This couple shouldn’t be together. They couldn’t even talk to one another. This was such a disappointing book.

Such a cute, quick holiday read filled with love and missed romance. Two competitors on a singing show, are paired up when their chemistry is undeniable. They are not happy to be paired up, but it was that, or face elimination. As they are faking their romance, real feelings start to shine through. Lack of communication, forces them apart for a year, and maybe the romance wasn’t really there. Will they be able to set aside differences to appear on the reunion show before Christmas? Really enjoyed the characters and the flow of the story.

This was a cute holiday romance set in the world of country music. There was a fake dating trope and storylines of grief. Perfect for holiday reading.

I loved Maggie Knox’s last holiday read but this one felt a little too cheesy and forced for me. This follows two country singers, both trying to make it big on a tv show. One who is trying to make her big break and the other coming from a line of famous singers with celeb status already. He knits, has a dog, and is a bit of an arrogant jerk before changing his ways. An enemies to lovers trope unfolds but just never feels authentic and the heavy aspects of the plot just didn’t work for me.

One of those books that has a lot of potential, but for me it fell flat. The plot was all over the place. The character development isn’t the best but it isn’t bad either. I didn’t love it but I also didn’t hate it. It was the perfect read to kick off the holiday weekend chaos that is about to ensue. It’s very light hearted and honestly predictable. Grab a hot cocoa, a comfy reading spot and dive in, it’ll be a quick read.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
▫️Fake dating
▫️Holiday stories
▫️Reality TV
▫️Miscommunication trope

It’s cute but the reason I gave it 3 stars is because it included things that I am uncomfortable with. Plus, once you think a conflict is over, another one occurs. There were too many conflicts in my opinion.

I loved this book and enjoyed every minute of it. I wanted to read some winter tales for the Christmas season and this one started me off just right. The whole time I was cheering Sadie and Max on wanting it to work out. I loved the twists that happened during the story telling and made me want to read more by this author.

Thank you #netgalley for the advance copy

This was a cute story. Fake dating meets The Voice (which has currently become my whole personality). I did like the characters and the way the story touched on deeper topics such as loss and sunshine after the storm. I did, however, struggle with the miscommunication trope. While it is life, I just wanted to lock them in a room and MAKE them talk to each other. The love story was sweet - but I would only recommend to certain readers.

Sadie and Max are two struggling country singers just looking to make a name for themselves. They join a reality singing competition called the Starmaker in hopes of making all their Nashville dreams come true. What they don’t expect is for the crowd to love their on stage chemistry when they unexpectedly get paired together for a duet. They agree to go on as the infamous #Saxie but it doesn’t help that they can’t stand each other. Will these two defeat all odds and be able to fake this relationship on and off stage to win the competition? Or will their dreams of being country music royalty be crushed forever?

This one was peak Hallmark Christmas movie for me! It’s a classic fake dating/grumpy sunshine trope. It has cozy Christmas vibes, lots of snow, and all the drama of a reality tv show! Make sure you all check this one out!

This one was released on October 4th, 2022. A big thank you to Netgalley, the two lovely ladies who make up Maggie Knox, and the publishers for granting me access to this ARC!

So, I loved Sadie and Max…most of the time, I was slightly annoyed about how many times they miscommunicated and at times it did feel repetitive, but overall I really liked them together. I would have loved more of the sweet moments as I felt there was a lot of anger sprinkled throughout. I know many people say they didn’t feel it was a Christmas book, but I disagree. Maggie Knox used so many common holiday themes- love, cozy vibes, them importance of family and friends, etc. I love how it touched on the stages of grief and how people do handle it differently. I think Max and Sadie’s support system really made this book. My biggest complaint would be how there seemed to be such a big loss of information between last Christmas and this Christmas, but I suppose looking back it made more sense than when in the depths of the novel. Finally- I loved the inclusion and detail of the Opryland Resort as it very well might be one of my favorite places I have been and love seeing it in books. Overall, I loved this more than the Holiday Swap and hope Maggie brings us an even better read next holiday season!

This book could have been 10 chapters shorter had the characters just spoken with each other. I really disliked this one. I didn't care for either character, and I really loathed the fake country accent that was on every other word. It was overkill. After really enjoying last year's Maggie Knox release, I was excited for this one. I was disappointed.


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book. I requested to read All I Want For Christmas as I loved this author duos last book.
The Holiday Swap has become one of my all time favorite romance books and I recommend it frequently. Unfortunately this book just didn’t work as well for me personally.
I think the setting of a reality tv show and being singing based had a lot to do with that as they are not my personal interests. I would definitely read another book by this duo as their writing style is just so fun and readable.

This book was adorable. I love the fake-dating trope, but the miscommunication portion of the book was tiring.
It was an overall sweet holiday read, even if did feel the male main character Max should have groveled or apologized a little bit more.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This worked for me on audio. It was cute and I enjoyed the reality TV show. It was a quick read and second chance romance which I really liked. The timelines sometimes felt a little choppy and it threw me off at times.

Max and Sadie are two very different people with the same goal- become country music stars. So when they are paired up on the show star maker and their chemistry is off the charts, can they make their dreams come true and stick together?

Overall, the book was ok. This was cute, but man were the leads frustrating. I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope and you can see some of the character arcs coming a mile away. I also struggled with the massive time jump. But overall it was a cute Christmas romcom.

If you love holiday season then this is one for you! A cheery holiday romance of a fated love story that no one would have thought. Although trying to avoid it they can't help but give into the pull of love.

Every book has its audience. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Just because I don’t like a book doesn’t mean it isn’t meant for somebody. And this one definitely wasn’t meant for me.

Romance books are difficult for me, because they have to walk the very find line of cheesy and sincere. Some people can do that amazingly (I’m looking at you, Emily Henry!). This one just veers way too far into cheese fest for me.

The characters are interesting enough, and I love the various nods to country music stars last and present (I’m from the Midwest, it’s what I was raised on) but the romance just didn’t hit for me. I couldn’t take the constant back and forth, and the lack of communication between characters was unreal! Yes, I know this is fiction, leave me alone.

That said, the relationship between Sadie and her gran was really what kept me going. It was sweet and funny and heartbreaking and so very real.

It just wasn’t a big enough part of the story.

Starmaker is the country music reality show where stars are created. When contestants Max and Sadie go viral for a duet where their chemistry is obvious, they have to take advantage of this opportunity to make it in Nashville.

In some ways, the first half and second half of this book felt like two different books. The pacing in the first half was really rushed, but I thought the second half worked well. I was often frustrated with the inexplicable, poor communication choices the characters made. I enjoyed how everything came together in the ending, and it was a fun Christmas romance.

I kind of struggled to get through this book. The romance was alright, and I just really didnt feel the connection between these two characters. At first, I was like ooh okay, this could be something. But that feeling did not continue as i kept reading. I know miscommunication happens, but this book had so much of it that it was difficult to enjoy the storyline.

All I Want For Christmas was much better than The Holiday Swap! I actually really enjoyed this lighthearted holiday read. I thought the characters were well developed and I enjoyed their banter! Good job! I’ll definitely read them again.