A (Not-So-Perfect) Christmas by Chiara F. Citterio

A (Not-So-Perfect) Christmas by Chiara F. Citterio
Everly and Jayden, both twenty-five years old, grew up in the small town of Schenectady, near New York. Since childhood, they were academic rivals, and their relationship was always marked by animosity. Everly hated Jayden for the way he treated her, unaware that he behaved that way because he was secretly in love with her—something he could never confess, since she was his best friend’s girlfriend.

The story unfolds in the present, interweaving memories from the last ten Christmases, and centers on Everly and Jayden’s reunion ten days before Christmas at a local bar. Both are facing personal crises: Everly must tell her parents that she has lost her job, while Jayden has to explain that he will not be marrying his ex-girlfriend, Ginebra, the daughter of his parents’ business partner.

Everly—always strong and resistant to any attempt at control—finds herself vulnerable. Jayden, on the other hand, struggles with his inability to confront the pain and emptiness he carries inside. As they reconnect, they discover that their feelings haven’t changed as much as they thought, and that maybe this Christmas won’t be perfect—but it could be the beginning of something new and meaningful for both of them.
In A (Not-So-Perfect) Christmas, past and present intertwine to reveal a story of love and redemption, showing that sometimes second chances can be the best Christmas gift.