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This book came along at the perfect time for me. It is exactly what I needed during the stressful holiday season. I can't recommend it enough.

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What a fun holiday romance!

I loved everything about this book. The only think I didn't like was that it ended. lol. I would loved to have stayed with these character for so much longer.

It has great family dynamics, great love story without it being too "love at first sight", and a great character arc for the FMC.

I do wish it would have had a bit more on the page about their chemistry, but it does do a great job a letting you know they are VERY into each other.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

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For the upcoming holiday season, Callie wants to do nothing but sit in her apartment and come back out in the new year. Still dealing with a broken heart, she is doing her best to avoid Christmas. Her sister, Anita, has other ideas and creates her a holiday adventure calendar full if adventure and gifts. As she starts, she meets Marco, who might be the extra magic to get her out of her shell. Agreeing to help him with business accounting, Marco steps in to be her calendar buddy when Anita has to go out of town. As they make their way through all of the activities, could this be what Callie needs to open her heart back up to love again?

I wish someone would make me a holiday advent calendar with adventures. This concept was so fun to follow. It was great seeing just how much Callie changes through the book. All of the characters truly fit together perfectly. This was a wonderful holiday romance.

Thank you Net Galley, Holly Cassidy and Penguin Group Putnam and for the advanced copy for my honest review.

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Holiday reads with all the festive feels are my jam & The Christmas Countdown did NOT disappoint. When I say I devoured this book, I mean it. Could. Not. Put. It. Down.

Callie usually loves Christmas, but after this past year she's decided to forgo the whole season. She's in full on Grinch-mode (though Grinch's are usually meaner). She moved from her hometown with her childhood sweetheart and was dumped just weeks later. Now she's living with her sister, Anita, but still working at the same company as her ex.

When Callie declines coming home for the holidays because Oliver and his new gf would be RIGHT NEXT DOOR, Anita creates an amazing advent challenge to cheer her up. The gifts alternate Treat days and Task days. As she completes each day, Callie begins to find herself & the magic of the season she thought was lost.

I loved watching Callie find her footing as she comes back to self. Yes, there's romance and holiday fun, but my favorite part of this book was Callie's growth. She learns to lean in to what makes her happy & who she really is. She learns to be more assertive & stand up for what she actually wants. She learns that she's not nearly as alone as she's felt this last year. And I'm here for it allllllll.

Thank you to Holly Cassidy & NetGalley for the ARC of The Christmas Countdown. I loved this story & will be glad to recommend it to anyone who wants a feel good tale to set the mood for the season.

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This was so good. So Callie is living with her sister Anita after a breakup. To cheer Callie up and get her in the Christmas spirit, Anita makes a life sized advent calendar with fun things to do and ways to help others. Then Anita has to leave for 3 weeks for work but Callie meets Marco and as they become friends, he helps her complete these things.

I love the warmth of this story. I think it helped me get into the Christmas spirit a bit more myself. Callie learns to value herself throughout and I eat so proud of her for standing up (FINALLY) at work and in her personal life. I could see the way things were going to go with her ex Oliver and I did see it come true, but I'm glad she realized what she really wanted.

The romance is cute, they both loved puns so that gave me giggles, and after one of my favorite scenes at the retirement home.. The (although it's fade to black) physical aspect of their relationship felt a natural course at the moment it happened.

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The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy is exactly as cute as the cover, fluffy Christmas romance full of cuteness and holiday.
It was a great romance to read, and our main female character actually is smart and doesn't make stupid errors to drive the story forward. It's a perfect holiday romance. I recommend.

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I was able to read this thru NetgGalley and the publisher. It is a great read for the holiday season. Definitely a Rom-Com but has a some depth to the characters. I was engaged throughout because it also was an original concepts of the main female character having some Advent tasks and treats to help her break through her sadness.

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Holly Cassidy’s The Christmas Countdown is a delightful holiday romance that perfectly captures the magic and charm of the season. With a warm blend of heartfelt emotion, humor, and festive cheer, it’s an engaging read for fans of Christmas-themed stories.

After breaking up with her long time boyfriend, all Callie wants for Christmas is to hibernate. Her sister, Anita has different plans in the firm of an advent calendar full of Christmas themed challenges. Instead of letting Callie be a grinch, she wants her to put herself out there and find the joy of the holiday season again. With the help of local baker, Marco, will Callie be able to find her holiday spirit again?

I loved the advent calendar challenges and thought this was such a clever take on a holiday romance. Cassidy’s writing is vivid and cozy, bringing the small-town holiday setting to life with twinkling lights, snowy streets, and all the yummy holiday treats. The playful banter between Callie and Marco, especially the puns, is one of the book’s highlights, making their growing relationship feel authentic and heartfelt.

While the story follows some familiar tropes of the genre, Cassidy injects fresh energy and wit, keeping it from feeling overly predictable. Overall, The Christmas Countdown is a charming and uplifting holiday read, perfect for curling up with a cup of cocoa. Cassidy balances romance and humor with just the right amount of seasonal spirit, making this book a lovely addition to any Christmas reading list.

Thank you PRH Audio Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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I love this. I adored it. I read it in one night. It's very cute. It's a fun christmas read , kelly lives in new york with her sister out of necessity after following her high school/ college/ boy next door boyfriend to New York and it not working out very quickly. Thereafter, she's not in the mood for Christmas, not in the mood for anything really? I'm gonna tell her sister, I need A. Who sounds like a really fun girl? Decides to make her an old-fashioned advent. Calendar to get her out of her funk. Along the way, there's some job Strife. We meet a couple boys. We learned more about her past I. Enjoyed this one and I would totally recommend it for someone as a quick holiday read

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Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I am fully in the Christmas spirit and reading just about every Christmas romance I can get my hands on, and this one did not disappoint. It was a quick and easy read that I finished in a day. The advent calendar challenges and treats created by Anita to get Callie back in the Christmas spirit were so fun and really added to the holiday feels since they were all Christmas themed. I also really appreciated how even though Callie was still hurting from her recent breakup from a decade-long relationship and cautious about getting back out there, she did so in her own way (or partly Anita's way with the advent challenges). She didn't spend half the book pining or plotting how to get her ex back, and she also didn't go hunting for something new. It came gradually with the way her friendship with Marco and the time they spent together sparked into more. It was cute, cheesy as expected, heartwarming, and has all the Christmas vibes. I found myself smiling to myself in the middle of the coffee shop where I was reading because it was just so cute. Big fan of all the puns. 3.75 that gets rounded up to 4 bc it was cute and I enjoyed it.

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I LOVE an advent calendar theme! This one did not disappoint 😀 So many fun treats and tasks were set out for Callie to bring back her Christmas spirit and help her get over her ex. Along the way, she finds her confidence again, which was exciting to witness. It's easy to cheer for Callie throughout the book!

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3.75/5. Super cute, reads like a Christmas hallmark movie. Callie has become a Scrooge after her 10 year boyfriend dumped her and is already dating again. Callie’s sister Anita brings the Christmas cheer by making her complete Christmas themed advent calendar with all the festive activities…Except Anita has to unexpectedly go out of town for work, so her new friend Marco (and incredibly hot baker) helps her complete the challenges. Sparks fly and the snow is melting!

Thank you publisher GP Putnam Sons, author Holly Cassidy, and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

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Such a fun and festive story! The advent calendar her sister makes her to follow each day is a clever idea. Lots of cute romance and fun in this holiday story.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my opinion.

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Callie gets dumped not long before Christmas, and decides not to go home for the holiday or even celebrate at all. Her sister makes her a “treats and tasks” advent calendar to get her out of her comfort zone and into the festive mood, and Callie ends up having a pretty good Christmas after all (and maybe finding love along the way)! This was a cute little festive romcom, and I liked the advent calendar idea. Overall, nothing crazy or spectacular, but fun and festive nonetheless!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the opportunity to read before pub day! ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN is out now!

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Thank you @putnambooks and @hollycassidyauthor for the @netgalley ARC of #TheChristmasCountdown! I was in the mood for a fun holiday read and this was such an adorable closed-door romance. ❤️

Callie is feeling like a grinch due to being dumped by her childhood sweetheart (and boyfriend of 10 years!) earlier in the year and is not in the mood to celebrate the holidays. And is especially not planning to head home to her parents with her ex and his new, gorgeous girlfriend right next door. Her older sister, Anita isn’t letting her sister give up on Christmas so easily and recreates a homemade advent calendar challenge from their childhood, filled with both Christmas treats and tasks to complete to try and get Callie back in the holiday spirit. Callie is reluctant to participate, but both the fun and nostalgic challenges and the handsome baker she meets at a Christmas tree lot bring Callie the Christmas cheer and love she was missing. 🎄

This was truly adorable! I loved the premise of an advent calendar challenge and the love between the two sisters. It had everything you would want in a holiday book with immaculate Christmas vibes, a sweet romance (a hot man who also bakes delicious treats?, SOLD), and some growth and healing for our main character. Highly recommend for anyone in search of a Hallmark movie in book form! 🎄

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3.5 rounded down

Was able to get an early copy in exchange for a review.
Loved the premise of the Christmas advent calendar & tasks but the other parts fell flat.

Oliver irked me, as well as most of the MMC's other than Marco.

Anita was also very meddling and though she meant well was trying to get Callie out of her comfort zone for the wrong reasons.

This was good in the beginning but slowed in the middle. Paused reading this to read some Christmas novellas

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This is a story about love. Love for a sister. Love for family. Love for the holidays. And finding courage to love yourself. It’s also a story about healing.

Don’t worry, this is not just a marshmallowy feelgood book, there’s also a lot of Christmas tomfoolery going on, too!

The Christmas Countdown encapsulates everything you love (and don’t love) about the holiday season. It also runs the gambit of emotions from heartbreak to joy and everything in between. Callie is so easily relatable and I wanted to encourage her as much as I wanted to wring her neck! She was so stubborn but I’m so glad that Anita was too.

Callie’s sister Anita is outgoing, boisterous, and does everything she can to help Callie start her healing journey. Everyone needs a sister like Anita.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story and recommend it to anyone who needs to smile this season.

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The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy is a charming and festive read about a woman’s journey to regain her self-confidence, and also finding a new romance too.

Another holiday book read, and this is definitely one of my favorites. It really has everything I look for in a holiday story: scenic and descriptive Christmas vibes, a compelling protagonist, a sweet romance, and more. I also like the focus on family, especially sisterhood. All around just a wonderful read.

A great romance, mixed with some humor and lots of character growth makes this one a must-read holiday book. If you have time to read just one holiday book this year, I highly suggest you pick The Christmas Countdown!

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Thank you to NetGally for letting me read this book! This was such a cute story! It gave hallmark vibes but in the cutest way possible! I love this take on a Christmas story with the advent calendar! I think that’s why I gravitated towards this book as a holiday read that was going to be different than the others! Marco and Callie’s relationship was so cute, I love how they really helped each other through out the book and each had personal growth!

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It’s hard to write a Christmas story with a new plot that hasn’t already been written by other authors or Hallmark, at this point. But Holly Cassidy managed a fresh idea and did so with perfection. I loved the advent calendar idea and I really loved the twist that Anita wasn’t around to complete the task, making room for Marco. I didn’t like Vince and but I liked his character giving some friction. It’s not a love story without some right? Great read. Hope to read more from Ms. Cassidy.

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