I absolutely adored this #OwnVoices novella and it put me in the holiday spirit by the end of the first page. Jonathan and Gabby’s banter, combined with the dreamy setting of a bookstore at Christmas, made for such a fun, cozy read. Workplace rivals (so think, The Hating Game) combined with slow burn, enemies to lovers, You’ve Got Mail vibes is literally everything I can ask for from a book.

The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese is everything I want in a holiday romance and more. This holiday novella didn’t feel like a novella at all and I’m kind of in awe at how Chloe was able to deliver a fully fleshed out romance with out skimping and cutting corners.

As expected with this author, she beautiful conveyed a neurodiverse heroine who also happens to be demisexual. Our leading man is a type 1 diabetic and you can feel the tenderness and care that Chloe poured into crafting these characters.

And in her signature style, Chloe delivered the goods with this enemies-to-lovers slow burn romance. That first kiss had me reeling! 🧖🏻‍♀️🔥

Read this charming holiday romance if you love:
🎥 You’ve Got Mail
📚shopping at indie bookstores
🍫have a sweet tooth for holiday themed m&ms and peppermint hot cocoa with extra whip

When I read the synopsis for The Mistletoe Motive I was sold as soon as I read it would be taking place at a bookstore, during the holidays and with a main character who seems to love Christmas as much as me. And I was right about this being a book for me, because I think I had a smile on my face almost the whole time reading.

Gabby was such a fun main character. I love her passion for books and the holidays. And even more so for the bookstore she works in. You can tell with how everything is described and decorated that it's something she loves to do. Her only problem seems to be her co-manager Jonathan.

That's where Jonathan comes in who has also become one for the book boyfriend list. He doesn't seem to like Christmas at all and only there to ruin Gabby's store. I loved all the enemies to lovers vibes. Their banter was amazing, but seeing them slowly connect has to be my favorite part of this book. Besides the banter and working in the bookstore we also get some more serious conversations and I love how the author put those in the story. Maybe they can actually work together after all?

Yes, The Mistletoe Motive may be a bit predictive, but that didn't take away from me enjoying this novella at all. It had me laughing, swooning, wanting to hug the characters during the more serious moments and made my holiday & book loving heart very happy. I honestly wished we got a full book, because these characters were just so much fun to read about! Also, I need the bookstore in The Mistletoe Motive. I don't think I'd ever leave.

<i>*This book was given to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review*</i>

I needed all the holiday romances to survive ChrisMess 2021 and this one did not disappoint. Short, sweet, and filled with troupes. I knew what I was getting and like Santa, it delivered!

When Chloe announced she was writing a holiday book you better believe I immediately requested an ARC, and I’m so happy that I did. The blurb gets this one right: You’ve Got Mail, but make it holiday, throw in forced proximity, plus a grumpy/ sunshine setup and you have this book. What more could you want from a Holiday romance (except maybe only one bed 😹)? It’s a slow burn torture, but with all the zings + steam + banter + relatable characters + neurodiversity rep Chloe always delivers. Absolutely loved it, and it was the perfect book to start out the holiday season reading. I could certainly see this being a favorite to re-read each holiday season, much like my desire to watch the Holiday any time I see it on TV.

❤️What do you get when you combine an enemies to lovers romance akin to The Hating Game, meets one of my all time favorite movies, You’ve Got Mail? This holiday gem of a novella right here!!

💚 @chloe_liese delivers yet again an amazing story filled with all the holiday season magic with amazing representation in her story. Gabby works for the Baileys at her dream job at the bookstore. But over the last year of working with her nemesis, Johnathon Frost, their level of animosity is at an all time high.

❤️Johnathon and Gabby have to navigate the next month working side by side to try to save the bookshop they love. Between an ex who refuses to leave Gabby alone, and a new goal these two must work together. And whooaa, do the holiday season mistletoe sparks start to fly.

💚I loved everything about this story and cannot recommend it enough. Chloe has a way of writing inclusive, heart felt romances that pulls on my heartstrings and gives me all. The. Feels. Grab this Kobo exclusive on Dec. 1st!

•Thank you to the author & Valentine PR for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Featuring two likable characters and bringing autism, type 1 diabetes, and demisexual representation to the forefront, this workplace romance is perfect for fans of The Hating Game and You’ve Got Mail (with a little bit of spice). The hero and heroine both grow throughout this novella and have some excellent banter. This holiday romance is highly recommended.

In my opinion you can’t go wrong by reading one of Chloe Liese books. I’ve loved so many of her books, especially her Bergman Brothers series, and I was so excited to read her Christmas novella The Mistletoe Motive. I thought this story was so delightful!

I love enemies to lovers romances and for a novella this story was so well done. It really didn’t feel like it was too short and the pacing flowed well. Gabriella and Jonathan were such great characters. I loved their banter and interactions so much. This was such a great own voices romance, and had excellent autism, demisexual, and diabetes representation. I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed, but I loved the progression of the story. 

The Mistletoe Motive was a perfect steamy, Christmas read! Highly recommend downloading the Kobo app to read this one!

Eu estou totalmente apaixonada por esse livro, tem tudo o que eu gosto, livros, natal, frio e chocolate quente. Gabby e Jonathan são personagens tão diferentes, mas adoráveis cada um do seu jeito. Apesar do Jonathan parecer frio, é fácil ver que existe mais sob essa fachada. Gabby não percebe isso, sendo autista ela mesmo diz o quanto é difícil para ela ler as pessoas, e ela não vê algo que está bem diante dela. E é gostoso demais ver como as coisas mudam entre eles, tudo acontece no seu tempo.

A Chloe costuma colocar representatividade em suas obras, nessa daqui temos uma mocinha autista e demissexual. Para quem não sabe, quem é demissexual não se sente atraído por outra por conta da aparência, é preciso que exista uma ligação emocional. A autora é autista e demissexual, o que torna a história ainda melhor, pois ela colocar seus sentimentos mais profundos na Gabby.

A grump and a sunshine compete to see who can make the most sales over the holiday season, in the hopes that the winner will get to keep their job at the struggling indie they both work for. Unbeknownst to each other, both Jonathan and Gabriella have been flirting via DM on a popular website about Austen and romance novels.

A mix of P&P tropes + the shop on the corner + you've got mail, this was a cute and ultimately steamy holiday romance novella. As always, Chloe Liese showcases her talent at interweaving disability and neurodivergence into her romances, as Gabriella is autistic and demisexual, and Jonathan is a Type 1 Diabetic.

For all the buildup to the reveal that Gabriella and Jonathan are also their online alter egos, I felt the ending was really rushed, but for a novella length this was sweet like a sugar cookie and satisfying for a quick read.

My plan for Christmas Eve? reread this book because it's the only thing that has brought me so much joy this year!!

“Do you know how lucky we are? That we found each other not once but twice?”


Tropes: rivals to lovers, online pen pals, slowburn, workplace romance, holiday romance.

This is my first book by Chloe Liesel, but after seeing how engaging her writing is, it definitely won't be the last! Also, I'm a huge fan of everything Christmas-related, and the holiday vibes here were immaculate; the little details and this somewhat magical romance met all my expectations.

Gabriella and Jonathan have been working together for a while now at Bailey’s Bookshop, and it has been enough for Gabby to realize that they are completely opposites; where she pure joy, Jonathan Frost is pure grumpy, bringing the Christmas spirit down, so there's nothing between them that can bring them together beyond their mutual love of the bookstore... nothing at all... but the fact that they might know each other more intimately without even knowing it.

The characters were amazing, a real grumpy-sunshine in action. Gabby was adorable and relatable, while Jonathan was this tall man who screamed ice cold, but inside he was a marshmallow trying to find ways to get close to Gabby. And the romance! This was slooooow, so slow but so worth it! their weird little interactions from the beginning evolved into little swoon-worthy gestures and moments, to end with ALL the steam, oof! You really can find everything in this book

This was such an adorable holiday novella! The Mistletoe Motive was such a cute and fun holiday romance and it was of the perfect length as well! Not too long and not too short!
It's got some of my favorite tropes : ⁣
🎄 Grumpy(Grinch) meets Sunshine⁣
🎄 Rival coworkers - Hate to Love(Kinda like The Hating Game)⁣
🎄 Bookstore setting⁣
🎄 Bookish online friends (how cute right👀?)⁣
🎄 Ooh and there's a Darcy hand flex moment (I'm a sucker for that!!)⁣
And just like the author's other books we've got a neurodiverse heroine and she's demisexual as well. So it was really fun reading this one! I think I finished it within two hours! Gabriella and Jonathan were so cute lol😂⁣
I wouldn't really call it a slow burn since the attraction between them was visible from the very beginning itself, but I did love watching Gabriella figure out the relationship between them! The bookish conversations were so cute and the tension between them was also done well! And I loved all the holiday vibes!⁣
⁣
If you're looking for a short and cute holiday romance with an enemies to lovers vibe, I'd definitely recommend this one! ❣️🎄 It's a Kobo original so you can grab it on there!

This book was perfect. Not only was the romance on point, but I got the best winter/Christmas vibes from it. From beginning to end it captured the perfect sunshine-grumpy love story. I LOVE Christmas and my husband doesn't so this book really captured who we are during the holidays. The sexual tension between these characters was so good it was literally falling off the page. I loved the representation of neurodiversity in this book. It really pushes the reader to think about how we can make spaces and situations for inclusive. I thought the diabetes representation was very tender and handled with care. While this book is a slow burn, the end will pay off. I cant wait to read more books by this author.

This was a fantastic holiday read! I loved how this was basically The Hating Game, Christmas Edition. I thought the two main characters had great chemistry and even though I predicted the storyline, it was still a worthwhile experience. I'm excited to read more of Liese's books.

My favorite holiday read as of yet? YES! This book got me out of my reading slump and I couldn't be happier about it.

Hot Takes
- If you want a cozy holiday book, with a great enemies to lovers situation THAT TAKES PLACE IN A BOOKSTORE read this book. Read it! Oh, and there's hockey too and for some reason us romance readers love us some hockey lololol
- If you read Chloe Liese for her perfect slow burns that always show up with the representation, this book absolutely did not disappoint. This is an #OwnVoices book (autism, demisexual) and there are other really well done sprinklings of rep throughout the book including a Jewish character with a sexy hockey playing boyfriend.
- As a firm believer that You've Got Mail is one of the best movies ever, this spin on it was PERFECTION.
- While Chloe Liese brings the rep, she brings the romance. As the kids say, she understood the assignment hahahahahaha. There were multiple times I screamed reading this, most notably when Jonathan speaks in his stem voice.
- Again, who doesn't love a bookstore at the holidays setting?

Read If You Like
- A slow burn with a great payoff
- You've Got Mail and some F-O-X vibes
- Some good good representation

Sizzle and spice and everything nice!! I thoroughly enjoyed this! I fell in love with the characters, I loved the bookshop, I loved the story. Everything about this was so perfect, especially for the holidays!

Completly loved it... A great holiday slow build & an enemies to lovers book... The tension between Johnathan and Gabby is crazy... I would totally read this book again!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by Chloe Liese, and it has become my favourite Christmas book ever! Can’t wait to read more of this author, so if you have any specific recommendation, let me know.

Tropes & genre: workplace romance, enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine and slow-burn. And it has autistic, demisexual and diabetes.

This Mistletoe Motive is the perfect book for the holidays. It tells the story of Gabrielle Di Natale and Johnathan Frost, who are co-workers in a bookshop called ‘Bailey’ Bookshop’. These two cannot stand each other, and due to the financial problems that their beloved bookshop has, both Gabby and Jonathan think that one of them might get fired by the beginning of the new year. Since none of them want to lose their job, Gabby comes up with the brilliant idea: a competition! The one who sells more books in the following 3 weeks wins and can stay. I loved seeing how the relationship between Gabby and Jonathan grows as they keep learning new things, getting closer and trusting each other.
Did I mention that Gabby loves Christmas while Jonathan is the grinch himself?
In this book there's the perfect mix of romance, drama, humor, and sweet. I truly love Gabby and Jonathan, and the setting of a bookshop during Christmas was so fun.

Super cute Christmas novella with a mash up of The Shop Around the Corner and Pride and Prejudice. It was a perfect holiday read but definitely skip the epilogue. It was awful.

Chloe Liese is an excellent romance writer. I love that she published a holiday romance. This fits the bill for fans and romance readers everywhere!