The Plight Before Christmas
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-12-25 08:21:02
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kate Stewart
- ISBN：B09NSZJDMM
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Clark Griswold was onto something， at least with his annual holiday meltdown。 And since the last three weeks of my life have been riddled with humbug—another breakup， a broken toe， an office promotion I deserved and didn’t get—I’m not at all in the mood to celebrate nor have the happ， happ， happiest Christmas EVER。
When Mom insisted that we all gather at my Grandparent’s ancient cabin for an old school family Christmas， I fully intended to get into the holiday spirit with the help of the three wise men， Johnnie Walker， Jack Daniels， and Jim Beam。 But those boys did absolutely nothing to offset the shock or temper the sting of seeing my EX on our doorstep the first day of our holiday soiree。
Apparently， Santa missed the memo， and this elf is pissed。
Stuck for a week with the man who obliterated my heart nearly two decades ago， I did the only thing I could do and put on my game face， thankful for the home advantage。
I knew better than to drink that last cup of eggnog。
I knew better than to get tongue tangled beneath the mistletoe with the only man to ever break my heart。
I knew better than to sleep with Satan’s wingman on the eve of the Lord’s birthday。
I could blame the nog。 I could blame the deceitful light blue eyes， thick， angelic hair， and panty evaporating smirk…but mostly， I blame Eli because he always knew exactly which of my buttons to push。
I foolishly thought a family Christmas filled with nostalgia was going to turn my inner Scrooge around， but this year’s festivities went up in flames。 Leave it to the ghost of my Christmas past to be the one to light the match。
Fa la la la la la， FML。
When Mom insisted that we all gather at my Grandparent’s ancient cabin for an old school family Christmas， I fully intended to get into the holiday spirit with the help of the three wise men， Johnnie Walker， Jack Daniels， and Jim Beam。 But those boys did absolutely nothing to offset the shock or temper the sting of seeing my EX on our doorstep the first day of our holiday soiree。
Apparently， Santa missed the memo， and this elf is pissed。
Stuck for a week with the man who obliterated my heart nearly two decades ago， I did the only thing I could do and put on my game face， thankful for the home advantage。
I knew better than to drink that last cup of eggnog。
I knew better than to get tongue tangled beneath the mistletoe with the only man to ever break my heart。
I knew better than to sleep with Satan’s wingman on the eve of the Lord’s birthday。
I could blame the nog。 I could blame the deceitful light blue eyes， thick， angelic hair， and panty evaporating smirk…but mostly， I blame Eli because he always knew exactly which of my buttons to push。
I foolishly thought a family Christmas filled with nostalgia was going to turn my inner Scrooge around， but this year’s festivities went up in flames。 Leave it to the ghost of my Christmas past to be the one to light the match。
Fa la la la la la， FML。
Reviews
Dana
，
4。5。
Charlotte
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Kate Stewart does it again … meet Whit and Eli her college ex thrown together at Whit’s family Christmas retreat in Triple Falls （yes Chap 25 does hold an amazing cross over！） …。 What could possibly go wrong or right？ Family drama and sexual tension aside the laughs just kept on coming and had been howling and crying they were just so good！ Thank you Kate！
Cindy Martin
，
What a fantastic way to end my reading for the year。 This book was so awesome！！！ I absolutely adored everything about this book 。 Kate out did herself with this one。
Vera Blaz
，
Kate Stewart seems to have my heart in chains。 This story was full of comedic banter but it was also pull-your-heartstrings， cry my eyes out sobbing like I lost my best friend。 Whitney had blows right and left。 The icing on her woe is me cake was finding her ex Eli spending the holidays with her family。 She was the one who got away。 But he was the one who left her。 When he shared his story， cue the waterworks。 Fortunately for Eli， by the time Whitney was ready to hear his apology， her entire fam Kate Stewart seems to have my heart in chains。 This story was full of comedic banter but it was also pull-your-heartstrings， cry my eyes out sobbing like I lost my best friend。 Whitney had blows right and left。 The icing on her woe is me cake was finding her ex Eli spending the holidays with her family。 She was the one who got away。 But he was the one who left her。 When he shared his story， cue the waterworks。 Fortunately for Eli， by the time Whitney was ready to hear his apology， her entire family was rooting for him。 I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review。 。。。more
Des
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It was pretty cute。 But I did have to keep reminding myself that these people are almost 40。。 bc Whitney did notttt seem it to me。 Side note: the scene with the mechanic who came to tow her car？？？？ Um yes。 😍 I really loved his energy。 I wanted more of him 😅
Holly
，
This。 Book。 Slaps！ Whitney’s family is basically like the Grizwolds and I loved all the banter between all of them。Eli and Whitney’s chemistry was 🔥and I loved them so much。 Chapter 25 had me like 🤣🥺and Eli the next few chapters after had me 🤣💀。This book also has one of the cutest little characters “mep”。
Vicky Whitfield
，
My favourite holiday romance！I absolutely adored this book。 The characters， the romance， the family， their banter， the story， the setting， the cameos…everything about it was perfection！ I would definitely recommend if you want a holiday read that will make you laugh， cry and smile so big your face cracks！ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It will be a book I return to again and again。
Leyla Reads
，
guess its safe to say this is my new favorite christmas book。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。this book had all the feels and the two protagonits have such panty melting chemistry even though they broke up for so long （its a chritmas of second chances）。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。its great。。its motherfucking great and everyone needs to read this because its Kate Stewart
Marcia Esders
，
GravityJust when I think Kate Stewart can’t get any better， along comes this story…idyllic Christmas setting， second chances at love… what could be better？ And Eli？ Omggggg… Whitney and her family…Ruby and Allen…。the kids…。 And Peyton。 That kid was hysterical…。just a perfectly imperfect family with so much love between them。 I would give this story 10 stars if I could。 I think I’ll reread this every year at this time。 It’s that good！
Nomadic Librarian
，
Wow， this book was so much more than I anticipated given the cover illustration and summary。 It’s not like a corny， fluffy Hallmark Christmas movie but a fine piece of women’s fiction complete with second-chance romance， a loud， loving family， and a large dollop of humor。 I especially enjoyed the view of marriage as a constant work-in-progress for not just Whitney’s siblings， but also her parents （even after 40 years）。 If you’re someone who’s spent her entire life reading romance and wishing for Wow， this book was so much more than I anticipated given the cover illustration and summary。 It’s not like a corny， fluffy Hallmark Christmas movie but a fine piece of women’s fiction complete with second-chance romance， a loud， loving family， and a large dollop of humor。 I especially enjoyed the view of marriage as a constant work-in-progress for not just Whitney’s siblings， but also her parents （even after 40 years）。 If you’re someone who’s spent her entire life reading romance and wishing for a soulmate， this story will hit all of the emotional buttons。 Give yourself a Christmas present by reading this story chock full of all that the holiday embodies！ 。。。more
Candy
，
I’m usually not for the 2nd chance romances。 But this one was great！ The characters in this book are older， late 30s。 Since I am 46， I could relate a bit more that they were older and not college aged。 This book had me laughing out loud。 The dynamics of this family was great！ Never a dull moment。 Great read！
Tatianna Skye
，
So…。 I wish this book were longer than 352 pages！！！ By far there isn’t another Christmas book that can beat this one。 This book made me belly laugh， cry a little， made my heart beat out of my chest， and overall just made me happy！ The characters were lovable， especially Pey Pey （he has my heart）。 The story itself was beautifully written and made me feel as if I wasn’t even reading （which is a good thing）。 Ugh I just want to read this book again， but instead I’ll cherish it and wait till next Chr So…。 I wish this book were longer than 352 pages！！！ By far there isn’t another Christmas book that can beat this one。 This book made me belly laugh， cry a little， made my heart beat out of my chest， and overall just made me happy！ The characters were lovable， especially Pey Pey （he has my heart）。 The story itself was beautifully written and made me feel as if I wasn’t even reading （which is a good thing）。 Ugh I just want to read this book again， but instead I’ll cherish it and wait till next Christmas。 If you couldn’t tell I highly recommend reading this book， great for the holidays or any day especially if you’re feeling down （this book will up your serotonin and get you out of your reading slump）。 Overall just read this book you won’t regret。 And the last thing I have to say is this… gravity。rating:5/5 。。。more
HappyKT
，
After being hit with one too many disappointments， a woman seeks solace with her family for the Christmas holidays not knowing her ex boyfriend is about to show up and change everything。 Whitney Collins just wants to stage an epic pity party， but instead she is headed to her family's cabin to spend a week celebrating Christmas with them。 Her life is not where she expected it to be， but for now she can just focus on making her family happy， ignoring everything else。 When her brother brings a fami After being hit with one too many disappointments， a woman seeks solace with her family for the Christmas holidays not knowing her ex boyfriend is about to show up and change everything。 Whitney Collins just wants to stage an epic pity party， but instead she is headed to her family's cabin to spend a week celebrating Christmas with them。 Her life is not where she expected it to be， but for now she can just focus on making her family happy， ignoring everything else。 When her brother brings a family guest at the last minute， she is completely unprepared to see her ex boyfriend from college。 It's been seventeen years and Eli has never forgotten Whitney。 He broke her heart when they parted ways， but now he wants to apologize hoping to possibly explain his side of the story。 Knowing her family means to the world to her， he is excited to see her in her element。 Whitney is unsettled seeing Eli again， not entirely sure how to respond to seeing him almost two decades later。 Within a few days， the chaos of the Collins family comes to the surface and Eli loves every minute of it。 Amidst it all， Eli realizes he wants THIS， he just needs to convince Whitney she wants it too。 The beginning was a tiny bit slow for me but once we got to the meat of the story I was all in。 If you love the movie "Family Stone，" this is a great book for you。 The second chance at love trope mixed with a slow burn and flashbacks is handled perfectly。 Great chemistry not only between the two Protagonists， but also with the secondary characters。 This is the feel good rom-com all Hallmark Christmas movies wish they could be。 Great HEA and epilogue。 。。。more
Kathy
，
A Holiday Gift As only Kate Stewart can deliver。 A humorous and poignant story of life and all its forms。 Love， laughter， hurt， forgiveness and family， and most of all hope。Thank you Kate for the whopper of a surprise gift in chapter 25。 Extra swooning always a treat。
Lauren Milne
，
（4。5/5 rounded up）
Sian Morse
，
Perfect Christmas BookLoved the story of Whitney & Eli。 Such a great Christmassy read！ Second chance romance at its finest。 Highly recommended
Nicole
，
I almost didn't read this one and what a shame that would have been。 This is a must read！ I couldn't put it down！ Poor Whitney， her life is a rock bottom。 Anything and everything isn't going her way。 Now on Christmas vacation with her family her college ex shows up。 She really thinks she has a run of bad luck， but does she really？ I loved Whitney's family。 They're not perfect like a typical family， but they have love for one another。 Little Peyton is so adorable。 He had me laughing a lot。 Eli ma I almost didn't read this one and what a shame that would have been。 This is a must read！ I couldn't put it down！ Poor Whitney， her life is a rock bottom。 Anything and everything isn't going her way。 Now on Christmas vacation with her family her college ex shows up。 She really thinks she has a run of bad luck， but does she really？ I loved Whitney's family。 They're not perfect like a typical family， but they have love for one another。 Little Peyton is so adorable。 He had me laughing a lot。 Eli made some horrible decisions in his youth now years later he wants to fix his greatest regret。 I loved watching Eli and Whitney reconnect。 What I loved about this book is it's real and raw for what a true family would be experiencing。 This book has so much heart and feels。 Not gonna lie I teared up a bit a few times。 This is a perfect book to get into the holiday spirit。 It shows the importance of family and this year that really hits home with me after losing my grandpa this year。 。。。more
Rebecca Langford
，
This book had depth for a Christmas read。 Wow。 This one is gonna stay with me for a while。 Eli。 Bee。 Pledge。 The tension。 The banter。 Oof。
Tracey Fandre
，
I so needed this in my life。 I read it slower than usual so I could savor it and make the feelings last。 It was so real， beautiful and relatable。 This was perfection。 Everything I would have wanted in a holiday romance and more。 It is like the Die Hard in the book world。 Yes， it is a book based around Christmas and has a Christmas cover but the real story， the crux of the book， is a lovely second-chance romance that has depth and feeling。 This is no ordinary， romcom， Hallmark type Christmas boo I so needed this in my life。 I read it slower than usual so I could savor it and make the feelings last。 It was so real， beautiful and relatable。 This was perfection。 Everything I would have wanted in a holiday romance and more。 It is like the Die Hard in the book world。 Yes， it is a book based around Christmas and has a Christmas cover but the real story， the crux of the book， is a lovely second-chance romance that has depth and feeling。 This is no ordinary， romcom， Hallmark type Christmas book， this is deep and moving and draws you in。 This non-crier had tears in her eyes when she read "The End" 。。。more
Mariah
，
I LOVED THIS It was so special to be back in triple falls 🥺 I absolutely adored the sarcasm， humor， family dynamics and the flashback memories。 I am absolutely obsessed with Eli and Whitney as I suspected I would be with Kate's writing。 🤣 I LOVED THIS It was so special to be back in triple falls 🥺 I absolutely adored the sarcasm， humor， family dynamics and the flashback memories。 I am absolutely obsessed with Eli and Whitney as I suspected I would be with Kate's writing。 🤣 。。。more
Jacinta Potter
，
Absolutely loved it！！Ticked all the boxes！！ Absolutely hilarious， heart warming and just what I needed this time of year。 You won't be disappointed！！Well done kate！！！ Absolutely loved it！！Ticked all the boxes！！ Absolutely hilarious， heart warming and just what I needed this time of year。 You won't be disappointed！！Well done kate！！！ 。。。more
Gabrielle Negrillo
，
Okay I’m going to be honest， I had zero trust。 After The Ravenhood trilogy， I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to pick up more Kate Stewart books because PAIN！ But goodness am I glad I did。 This was so amazing。 It was gut punchy just enough to make you feel SOMETHING and my heart was tangled in this love story so much。 I’m in love with this story and the hype surrounding it was so deserved。 Must say… that chapter 25 thing I keep seeing， just gonna say it’s worth it。 Do yourself a favor and read this b Okay I’m going to be honest， I had zero trust。 After The Ravenhood trilogy， I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to pick up more Kate Stewart books because PAIN！ But goodness am I glad I did。 This was so amazing。 It was gut punchy just enough to make you feel SOMETHING and my heart was tangled in this love story so much。 I’m in love with this story and the hype surrounding it was so deserved。 Must say… that chapter 25 thing I keep seeing， just gonna say it’s worth it。 Do yourself a favor and read this baby。 It’s amazing and I’m so happy I read it。 Now I need to sleep or I won’t be able to function for Christmas Eve 🎄🎄🎄🎄 。。。more
Lynnzie （lynnziebooks）
，
This was so cute！！！ I absolutely adored this book and could not stop reading it。 The wit and banter was EVERYTHING。 I giggled at my kindle numerous times and cackled at a few scenes。 I may have gotten emotional a few times because I loved this relationship and characters。I love that the MCs are older， like we get so many romance books with pretty young couples so it’s nice to see older characters。 I fell for these two pretty quickly and could somewhat relate with Whitney so I loved her。 Eli is a This was so cute！！！ I absolutely adored this book and could not stop reading it。 The wit and banter was EVERYTHING。 I giggled at my kindle numerous times and cackled at a few scenes。 I may have gotten emotional a few times because I loved this relationship and characters。I love that the MCs are older， like we get so many romance books with pretty young couples so it’s nice to see older characters。 I fell for these two pretty quickly and could somewhat relate with Whitney so I loved her。 Eli is actually quite adorable and loved seeing him fit in so quickly。 I also loved the family and their dynamic， it felt so real。I definitely recommend this one， it’s a perfect Christmas romcom。 It can definitely be read after Christmas if you’re not able to fit it in ASAP。 Also， Ravenhood fans， chapter 25 is just for you 🥰 。。。more
leah
，
4。5 so cute oh my god
Honey Book Lover
，
“She’s mine。 She has to be because my heart is hers and always has been。 It’s never been so clear。 I loved her then， soul-deep。 I love her now， perpetually。” 🥺As always， as long as it is by @authorkatestewart， in between the angst ridden story， expect mind blowing， lachrymose， and heartfelt lines on top of the pull of steamy sexual tension and satisfying spice build up。 Finally got the time to finish The Plight Before Christmas after such busy past few days。 I was hesitant to pick it up at first “She’s mine。 She has to be because my heart is hers and always has been。 It’s never been so clear。 I loved her then， soul-deep。 I love her now， perpetually。” 🥺As always， as long as it is by @authorkatestewart， in between the angst ridden story， expect mind blowing， lachrymose， and heartfelt lines on top of the pull of steamy sexual tension and satisfying spice build up。 Finally got the time to finish The Plight Before Christmas after such busy past few days。 I was hesitant to pick it up at first because I’m no fan of themed books （halloween， xmas holidays） but because it is by Kate Stewart I knew I had to read it。Since I picked it up on release day， I went into the story blind。 Got a little busy so was not able to finish in one go so when I got to the Recovery Group on Facebook， I found out that a character from The Ravenhood made a cameo。 That made me even more excited to dive into the story。Funny thing is I got so invested in the story I lost track of the cameo and had to go back to the chapter it happened only to realise that I’m so knee deep into Eli and Whit’s relationship that I did not even notice he already has made his appearance 😂Aside from the romance， I loved how the book revolved around Whit’s family。 The holiday traditions， the sibling relationships， and Whitney’s selfless and forgiving love。 Would totally read this book again even if it is not the holiday season。 Book rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Spice 🌶🌶 。。。more
Adreanna
，
Amazing I loved this book sooo much and towards the end the quite unexpected turn of events about Eli’s life I loved every vital minute of it！ Eli and Whitney are everything and they also give hope that life is still worth living and that your never to old to do what you love and love who you love！
Elizabeth | _its_liz_reading
，
2。5 stars
Devillemurreads
，
Lord have mercy Kate this books was freaking amazing！！！ My new favorite romance dramedy christmas book ever！！！ I love everything about this Collins Family。 I wish I had siblings & a family like them。Second off， Eli & Whitney were just what I needed this holiday season。 This book was the perfect ending to my 2021！ 💕
Isabella。 R
，
5 Fa la la la la， la FUCK MY LIFE Stars ⭐Some books make you nostalgic and heartbroken all over again。 First loves are meant to serve a valuable lesson， yet in some instances you never get over it and it hinders all future decisions。 I’m not emotionally equipped to deal with his baggage。 I have my own carousel to sort out。Don't get me wrong The Plight Before Christmas was a wonderful festive romance but for me it was a lot more。 It was funny and sweet but it made me hurt at the same time！"Eli wa 5 Fa la la la la， la FUCK MY LIFE Stars ⭐Some books make you nostalgic and heartbroken all over again。 First loves are meant to serve a valuable lesson， yet in some instances you never get over it and it hinders all future decisions。 I’m not emotionally equipped to deal with his baggage。 I have my own carousel to sort out。Don't get me wrong The Plight Before Christmas was a wonderful festive romance but for me it was a lot more。 It was funny and sweet but it made me hurt at the same time！"Eli wasn’t the guy you were supposed to plan a future with。 He was the guy to break your heart and break it in well。 I didn’t realize it until it was too late。”When Whitney and Eli fell in love in college， their relationship could of gone either way。 Long term or heartbreak as was their path。 Seventeen years later Whitney is celebrating her annual family Christmas getaway in Triple Falls。 Except not only is her life already in turmoil， it seems that Eli has somehow hijacked her Christmas。I don't want to rehash what was written because it's lengthy， emotional， fabulously flavoured with interconnecting stories of the other members of the Collin's family but also a cluster fuck of hurts and regrets。 She’s mine。 She has to be because my heart is hers and always has been。 It’s never been so clear。This was a slow journey to forgiveness but I loved the slow burn and watching the past and present of Whitney and Eli collide。 Truths and vulnerabilities being exposed and watching two people who'd given up on love a long time ago being proven wrong。 This story was wonderful。 ❤️ 。。。more
Taylor Moore
，