10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston (Ft. Big family Christmas Shenanigans + GIVEAWAY)

10 Blind Dates is the equivalent of a Christmassy peppermint hot chocolate of wholesome goodness.

This was so much fun, alright!? I read a lot of stressful books, so sometimes I just want one where the pages are bursting with big family chaos, Christmas baking, and a good dash of dating mishaps. 😌 Here for it. Plus it wasn’t without some weight drama in the background, so it’s not all whipped cream froth.

I also have a giveaway going (partnered with Disney Book Group) for this on my instagram RIGHT NOW so don’t forget to enter!!

It has…

→ big Italian extended-families (cousins and aunts and uncles and siblings GALORE)
→ blind dates that go both horribly right and wrong (some include puppies)
→ a nona who bakes something to celebrate…uh, literally everything (I’m hungry)
→ oblivious crushes-in-denial
→ cinnamon scrolls (both literal ones and fictional character ones)
→ sister love!!!
→ the kinda cutest cover ever

blind date time

Sophie overhears her boyfriend say she’s “boring” which is a delightful way to start your Christmas break, yes? With a bit of yelling, she takes off to spend Christmas break with her huuuuuge extended big Italian family. Her Nona decides to cheer her up, everyone will set her up with 10 blind dates. (CAN’T GO, WRONG.) Seriously, one must love grandma logic.

Look this is an excellent trope and I 10000% think Netflix needs to pick this up. The book is full of quirky funny wildness, with dates at a live Nativity play and a puppy iceskating rink and Game of Thrones themed bowling. Sophie dreads the whole thing, but also has fun.

I decided after about 2 pages that her (ex)boyfriend Griffin needed to fall into a hole and wE WILL DIE for Wes, aka a childhood best friend she “totally” does “not” “like” in “that way”. (HA.)

big families!! everywhere you look, more family!!!

I always say YA needs more big-family centric book and [waves at this one] it delivers my wishes specifically. This is an extended family, so Sophie has one sister (who’s about to have a baby; also the sisters’ relationship is super tight and I loved their texting!!) and the house is just STUFFED with cousins and uncles and aunts etc. Billions of them, everywhere you look. I also have unwillingly obtained a pile of siblings and niblings, so can 10/10 say the chaos here was accurate. The banter! The flow! Someone getting milk poured onto them at breakfast! So relatable.

Sophie used to be particularly close with two of her cousins, Olivia and Charlie, and the boy next door, Wes. I wish we’d had more tension behind why they drifted apart. But they were an epic squad, and Charlie’s quips were besssst. West was So Soft™ and am truly loving the rise of the cinnamon boys in YA too.

christmas

I read precious little christmas books so this was a fun change from me, being an absolute grinch. Lots of big-family Christmas traditions (like wearing matching PJs?!) and general holiday shenanigans are always fun to read about. The focus was on the specific dates, but Sophie’s cousins were always around — so it was honestly just as much about reconnecting with family as it was about the dates.

this is the festively soft and wholesome holiday read you’ve been looking for 🤗

though lowkey WARNING for how hungry it makes you (why has no one made me christmas cakes?? hmm???) It could’ve gone a little deeper with some of the relationships, but it was so engaging and fun and such a quirky read. I love looooove big-family stories so SOLID WIN for me. It leaves you with a sticky chocolatey minty Christmas hug, reminding you that relationships are important and don’t let them slip away. 😘

Thanks to @LetsTalkYA and Disney-Hyperion for the review-copy!

Sophie wants one thing for Christmas-a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (read: make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin. Except it turns out that Griffin wants a little freedom from their relationship. Cue devastation.
Heartbroken, Sophie flees to her grandparents’ house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That’s when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. Like her sweet cousin Sara, who sets her up with a hot guy at an exclusive underground party. Or her crazy aunt Patrice, who signs Sophie up for a lead role in a living nativity. With a boy who barely reaches her shoulder. And a screaming baby.
When Griffin turns up unexpectedly and begs for a second chance, Sophie feels more confused than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, she’s started to have feelings for someone else . . . Someone who is definitely not available.
This is going to be the worst Christmas break ever… or is it?

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| what do you think? |

do you like books with big extended families? or tell me a romcom you wish was a movie!! 👀and let me know if you’ve read 10 Blind Dates and what you think