Another light hearted-read, chick-lit book. Though this is lighter than I usually read, it was cute and fun. I do like holiday books so this was perfect to read at Christmas time. I'm not sure I would read this author again but there was a lot to like about it ( )

Sandra Harper's holiday novel is a nice way to spend an afternoon relaxing. The title could have double meaning and perhaps that was the authors' purpose; the story takes place over the holidays and also the characters' attitudes toward the holidays.

The book itself only happens for a few short weeks around the holidays but Harper's story packs a punch in that short time frame. Following several women linked by family, we see many different viewpoints on the holidays. Just after Vanessa and her husband JT decide not to travel East as they do every year, her sister-in-law Patience decides to travel to California instead. Vanessa finds it hard to hide her annoyance as she already has her plate full with work and their own holiday preparations. Vanessa also teases with the idea of infidelity over the Christmas break. Patience struggles with not having her standard "perfect" New England Christmas and dealing with a sassy seventeen year old daughter who seems to hate her. Vanessa's older sister Thea is struggling over the holiday season with finding inspiration for her art. And Patience's daughter, Liberty (Libby for short) cannot seem to get through to her mother that she doesn't want the same things has her mother.

Lots of inner turmoil going on in this book from Sandra Harper. And amazingly, she wraps it all up with a perfect little bow by the end of the book. I wasn't sure if this book would be too fluffy for my tastes when I started it. But honestly, Harper has written a book that manages to capture the stresses of the holiday season from many women's point of view in a way that is entertaining and spot-on. I think at one time or another we've all been annoyed at the the fact that much of the holiday preparations fall on the woman's shoulders. It's amazing to see how universal this is through several characters in Over the Holidays. I would recommend this as a holiday read as well as a book for anyone who enjoys Women's Fiction with strong, well-developed characters and a story with some depth to it.
http://hollybooknotes.blogspot.com/2010/02/over-holidays.html ( )

This was the perfect type of book to read during the holiday season. It was light and entertaining. It started out a little slow for me but once I got into the story I thoroughly enjoyed it. The main character, Vanessa, was easy to identify with and I really wanted things to work out happily ever after for her and her family. While there was some conflict between her and her sister-in-law the author was very adept at making it believable, not over the top like some do. You could tell that deep down they did care for each other. All in all, and enjoyable read. ( )

I was glad to receive this book in the season it focuses on. Unfortunately, the contents let me down.

The characters are very one dimensional. The plot was tedious and banal. I found myself not caring what happened to them and finished the book as quickly as I could. ( )

I didn't like this book at all. The characters were silly and it was a chore to finish the book. The profanity seemed to be added indiscriminantly like an adolescent boy trying to shock. It added nothing to the plot but make it seem infantile. The description of the book was misleading and what I had hoped to be a funny, irreverant look at the holiday was not. ( )