Mistletoe, Mayhem & Mr. Right: A Merry Mix of Humor, Holiday Joy and Heartwarming Romance (The McKenna Sister Series, Molly's Story Book 1)

Elisa

Rating: really liked it
MISTLETOE, MAYHEM & MR. RIGHT by Rylee Ridolfi is as terrible as it sounds. I had my prejudices before starting the book and unfortunately for me, they all came true. First off, I'd like to state that personally, I'm not a big fan of romance novels and that is what this book appears to be. I'd like to stress the word 'appears' here, because, in my view, this wasn't romance. This was misogynistic with a few #metoo moments and I hated the book more and more as I got closer to the end. The protagonist, Molly McKenna, is the youngest of three daughters and is unfortunately not as pretty as her elder sisters and is still single, whereas her sisters are both (unhappily) married with men that are rich and have a good reputation. When Molly's boss Sebastian, who she's been having a crush on for three years, needs a last minute date to a gala, Molly's friends help her dress up as 'Elizabeth', a beautiful and smart woman (she can ski and speak Mandarin) by providing her with a make-over (read: lose the bun and glasses on her head, providing her with 5 coats of make-up, giving her heels she can't walk in). Ofcourse, Sebastian falls head over heels with Elizabeth (who is really Molly) and he asks Molly to help him find Elizabeth, the love of his life. Molly promises to do so, brings him home to her family in Connecticut for Christmas as her 'boyfriend' whilst she searches for Elizabeth (who she's told Sebastian is an old schoolfriend). As soon as we meet Molly's family, the misogyny doesn't end, because OF COURSE the mother is the evil witch who cares only about keeping up appearances and a good reputation whilst the father is this sweet man who secretly shakes his head behind her back but doesn't want to interfere too much. Why is it always the women that are unreasonable and shallow? In the background we also have Hunter, Molly's best friend and colleague, who is secretly in love with Molly, but is trying to help her conquer Sebastian's heart. At some point towards the end, however, he wants to prove to Molly that he's perfect for her and kisses her, despite the fact that her body language clearly shows that she doesn't want to be kissed by him, but, since's he's her perfect Christmas prince, Molly gets tingly all over her body, her crush of the last three years is instantly forgotten and she realises she loves Hunter and races after him (oh and btw, Sebastian is a drooly kisser and therefore, Molly knows he's not the one for her). And then Hunter and Molly immediately get engaged (because he's obviously the one after one kiss and three years of friendship so dating for a while is not necessary at all). I'm sorry, but this is such a pile of b*llsh*t. Aside from the fact that the story itself is soooo bad, the writing was bad as well. The timing was off, the sentences were so dull, without inspiration or creativity, it didn't flow very well and it just didn't add up. Also, the editor didn't do a very good job either, since there were a lot of mistakes in this print. In summary, I have nothing positive to say about this book and would definitely NEVER recommend this book to anyone ever. I'm rating it with ★☆☆☆☆

Mindy Lou

Rating: really liked it
Thank you very much to Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the chance to read this book. The book was exactly what I was looking for. It was easy to read, great characters to love and a story that takes you away.. I laughed out loud and that is always a good sign to me.. I was also left with the want to continue the book and see where it goes when I had to put it down to do adulting things.. lol.. Recommend? Yes I do.. ~Happy Reading~

Nicole

Rating: really liked it
This is a great holiday romance that is unlike any other! This book made me laugh and kept me interested beginning to end. I truly felt the authors voice throughout this book. I cannot wait to read more of this series. You do not want to miss out on this!

Donna Wajda

Rating: really liked it
Great Christmas magic

Couldn't put it down. Love Molly's story.. A little Cinderella and a lot of Christmas magic! Gives one hope and faith in love even if don't necessarily see it first. Rylee's writing shows true family dynamics with support and love that everyone can relate.

Marie Ingegneri

Rating: really liked it
It’s easy to be swept away in Molly McKenna’s crazy, romcom world. Set a course for adventure as you experience all the hi-jinks, gorgeous men, NYC Christmas magic, and down home goodwill of Molly’s life. This story kept a smile on my face from start to finish!

Katherine Evans

Rating: really liked it
Christmas love!

Very sweet story of dorky Christmas loving girl wrongly in love with boss. Friend to lovers, well done. First in series

Melissa

Rating: really liked it
Cute chick lit holiday story

Mai

Rating: really liked it
A fun holiday rom com! Love triangle trope.

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis:

This year Molly McKenna’s Christmas list includes bringing the warmth of the holiday to the steely cold streets of Manhattan, getting her sexy boss Sebastian Tate to fall madly in love with her, and finding the courage to go for her dream of creating a holiday village. She realizes this is a tall order, but nothing can dull Molly’s shine at Christmas time.

However, with one week until Christmas, her position with Tate and Price Marketing Firm is anything but merry. The company’s future is on the verge of sabotage and Molly learns her job is on the line. Hunter Bentley, her best friend, and coworker, devises a plan for Molly to bring home a win for the company, while getting the elusive bachelor Sebastian to finally notice her. So, Molly lets down her tight bun, tosses her glasses and attempts to walk in stilettos with the grace of a newborn reindeer.

Surprisingly, the plan is working, until Hunter decides to concoct a plan of his own. While visions of Sebastian dance in her head, Molly heads home for a Christmas she will never forget.

Can a kiss under the mistletoe deliver everything on Molly’s List?

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC!!

Katy

Rating: really liked it
Mistletoe, Mayhem, and Mr. Right
by Rylee Ridolfi
2 stars
Molly loves Christmas and everything about the holiday, her dream is to create a Christmas Village but for now, she is working at a firm, and she is completely in love with her boss. Her best friend Hunter is in love with her but doesn't know it yet and she doesn't realize what's in front of her. This is all madness there is a family drama, not realizing what's in front of you, and just a lot of uh moments. It is a cute holiday read but makes you want to yell and scream the whole-time cause molly is completely in love with her boss, but he doesn't know she is alive or even her name which if someone is working for you for three years you should at least know their name like come on now. Then she has a best friend that seems to bend over backward to help her and enjoys being around her all the time yet neither of them realizes they are perfect for each other. This book took me way too long to read but that's because I kept wanting to yell at them. I will say at the end when they do realize it and they find their way to each other it is so beautiful but till then maddening and molly's mom is frustrating too.
Thank you, Net Galley, for the ARC for an honest review.

Anonymous 5

Rating: really liked it
This is my first experience reading something by this author and I really enjoyed it. It was a delightful read and the story drew me in right away and kept me interested till the end. A charming and cozy romance to enjoy during the holidays. This is a fun and charming rom com that will have you smiling all the way through. This is a cute and heartwarming romance that shows you can find love in the most unexpected places. While Molly has her heart set on a certain Mr. Right, who barely even acknowledges her, what she doesn't realize is that her Prince Charming has been right in front of her the whole time. There were of course some ups and downs which adds to the drama, and plenty of humor and laughs. The story flowed nicely and the characters were interesting and fun. Overall, a really nice and relaxing read. If you're looking for a fun and cute escape, you definitely will want to pick this up!
I would definitely like to read more by this author.

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Chriselle Correia

Rating: really liked it
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mistletoe, Mayhem & Mr. Right: A Merry Mix of Humor, Holiday Joy and Heartwarming Romance. Unfortunately I struggled to find the heartwarming romance. Molly, the protagonist, starts off interesting but as the story evolves, her love for Sebastian isn’t what you think and the real romance only picks up in the final few chapters.

I enjoyed some of the banter with Hunter and Kyle although I struggled to connect with any character. It seemed to drag on with Molly’s obsession with Seb until the very end until each character finds their peace all at once.

The writing and editing too were sub par - there are so many typos, it made me cringe. Hoping it wasn’t the final edit in the ARC. The character voices were poorly written too, switching from third person to dialogue. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy the mayhem. I give it two stars, with one for the holiday as that crept through.

Amanda

Rating: really liked it
Thank you #Netgalley for the copy!

This was a fun holiday romcom read. We follow Molly, aka Red by her bestie and he quest to date her boss, who can't even remember her name. Molly is obsessed with Christmas and takes it upon herself to decorate the office, dresses as Mrs Claus and delivers gifts to the homeless shelter, often times with her Bestie, Hunter, by her side. When her boss needs a gorgeous date to a work gala, she is asked to find the girl. Instead, Molly goes through a makeover and pretends to be his date, Elizabeth, and he didn't even notice! Her boss is intrigued and asks Molly to track her down. During this comical situation, Molly must go home for Christmas. We follow the holiday mix ups of family, pretend dates and best friends.

Brittany

Rating: really liked it
Unfortunately, I wasn’t a fan of the book. The blurb sounded interesting and the newest cover was cute, but that’s where it ended for me. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. Molly was ridiculous with her love for Sebastian based solely on his looks. She knew nothing about him really and he never got her name right until he really needed something from her. The characters were very two dimensional and dull. And the fact that Hunter didn’t realize he loved Molly until she had her grand makeover to look “completely different” was messed up.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

LOIS

Rating: really liked it
Lovely Molly McKenna, fancies, Sebastian Tate, her extremely eligible boss. She adores him from afar. It's classic

unrequited love. Her colleague and male bezzy, Hunter, helps Molly pull off an extremely well-plotted scheme

to make Sebastian take notice. After all, three years have passed by.

Molly brings out the wonder of Christmas and love for those around her. This is a fast paced,, exciting story full

of glitter and hope. . Such a fun read.

Krista Harper

Rating: really liked it
This is the first book I've read of Ridolfi's and it won't be my last. Absolutely loved the feel good message of this holiday book and the fantastic happily-ever-after ending. I literally laughed-out-loud during several sections of this story and really enjoyed the banter between Molly and her BFF Hunter. Highly recommend it for anyone that loves romcoms and Christmas.