Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Nov 2023
256 pages
Genre: Romance
Publication Information
Single All the Way meets Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda in this festive romcom about Cam, who's trying to find the "the one" and also trying to find himself - while spending winter break working at a hectic Santa's Village.
Escaping to NYU for college didn't turn out the way Cameron planned—he's flunking his theater classes, about to lose his scholarship, and he still hasn't found anyone he can call his "people." When he gets home for winter break, he's so desperate to avoid a Conversation with his dad that he takes the first acting job he can get—as a mall elf. Despite how Scroogey he feels, the plus side is that there's a cash prize for the most festive of Santa's helpers.
But the competition is fierce—especially from fellow elf Marco. Christmas spirit oozes out of his veins. At first Cam is determined to see him as nothing but a rival, but as they spend more time together, Cam starts to second-guess himself. What if he's finally found his people here—in the fakest consumerist nightmare place on Earth, where he least expected it?
"While this romp has many delightful queer holiday rom-com tropes, its winning resolution balances a nostalgic homecoming with the promise of self-actualization...[I]t also makes some keen observations about how people aren't always what they seem. Cam is Cuban American, and Marco is Filipino. The supporting cast features a few Black characters and someone who uses they/them pronouns. Cam's cishet dad is a single parent through surrogacy, a rare and welcome depiction. An elf-ing good time." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Via a breezy yet thoughtful approach, and with the boys' gently blossoming romance inciting warmth and cheer, Valdes conceives a holly-jolly rom-com filled with enough humor, heart, and holiday spirit to deliver an upbeat stocking stuffer." —Publishers Weekly
"Cam undergoes a lot of maturing and growth over the course of his 12 days of elf-mas, which makes resolutions in his relationship with his ex-boyfriend, his father, and Marco well-earned and satisfying. It also means Cam starts in a place that readers might have trouble sympathizing with; those who stick with him will be rewarded. A sweet holiday romance, complete with elfish antics and rich descriptions of Christmas cookies." —School Library Journal
This information about Finding My Elf was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
David Valdes is the author of the young adult novels Spin Me Right Round (a New York Public Library Best Book for Teens) and Brighter than the Moon as well as three nonfiction books, including Today Show "Top 10 Holiday Books" pick A Little Fruitcake. His plays have been produced coast to coast and abroad. As a columnist, he has written for the New York Times, Boston Globe, and HuffPost. He lives outside Boston with his teenage daughter.
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