Holiday reads are some of my faves and Write Before Christmas was a perfect start to the holiday season. Matt is a writer who is undergoing a little bit of writers block so he gets his assistant to get him a holiday rental house. Matt’s first and second books have launched into a TV series and he is getting pressured to finish book 3 before Christmas.

Dani is newly divorced, with a 19 year old daughter and is looking for find some purpose in her life. She is hired by Matt’s assistant to cook and do the housekeeping so he can continue working.

Well as you can image these two eventually hit it off. With this budding relationship Matt’s writing improves.

There was minor drama in their relationship but it was a perfect Christmas read to me. Their connection was genuine and heartwarming. It felt like a Hallmark movie complete with a grumpy anti-social writer and a divorced mom down on her luck. Hammerle wove their relationship together in a light hearted holiday read.

I was optimistic at the start of this novel - two characters at different points in their lives, in their 40's and opening up to love and new possibilities, etc. - but there was something about the last third of the novel that I didn't care for. It was when Matt was forced to re-write his manuscript and holed himself up in his room to write. Dani assumed she knew better - she kept saying he shouldn't be alone, he should talk it out, etc., but yes, he should be writing. She kept acting like she knew what was best for him and his writing. There was also another scene in the novel where she discouraged him from writing. Lastly, when he paid her for the work she did and she said she didn't need his charity. She earned that money! The writer also introduced Dani's daughter, who was barely in it. Why not give her a bigger role then? There was also some unnecessary secrecy with Jane's partner. Like really, it's a big deal to tell us who it is?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. This book is well written and the characters are described well. The pacing is perfect. The writing style is good. I enjoyed the setting of this romance. The setting is peaceful in this book. The main characters Max and Dani are incredible. Does she wind up being his muse, his reason for his heart to beat a little faster and for his creative juices to flow? You guys have got to get this book to figure out if she does. This ebook is in stores now for $4.06 (USD).

What a fun read!

I loved that the main characters of Write Before Christmas, Matt and Dani, are 45. Let's hear it for older romance characters! I liked neither of them had everything figured out yet--Dani's fresh off a divorce and trying to reinvent herself into a person her teenaged daughter can look up to, and Matt is struggling with writing the book he wants even if it's not the one the TV producers are demanding. Oh, and he *might* have some teensy, tiny trust issues, too. I enjoyed watching them figure out how to be brave enough to go for what they want, as well as figure out how to be together.

And OMG, that epilogue--that was the icing on a decorating bar cookie.

And the sneak peek of her next book ( It's Raining Men ) will have me counting the days until its release!

Rating: 4 stars / A

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

It was great to read a romance featuring grown up people with life experience.
It's a fast and engrossing read that I liked.
Interesting characters and plot, good storytelling.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I have to say I finished reading this book in about three hours. I loved Matt and Dani as a couple. I hated that he basically got shafted by the show producers at the end wanting him to change up his entire last book for their stupid show. I really enjoyed reading a romance between a recently divorced, middle-aged woman and a struggling author. I would love to see a book for Dani's daughter Kelsey and I want to know who Jane is shacking up with.

Great characters and the story was good as well. This has been well written but could have been a bit mor Christmassy. I am still giving this 4 stars and I am sure many will really enjoy this.

I liked the premise and the choice to include mature aged characters but unfortunately, this book wasn't for me.

In my opinion, a Christmas title really needs to center around Christmas and include everything exciting, festive, and traditional for the characters. I wanted mega Christmas vibes, lol!!

I found it hard to connect with the characters and was disappointed that at their age there was no steamy or at least open door sex scene.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

A lot about this premisse was really promising, and there were some good aspects about the execution, like tropes I love. But ultimately, this book was just not for me. I loved seeing older characters in a romance novel for a change, but I never actually connected with these particular characters, and I especially didn't like Matt very much. He seemed a little too much like all the other white cishet men writing fantasy and because of that, his story just didn't interest me very much.

This cover caught my eye and the synopsis made me want to read it even more, but the characters are what made this book.

Matt is experiencing writer’s block and his assistant forces him to go where no one knows him, in a new place to write. He meets Dani, a recently divorced momma to a college-aged daughter, who has been hired to cook & take care of the house he’s staying at.

I tend to fall for books that have different characters from the same cookie-cutter book you read over and over. These two were old enough to have life experience, to truly fall for one another in a realistic, relatable way that gave hope & the holiday feels all in one book. An easy quick read that I really enjoyed, thank you to NetGalley & Entangled Publishing for giving me a copy in exchange for my personal review.

While this wasn't my favorite read, this was definitely what I was looking for right now. I really was looking for a book that would get me into the Christmas spirit and this did that. Unfortunately, I couldn't really get behind the romance. There was nothing necessarily "wrong" with it, but I just wasn't rooting for it. And that's usually the most important thing to me in romances. But outside of that, I did really enjoy the story. I liked seeing these two characters find this happiness together, even if I wasn't really rooting for it.

I always tend to love a book that has an author writing a story in it and write before Christmas was no different i really enjoyed this, I love a good romance especially a Christmas romance.

Write before Christmas follows Dani and Matt, Dani is trying to figure out who she is now that her marriage has ended and Matt is just trying to keep his head down long enough to finish his next book with the deadline creeping closer and closer Matt's assistant suggests hiring a cook/housekeeper and in enters Dani.

I really loved the chemistry between the two characters and I loved that they were both sort of looking for a second chance and there romance was super cute.

A great feel good Christmas romance that reminds me of all those cosy Christmas hallmark movies that I love to watch this time of year.

Thank you so much to the publishers at netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This really has the feel of a Hallmark movie. While the story was good it was predictable. Matt and Dani were very likable. Story was steady paced. Sweet romance.

A clean romance that's vaguely set around Christmas time and I guess they decorate a tree and some biscuits so that warrants a big CHRISTMAS in the title I suppose, idk.

Don't forget that these characters are in their 40s - we know this because they don't know about the social mediahs and hate modern music and go on about how old they are multiple times. As someone not far off 40 myself... can we not?? They're in their 40s, not 80s, goddamn.

Dani was fine I suppose, but Matt wasn't particularly likeable at all. The big compulsory "argument before the make up and HEA" that all romance books seem to require, made Matt seem like a giant a-hole and Dani seems to forgive him way too quickly with barely a second thought. Matt's little monologue speeches to his colleagues and fans at the end were just cringgggggge. So over the top cheesy, no one talks like that. Pairing up the teenage daughter at the end as well was too much.

I felt there was very little Christmas atmosphere here and honestly very little to enjoy at all, but maybe I'm just not the audience for this type of thing.

What a BEAUTIFUL holiday romance! I loved the message of this book: stay true to yourself no matter where life takes you. Two adults coming from hard times in their life, coming together and connecting was absolutely wonderful to read about. I loved the emphasis on identity, and how it is never too late to take a chance and start fresh, no matter how old you are in life. Definitely a must-read for all this holiday season!

I was given a copy via NetGalley for my honest review.

First off, I enjoyed having normal older characters who had seen life and weren't obvious to the real world. The heroine is divorced but it's not a crushing theme through the book, which some books it can be. The hero situation is something that I can see happening, where you feel connected to a group and then they turn on you.

It's a fun holiday read that I have on my re read list yearly holiday book list.

Write Before Christmas was my first Julie Hammerle novel, but it certainly won’t be my last. A hilarious, uplifting and delightful romantic comedy, Write Before Christmas is simply superb.

Life had changed for fantasy author Matt when his books had been transformed into a TV show that had catapulted his books up bestsellers lists all over the world and turned him into a household name after years of barely registering on anyone’s radar. Initially, Matt had enjoyed the money and the acclaim, but the fame that his success had brought with it had made him very uncomfortable. Worse, it’s also given him a serious case of writer’s block and with less than a month to go before his next deadline, Matt needs to find a way to deliver his book on time – even if it’s proven easier said than done. Realizing that he needs to focus wholly on his book and not let anyone or anything distract him from his writing, Matt has temporarily moved to a small town in Illinois in the hope that he can finish his book and not be constantly badgered by fans and paparazzi. Matt is going to be so busy writing, he won’t have time for dating and romance – so why can’t he get single mom Dani out of his head?

Dani Cooper is in a rut. Newly divorced, she is in her forties with no job, no money and living with her parents. Although she is grateful for her parents’ hospitality, Dani knows that she cannot continue taking advantage of them and that she must find a way of forging her own path. Having always been passionate about cooking and having always wanted to make it her career, she decides that now is the time to see whether she can make her dream a reality. And if her brand new career throws her into close proximity with Matt, so much the better!

When Matt had met Dani he had been immediately bowled over – especially as she didn’t have a clue that he was a world famous author. As the two begin to spend more and more time together, sparks quickly begin to fly and they begin to get closer. But with Matt’s deadline looming, he knows that once he delivers his book he will go back to his old life and leave Dani behind. Will they manage to find a way to make it work? Or is a future out of the question for the two of them?

Julie Hammerle’s Write Before Christmas is an adorable, feel-good and brilliantly written contemporary romance I couldn’t put down. Julie Hammerle knows how to touch her readers’ hearts and make them roar with laughter and in Write Before Christmas she has written a heart-warming and feel-good romantic comedy featuring two wonderfully drawn characters readers are going to fall in love with.

A terrific read about life’s unexpected surprises, the magic of the holidays and falling in love told with plenty of humor and heart, Julie Hammerle’s Write Before Christmas is a must-read this holiday season.

Thanks to netgalley for this E-arc! This book follow Matt, who’s an author and is trying to finish up his fantasy series by December 20th. We also follow Dani, who is recently divorced and is trying to figure out what to do after being a stay at home mom for 20 years.

This book takes place entirely in a December so it definitely gave me some Christmas vibes. It’s a short book, just around 200 pages so it was easy to fly through. I really enjoyed it!! I thought the romance was sweet and I liked seeing the growth of both main characters. I would definitely recommend this as a holiday read.

Lately all I have wanted to read have been Christmas books and this one made my Christmas loving heart so happy! Matt is a popular author of a Game of Thrones like series who is struggling with writers block. When he decides to get away to write in private his personal assistant hires Dani as his cook. Dani is a newly divorced mom who is trying to figure out what this next chapter in her life will bring.

I adored Matt and Dani along with Dani's whole extended family! If you love Hallmark movies I highly recommend this one!

I loved this book. I thought it was cute and the relationship and romance between the two main characters was great. I loved that this book featured people in their 40s and that the relationship was much more honest and open. I liked that there wasn't a lot of drama. It's about two people who have a chance encounter and then find that maybe it isn't chance that brought them together. The only downside is that I wish it had been longer. I really enjoyed this world and the characters in it.