I was so happy to see this on NetGalley! I love Chloe Liese and was super excited at the idea of a holiday story from her. This is technically a novella but it's close to novel length in my opinion. Gabby and Jonathan are co-managers at an independent bookstore and they've developed a strong animosity over their year working together. Gabby is into all things fun and festive and loves the brick and mortar store, the only place she's ever been able to successfully work because it allows her to manage some of the sensitivities related to her autism. Jonathan is pretty scrooge-y and serious and is very focused on the bottom line. I loved the spark between these characters and the way they navigated their changing relationship. As usual with Chloe Liese, there is also strong autism representation as well as chronic illness representation as one of the characters has Type I diabetes. I loved it!

4 stars ⭐️

I’ve always enjoyed reading Chloe’s works. It’s just the way she writes, how she makes the characters so real that one can’t help but fall in love with single one of them (the good ones ofc). When I heard that she was releasing a christmas novella, I was over the moon and signed up for the arc and safe to say this wasn’t a disappointment. Yes, I didn’t like it as much as Bergman brothers but its totally understandable cause this is a novella not a full-length novel.

I really don’t know what to say about the characters in here. They are everything. Gabriella Di Natale and Jonathan Frost were everything I imagined them to be.

Natale was this incredible humble, kind, joyful, bundle of sunshine and such a bookworm that I couldn’t help but love her. Jonathan on the other hand had me spiralling. His grumpiness and how he said he hated Nat but knew her likes and dislikes had me laughing out loud. They were so freaking cute together and I couldn’t help but wait for them to grow out of their rivals phase and fall in love already.

this book was so sweet and adorable and I loved how they complemented each other. I loved seeing them try to fight their attraction towards each other (and fail deliberately😂).

Highly highly recommend this book if you like/love-
🎄grumpyxsunshine trope
🎄rivals to lovers
🎄workplace romance
🎄holiday novellas
🎄workplace romance
🎄representation

*ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review*

4.5/5⭐️
2.25/5🌶

Tropes:
- grumpy/sunshine
- enemies to lovers
- forced proximity
- workplace romance
- slow burn
- pen pal

About the characters:
~ hero has type 1 diabetes
~ heroine is demi sexual & autistic

Holiday’s are here and we have two coworkers fighting for the same job position at the end of the year. When competing with a neighboring bookstore leads Bailey’s Bookshop to make some cuts, things get feisty between co-managers, Jonathan and Gabby.

100% swoon worthy! Could not stop smiling! Mr.Frost (in reference to Mr.Darcy) was sooo DAMN attentive. Definitely more than what meets the eye. I loved everything about the dynamic and the back and forth playfulness. I won’t give anything away but trust me this novella is WORTH IT!

Typically I have issues with slow burn because by being focused on the build up, we don’t get to see much of the couple when they finally get together. That being said, in this case when they did get together, there were plenty cute/romantic moments which was wonderful. Nothing I dislike more than ending a book on a first kiss.

For any smut book lovers: the spice/steam was good. Very short and minimal but it was there. Do with that information what you will…

"My heart's melting like hot caramel, warming every corner of me."

This is how I felt while reading The Mistletoe Motive a.k.a the most perfect holiday novella you'll ever read. Yes, I said it! In The Mistletoe Motive, our two main characters are Jonathan and Gabby, co-managers of a bookshop. Set over the month of December, the book focuses on the pair as they try to turn around the bookshop's dire financial state.

There is so much to love about The Mistletoe Motive. First, while it is a novella, the story flowed and didn't feel rushed at all. Second, it's a true enemies-to-lovers and slow-burn holiday romance set in a bookshop. What more could you want? How about a dash of grumpy/sunshine, because Gabby is pure sunshine. Sweet yet stubborn, I totally want to be her friend, as we both adore the holidays and romance novels. I also loved her internal angel/devil conflicts.

Then there's Jonathan. Gabby hit the nail on the head when she said: "You have a grinch facade, but underneath is a heart of gold." If you've read With You, Forever, I totally got Axel vibes from Jonathan in the understated ways he cared for Gabby.

Add in amazing rep (Type 1 diabetes, autism and demisexuality), A+ banter, sizzling chemistry, a couple of steamy open-door scenes and an ending that made me tear up and you have a recipe for success. You won't regret spending time in this magical world.

Thank you so much to Valentine PR for the ARC via NetGalley - this rave review is all my own.

I LOVED THIS.

Are you looking for:
- an enemies to lovers romance
- a grumpy hero / sunshine heroine
- a delightful holiday novella that centers around a BOOKSTORE
- great representation (demisexual/autism/diabetes) within the main characters
- AND gives you You've Got Mail vibes
- AND is a slow burn with such great angst/build-up with a very satisfying ending?!

.... THEN THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!!!

It's no secret that I'm a HUGE Chloe Liese fan so I was thrilled to get an e-ARC of her newest holiday novella. This book was just such a joy! It had me smiling, laughing, and swooning through every page. I can't recommend this enough for anyone looking for a great slow burn, enemies to lovers holiday romance!

If you are looking for that perfect warm and cozy holiday romance to curl up on the couch with for an afternoon, then this is your book. This is an opposites attract story about two co-managers of an independent bookstore. Gabriella has been working at Bailey's Bookshop for years and was happy with life as it was until the owners decided to hire a co-manager for the shop a year ago. Jonathan is everything Gabriella is not. He's all about numbers and business and she loves talking books with the customers and filling the shop with holiday cheer. The two come head-to-head when it looks like the shop will have to close due to an opening of a large chain bookstore in the area. They are both trying to figure out how to keep the bookstore afloat while also realizing that most likely means only one of them gets to keep their job.

I really loved this book. The setting - an independent bookstore during the holiday season - is perfection. I loved the contrast of Jonathan's grumpy to Gabriella's sunshine. The tension is high and the chemistry wonderful. There is hot cocoa, hockey, leaning in doorways and references to Austen's Pride and Prejudice. They both also have a secret online friendship with people they have not met which is very reminiscent of You've Got Mail. The ending is supremely satisfying and the book just made me smile throughout. As is the case with a typical Liese novel, there is a beautiful portrayal of acceptance with both characters as they tackle their own vulnerabilities regarding her autism and his diabetes. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a warm and entertaining holiday romance.

This book was super cute. It was a lot like if The Hating Game, To Sir With Love and You've Got Mail had a Christmas novella baby. This book is one long slow burn and I loved it once the story took off.

3.5 stars

I thought this was a cute holiday novella but found the plot to be extremely predictable. It was glaringly obvious from the start what was going on but it took the main characters almost the entire book to get a clue. I found this book less emotionally gripping as other work by Liese. I enjoyed the unique struggles that both Gabriella and Jonathan experienced. It made them extremely relatable and vulnerable.

The Mistletoe Motive was a very slow burn but once the match was lit, it was HOT!!!!!

4.5/5

This one was so cute!! I tend to struggle with novellas being too short for me to get into the story or care about the characters, but Liese manages to balance the short timeline and the plot so well! Honestly was so invested in these characters from the get go.

I loved Gabby and Jonathan so much! Plus the setting of a bookstore at Christmas was adorable and so fun. I was also happy the bookstore did not collapse or fall apart because this is a Christmas book! I want happy! I don't want sad times in such a short novella.

I read this in one sitting and even cried at one point. Love it!!

My only complaint is I really don't like when two characters meet online and also know each other IRL and one of them finds out and doesn't share it. It mostly worked here for me, but I would have preferred for Gabby to find out sooner.

Chloe Liese is a true gem, this was absolutely adorable. I'm not usually a fan of novellas, but she made me care about these characters from the get-go. Jonathan will be a hero that will have readers swooning!

"That's when I prayed, because kissing you was water in a desert, sunlight breaking the horizon, and I was gone for you, no turning back."
If you're looking for a rivals to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, set in a bookshop during Christmas time, with amazing characters and representation then The Mistletoe Motive is perfect for you!

The Mistletoe Motive follows Gabrielle Di Natale and Johnathon Frost who work in the same bookshop 'Baileys Bookshop' but have never gotten along. Gabrielle adores Christmas and is full of cheer while Johnathon or Scrooge, as Gabrielle likes to call him, hates Christmas. The bookshop they work in could be closing so Gabrielle and Johnathon both fight to be the one who doesn't lose their job.

While they're competing for their employment, Chloe begins to see a different side to the grumpy Johnathon and begins to feel things for him. Johnathon as secretly had a crush on Gabrielle, he knows how she likes her hot cocoa and just notices all the little things. But at the same time Gabrielle has an anonymous online friend who she's falling for. Could there be more to Johnathon or is there a future for her online friend? Can they save the bookstore?

AHHHH this book omg it was incredible. I was grinning from start to finish and was swooning over Johnathon. Chloe was such a perfect character, she's a huge bookworm which I love, she's also demisexual and has autism. And Johnathon, I love a grumpy book boy and he was just perfect, he also has type 1 diabetes, and the scene where he tells her was so heartwarming. The chemistry and banter between them was so fun to read. You all need to pick this up for the perfect Christmas read!

Let me (but mostly Chloe Liese) paint a picture for you of Bailey’s Bookshop — a small indie bookstore with polished, glowing wood floors and columns, built-in bookshelves, every gorgeous beam curved along the vaulted ceilings. Row after colorful row of book spines filling shelves and stacked on wood tables, a treasure chest of bookish gems. The gas fireplace dances with cheery flames beneath the mantel, decorated with oversized jewel-tone ornaments, glittering fake snow, and soft pine boughs. All across the ceiling hang homemade glittering clay and papier mâché snowflakes and dreidels, kinaras and Christmas trees, seven-star piñatas and menorahs and fire and light solstice symbols.

Bailey’s is co-managed by resident holiday loving, romance novel reading, peppermint hot cocoa with double shots of peppermint, two percent milk, extra whip and chocolate drizzle chugging, sunshine Gabriella Di Natale and “Jonathan Icicle-Up-His-Butt Frost”, the number crunching, big name thriller toting, grinch with cheekbones so sharp that they could shave ice (and my cold heart).

When Gabby and Jonathan are faced with an ultimatum — Bailey’s can only afford to keep one of them on staff after the holidays — they concoct a challenge to see who can sell more books before the end of the year, putting grump vs sunshine to the test.

The Mistletoe Motive is the perfect gift to its readers — full of enemies to lovers antics, a You’ve Got Mail-inspired budding internet relationship, sexual tension galore, autism, demisexuality and diabetes rep, a cat named Gingerbread, AND AN EPILOGUE FEATURING A BOOK LADDER THAT I’LL NEVER STOP THINKING ABOUT.

SETTING - A bookshop ❤️
MAIN CHARACTERS - Jonathan a grumpy bookstore manager with Type 1 diabetes. Hater of Christmas. Gabby a warm, friendly bookstore manager with Autism. Lives for Christmas and all the trimmings.
PREMISE - the bookshop’s owners have decided only one manager’s position is viable in the coming year. Whoever sells the most books in the weeks before Christmas gets the job.

Full disclosure I’m historically not a lover of Christmas books because they are usually set in the US, pitched for the US market with all the snow and Christmassy stuff that comes with it. And as a result I tend to be pretty critical, and tend to focus in the story behind all the Christmas fluff because I can’t related to the white Christmas + trimmings ….

The Mistletoe Motive is a love story, set during Christmas with the bookshop central fo the story. Gabby struggles with Jonathon’s attitude - his pragmatic, business-centric approach when she’s all about customer experience, and the bookshop as a space in its physical sense. Her frustration takes her online outside work hours to a bookish reddit thread where she is able to express herself without the nuances of autism being apparent, taking all things books with a user she calls Mr Reddit, who just seems to get her. On one hand we see Gabby grappling with the changes being forced upon her professionally, and on the other hand we see her inching towards changing the dynamic with Mr Reddit and her associated anxieties in both cases.

The Mistletoe Motive checked all the boxes! The characters are full and robust, and their relationships, interactions, anxieties and fears are so richly described, especially with reference to neurodiversity and living with a chronic illness. The interplay between ‘real life’ relationships and online relationships had me thinking about what each offers individuals in certain situations, and how online communication can serve as a lifeline or offer opportunities for expression. Chloe’s books are open door, emotive and thought provoking with all the feels ..

“That’s when I prayed, because kissing you was water in a desert, sunlight breaking the horizon, and I was gone for you, no turning back”.

I wanted to read it again. And I don’t doubt I will.
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“𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝.”

I was so excited when I learned I was going to receive this Arc. Christmas is my favorite time of the year and it also mean those amazingly cozy Christmas Movies! When a book is described as “Hating Game-esque” you just know it’s going to be perfect!

This holiday novella is a mix of enemies-to-lovers, bookstore workplace setting, butterfly inducing romance and adds inclusive characters. I just love how real Jonathan and Gabby are and it’s important to normalize inclusive characters!

Gabriella is working at her dream job as a manager of the Bailey’s store. When a big box bookstore arrives, the bookstore hires a co-manager to help keep it afloat. Jonathan and Gabriella over the past 12 months of working together, and getting on each others nerves, need to come together and find a way to save their beloved bookstore.

This is a quick, angsty, feel good, holiday romance that will make all the lovers of hallmark Christmas movies so happy! I still have butterflies thinking back on some of those scenes!

Thank you @chloe_liese & @valentine_pr_ for the chance to read and review this Arc. These are my own honest opinions - and they are that you need to grab this book when it’s released December 1st as a @kobobooks exclusive!

This is an absolutely perfect Christmas novella! It will put you in the most romantic holiday mood. I love Chloe's Bergman Brothers series, so I was ecstatic to get an opportunity to read The Mistletoe Motive. Thank you to Valentine PR for the copy!

Jonathan and Gabriella work together in a local bookshop (which isn't this like the best seasonal setting for a romance?!), but they are argumentative with each other and constantly bickering. They definitely have a grumpy/sunshine thing going on. Gabriella loves the holidays, but Jonathan doesn't and is labeled a "Scrooge".

The story is entirely from Gabriella's POV until the epilogue. So, we don't know how Jonathan feels through that lens, but you can definitely pick up that he pays attention to Gabriella and things that are of concern to her. They slowly come together through honest conversations about themselves.

Gabriella has been chatting with someone who is nicknamed "Mr. Reddit" for about a year online and they bond over literature. All of the Austen references had me super giddy. I loved reading their conversations with each other. The reveal of Mr. Reddit is the absolute best and so swoony.

If you're looking for a sweet and steamy story to get you in the holiday mood, this story is perfect.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This cute novella was the jolt of holiday joy that I needed! Gabriella and Jonathan both work for Bailey’s bookstore, a failing shop in the heart of a city. They are also nemesis, competing for the same job for this struggling business. Gabriella loves the holidays, Jonathan hates them. But over the course of a holiday season, they work against each other and with one another to try and save the store and their jobs, with romance following. This book is a pure delight, like hot cocoa in the snow. It made me cry many times towards the end with the pure joy of the characters finding each other, communicating their love and figuring out their differences, and how they learned to support one another in the ways they contrast. SPOILER: Gabriella is autistic and Jonathan has diabetes, and Liese wrote these characters with empathy and grace; I have read many books by this author and her extreme empathy and clear writing is always her strength. I recommend this book for anyone who likes romance, holiday fiction, neurodivergent characters by OWN voices, and happy endings.

Steamy Holly jolly spirit. That’s what we all need this time of year.

I loved that this was a novella. It was short, sweet, and to the point of the story we love. We didn’t have extra fluff and instead we got this story about Gabby and Jonathan and it was perfection.

I also loved getting to know Gabby. She has parts of herself we don’t see often in books. While I feel I know some about autism, having a son that’s autistic I still enjoy hearing from an own-voice person. It’s refreshing to see inside Gabby’s mind through Chloe and I feel it gives me a glimpse at my son that is hard to get since he’s only 5. It also just makes me happy that I can picture him working in a bookstore, having this amazing life, and finding love, and being autistic never stopped her and won’t stop him.

I love the holly jolly vs the grinch characters. With romantic steamy goodness. I need more Christmas books just like this every year!

Jonathan and Gabriella are enemies who work in the book shop together, but the shop is struggling and one of them is likely to lose their job after Christmas. She starts to see a different side to Jonathon, but she is also arranging to meet her online friend who she thinks could be the one, so who will she end up with this Christmas?

A great festive read.

Just the most delightful Christmas novella I’ve ever read. I felt like I was living in a freaking snow globe. Perfect chemistry, perfect character development, perfect amount of steam, snark, and swoon. Truly flawless!

I live for a well written enemies to lovers story. I also live for steamy Christmas romances. This book was both and it was so so good.

Chloe truly writes some of the best banter I’ve ever read and her writing is always so effortlessly funny.

I also love that she always prioritizes writing characters that are always so inclusive of all humans. In this book we have one MC who is demisexual and also on the autism spectrum and another MC with type 1 diabetes.

If you are familiar with Chloe’s past work, you know that she writes Slow burns, this is no different, this is the slowest of slow burns. But the wait is worth it 😉.

TW: toxic ex
Rating: 4.5/5