There’s No Crying at Christmas by G.G. Gleason
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Every time I saw the book cover for There’s No Crying at Christmas, I thought of Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own. “There’s no crying in baseballll!” I watched that movie decades ago and still utter that line as if it were new, sometimes to myself. Something about the incredulous inflection when he says “baseball” still cracks me up.

While that movie is based on the real-life all-female baseball league during WWII, There’s No Crying at Christmas is an enemies-to-lovers romance.

Allie’s childhood bully and adult nemesis Cole is also her brother Adam’s best friend and radio co-host. The two are always instantly at each others’ throats hurling insults on sight. It’s hard for Allie to avoid seeing Cole after traveling home to Tennessee from NYC for the first time in 4 years. She’s there not only to celebrate Christmas, but to lick her wounds from a recent break-up. Fun fact: we first met Allie in Gleason’s Falling.

The reason for Allie’s four-year absence is one of the reasons you’re happy when she gets some good love & lovin’. Adam is a sweetheart, having been her protector since childhood and a buffer between Allie and her mother. I wish there was more character development for him, and learn a bit more about the hint of a woman (possible love interest?) who is briefly mentioned. I don’t think it would take away anything from the story if Adam and Allie were a sibling duo and not part of a trio. Their older sister and her child add nothing to the storyline.

It was a cute read. I was entertained, especially during the parts when Allie and Cole first kept their romance under wraps.

Readers should know that the novel comes with trigger warnings of bullying (Allie has a hearing impairment) and racism (Cole is Asian).

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