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Bettie Hughes grew up in the spotlight, the granddaughter of a well-known, lifelong actress. Though her parents raised her modestly, once she became an adult, she used her celebrity-adjacent status to wrangle wealth for herself. Unfortunately, bad financial decisions led to her losing all the money that financed the extravagant lifestyle she grew accustomed to. Now, she’s hiding the situation from her family and squatting in a tiny apartment in the same town her grandparents live in.
Christmas is rapidly approaching, and Bettie is facing pressure to give fancy gifts to her family and convince them she is as successful as ever. But one night, she gets drunk and spills wine on a vinyl record of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” It plays backward, and suddenly, a man appears in the room. After her shock wears off, this definitely unusual (but good-looking, as it happens) man eventually gets a message through to Bettie: he is the Holiday Spirit. He has been conjured into human form by the song playing the way it did. And he is there to make all her wishes come true.
While Hall (short for Holiday) goes completely overboard on all things Christmas (think a handsome and not-dressed-up-as-an-elf Buddy from “Elf”), Bettie puts up with him because, well, he’s granting all her wishes. She determines to bring him to the family Christmas gathering. He can keep the good stuff coming in and make what’s usually an unpleasant experience a little less frustrating.
The only reasonable explanation for Hall’s presence is that they’re engaged. So Bettie has to pretend that she’s in love with the guileless guy who absolutely LOVES the holiday season. Hall goes crazy on seasonal outfits, decorations, goodies and activities. It’s annoying, especially when Hall makes her (and her not-very-celebratory family) participate in caroling, snowball fights, etc. But somehow the non-worldly non-human Hall starts to grow on Bettie and even her relatives. Unfortunately, his job is to lift Bettie’s level of holiday spirit, and when she is sufficiently happy, his job will be done. He won’t be staying forever, even if Bettie comes to wish he could.
Just Like Magic is a preposterous story that goes all in with any and all outlandish levels of holiday-related stuff. It’s meant to be not just whimsical but a bit crazy. Sometimes, especially earlier on, I wasn’t sure what I thought about it, but I kept on reading. As it’s primarily a romance, I felt skeptical about the naïve, almost childlike Hall being a serious love interest. But I was pleasantly surprised to find it finally coming together and making sense. The book also turns around a slightly dysfunctional family, bringing them closer, which was done naturally and warmly, fitting the characters’ personalities and styles well.
The premise of the novel and its execution are definitely over the top, but it is fun and sweet, a fun way to celebrate all things holiday, just as Hall would want.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes 5 uses of strong language, 15 instances of moderate profanity, about 20 uses of mild language, and 10 instances of the name of Deity in vain. There are a few instances of kissing and one that proceeds to sex, but off-screen.
*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
