Review: A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber Isn't a "Hit"
- Booknerdian
- Dec 28, 2024
- 4 min read
Debbie Macomber is the queen of Christmas when it comes to delightful seasonal novels, but her latest book, A Christmas Duet, is uncharacteristically disappointing.
While A Christmas Duet still scores 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon, the high rating could be credited to unwavering fan loyalty and reviewers filtering her work through rose-colored expectations.
A Christmas Duet Synopsis
Hailey Morgan is an aspiring songwriter who has put her dreams on hold, settling for a solid career as the assistant band director in Portland.
Weary of her mother's matchmaking and family drama, Hailey pounces on the opportunity to spend Christmas break at her friend's vacant family cabin in Podunk, Oregon, where she finds the inspiration to finish a song that has been swirling in her head.
During her stay, Hailey meets Jay, the son of a local merchant and town mayor who is also a musician and up-and-coming producer. The two become inseparable, and Jay offers Hailey feedback and encouragement that assures her she possesses the talent to "make it" in the business. When she performs her newest song at the town's winter festival, the video goes viral. This not only leads her parents, sister, and ex-boyfriend tracking her down before Christmas, but it also introduces her to a well-renowned music producer who promises to make her dreams a reality.
Despite the upheaval her family's arrival causes and her broken connection to Jay, differences are resolved, family bonds are strengthened, and Christmas is the best one ever.
Review: A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber is Too Formulaic
Readers can always expect Macomber's books to make them smile, and no matter what the plot's conflict, a happy ending is guaranteed. Her books are uplifting and filled with hope and optimism.
Despite the promise of a satisfying resolution, Macomber's past books have included twists and turns, well-developed characters, and sufficient story depth to make her books something to chew on despite being quick reads that are easily digestible.
A Christmas Duet is a break from the mold, but not in a good way. The book follows a simplified format that is shallow, predictable, and under-developed. It is totally flat and devoid of emotional depth.
While we may never be able to pinpoint the exact reason for this book's downward spiral in storytelling, we can surmise possible causes:
Has Macomber simply run out of stories to tell? This prolific writer has written nearly 200 books, so maybe the well has run dry.
Is the publisher conforming to current market expectations and stifling Macomber's storytelling by demanding her to follow an editorial checklist that inhibits her freedom of creative expression?
Is Macomber or her publisher writing in a formulaic and simplified format in hopes that another of her books will be easily adaptable to a Hallmark movie?
No matter what the reason for the one-dimensional story, you are not missing anything if you skip reading A Christmas Duet.
A Christmas Duet Includes Too Many Unlikely Scenarios
Several scenes in A Christmas Duet are simply too unrealistic to swallow.
Hailey's mother is insistent that Hailey accept her ex-boyfriend's appeal to reconcile. Though the couple has been broken up for three years, Hailey's mom refuses to acknowledge Hailey's reasons for the breakup or respect Hailey's wishes to distance herself from a man she no longer loves. The boundaries her mom pushes throughout the novel are ridiculous.
Hailey makes it clear to her family and her ex, Zach, that she wants to be alone for Christmas to have the space to pursue her musical passions. She even refuses to share her location to guarantee her privacy. Reasonable people would honor her request, even if they didn't understand it, yet her family flagrantly disregards her wishes. This is off-putting and highly unlikely in the real world.
The dialogue doesn't always work, either. When the man Daisy loves tracks her down to declare his feelings for her, the words he speaks are unnatural. It's okay for a man to verbalize his emotions, but the male characters in this book say things that a woman would say--not a man. Macomber fails to give males a male voice.
There Are Better Seasonal Novels to Read Than Macomber's A Christmas Duet
The Christmas season is a prime time for authors to release novels to carry you through the holidays, which means readers have an impressive selection of books to choose from and a small window of time to read them (unless you read Christmas books throughout the year).
If you are trying to prioritize your TBR pile of seasonal reads, then A Christmas Duet is worth putting off until last--if at all.
Review of A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber
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