The Christmas Countdown is my first book by Holly Cassidy and I absolutely loved it! It's a perfect book to get you into the Christmas spirit! The Advent calendar was so fun and I could not wait for the next task or treat to be revealed, which some had me laughing. I thought the cat was funny too and how she didn't like Callie. Marco was such a sweet person and how his and Callie's relationship developed was cute. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it if you like Christmas Hallmark Rom-coms with a bit of closed door romance.
Thank you NetGalley, Holly Cassidy, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for my advanced copy!

Callie wants to hibernate and mend her broken heart through the holiday season, but her sister has other plans. Anita refuses to let her sister give up on love and creates an Advent calendar for Callie, with one challenge a day to get her out of her comfort zone and into the holiday spirit. Callie is reluctant but participates, and when one challenge leads her to a charming baker, she might rethink her stance on love.
I loved the premise of the Advent calendar filled with fun challenges and holiday adventures! It was easy to root for Callie as she went through all of her challenges and I loved seeing her find joy and love again. This book has all of the fun holiday vibes and felt like a Hallmark movie in book form. This is a good one to read under a cozy blanket, by the tree/fire, with a cup of hot chocolate.
Thanks to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

What a delight! This story about a woman who had been getting over a breakup, and her sister creat d an advent calendar for the holiday was truly fun! The taste in the advent were both thoughtful and fun, and of course all the coincidences that happen along the way were so enjoyable!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

What a wonderful book!! I could not put the book down once I began reading it. I was so happy when it was released. I have recommended it to everyone I know!

2.5 ⭐ rounded down

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for the eARC!

When it's Christmas, I'm always a sucker for seasonal/holiday romance novels. However, I will also admit that I judge romance novels very harshly. I understand it's a bit of a dichotomy, but it's just how I am. 🙃

This novel started off slow for me, ramped up in the middle, but let me down in the end. It was a rollercoaster, but the rushed, cliche ending where everything worked out too well with no effort really just took this down for me. I appreciated the unique approach of Anita to bringing Callie into the Christmas spirit with the cute advent calendar countdown with tasks and treats every other day. It's not something I've seen in a Christmas novel before, but it was super fun! The tasks weren't incredibly outlandish and the treats weren't wildly extravagant. It made the whole thing much more believable.

The "plot twists" (if you can call them that) were very predictable, but somehow, that's part of the appeal of a romance novel, I guess? I liked Marco, but I LOVED John and I wish we got more of him! I'm 100% invested in the little looks that happened between John and Hazel. If the author writes a spin-off about them, I will 100% read it, but other than that, I don't see myself picking up another Holly Cassidy book.

This was my first book by Holly and I enjoyed it very much. I
Loved the small town romance- it was cozy, cute and definitely a book that will put in a the holiday mood. The relationship between Kelly and her sister was so refreshing- the Christmas countdown was so adorable and very thoughtful. Makes you want to do it too! The self-reflection and growth that happened throughout the story was great! I really enjoy when there’s more depth to the characters and plot and this was definitely one of those books that carried the themes without overpowering the romance and plot. It was very well done. Marcus and Kelly were great together and I loved their chemistry. The “If you share it with me Kelly, I would like us to have a while damn library” had me swooning…The puns were so cheesy yet the best- it had me laughing out loud a couple of times.

The Christmas Countdown was the more unique book I have read this holiday season. I loved the countdown put together by her sister alternative treats and tasks to get her out of her comfort zone and out of her post breakup doldrums. It was fun to read about the challenges and also laugh along as she and Marco find a way through the holiday season together. I saw the complications coming a mile ahead but thats ok, it is expected in a holiday rom com and it made it less annoying when it happened. A fun book and interesting read.

This was such a cute Christmas romance! Callie was a wonderful main character who has been left reeling from an unexpected breakup. I really liked Callie and especially liked her relationship with her sister, Anita. Anita sets up an adventure calendar adventure for Callie that leads to more than she bargained for. This book not only has romance and Christmas vibes, but also personal growth, professional growth, and a great male romance interest. Definitely one you should pick up if you're looking for a quick holiday read!

This was very cute and read like a Hallmark movie. It follows Callie, who isn't really feeling the Christmas spirit after a bad break up. Her sister Anita creates an Advent calendar full of festive tasks in hopes of cheering her up and getting her home for the holidays. The tasks lead Callie to Marco, a super sweet and cute baker. The premise is super fun and definitely put me in the holiday spirit, but the writing kind of fell flat. It didn't necessarily need to be great, but sometimes this felt choppy and the character actions didn't always make sense. Like at one point Callie puts on a bikini to wear around the house for no reason. There's also a money laundering/tax fraud/cheating plot tacked on at the end to really make the third act conflict as convoluted as possible. My other big issue is how much Callie's mom and sister tried to control her life. They are barely held accountable, and her mother's behavior is especially atrocious. Still, if readers are looking for a cheesy, holiday romance, this is a fun and cute choice! It did what it had to do and would have a place at our library.

First thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for an electronic arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: Callie had a rough year and broke up with her boyfriend shortly after moving to a new city for him. She also works at the same company. She now lives with her younger sister and dreads the holidays especially after her ex boyfriend gets engaged to the new girlfriend quickly. Her younger sister tries to cheer her up with an advent calendar that includes treats and tasks. Will this bring back the holiday spirit?

What I liked: this book had a good amount of holiday spirit and charm with the chemistry. I also liked the self growth journey that Callie goes on throughout the book. Mateo was a fun character and what a holiday romance needs, someone who believes in good and kindness. He really helped Callie grow and drop some baggage she was carrying. Callie herself was a good character, cautious but her character development supported it. I loved the concept of a treat and task advent calendar. It made it more realistic. The book reads quickly and the vibes felt great while reading. There wasn’t too much angst or conflict and not too much cheese either.

I’m

Callie is tasked with an advent calendar thanks to her sister to help her get into the Christmas mood again. Marco, a handsome stranger, that she bumps into offers to help her out with these "tasks". This was such a cute Christmas book ! It has all the wintery vibes you could ask for. It was a fast pace book and it kept me entertained !

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun book. I really loved it!

4.5

I really enjoyed this holiday romance. We love a little meet cute moment and meddling sisters 😂! I loved the advant calender idea so much... I seriously thought about doing my own for my daughter to do next year. I enjoyed all the wintery/holiday themed things her sister had her doing, just seemed so fun. I love that our main character was able to grow from her break up and move on to better things all while no longer being upset about her ex. And of course I loved her new guy too! 😍 All the characters were fun and the story was a good time. I would definitely recommend this one for the holiday season.

This is such a wonderful Christmas book to read during the season. I loved the advent calendar and all the fun activities that took place during the book. I thought that just added something extra to the romance/dates and I liked how that aspect made it feel different from other Christmas romances. I also really enjoyed seeing Callie’s growth throughout the story. I think if you’re looking for a closed door romance book to cozy up next to the Christmas tree with then definitely give this one a try.

This book was a really perfect holiday read. I love how the main character overcame her ex and moved on like a boss.
I am looking forward to reading The Christmas Wager by Holly Cassidy next and I hope to see more books from Holly Cassidy hit the shelves soon!

This book had its up and downs for me. I thought the concept was really cute and I loved all the Christmas activities. I found myself not really enjoying the romance and he sort of love triangle. The conversations felt a little forced to me and something just did not click.
I did really enjoy all the references to Switzerland as I know the author grew up there and I found it fun to learn more about that.
A cute read to pick up for the holiday season.

This is one of those books that will definitely put you in a festive mood. Callie has had a tough year due to a break-up, and she isn't planning on going home for the holidays. Her sister surprises her with an advent calendar, alternating treat days and task days, with all the tasks aimed at getting Callie to interact with the world and to help her find some Christmas spirit. And of course there's romance to be found along the way.

I was drawn in immediately by the advent calendar concept. Sure, Callie's sister is a meddler, but it was also so incredibly sweet and caring of her to go out of her way to put together this entire advent calendar, which immediately showed the strength of their sibling bond. It was so fun to find out what would be the treat or task on every new day.

Callie quickly meets Marco and ends up spending a lot of time with him over the course of the month. When her sister has to travel for work, he replaces her on most of the task days. In a romance, I really enjoy seeing the couple having fun on dates, so this worked so well for me.

I will say this book was a somewhat slower read, but that really worked for me here. I loved the level of detail in which every day, and especially every date, was described. This book truly lived up to its incredibly fun premisse.

I hope Holly Cassidy one day starts writing books year round - I love the Christmas books (of course!) - but I want even more stories. They are so easy to read and enjoyable all the way through! Can't wait for the next one by her!

The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy is a festive read featuring a grumpy and lost female main character who’s pulled out of her slump by her loving sisters with an advent calendar which includes treats and activities.

While the story is very predictable and the villains lacked depth, the cute romance and delightful food references made it an enjoyable holiday read. If you’re looking for a cozy, feel-good read with sisterhood at its heart, this one’s worth picking up!

Thank you to the publisher and author for my eARC.

If you’re looking for a Hallmark story, setting, and ending this is the book for you.

Die to a bad break up to her childhood love, Callie has no holiday spirit. Her sister sets up an Advent challenge where each day in December Callie gets tasks or treats to help erase her Grinch-y attitude. From childhood memories and keepsakes to polar plunges and caroling, Callie gains confidence, finds joy, and learns to love again.

Some of the dialogue was a little strange and didn’t seem like something late 20s adults would say. I read that the author is from England and I think that explained it a little bit.