Book Review: The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox

Charlie Goodwin is in Los Angeles, where she hosts a reality baking show with a sabotaging coworker. She must compete against him for a promotion. Her twin, Cass Goodwin, is back in their hometown, running the family's bustling bakery by herself and struggling with love.
When Charlie suffers a concussion and loses her sense of taste and smell, she begs her sister to switch places. With only days until Christmas, Cass must outdo Charlie’s colleague while Charlie recovers, manages their bakery and battles a rival bakery chain… while the swap works its magic on their love lives.

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Rating: 3/5

A light and enjoyable read, The Holiday Swap combines the perfect holiday atmosphere with mix-ups to rival Netflix’s The Princess Switch. I loved the way the story provided contrast between the cozy Christmas of the twins’ hometown and booming festivities in LA. An added bonus was how the narrative would switch between the twins, which kept me engaged.

The plot, however, follows familiar tropes. The twins’ adventures ended up being quite similar, and I was confused by their compulsion to keep the secret of the switch from the love interests. Letting them in on the secret would have made their lives much easier.

This was a sweet holiday novel overall, not heavy on action with likable characters and a fairytale ending.

Age recommendation: 12+
Genres: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, Middle Grade

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“Time heals all things. If time fails, try cake.”