Holly Chase was as spoiled and selfish as a person can get. On Christmas Eve five years ago, three ghosts visited her to show her how mean she’d become and to warn her that there would be serious consequences if she didn’t change. She laughed it off and less than a week later, she died. Rather than going to Hell, she was recruited to work for Project Scrooge as the Ghost of Christmas Past. Project Scrooge is the company that sent the three ghosts to visit Holly. Each year they try to help one person change their ways in order to make the world a better place. So Holly is stuck in a boring existence, working for them year after year as her friends and family live on without her. Then, one year the Scrooge is a very attractive guy Holly’s age and all of a sudden her “life” becomes a lot more interesting.
This year I ordered the Epic Reads Holiday Box and I was given a choice of three books. In honor of the holidays, I chose this one since it’s a retelling of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I’m so glad I made this decision because this was a really fun, charming read.
Holly is the definition of a spoiled brat. In fact, she was so awful at the beginning that I even considered not finishing the book. It was actually difficult to read about someone who was so cruel to everyone around her. (Also, there was a lot of emphasis on fashion in the first chapter which turned me off.) However, Holly definitely gets what she deserves. Even after she dies, she’s not the friendliest but after a while her poor attitude becomes kind of humorous. Over the course of the book, she does experience a lot of growth and after a while you can’t help but to root for her. There were other unique characters in this book as well, like Ethan and Stephanie. For a Scrooge, Ethan Winters III was extremely charming. I was surprised by how caring and patient he was. I really liked him for the most of the book. As for Stephanie, she was annoying but well-intentioned and she definitely grew on me, just as she did on Holly. I loved the way that both of these characters brought out Holly’s sweeter side.
The concept of Project Scrooge was really fun and interesting. I loved seeing the process of getting to know the Scrooge unfold. The parts where Holly sifted through Ethan’s memories were really interesting. I also loved Holly and Ethan’s relationship. They were so well suited for each other and I ship them really hard.
In general, I just did not want to put this book down. It was light-hearted and hysterical and the perfect kind of book to get you out of a reading slump. Although it is related to Christmas and I plan on rereading it around the holidays, I think it could be read during any time of the year. Although this book didn’t end quite the way I expected/wanted, I really enjoyed it overall and I’m so glad I read it.
Overall rating:
Struggling Bookaholic 