Merry and Bright

I’ll admit, I side-eyed the 1h19m runtime—how much *story* could there be? But *Merry and Bright* disproves the idea that brevity means shallow. Rosen’s writing is so razor-focused that every scene earns its keep, whether it’s the heroine’s cringe-worthy lie about her ‘serious boyfriend’ or the hero’s deadpan reaction to being voluntold as her fake date. The fake-dating trope is well-worn, but the Hanukkah-Christmas mashup setting (complete with latkes vs. cookie decorating debates) gives it a specific, lived-in charm. That said, the breakneck pace *does* come at a cost: secondary characters feel like cardboard cutouts, and the conflict resolves almost *too* neatly. I wanted one more beat of tension, one more moment where the leads had to sit in their mess. The narration, though, is where this audiobook *shines*. Kreinik’s performance as the heroine is a revelation—she nails the manic energy of someone spiraling into her own lies, her voice cracking on the edge of hysteria in a way that’s funny, not grating. Nolan counters with a warm, grounded delivery that makes his character feel like the steady hand on a tilting ship. Their back-and-forth in the car scene (you’ll know it when you hear it) is *electric*, the kind of audiobook moment that makes you pause just to savor it. My only critique? The production’s background music during transitions is a touch heavy-handed—it’s a rom-com, not a Hallmark movie—but it’s a minor quibble in an otherwise polished package. If you’re craving a holiday romance that’s more ‘sparkling wine’ than ‘mulled wine’—bright, fizzy, and best consumed in one sitting—this is your pick.