“Christmas in a Bookstore? That Could Work.”
When I was looking at Hallmark Christmas movies last year, there were two draws for A Novel Noel. The first was the premise. How could this reader not love it? The second was that it starred Julie Gonzalo. Got to support Veronica Mars alums, right?
Julie plays Harper, a New York editor who has lost her passion for her job after a rough year. She is granted a few weeks off just as she gets an email that a position she’s volunteered for has opened up. She’s going to be a guest worker at a bookstore in a small town for the holiday. She considers it fate, so she quickly agrees.
When she arrives, she meets Sawyer (Brendan Penny), who manages the bookstore for his family. However, they get off to a rocky start since Harper doesn’t agree with how Sawyer is managing things. I mean, who puts a wine bar in a bookstore? Can the two make it work? Will they find they have more in common?
Naturally, as a reader, I loved the setting of this movie. And there are some fun elements, like the traditions Sawyer and his friends have as well as the Christmas Bingo game that Harper plays with her best friend.
However, I struggled a bit with the romance in this one. I felt like we were told the characters had fallen for each other more than we actually saw it. It was the weakest part of the movie for me.
This isn’t anything against the actors. They did a fine job with the material they had. Yes, there is some low budget cheese, but that is baked into my expectations when I sit down to watch one of these movies.
There was some discussion about White Christmas in this film, which I thought was great. I’ve recently become a fan of that classic, so I enjoyed seeing it mentioned.
What I was really impressed by was the third act. They did some things that I wasn’t expecting. And some things that I thought were healthy for the characters. Yes, we still got the ending I was expecting, but it was nice to see how we got there.
A Novel Noel is a nice Christmas movie. It’s not the best of the bunch, but it will keep you entertained while it is on.
I think I have this one recorded, but I haven't watched it yet. It's been on the back burner because I've heard nothing but mediocre reviews. At some point I'll watch it. :)
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