Hi everyone. I hope you’re well. I’m sharing another festive-themed book review with you today to finish out the holiday season. I hope you enjoy it. Today I’m reviewing Resting Scrooge Face by Meghan Quinn.
Resting Scrooge Face is a short story, originally published in November 2022 by Amazon Original Stories and runs 80 pages.
The Plot
Following a breakup, Nola returns to her hometown, which, being that it’s almost Christmas, is in full-swing festive mode. Nola, however, is not, and to make matters worse, the boy who once broke her heart still lives there.
When the town’s postman delivers her a mysterious letter from someone moaning and groaning about the holidays, signed ‘Resting Scrooge Face’, she feels the need to respond, resulting in a friendship based upon their respective lack of Christmas spirit.
Characters
Both main characters, Caleb and Nola, seem to be written almost identically. Though they both wanted different things in the past, causing them to drift apart, they seem very similar in personality. This could be intentional – it is a love story, after all – so this could be a way for the author to signify that the characters are ‘meant to be’. Then again, I might be reading too much into it.
The side characters are interesting too. There’s Arden, the town mailman, and Nola’s grandmother, Grandma Louise, who are both good-natured and a little mischievous. I enjoyed reading about all the characters, but these two were particularly endearing and seemed to have been having their own mini-story within the plot. I could see them in a spin-off.
Writing Style
The book is written in standard narrative prose and, in parts, epistolary form, which I found interesting. I find with stories told through letters or diary entries and the like, you can learn some information you may not have been privy to otherwise. The switching between the two forms kept things interesting. It was such an easy read and I didn’t want to put it down (I could have even read another couple of chapters).
Also, I appreciate the level of description in this story. There’s not so much detail that it spoils what I’ve conjured in my mind but not so little that I’m left struggling to imagine the scenes. You get a great sense of what the town looks like early on, and I could envision it clearly. The author has realised it for me, which can be hard to do as a writer – especially given that there are only 80 pages.
The story reminds me a lot of those cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies (which can be great – don’t get me wrong). However, for such a short book, this has much more depth than those. You get a lot of backstory and character development that you don’t often see in shorts.
Final Thoughts
I found Resting Scrooge Face while scrolling through Amazon looking for Christmas-themed books. I was intrigued by the cover and convinced to read it by the book’s short page count. I was short on time – as I often am – and needed to find something I could read in a day or two. This book seemed to fit the bill.
It’s another genre of book that I don’t generally read (I’ll read anything, actually, but I usually go for science fiction and horror). Again, though, I was pleasantly surprised. This was a fun read and, dare I say, a little sweet.
I give Resting Scrooge Face by Meghan Quinn 7 out of 10.
Have you read Resting Scrooge Face? How did you find it?
As always, thanks for reading my review. I really appreciate it!
Until next time,
George
© 2022 GLT
Categories: Reading, Book Reviews
GEORGE L THOMAS 
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