I was really looking forward to reading this one, but it wasn't a good fit. If the book hadn't been so short, I would have DNFd it about halfway through.

Snowed In has an adorable cover with an interesting premise, but the characters were hard to like. Ashleigh was shallow and vapid, and Josh was willing to stay with the same person for five years because he didn't know what else to do. He checked a box when he was twelve and just went with it. Nathalie never referred to her boyfriend by name. He was always "my boyfriend," which was incredibly annoying. The issue was addressed later on, but only briefly and with no resolution.

"As a rule, guys didn't distract me. They interested me... if I wanted to be interested."

Nathalie's friends were present but not part of the story, and none of the secondary characters were fleshed out. The conversations were awkward and unrealistic, and the story was choppy and uncoordinated. I wish everything had flowed together and read more like a YA book, but both the language and the story were very simple.

"Someone hotter than Chase and Josh? I couldn't wait to see this guy. I wondered if some sort of mutant gene had developed on the island that made all the guys good-looking. I mean, really, what were the odds that there wouldn't be any dorks around here? Let's hear it for gene mutation."

I really liked the idea of Ashleigh and her mom buying a bed and breakfast in a small town on an isolated island, and the wintery setting was beautiful, but those were probably the only two positives for me. I love the idea of an old attic bedroom, turrets, and fireplaces.

"Because my first girlfriend was a girly-girl when we watched horror. I don't want my next girlfriend to be."

The word boyfriend was used so often, I started to roll my eyes whenever it appeared on the page. All of the girls were obsessed with having a boyfriend just so they wouldn't be alone. It didn't matter if the two people actually liked one another. The one girl not obsessed with having a boyfriend (Ashleigh) was determined to never have one. Although, her reasons for that were vague.

"I was afraid if [he] wasn't my boyfriend that I wouldn't have one, and I really wanted to have a boyfriend."

Nathalie was rude and condescending from the start. She disregarded Ashleigh's feelings and the concerns she had. It was all about Nathalie and her boyfriend -- ugh. Surprisingly, they were best friends after their initial meeting, and I had no idea why. There was nothing there to indicate friendship or that the two of them even liked each other.

In the end, these were just a few of the reasons Snowed In didn't work for me. My initial excitement for this book fizzled after a few pages, and was completely flat by the end.

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on November 12, 2018. ( )

Well I just needed to read a cute winter/holiday romance kind of book but this one was so plain and simple it felt like I didn't even read anything. ( )

A quick fun read. really enjoyed it. ( )

I came across Rachel Hawthorne’s Snowed In a couple of weeks ago during an ebook special run by HarperTeen (which is still going on as of this writing). I figured, “Hey, it looks cute! And it takes place in Michigan!” – which just happens to be home to half of my family – so I decided to give Snowed In a try. Was it as cute as I thought? Let’s investigate.

What I Loved

The Norman Rockwell Setting: Not only does Snowed In take place in Michigan, it takes place in one of my favorite parts of the mitten state – Mackinac Island (pronounced Mak-in-aw). Even though I’ve only visited the island once it is one of my fondest memories, so seeing it through Ashleigh’s eyes (albeit in winter) was like visiting it all over again – the fudge shops, the Grand Hotel, no cars, etc. (they do have GREAT fudge). Hayrides, sleigh taxis, cross-country skiing, hot cocoa (or at least coffee!) – all of it worked together to create a picture-perfect setting of modern-day teens against a Norman Rockwell background. This really made the story work for me.

What I Liked

Interesting Dynamics: It was very nice to see happy, loving family dynamics between Ashleigh and her mom, and Josh and his dad; both families were down-to-earth and oh-so-normal, which felt refreshing after some of the books I’ve read recently. Things got interesting, however, as I started getting into the relationships amongst the teens – romantic and otherwise. The way Nathalie never called her boyfriend or best friends by name, Ashleigh’s attempts not to step on her friend’s toes when she finds herself in the role of “the other woman,” Josh trying not to hurt anyone’s feelings even though he wanted something different, Tara and Shaun’s “married-couple” dynamic of Tara’s exuberance balanced by Shaun’s quiet/supportive nature, ladies-man Chase pining for the girl he can’t have – all the different relationship issues kept things interesting and prevented staleness from setting in.

Ashleigh’s Quirks: I definitely related to Ashleigh’s lack of pep in the mornings, and the way she couldn’t get moving without coffee (a LOT of coffee). Her film tastes gave an interesting twist to the narrative, and a touch of humor, as she looked at a lot of situations in the context of her favorite type of movie. The only thing I wasn’t keen on was her “love ‘em and leave ‘em” attitude; of course meeting the right guy put a kink in her normal relationship formula and left her struggling to adjust, which I guess was the point.

The Story “Atmosphere:” By this I mean author Rachel Hawthorne paints the scenes vividly enough that I felt the chill of heading out into the snow for an adventure and then the warmth of snuggling in front of a cozy fire with hot cocoa. This book “feels” like a perfect winter-time read; I don’t see myself sitting on the beach and pulling out Snowed In, but curled up in a chair with the heat blowing through the vents and a coffee at my side seems just right.

What I Didn’t Like

Lack of Originality: Other than the setting, there really isn’t anything about the characters or events in the story to make Snowed In stand out from the crowd. This is not to say it isn’t entertaining (because it definitely is); there just isn’t a lot of depth or any unexpected surprises to make the story pop.

Conclusion

Rachel Hawthorne’s Snowed In definitely lived up to its cuteness potential with its group of normal teens working out their relationship woes amid all kinds of winter wonderland bliss (hayrides, sleigh rides, and cross-country skiing with a hot guy). There’s nothing deep or lasting in the story, but if you are in the mood for a light, romantic read when cold weather hits then you might want to add Snowed In to your reading shelf. ( )

I love this Rachel Hawthorne book more than The Boyfriend League. This is so much more enjoyable to read! ( )