Wrapped Up in You by Talia Hibbert
Contemporary
November 16, 2020
Kobo Originals
Reviewed by Kate
Favorite quote:
“Oh, sex? You think we’re having sex? We’ve never had sex. Although I should be clear, I am hoping we will eventually have sex.” He paused. “If she’s into that.” He paused again. “But that’s, like, stage six of the plan. We’re still in pre-season, Jase. Stay with me.”
As much as I have absolutely loved some of the Talia Hibbert that I have read, her books tend to be hit or miss for me. Wrapped Up in You falls somewhere in the middle in that I liked it, but I didn’t love it.
My major issue is length – at 127 pages, this novella is short. And here’s why that was a problem for me: the majority of the novella is spent with Will trying to convince Abbie of his feelings, and Abbie trying to avoid her feelings. (They don’t really get together until the epilogue.) But these characters have years of backstory to be able to get to this point, and trying to smash all of that into a 127 page novella is a feat. Especially when the main action takes place over about two days. All in all, I’m just not sure it was successful (or maybe I’m just selfish and wanted more).
However, that being said, Wrapped Up in You is Talia Hibbert. At times it’s laugh out loud funny, and I was rooting for Will and Abbie to figure it out. I liked them both, and Hibbert did a good job of making them feel like fully fleshed-out characters, even with the low page count. Will is adorable and sweet, and Abbie is prickly and scared, and watching them open up to each other is lovely.
Was this the Christmas novella I was expecting? Not really. Did it feel like the middle of a romance novel instead of an entire story? A little. But there were kittens, a matchmaking grandmother, and Hibbert’s wit, so it wasn’t all bad.
Content warnings: Anxiety and briefly mentioned past domestic abuse
Grade: C+/B-
Leave a Reply