I recently finished reading the romcom book All I Want For Christmas and I absolutely loved it! The story follows Sadie and Max, as they navigate the complexities of love, career, and friendship in their fast-paced music world of Nashville. The characters are incredibly relatable and the plot is full of unexpected twists and turns that kept me engaged until the very end. The writing is witty and engaging, and the dialogue between the characters is full of humor and heart. All in all, this was an enjoyable and satisfying read that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a lighthearted and romantic story.

This was the perfect Christmas story to read over the holiday season. I absolutely loved Max and Sadie.

This book felt like it could be a real story. I felt what these characters were feeling. Every thought, every emotion, all the heartbreak and every miscommunication. I’m so glad it worked out for them in the end.

All I Want For Christmas is a new holiday romance written by writing duo Karma Brown and Marissa Stapley (Maggie Knox). This is their second book together but the first that I have read. In this story, there is enemies-to-lovers, sunshine-and-grump, and a fake relationship. I usually enjoy these troupes when they are written well. Unfortunately, in this case there were just so many bumps in the road it was hard to fully understand and root for the happy end game.

Sadie and Max are both competing to be the next Starmaker. Both are country singers but have completely different styles. They also have completely different backgrounds and personas. So of course, they are paired together for the duet week, and that goes so well the network wants them to move forward as a duo. There's only one small problem with this idea - they can't stand each other.

The producers get their wish. Heartfelt and exciting Sadie and brooding and handsome Max become a new duo. These two had me hooked from their first interaction. They had so much chemistry! Unfortunately they also had so much miscommunication! That is really what causes the book to drag on and on.

Every time it seemed like Sadie and Max were finally going to be on the same page, something else happens to cause more confusion and anger between the two of them. For two people who have been on the Earth for several years, they have the worse communication skills. They would rather jump to conclusions than actually address their problems and listen to each other. It was so frustrating and honestly took away some of the magic of the story.

All I Want For Christmas does have some super sweet moments but the push-pull dynamic is exhausting. The pacing also felt a little weird to me as well. I think some of this comes from the way that things go from being sweet and swoon worthy to being heavier and more emotional. Now there is nothing wrong with that type of read but, it really wasn't what I was expecting for this particular story. It took me out of story and it was hard to get full reinvested in the dynamic of Sadie and Max.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

This book had great potential but fell short for me. There was too much drama in this book. I did love the holiday and Nashville setting! If you’re a fan of country music and celebrity romances, you will love this one!

DNF- the story didn’t grab me. Not sure why, sometimes it’s just not a good match between book and reader.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book early in exchange for my honest review.

Cute but not my favorite holiday read of the year and not quite as charming to me as last years The Holiday Swap

Book Review 🎸🎄🤍

All I Want For Christmas by Maggie Knox

Think The Voice, with Nashville for a backdrop, and Christmas romance for this novel. Max is the son of a country star with something to prove and Sadie is from the Midwest that is trying for her chance in the music industry. They end up as a duo as #saxie and they become a hit. 🎙️🎶

There were some bright moments of this book, however I felt the leads were immature at times and the miscommunication frustrated me so much 🥴 The trope is a mix of fake dating and haters to lovers for sure which I typically love but some pieces didn't fit quite right.

I loved the concept and it being based in Nashville. I loved the detailed Christmas scenes that gave me Christmas vibes. This is the second Christmas novel by this author duo and I would read their next one! 📖

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for the opportunity to review and read this. Christmas novel 🎄🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐



#bookreviews #holidayreads #netgalley #booksta #bookstagrammer #readmore

This was SUCH a fun read. I read the Christmas Swap last year and loved it, and I loved how this author continues to write about television shows and the behind the scenes nature of them.

I thought the celebrity & country music romance element was so sweet and fun. I also loved the bits that took place in Canada because it gave a small-town and also snowed-in feel.

This also tackles harassment in the workplace and I think this was handled with care.

Such a sweet read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Viking books for the ebook ARC!

Love, love, love a country music love story. I loved The Holiday Swap last year, and this one was just as fun and just as sweet!

There’s a sweet gran, a reality tv show, cowboy boots, and two different timelines (not alternating).

Absolutely adored.

I think all I wanted was Christmas to be over by the end of this book. Don't get me wrong, it was the delightful Hallmark romance I needed in my holiday book, but it was just oh-kay.

Maybe I wasn't attracted to Max? Don't get me wrong, a man with a cute dog who can knit sounds like a great gig to me, but I like men who play hockey & play video games & don't feed their dogs gluten-free snacks.

Not the point Dani, stay focused... Let's talk about what I enjoyed about the book. It was freakishly adorable. We love a cute moment for the holidays. It has swoon-worthy adventures with hot cocoa & Christmas shopping & holiday music. Truly, it's has all makings for the most perfect holiday story.

I'd love to hear a cd of all of Sadie & Maxes holiday music. I loved that the book was focused on country music. It was a nice change of pace to read a holiday romance intertwined with one of my favorite genres! The nods to classic country Christmas songs were nostalgic.

I feel I need to take a moment to really shout out the sole moment I was really rooting on any character. TASHA MONROE is a saint and a gem! I can't get over the scene where Tasha comes to the rescue and really pulls Sadie out of her darkest time in Nashville. It made my heart happier than when Max & Sadie sang their Christmas duet.

The only issue is that it felt like a Walmart version of Daisy Jones & The Six.

I thought it was a cool spin to focus on country music, but I didn't really like Max & Sadie. Max was insecure. Sadie was constantly having to prove herself. They fought about it. Faked it. Things were fine. Then it all started over again when I was confident that they were finally going to be mature & say they love one another. Nope. One fake out. And then another. And another.

It felt like they were trying to imitate Daisy & Billys sexual tensions with the constant fighting, but it just didn't work.

I wanted it to be done so badly that I turned my audiobook to 2x speed. I NEVER do that.

I don't think I liked the constant immature miscommunication between the two.

And holy, don't even get me started on how uncomfortable it was reading about the character named Cruz McNeil. This man comes close to being more disgusting than Dolores Umbridge.

Oof, if this is what it is like to be in the spotlight, I'll take my ramen every day paycheck in a heartbeat.

I felt for Sadie's character & that no one seemed to help her. I feel for all the women who have to deal with slimy people just to show that they have a talent in showbiz today.

To come full circle after word vomiting all my thoughts into this review, All I Want for Christmas wasn't my favorite holiday read I picked up this year, but it does have its great moments.

Read this book for a grandma who you would want to adopt into your life, a gluten-free canine companion, a free trip to Nashville during Christmas, and a genuine message of friendship and resilience.

Thank you, NetGalley, Maggie Knox, and Penguin Random House for the advanced reader copy of this book!

UghHhhHHHhhh... so let me start by saying I'm not a Hallmark movie girly, and maybe if I were, I would've been more into this? That's the best way I can describe what they're (I think?) going for here. The premises is definitely there, but it just doesn't work, especially with loooong periods of the story where nothing substantial really goes on.

I guess I’m one of the odd ones who enjoyed this book?? It wasn’t amazing, but I thought it was cute at times and very entertaining. I thought Max was great, but Sadie was a little over dramatic at times. And could their problems have been fixed if they didn’t walk away from each other each time a problem arose? Yes. But then there wouldn’t be a story!! Everything else besides the miscommunication parts I enjoyed and I liked the premise.

The Holiday Swap was definitely better, but I’m excited to read more from this duo!

This was a fun Christmas read- if you’re looking for something during the holidays that is cute and funny, then this book would be perfect for you!!!

DNF @ 47%. This book is way too Hallmark/Netflix Christmas movie-esque for my liking. Too syrupy sweet, too predictable, too country. One too many miscommunications for me. I liked Maggie Knox's other book, so this is disappointing.

If anyone knows how to write a huge hit, it's Maggie Knox!

I thoroughly devoured this book. It was a hit from page 1, I couldn't stop turning the pages..

Very American Idol like, Sadie and Max are chosen for a hit show in Nashville. There are huge demands for them both on and off the stage. They decide that they will fake their relationship until the end of the competition to keep up their "fan-game", it will be hard as they can't stand each other. Typical with enemies to lovers!

I just reviewed All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox. #AllIWantforChristmas #NetGalley

What marshmallow-y delicious goodness did I read? This book was so delightful and heartfelt, I gobbled it the heck up. Music, NASHVILLE, Reality TV? I loved this book so much. Keep them coming, Maggie Knox.

This book was a sweet and charming holiday romance. If you're a fan of country music, reality tv competition shows, or the fake dating trope then this would be a nice read to pick up. For the most part I enjoyed the story, and it moved along at a good pace. The thing that bugged me was the immaturity of the male main character, and how quickly he would jump to wild conclusions, and run away. He was very conflict avoidant, and had zero coping skills, or the ability to listen to the female main-character. I sort of felt like I got whiplash from them as they were on again, off again so much as a couple. So overall, it was a book that I liked and enjoyed, but didn't love.

I managed to largely binge this one even though I didn't love the competition aspect of it. I really enjoyed the portions of this novel that took place in Canada. But both the FMC and MMC were absolutely frustrating with their lack of communication/listening skills. This one was WAY too all over the place in trying to figure out which character was absolutely botching everything based on what nonsense they were assuming. I'd pretty well and truly over the miscommunication trope and would really love if adults in novels actually ACTED LIKE ADULTS. And I did appreciate when the FMC FINALLY realized how many true friends and confidants she actually had. I rated it higher just due to binge-ability but I didn't love it. I will keep reading more from this author in the future as I have enjoyed previous projects.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This tale of reality tv singers was okay. The romance was good but something felt rushed and not quite right with this story.

All I Want for Christmas was the first book I have read by Maggie Knox. It had so much potential … set at the holidays in Nashville, a singing competition, the troupes (enemies to forced proximity to fake dating). But for me, it fell a little short.

There was SO much repetition of lack of communication and just running away. Like so much … I found myself says “ugh again” more than once. It just seemed so childish, there was so many other ways things could have gone down. But lack of communication is always one storyline I have a hard time with.

I did however want to know how it would end so it was not enough to completely put down the book. I have the Holiday Swap too, so I am interested in going back to read that one and see how it compares.