The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay

A special thank you to the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When doppelgänger best friends trade one’s cabin Christmas vacation for the other’s Hawaiian would’ve-been-honeymoon, both might just find love they weren’t expecting.

Holly Beech and Ivy Casey are bury-the-body besties. They’re so in sync, they even look alike. So when Holly’s fiancé jilts her, leaving her in shock and with a nonrefundable honeymoon, Holly convinces Ivy to switch places. Ivy will go on the Hawaiian honeymoon her best friend can’t bear to take alone, while Holly escapes to Ivy’s rented Hudson Valley cabin to binge-watch holiday movies and heal.

But Holly’s wallowing is interrupted when her rugged Airbnb host turns out to be her high school academic rival who’s had a major glow-up. Meanwhile, Ivy’s (now Hawaiian) annual solo art retreat is upended when Holly’s ex-fiancé checks into the honeymoon suite—with a new woman. Raging and bedless, the last thing Ivy expects is for the hot hotel bartender to come to her rescue. Against all odds, this Christmas might prove the most magical yet. 

For fans of The Holiday and Hallmark movies, The Holiday Honeymoon Switch is a best friends, dual point of view, new chance at love in the most opposite of settings. This is the perfect read to kick off your holiday season.

JULIA McKAY/MARISSA STAPLEY is a journalist and the bestselling author of Lucky, The Last Resort, Things to Do When It’s Raining, and Mating for Life. She co-authored All I Want for Christmas and The Holiday Swap with Karma Brown as Maggie Knox, and Three Holidays and a Wedding with Uzma Jalaluddin. 

Stapley lives in Toronto with her family.

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Q & A with Julia McKay*

GWR: How long did it take you to write The Holiday Honeymoon Switch, and how many drafts were there before publication?

JM: The timelines are really tight with my holiday romance novels—given that there is no leeway, and they must come out before the holiday season! So, I tend to write them in more concentrated bursts. It took me about five months to complete the first draft, and then there were two faster drafts after that before we got to copyedits. 

GWR: Is there any significance to the name Julia McKay?

JM: Julia is my middle name; McKay is my Grannie Maggie’s maiden name—and she was a writer, freelancing for many Canadian newspapers and magazines over the years and penning short stories as well. 

GWR: Were you inspired by any holiday movies or other holiday rom-coms?

JM: I was inspired by one of my favourite movies, The Holiday, as well as one of my favourite rom coms, The Unhoneymooners! 

GWR: Give us your best Hollywood pitch for the book.

JM: For fans of The Holiday, but make them besties … When Holly gets left at the altar of her Christmas themed wedding, she swaps holidays with her best friend, Ivy—and, out of heartache,  both friends find unexpected love beyond their wildest dreams. 

GWR: What comes first for you—the overall idea or the characters?  

JM: It always depends. Sometimes a situation or plot will come to me first, sometimes the main characters. In the case of The Holiday Honeymoon Switch, Holly and Ivy appeared first, and I knew these were characters I wanted to work with. Then I had to take some time to sort out the kind of journey I was going to take them on. 

GWR: Do you have more fun with character development or plot?

JM: I have a lot of fun with both. It’s really exciting to get to know your characters during the early stages of book conceptualizing—almost like meeting a new friend! I always use questionnaires to learn about my characters, such as the Proust questionnaire or the one in Save the Cat Writes a Novel, and it’s so entertaining to come up with answers for a person who doesn’t really exist. But I also adore plotting and planning. I feel such a rush when I’m writing an outline, even if I know things are likely to change somewhat once I get to the writing stage. 

GWR: This novel is as much about romantic relationships as it is about friendship. What were the most important characteristics and dynamics that you wanted Holly and Aiden’s/Ivy and Oliver’s relationships to have, as well as Holly and Ivy’s friendship? 

JM: It is very important to me that my characters have agency, and full lives outside of their romantic relationships. So, in this case, it was key that any relationship either character ended up in would work with her best friendship. I wanted both male leads to be secure and confident, with some baggage but not the sort that would get in the way of outside relationships. And I also thought it would be good if they were both a little isolated in their lives and really in the market for a bromance, which is definitely what I see happening between them after the final pages of the novel, by the way!  

As far as Holly and Ivy’s friendship goes, if you’re lucky enough to have this kind of friend then you know what it’s like. It’s such a gift to have someone you can truly be yourself with, someone who accepts you for who you are even if you aren’t always perfect—because no one is—supports and brings out the best in you, and is there for you no matter what. I feel lucky to have a best friend I know I can call in any crisis, and who will also be unconditionally happy for my successes. I didn’t find this friend until I was in my forties; it’s completely okay to hold out. But I love that Holly and Ivy met in university. 

GWR: What do you hope readers will take away from The Holiday Honeymoon Switch? 

JM: That it’s okay to take risks in the pursuit of happiness. That safety and responsibility are good, but following your heart is, too. That love comes in many forms, and the love you have for a friend is just as important as the love you have for a romantic partner. 

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

JM: Since there are two love stories, there would have to be, two! A Hawaiian Bonfire cocktail for Ivy, a peppermint mocha with extra whip for Holly. 

GWR: Will there be another Julia McKay book or holiday novel with one of your other partnerships?

JM: Although Uzma and I would love to write together again once we find the time and the right idea, Julia McKay is here to stay. A second novel will be out next holiday season, and I’ll be sharing news on that soon. 

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada. 

The Lightening Bottles by Marissa Stapley

A special thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

He was the troubled face of rock ‘n’ roll…until he suddenly disappeared without a trace.

Jane Pyre was once half of the famous rock ‘n’ roll duo, the Lightning Bottles. Years later, she’s perhaps the most hated—and least understood—woman in music. She was never as popular with fans as her bandmate (and soulmate), Elijah Hart—even if Jane was the one who wrote the songs that catapulted the Lightning Bottles to instant, dizzying fame, first in the Seattle grunge scene, then around the world.

But ever since Elijah disappeared five years earlier and the band’s meteoric rise to fame came crashing down, the public hatred of Jane has taken on new levels, and all she wants to do is retreat. What she doesn’t anticipate is the bombshell that awaits her at her new home in the German countryside: the sullen teenaged girl next door—a Lightning Bottles superfan—who claims to have proof that not only is Elijah still alive, he’s also been leaving secret messages for Jane. And they need to find them right away.

Told in both the past and the present, Stapley's latest is a gritty account of a famous band torn apart by addiction and fame. Her writing is complex, as are her characters, and she hits all the right notes in this atmospheric ode to the 90s. The Lightening Bottles is a visceral and searing portrait of addiction, love, loss, and the price of fame.

Part mystery, part romance, and part love letter to one of rock music's most influential decades, The Lightening Bottles is a smash. 

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MARISSA STAPLEY is a journalist and the bestselling author of Mating for Life, Things to Do When It's Raining, The Last Resort, and Lucky which has been optioned for television. 

Stapley lives in Toronto with her family.

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Q & A with Marissa Stapley*

GWR: How did you start writing/become a writer?    

MS: I was a journalist for many years, writing in-house and freelance for several newspapers and magazines—but I always knew I wanted to write creatively. The key to starting to write is to just…start! It’s that simple, and that impossible. I finally sat down and started working on a novel which would eventually become my first. I managed to get an agent and sell it to a small Canadian publisher, but sadly that publisher went out of business before the book came out. There were a few years of false starts and challenges but I kept at it, and eventually wrote Mating for Life, my debut novel which truly kickstarted my career as an author. 

GWR: You have written nine books (Marissa is also the author of: Lucky, The Last Resort, Things to Do When It’s Raining, and Mating for Life; co-authored as Maggie Knox All I Want for Christmas and The Holiday Swap with Karma Brown; co-authored Three Holidays and a Wedding with Uzma Jalaluddin; and has a new holiday novel, The Holiday Honeymoon Switch, writing as Julia McKay). Do you approach each the same way, or does your process differ based on genre?

MS: My process is only different now because of how many deadlines I have. I used to “pants” my way through a fairly lean first draft of each book, and then go back and do a sort of retroactive outline. That may be a slightly more fun and exciting way to work, but it’s not entirely predictable. Meaning that now I have become a plotter, and I’ll probably never go back. (Then again, never say never!) I tend to come up with an idea, write a one page pitch that I’ll share with my agent. We’ll discuss it, I’ll think about it for  a while, and then I’ll come up with a detailed outline. I actually adore outlining. Uzma always used to tell me when we were writing together that outlining is my super power. I do think I’m very good at taking ideas and running with them, and creating detailed road maps are now one of my favourite parts of the writing process. I do this with every novel, whether it’s one of the novels I publish under my own name, or a holiday rom-com. 

And I certainly take all my books seriously, no matter the genre. The rom-coms may be more fun, but it is just as important to me to get everything about them right.I always say easy reading is absolutely NOT easy writing. In fact, it can often be the opposite. And just because I'm always heading towards a happy ending with those books doesn’t mean I can’t delve into serious topics or take my characters to interesting, thought-provoking places.  I look forward to doing so much more of that in the future. 

GWR: What was the inspiration for The Lightning Bottles?

MS: I’ve been calling this novel the book of my heart. It is inspired by who I was as a teenager: music obsessed, and especially fixated on the world of grunge and alternative music. But that music scene had so much tragedy—not to mention a lot of misogyny.  Far too many artists were lost  too young, and far too many female artists did not get the credit they deserved.  I started to wonder what it would feel like to rewrite the history I lived through--and the idea for this book was born. 

GWR: Jane is a strong female and is perceived as being difficult and not overly liked by her peers and higher ups in the industry. Why do you think that women in music, especially during that time, were thought of as such, rather than as influential and/or creative? 

MS: I really don’t understand why any of this happens. Why was Yoko Ono seen as less than, when in truth she was integral to John Lennon’s art, so much so that the words to ‘Imagine’ came from  her poetry, and this was only acknowledged later—and still not really talked about? Why did she bear the blame for the Beatles break up? Why was Courtney Love accused of everything from killing her husband when he clearly took his own life, to not writing her own music when she is clearly a talented musician herself? Why have rockstars historically been able to get away with heinous acts (such as staggering amounts of statutory rape, casually detailed in a sickening number of rock memoirs) but Sinead O’Connor stood up against child abuse and was erased for it? I think there is still a fight to be had when it comes to equality and that we need to keep doing the hard work. Which means, for example, that when a female artist like Chappell Roan stands up and asks for boundaries and refuses to smile and be nice when she’s being treated horribly by the paparazzi we need to allow that, not vilify it. We cannot allow “the way things have always been” to dictate what our future looks like or we will always be stuck in the dark ages. 

GWR: This book takes a deep dive into other issues—mental health, addiction, toxic relationships—why was it important to include these elements in the story?

MS: I could not possibly have been true to the realities of the grunge music era without delving into those issues.  I did so much research on addiction and mental health and also drew from personal experience, as I have supported family members and friends through both. These are not easy topics. I remember thinking as I did my research that for addicts—such as Kurt Cobain—and those dealing with mental health issues—such as Jeff Buckley—fame just made it all so much worse. I started thinking that escape would have been the only option for them to ever get to a place where recovery was possible. This really informed the story. As far as toxic relationships, I wanted to try to see what would happen, fictionally, at least, if the characters in such toxic relationships were perhaps able to grow and learn from their experiences and hardships. So again, this informed the course of the story greatly. 

GWR: Tell me about the research you did for the novel?

MS: I’ve said many times that the books I read as research for this novel would stack all the way up to my office ceiling—and I have a high ceiling! I thought I knew the grunge and alternative music world inside and out, having come of age during that time. But there was so much research I needed to do to understand the inner workings of the music world, as well as song-writing—not to mention the harsh realities of addiction and mental health. I read endlessly. Music memoirs, addiction memoirs, books about songwriting, books about music. I also spoke with many industry experts, such as the great Alan Cross, to really get the story right. 

GWR: Why did you choose a third person perspective and a dual timeline?

MS: The dual timeline was really the only way to tell this story. We had to start at the beginning—which was also sort of the end—and work back. As far as third person, I don’t think Jane is the type of character who would have allowed first person, if that makes sense. She is far too closed and self-protective, and it would have been really challenging as an author to try to get in as close as first person writing requires. I don’t know that there’s ever a conscious, 'I am going to sit down and write this story in this exact way’ moment, at least not for me. I have my idea, and once I get past the conceptualizing stage and sit down to write, it just begins when it does and comes out the way it comes out. I might get a few chapters in and realize the story needs to be first person but I’m writing in third, or that I need to tell the story in a linear way when I’ve started it as dual timeline, but that’s usually the sort of thing I figure out pretty early. 

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

MS: A shot of Chartreuse, straight from the bottle. 

GWR: What are you working on now?

MS: My second holiday rom com, writing as Julia McKay, which is out next fall and I’ll have more news on soon. And two screen adaptation projects. 

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada. 

Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley

A special thank you to the author team and Viking Canada for an ARC, and Libro.fm for an ALC, in exchange for an honest review.

Three times the holiday magic. Three times the chaos. 

As strangers and seatmates Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson fly to Toronto over the holidays—Maryam to her sister’s impromptu wedding, and Anna to meet her boyfriend’s wealthy family for the first time—neither expect that severe turbulence will scare them into confessing their deepest hopes and fears to one another. At least they’ll never see each other again. And the love of Maryam’s life, Saif, wasn’t sitting two rows behind them hearing it all. Oops. 

An emergency landing finds Anna, Saif, Maryam, and her sister’s entire bridal party snowbound at the quirky Snow Falls Inn in a picture-perfect town, where fate has Anna’s actor-crush filming a holiday romance. As Maryam finds the courage to open her heart to Saif, and Anna feels the magic of being snowbound with an unexpected new love—both women soon realize there’s no place they’d rather be for the holidays.

Told from alternating viewpoints, Three Holidays and a Wedding is a charming, feel-good holiday rom-com that opens with an epic friend meet-cute. 

The premise is delightful, as are the diverse cast of characters. Maryam and Anna are complex, yet are relatable. Readers will resonate with the challenges and expectations that are placed upon them whether they are cultural, societal, or familial. Both arcs are equally compelling and their personal growth become the focus of the story—Anna's self-worth and Maryam's second chance at love. Also a bit of departure for a romance novel is that Maryam and Anna's friendship is just as important as their romantic relationships.  

Filled with festive cheer, tropes, and family drama, Three Holidays and a Wedding is Christmas, Hanukkah, and Ramadan all wrapped up into a sparking and festive package!

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UZMA JALALUDDIN is a teacher and also writes a funny parenting column named 'Samosas and Maple Syrup' for the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper.

She resides in Toronto with her husband and children.

MARISSA STAPLEY is a journalist and the bestselling author of Mating for Life, Things to Do When It's Raining, The Last Resort, and Lucky which has been optioned for television. 

Stapley lives in Toronto with her family.

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Q & A with Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley*

GWR: How did the partnership come about?

Marissa: A few years ago, we were chatting and commiserating about some of the film/tv options for our various books, and how we’d love to someday write our own screenplay. Uzma mentioned an idea she’d had about the confluence of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Ramadan, something that happens every thirty years—and happened most recently in 2000. As she talked about how the stores were full of shoppers, the markets were empty of baking ingredients, and the airports were jammed, an idea began to take shape. It percolated for a long while before we reconnected on it and decided we’d like to write a novel that could be easily adapated into a classic multi-holiday film! 

Uzma: When Marissa first broached the idea of turning my idea of a multifaith holiday romcom movie into a novel, I was intrigued but also surprised. I had never thought about it, though in hindsight I should have, as it was a great idea! I was in the middle of finishing edits on my last novel, Much Ado About Nada while also teaching high school, so I asked her for some time to think about it—two weeks, I think. When I had a minute to consider, I realized it would be a lot of fun, with real potential to do something different in the genre. Marissa had written holiday romcoms before, so I knew we would be in good hands. 



GWR: Were you inspired by any holiday movies or other holiday rom-coms?

Marissa: I think we first imagined it as a sort of multifaith Love, Actually or Let it Snow! I think all the holiday (and Bollywood!) films we’ve ever seen inspired our sweet, inclusive, very fun story. We knew we wanted to have fun, and we knew we wanted to make people from many cultures and faiths feel seen. Personally, I was also inspired to write a book like this because I was raised in multifaith homes, with a Jewish stepmother, two Jewish half-brothers, and a Christian minister stepfather. We always celebrated both Christmas and Hannukah, and this has always added such a richness to the fabric of my life, and an understanding that there can be more to the holiday season than Christmas celebrations.

Uzma: I love holiday movies, but they always came from a very specific, very Christmas focused perspective. I’ve learned so much about Christmas from watching holiday movies, and I thought—why not make them more inclusive by adding other holidays that are important to other faiths? Growing up in a Muslim household, the month of Ramadan, and the celebration of Eid that follows, is an incredibly special time of year. There’s so much food, sharing, acts of charity, and joy at this time of year, with the same quintessential quirks that are part of any holiday tradition. I would have loved to read a book, or watch a movie, that included some of those special traditions that made the holidays I celebrate unique. 

GWR: Tell us about the writing process—with two main characters, did you each tackle one? 

Marissa: Yes, I wrote the Anna character, who, like me, celebrated Christmas and Hannukah growing up. It was a lovely experience to write this character alongside Uzma’s Maryam, and learn so much about the Muslim faith and the meaningful celebrations of Ramadan. I even fasted for a day—and Uzma patiently fielded my many hungry texts, while also guiding me toward an understanding of the reason behind the fasting, what it’s like not to have sustenance, and the acts of charity this can promote. I was also moved by the idea of community so prevalent in the Muslim faith, which made me reflect on my own customs, beliefs and background. What I noted in the end was the throughline: as our epigraph in the novel says, it’s all “just one light.” No matter your faith or background, coming together is possible if you’re willing to listen, learn and accept both differences and similarities. 

Uzma: This novel was my first foray into a writing partnership, and I learned a lot! It was fun to have the immediate feedback from a fellow seasoned writer. We made ourselves laugh so often, and the entire process was truly joyful. I also realized that both Christmas and South Asian culture shares a colour scheme of red and green. Writing can be a lonely profession, so for the time we worked on this novel together, it felt like I had a partner in the trenches. We both were the experts, and respected each other’s approach while providing feedback. It was intense and whirlwind—just like the holidays! 

GWR: Give us your best Hollywood/Bollywood pitch for the book.

UJ & MS: A multi-faith holiday rom-com about the delightful havoc that occurs when Christmas, Ramadan, and Hanukkah all fall at the same time, and two strangers-turned-friends are snowbound in the small, charming town of Snow Falls along with the cast and crew of a holiday romance movie, nosy family members, and their lifelong crushes.

Also, we’ve done some dream-casting! 

Maryam: Mehwish Hayat

Saif: Fawad Khan

Anna: Lily Collins

Josh/Chase: Justin Baldoni



GWR: What are some of the most important characteristics and dynamics that you wanted the relationships (romantic/friend/familial) in the story to have? 

Marissa: I love including friendships in the rom-coms I write, and I loved the way the friendship between Anna and Maryam, which seemed unlikely at first since they had such different personalities and backgrounds, blossomed and grew throughout the story. To me, their relationship was just as important as the romantic ones! I also love family dynamics, and we made plenty of space for that here. Although Anna’s family was not as present in the story as Maryam’s, they still cast a long shadow and affected her deeply—which I think is so true to life; our backgrounds and roots are always so important to who we become. 

Uzma: I can’t seem to stop myself from including lots of family dynamics in all the stories I write. This is likely a result of growing up in a large South Asian family scattered all over the world. I wanted to include the joys and havoc of family in our book, and make sure to include multi-generational storylines. I have a feeling readers will fall in love with Dadu, Maryam’s grandfather, a retired Bollywood film director and a total romantic! I also wanted to explore the sense of responsibility and loyalty that eldest daughters of immigrants carry in their families (speaking from personal experience!) which are a result of a deep sense of love and loyalty. The friendship that organically grows between Maryam and Anna is also very special, as is the sisterly bond between Maryam and Saima. 



GWR: Can you speak to what holiday traditions mean to you and if you incorporated them into the story?

Marissa: I really enjoyed incorporating some of the holiday foods I enjoyed as a child and teen—such as rugelach, brisket, and especially potato latkes—plus Christmas cookies and other holiday baking.  And then, everything I love most about Christmas was included, too: most especially, candlelight Christmas eve services, which have long been an important family tradition and are all the more special because they take place at my stepdad’s church; Christmas pageants; and the general, joyful spirit of love and giving that is the spirit of the season. These traditions are mine and my family’s north stars in so many ways, and repeating them every year is such a comfort. 

Uzma: Special foods are integral to every holiday, and Ramadan is no different. Since this is a month of fasting, families typically eat together early in the morning, before the sun rises, and then break fast together at sunset. I enjoyed including descriptions of chai, samosas, and special desserts that a typical Hyderabadi Indian family would make for this time of year. In addition, Maryam’s family finds a tiny mosque in the small town, where they attend evening prayers that are important to them. And since her grandfather is a retired Bollywood director, they also watch movies together!

GWR: What do you hope readers will take away from Three Holidays and a Wedding?

Marissa: I return to the epigraph of the novel, the idea that although the world is full of many cultures, traditions, faiths and backgrounds that make us different, we are all human and – if we’re doing it right – we are all committed to peace, love, and inclusiveness. Especially in the age we’re living in, where world events have caused such divisiveness and there is much darkness and pain around the world, some of the concepts this book puts forth might seem idealistic, but I want to believe a world like Snow Falls can be possible, one where many faiths and cultures co-exist, make space for each other, are not threatened by each other, and seek to listen and learn from each other. I also hope the takeaway is, quite simply, joy! This book was a true pleasure to write, and a collaboration I won’t soon forget. In fact, I hope as a writer I get to return to Snow Falls one day! It’s a book that’s meant to make people feel happy. I think we’ve definitely accomplished that with this charming tale. 

Uzma: Representation of different people and experiences is always important to me. I hope through this story, my readers will feel the comfort of recognizing their own authentic experiences on the page, or perhaps learn something new. We are all different, even when we belong to the same culture or ethnicity, and yet one thing we share is the need to be loved and accepted. I hope readers who pick up our special book will enjoy watching such disparate people find joy in each other’s company, despite their differences – or maybe because of them!



GWR: If you book was a beverage, what would it be?

Marissa: A chai-spiced hot chocolate with extra whip?

Uzma: Nothing beats a cup of chai, leave out the hot chocolate for me!

GWR: 

What’s next for you both?

Marissa: My next solo novel, The Lightning Bottles (Simon & Schuster, October 2024), takes place in the 90s and is about an alternative music megastar (think Kurt Cobain) who goes missing at the height of his fame. The story follows his wife (who is also his bandmate) as she embarks on a life-changing European road trip to find out if he’s still alive—and if they can reconcile after all they’ve been through.  But I’ve also got more holiday rom coms coming, under the new pen name Julia McKay. Next fall, I’ll be releasing The Holiday Honeymoon Switch (Putnam/Penguin Canada) for fans of The Holiday Swap and The Unhoneymooners, about best friends who trade one’s cabin Christmas vacation for the other’s Hawaiian honeymoon after she’s left at the altar—and both find love they weren’t expecting. 

Uzma: My next solo project is a bit of a departure for me, but something I’ve been wanting to write for years—a mystery! I’m a big fan of the genre, ever since I picked up my first Agatha Christie novel as a teenager, and I’ve been wanting to try writing my own ever since. Right now, I’m in the early stages of drafting. My first adult mystery features an older woman, a South Asian detective who solves crimes in her Toronto community. A sort of desi Miss Marple, except I plan to tackle a lot of social issues including organized crime, family dynamics, grief, gentrification, identity and immigration, alongside the mystery-solving. But at its heart, the novels will be about the many ways ambition is limited by personal circumstance, and the fun of following along as an older woman who thought life had passed her by, figures out her next act! 

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada. 

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox

A special thank you to Edelweiss and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

All they want for Christmas is a different life.

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 of which are critical to her success as one of the show's judges. 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's 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?

The Holiday Swap is the first offering from Maggie Knox which is the powerhouse duo of Karma Brown and Marissa Stapley. Perfectly paced for a holiday read, it strikes the right balance between banter and charm. With a dusting of decadent baking and themes of sisterhood and empowerment, this book is a gift (and perfect for gift-giving). 

Complimented by two festive romances and a delightful small-town setting that's like living in a snow globe, The Holiday Swap is the quintessential seasonal rom-com to give you all the Christmas feels. 

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KARMA BROWN is an award-winning journalist and author of the bestsellers Come Away With Me, The Choices We Make, In This Moment, The Life Lucy Knew, and Recipe for a Perfect Wife. Her first non-fiction book, The 4% Fix, published in 2020. Karma's writing has appeared in publications such as Redbook, SELF, and Chatelaine. 

Brown lives just outside Toronto, Canada with her husband, daughter, and their adorably handsome labradoodle, Fred.

MARISSA STAPLEY is a journalist and the bestselling author of Mating for Life, Things to Do When It's Raining, The Last Resort and Lucky which has been optioned for television. 

Stapley lives in Toronto with her family. 

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Q & A with Maggie Knox*

GWR: How did the partnership come about?

MK: Back in November 2019 we were both at different stages in our publishing schedules—Karma was hard at work on the publicity for Recipe for a Perfect Wife and Marissa was deep into  edits for Lucky. On the phone or by text we would share when we hit a pitfall in our respective processes. Until one of us quipped: “Wouldn’t it be great if we could just swap places whenever we felt like it?” 


This conversation quickly morphed from a bit of a joke to something more serious—but still very fun! What would it be like to work as a team? And, what would it be like to write a twin swap, one of the tropes we consider the most fun (Parent Trap, anyone?). It went from there!

GWR: Is there any significance to the name Maggie Knox?

MK: We wanted to use the initials MK (or KM, it didn’t really matter!) to represent both our names. Maggie is Marissa’s paternal grandmother’s name—her Grannie Maggie was a writer and she thought if using a pen name it would be a nice nod to her heritage to use that name. And the K in Knox is for Karma, of course—but we took a bit of a circuitous route to settling on that name that had a little to do with the needs of our publisher, as well as how we wanted the name to sound and look. 

GWR: What sparked the idea for The Holiday Swap?

MK: As we mentioned above, the idea came about when we were joking around about writing something fun together. We had a great time going back and forth about the most charming, feel-good, festive, Hallmark movie-esque novel we could think of writing, something that would make us feel so happy to write. And the next thing we knew, we were writing it! We are similarly ambitious and driven when it comes to our writing careers, so once we got going, there was really no stopping us. We got our agents on board right away, and just went for it. 

GWR: Writing a rom-com is a bit of a departure for both of you. Were you inspired by any other rom-com or holiday romance books/authors?  

MK: Absolutely. We both love losing ourselves in a light, romantic and joyful holiday romance story during the holiday season, whether its relaxing with a novel after a long day of shopping, or watching holiday rom coms on television while wrapping presents. We were definitely inspired by our enjoyment of novels by Josie Silver, Mary Kay Andrews, Karen Swan, Karen Schaler and by moves like The Holiday, Let It Snow, and basically anything on the Hallmark Channel! 

GWR: Tell us about the writing process—with two main characters, did you each tackle one? 

MK: We decided we each needed to have an equal investment in the twins’ storylines—and also that one of the benefits of working with a partner was being able to trade off when the going got tough. That meant we did not each take on one twin but instead wrote a very detailed outline and then divided up the chapters and spent an equal amount of time with each twin, in each setting. This really worked for The Holiday Swap, and meant the writing was seamless. It also means when our friends and loved ones read the novel, they have a hard time figuring out who wrote which chapter. Sometimes we can’t even remember! 

GWR: Let’s talk about the food! Are any of Charlie and Cass’ recipes inspired by your own holiday baking? Do either of you have a family recipe that could rival Starlight Bread? 

MK: Marissa got really into baking sourdough bread during the pandemic, while Karma watched, mystified (how often are you supposed to feed a starter?) from the sidelines, so that’s why there is so much sourdough in the book. It was partly Marissa trying to explain to Karma exactly how it all worked. And both our grandmothers had a Christmas cake they always made that inspired the flavours of the Starlight Bread. 

GWR: What did you have the most fun with, character development or plot? 

MK: We both like different aspects of the writing process best: Marissa loves writing early drafts and having fun getting to know the characters, while Karma enjoys the editing and fine-tuning stage of things. While we both enjoyed the plot and character of this book, Marissa probably enjoyed the outlining and drafting and figuring out all the fun twists and turns, while Karma enjoyed digging in and layering in our edits and little details that made the twins feel like real people. 

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be?

MK: An Aperol Spritz! Light, fizzy, bright, and festive! 

GWR: What’s next for Maggie Knox?

MK: We’ve got our second holiday rom com, All I Want for Christmas, coming out next fall. Right now we’re in the editing phase (meaning Karma is happy and Marissa is missing the writing stage!). This novel is like The Hating Game meets the show Nashville and we love it! It’s a festive and sexy enemies to lovers story about singer/songwriters Sadie Hunter and Max Brody, who are paired up to sing a duet while competing in a Nashville-set reality singing competition show. Sparks fly when they perform together, so much so that everyone thinks they must be in love—and the world falls for the idea of them as a couple. (They even get a hashtag: #Saxie). But in truth, they can hardly stand each other. In the interests of launching their careers and winning the competition they agree to pose as a couple for one year, but as Christmas—and the deadline for the dissolution of their fake relationship—approaches and they come together to write an original holiday love song, they start to realize that their intense feelings might be very real…

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada.

Lucky by Marissa Stapley

A special thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

What if you had the winning ticket that would change your life forever, but you couldn’t cash it in?

Lucky Armstrong is a tough, talented grifter who has just pulled off a million-dollar heist with her boyfriend, Cary. She’s ready to start a brand-new life, with a new identity—when things go sideways. Lucky finds herself alone for the first time, navigating the world without the help of either her father or her boyfriend, the two figures from whom she’s learned the art of the scam.

When she discovers that a lottery ticket she bought on a whim is worth millions, her elation is tempered by one big problem: cashing in the winning ticket means the police will arrest her for her crimes. She’ll go to prison, with no chance to redeem her fortune.

As Lucky tries to avoid arrest and make a future for herself, she must confront her past by reconciling with her father; finding her mother, who abandoned her when she just a baby; and coming to terms with the man she thought she loved—whose complicated past is catching up to her, too.

With its clever premise, Lucky delivers a spirited thief of a heroine that readers will find themselves rooting for. Told in alternating timelines between a child version and a present day adult version, this is a novel about truth, the complexity of doing what's right, and of redemption. 

Stapley plays on the sympathy of her reader with ten-year-old Lucky. She is vulnerable yet competent and overall, a compelling lead. Lucky's father is both loathsome and charming, the quintessential con man.

Perfectly paced with shorty, punchy chapters, Lucky is a character-driven narrative that will hook readers until the very last page. It's smart, slick, and satisfying. And soon to be on the small screen—the TV rights to Lucky have been sold to ABC Disney. Congratulations, Marissa!

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MARISSA STAPLEY is a journalist and the author of three bestselling novels, including the acclaimed Mating for Life and Things to Do When It's Raining, which was published in twelve countries, and The Last Resort, which was optioned for television, and an Oprah Magazine Best Beach Read.

Stapley lives in Toronto with her family, and co-writes romantic comedies with Karma Brown under the pen name Maggie Knox.

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Q & A with Marissa Stapley*

GWR: Describe your ideal writing/reading experience (when, where, what, how).

MS: I don’t think I necessarily have one! I can—and have—read and written anywhere. But as far as reading goes, I can’t sleep if I haven’t read (truly, even if I have a really late night at an event, I’ll wake up my husband with my reading light because I can’t unwind unless I do a little reading!) so my perfect reading situation is when we’re having a quiet night, no one needs anything, and I can retreat to my room, put on PJs, light a candle and chill with a book. I enjoy this more than unwinding by watching TV and always have such a happy glow when I’m reading a book I’m super into and can’t wait to get to it that night. 

For writing, I used to say I needed to be alone to get my writing done, but the past year and a half has changed all that, since I can count the number of times I’ve been alone on one hand. Now I think my ideal writing experience happens when my office and house are passably clean, everyone is happy and acceptably quiet, I’m feeling inspired and have no time limit. I also like getting up early before everyone else is awake to sort of pretend I’m alone, writing…

But my absolute favourite writing experience happens during the retreats I used to go on and hope to again with a group of writer friends. We write all day, until the sun sets—then have wine and cheese and charcuterie and salad, basically anything we don’t have to cook, and talk about writing and life. We have a house we go to by a lake for four days at a time, once per season. It’s a dream. The perfect mix of productive and  restorative. 

GWR: What does your actual writing process look like? Are you a pantser/gardener or a plotter/architect?

MS: I’m both, depending on the project. When I’m writing on my own, I like to “pants” my way through a very messy and personal (as in I would die if anyone read it!) first draft. It’s usually about half the length of an actual draft, and contains a lot of “I will figure this out later!!” For me, so much of the joy I get from writing is in the mystery of what is going to happen next and where my characters are going to take me. That first draft is how I get to know them and let them do their thing—and how I identify where we’re going to have pitfalls and problems. Seeing that first draft as just mine and really more like a very freeform outline helps me write a good book in many ways. It helps the process stay organic. It also helps me identify if an idea I have truly has legs, or if I can only get through a few chapters before the whole thing just dies out on me. 

But when I write with my partner in rom coms, Karma Brown, we have to outline. I think Karma would have a heart attack if I forced her to pants her way through a first draft with me. She is definitely a plotter! And that’s ok because I don’t think you can partner up with someone on writing a book and not have a proper outline. We both accept that things are going to change somewhat as we go and we’ll have to communicate about that, but we definitely have a very solid road map in place. That’s also a good thing for genre fiction, where there are certain tropes you simply have to ascribe to. (As in, a happy ending! Light-hearted romantic moments! A bit of spice!) Having it all laid out before you start means you can keep all that in mind as you go and don’t have to do quite so much layering after. 

GWR: What comes first for you—the overall idea or the characters? 

MS: It is generally different for every book— for example, Mating for Life and Things to Do When It’s Raining were definitely characters first. But with my next two, The Last Resort and Lucky, the situations that came to me first. And I think I like it better that way. It’s a lot easier to have a great plot and then create the perfect character to fit into it than it is to have a character you are already in love with—this happens—who you just cannot figure out a story arc for. So, you have to let them go. It’s a heartbreak when that happens!

GWR: Do you have a favourite character in this book? What character did you sympathize with the most and did that change while writing the book?

MS: For a book like this, I think the only answer can really be Lucky. And this is new for me, since it’s my first book with just one POV/main character. I was so excited when I thought of Lucky! Finally, an uncomplicated narrative with just one person! Of course, books are never uncomplicated no matter what, and Lucky revealed to me early in the process that we needed to add a dual timeline and get to know her as a child, which definitely made things far more complex. But it also meant I got to share all the things I already knew about her with my reader (because I do generally get to know my characters from birth to death, even if half of that never shows up on the page). 

I will say that now that I’m working on TV development for Lucky I’ve been required to take a harder look at some of the other characters and develop more sympathy/empathy for characters like Cary and John as we try to figure out ways to carry them through into other seasons. I’m happy to say I don’t wish I had thought of some of this stuff as I was writing the book. I think the book is perfect as it is! But some of these new ways of looking at the characters are definitely better from a TV series perspective, and it has been a cool experience to learn that. 

GWR: What was the hardest scene to write? 

MS: Lucky and Priscilla in the storage locker. It was so action-packed—very visual, like a scene from a movie or show! I really didn’t; want it to be too heightened or come off as cheesy or contrived, and I did want it to be really exciting and a bit scary. I had to rewrite it over and over. I also struggled with a later scene to do with Lucky and her dad and a conversation they had to have. I had to strike a fine balance between anger and sadness, and think about times in my life when I may have felt that way. When someone has done something that hurts, and there is absolutely no undoing it. But you still love that person, because your head hasn’t caught up with your heart yet. 

GWR: Lucky is very visual, did you set out to write it this way? 

MS: Definitely. I first imagined Lucky as a TV show, which has long been a goal of mine—to see one of my books make it to the screen. And having already had an experience with an option that didn’t go anywhere, I decided to learn what I could from all those conversations I had had. One of the things the producers and filmmakers always said was that for a book to be optionable there has to be a strong engine and that every scene has to be visual in some way. I knew I could make that happen—and had so much fun doing that with Lucky. 

GWR: Tell me about the research you did? 

MS: I started out by taking as many books out of the library as I could about con artists (books about Bernie Madoff and Frank Abagnale) and scams. I also read books about how to avoid being conned—with the sinister intention of trying to figure out how to BE a con artist. :) I learned so many interesting things during this process, and as I moved from reading books about cons to reading articles online and Googling the different types of grifts and scams there are out there: that the reasons scams works is because we are inherently trusting as a society. That’s beautiful! It’s also frustrating, because con artists seek to and very often do succeed at exploiting that. That’s why it was important for me to create a character with a moral compass. The reality about con artists is that they are often sociopathic type personalities; they just don’t feel things the way the rest of us feel them and are therefore able to breach the code of trust society has built into it without missing a beat. But Lucky is not a sociopath. She’s a criminal, yes, but she’s a loveable character, someone you want to root for—important for a story where the driving force of it is a lottery ticket. I needed readers to WANT to see her win that money! 

GWR: What made you decide to write the book from Lucky’s perspective as both a child and an adult? It is incredibly effective. 

MS: It was because of that idea that I needed my reader to want to cheer for Lucky, to want to follow her anywhere—and in order to accomplish that, she needed to be truly understood. The only way to get there was to start at the very, very beginning of her story. The moment I began to weave in those past scenes— starting with the baby on the church steps—was the moment the book started to take shape and feel like magic. 

GWR: If you could tell your younger self something about writing and becoming an author, what would it be?

MS: Go to law school! Just kidding. Persist. Don’t give up. It isn’t going to be easy, don’t kid yourself into thinking it is. And also, don’t fool yourself into thinking that because it isn’t easy, it isn’t meant to be. Having to work hard at something and experience failure along the way, especially when choosing to lead a creative life, is just part of it. Be tough, brave, and bold. (I like to think I have taken all of this advice already, and that makes me happy!)

GWR: What books are on your nightstand?

MS: I cannot type all those titles out, we’d be here all day! :) I always have a few books (and journals!) on the go. Katherine Heiny’s Early Morning Riser is on my desk right now. I’ve been carrying it around with me all day, wanting to curl up and finish it. Heiny is a new discovery. I devoured all her books over the past few weeks. She’s exactly what I need right now: funny, incisive, romantic, witty, observant, sharp. 

GWR: Can you share what you are working on now?

MS: I’m currently working on the TV development for Lucky wth Carlton Cuse and his ABC/Disney team, and on the second rom com with Karma Brown (we write as Maggie Knox) called All I Want for Christmas. Our first, The Holiday Swap, will be out this October, and our second is due out the following year. It’s so much fun. There are serious Nashville vibes. It’s an enemies to lovers story about a pair of singers who win an American Idol-esque singing competition based in Nashville because of their on-stage chemistry. They end up having to pretend to be a couple for one year, even though the actually dislike each other. The final thing they have to do together to fulfill their contract is write a romantic holiday song and perform it at the Grand Ole Opry on Christmas Eve. You can probably guess what happens next… genuine sparks start to fly! But a scandal threatens to tear them apart. It’s so much fun! I already said that, but I’m leaving it because it’s so true. 

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada.  

Jennifer Weiner: Mrs. Everything Tour

Photo credit: Girl Well Read and Simon & Schuster Canada.  Do not use without written permission.

Blue Heron Books and Simon & Schuster Canada celebrated the release of Jennifer Weiner's newest novel, Mrs. Everything. Jennifer was interviewed by Marissa Stapley—whose own new novel, The Last Resort, has just landed on all the hot summer reading lists for 2019. Marissa asked Jennifer about her writing process, inspiration, and themes of her newest work.  A question and answer period, as well as a book signing followed.

Jennifer Weiner’s most personal novel yet, Mrs. Everything, is a book that has been percolating for ten years, and is one that she's always wanted to write. Inspired by her mother and grandmother, it is a universal female story—being a woman, you don't come out unscathed.

It is a version of Weiner's own mother's story, and she modelled Jo after her. Jennifer's mother, Fran, came out as a lesbian in her 50s after raising her four children. Jennifer had a lot of questions for her mother about her marriage to her father that Fran wouldn't answer so she imagined it, “because that's what writers do.” Mrs. Everything was also born from the ashes of the 2016 election—where we are as women, where we have been, and where we could go back to.

Mrs. Everything has a good girl and a bad girl who both end up in pain. "Do you know women who live without pain, that everything works out?" Jennifer asked.

On the term "women's fiction"

We don't accord it to the same respect when we call it "women's fiction." When Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom earned him glowing praise as well as the cover of Time, Weiner coined the term "Franzenfreude," the divide between how white male authors are treated with such regard while successful female authors are dismissed.

Inspired by Little Women, her Jo's ambitions are more acceptable (except sexuality), and her Bethie not only lives, but Weiner writes about what happens to good girls, what the world does to good girls.

What did her mom say?

"My daughter has a very active imagination."  Her mother also thought that Bethie was her.

Weiner said that writers are cannibals, nobody is safe—family members are material. "Well-intentioned cannibals...kindables."

Response to Mrs. Everything

The response to Weiner's work has been "great, but scary." Jennifer is interested to hear what young readers think. "Some things have changed quickly, some slowly, and with the #MeToo movement, not at all," she says.

There is a lot about privilege, hierarchy, colour, freedoms, etc. If you're on top of a mountain and someone is climbing that mountain, they are perceived as a threat when in actuality, they are trying to be equal—it's all a matter of perspective.

Jennifer's writing process

Weiner mused that writing a book is like packing a suitcase with all the things you love, and you leave the suitcase on a corner. The smart thing to do is pack another suitcase. Stapley asked if she was packing another suitcase, and readers will be happy to hear that the answer was YES! Jennifer's next novel will take place over a weekend in Cape Cod, a far cry from a 70 year span that was Mrs. Everything. The heroine is a bridesmaid that was estranged from the bride. When something bad happens, she needs to clear her name. (Eep! Can't wait!)

After getting her daughters off to school, Jennifer walks her dog with her husband and it is during this time that she works through plot and characters. After they get back, she goes to an exercise class, showers, does her social media, and then writes between the hours of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., "that's the sweet spot!" Weiner's writing takes place in her "cloffice" which is her walk-in closet that also functions as her office. Jennifer's desk is a vanity with her dog, Moochie, at her feet.

How did she break into writing?

Weiner started her career in advertising and then as a journalist. She worked her way up from a small paper, to a medium paper, and then to a large paper. She got dumped and then wrote Good in Bed.

Can I just say how fantastic it was to be sitting in the audience and soaking it all in? Jennifer is HI-LAR-I-OUS, warm, and smart. She graciously posed for pictures and chatted while signing copies of her books. Thank you, Jennifer, for coming to Canada on your Mrs. Everything tour.

Marissa was a wonderful interviewer and it was lovely to chat with her about her exciting book and baseball.

Mrs. Everything

Growing up in 1950s Detroit, sisters Jo and Bethie Kaufman lived in a picture-perfect house. Jo was a passionate tomboy, with a love of books; Bethie was the pretty, good girl, with aspirations of being a star. She enjoys the privilege that comes with beauty.

Things rarely end up how you imagine them to be. The sisters survive unspeakable trauma and life's tragedies. Coming of age in the time of free love, Vietnam, and women's lib, Bethie embraces the more free, hippy lifestyle, balking traditional roles. Instead it is Jo that becomes a mother, stuck on the sidelines of her life. Neither sister has the future they envisioned, but is it too late for them to live an authentic and purposeful life?

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JENNIFER WEINER is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of sixteen books, including Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, and her memoir, Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing.

She is a graduate of Princeton University and a contributor to the New York Times Opinion section.

Jennifer lives with her family in Philadelphia.

The Last Resort by Marissa Stapley

A special thank you to the author, Simon & Schuster Canada, NetGalley, and Harlequin Graydon House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Drs. Miles and Grace Markell run the Harmony Resort where they help couples with their failing marriages. It is an opportunity for the couples to reconnect with the gorgeous Mayan Riviera as the backdrop.

Johanna and Ben seem to have a picture-perfect marriage, but they actually don't know each other at all. Shell and Colin constantly argue because Colin is a workaholic and Shell feels like she takes a back seat when it comes to his job, but that's a front for what has really torn them apart, it's actually too devastating to speak of.

Both couples begin the intensive therapy program and it quickly becomes apparent that that Miles and Grace Markell do not live up to their personas. They also appear to be hiding something.

As a deadly tropical storm descends on the coast, trapping the hosts and the guests on the resort, secrets are revealed, loyalties are tested, and no relationship or person will be unchanged.

The Last Resort is perfectly paced with an interesting multiple point of view perspective. With its excellent premise and setting, there is enough intrigue the keep the reader vested in the story. Stapley employs some interesting tactics to move the narrative along—TMZ news releases, dialogue between "him" and "her," and the story alternates between past and present.

The book is clever, tense, and gripping. With themes of loss, love, and an exploration into relationships and what it takes to make them work, Stapley has really come into her own and I can't wait to read what she publishes next.

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MARISSA STAPLEY is the Globe and Mail bestselling author of Mating for Life and Things to Do When It's Raining. She writes the commercial fiction review column "Shelf Love" for the Globe and Mail, and reports on books and culture for the Toronto Star.

She lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.

Things to Do When It's Raining by Marissa Stapley

A special thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mae Summers and Gabriel Broadbent were childhood friends. They grew up together at the Summers' Inn which is owned by Mae's grandparents, Lilly and George.  Mae and Gabriel were raised together—Mae was orphaned at a young age, and Gabriel needed protection from his abusive alcoholic father. Their relationship progressed into their first loves, and the young couple were torn apart when Gabe abruptly left Alexandria Bay.

Fast forward and Mae and Gabe are grown. Both end up back in Alexandria Bay—Mae after a romantic setback, and Gabe because of his father. Mae returns to her grandparents Inn and finds that her grandparents relationship is suffering because of past secrets that also impact her.

Are these relationships worth salvaging and the past worth reclaiming?

Things to Do When It's Raining is a story about love, loss, forgiveness, and truth. Families are complicated, and this book doesn't shy away from family drama and complex relationships.

I enjoyed the character development, setting, and premise for this story. Sometimes when a narrative incorporates both the past and the present, it can be cumbersome for the reader particularly if they have connected with one storyline over the other. In this case, this type of narrative worked because of the well-written characters and their solid development. Stapley's writing is truly lovely and captivating.

My only criticisms were that I wanted more of Gabe's present story, and that the ending felt rushed especially given the pace throughout the rest of the book.

A gorgeous book and I look forward to reading more from Marissa Stapley.

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MARISSA STAPLEY is the Globe and Mail bestselling author of Mating for Life. She writes the commercial fiction review column "Shelf Love" for the Globe and Mail, and reports on books and culture for the Toronto Star.

She lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.