Book Review - The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox

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Title: The Holiday Swap

Author: Maggie Knox

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Date: 30th September 2021

Rating: 4 Stars

When chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the L.A. set of her reality baking show, she loses a lot more than consciousness; she also loses her ability to taste and smell - both critical to her success as show judge. Meanwhile, Charlie's identical twin, Cass, is frantically trying to hold her own life together back in their quaint mountain hometown while running the family's bustling bakery and dealing with her ex, who won't get the memo that they're over.

With only days until Christmas, a desperate Charlie asks Cass to do something they haven't done since they were kids: switch places. Looking for her own escape from reality, Cass agrees. But temporarily trading lives proves more complicated than they imagined, especially when rugged firefighter Jake Greenman and gorgeous Physician Assistant Miguel Rodriguez are thrown into the mix.

Will the twins' identity swap be a recipe for disaster, or does it have all the right ingredients for getting their lives back on track?

It's been a while since I last read a book featuring twins switching places and this one was done to perfection. Alternating chapters focusing on each twin, as they swap lives for the run up to Christmas, after Charlie is concussed and loses her sense of taste and smell - which is less than ideal when you are hosting a bake-off style programme on TV. 

Whereas Cass runs the family bakery back in the picturesque Starlight Peak, and is also a talented baker, but never really pushed outside her comfort zone but will do anything for her sister. 

Let's just say it's a lot harder to swap places as an adult when you live separate lives when they used to do it at school, and nothing is as simple as it may sound. 

I loved seeing them out of their natural habitats and trying to learn just what their sister's life really entails. Each wants the other to take care of certain situation too, and the similarities don't end there as there are definitely romantic interests that may not know who they are getting involved with. 

And then there is the baking on both sides of the swap, this is certainly a book that will get your mouth watering and craving sweet treats. 

I really enjoyed both Cass and Charlie's stories, as well as seeing how the TV show was filmed, while at the same time loving the small town life too - there is something for everyone and it all spoke to me. 

It's just a highly enjoyable and delicious holiday romance and a really good debut novel. 

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.