This book was a piece of holiday romance perfection!! I knew from the start I was going to fall in love with the storyline and the characters. Oh my goodness, the characters...LOVED them!! Nick and Noel have been best friends since diapers. Their mothers were best friends so it was only natural that they were destined to follow the same course. When Nick arrives home from the military, the course that they had been on, takes a turn into unexpected territory. Nick gets dumped and Noel drops her "friend with benefits." To make the ex's jealous, Noel smooches Nick in front of everyone at the bar. Talk about an impulse move that, surprisingly, feels totally natural and right.

Nick and Noel both struggle with the outcome of the kiss. Nick wants to be more than friends, and Noel wants to run for the hills. The storyline follows these two as they navigate what they feel for each other and what their willing to risk. No risk, no reward right? Oh and those ex's I mentioned, they are still lingering and stirring up trouble. Throw in Noel's fear of letting anyone love her and it's safe to say, the road to romance wasn't an easy one. But sweet, lovable Nick supported Noel through every difficult turn.

Noel is the type of girl you would totally want in your corner and Nick is the guy that would do anything to make your dreams come true. They were perfection as friends, and dynamite as more. I was team Nick and Noel through every page!!

“You and me? That’s all I need. The way I feel for you, Noel, is something I can’t control and I don’t want to live without you. You are it for me.”

Nick and Noel have been best friends since they were babies. But for the last 8 years, Nick has been in the military and is finally staying home for good. When he visits his girlfriend, she ends up breaking up with him. Not wanting to see him mope around, Noel takes him out in hopes to make him forget about the break up. What started out as a fun night, ended with a kiss that changes everything.

After losing her parents 10 years ago, Noel doesn’t let anyone get too close to her especially since she’s afraid that she’ll lose them. She doesn’t date, but only hooks up with them. Which is why she doesn’t want to get married or have kids. However, after that one kiss with her best friend, the attraction between them is hard to deny. They both can’t stop thinking about each other, but they want different things. Nick wants marriage and kids, but Noel doesn’t. Will they be able to stay just friends or become more?

Everyone, grab a cup of hot chocolate and get cozy because this was a good Christmas story! It was the perfect mix of sweet, spicy and emotional! All the feels. Also there’s a playlist at the end of the book so you can listen to music while you’re reading!

🎄🎶READ IF YOU LIKE🎶🎄:
- best friends to lovers
- fake dating (briefly)
- dual POV
- playlists for everything
- ALL the Christmas songs
- Hallmark movies
- small town called Mistletoe
- jealous ex girlfriend x pushy ex flings
- cw: cheating, loss of parents, bullying, body shaming, slut shaming, commitment issues

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advanced copy! Nick and Noel’s Christmas Playlist will be available on October 5, 2021!

Oh my cuteness. Music lovers that burned a CD for EVERY occasion (I’m looking at you Football Friday Freakout 2005) you need Nick & Noel’s Christmas Playlist. This was so fun, so cute, and obviously had me kicking myself for not giving my kids holiday names. 😂❤️⁣
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This is a fun and steamy (I wasn’t expecting the steam factor and glad it was added) about two friends since diapers that end up as fake date and then, lovers! Whew, it’s a lot. But it’s fun. As they navigate the new normal, they have hilarious, and (sometimes frustrating) interactions with friends and family, whom most have been cheering for them all along.⁣
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Noel’s big hesitancy in solidifying any of kind of relationship, or to think about marriage stems from her parents both dying in a car accident and having to be raised by the Winters after. She doesn’t want to lose someone close, again. This was a major theme in the book on how Noel compartmentalizes and how she needs to go see someone to help resolve some of the trauma. It was great that this was discussed and really just made me love Nick and Noel together.⁣
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This book checks all of my boxes: an amazing playlist, a warm and fuzzy love that gets me in the feels, Christmas/holiday obsessed fam, the fun/snarky banter, and an amazing family. (Seriously the sisters are the best) thank you so much @sourcebookscasa for the gifted copy. Nick and Noel’s Christmas Playlist is out 10/5! ❤️

CW: death of a parent (before the story begins)

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review**

This is a fabulous holiday read. It's a Hallmark movie, but with spice. There's gift shopping, tree farms, and holiday tunes. And the cover...so brightly adorable.

Noel and Nick are childhood friends. Noel, struggling with the death of her parents, has relationship phobia and is determined not to commit. Nick, just coming home from deployment, is hoping to settle down with his long time girlfriend, but discovers she is no longer interested. Que the friends to lovers holiday romance!

While I loved the holiday aspects, there were a couple parts I wish were different. There is a lot of yo-yoing in Noel and Nick's relationship and while I understand it's to illustrate how much Noel struggles with getting close to others, I would have liked to see more bonding between them. Especially since they are childhood friends - there was no awkwardness with their transition from friends to lovers. I would have liked to see more dynamics there.

The relationship between Amber, Nick's ex, and Noel, is pretty toxic. There's slut shaming, physical fights, and verbal assaults. Several times during the story. It felt a little juvenile for the age of the characters and the more it happened, the more unbelievable it felt.

Even so, I definitely enjoyed this book. Noel's character is well constructed - you feel the pain she feels around the holidays. You see her character go through an emotional transformation. You see her struggle to allow those she loves to get too close. Try as she might, her close crew are hard to push away, and I loved reading about the unconditional love these characters have for Noel.

I was given an advanced copy of this, but I wish I would have been able to read it for the first time in December! This is a great feel good, romance to pick up during the holidays.

This was an adorable book! I enjoyed it from start to finish. Nick and Noel were obviously meant to be straight from the womb. I love a good best friends to lovers story. I also loved the humor and banter that happened between all the characters. I was laughing out loud during the food fight 😂 I don’t even know how I’d react if I were in Gabby’s position during all of that madness 🙈

This is one of my new favorite Christmas books! It was just such a joy to get caught up in their world. A lot of the music took me back, and I found myself singing the lyrics after a song was mentioned. Books that incorporate music make me happy.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @sourcebookscasa for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

Book review

Nick and Noels Playlist by Codi Hall

“ full of music that presses the play button on your memories”

Tropes
Best friend to lovers
Small town

Nick
- retired military
- Completely dense when it comes to what is staring him right in the face

Noel
- Mid wife
- Never quite moved pst her parents death, afraid to live and love

This book was a perfect early Christmas gift . It gave me all the holiday feels and Hallmark Christmas movie vibes. Thanks to @netgalley and @sourcebookscasanfor my early Christmas gift in exchange for an honest review

Nick and Noel have been friends forever, and when he gets back from overseas to find his girlfriend has cheated on him, he is comforted by the fact he has his best friend by his side. As they become even closer, they start to see each other in a different light, maybe they can be more than friends.
Noel lost her parents young, she is scared of losing people and doesn't like to get too close. When she starts feeling things for Nick, she has to see where it will lead.
This book was super cute besides all the OW drama, and there was A LOT. Amber (Nick's cheating GF) is in the book a lot, constantly trying to cause trouble. I honestly didn't feel like Nick even entertained her though so I didn't have any issue with her other than rolling my eyes at her tactics.
This was a cute light read and perfect for the holidays.
Thank you to Sourcebooks, Netgalley and Codi Hall for an early copy.

This is a sweet, fun holiday romance about life-long best friends who evolve into more. Kind of a Hallmark movie with some added spice! Who doesn’t love a town named Mistletoe?!

The friends to more relationship seemed believable between Nick and Noel, but I just could not get past all the drama with Nick’s ex-girlfriend. For grown adults, everyone seemed petty and immature when interacting with Amber. And the mean girl antics were pretty cliche for today’s reader.

Having said that, this is a fun book and a great holiday read.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca and these are my honest options.

This book is so fun. Nick and Noel are both amazing characters and it's so fun watching them navigate as their lifelong friendship changes and adjusts into something more.

Noel is such a fierce, protective character, you want to root for her and sit her down for a long talk and a cookie. Meanwhile Nick is in such a place of figuring himself out, catching up on the things going on around him that others have seen for a while, and realizing exactly what, and who, he wants in his life.

The setting of this is wonderful, the side characters are fun (even if occasionally you're rooting for their demise), and the holiday/Christmas setting is just perfect.

I received an e-arc of Nick and Noel’s Christmas Playlist by Codi Hall in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas romance + friends-to-lovers. Basically the perfect combination for a quick, fun, and sweet read on the weekend. That being said, I don’t know if there was anything extra special about this story that made it stand out from all the other holiday romance reads. I also wasn’t a fan of spelling freedom that occurred. For instance, writing scared as “scerred.” I think it was to indicate the tone and inflection of the word as the character speaking it was mocking another - but I think that could have been achieved in describing that rather than misspelling it intentionally without any italics or indication to note the reason for that. Little things like that can throw off the dialogue and reading experience for me. Other than that, like I mentioned, Nick and Noel’s Christmas Playlist is your typical romance set in Christmas - and if you’re in the mood for that as we approach the holiday season, this may be the book to add to your TBR.

Nick and Noel’s Christmas Playlist is the perfect holiday romance to curl up and read while wearing your favorite fuzzy socks. This friends-to-lovers romance had me hooked from the start. Codi Hall did such a great job creating characters you can’t help but love, and even one you’ll love to hate. I especially enjoyed all the scenes with Nick’s mother, Veronica. This book was a great combination of romance, comedic relief (thank you Pike, Anthony, and mean girl drama). Nick and Noel’s Christmas Playlist gave me all the @hallmarkchannel Christmas movie vibes.

I can’t wait to read more from the Mistletoe crew. Y’all, this book releases TOMORROW- October, 5th! Go check it out.

Nick Winter is just out of the military, and his Christmas homecoming is not going as planned. What was supposed to be a memorable holiday with his long-time girlfriend goes sour when he learns she cheated on him while he was stationed overseas. At least Nick can rely on his usual shift at the family Christmas tree farm with his best friend, Noel Carter, and her endless supply of Christmas tunes to lift his spirits. A night of fun together is just what he needs to forget about his ex.
But then they kiss. And it feels…so right.
If Noel can turn Nick’s Blue Christmas merry and bright, this might be the last Christmas Nick spends with a broken heart. This year, they’ll be Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree as a couple-as long as Nick’s ex doesn’t go standing under any mistletoe.

This one sounded like a classic Hallmark-esque read to me. I am happy to report that it had a little more depth than I expected and is slightly different from what the book jacket describes. Told from alternating viewpoints from both Noel and Nick, we do get more detail and backstory for both characters that really help bolster the story.

Noel’s character is feisty and not always nice. She’s not interested in marriage or kids or even having a boyfriend. As we get to know her, we find out why she is so shut off from romantic relationships. Losing her parents unexpectedly in an accident, Noel is afraid to let anyone close to her for fear of losing them too. Major content warning here, there is a lot of discussion of her parents, so if this might be a trigger for you, skip this book. We do see a lot of growth in Noel’s character throughout the book but without losing her spunk, and I was glad to see that choice from the author. I will say that there was perhaps too much of a focus on Noel’s background, which impacts how much page time we get about Nick.

Nick is a lovely book boyfriend. Handsome, kind and caring and musically talented, he has a lot to offer. Sure, Nick may be a little naive, but his heart is in the right place. I thought he was a little less developed as a character than Noel, and I would have liked more depth in Nick.

I loved the chemistry between Nick and Noel - so steamy! They play off each other so well, and their banter is just great. I tend to like the friends-to-lovers trope for this reason. When two people know each other so well and then discover their feelings for each other, it is so fun to read!

One of my favourite aspects of this book was all the music. I loved the playlists Nick and Noel made for each other. And an added bonus, there is even a playlist readers can check out at the end of the book!

All in all, this is a steamy holiday read with a big heart. If that is what you are in the mood for, consider giving this one a spin.

Thanks to Casablanca Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4-4.5⭐️

Wow oh wow. This book was so AMAZING!!!

And SPICYYY. Looking at the cute cover I honestly never would have expected there to be spice but there was and I was such a happy camper!

This was an incredible story and one I’ll probably turn to to read every Christmas time. It has an amazing holiday setting, aesthetic, and vibe and easily put me in the Christmas mood!

This book dealt with some serious situations which I always appreciate. It deals with loss, grief, friendship, and unconditional love and it was so beautiful to read. I never like giving away any part of the plot, because I always think stories are best going in blind. But I will say that the chemistry and tension between these two characters was extremely palpable and impossible to ignore. Their friendship is absolutely one I envy and would give anything for.

Also it looks like this is just the first book in a series and I am sooooo freaking excited because there were so many side characters I was in love with and would absolutely adore to get a book about them! There are some hints and I have a hunch about one book and will be so excited if I’m right!

This book was whimsical, down to earth, realistic, heartwarming, and made me downright giddy most of the time while reading. As I said before, there are some serious complexities brought up in this book, but it doesn’t make the book itself feel heavy or take away from the rom-com feel of the story. It was just a perfect amount that really makes you think and feel for these characters.

*A big thank you to Casablanca and Netgalley for giving me an early Christmas gift in the form of an arc for an honest review*

If you’re looking for charming and sexy read to add to your December TBR consider this one! Friends to lovers is usually just ok for me but I really liked it here and so enjoyed seeing Nick and Noel’s relationship go from friends to something more. Although I really liked both of them the secondary characters really stole the show for me. They have a hilarious group of friends and Nick’s family was delightful, I’m thrilled this is a start to a series because I need more of these people. There is also plenty of depth here too as Noel is grieving the loss of her parents so it’s not just all laughs, though it is really funny too! While there is some Christmas charm it wasn’t overly holiday heavy so you could definitely read this anytime. Overall just a really well balanced and entertaining read!

Very cute. A welcome holiday escape book of friends-to-lovers trope. Includes some fun holiday song recommendations and versions.

An adorable friends-to-lovers holiday romance with plenty of sexual tension, male and female friendships, and mean girls that should have grown from high school but unfortunately haven't. We Nick returns home after serving in the military to find his long-term girlfriend, Amber, has moved on but didn't tell him, his friends help him pick up the pieces of his broken heart. One of those friends is Noel, his best friend from childhood, and practically family. But he's not having very familial feelings for her as of recent. Unfortunately, after losing her parents, Noel isn't ready for a committed relationship. Can these two people undeniably drawn to each other figure out a way to make things work?

I really love that both Noel and Nick served their country--that's not something you see a lot of for romance heroines (unless it's a trope, whereas here it's just a part of Noel, something she did before becoming a nurse). The chemistry between these two characters is off-the-charts, and there's an open-door payoff that's worth the wait. I think the story got better as it went along (the beginning is a little tell-y rather than show-y) and I appreciated the real emotions that really came through from the characters.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casa for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 8/10

It was a really cute romance set around Christmas time. I thought the story was sweet and the friends to lovers was done really well. The thing that knocked it down a star for me was the bitter Ex. It was too much and took over most of the story. It also made me dislike the female main character a little because of how she responded to her.

I loved Nick and his family though, they were so welcoming and sweet and I loved the cutesy Christmas names that they all had.

NICK &NOEL'S CHRISTMAS PLAYLIST -.CODI HALL
PUBLISHED BY SOURCEBOOK CASABLANCA
4⭐
PLOT
Nick Winters finally returns home after serving in the army only to find that his long term GF was cheating on him and wants to break up.
Noel Carter is Nick's BFF since they were babies and to cheer him up they go for a fun night up where they KISS!! And it feels right!!
Now only if they can stop pretending and confess each other's feelings and avoid Nick's ex Amber who keeps coming back to disrupt their lives!!
MY THOUGHTS
This one has-
Friends to lovers
Fake dating
Small town romance
Steamy kisses
Great supporting characters (Pike, Anthony and Victoria- Nick's friends and his mother)!!
This book would make a good Netflix movie adaptation!!
Just the book to kickstart the holiday season!!

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebook Casablanca for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fun fake dating/ friends to lovers romance! I liked that it wasn’t too holiday themed and you could read this anytime of the year.
The characters are lovable and the chemistry between Noel and Nick is everything. I love their friend group. I found Pike and Anthony hilarious and loved when they came up in scenes!
The steamy scenes are to die for! Perfectly written I couldn’t get enough.
I loved that we get both Noel and Nick’s point of view. It completely adds to the story.
The slow burn is everything! Every scene that Noel and Nick are alone is so damn hot. I love that there are also sweet moments of them being there for each other.
I cannot get enough of Nick’s family. His relationship with his mom is everything. You can truly see the love there.
Definitely recommend reading!

This was a gift from Sourcebooks Casablanca.
I plan to read in the future, but the synopsis sounds amazing and definitely up my alley!