Quick Summary: An American Idol meets Nashville Star rom-com with a twist

My Review: All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox was a light snark & spark romance between two aspiring singers.

About the Book: When two would-be country performers meet on a reality show, an immediate pride and prejudice-esque vibe takes place. As the show goes on, they are put together in a situation that gets tongues wagging and social media in a frenzy. Ups, downs, truths, hurts, and misunderstandings happen, while at the same time, feelings are discovered. The classic will they/won't they scenario rears its head, and readers are led to wonder what happens when Saxie - Sadie and Max - get real.

My Final Say: This was a very sweet and enjoyable read. Readers who like more than meets the eye rom-coms will appreciate this story.

Other: I adored Sadie's grandmother. When she first meets Max and gets to spend time with the couple...💓. Her presence and influence were felt throughout.

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Re-read: Yes
Status/ Level: 🍬

Thanks to the author, to the publisher (PENGUIN GROUP Putnam), and to NetGalley, who provided access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own thoughts and opinions.

* A Goodreads review has been posted.

I really liked this writing duo's debut novel The Holiday Swap so I was looking forward to reading All I Want for Christmas. My expectations were probably too high because I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped.

This contemporary romance is based in the Nashville country music industry. Sadie and Max are contestants in a reality singing show, and when paired for the duet week competition, their onstage chemistry is off the charts. Which is unfortunate because in reality, they don't like each other. One (silly) failure to communicate after another (needlessly) complicates their professional partnership, and eventually their emerging romance.

I appreciated Max's not-typically-masculine hobby and pet and Sadie's relationship with her grandmother. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narration by Sophie Amoss and Sean Patrick Hopkins enhanced the writing.

One of the things I enjoyed most about The Holiday Swap was the strong chemistry/no steam element of the romances. All I Want for Christmas has more steam than Swap but likely not enough for many, placing it in an awkward spot for the majority of romance readers.

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the egalley. Here's hoping Maggie Knox's third book will be one I enjoy more.

All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox. Pub Date: October 4, 2022. Rating: 3 stars. Set on a singing show competition, Max and Sadie are selected as participants. Each feeling more accomplished, they are paired up for a duet and on stage sparks are flying. Production wants them to "fake a relationship" and feed into the frenzy of their onstage chemistry. There is one big problem, they can not stand each other. What results is a push-pull relationship that highlights some important relational topics such as communication barriers, grief, alcoholism and escapism. The novel leads the reader on their journey of self discovery and relationship navigation. I liked this novel, but did not love it and found some of the scenarios to be childish in nature. Overall, a good read. Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley #alliwantforchristmas

An adorable holiday romance if you are in the mood for a holiday read! Definitely shows the importance of communication.

When reading a Christmas themed novel, I expect warm and cozy, maybe a little drama, but mostly a story that gets me pumped for the season. "All I Want for Christmas" is not the warm and fuzzy holiday novel many folks look for during their holiday reading sessions. It's more of a hot mess with immature characters and a jumpy timeline story. Which I doubt anyone goes looking for in their books, am I right?

Often times the miscommunication trope is used in romance novels, and it can be executed well, but for me, the secret in this one, the one that causes the break-up, is insanely unbelievable and downright tacky, if I'm being honest.

I've never read this duo before and I'm not really sure I'll pick up their work in the future.

Long story short: skip this one.

this book was my least favorite trope: miscommunication. the mmc i feel like ran away from so many issues rather that confronting them head on or even just clarifying things. it was an okay story which a good concept.

This book was so cute!! I loved all the characters so much. It was all around funny and you are guaranteed to get butterflies while reading this. 10/10 recommend.

All I Want for Christmas is Maggie Knox’s newest holiday classic - a true delight for holiday RomCom lovers!

Max and Sadie are contestants on a Country music talent-finding show a-la American Idol/The Voice. Max, with his one-way ticket to the finale because of his dad’s stardom, is paired up with Sadie, a Midwest talent with exceeding amounts of raw vocal power - and their performance chemistry is off the charts! Too bad their off-stage presence comes with some history…

I loved this holiday read (to be enjoyed any time of the year, honestly!) and thought it to be a strong foundation for Knox’s annual festive book release! The reality tv competition only covers the first half of the book, allowing readers to enjoyed a sort of “second chance romance” in the back half, taking place in Banff, CA with a great ensemble of supporting characters throughout.

If you loved When in Rome by Sarah Adams, Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun, Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman, or Just My Type by Falon Ballard - certainly add All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox to your list!

3.5/5stars! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a cute Christmas love story! I thought it was a great execution of the enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating tropes. From the get-go Sadie and Max's relationship was HOT! their chemistry was great which made reading their budding romance so fun.

Going into this book, I thought I was going to reading a sweet rom-com book but I was a little blinded on the heavier topics that i was introduced to towards the middle and end of the book.
Other than their chemistry, Max and Sadie really need to work on their communication skills because they drive me INSANE! Literally HALF of their problems is because they could not communicate with one another!!

I sat on this book for awhile debating how I wanted to write this review. While this book will make you laugh and tempt you to shed a tear, it felt like something was missing.

Sadie and Max do not like each other but were forced to remain a duo on and off stage.

I’m not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope. A little bit, sure, but this seemed to have a lot and Max was kind of a big baby. By the end I did give it 3 stars.

Well for starters this was a good Christmas love story a lot of heartfelt and sweet chapters. Some of my favorite trips were happen to be found such as enemies to lovers and grumpy sunshine. Not going to lie when reading this I wanted to scream at the main characters because the communication was just off! After the things Max had said to Sadie just threw me off but overall the story was still heartfelt and emotional to read. But the characters tested me still love the storyline.

I did not love this book compared to Maggie Knox's first book. It was too corny, cheesy and predictable. It didn't feel as in depth as her previous novel. I would not recommend it.

This was a cute holiday romance. I actually think I enjoyed it more than the last one, but I am a sucker for a fake-dating trope. Throw in the grumpy/sunshine and I'm a goner. Definitely pick this one up for a cute holiday read.

A cute Christmas rom com! This felt like I was watching a hallmark movie the entire time I was reading! I loved the country spin and witty characters. This might become a yearly Christmas reread for me!

I really enjoy everything I've ever read by Maggie Knox. This was no exception! I don't want to spoil anything, so please please please read this one to see for yourself!!

I enjoyed Knox’s previous holiday romcom and this book was enjoyed similarly. A cute celebrity reality show, fake dating trope set during the holiday season. Overall the plot was a bit ‘meh’ but it’s a light, easy read to get you in the holiday season.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley & G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Maggie Knox book. I really liked it. I wish there was more of a Christmas element than there was. The characters at times i found unrelatable. But overall, a good book

All I Want For Christmas is more of books like this. I have read Maggie Knox's first book so I was eager to read this. I thought this was a wonderful read.

Sadie and Max are both competing in a singing competition show. They are assigned a duet together and the audiences feel a spark which is funny since they do not like each other. The sparks get such a buzz going around them that the network demands that they feign a relationship or exit the show. What would you do?

I felt the characters were well rounded and funny. There are side characters to really like and ones to dislike. I loved Max so much as a MC. Sadie started off a little iffy for me but she grew on me. Maggie Knox writes characters with depth and a nice story.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes a nice hate to love story. Go read The Holiday Swap if you like Maggie Knox!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Putnam, and Maggie Knox for the e-ARC. This review is my own opinion.

Your typical rom-com. I found the pacing strange and a little hard to follow but the storyline involving the main character and her grandma was very sweet and improved the book for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼 𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝-𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙘𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙤𝙞𝙡-𝙖𝙣𝙙-𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮-𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚.

📍 Read if you like:
• Sweet Christmas Reads
• Enemies-to-Lovers
• Hallmark Movies
• Grumpy/Sunshine

I felt meh after reading The Holiday Swap last year and I knew beforehand that this book was getting a lot of negative reviews. I was nervous going into it, but I surprisingly really enjoyed it.

I get with many readers didn’t love this one, but I found the holiday story to be so entertaining.

I loved Max and Sadie and their love for music. The Nashville setting and two singers had me so invested and I think that’s why I loved it so much. I just have a special place in my heart for Nashville and reading about a book set there made me love it even more.

I grew up with country singers and I loved how Max and Sadie represented them, and also how they made it on a reality show. It was such an adorable Christmas read! I get the yelling between the two can be a bit obnoxious, but I found it so funny!

I loved the enemies-to-lovers trope here and the banter between our two main characters. They felt so relatable and I loved them so much! Their chemistry was top notch and it ultimately felt like an adorable love story.

I know a lot of readers didn’t love this, but it was such an entertaining and enjoyable Christmas book. It had fun characters and a great premise! I loved the heartwarming chapters and angsty moments! Was it perfect? No, but it was still worth the read.