August 29, 2022
Bibra’s predictable sequel to Two Houses turns the focus to Christmas-loving commitmentphobe Sonia Gupta, another auctioneer at the family-run art auction house Loot. Sonia hopes to bring Loot into the world of interior design, starting with her new client, strapping farmer Beau Abbot, who commissions her to outfit the Manhattan offices of his new green energy company. Beau’s a country mouse and he likes it that way, leading him and Sonia to debate which is better: Christmas in the city or Christmas in the country. Sonia sets out to prove all New York has to offer, but improbably does so by bringing Beau to some of the most touristy locations imaginable. They disagree at every turn, but their arguments lack the spark of the best opposites-attract romances, making their development into lovers feel unearned. Beau gets the chance to fight his corner when he and Sonia head to his family’s South Carolina peach farm. Sonia’s distaste for Southern hospitality leads to some laughs, but her freak out in the face of Beau’s happy family—very different from her strained relationship with her parents—doesn’t quite hit home. The thing that hurts this romance most, however, is the lack of Beau’s perspective, without which he comes across as a bland Southern gentleman stereotype. This is one to skip.