This book was ok. I've read better Christmas stories this year. Thank you to Netgalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Write Before Christmas
Julie Hammerle

Thank you NetGalley for giving me this ARC for reviewing this was such a cozy read!!!

Synopsis-
Dani is a recently divorced female and because of her ex's stupid decisions she now has to live under her father's roof, Kelsie is her daughter who's gonna be going to Uni and we have Una her sister in law who gets her into Instagramming.

M. C. Bradford is the author of The Saga which is now a TV series he has a deadline to get through and he can't be bothered with romance right now- end of story.

Review-
When Dani's dog railroads Matt their friendship blossoms (I know it feels like a typical hallmark move but hey we watch those movies for that very reason 🤭) Dani is on the lookout for a job but when you live in the middle of nowhere small town opportunities are less but Una gets her into yoga mind map and stuff to help her venture out. So when Jane wants a housekeeper for M. C Bradford Una asks her to seize the opportunity and she does only to find that her Matt and M.C Bradford are the same person, but he can't fire her coz her goodies are that good!
Oh boy Dani's sweets literally made my mouth water and you all know how a girl can't ever resist sweets right 🤭
Anyway it's kind of a whirlwind from then on it's a perfect Christmas novel to read by the fire or under the blanket wearing your fuzzy socks..... It's just oh so dreamy!

Newly divorced Dani needs a job and applies to clean and cook for a famous author. The writing flows and is a quick holiday read. It is a low-steam romance (not completely closed door) and was nice to read a romance featuring characters that were in their 40s. I found this one sweet and realistic. This one is not overly Christmas themed, so it would also be a cozy January read too!

Write Before Christmas is a sweet book about finding love again and staying true to who you are. The main character, Matt is basically a younger and attractive George RR Martin who has a hit series based off of this fantasy series and is under the gun to finish. Dani, is a local recently divorced mom who was hired to take care of his housework and meals while he finishes the book. And together they learn about each other and develop a deep connection.

It was a very sweet book and I enjoyed it for the holidays. It would be a fun Christmas movie.

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.