cute book that gives the ultimate holiday feels!! a fun heartwarming holiday read that will make you smile and put you in the holiday mood!

Review: “The Christmas Countdown” by Holly Cassidy
Accountant Callie’s life had been mapped out by her family. She followed her childhood sweetheart to another state because of his job and soon was by his side everyday being employed at the same company. Their families assumed a marriage proposal was pending. The routine was calm until her first and only love, Oliver, dumped Callie with no real explanation. After years of dating; how was she blindsided? Heartbroken and dazed; Callie lost the self-confidence to pursue a new job away from Oliver, forcing her to see him daily. Her favorite supervisor quit abruptly and she had to deal with the owner’s egotistical pompous son-in-law, Grant, giving unrealistic demands. If it wasn’t for the reprieve of being able to move into her sister, Anita’s apartment after the break-up, Callie would have been badgered by her parents to move back home.
Callie’s boycott of anything Christmas was halted by Anita’s reinstitution with a twist of their childhood tradition for the Advent Calendar. Anita’s thrill-seeking disposition made Callie cringe with the terrifying possibilities she would have to attempt. She finally agreed since her sister would be her partner. But things don’t go according to plan. Will Joe the fireman be able to rescue Callie or does the handsome Chef Marco have the right ingredient to awaken her to simmer a slow burn of passion?
“The Christmas Countdown” by Holly Cassidy, the Pen name for International Bestselling Author Hannah Mary McKinnon, does a marvelous job incorporating her Swiss heritage into the various holiday activities. Her descriptive narrative seamlessly transports the reader from the Northeastern United States to breath taking European mountain villages. This story’s portrayal of first love, betrayal, redemption, and family gave this reader such a real connection; I wanted to yell at certain characters for causing chaos. I’m grateful to have received the A.R.C. for this 5-Star Contemporary Romance that is perfect for the holiday season.
Can Callie find tranquility or will new secrets derail her future?

Absolutely charming novel about finding happiness again. A sister who creates a fun holiday challenge helps her sister find joy in life.

I could see this as a Hallmark movie!

Thanks to Netgalley &
PENGUIN GROUP- Putnam for the E-ARC! This was ok. Not my favorite holiday read. I did like the main female character though.

I loved all of the baking-related aspects and learning more about Swiss treats (Callie’s father is from Switzerland). Callie and her love interest are adorable together and I liked how their relationship progressed. The narrative is clunky/heavy on exposition at times though that did not prevent me from enjoying this sweet story. Recommended to anyone looking for a holiday Hallmark movie in book form.

I absolutely LOVED this one! This was the perfect Christmas book.

Callie and Marco’s relationship was so sweet and enduring. I was rooting for them both.

Callie’s journey with advent calendar was very sweet and it was a delight to see how she changed as a person. I loved how she discovered what she truly wanted in life.

The Christmas mentions like the advent calendar, the cookies, Christmas themed tasks to complete, and the Christmas playlist was just perfection!

I can’t wait to buy this one in paperback in October!

An incredibly cute and cozy small-town Christmas romance! The advent Christmas calendar ensures every chapter is full of Christmas elements with caroling, decorations, and sledding. This is a perfect holiday read!

I enjoyed this a lot more than I initially thought I would. The advent calendar was such a cute idea to steal. I loved the sister relationship because it was so real in that it was always best friends all the time. They had real issues. The relationship was super cute and it was a lot of fun.

Loving all these Christmas book it’s just so cute and cozy and puts you in the right mood. I loved the characters and the story line so happy I got to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and RandomHouse Publishing Group for the ARC!
3.75⭐️s

This was such a fun, light Christmas romance! The characters developing relationship was great, the banter was there and the overall themes were well done. I really enjoyed the rebuilding after the FMCs break up, how the character worked through those trials and was able to grow throughout the story. A closed-door romance can be hard to ensure the tone is set throughout the book, but I really enjoyed how the author combined everything and kept it focused on holiday cheer.

I would definitely recommend this for anyone who loves a holiday romance, Christmas everything and a great displaying of relationship growth between characters.

This book is a delightful holiday rom-com that serves as the perfect escape into a world of festive cheer. This reminded me of the cute but slightly cringey Hallmark holiday movies that I devour during the chillier times of the year. Callie, fresh from a breakup, finds herself embarking on a series of Advent challenges that lead her to Marco, a charming baker with a knack for puns. Their journey through the challenges is a joy to follow, filled with laughter and mutual support, and it's heartwarming to see their relationship blossom. The book is a feel-good read with minimal drama, and the protagonists' open and honest communication is refreshing. While the closed-door romance scenes felt slightly out of sync with the book's wholesome vibe, they don't detract from the overall charm.

This book was a delightful escape from reality. Callie has been dumped by her long term boyfriend Oliver and has let it suck the joy out of her life. Anita comes up with advent challenges for Callie to get her out and meeting people and moving on. On the first challenge she meets Marco who I loved because of all the funny puns he shared with Callie.

Marco agrees to do the challenges with Callie and they both grow and change through the challenges. It is fun to see them making each other laugh and support each other. It blooms into a beautiful relationship that even her family approves of.

I liked Swiss Miss and Eggnog Boy and all the food references and upstate NY references. This was a fun heart warming holiday read that will put you in the holiday spirit.

This is such a an incredibly sweet and creative Christmas story! I really enjoyed the characters and their journey. It's a perfect read to start the holiday season!

Holly Cassidy's second Christmas romance is a delight from beginning to end. It's well written and a quick read--I finished the book the same day I started it. It goes down smoothly--not a lot of angst or poor communication between the two appealing protagonists. And, yes, it would make a good Hallmark movie.

Accountant Callie is trying to recover from a recent breakup with her boyfriend of 10 years. And to make things worse, she and her ex still work at the same company. Callie's sister, Anita, who is much more outgoing, devises a creative Advent Calendar to shake Callie out of her low mood and chronic lack of self-confidence. It's in the form of a package to be opened each day in December, one day a gift and the next a holiday-related task that she and Callie will do together. But when Anita is called away on business for three weeks, pastry chef Marco volunteers to accompany Callie on these tasks, in return for accounting help with his business. Marco is an adorable character, and although he is also recovering from a betrayal by his most recent girlfriend, it's not something we hear much about, and he doesn't seem to be suffering.

I loved reading about the town of Fallbrook in all its holiday glory and about Callie and Marco's developing relationship (the rare closed-door sex scenes are unnecessary to the story). This charming book left me in a good mood, and what more can you ask of a Christmas romance?

My thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

I secretly put my Christmas tree up before Halloween is over and done with. There have been years where I ask to put it up for my wedding anniversary… the THIRTEENTH of October. I’m certifiably insane. So a Christmas book in May? I honestly don’t know how I waited this long.

If you like Hallmark holiday movies and need something to get you into the winter/holiday spirit, this is IT. Reading this arc before summer is even here has blasted all my pool plans out the window, brb while I get my trees out of the attic.

This book was cute! Did it have the cringe that every Hallmark channel Christmas movie has? Absolutely. The puns just about did me in but the surprise of each advent calendar day kept me coming back for more. I might just have to reread this again closer to Christmas!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the Penguin Group for the arc! 💌

This was a cute and cozy Christmas read. Gave you all of the small town romance vibes. Really enjoyed the characters, well written and was fast paced. Definitely a book you'll want to pick up during the holiday season.

Cute premise and easy accessible writing. Definitely feels like a strong 3-4 stars for the target audience, with 5 for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

Great cover! I liked the characters and the development of the story. This is perfect for fans of Hallmark Holiday movies. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

<b>3.5 stars, rounded up because of how chock-full of holiday feels it was!</b>

I loved the premise of this. The main character Callie has been devastated by a breakup with her long-term boyfriend and does not want to celebrate Christmas, so her sister Anita creates an advent calendar for Callie. The calendar is half filled with little gifts; the other half consists of festive tasks that Callie has to complete.

When I say this book is chock-full of Christmas elements, I am not at all exaggerating. From sledding, to sipping hot chocolate, to making Christmas cookies and candy, this book had it all. It was so festive and fun! I wanted to participate in all the fun events.

I liked the romance well enough, especially the emphasis on honesty in their relationship and how open they were with each other. However, the (closed door) sex scenes seemed a bit out of place in what was otherwise a perfectly clean and wholesome book. It didn’t really fit with the overall tone.

Still, I’d definitely recommend this book for those who love Christmas books or Hallmark Christmas books.

The Christmas Countdown had fantastic Hallmark Christmas movie vibes, it really has me ready for the Christmas season as you could feel the holiday cheer oozing out of this book (even if Callie wanted to ignore it in the beginning!). I loved Callie's journey to finding herself after her breakup. The advent calendar was a really creative way to have this happen. It went really well with the romance story being told between her and Marco. They were also very cute together! I really enjoyed reading this, and could not put it down once I started it.

This book left me wishing someone had made me a cute advent calendar for the holidays! I'll definitely be recommending it to my friends when it's published.