Ellie, a London based office worker is a self-confessed Christmas queen. She can't get enough of festivities, eggnog and Christmas songs. But what she has had enough of is her dead-end job.
When CEO Rosalind is in desperate need of a new PA after her last one suddenly quits, Ellie is quick to jump to the challenge.
Only problem is, she's never been a PA before. Oh, that's not the only problem, she is TERRIFIED of heights and her new job is at the top of a skyscraper! Oh and one more thing, she has a huge crush on her scary new boss..
What could go wrong??
Hilarious festive read!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Enjoyable and fun read, with characters that for the most part appeared real. Ellie Pearce, Christmas lover, stuck in a job she does not enjoy, and maybe looking for a long term romance. Rosalind Caldwell, semi-ice queen, CEO of a large company, with a young daughter, not looking for romance.

After reading a few Radley stories, I know what to expect. Heavy on storytelling, especially the surrounding and friends. Light on physical interaction (sex). I embraced the Christmas party preparation, especially the description of the party location. I also enjoyed the supporting characters, Ellie's friend Will and especially Rosalind's daughter, Ava.

Humbug is an uplifting and heartwarming christmas romance story. It was the perfect read during the Christmas period and has bonus points of being a queer Christmas story, which I do not see much of. I love seeing wlw representation in books, so it being a Christmas one was a bonus. I'm so glad these types of stories exist :)

Humbug is a quiet Christmas novel with an age gap romance. I found it a relaxing and wholesome read, but it’s an unbalanced workplace romance. The book struggled to decide if it wanted to focus on the characters’ careers, or their love story.

Ellie is a brilliant statistician who is stuck in a dead end job at an HR recruitment firm. Everyone in her office knows that she loves Christmas because her desk looks like a Hallmark holiday movie year-round. So when her firm’s CEO, Rosalind, needs someone to organize an epic office Christmas party at the last minute, she taps Ellie to be her new executive assistant in a cushy penthouse office. There are just two problems. One, Ellie is terrified of heights and can barely stand to be in her new office without hyperventilating. Two, Rosalind hates Christmas, and her last assistant canceled all the party plans. As they work together, mutual crushes abound! But since neither can imagine the other wanting them, we get a slow sweet burn with plenty of personal growth along the way.

Rosalind is an intimidating, and exacting boss, and Ellie is initially a nervous wreck around her. But Rosalind is also a compassionate coworker, and a protective single mother, who appreciates Ellie’s talent. And Ellie is clearly talented. The woman engineers a winter wonderland from scratch, outside, during a London winter!

I loved watching Ellie rediscover her confidence through working with Rosalind. At the beginning of the book, Ellie has forgotten her worth and is grateful for any job after a period of unemployment. Slowly, Ellie learns that she’s been coasting along with an unfulfilling role, with roommates who take her for granted. I liked seeing Ellie find her happiness and I think this would be a great read for someone feeling stuck in their life or career. But I was left wishing that the end of the book had focused more on resolving Ellie’s career, and less on ramping on the romance. Still, if you love watching characters slowly figure out they like one another, and prefer your romances with no sex scenes, this may work for you.

I appreciated that Rosalind was portrayed as both a nurturing person who adores her articulate queer daughter, and as a shrewd businesswoman. She’s powerful and sexy, without feeling unattainable. I don’t usually like ice queen romances OR boss/employee romances, but I loved both of those tropes in Humbug. I thought the power dynamics were smoothly addressed. While there’s several work scenes where Rosalind enjoys flustering a blushing Ellie, Rosalind is too ethical to act on her growing attraction to Ellie. And though there is an age gap, and the two women are clearly at different points in their lives, they both clearly respected one another.

My favorite part of the story was Ellie’s unapologetic love of all things Christmas. It was intense, and adorable, and I loved that Ellie happily accepted other characters’ more muted—or hostile—feelings about the holiday. This is a classic Christmas rom-com, with holiday cheer and a predictable storyline. I would vote for Humbug as my favorite Christmas novel of 2021.

Thanks NetGalley and Bold Strokes for the ARC.

I particularly enjoyed this read, having worked as a PA and as an event planner for many years in Canary Wharf myself. The pace of the story with its various twists and turns, as well as the very festive seasonal feel (I really wanted to go to that holiday party!), kept me engaged throughout as I read this in one sitting. As an event planner, the premise of a sabotaged party was enough to give me nightmares, however I really love it when a main character succeeds over being underestimated so this ticked many boxes for me. Ellie does this in spades as she blows everyone away with her quirky and ingenious solutions, so it was very satisfying. The slow-burn romance is realistic but does have some red flags as it’s a boss/ employee relationship, so if that’s a trigger, best avoid it.

This was a very cute holiday read- who doesn’t love a good grump/sunshine romance? Both female main characters were strong and likeable and I very much appreciated how the anxiety/panic attacks of one of the main characters was handled- very realistically and respectfully.

Easy five stars!
I loved Ellie and Rosalind so much. They made the book fly by for me, and I was very sorry to see them go. Ellie's head is a wonderful place to be. She could have been very annoying if her optimism and enthusiasm wasn't backed by intelligence and tenacity. My opinion on holiday cheer bears closer resemblance to Rosalind's than Ellie's, but I never got the impression that Ellie tried to convert or thought less of people who didn't agree with her. I appreciated that the story didn't conclude with Rosalind "seeing the error in her thinking" and embracing Christmas the way that Ellie does. I also admired how Ellie is conscious of her reputation as Christmas Girl and demonstrates without much effort how much more there is to her.
Rosalind was perfect for Ellie because she wasn't cold or cutthroat. I can enjoy those qualities when written properly, of course, but I liked having the older, more powerful love interest not be an ice queen in this story. Rosalind had more to give to the relationship in her effortless sociability, compassion, and generosity. Ellie never bought into the idea of Rosalind being a bad person, despite their first interactions, but devoting less time to having her change her impression as she learned more about her boss made the pacing comfortable instead of rushed.
I find that kids are not easy to write into romance, as there often isn't enough space or interest in developing them into their own character. Ava was great. I don't know how there was room in there for both insight into her relationship with her mother and a new one with Ellie, but there was. Ava was not one-dimensional and did a great job of filling the role of "encourage my mom to date" without overstepping the boundary.
Ellie's phobia was the perfect addition to balance an otherwise fluffy holiday romance, and I appreciate that even in such a lighthearted story, Amanda Radley makes room for elements of discomfort to provoke reflection and compassion. The story does not end with a miraculous cure, which I think is what lends Ellie's experience credibility, because we have to acknowledge that conquering fears does not actually equate to plunging into them headfirst. I like that Rosalind handles the issue without faulting Ellie for something she struggles to control.
It may be a new year at the time of this review, because I didn't get around to this book sooner, but it has occurred to me rather suddenly that this is the fourth book I've read by Amanda Radley published in 2021. All four have been home runs with me, which I find astounding. I don't know how she produces such volume while creating unique storylines and characters that are heartwarming and sensitive. My metaphorical hat goes off to her!

I really enjoyed this book. If you love Christmas like I do, you will enjoy this book.
The story centers around Ellie who absolutely loves Christmas. She has her desk decorated for Christmas year-round. The CEO for the company Ellile works for, Rosalind, does not like Christmas at all. She does not like it because when she was growing up, her mother would drag her to see her grandfather, whom she did not care for at all.
Rosalind is in a bind because her personal assistant has up and left her. According to HR, Ellie would be a good fit for that role. She marches down to where Ellie is. Ellie does not take the news well, but her co-worker tells her it will be good for her and more money. Ellie reluctantly takes the job. Rosalind immediately puts Ellie in charge of the company's Christmas party that is the talk of the town. There is a slight problem, Rosalind's previous assistant cancelled everything she had reserved for the party. Ellie has to start from scratch with 2 weeks away from Christmas.
What she plans is worth reading about and how she gets Rosalind into the Christmas spirit is even better!
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3/5

Humbug by Amanda Radley was my first read of December. I enjoyed this one and would recommend it if you’re looking for a sapphic holiday themed book. I loved that the power imbalance between the main characters was challenged and talked about, and I thought it was a pretty well done workplace romance! While the second half dragged a bit, I still had a great time reading this short novel and it was a nice way to get into the festive season. It features a lot of party planning, and entertaining situations between the two main characters, Ellie and Rosalind, and with the side characters as well, especially Rosalind's daughter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the eARC!

Humbug tells the story of "Christmas Girl" Ellie Pearce and CEO, Rosalind Caldwell. what starts off as a book about employees and employers, slowly turns into a book about friendship and maybe more. I loved how Ellie and Rosalind seemed like "real life people" with their quirks and personalities. A book set around Chirstmas, but not necessarily need to be read at that time. This book shows how fast people can grow from someone you pass by at work, to a friend or more.

I rate this book as 4🌟!

I'd like to say a huge thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

#reading2021 #winterreading2021 #booklover #booksofinstagram #netgalley #Christmasreads

This book was such a nice read! I finished it in one sitting (a little after Christmas, but close enough) and really enjoyed the characters and the story. The banter between the characters was funny and sweet as they got to know each other and the writing flowed well overall. I kept thinking how much I would love to see this made into one of those Christmas romcom movies and I think this book would be popular with a lot of readers.

It was lovely to watch Ellie and Rosalind open up to each other as their relationship developed, both professionally and personally - and we came to understand each of them (and their past stories) better at the same time. The Christmas party plot itself was so cute! I appreciated seeing how Ellie used her skills to solve the problem and how that got her the recognition she deserved. The romance was sweet and the characters were very mindful about the power imbalance with an employer/employee relationship, which was nice to see. I also loved the epilogue that showed how the characters' relationship and family developed over time.

The message about celebrating Christmas in your own way was very validating to me - I think there are a lot of us who spend the holidays doing things other people think we should do whether we enjoy it or not, so it was refreshing to see a Christmas story that says it's okay to do what makes you happy. I also appreciate that the author chose to write this romance without it being a coming out story - not that those are bad, but it was nice to see two women confident in who they are and what they wanted, without falling into some common tropes. And I very much appreciate the depiction of Ellie's anxiety, especially that it was something that couldn't just be reasoned through or magically solved by one of the other characters. That's something that a lot of stories don't get right. I'm glad the other characters accepted that as part of who she was and wanted to work with her on it.

I'm really glad I had the chance to read this book and will be keeping an eye out for this author in the future!

Really cute holiday age gap romance. I liked both main characters right away especially Ellie who seemed so insecure, and timid at times but once you got to know her she was a very smart and intuitive young person. Rosiland was every bit the boss lady she was also very kind and thoughtful and family oriented, her daughter Ava was such a gem. So mature for her age, but very much still a child that loved her mother and only wanted her to be happy. This slow burn romance was so much fun to read and I am so looking forward to what this author writes next, and I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was sucked in and couldn't wait to see what the outcome was for the Christmas party. Ellie is completely relatable and I felt her character had real depth. I loved how she brought thr Christmas party to life whilst dealing with her phobia.
The setting of corporate London was perfect. Not a clichéd festive read. I loved it.

This book just wasn't it for me. There was nothing drawing me to it making me want to read it. It wasn't that it was bad, it just wasn't for me.

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a pretty charming Christmas romance. It features Ellie, a statistician working in marketing for a recruitment firm who also loves everything about Christmas and celebrates it year round. She works for Rosalind, who runs the company and has just lost her PA, who also happened to torpedo the Xmas party plans on the way out. Rosalind then ‘promotes’ Ellie as her PA to plan the Xmas party, due to her love of Xmas. Ellie also has a debilitating fear of heights and is forced to work on the 22nd floor.

The characters interact quite a bit, but a lot of the book is devoted to the planning of the Xmas party, I would have preferred more time spent on developing the relationship between the MCs. They don’t declare feelings for each other til around the 85% mark, which is where the manufactured drama usually takes place, this book blessedly avoids that, but the pace of the relationship could have been done better, it left the end feeling rushed. I also found Ellie’s love for Xmas a bit much, but it was a somewhat necessary plot device. This is also an age-gap story, but I found it fairly believable that these two would be attracted to each other.

I liked both characters, although Ellie is something of a dichotomy, in that she’s very bright, and excels in her work (no matter the role) and has no trouble standing up to Rosalind, but is a doormat who lets her roommates walk all over her. Rosalind is made out to be some sort of hard ass boss, but there’s little evidence of this (this book gave me major DWP/SuperCat fanfic vibes) and she’s a soft touch where it comes to her daughter Ava, who is a delight. The only other characters with much to do are Will, Ellie’s coworker and co-conspirator, and Eric, Rosalind’s business partner. There’s no major drama here, it’s a fairly simple story with enjoyable characters.

Overall, it’s a sweet story and a nice holiday romance. 4 stars.

All in all not a horrible book, but not my favorite. The timeline has some holes and the wishy-washy extent of Ellie's phobia was frustrating but I finished.

Ellie is an analyst for a company. It was supposed to be a temporary job but she has been there several years. She has a degree in statistics but can not find a job. She shares a flat with 3 boys who tqke advantage of her good nature. Then out of nowhere, she is promoted to PA of the CEO Roselind who terrifies Ellie along with her fear of heights.
The plot is good and develops the relationship and weaknesses of Ellie and Roselind.. The stress of their relationship shows up when Ellie is put in charge of the company Christmas party because she is nicknamed Christmas Girl. The only problem is that the former PA Vanessa canceled the party plans and Ellie must pick up the pieces.
I found the book a good read and would recommend it for romance readers. I received this book from the author through Netgalley for an honest review.

Perfect!

Rosalind’s PA leaves her in the lurch after becoming disgruntled and in an effort to replace her as quickly as possible she chooses ‘Christmas Girl’ Ellie from the second floor. Ellie quickly adapts to life as Rosalind’s PA and organising a Christmas Party from scratch but it isn’t without complications.

I loved this! It really is the most festive romance in the whole world and it couldn’t be any more perfect! Everything, and I mean everything was just amazing. I could really put myself in Ellie’s shoes, and have said this before but it really is like Amanda has been in my head when creating some of her characters because I can just relate on so many levels. A lot of what Ellie did, felt, worried about, or things that stood in her way were things I could not only empathise with but I just completely understood.

Ellie’s love for all things festive was infectious and I loved the spirit and warmth she injected into her story, even when she was terrified or panicking, there was still something so special and magical about Ellie! I adored Rosalind too. Expecting an Ice Queen I was prepared for Ellie being the one to melt her heart and she kind of did but not in the traditional sense or as I expected!

Not only was this a great romance, there were hints of comedy too which made it extra special. I would love it if this were made into a movie or tv show, it literally is the only way it could be any more perfect but the story was just so immersive that I got lost in it. The imagery was beautiful and I could just picture everything. There were so many moments in this story where I was speechless, overwhelmed with emotion, excited, or just falling even more in love with everything from the plot, to the characters, to things the characters said and liked. Amazing in so many ways and real Christmas gem that I am certain will be read time and time again, not just at Christmas.

I was hooked from the first chapter and unable to put the book down. I just wanted to know what would happen, what surprises were in store for Ellie and Rosalind and I just hoped a happily ever after would also be possible too. I can’t recommend this story enough, nor express how wonderful, magical, and truly beautiful it was.

‘Humbug’ is the Christmas cuddle we all want and need this festive season. Once again Amanda Radley has given us characters we can love, a gentle romance and a setting we never knew we needed. Ellie Pearce is ‘Christmas Girl’ to everyone in the company she works for. Although an accomplished and brilliant statistician, she has, through circumstance, ended up in the marketing department of a recruitment firm. It’s not her ideal job. The CEO of the company, Rosalind Caldwell, is the archetypal Ice Queen – or is she? She may like to come across that way in business but as Ellie soon discovers, there’s a heart of gold underneath. When Rosalind is left in the lurch a few weeks before the big Christmas party, she needs someone to organise it from scratch – and who better than Christmas Girl? Despite the fact that Ellie has never been a PA or organised anything in her life, she is promoted upstairs, to the very top floor of a Canary Wharf building. Her extreme fear of heights is just the start of her worries. A growing crush on the boss is the last thing she needs, but try telling that to her heart.

This was a lovely story, full of kindness and joy. It was fun to see the thawing of an ice queen as the temperatures plunged in the corporate centre of London. Rosalind was firm, but fair. She needed the right person to let her see that love was possible. Ellie was completely adorable – the kind of friend we’d all like to have. Her enthusiasm was infectious and I couldn’t help but get into the Christmas spirit with her. This sweet story will open your eyes to the wonder of Christmas. I loved it.

I was given this ARC to review.

There's something to be said for clichés at Christmas time, but they have to be done right. And luckily, that's exactly what Amanda Radley did. And apart from having some (many) ethical concerns (inquiries?) concerning the set-up of the story, I have to admit I really enjoyed while reading this story. From the growing interaction between Rosalind (and her slow defrost) and Ellie (and her strengthening spine!) to Rosalind's daughter being the exact level of sass this story required... Humbug made for the perfect holiday read!