A cute, small town winter romance seamlessly highlighting a young widow named Melody and her ten-year-old twins, Tate and Finn. Melody feels she is always in trouble with the principal of the boys' school, Mr. Braxton, so when the chance arises to head the long-standing Christmas Cookie committee and run all of the town favorites, including Cookie Daze, Melody steps up. It's doesn't take long for the principal (and town's most eligible bachelor) and Melody's feelings to spark in this sweet movie like story.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows Mel, a woman who has twin boys and she is a widow. Her small town is known for its Christmas festivities but this year the leader of the group decided to disband. Mel steps up and wants to lead the group and keep the Christmas spirit going. When the principle of her sons' school is in the committee, things start to heat up between them.

I thought this was a cute book! I really liked the Christmas vibes and the small town. Mel's family was really close and I liked seeing that. I also liked the discussion of grief and being a widow while also trying to move on and date someone new after a few years of being a widow.

I think the chemistry between the two main characters was nice and they seemed to work as a couple. I do feel like the third act and the "drama" was just a bit too cheesy and had me rolling my eyes a bit. However, I did like how everything was solved and the ending of this book.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light-hearted Christmas story! This one is also no spice, which I appreciate.

This novel had very Hallmark Channel Christmas movie vibes! Widowed single mom to twins in a secret flirtation-ship with her sons' principle paired with a festive cookie club makes for a very sweet holiday story.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Putnam for this advance copy of the Christmas Cookie Wars in exchange for this honest review. If you’re looking for a fun, wholesome Christmas romance, this one is for you!

Tis the season for seasonal reads, and this one is definitely a cute story. There’s a lot of backstory and plot for this one, we have a single mom finding love again after the death of her husband and a principal single dad who learns how to loosen up. The romance is very light here with zero spice, and I liked how the author really tried to build more of a plot with the Christmas activities in this town and creating their new blended family. It feels more like general fiction with seasonal details - I did like the description of some of the cookies being made too, what a bonus!

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for this honest review. The Christmas cookie wars is out now!

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304 pages

“𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧.”

if you’re looking for a super sweet (no smut) christmas read, then look no further! this was such a cute book & i loved the characters, particularly the fmc’s twin boys! they were hilarious! @booksbysaraandeliza does a phenomenal job of creating books that feel like a hallmark movie❤️

highly recommend to anyone looking for:
▫️small town romance
▫️blended family
▫️mom x kids principal
▫️holiday-event centered stories

I’ve been looking forward to reading The Christmas Cookie Wars after really loving The Christmas Cafe, also by Eliza Evans, last year and it did. Not disappoint. This was a super cute and festive Christmas romance. I enjoyed the plot and the characters.

This is a cute low agnst, enmies to lovers cozy christmas time read. Normally the single mom trope isn' t my thing but i found Melody so realtable on trying to be a good mom and take care of herself that i didn't mind it.

3.5/5. Read this in one evening. This book nailed the Christmas Hallmark vibes and had the minimal spice level that hallmark delivers.
Tropes: FMC widow + MMC school principal love interest, bitchy PTO type mom making trouble, small town Christmas festivities / contests, renew the joy and spirit of Christmas

Perfect for a quick cozy read for December by the fireplace with some hot chocolate and festive cookies

A sweet Christmas story is hard to beat. This one was a great read. The characters were relatable and had you rooting for their happy ending. I loved the town, the kids, and all of the Cookie Daze festivities. Also, the school parent volunteer drama had me cracking up. I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The windowed mother, who has twins in 5th grade, but yet ends up having feeling for the school principal was such a fun read! So many fun moments because of the cookie committee, and of course all the things go wrong and have to be solved, putting the mother and principal together.
Such a sweet, clean, and funny romance!

*The Christmas Cookie Wars* by Eliza Evans is a charming holiday romance with a competitive twist. The story revolves around two rival bakers who find themselves in a Christmas cookie contest that heats up both in the kitchen and in their hearts. The writing is light and fun, perfect for cozying up with during the holiday season. However, while the characters are likable, they can feel a bit one-dimensional, and the plot follows familiar tropes without much surprise. Fans of sweet, feel-good stories will likely enjoy it, but it doesn’t quite stand out in the crowded holiday romance genre.

I will definitely be recommending this book this holiday season! It was such a fun, festive read. I loved the concept and enjoyed the character development along the way.

A sweet Christmas story to get you in the mood for the holidays! I enjoyed the characters and the shenanigans that stood in their way.

I really liked “The Christmas Cookie Wars” by Eliza Evans. It is a story that touches on grief, acceptance, second chances and the ever moving forward thing called life. A sweet, low spice romance set in a small town during the Christmas season that will make you want to indulge in cookies and all sorts of holiday traditions.

Christmas Cookie Wars by Eliza Evans is a light, festive read that captures the fun and chaos of small-town holiday traditions. The story centers around two rival bakers competing in a high-stakes cookie competition, and the premise is as sweet as it sounds. The holiday atmosphere is delightful, with plenty of warm, cozy moments and descriptions of mouthwatering treats.

However, the book feels somewhat predictable, with a plot that doesn’t venture far from familiar tropes. While the characters are charming, their development is limited, and the romantic subplot lacks the depth needed to make the connection truly engaging. The pacing is uneven, with some scenes feeling rushed while others drag.

I did really enjoy the behind the scenes look at a reality tv baking competition. I am not sure how realistic the author's take is but I found it interesting and added value to the book.

Overall, Christmas Cookie Wars is an enjoyable but forgettable holiday rom-com. It’s perfect for readers looking for a quick, festive escape, but it might not satisfy those hoping for something more substantial or unique.

this is probably one of my favorite FMCs i’ve read lately - she was so relatable and just perfectly imperfect. She shed so much REAL light on grief and just motherhood that you don’t always see in books. Generally FMC single moms are depicted in unrelatable ways.

Overall the plot was enjoyable and gave a more low key christmasy / wintery vibe and i liked that. A lot of christmas books are generally all the same plot wise, but this was different and fun.

The “enemies” to lovers vibe did its job here, but just add cookies to everything and you’ll be laughing, smiling & wanting to bake immediately.

I would definitely recommend this to my peers!

I really loved this book. It's such a fun and sweet read, while also being heartfelt and heartwarming. A beautiful holiday romance full of fun traditions that makes me want to start more of my own. Will recommend to everyone this holiday season.

Absolutely loved this book! It really helped me get in the Christmas Spirit and honestly made me want to bake (or buy more than likely lol) Christmas cookies! Melody’s kids were two of my favorite characters in the book as they were determined to win the competition and I loved how they are portrayed as normal aged boys but have the world against them in school like so many young boys do. Will be recommending this book to my book friends for the Holidays.

Another new-to-me author writing an absolutely darling book that I instantly fell in love with!

Melody is a widowed, single mother of ten year old twin boys, Finn and Tate. Her husband, Thomas, passed away six years ago and she’s been doing her best since then, focusing all of her love and attention on her boys.

It’s December - a crazy and hectic month that also brings magic and wonder when children are involved. But Melody is stressed especially when the boys principal, Mr. Jonathan Braxton, wants to speak with her in his office. Again. He points out the boys have been tardy four times in the past month, reminding her of the essential academic time being missed due to their tardiness.

As if her day couldn’t get any worse, the annual community tradition, Cookie Daze, has been canceled. The one thing her ten year old boys are looking forward to. They’re growing up and starting to question Santa’s existence so Melody is trying to hold onto their childhood with the strength only a parent can muster.

Determined to continue this tradition, and to spend quality time with Finn and Tate, Melody offers to take on the role as leader of the Cookie Daze committee much to Mr. Braxton’s astonishment. Knowing Melody isn’t much of a baker, the principal Jonathan, offers up his baking talents to help her. Spending lots of time baking with his grandmother, Jonathan has a reputation of being a whiz in the kitchen, much to the delight of many school moms.

As Melody hesitantly accepts Jonathan’s help, she ends up bringing success to the activities, with the additional help of her fellow committee members which includes her sister, mother, aunt, and friends. But when salt is switched with sugar during a live bake-off, it seems someone is determined to make the holiday season a disaster; and points the finger at Finn and Tate! As Jonathan stands up for the two, Melody begins to experience feelings she hasn’t in the past six years.

As her feelings grow every time she spends with Jonathan, she’s more determined than ever to make the holidays the best ever! Will a stressed and overwhelmed Melody bring success to the annual Cookie Daze? Or will a Grinch succeed in ruining the holidays?

I HIGHLY recommend this charming holiday read that reminds readers that second chances at love exist and that even the biggest Grinch’s deserve patience and understanding.

What a fun and sweet (literally) Christmas romance! I once I started this I got invested really quickly. I loved the characters and their quirks and I really loved how Mr. Braxton slowly started letting his true feelings show. There was a lot of romantic suspense but also some really funny/sweet moments. I definitely recommend this if you’re ready to get into the Christmas spirit! I LOVED the audiobook version of this book.