Book Review: Mistletoe & Mishigas

IndieBookView

Dec 4

Mistletoe & Mishigas

by M.A. Wardell

Genre: Romance / LGBTQ

ISBN: 9798987787540

Print Length: 302 pages

Reviewed by Andrea Marks-Joseph

Mistletoe & Mishigas is a fake-dating romance about Sheldon, a first-grade teacher who was suddenly transferred to a new school at the same time he discovers that he's been invited to his ex's Christmas wedding. He's stressed about starting over, though the new school is surprisingly lovely, and even more stressed about the fact that he'll have to take his sister as his date to the wedding, which is exactly what his ex would expect. The school's custodian, Theo, is still a relative stranger and reluctantly helpful colleague when he spontaneously volunteers himself as Sheldon's date to the wedding.

"'But Christmas is …'"

"'Three weeks away, I know, but we don't know each other. At all. We can't dillydally if we want to pull this off." Three weeks of listening to Sheldon talk and talk and then talk some more. Three weeks of hearing him say things like "dillydally."

Sheldon could reciprocate by easing Theo's parents' worries about him not having a boyfriend during their upcoming Hanukkah visit. The majority of the book follows the two completely different men (in every way, truly) getting to know each other as practice for pretending they're boyfriends, and of course realizing along the way that this fake relationship might be a genuine romance come to life.

M.A. Wardell delivers an opposites-attract, grumpy-sunshine romance where both characters are exasperating, to each other and the reader, at the start—in the best way! Sheldon's perspective fluctuates between cringe and judgmental, and though he is joyous in a way that seems sincere, he comes across as desperately trying to act out what his idea of perfection and optimism looks like. Theo is grouchy even in his internal narration, which at first makes you want to tell him "Relax, dude, it's not that deep." It feels like he's expending soooo much energy to stay stoic and stern and not crack a smile, and we immediately want more for him.