it is to even suggest a swap in a relationship and expect to come out the other side unphased, unharmed, and unaffected. Summer and Caleb, our main characters, are actually quite strong morally and do everything in their human power to stay faithful to Justin, Caleb’s twin brother and Summer’s boyfriend. They both know Justin’s swap idea is dangerous and tell him his plan is foolish. But he is Justin — read the book, and you’ll understand what I mean by that — he thinks his plan is foolproof.
In a perfect world, Summer and Caleb would have said no immediately, but that would leave us readers with no story. So Summer and Caleb do become a fake couple. They do this in order to appease Summer’s family. Summer is the baby of the family with four older sisters who are each happily married and with children. Summer’s family is loud and quirky and unique, and they love BIG and BOLD. But they lay it on thick where Summer’s relationships are concerned. And this is the foundation of every single complication in this story. Well-meaning, elderly family members want the best for their children and grandchildren. But they often go about this the wrong way — with guilt, pressure, and double-speak. They’ll say things like, “All in God’s time” and in the next breath, “What’s wrong with you? Why don’t you have a boyfriend yet?” It is this pressure that causes Summer to enter into a fake relationship in the first place. It’s crazy the lengths we’ll go to in order to appease our loved ones. As you can probably imagine, things get pretty crazy for Summer, Caleb, and Justin, but I found the journey well worth the read!
The Holiday Stand-In is an excellent story. I enjoyed every single minute, and I’m sad my time with these characters is over. If you’re a fan of well-written, fast paced, and highly engaging Holiday Rom-Coms with substance, then this is a story I highly recommend.
I purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on December 2, 2023, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
In a perfect world, Summer and Caleb would have said no immediately, but that would leave us readers with no story. So Summer and Caleb do become a fake couple. They do this in order to appease Summer’s family. Summer is the baby of the family with four older sisters who are each happily married and with children. Summer’s family is loud and quirky and unique, and they love BIG and BOLD. But they lay it on thick where Summer’s relationships are concerned. And this is the foundation of every single complication in this story. Well-meaning, elderly family members want the best for their children and grandchildren. But they often go about this the wrong way — with guilt, pressure, and double-speak. They’ll say things like, “All in God’s time” and in the next breath, “What’s wrong with you? Why don’t you have a boyfriend yet?” It is this pressure that causes Summer to enter into a fake relationship in the first place. It’s crazy the lengths we’ll go to in order to appease our loved ones. As you can probably imagine, things get pretty crazy for Summer, Caleb, and Justin, but I found the journey well worth the read!
The Holiday Stand-In is an excellent story. I enjoyed every single minute, and I’m sad my time with these characters is over. If you’re a fan of well-written, fast paced, and highly engaging Holiday Rom-Coms with substance, then this is a story I highly recommend.
I purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on December 2, 2023, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
November 25, 2023
5 stars.
“And that’s when I know I’m in trouble. Like I’m-falling-for-my-brother’s-girlfriend-and-I-don’t-even-care kind of trouble.”
❄️ The vibes:
- So hilarious
- love triangle / twin swap
- Family festivities
- Christmas romcom
- Sunshine x2
❄️ My thoughts:
I think this is my favorite read of the year. I couldn’t stop laughing. I loved Caleb and Summer so much. The kiss. The dishwasher fall. The festive earrings. I was just smiling and laughing the entire book. The ice skating scene. Ahhhhhhhh. I can’t handle the chemistry with these two. I loved how direct Caleb was. I loved his outgoing personality. And I loved Summer’s equally outgoing personality. They were so precious together.
Also this book is advertised as a While You Were Sleeping x The Parent Trap x Hallmark movie and it 100% delivered on all fronts for me.
I always ALWAYS say I want a book that will make me feel like While You Were Sleeping but that I don’t know how I’d love that in actuality. That the movie just captured a wacky scenario in a way that was so endearing and not enraging. Well this book did it for me. I loved it so much. So much. Ok ok. I’ll shut up now.
“And that’s when I know I’m in trouble. Like I’m-falling-for-my-brother’s-girlfriend-and-I-don’t-even-care kind of trouble.”
❄️ The vibes:
- So hilarious
- love triangle / twin swap
- Family festivities
- Christmas romcom
- Sunshine x2
❄️ My thoughts:
I think this is my favorite read of the year. I couldn’t stop laughing. I loved Caleb and Summer so much. The kiss. The dishwasher fall. The festive earrings. I was just smiling and laughing the entire book. The ice skating scene. Ahhhhhhhh. I can’t handle the chemistry with these two. I loved how direct Caleb was. I loved his outgoing personality. And I loved Summer’s equally outgoing personality. They were so precious together.
Also this book is advertised as a While You Were Sleeping x The Parent Trap x Hallmark movie and it 100% delivered on all fronts for me.
I always ALWAYS say I want a book that will make me feel like While You Were Sleeping but that I don’t know how I’d love that in actuality. That the movie just captured a wacky scenario in a way that was so endearing and not enraging. Well this book did it for me. I loved it so much. So much. Ok ok. I’ll shut up now.
December 13, 2023
Yes please, to all this.
Do I hate love triangles yes I do. Do I hate third act Break ups? So very much. Do I usually dfn if there’s even the appearance of cheating, yep.
Did I love every second of this book, yes, yes I did.
Like Oh my word I loved it, so much. It’s kind of like a train wreck you can’t look away from and love watching.
I actually love that she did it in dual Point of view. I love that you know which brother to root for, but you can’t figure out how it is going to work so you still keep turning page after page getting more and more sucked in.
The characters were relatable, the pop culture references made me so very happy and the love story was one I was totally here for.
A writer who can put all my least favorite things in a story that I fall in love with is an amazing writer indeed.
Do I hate love triangles yes I do. Do I hate third act Break ups? So very much. Do I usually dfn if there’s even the appearance of cheating, yep.
Did I love every second of this book, yes, yes I did.
Like Oh my word I loved it, so much. It’s kind of like a train wreck you can’t look away from and love watching.
I actually love that she did it in dual Point of view. I love that you know which brother to root for, but you can’t figure out how it is going to work so you still keep turning page after page getting more and more sucked in.
The characters were relatable, the pop culture references made me so very happy and the love story was one I was totally here for.
A writer who can put all my least favorite things in a story that I fall in love with is an amazing writer indeed.
December 28, 2023
SUPER cute. Of the 8 or 9 holiday rom-coms I read this season, only this one and two others got more than 3 stars. Easy to be really invested in the MC's and their relationship. Loved the characters and their story. It's a lot like While You Were Sleeping. I never really love the whole love triangle stuff but I just laugh when I read other reviews that say you have to "suspend your belief" to read a book (like this one).... 😂 Um, you kind of have to suspend your belief to read any fiction book!! They are NOT reality and I'm not expecting them to be. ☺️
(My other favorite holiday rom-coms this year were Faking Christmas by Cindy Steel and Cabin Mate by Leah Brunner, if you were wondering. ☺️)
(My other favorite holiday rom-coms this year were Faking Christmas by Cindy Steel and Cabin Mate by Leah Brunner, if you were wondering. ☺️)
January 6, 2024
This was such a fun Christmas time read!
The characters are people you actually root for and get invested in. There were a few times I even talked out loud to them or genuinely laughed at the situation.
The story line is a bit far fetched (adult twin brothers switching places without anyone noticing…. unlikely) but it was so cute and heart warming I didn’t really care. The relationships aren’t perfect which makes them relatable. The dynamic of a large family and the chaos that comes with it also added a fun element to the story.
I was thankful the author could tell a cute, sweet, fun love story without all the extra spice we often find in this genre. A good clean romance story. No language or scenes to skip or be weary of.
The characters are people you actually root for and get invested in. There were a few times I even talked out loud to them or genuinely laughed at the situation.
The story line is a bit far fetched (adult twin brothers switching places without anyone noticing…. unlikely) but it was so cute and heart warming I didn’t really care. The relationships aren’t perfect which makes them relatable. The dynamic of a large family and the chaos that comes with it also added a fun element to the story.
I was thankful the author could tell a cute, sweet, fun love story without all the extra spice we often find in this genre. A good clean romance story. No language or scenes to skip or be weary of.
November 30, 2023
I loved reading this book. It was hard to put down, and the tropes were so well written. Love triangle, forbidden romance, twins, big family. I don't see the love triangle trope very often in sweet and clean romance, so when I do, it stresses me out to read it! It was hard to know how it would all work out while still having a sweet, happy ending. I was smiling throughout the book and laughing out loud at quite a few moments. I definitely recommend this for a sweet and clean reader looking for something new.
December 24, 2023
An amazing festive read for the season! This one pleasantly surprised me. I don’t typically like love triangles but this one had me reading till the end. I love that the twin guys weren’t constantly compared on looks but more in character and personality. It’s a happy ending and I was really liked the MC twin for his love and thoughtfulness to the FMC🥰
Tropes in the Book:
• Love Triangle
• Falling for the wrong "right" brother
• Fake Dating
• Christmas Tradition
• Romcom
• Small Town
• Snowed In
• Mistletoe Kiss
• Closed Door (nothing beyond kissing)
Tropes in the Book:
• Love Triangle
• Falling for the wrong "right" brother
• Fake Dating
• Christmas Tradition
• Romcom
• Small Town
• Snowed In
• Mistletoe Kiss
• Closed Door (nothing beyond kissing)
December 11, 2023
I was excited to read this book after seeing all the rave reviews. The book was entertaining, but I could not get past the justified cheating with the MMC’s brother no less. All the sweet moments between the MCs were tainted due to the fact that they were just straight up cheating and trying to sugar coat it. I wish this would have been better portrayed or disclosed in the advertising and promotion of the book.
Content: Kisses Only
Content: Kisses Only
December 19, 2023
4.5 stars - this book made me feel ALL the emotions. the holiday vibes were immaculate and it is such a well written book. i’m normally not a huge fan of love triangles and cheating, but something about this book was different for me. caleb is an absolute gem and i’m SO glad summer ended up with him!!
take “while you were sleeping”, “parent trap”, and “the proposal” and mix them all together while throwing in some christmas vibes and that’s exactly what this book is
take “while you were sleeping”, “parent trap”, and “the proposal” and mix them all together while throwing in some christmas vibes and that’s exactly what this book is
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2023
Coming from a small and rather dysfunctional family myself, I loved the joyful holiday chaos of Summer's family, and I always enjoy a love triangle story. This was a fun and festive read for the holiday season, although it was very obvious very quickly which side of the love triangle Summer would fall into by the end. I also loved that the Christmas-loving-Christmas-Eve-Birthday-having FMC was named Summer. Nice touch.
November 24, 2023
Obsessssssed!!!
Everyone, stop what you’re doing and go get this book right this second! It’s the CUTEST Christmas book EVER!
I freaking loved how Caleb and Summer met (with a super hot kiss!) despite the fact that she was actually dating his twin brother Justin (blah).
From Summer and her family’s obsession with Christmas, to Caleb and Justin doing a twin swap to appease Summer’s family, to Caleb being the life of the party (while Justin worked), to the chemistry between Caleb & Summer, to all the fun things they did together, to their attempts not to flirt, to their kiss at the Mistletoe Down Hoedown, and their realization of their feelings for each other, I was obsessed with these characters and their story!
A MUST READ this holiday season!!
Everyone, stop what you’re doing and go get this book right this second! It’s the CUTEST Christmas book EVER!
I freaking loved how Caleb and Summer met (with a super hot kiss!) despite the fact that she was actually dating his twin brother Justin (blah).
From Summer and her family’s obsession with Christmas, to Caleb and Justin doing a twin swap to appease Summer’s family, to Caleb being the life of the party (while Justin worked), to the chemistry between Caleb & Summer, to all the fun things they did together, to their attempts not to flirt, to their kiss at the Mistletoe Down Hoedown, and their realization of their feelings for each other, I was obsessed with these characters and their story!
A MUST READ this holiday season!!
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