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Sarah Monzon's new novel, All's Fair in Love and Christmas, is a unique Christmas story set in an office. The main characters, Mackenzie Graham and Jeremy Fletcher, are pitted against each other for a promotion at their office. The person with the most Christmas spirit will win the promotion. Both Mackenzie and Jeremy really need the promotion to help them with increasing financial responsibilities.
About the Book
All's Fair in Love and Christmas is a 236-page paperback novel from Bethany House Publishers. Included in my edition is an excerpt from You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Toni Shiloh. Chapters sort of alternate between focusing upon Mackenzie and then Jeremy, as we see why they want the promotion and how they are trying to bring Christmas into their office space.
In addition to the main characters, there is a handful of other characters connected – either because they work together or because their lives are important or intertwine with Mackenzie and Jeremy. Keri is Mackenzie's best friend and roommate who stands by her side during bouts of anxiety and worry about the promotion. Jeremy's circle includes officemates, his niece and nephew (whom he is looking after due to his sister and brother-in-law's early death), and Alejandro.
While working towards the promotion, Mackenzie and Jeremy bring a lot of Christmas cheer to the office. Jeremy decorates with pine boughs, gifts pomander balls, and brings cookies and a hot chocolate bar. Mackenzie works hard on getting to know her officemate's Christmas memories and helps to bring those to life. She hides Mary and Joseph as they journey to Bethlehem (and eventually join the manger for Christmas Eve). She also brings in all the gingerbread house ingredients to bring a coworker's memory to life.
My Thoughts (Spoilers)
So, I started off really loving the book. If the story only revolved around the competition between Mackenzie and Jeremy, I would not have had a hard time reading it. Jeremy is seeking the promotion because he sees the rising cost of taking care of his niece and nephew. So, he has a plan, and that includes the promotion.
Mackenzie's need for the promotion is tied to her mother, and this is where I struggled. Mackenzie's mom, Caroline, has Alzheimer's. This really hit home because my own mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2020 and lived with us until her death in April of 2022. Many of the events, feelings, and memories shared as Mackenzie's own in the book were very similar to my own experiences. This was not something I was prepared to read in a Christian Christmas Romance novel. If I wasn't reviewing the book, I think I may have even put the book down unfinished, because it was too raw.
I don't think my feelings about Mackenzie and her mom take away from the book. In fact, it probably demonstrates how well-written/researched the book is since it brought out such raw emotions in this reader. For example, I shared some of the same emotions as shared in book:
"A small sense of dread fills me as I near Mom's door. I hate this feeling, and guilt is a constant companion to it, but I can't seem to suppress either one. Standing in front of my mom's room is a bit like standing in front of a mystery door on a game show. I never know what awaits me on the other side" (96).
Add in the fact that Mackenzie suffers from social anxiety (which has also impacted my own life), and it made the book not as lighthearted as I wanted it to be for Christmas. I do love one of the ways that she tries to combat her anxiety.
Would I recommend this book?
I would recommend All's Fair in Love and Christmas, with the caveat that it includes a character with Alzheimer's. I think this is important to know before walking into the book. I really loved the reliance upon God, prayer, and friends and family in the novel. I felt that the Christian aspect of the characters' lives was woven in naturally which is wonderful to read. And in the end, it was a very happy Christmas, indeed.
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