The Holiday Stand-In

De: Kortney Keisel

Narrado por: Helen Laser, Walker Williams

He's everything I've ever wanted. Too bad he's my boyfriend's twin brother.

When my boyfriend says he's too busy working—again—to spend the holidays with me and my family, I'm sure Christmas is ruined. Not only will I be alone, but my family is convinced he doesn't love me.

When his identical twin comes to town, I realize a swap could be the perfect way to reassure my family and give me a date for the holiday season.

Our fake-out quickly goes from the solution to the problem because falling for your boyfriend's twin brother is never a good thing. And when my real boyfriend finally has time for me, things get confusing.

I'll need a Christmas miracle to get out of this twin-brother mess.

The Holiday Stand-In is a closed-door romantic comedy that brings all the sizzle, tension, and chemistry without explicit scenes or language. Tropes include small town, snowed-in, and mistletoe kisses. Narrated in duet style.

©2023 Kortney Keisel (P)2024 Podium Audio

Great narration!

I loved the dual narration. The story was believable and easy to enjoy. I loved the characters and was rooting for them. Highly recommend!

A laugh out loud perfect Christmas romcom!

Loved this festive Christmas holiday romcom. Kortney is perfect with comedic timing and always leaves you wanting more! Great characters, fun story and overall perfect Christmas read.

My favorite holiday romcom

I read the book when it released in 2023, and the audio version did not disappoint! Kortney is one of my all time favorite authors & I was so happy to listen to Caleb and Summer’s story.

Love Triangle done right!

Loved it!!! I love love triangles and this book had the right amount of angst and jealousy, without going over the top or making you grieve about her picking the “wrong” guy. I was drawn in by the synopsis and so excited to see how it would all play out. I thought it was done very well and was absolutely entertaining the whole time!

I love Kortney Keisel’s writing style. It’s funny and fresh and makes you want to eat it all up. I could tell this book was what the author wanted to write because she leaned into those things that I wanted to see and it was amazing! It was definitely the book I wanted to read!!

There was SKIING!!!! I mean, the book takes place in Telluride so it better! But I was so glad skiing was highlighted a bit in a couple scenes! I’m a big skier so this was an awesome addition for me.

I loved the ending and her family shenanigans. It really gave me the “While You Were Sleeping” vibes, which were so fun!

I loved Caleb and was so glad we got his point of view too! I loved seeing Summer through his eyes!

🔥: Kisses/Make-outs

Loved this story.

I loved this story! So good. Again not a great female performer but a step up from Amanda Friday. I literally laughed out loud at certain parts! Really fun read!

Loved the characters

Plot was a bit far fetched, but so sweet overall. Entertaining and clean, which is a fine balance

So good, but

I love this story and this is a great rendition. I'm only sad that the epilogue is missing. Why would they have left it out?

Wholesome fun and quality story

This was so fun! The performance and story were spot on. Sweet storyline and quality characters. You will love this one!

Entertaining

[3.5 stars]
This is an entertaining, contemporary, Christmas rom-com. It’s the fake-dating trope with a twist, since the fake boyfriend is the real boyfriend’s twin brother, posing as the real (and at the real’s request)… yeah. Though entertaining, there were several things I didn’t much care for:

- I found the beginning very slow. I was a good 30% in before I started to find it engaging
- I’m not at all a fan of love triangles. I like romances that are clear and straightforward. In one sense this one IS that, since it’s obvious that one is a good match and the other terrible. It was awkward and lame, though, that she was hanging out with one brother during the day and cuddling on the couch with the other at night. Though it was obvious who the correct love interest was, the fact remains that she was officially dating the wrong one… And I don’t like cheaters, even if it’s just emotionally.
- Though clean, this book is written from a worldview that seems to imply there is nothing wrong with sex outside of marriage

There were certainly some funny parts and I enjoyed the family dynamic, but it’s not one I’ll be adding to my recommendation list.

Content:
There is no foul language, sex, or violence. There is ogling, mild innuendos, and mildly descriptive, heated kissing. The MCs are forced to stay the night in a small hut together (sharing a bed for “warmth”), but nothing sexual happens. There is no mention of faith or God.

A cute love story for Christmas

I don’t usually give these type of books five stars, due to the predictable ending, but this book was fun and fast moving. The banter between Kaleb and Summer was so cute and flirtatious. The perfect love story for the Christmas season.