REVIEW: The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox

In The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox, Identical twins Charlie and Cass Goodwin grew up in the small town of Starlight Peak, California, but ended up on very different paths in their adult life. They both worked in their family’s bakery, Woodburn Breads, all through childhood until Charlie took off to L.A. to become a successful pastry chef. Cass stayed in their hometown and is slowly taking over the reins at the bakery as their parents get closer to retirement. But now, the sisters each have their own present day problems to sort out: Charlie’s stint on a reality food T.V. show co-hosting with her arch nemesis for a shot at her own show is tenuous at best, and Cass is struggling to get her long-time boyfriend to accept the fact that they’ve outgrown each other.

‘This whole caper with Cass was proving to be harder than she imagined, but not for the reasons she’d expected.’

Another wrench is thrown in the works when Charlie gets injured on set. With a concussion and no sense of smell or taste, her days on the reality show are numbered. But then a crazy idea forms: Cass can take Charlie’s place in L.A. for a few days, just until she feels better. And Charlie can watch over the bakery for Cass–and finally make it clear to Cass’s boyfriend that things are done between them. The twins might have successfully switched places as kids and teenagers, but neither of them realized how complex things would become doing so as adults. Between each of their career woes and with them each falling for someone–under false pretenses no less–it could change Cass and Charlie’s lives in major ways.

“Time heals all things. If time fails, try cake.”

Twin sisters traded identities and the mayhem definitely ensued in The Holiday Swap by author duo Maggie Knox. A lighthearted story with two romances and a whole lot of delicious-sounding food, this will give readers all the feels they can handle.

“You can’t just take over someone else’s life, even for only a week, and not have there be consequences.”

What a fun and super sweet story The Holiday Swap was! I’ll admit that there were times where the level of awkwardness the sisters ran into made my anxiety ratchet up (lol) but I really fell for the characters–and the fact that both Cass and Charlie’s work involved baking. One of my favorite pastimes. This was touted as a rom-com in the synopsis but to me it felt more like a contemporary romance with a few chuckles added at just the right times rather than an all-out rom-com. But it still worked. And of course it had a holiday theme so you can’t go wrong there.

I truly enjoyed seeing the differences in Cass and Charlie’s personalities as well as comparing their daily lives, starting off with Cass in their small hometown and Charlie in L.A. and then pulling their switcheroo. I won’t spoil how it all played out. But as you can imagine, the sisters learned a lot about each other and themselves in the process. Charlie was always seen as the adventurous one so it turned out to be a nice reminder for her, being in Starlight Peak at Christmas, to remember the lovely traditions she enjoyed there. And Cass proved what a badass baker–and woman–she was even though she was seen as the quieter twin.

Then there was the romance. Talk about complicated, as you’d expect. But co-writers Maggie Knox gave us two incredibly wonderful heroes for two very deserving heroines. I honestly can’t pick a favorite between Miguel and Jake as they were the perfect counterparts for Cass and Charlie, respectively. I think romance fans will swoon for the–yes, admittedly sappy–but cheerful and touching ending for the two couples. *sniffle*

QOTD: Are you a fan of the “foodie” trope? Have any favorites you can recommend?

Book Info:

Publication: Published October 5th 2021 | G.P. Putnam’s Sons |

A feel-good, holiday-themed romantic comedy about identical twins who switch lives in the days leading up to Christmas–perfect for fans of Christina Lauren’s In a Holidaze and Josie Silver’s One Day in December.

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 critical to her success as show judge. 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?