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Writer's picturejennifercoon21

Review: Royal Holiday


Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory was the perfect pick-me-up for pleasure reading. I love a good romance book, and Guillory knows how to write an excellent one. This book is the fifth in The Wedding Date series, and this time it's Maddie's (the stylist from The Wedding Party) mom, Vivian, finding love as they travel London for Christmas, as Maddie is styling the Duke and Duchess, whom are inspired by Harry and Meghan, for the holidays.


I love a good Christmas and holiday book, and I LOVE a Christmas and holiday romance! This book had me staying up late to see if Vivian and Malcolm, the Queen's private secretary, would make things work and choose love and joy over obligation, which is a lesson I'm still figuring out for myself now.


I was in this weird vibe at the end of April/beginning of May where I was trying to finish books for book clubs or return the book to the library before the due date, but this book brought me back to how much I enjoy the act of reading itself. This book did not fail to give all the London holiday vibes, and this romance is between older characters, which I found to be really sweet. Even though I'm not in my 40s, it's nice to see that love is not just about people in their mid-20s and 30s; it's for everyone. This book fills space in the genre for an older romance, which I appreciated.


The discussions of doing things to make yourself happy and not doing things for other people and taking care of yourself, like buying yourself flowers or doing something you enjoy were really a great reminder to myself. I tend to be really hard on myself, especially as a people-pleasing perfectionist, and it was nice to read something that can have these important conversations and reminders that whether I'm in a relationship or not, my happiness matters, I am responsible for my own happiness, and I'm not on this Earth to please other people and make other people happy. This is something I struggled with while reading this book and honestly still struggle with today as I write this review, so I'm now going to take this opportunity to do something nice for myself this week, and I hope you do too.


Have you read Royal Holiday? What is something you like to do that brings you joy? I'd love to hear from you!

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