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.

First thanks to Netgalley for this sweet read.
This was a sweet and cute Christmassy read.
I enjoyed it.
4 stars for me.

This was a cute, closed door, forced proximity romance! I enjoyed the plot and characters, although I think it would have worked better for me if it had a little steam! Closed door romances arent really my thing. I think if people are looking for a Christmas romance with Hallmark vibes this would work well for them!

This was the perfect book to kick off my Christmas-reading season. I loved everything about this story. The struggling famous author with a past mistake, the "lost" mom trying to find where her life is going, the supportive parents, the sweet assistant... This is just the book I needed right now. Light yet fast-paced, romantic and hopefully but not sappy...like a really good Hallmark movie!
We watch Matt - a writer turned celeb- relocate to a small town to hide out while he finishes his book. He is there to focus, go unnoticed and get his work done but he's writing in circles...until he meets Dani - who ends up becoming his personal chef unbeknownst to either who the other one is. While his assistant worries about this budding friendship becoming a distraction, it actually proves to be Matt's lucky writing charm. They fall fast for each other but Matt is under a deadline and the pressure starts to pull them apart.
Will he finish his book without selling his soul, will she find a passion for a new career, and will this romance withstand it all? This feel-good read is just what we all need during these tough times. Thank you to the publisher, Entangled, and NetGalley for an ARC copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Below is my actual "review". My blog's post also has an intro and promo info included.

Initial Thoughts/Expectations:
I honestly didn't have a lot of expectation going into this. I like stories about authors, I like holiday stories, I like cute romances. I'm a fan of Entangled, as a publisher, and know that I'm very likely to enjoy whatever they put out. But, not having read this author before... I didn't have a lot of pre-conceived ideas about what to expect.

What I Loved:
This ended up being everything I love in a story (holiday, or otherwise). Characters with personality and depth. Interactions that seem natural and relatable. There were times that things came up that I've seen used as conflict plot points in other stories (that I REALLY don't like), and I would start to get worried... but Julie eased through them, setting things right, and kept the story moving along just fine. That's not to say that there wasn't any conflict... it happened... but it wasn't overdrawn and over dramatic. I appreciated that so much, especially because this is a shorter story, and I was in the mood for something lighthearted and fun. That's exactly what I got.

Dani and Matt really were fun to get to know, and fun to watch as they got together. The straightforwardness of their "relationship" was awesome. They knew where they stood with each other, and even though there were the natural, human hesitations and mistakes... they made it work. Dani's cluelessness about pop culture was just the right amount of endearing. With a longer story, it might have been too much, but here, it was funny and definitely worked for the story. I also really had fun with the rest of the family and friends in the story. Una was a joy, and Kelsie was hilarious. Jane took a little warming up to, but I think I'm really going to like her a lot. (I'm hoping that she'll be the focus of the next book, because there is definitely some untold story THERE at the end, lol!!)

As a friend and fan of quite a few authors, I could SO sympathize with Matt's struggle. And I was THRILLED with how things worked out for him. I've seen situations similar to that happen, and things aren't always as nicely handled. Thank goodness for fiction. <3

What I Didn't Love:
Honestly, there wasn't much. :-) I wasn't thrilled that Matt's very first interaction with Dany involved a comment about her boobs. Although, I would imagine that's probably not unrealistic. Thankfully, he's not a jerk at all... but it did worry me when we started out with that comment. I also didn't love how quickly Jane dialed her phone at the restaurant (you'll see...). Thankfully, it ended up being one of the author's fantastic dealings with what could have been a horribly overdrawn plot point. It worked out for the story, but I was still giving Jane side-eye for the next few pages.

Final Thoughts:
Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and I'm definitely going to be watching for more. This is a standalone right now, but I'm hoping it'll be the start of a series. (ahem... Jane's book?) I think the length was great, and the rounding out of the characters was really well done. I like that this was done at holiday time, so we got that extra dose of "feel good", but really, it could have been any time. This wasn't one of those stories that wouldn't work outside of it's original time/place, I suppose that could be a pro or a con, depending on what you're looking for, lol. Again -- I liked it a lot, and I'm excited to see what's next from Julie.

My response to this book was a bit mixed! I very much enjoyed the subtle GoT references🙏🏻 despite the deeply vexing final season, I think I’ll forever be a total goob about the show! Matt and Dani were very sweet and I liked them together, but I would’ve liked to see them wrestle with the ethics of dating while she worked for him— if things were *really* as bad as they were for Dani after her divorce, she wouldn’t have taken her first job so lightly. Also this is just me but since the sex they had was referred to several times, I (personally) would’ve liked to see it on the page. I also would’ve liked to see Matt have to deal with he consequences of his outburst at ComicCon and learn something from what happened.

First, I would like to say a big thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Dani Cooper finds herself living back home with her parents after a divorce. Matt has writers block and a looming deadline. In an effort to spark his creativity, he rents a cabin for the Christmas season. Happy to escape to a small town where he is less likely to be recognized, he is sure that the book will write itself. Matt's assistant Bea is determined to find help keeping Matt in line and on task - someone to cook his meals and make sure the laundry gets done. When their paths cross, they discover that the lines between professional and personal can get slightly blurred.

As they spend more time together, Dani and Matt discover that they might be the perfect pairing. But both have baggage from their past that could be the detriment of them both.

Will Matt finish his novel in time? Will Dani and Matt's burgeoning relationship make it past the fledgling stage? Read Write Before Christmas to find out!

Julie is a new to me author. When I saw this cover it drew me in instantly. I thought it was so pretty. Then I read the blurb and knew I'd love it.

I wasn't wrong at all I loved the story alot. Such fantastic characters, swoony hero and fab story.

This won't be the last book I read from Julie xx

If you love the feel-good quality of a Hallmark Christmas movie, then Write Before Christmas is definitely a swoony story you will want to check out.

Matt is a well-known fantasy author hiding out in a small town following a scandal so he can finish his next novel before the next season of the TV show needs to start filming. Dani is a recent divorcee with a 19 year old daughter, struggling to get her life back together and gain some independence. Their paths first cross on a random walk around the neighborhood. But their worlds collide when it turns out that the reclusive author Dani just took a job housekeeping for is the cute guy Matt she's seen -- and spontaneously kissed -- around the street.

The discovery of their true identities is not a dragged-out process, thankfully, so we get to see Matt and Dani without him hiding his true self from her. In fact, she becomes his muse during a time when his deadline is looming and the words aren't coming out. She helps him come out of his shell and begin to trust people again, and he helps her gain a sense of independence and, in a roundabout way, career goals after 20+ years of being a housewife. I really loved that Matt and Dani are both over 40. They know what they want -- a no-strings fling -- and they don't play games with one another. Their relationship starts out as a holiday fling, but there's so much more simmering underneath the surface... And when Matt realizes what a mistake he'd made, his Grand Gesture to win back the girl goes hilariously wrong, but is better than anything he could have scripted himself.

Write Before Christmas is a great holiday escape! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

As a passionate fan of holiday romance, I was excited to dive into Julie Hammerle’s Write Before Christmas. The title is adorable, the illustrated cover is absolutely sweet. This romance between 40-something main characters sparkles with humor and sincerity.

Main characters Matt and Dani have some really sweet moments. And Dani and the supporting characters have some truly LOL exchanges (the dinner Dani had with a “pegan” is hilarious!) As far as the holiday theme goes, the timeline counting down to the holiday is wonderfully woven with the countdown to a more pressing deadline: the due date for Matt’s long overdue and much anticipated next novel. The authenticity behind the creative process, and what Hollywood (or any success for that matter) can do to a writer was fantastic and insightful. Really nicely done.

There were some structural missteps and the overused devices that slowed down the pace and kept me from staying engaged. Early on in the book, Dani’s goals are missing and feel somewhat forced, which made the setup feel slow. The misbehaving dog on a leash meet-cute wasn’t necessary here, as the author had plenty of original and compelling material in the characters to find a better way to bring the love interests together on the page. It wasn’t until several chapters in that we learn that Matt has a second deadline and reason to throw a party over the holidays so far away from home. (I’m being intentionally vague to avoid spoilers!)

Overall, this is a quick, light read. Very low heat level, no high-heat scenes, so for readers who prefer a “sweeter” holiday read, this book will fit the bill.

I was provided an advanced reading copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

<b>Write Before Christmas - 3.5/5 ⭐</b> - The first book I've ever read by Julie Hammerle and what an enjoyment it was! I had a bit of trouble getting into the story and to connect with Matt and Dani, but about halfway through it picked up and I ended up falling completely in love with them! The only thing that bothers me is that I wish we would've gotten an answer as to who Jane ended up dating.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an eARC.</i>

I like to read sweet holiday romances at this time of year, and Write Before Christmas fits the bill. I especially appreciated that the lead characters were real adults in their 40's. The story was cute and enjoyable if mostly predictable. If it was bulked up to a series, I would read more. 3.5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for a honest review.

SYNOPSIS
Matt Bradford is a semi famous author who is with a deadline before Christmas. He has a lot of pressure because he has no inspiration and he cant write.
His assistant Jane is a bad cook so she decides to hire a new chef to feed him.

One day Matt meets Dani Cooper, a nearly divorced woman who is trying to figure out what to do next in her life.

A "opportunity" appears when Jane contact her to cook and clean at the house of the famous author who is staying in town. Needing a work, Dani accepts without knowing who the author is.
What Matt doesn't know either is that maybe she is the inspiration he has looking for.

OPINION
I'm not a big fan of insta-love, and this book has a lot of it, but I liked the book a lot.

The main characters, Dani and Matt, are well developed. Dani is a recently divorced woman who has no idea what to do whit her life. She knows she loves cooking. And her sister in law says that she needs a Instagram but Dani doesn't even know what that is.
Matt is a author who has a writer's block. He is also dealing with a deadline. And he has to go unnoticed in this little town.

The both of them are in a real mess but knowing each other can be the best solution for their problems.

The book also has good secondary characters like Jane, Matt's assistant. She is like twenty years younger than Matt but she treats him like his mother. I love their relationship.
I also loved Kelsie, Dani's daughter. She is so lovely and funny. She has always something to say to make her mom feel better.

In general, the love story is well developed and it's very interesting. The Christmas feeling it's in the whole book, perfect for the holidays.

I recommend this book if you want a story about love, Christmas, family, finding our way in the world and defending in what we believe.

I absolutely enjoyed reading this book. Thanks to the author and the publisher for giving me an ARC through NetGalley. The story is sweet, touching, and easy to read.

The story is about a 45y.o. fantasy writer Matt and a 45y.o. recently divorced mom Dani who’s trying to find a job and is staying at her parents’ home. On the same street in a remote town in northwest Illinois, Matt rents out a house to finish writing his third book in a series that’s been adapted as a tv show. His deadlines are approaching but when his assistant Jane hires Dani to be his housekeeper and cook, things start to develop between the two and Dani becomes his muse.

I loved seeing such a strong and straightforward woman in Dani, who’s not afraid to ask for what she wants. I likes how the author was able to narrate the story in no haste but still able to develop the characters well. The book is a warm holiday read that makes you happy and giddy inside.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book immediately. Basing a writer on GRRM (and other prolific fantasy writers?) makes a statement right off of the bat, but Hammerle perfectly nails the comedy of it. There are absolutely some klutzy moments and hijinks throughout, and it provides need lightness. Both characters are in their forties, which I think works well for this genre (and we don't see it enough)- Matt and Dani know who they are, and it makes for an enjoyable story. There aren't any hyper-dramatic or ridiculous moments, just two adults meeting and falling into a relationship. I would absolutely watch this as a Hallmark movie!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. I really enjoyed this book and all the characters (however few) that it had. The main character, Dani, who is a divorced mum of a college-age daughter, is shown to be trying out new things in her life. She is real and honest, apprehensive yet eager to try out new things and make up for the time lost. She is determined and hopeful for a new and better life, and I loved how she came across throughout the book. She meets her boss, Matt, who is an author on a tight deadline and their relationship develops faster than you can imagine.

I loved the fact that they were both honest to each other from the beginning – there were no false expectations, no thinking ‘does he like me or does he not’ and everything was clear black and white from start to finish. It was refreshing to see to grown ups (yes they were in their forties I believe) to live their life, learn from their past mistakes, and deal with their relationship with an open mind.
Apart from the writing theme, there is also a very strong food theme going on in the book which will definitely make you hungry! I really enjoyed this book and would recommend everyone to pick it up.

Matt is struggling to get his novel finished before his deadline or the network is going to shoot their own version of season three of the show based on his series. His assistant hires a cook and cleaner for him who turns out to be a woman who randomly kissed him a few days before. Dani is recently divorced and trying to restart her life. He’s worried she’ll be too much of a distraction for him, but spending time with her gives him energy and inspiration. They both understand it’s just until the New Year when he returns to Indianapolis, but both secretly wish it could become more permanent. A cute, predictable contemporary romance.