It’s a Wonderful Night by Jaimie Admans: Review & Discussion About Mental Health

It's a Wonderful Night by Jaimie Admans
Published: October 5th, 2018
Publisher: HQ Digital
Genre: Romantic Comedy/Chick Lit
Acquired this book: Bought
Rating: 5 stars
Warning: This review might contain mild spoilers
GoodReads || Buy now: Amazon Canada || Amazon US

One night will change their lives forever… 
Georgia Bailey is closing up her little charity shop in Oakbarrow when she gets a mysterious late night call from a stranger, threatening to jump off the town’s bridge.

Something about the man’s voice is faintly familiar but all she can do is stay on the line and after talking for hours, losing sense of time passing, coax him back from the edge.
The next morning, Georgia walks to work, buys a festive latte from Leo (who she’s had a crush on for months!) at the local coffee shop, and is shocked when she suddenly recognizes the voice from last night…

A heartwarming festive love story that reminds us that even in the darkest of times, hope is always just around the corner!

Jaimie Admans’ books are always a joy to read. They’re fun and funny and always have a magical quality and something about them that makes them feel different from anything else I’ve read.

It’s a Wonderful Night had that magical quality I’ve come to love in Jaimie’s books, but the thing that really set it apart was something completely unexpected: the fact it dealt with mental illness. Honestly, take a moment to let that sink in: a romantic comedy that deals with mental illness. I love romcoms and have read many of them, most of which are light, fluffy, feel-good stories. An escape from reality. When you think of those things, you don’t associate them with mental health issues, right? But that’s one of the things that sets It’s a Wonderful Night apart and makes it a must read. Jaimie Admans struck the perfect balance between fun and funny romcom and serious, true-to-life, relatable issues.

As someone who has battled with depression since her teens, I’m always on the look-out for books that depict mental illness in not only a realistic way, but a sensitive and thoughtful way, and Jaimie did that. Having that not only in a romantic comedy, but one centred about the holidays, was brilliant. It’s important to talk about mental health all the time, but I think it’s especially important around the holidays because they can be difficult for many people.

“We shouldn’t be acting like mental health is something to be ashamed of. It affects everyone. No one is immune. Everyone is fighting a battle that we know nothing about.”

While some people see the holidays as the most wonderful time of the year and revel in the festivities, for others it can be absolutely miserable. For many people, the happiness of the holidays and getting together with friends and relatives can be exhausting. They feel they have to pretend to be happy because that’s what people expect. Or they see everyone else’s successes - jobs, travel, relationships, children, wealth - and it only shines a light on their shortcomings and failures. Many people also have complicated relationships with their families for a variety of reasons, and since the holidays are generally a time for family gatherings, it can bring on a lot of anxiety and stir up old resentments. Then there are the people who are either alone for the holidays, or feel alone...and the ones who have lost loved ones and the holidays are a reminder of what they’ve lost. Then there are the expectations that come with the season - financially, emotionally, timewise. There are so many reasons the holidays can be a difficult, painful time, and a lot of people bottle it up, put on a smile and a good show of holiday spirit, and meanwhile they’re spending money they don’t have, exhausting themselves with draining interactions, and feeling worse by the day.

This book shone a spotlight on those complicated Christmas + depression emotions. It didn’t make light of it and it didn’t sensationalize it. It didn’t make it seem like there was a magic cure for depression or that simply ‘getting in the holiday spirit’ would fix anything. Georgia reminded Leo that no matter how bad things get, they can get better and there are things - and people - worth sticking around for. She reminded him about the good things in life and that he matters. He’s important. Life is worth living. It was a beautiful, heartfelt message that rang so true for me and really spoke to me on a deep level.

“Sometimes the people who smile the widest are the ones who are suffering the most.”

The book wasn’t solely about Leo’s struggles with depression, though. It was also a story about friendship, community, and pursuing your dreams. It was sweet and heartwarming and hopeful. And romantic! I’ve found a new book boyfriend and his name is Leo. He was a perfect example of someone hiding behind a mask - always smiling, kind and generous, but hurting inside. He would do anything for anyone, and put himself last until Georgia came along and showed him how valued he was. I absolutely adored Leo and Georgia, and all the other Oakbarrow residents. These characters leapt off the pages and felt so real. I didn’t want this book to end, and it’s been a long time since I’ve felt that while reading a book. I could picture it all so clearly...which made me realize this would make a wonderful movie. Get on it, Hallmark!

If you’re looking for a sweet, funny, heartwarming read this holiday season - or any time of the year - I hope you’ll pick up a copy of It’s a Wonderful Night. It’s not only a beautiful festive read, it’s also a reminder that even in the worst of times, there’s still hope, and you’re not alone.

Are the holidays a fun time for you or do you find them stressful and emotional? Or maybe, like me, you feel a combination of both? Do you have any favourite books that deal with mental health issues?

 

 

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ONLY YOU Cover Reveal Sign-Ups

My last post here on the blog was talking about finishing the first draft of my tenth novel. Things have moved quickly since then. I don’t normally go straight into revisions after finishing a first draft; I think it’s important to give yourself distance from the story, let it breathe, and approach it with fresh eyes. This time was different for me, though. It took several months to write this book, and since I never edit as I go, when I started the revision process the entire first half of the book hadn’t been touched in months. Since my writing and publishing schedules have been so out of whack the last couple of years, I wanted to get this book edited and ready to publish as quickly as possible so I could get back into a routine and start writing my next project sooner than later. As of now, I’ve done two rounds of revisions, my alpha reader has read it (and loved it, eep!), and it’s been sent to my amazing team of beta readers. Now while I wait to hear back from them, I’m going forward with the marketing plan I’ve been concocting for ages, and working on a few other projects. It’s all really exciting and kind of overwhelming, but after the last couple of years I’ve had, it’s wonderful to be getting back into a routine. The first step in my marketing plan is the cover reveal. The cover is already designed, and I’m thrilled with it. I’m planning a fairly small-scale cover reveal because I want to put more money, time, and energy into a blog and bookstagram tour for release week. If you’d like to help with the cover reveal, I’d be incredibly grateful. There are lots of options - Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, blog. You can find all the information on the sign-up form. There will be 2 $5 gift card prizes for participants...along with my everlasting gratitude, of course!

Want to know more about ONLY YOU? Here’s the synopsis:
  Ivy's new boss is sexy, Scottish…and comes with an expiration date. When Ivy reluctantly takes a job at Santa’s Village, it’s a means to an end. Doing this favor for her pain-in-the-neck roommate means she can have her apartment to herself again much sooner. The last thing she expects is Hugh—the hot Scot who just happens to be her new boss—asking her out on a date. And then another. And another. Something about Hugh makes Ivy want to let her guard down and open up, which would be perfect if he wasn't returning to Scotland in a matter of weeks. But maybe that doesn’t matter. Maybe she can live in the moment and have a little fun, even if it means setting herself up for heartache later. ONLY YOU is a standalone contemporary romance about taking chances, unexpected friendships, and holding on to the things—and people—that matter most. 

Add ONLY YOU to your GoodReads TBR 

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If you want to stay up to date with all my book news, including information about ARCs, the release week blog/bookstagram tour, giveaways, and much more, the best ways to do that are: *Join my Facebook reader group, Marie’s Sweeties *Sign up for my newsletter *Follow me on BookBub
*Follow me on Amazon 

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RomCom Friday: The Wedding Singer

RomCom Friday is a brand new feature here at Ramblings of a Daydreamer. I’ve always been a romantic comedy addict, and since I’m currently writing a romcom, I thought it would be fun to feature a favourite romantic comedy every week and talk about why I love it. Please note, there will be spoilers for each movie.

Most people I know either love or hate Adam Sandler. Are his movies ridiculous and sometimes downright stupid? Sure. Does his humour often verge on crude? Absolutely. Are all of his movies gold? Heh. No. But he does have some gems, and The Wedding Singer, in my opinion, is one of them. I also love Blended, Just Go With It, and 50 First Dates, but today I want to focus on my first and ultimate favourite movie of his, and that’s The Wedding Singer.

While there are elements of the ridiculous in this movie, I find it completely charming, hilarious, sweet, and swoony. In my last RomCom Friday, I talked about how I love Julia Roberts and Richard Gere together in Runaway Bride and Pretty Woman, and would love to see them in more movies together. The same goes for Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore - there’s just something about these two together. Plus, just like with Garry Marshall’s movies, you know that with Sandler’s movies you’re going to see a lot of familiar faces, and there’s something oddly comforting about that.

Going back to what I was saying about Adam Sandler earlier, he often plays characters who are almost caricatures, but Robbie Hart is a normal guy. He wants to be loved, be in a stable relationship, and write and sing music. He’s content with his life until his fiancee leaves him at the altar because he’s ‘just a wedding singer’ and doesn’t have bigger ambitions. Drew’s character, Julia Sullivan, likes Robbie just as he is, and doesn’t think he needs to change if he’s happy doing what he’s doing. I love their interactions and how they play off each other, plus the rest of the cast is great, too. Robbie and Julia are easy to connect with and feel for, which is one of the reasons I love this movie so much and have seen it more times than I can count in the last 19 years.

Romantic comedies are pretty formulaic and predictable, but movies like this make me fall in love with romcoms all over again. The Wedding Singer has so much heart, and since Robbie and Julia both have this innocence about them, it makes for a sweet, feel-good story. For being a funny, kind of silly movie, it also has a surprising amount of depth, particularly in its messages about love and romance. And can we talk about the amazing 80s soundtrack, and countless nods to 80s culture, including a fantastic cameo from Billy Idol? Yeah, I seriously love this movie.

Previous RomCom Friday features:

  ☆Bridget Jones’s Diary

  ☆Notting Hill

  ☆Runaway Bride

Do you like The Wedding Singer? Which camp do you fall into regarding Adam Sandler: love, hate, or indifferent? Do you agree that he and Drew Barrymore make great movies together? 

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RomCom Friday: Runaway Bride

RomCom Friday is a new weekly feature here at Ramblings of a Daydreamer. I’ve always been a romantic comedy addict, and since I’m currently writing a romcom, I thought it would be fun to feature a favourite romantic comedy every week and talk about why I love it. Please note, there will be spoilers for each movie.

Two things: I feel like I’m playing six degrees of separation with this feature. Week one I had Bridget Jones’s Diary, where Hugh Grant is the love interest; week two I featured Notting Hill, where Hugh Grant is the love interest and Julia Roberts is the heroine; and this week, I’m featuring Runaway Bride, which stars Julia Roberts (and Richard Gere). Since I have a lot of specific favourite movies and actors, it would be fun to keep this theme going, but I think the pattern will be broken next week. Second thing: I’m not going to lie, one of the (many, many) reasons I love Runaway Bride is because it opens with a U2 song. If you know me at all, this shouldn’t surprise you. Aside from that, this truly is one of my favourite movies.

There is a distinct possibility that I am profoundly and irreversibly screwed up. ~ Maggie

Confession time: I was about six when Pretty Woman came out (yes, my parents let me watch it) so I’ve loved Julia Roberts and Richard Gere together for most of my life. Skip ahead nine years to Runaway Bride, and I remember being thrilled we were getting another movie with these two together, especially one headed by the same director, Garry Marshall (who was a creative genius, and whose movies you’ll see featured many more times here). I love the ease these two have together, not to mention the chemistry. Seeing them together again, especially in something lighter and funnier, didn’t disappoint. This movie came out 18 years ago, and I still watch it on a regular basis, and still love watching Maggie and Ike deny their feelings for each other even as they fall in love.

Maggie: Do you think there's one right person for everybody?Ike: No, but I think attraction is too often mistaken for rightness. Attraction is very misleading.

I love Maggie. I think a lot of women can relate to her - probably not the multiple failed attempts down the aisle, but her reasons behind those failed attempts. Maggie doesn’t know herself. Coming from a small town where everyone knows her business, having to quit college to help her dad after her mom died, and having everyone know her mistakes and hold them over her head, she’s had to be what everyone expects. She’s lost, confused, and doesn’t have a clue who she really is.

When I was walking down the aisle, I was walking toward somebody who had no idea who I really was. And it was only half the other person's fault because I had done everything to convince him that I was exactly what he wanted.

I love the egg analogy - Ike discovers that Maggie always likes her eggs however her fiance likes them. With each new guy, her preference changes. I never got the full impact of this until a couple of years ago when I realized I have a friend who does something similar: each time she's in a new relationship, she practically becomes the guy. She takes on his traits, his interests, and completely loses herself - the things that make her unique, her hobbies, etc. She’s a strong, smart, independent woman, so it’s always been shocking to me that she continues this pattern, just like Maggie did, thinking she’s being ‘supportive’ and not realizing she’s losing herself bit by bit. The difference is that Maggie realized what she was doing and did something about it. She became whole and learned who she truly was before she finally fully committed to someone else.

You want a man who'll lead you down the beach with his hand over your eyes just so you can discover the feel of sand under your feet. You want a guy that'll wake you up at dawn. He's just bursting to talk to you. Can't wait another minute just to find out what you'll say. Am I right?

Besides Maggie and Ike, I love all the little details of this movie. The backdrop of Hale, Maryland (it kind of reminds me of Gilmore Girls’ Stars Hollow - tiny, idealic, everyone knows everyone else) and the fact it’s autumn combine to make an utterly charming setting. The side characters are fantastic; Joan Cusack in particular shines in this movie. I love how when you watch a Garry Marshall movie, you know you’ll see a lot of familiar faces, like Hector Elizondo, Larry Miller, plus Garry’s wife, children, and even grandchildren. There’s always something so comforting and heartwarming about watching a Garry Marshall movie, like you’re being reunited with family and friends, laughing and having a good time, and also having your heartstrings tugged along the way. I also love the Runaway Bride soundtrack - songs like I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For by U2, Ready to Run by the Dixie Chicks, Maneater by Hall and Oates, and Blue Eyes Blue by Eric Clapton pull this movie together perfectly.

I think the most that anybody can honestly say is: Look, I guarantee there'll be tough times. I guarantee that at some point, one or both of us is gonna want to get out of this thing. But I also guarantee that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it for the rest of my life, because I know, in my heart, you're the only one for me.

Now, can we have another Julia Roberts-Richard Gere collaboration, please?

Do you like Runaway Bride? Who's your favourite character? Do you have a favourite quote?

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RomCom Friday: Notting Hill

RomCom Friday is a new weekly feature here at Ramblings of a Daydreamer. I’ve always been a romantic comedy addict, and since I’m currently writing a romcom, I thought it would be fun to feature a favourite romantic comedy every week and talk about why I love it. Please note, there will be spoilers for each movie.

I started my RomCom Friday feature last week with what is probably my all-time favourite romantic comedy movie: Bridget Jones’s Diary. This week I’m featuring another top favourite: Notting Hill. In the next few weeks, you’ll likely notice I have a particular fondness for British movies and certain actors (whether British or not, but in this case, since I'm featuring two movies in a row with Hugh Grant, you can see there's going to be a pattern here!).

Notting Hill, starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant encompasses so many aspects of what makes a romcom great: a fantastic cast (like with Bridget Jones’s Diary, you get a wonderfully eccentric and eclectic group of friends who you come to love and root for as much as the main characters), hilarious scenes and dialogue, a romance to root for, and countless quotable lines.

One of the things I love about Notting Hill is how it’s completely different from everything else Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant (two of my favourite actors, by the way) have done in their careers. The role of Anna Scott is an interesting choice Julia Roberts because the character is quite subdued and understated. I’m used to seeing Roberts in roles where she’s a lot more expressive and quirky. Anna is a bit jaded by Hollywood and wary of who she lets into her life. She’s used to dealing with fans, the paparazzi spreading rumours and taking unflattering pictures, and she’s been forced to try to remain to look young in order to keep her job. Her romances have been with fellow celebrities who know what the Hollywood lifestyle encompasses, so meeting and developing feelings for William really threw her for a loop.  

“And don't forget...I'm also just a girl standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” ~ Anna  

Hugh Grant as William Thacker, the bumbling, floppy-haired travel bookshop owner is just about the cutest thing ever. Grant tends to be cast as the insufferable jackass who says and does the wrong thing, offends at every turn, and yet still manages to somehow be charming. In Notting Hill, he’s purely charming.

“You are lovelier this morning than you have ever been.” ~ William

Not only are the roles different for Roberts and Grant, the movie itself is refreshingly different; the majority of celebrity-falls-for-normal-person movies and books I’ve encountered feature a famous guy and a ‘regular’ girl, so Notting Hill is a fun spin on that. I also like how they portray the passage of time (the scene where Grant walks down Portobello Road in Notting Hill with the seasons and people changing all around him while ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ plays is a clever way to show time passing, unlike a lot of other movies that just skip ahead and expect you to keep up) and that things weren’t easy or immediate for Anna and William.

Anna: “Can I stay for awhile?”William: “You can stay forever.”

For me, Notting Hill is a quintessential feel-good movie. It’s always made me run the gamut of emotions - even 18 years later (god, that makes me feel old!) I still giggle and get teary at all the same parts. I’d love to have a group of friends like William’s (I’d pass on a roommate like Spike, although you'd never be bored having him as a friend). This is one of those movies that seems to have an almost cult-like following, with people who will hear something like ‘whoopsidaisies’ or ‘love isn’t love without a violin-playing goat’ and know immediately not only what movie it’s from, but also the exact scene and what was happening.

Side note: there aren't many songs on it, but I love the Notting Hill soundtrack. To this day, I can't hear She by Elvis Costello, Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers, or When You Say Nothing At All by Ronan Keating without thinking of Notting Hill (and knowing exactly what scenes they're from).

Do you like Notting Hill? Who's your favourite character? Do you have a favourite quote? Have you been to Notting Hill? I've wanted to go since the first time I saw this movie and was so excited to finally venture there two years ago when I went to London, but we just didn't have time. Next time!

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