Mini Reviews: Second Chance Holiday Romances

There are so many great romances centered around second chances—who doesn’t love a good second chance romance, especially during the holiday season? Bonus points if the setting is fantastic—whether it’s a snowy small town, a cozy cabin, or a bustling city all lit up for the festivities, the right backdrop adds an extra layer of charm and magic to the story.

 

The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer

Pages: 368

Publisher: Mira

Pub. Date: October 21, 2025

Source: Publisher for review

Other Books By Author: The Matzah Ball 

and Kissing Kosher 

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

 

Goodreads says, "Evelyn Schwartz has the perfect Hanukkah planned: eight jam-packed days producing the live-action televised musical of A Christmas Carol. Who needs family when you’ve got long hours, impossible deadlines, and your dream job? That is, until an accident on set lands her in the medical bay with one of her chronic migraines, and she’s shocked to find her ex-husband, David Adler, filling in for the usual studio doctor.

It’s been two years since David walked away from Evelyn and their life in Manhattan, and his ex-wife is still the same workaholic who puts her career before everything else—especially her health. But when Evelyn begins hallucinating “ghosts” tied to her past heartbreaks, and every single one leads to David, he finds himself spending much more time with her than he anticipated. And denying the still-smoldering chemistry between them becomes impossible.

As Evelyn revisits her ghosts of Hanukkah past, she and David both begin to wonder if they can have a Hanukkah future. But with a high-stakes production ramping up the pressure on Evelyn, and troublesome spirits forcing them both to confront their most difficult shared memories, it might just take a Hanukkah miracle for these two exes to light the flame on their second-chance at love.

 

Evelyn Schwartz is in charge of producing a live-action musical of the classic A Christmas Carol. This job has been taking up every minute of her life. All was going well until she hit her head in an accident on set. She finds that the doctor on call is none other than her ex-husband, David. This isn't good - well, it is her ex! - but it is awful as he left her two years ago and they are not on good terms. David is filling in for the regular doctor, and as soon as he sees Evelyn, he remembers why he left her; she is a workaholic putting work before everything. Evelyn not only suffers from chronic migraines, but this probable concussion has got her seeing "ghosts." These ghosts are tied to lessons of her past, and all of them are pointing to David. The more they hang out together, the more she realizes that there's still chemistry between them, and they both can't stop thinking of the life they could have had together. The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer is a fun contemporary of A Christmas Carol filled with second-chance romance and Hanukkah touches.
 
I always appreciate Meltzer's novels as they highlight a protagonist dealing with a chronic illness; she truly shows how all-consuming it can be, and I don't find that topic very often in literature. While I didn't feel connected to Evelyn and David like I normally do with Meltzer's novels, The Matzah Ball was my favorite, I still appreciate their journey back to one another. Also, The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah had a lot more trauma in it than I anticipated; there's grief, death of a child, abortion, and more. This initially turned me off, but once I read to the author's note at the end of the novel, I was touched by it, and it all made sense.  

 

 

 

Yours for the Season by Emily Stone

Pages: 336

Pub. Date: October 7, 2025

Publisher: Dell

Source: Publisher for review

Other Books By Author: A Winter Wish

and Love, Holly 

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

 

Goodreads says, "Melanie has not had a good year. Things are definitely not going as planned in her work life, her best friend has moved to the other side of the world, and her favorite bagel shop is closing down. But the real reason this year has been awful is because Finn, the man who she was sure was the love of her life, dumped her. In front of everyone. At his sister’s engagement party.

So when Finn shows up at her doorstep two weeks before Christmas asking if she’ll help him, her first instinct is to slam the door in his face—or punch him. But he has a proposal for her.

Finn wants Melanie to spend the week of Christmas with him. He has to face the holiday at a vacation cottage in the Scottish Highlands with his two perfect siblings who are happily paired off with their perfect partners. His mother is obsessed with the idea of a perfect Christmas—and to try and help, Finn may have told his mother he and Mel are dating again. All she has to do is come with him and pretend they’re back together.

Melanie may hate Finn, but she loves his mom. And with her own parents on a trip, it looks like the only way to spend the holiday with someone she cares about is to suffer through being around the person she despises most.

So Melanie agrees—on one condition. At the end of the week, Finn will allow Mel to publicly dump him—in front of his family—so she can get her dignity back and he can experience the same humiliation she felt.

As they embark on seven days with Finn's family, Mel tells herself it's only a week. She just has to pretend to still be in love with him. Until she starts to lose track of which feelings are fake, and which are for real...

 

 

Mel is trying to rebuild her life after Finn dumped her at his sister's engagement party in front of his entire family. This was heartbreaking, but she is finally moving on until he shows up at her door two weeks before Christmas. Finn has a proposition. He asks if she could help him out by coming with him to his family's holiday up in the Scottish Highlands. He may have told his mom they were back together as she adores Mel and he didn't want to break her heart. Would Mel help him out since she has no holiday plans? Mel reluctantly agrees to go as she really likes Finn's mom and sisters, but only under one condition! At the end of the trip, she gets to break up with Finn in front of his entire family. So, off they go! Mel is excited to see Finn's family, and she hopes that this trip will give her the closure she never received. Emily Stone's Yours for the Season is a cute holiday romance involving the fake dating trope, second chances, and includes a great setting in the Scottish Highlands.
 
While I didn't feel that Yours for the Season packed the same kind of emotional punch as Stone's previous novels, I still enjoyed this holiday romance. I appreciated the flashbacks to their relationship in the past, so readers can understand the characters on a deeper level, why they broke up, and how their love evolved. I did feel like the premise was a little weak (like who in their right mind would agree to this?), and the chemistry was lacking at times, but once readers can let that go, they will enjoy a second-chance romance with a memorable setting. Not my favorite of Stone's, but a decent holiday read. 

 

Do you plan to read either book this holiday season? Let me know in the comments below.