Think your traditional Hallmark movie, complete with an enemies to lovers plot & you have The Christmas Crush by Noelle Douglas. This is the perfect holiday rom-com! Competing cookie shops in a small town make this story even better. I can’t wait to read this again during the holiday season!

Thank you NetGalley & Alcove Press for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This definitely gave me the Hallmark Christmas movie vibes and yes, I read this while drinking hot chocolate and cuddled up in my blanket like it’s 20 degrees outside- it was 85 but that’s what AC is for.

Anywho, this is a small town enemies to lover story that I definitely ate up.

what a cute small town christmas enemies to lovers romance! elena was a bit mean at times to lawrence which irritated me. overall a good read!

3.5 stars
Sugary Sweet and Christmas-y cute. The setting is what made the book. The premise was great, but the insta-Love was super fast and a little heavy - handed, I would’ve liked more back and forth.

I enjoyed reading The Christmas Crush by Noelle Douglas. It was a super cute and sweet, rival cookie shop, enemies-to-lovers book with all the small town vibes. It had me wanting to bake cookies, smell snow, and wishing for Christmas the whole time I was reading.

A big thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the complimentary ebook. All opinions expressed above are my own.

This book was amazing and I devoured this book in just a few sittings! I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

This is the absolute cutest!!! I love all things Christmas and I’m ready to put my Christmas tree up now (it’s June 1st) but my husband would probably leave. This gave me all the warm fuzzy Christmas feelings. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

"The Christmas Crush" is a charming holiday rom-com that delivers all the cozy small-town vibes and festive cheer you'd expect. While the instant connection between the main characters feels a bit rushed, the dynamic between the baker and the big city businesswoman adds a refreshing twist to the classic trope. The focus on baking and cookies adds a delightful touch, though some characters could use more development to truly shine. Overall, it's a fun and entertaining read perfect for getting into the holiday spirit. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a cute book. Very fast paced, very Hallmark Christmas movie. It was kind of nice to see it reversed where the MMC is the baker and the big city business person is the FMC. The "Nana's Boy" schtick was a little cringy, but fit in well with the plot when she fell. I think the characters could be a little more developed, as well as their relationship. It was too Insta-Love connect so the connection just fell a little flat for me. It needed more enemies to lovers, or more developed connection. I also think Priyah should be at the proposal at the end of the book! Her family relationship was well written and well developed, as was her job and issues. But I needed more from Lawrence and Elena. Carmen's character in general was a waste of time for me, anything with her in it could be more time for Elena and Lawrence to build a connection. All in all, this was a cute entertaining read, but just didn't hit all the way for me.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 If a small town baker doesn’t name his adorable dog Sugar, is he really living up to his full potential? Luckily, we did not have to wait until the end to rest assured that Lawrence is a baker with a sense of humor, a heart of gold, and rounds it all out with his trusty sidekick, Sugar. What could possibly ruin a Christmas in the small town of New Hope, PA? A new chain restaurant coming into town and putting Lawrence’s bakery out of business. Hot shot Elena is sent into town to seal the deal but causes quite the commotion. The Christmas Crush is a delightful holiday rom-com that brings to life all of the right tropes: small town, enemies to lovers, all of the holiday magic while challenging typical gender stereotypes. Beautifully written, funny, and with just the right amount of suspense over saving the a Christmas spirit in New Hope, this is definitely a sparkling book to add to your holiday TBR!

4.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review is posted on Goodreads and the final review will be posted on instagram ahead of the publication date.

3.75 stars, rounding up to 4.

If you don’t like cookies, this novel may not be the Christmas novel for you. Every time I sat down with this book I immediately craved cookies. Cookies, cookies, cookies literally everywhere. The hyperfocus on cookies did really work to tie the story together though, which I loved! Tying people together over baking is a top tier Christmas novel trope for me.

The Christmas Crush gave all the small town, cozy bakery vibes I hoped it would. I loved the contrast between New Hope and Elena’s corporate job. Giving us a glimpse at Lawrence’s small town life and getting to know his family and friends, ESPECIALLY Nana was enjoyable. Lawrence being a Nana’s boy was so cute. Elena and Lawrence also went on the sweetest first date, which was a really well organized way for us to buy into their relationship. I think that date was my favorite part of the book!

There were a lot of little details I appreciated including Gilmore Girls, Pride and Prejudice, and Taylor’s All Too Well 10 Minute Version. These details made the story realistic and relatable.

I was a little disappointed in Elena and Lawrence’s actions toward the end of the book. Their attitudes were a little out of character for what we came to know about them as the story went on. Additionally, I did find Elena’s boss so terrible it was almost unbelievable.

Elena and Lawrence’s cookie recipe at the end added a little something extra to the story and I’m going to try my best to recreate the recipe over this holiday season!

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Read if you love..
Christmas cookies
Small town vibes
Sweetest first date
Enemies to lovers
He falls hard

This book had a cute, classic Hallmark Christmas kind of feel to it and was a pretty enjoyable read. I loved the small town vibes, Lawrence's relationship with his Grandmother, and how much of the book featured cookies.

I thought the author did a great job of fleshing out the character's unique situations and the reasons behind their reactions to each other so it didn't just have a meaningless miscommunication conflict but actually worked through what the issues were.
The only problem I really had with the story was Elena's job. It was difficult to suspend disbelief enough in how this situation would have gone in real life and buy into the idea that they could both succeed, and I really struggled to get past her actually asking him to help her as if it was a reasonable thing to do.

3.5 ⭐️ Do you love Christmas cookies? I love Christmas cookies! So, let me tell you about Alcove Press’ newest book release called The Christmas Crush by Noelle Douglas that’s all about Christmas cookies. Picture small town New Hope, PA. Imagine a huge, burly, frightening man. That’s just Lawrence, your friendly neighborhood baker that bakes every cookie with love. He’s well established and well loved, so who could possibly compete with his cookies? Enter stage left, Elena, VP of Sparkle cookie, a massive cookie chain that puts more emphasis on the cookies aesthetic than how the cookie tastes. The glittering new location is set to open in New Hope on Christmas Eve with Elena overseeing the shops predicted success. If the shop doesn’t profit immediately, her job is on the line. Will the big corporate chain crumble the small town competition? You’ll have to read it to find out when it releases 10/8/24. This was a clean, feel good Christmas romance. I loved the small town feel-this is a town where everyone know everyone else. Douglas does a great job taking us to the towns festivities. We visit a cookie swap, a Christmas market, and the towns Christmas tree lighting. There’s not much of a rivalry between Lawrence and Elena. They decide fairly early on in the book to try and coexist to ensure the towns overall success. More emphasis is placed on Elena’s toxic corporate work environment and the changes she’s trying to make in her career. Overall, this is a fun, sweet, festive read.

To start, this cover is so cute. I absolutely loved this story! I’ve decided I absolutely love Christmas stories set in a bakery. I loved Lawrence from the very first scene. This was the perfect cozy holiday read and I could see myself reading it every Christmas! Can’t wait to get a physical copy!

This was an okay read for me. Maybe it's because I read a seasonal/Christmas read at the end of spring but it didn't make me feel the way I thought it would. I did like the authors writing and ability to tell a good story so that is a major positive. I honestly think it was a case of right book, wrong season for me, so I'm going to do a reread closer to winter time and hope that it gives me the feels I was hoping for.

This was a cute small town Christmas book!

Lawrence was making me crave cookies, and I loved his dog Sugar, she was adorable.

Elena and Lawrence start off as enemies, Elena was SO mean 😭 I felt so bad for Lawrence and I have no idea how he found her attractive still? Like what ???
I honestly didn’t like her most of the book so it was really hard to connect to her.

Overall a cute read but I did not like Elena 😅 if you like a small town romance, Christmas, cookies and enemies to lovers - I would give this a go to see if it’s the book for you.

The Christmas Crush by Noel Douglas is a charming holiday romcom that pits small town charm against corporate ambition. Marketing executive Elena Voss finds herself in New Hope, Pennsylvania, facing off against local baker Lawrence Higgins over Sparkle Cookie’s impending arrival. As their professional rivalry melts into personal attraction, the novel portrays a sweet and festive tale of love, community, and unexpected connections. Such a heartwarming holiday story!

Oh my heart!! I just love Christmas books all year round! Elena, a career-driven woman working for Sparkle Cookie, faces resistance from the locals of New Hope, Pennsylvania, especially Lawrence, a beloved baker, when she tries to open a new branch in their town.

Their initial clashes turn into cooperation during a festive cookie competition, where sparks fly and they start to see each other in a new light. The cozy, small-town setting and vibrant community spirit add to the charm, making the story feel like a warm holiday embrace.

Elena’s journey from corporate climber to someone who values community, along with Lawrence’s steadfast love for his craft and his dog, Sugar, creates a touching narrative. The novel beautifully encapsulates the essence of Christmas: love, community, and the joy of coming together.

Bigggg thank you to Netgalley, Alcove Press, and author, Noelle Douglas for the opportunity to read this!

The Christmas Crush by Noelle Douglas has you wanting to curl up by the fireplace with a mug of hot cocoa. Elena works in a big city while Lawrence is a small town baker, everything you want in a Hallmark style book. I enjoyed the writing style however was not a big fan of Elena for most of the book, but she does redeem herself IMO. I do love nana and Lawrence (and of course Sugar).

Thank you netgalley for an arc of The Christmas Crush by Noelle Douglas