This book is exactly what I was looking for in a holiday read - a cozy, feel-good Christmas romance full of festive charm.

Callie is spending her first Christmas after a tough breakup, and her sister Anita steps in with an Advent calendar full of daily challenges to help her find joy again. It’s such a sweet premise, and each activity brought the holiday vibes to life.

Then there’s Marco, the charming baker who ends up joining Callie on her Advent adventures. While their chemistry didn’t always sizzle for me, their moments together were still warm and heartfelt.

The pacing slowed down in spots, but the overall coziness and holiday magic kept me hooked. If you're in the mood for a light, festive read with a sprinkle of romance and self-discovery, this one’s a solid pick.

What a fun holiday read! I appreciated how the sister relationship between Callie and Anita was just as central to this story as the romance. This book kept me engaged and was a welcome escape from the real-life stress of the holiday season!

Thank you to PRHAudio for the ALC and Netgalley for the ebook ARC!

I really liked this story. The MC is still recovering from a breakup (childhood friend and current coworker) and her sister created a holiday advent calendar to get her out of her slump and back out into society.

Early on she meets someone, so when her sister unexpectedly has to leave town, she now has someone to complete all 24 challenges with.

Super fun read!

Unfortunately, I was not in much of a Christmas spirit this year. 2024 had been a tough year, and I was just ready for 2025. However, I knew I didn't want to be the family Grinch, so I went in search of something to give me some cheer. Thank goodness I came across 'The Christmas Countdown.' This book was exactly what I needed. With the story focusing on an advent calendar countdown, I got to experience so many Christmas-themed activities vicariously through each advent calendar task or treat. The romantic storyline was an added bonus, giving me ideas of things I could do this Christmas season with my partner.

Similar to myself, the main character was in a bit of a funk and feeling a bit like the Grinch herself. This made the story incredibly relatable. Even if you love Christmas, it sometimes easy to fall into a negative headspace like I did, and the main character did. As her mindset shifted, so did mine. I was able to see the sun through the clouds, metaphorically speaking, and started to get into the holiday spirit myself.

This is going to become a classic Christmas read for me and will likely enter my yearly rotation of rereads. I highly recommend this book for any Christmas lover (especially if you're feeling particularly grouchy), any romcom lover, or anyone who enjoys some self-deprecating humor, as the main character does have a fair bit of it.

This book was a very, very cute Christmas read! I loved the concept of the advent calendar with a countdown to Christmas. It was fun to read about the different challenges and gifts! I loved the relationship between the two sisters as an added bonus to this holiday romance!

I loved this book. It was like a Hallmark Christmas movie. Loved the characters, plot and the end for the main girl character. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing chance to read and review.

This was such a sweet and heartwarming book with a character creating an elaborate advent calendar for her heartbroken sister. A perfect Christmas read!

This book was cozy and had all of the heartwarming comfort that you need for the holidays. It was so fun and I loved it

Cute, cozy read. LOVED the idea of reading it as a Christmas advent calendar style (one chapter a day). Loads of puns, loads of holiday shenanigans, and great pacing. Truly. This book was a good Christmas-themed book for me this winter and I'm so glad I picked it up. My quip is that I just didn't like the predictability, but if that was my only bad thing? I'd read this one for the first time again if I could! Way to go, Holly. Thanks for the opportunity to read!

This was a fun holiday read, I loved the relationship between sisters and the idea of using an advent calendar to bring holiday joy.

This was such a cute holiday read! I read it a couple weeks ago, just forgot to leave a review. The romance was adorable and the story was captivating

The book description is spot on…”a charming holiday rom com”. Callie moves in with her sister Anita after the breakup of a long-term romance with her childhood sweetheart, Oliver. Oliver had already started seeing someone else and Callie is devastated. She also can’t avoid him as they work for the same company. She decides not to go to her hometown for Christmas as Oliver and his new girlfriend will also be going there (did I mention they grew up next door to each other and their mom’s are best friends…oh yeah) so Anita creates an elaborate “Advent calendar challenge” inspired by their childhood tradition … and thus the adventures of this story truly begin. This is such a sweet, entertaining story that kept me engaged…wanting to know what happened to Callie. I wholeheartedly recommend this story to kick off your holiday season.

This was chock full of holiday goodness and feel-good vibes and OODLES of puns! I didn't much care for both of them being recently removed from relationships (~8 months or so for both) and a lot of focus on exes. Also, as an accountant, watching her "clean the books" of something that had been neglected for over 18 months in a single sunday afternoon was mind-boggling. Absolutely no way! Lol. However, Marco was a sweetheart AND a chef. Win!!!
Overall, this was a pleasant read, and I look forward to next year's release. Maybe with a little less Christmas overload!
I was pleasantly surprised to have been offered this as an ARC after reading last years release.

Loved all the activities and their relationship was so cute! I loved the family and all the talk of food and their European roots/visits!

It was a pretty fun and quick holiday read!

What a cute book! It is not my normal genre but Holly Cassidy writes in just a fun way! I enjoyed this and could recommend this to someone who likes romance and wanted a fun Christmas book!

I raved and yelled at everyone to read Cassidy’s book The Christmas Wager last year, and so many other friends loved it as well. This one was just a tad underwhelming, nothing special or stand out. Just your typical holiday romance read! It finished with a 3 star vibe for me

Thank you for the opportunity to review this advanced reader's edition. Unfortunately, I will not be able to give it the time required to write a thorough review and will be unable to read it for this purpose.

What a fun Christmas adventure this book was!!! Loved every minute of it and definitely put me into the holiday season! Flew through this book and it’s funny witty characters. Cannot recommend this holiday treat enough!

*I saved this book to read during December, I apologize for the delayed review*

OK, this was definitely one of my favorite holiday reads this year. Maybe because I'm a sucker for advent calendars? I don't know, but I really had fun with this book!

Callie, who is usually a big fan of Christmas, just wants to hibernate through it this year after a rough break up. Her sister creates her an advent calendar full of alternating tasks and treats, just like they used to have when they were kids, to try to bring her some holiday joy. While out finding a Christmas tree (one of her first tasks), Callie meets Marco. They end up becoming friendly, then actual friends, and then...well, you can guess.

I absolutely adored the fact that her sister made Callie an advent calendar, and that she tried so hard to get her back into the Christmas spirit. How precious is that???

Callie and Marco's friendship (turned more) was really fun, and I liked the evolution from friends to more. Callie was still getting over her ex leaving her, and the fact that they work together made it so much worse. She learns a lot about herself and what she wants out of life throughout the book, and I enjoyed that.

Well done. Can't wait for next year's book!

These characters- SWOON! The advent calendar aspect was unique and a fun approach. This was so festive and fun- small town charm and lots of festive happenings. The characters were so charming and their romance authentic. I loved it!