I started doing the book version of Christmas in July two years ago and I loved it so we are back for one more year. We are making it bigger this year, we had 3 in 2022, 6 in 2023 and we are at 8 books this year (ill read more throughout the year and post those closer to the holidays). The idea is inspired by Hallmarks Christmas in July, where I start watching all the X-mas movies, I would do the same with all the Christmas ARCs I get in this season, to prepare you as to what you should purchase/order/reserve on Libby for the Christmas season.
The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy
Goodreads blurb: From the author of The Christmas Wager comes a charming holiday rom-com about a young, recently heartbroken woman who is tasked by her sister to complete Advent calendar challenges in the lead up to Christmas to reignite her belief in herself, the holidays, and love again. She’s given up on love and Christmas…but fate has other plans. All Callie wants for Christmas is to hibernate. She’s still reeling from being dumped by her childhood sweetheart, and under no circumstances will she go home for the holidays considering her ex will be right next door with his new, perfect partner. Callie is officially in grinch mode, but her meddling sister, Anita, won’t let her give up on life, love, and Christmas quite so easily. Anita stages a Christmas intervention for Callie with a homemade Advent calendar challenge—cheerful tasks to push Callie out of her comfort zone and into the holiday spirit, inspired by a childhood tradition. Callie reluctantly plays along, but when she comes face-to-face with a charming baker who just might be the spoonful of sugar she needs, her strict rules on love and the holidays are tested. As they strike a deal to do the activities together, could the twenty four little doors on Callie’s Advent calendar not only open up one, but two closed-off hearts?
my take: 4.5 out of 5 This is an ideal Christmas book. Not necessarily the perfect book, but as a Holiday book it does it all. I am obsessed with the Christmas calendar and I want someone to make me one every Christmas. I want to make it for someone every Christmas. And this book is not Christmas adjacent, or just a love story happening in the holiday season. This is a full immersion of the holidays book, 24 days of activities, and with the emotional growth (and of course romance who are we kidding) to back it up. I also love all the holiday music references, most I of course had on my radar but there were a few that I didn’t and I diligently added them to Tati’s tidbits ultimate Christmas playlist. Also side note: I might need to get photo filled Christmas ornaments after reading this book.
All I want is You by Fallon Ballard
Goodreads blurb: Two rival authors—and ex’s—are thrown together just in time for the holidays in this delightful new romantic comedy from beloved author Falon Ballard.All Jessica has ever wanted is her own happily ever after. Until that happens, she spends her days as a small-time romance writer, penning satisfying romances to continue to soothe the pain of her ex-boyfriend–also a “romance writer” and her worst nightmare—who has found success writing love stories without happy endings. So when their writing obligations bring them to a remote inn a few days before Christmas, they’re a little more than peeved, especially when they get trapped sharing a room in a snowstorm…with only one bed. But what’s more fitting for the two romantic writers? When they realize the friction between them is the only cure for their writers’ block, they decide to turn their hate into fuel…and the pages start flying. But will her heart soar, too? Nick is the last guy on earth Jess could love… or is he really all she wants for Christmas?
My take: 4.25 out of 5. Fallon Ballard doing a Christmas book had me hitting the request button the moment I heard about it. And she does not disappoint. We have just the right level of predictable but nice. I kind of love the concept of falling in love writing a book – using writing to work through relationship problems is not only creative but actually brilliant – therapists should do this with their couples. The author calls the book short and sweet and it def is, a quick beautiful Christmas read that will have you in the right Christmas mood. One of my favorite parts was the the chemistry of the main characters during their question games, so well written. However I might have taken some offense when they say riding its a small world: on repeat is a form of torture. It is definitely not my type of torture, its one of my favorite places in the world.
A good question arises from here, does a romance have to have a HEA to be considered a romance? is that part of the genre?
Kiss Me at Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
Goodreads blurb: White Christmas meets Nora Ephron in Jenny Bayliss’s latest wholehearted, ensemble-cast holiday extravaganza. Christmas can officially get stuffed because Harriet Smith is not feeling bright and merry this year. She hasn’t for a while. So when her college-aged daughter opts for Manhattan’s winter wonderland instead of Christmas at home, Harriet finds herself seeking solace in a wine-soaked one-night stand. But how Harriet will spend the holidays is swiftly decided for her after she takes the fall for some students who break into the town’s old Winter Theater. To get the students off the hook, the theater’s elderly owner requests that Harriet direct the washed-out stage’s final Christmas performance. And Harriet will do anything to help the kids . . . even work with the owner’s lawyer who, as it turns out, is her less than impressed one-night stand. Directing the play with him won’t exactly change her life. But it might just reignite the Christmas spirit and remind her what makes life merry and bright again.
my take: 4.25 out of 5. Super cute Christmas read, don’t really know why its called what it is, the name gives nothing. It involves the theater at Christmas so really I was sold from the beginning. I Loved how theater can join a community together, even though the Scrooge trope is over used usually. But it is a classic for a reason, so might as well go along for the ride. I was a bit confused with Harriet’s quirkiness, at times it was cute but the safe swearing and the constant reminders of the triple cardings was a bit weird. Also who wears three cardigans, what is this about? James is a dreamy MMC, or maybe dreamy for me? A lawyer with a heart of gold, that’s super hot, looks good in suits and does ample amounts of probono? i was sold. Also there is ample Swiftie love.
One of the character arcs that I really loved was Harriet taking better care of herself and validating her existence as a single person. As a single person myself who feel i deserve everything and don’t need the validation of being in a couple to do things I really resonated with this quote: “Only and me are worlds that should not be used together. Being alone does not make a person less worthy of Good Things. I deserve to prepare myself delicious food… I refuse to curtail lifes little enjoyments because I am without companion. I am worth the effort… Don’t Live your life as though you are only a shadow without other people to validate you. Validate yourself”
The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay
Goodreads blurb :When doppelgänger best friends trade one’s cabin Christmas vacation for the other’s Hawaiian would’ve-been-honeymoon, both might just find love they weren’t expecting. Holly Beech and Ivy Casey are bury-the-body besties. They’re so in sync, they even look alike. So when Holly’s fiancé jilts her, leaving her in shock and with a nonrefundable honeymoon, Holly convinces Ivy to switch places. Ivy will go on the Hawaiian honeymoon her best friend can’t bear to take alone, while Holly escapes to Ivy’s rented Hudson Valley cabin to binge-watch holiday movies and heal. But Holly’s wallowing is interrupted when her rugged Airbnb host turns out to be her high school academic rival who’s had a major glow-up. Meanwhile, Ivy’s (now Hawaiian) annual solo art retreat is upended when Holly’s ex-fiancé checks into the honeymoon suite—with a new woman. Raging and bedless, the last thing Ivy expects is for the hot hotel bartender to come to her rescue. Against all odds, this Christmas might prove the most magical yet.
my take: 4 out of 5. My first question when I started to read the book as there was a list of the authors previous books was, Why does Julia McKay have so many names or different pen names? But to the actual important matter of the book, it was a lovely take on Friendships even more than romance. It gave me some The Holiday vibes (which is never a bad thing i love that movie) and the difference in the locations was fun, beach vs snow and all the activities. It is absurdly predictable in that of course they both find a perfect partner in their switch, but then again we are in Christmas romance world and predictable but nice is what we expect, and we learn to love. But yes, sometimes its hard to believe that one relationship can happen but two is a stretch, but then again it is the Holiday vibes all around and I just embraced it. I loved the description of Ivy’s paintings they were so vivid. In the end I really enjoyed how the two friends were there for one another and that really more than finding a Significant Other, The friendship is the most important thing that has lasted over all the breakups and heartaches.
A Home for the Holidays by Taylor Hahn
Goodreads blurb: A witty, warmhearted novel about coming to terms with grief, taking a chance on unexpected connections, and finding family in time for the holidaysFor wedding singer Mel Hart, the holidays have always retained a certain magic. Her mother, Connie, always managed to pull off spectacular Santa hijinx that convinced Mel to keep believing in Santa way longer than other kids. Those moments meant everything to Mel because the rest of the year, life was unpredictable because of her mother’s alcohol use. But two weeks before Christmas, Mel gets a call from the her mother has died. Then a woman shows up on Mel’s doorstep, claiming to be Connie’s estranged best friend, promising to tell Mel a different narrative—one in which Connie was almost a famous country music star, if only a man hadn’t gotten in the way. Instead of spending Christmas alone in her dead mother’s house, Mel agrees to stay with Barb for the holidays, finding herself in the middle of Barb’s complicated family and uncovering secrets while fighting an attraction to Barb’s in-the-middle-of-a-divorce son. As Christmas approaches, Mel reckons with how little she knew about her mother’s past while reexamining her own future. A Home for the Holidays is a moving exploration of complicated grief, mother-daughter relationships, loving someone with addiction, and the redemptive power of opening one’s heart to love in all its forms.
my take: 4 out of 5. This one will pull at your heartstrings. This feel very much a la vein of the Blake Shelton Make it home for Christmas Hallmark movies, a lot of heart and a lot of music. This would be great as a movie as i wanted to hear these songs play out. It was also quite deep and engaging for a Christmas book, Lots of heart, family drama, story and tears. Again this is more in the vein of Hallmark Movies and Mystery Christmas movie and not A Hallmark Channel, more drama than cute romance, even though there is plenty of that to go around too.
A Winter Wish by Emily Stone
Goodreads blurb: When an unexpected inheritance forces two total opposites to work together, Lexie must decide if Theo is going to push her out—or pull her in for the kiss of a lifetime—in this heartwarming holiday novel from the author of Always, in December and One Last Gift When Lexie learns of her father’s death, she doesn’t know how to feel; they’ve barely spoken in the last ten years. And she’s even more confused when she discovers he’s left her half of his holiday travel company, a successful niche business specializing in trips that explore the holiday traditions of cultures all over the world. Meanwhile, the other half of the company has been left to her father’s handsome but bad-tempered young executive, Theo. And the will stipulates that the two of them must find a way to run the company together for a year before they decide its fate. Lexie intends to leave once the year is over, even though, as a wanderer herself, she finds the company’s mission more compelling than she first thought. And a work trip to sizzling Spain reveals a chemistry between Lexie and Theo that is impossible to deny. There may have been some snap judgments made about each other. But mixing business and pleasure isn’t always a good idea.
My take: 3.75 out of 5. Emily Stone is my queen of Holiday Books. She is the Emily Henry of the Christmas season, an automatic read, and of course it was the first book I read in the genre this year. This one is a really good book, but it falls a bit short of her prior efforts, and maybe why its ranked a bit lower than those. As any good Emily Stone book, you will be crying at some point in this book, the romance and the growth does come with a side of pain always. I really loved the travel aspect of the book ,not only in their job but all the scouting, it made me want to spend Christmas in Iceland! However are we to believe than in 2024 there is a Physical travel agency staying in business doing custom Holiday travels?. It might be too good to be true, but i suspended my disbelief and went along for the ride. As a side note, Ange is a total kick ass side character and I want all her festive and theme earrings!
The Christmas Wager by Holly Cassidy
Goodreads blurb: From a bestselling Canadian author comes a delightful enemies-to-lovers holiday rom-com set in the quaint town of Maple Falls, about a city girl and a small-town boy who compete in the town’s annual holiday games in order to win the right price for a Christmas shop, perfect for fans of The Hating Game and One Day in December. One rivalry. Eight days until Christmas. Let the holiday games begin. When LA-based real estate developer Bella Ross arrives in the sleepy, mountain town of Maple Falls, she has one mission: to acquire the local failing Christmas shop, Always Noelle, securing the promotion of her dreams. Nothing can get in her way. Except the shop owner’s stubborn grandson, Jesse Harrison. Both refuse to budge, until an unlikely wager is struck: Bella and Jesse will compete in the Maple Falls Holiday Games, an annual tradition of eccentric feats of strength and skills. Winner decides the selling price. They’ll give each other a run for their money, but as the competition heats up, Bella and Jesse’s icy feelings toward each other begin to thaw. It’ll take a Christmas miracle for them to admit there’s a spark, but what if it’s just another game?
my take: 3 out of 5. A pretty predictable but cute Enemies to Lovers, which might have added on quite a lot of other tropes in, to the point of it maybe being a little over kill? I liked the concept of the games (Can someone point me in the direction of an actual town that does this, I would really love to come and visit) and that the ending is a little more feminist than some of these stories. My biggest qualm, she’s a girl that grew up in snow, lets not dim her down as the superficial person in super high heels shlepping the storm. Being competent and logical should not be a reason the story does not work .
Christmas is All Around by Martha Waters
Goodreads blurb: A former child star learns that holiday magic can come from a change in perspective in this charming and hilarious holiday rom-com. Charlotte hates the holidays. As a former child actress, she starred in a modern classic of a holiday movie, and its fans won’t let her move on. When a piece revealing that her reluctance nixed plans for a reboot, she flees to London to spend the five-week countdown to the holidays with her sister. But the ghosts of Christmas past follow her there when she ends up at Eden Priory, a filming location for the movie she has never visited. There, after being recognized by a fan while viewing the extraordinary holiday decorations, she’s accidently left behind, forcing her to accept a ride back to London by Graham, the son of the owners. Their family business—and the funds to keep their historic house running—relies on holiday cheer, and Graham knows a visit from a holiday star would bring in more visitors. Now an illustrator, Charlotte accepts a commission illustrating iconic holiday movie scenes in London and its environs. Graham offers to help escort her, as long as she’ll commit to an art workshop at Eden Priory. But as Charlotte’s chaotic family holiday goes awry, she begins spending more time scouting locations with Graham. Charlotte may not love Christmas, but is it so bad if you’re also falling in love?
My take: 2.75 out of 5. There are some cute things about this book. I love that its based in London, there are so many Christmas settings and the Meet Cute is adorable. I also feel like there is some actual character growth on both sides that is being done and its refreshing and exciting. Themselves as well as their relationships in all their aspects have some very positive growth. So of course given the title, the movie she was in Christmas, Truly is basically Love Actually. A love Actually type of movie, that is as similar to love actually as can be. I love Love Actually. What I didn’t love about this book too much is how bad it made me feel about loving Love Actually. Your target audience for these books are probably people who love Christmas movies and books, so really if you are going to be a drag about Christmas and Christmas movies throughout the book eventually it starts feeling as a little bit of a dig. I’m the first to be able to make fun of myself and Christmas love, but it eventually can be too much. And even though at the end it tries to bring it together as to how she is living her Christmas movie, the disdain in general made it a little bit less special. I felt like the editors convinced the author that a Christmas book would make good money so she should go that way and this is her protest writing. I would say its a good Christmas book for those that do not like Christmas movies?
Tati's Tidbits 