Ashley Herring Blake can do no wrong! Her romances are some of the best I’ve ever read!!!! This Christmas special was no different! Love love love! Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review!!!

A sapphic second chance romance set in a winter wonderland? Sign me up. There's so much pining and regret from both characters in this one. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for review.

I LOVED the other books I’ve read from this author but with was this? It was totally missing the gooey romance and anything to smile about. I was kind of depressed while reading and did not feel invested in either character

If I didn't already love a queer romance, then I love a queer holiday romance even more hunniii. There was so much drama and PINING because the chemistry was off the charts hunni. I love the friend group and loved Brighton and Charlotte obviously. There were some plot holes and weird things added in that didn't need to be there, but overall big fan of this author's work.

i feel really mixed on this one, because this book had things i really liked and things i really didn’t like. there is also probably a michigan bias, because my family lives about two hours away from grand haven. but this is a story of two exes who unexpectedly are forced to spend the holidays together after one of them left the other at the altar five years ago.

now, this is the problem for me with this story lol. I am a hard sell on second chances romances already, but leaving someone at the altar? and then somehow spinning it to say it is because they don’t communicate well? lord, hear my prayers. i just could never root for the romance, and to add insult to injury upon finishing, i felt like that character completely settled for the one who left them at the altar all those years ago.

i loved the side characters, i loved the colorado setting and michigan flashbacks, i loved the sex in this book if i could force myself to forget how one of the characters treated the other, and i loved the discussion on “allowing” yourself to rediscover your love for things. Also, this might be just because i very recently read and loved private rites, but i also like the reminder to myself that people can be unlovable and still deserve love and being cared for and shown that love - which also makes me feel like maybe i am being too harsh on one of the characters in this fictional story. so, i am just going to give this three stars and say this was a really middle of the road book for me and move on!

author’s note: make the season bright contains consensual sexual scenes, on-page drinking, mentions of parental neglect and abandonment, and one claustrophobic scene. please take care of yourself while reading

additional trigger + content warnings i wrote down while reading: panic attacks, brief mention of homophobic parent (not mcs), and vomit / throwing up

If you’re already building your holiday romance tbr for this year, might I suggest Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake? I flew through this 5 star romance!

I read romances all year, but there’s something extra special about a romance set around Christmastime! I adore Blake’s books and when I saw she had a holiday romance out this year, I hit “request” on NetGalley so fast!

I had the audio and digital copy of this book, which meant I could feed my obsession with this story, staying attached to it with my eyes and ears until I was done! I really loved Kristen DiMercurio’s narration. I’m always so impressed by narrators who give me a real feel for the characters; so much so that I continue to hear their voice in my head when I switch back to digital or physical.

Make the Season Bright is a second chance holiday romance about two exes who end up at the same house for Christmas. Of course this open-door sapphic romance is *swoon* because all of Blake’s books are spicy romance perfection. But it’s also incredibly heart-warming as the characters lean into forgiveness, understanding, and trying new things. This one broke my heart a few times but Blake put it back together in the sweetest of ways.

This is a holiday romance must-read!

Another amazing book from Ashley Herring Blake and the best Christmas book I read this year! Second chance romance is not my favourite trope, but Ashley Herring Blake made it fun, Christmas-y, and queer, so how could I resist?

Charlotte and Brighton were both flawed characters with a complicated history, but I loved them both and I was so invested in them getting back together. I loved their grumpy x sunshine dynamic and all of the cute holiday activities they got up to, but especially the little looks back at when they were still together and getting to see a different side of their relationship.

This was the perfect mix of cute romance and emotional depth, with the characters both experiencing some personal growth while also staying lighthearted and humorous. I will say that I didn’t absolutely love how the end tied everything up, but it did make sense for the characters and where they were at.

It’s Christmas in July! Well at least it is for me. Thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and Ashley Herring Blake (AHB) for gifting me with an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was introduced to AHB’s work through the Bright Falls series and I was so excited to see a new holiday book filled with a new cast characters. I knew AHB could write brilliant characters who felt real and vibrant and she did it again with Lola, Bright and gang.

This book had me laughing, crying, giggling and gasping the whole time and I loved watching the story unfold. I didn’t want it to end, but when it did I had a stupid grin on my face and my heart felt full. Thank you AHB for giving us this queer love story and showing us that family who and what you make it.

This will definitely be a book I revisit during the holiday season again and again. ✨🎄❄️

“She was scared of both options —letting go and trying again —and the only response was to stand still.”
I thought it book was really good! I felt it had a little bit of everything that I enjoy in a romance and then it was set during the holidays, yes please! Charlotte and Brighton are former lovers/fiancées turned enemies, and are then unknowingly, forced to spend the holidays together in a small ski town in Colorado. This second chance romance is a little tricky because of the circumstances, Charlotte being left at the alter by Brighton, but I felt that the author did a pretty good job at making you want them to get back together. This story was filled with a lot of angst and I felt like I was able to understand and sympathize with Brighton and her reasonings for leaving Charlotte at the altar. They were both so young and just taking what they thought the next steps should be, even though she wasn’t exactly ready. Charlotte had every reason to be pissed with Brighton and given her child trauma of being left behind, it’s completely understandable for her to hate Brighton. In all honesty, for the reader to fully root for Charlotte and Brighton, it probably would have needed to be a bit longer and a lot more serious than your typical romance novel to fully embrace the happily ever after. But throw away the reality check and take it for what it is, I really enjoyed this book!

I really enjoyed this one. It was an easy 4 stars for me. I did think it included a few too many tropes in it that felt thrown in. It was also one big miscommunication that could've been resolved in one conversation.

The things I did enjoy included the spice level, the small-town Hallmark movie feels, and the side characters who I'd love to see more of in future books. Ashley Herring Blake has continued to solidify my love of her books, and this one didn't disappoint in that regard. I enjoyed the audiobook as well and can't wait for more.

This was a cute second chance sapphic holiday romance! The plot does depend on a lot of miscommunication, which both characters have to confront and discuss with one another in order to hash out what went wrong in the past. But I love the premise that they both went home for Christmas with friends who happen to be related and have to be near each other after not seeing each other for so long. The music component for both of them was fun and it was a solid holiday read!

I've been meaning to read something by this author for a while, and the time was right to check out Make the Season Bright. This one is unapologetically sapphic and LGBTQ friendly in it's approach, and is certainly not one for anyone who shies away graphic scenes of sexual encounters - but, they were very well done, and pretty essential to the story. I'm not usually a reader who really loves that much detail, but it really did work for this story. And, the characters! Lola and Brighton were both flawed, but both very loveable, and I was rooting for them from the beginning. Even when Brighton seemed to be a minor villain, I still couldn't help but like her - the author is a master at writing semi-flawed heroines. The overall premise of this story was a tiny bit far-fetched, but not so out there as to be totally unbelievable. And I totally want to live in a town that does something like Two Turtledoves - I can't imagine that even actually exists anywhere, but I LOVE it. Definitely worth reading this one, even if just for the cozy seasonal vibes.

Brighton and Charlotte's story was so interesting to me because what Brighton did to Charlotte felt so unforgivable. But this is also a story about people not being perfect, making rash decisions, needing years to become ready for stages of their lives. This book gave perfect cozy Christmas vibes and the friend group was fantastic, as it always is with AHB.

This was such a cute and unique take on the festive romcom! I loved the cozy Colorado setting and the quirky and hilarious side characters.

I go into 99% of books without reading the synopsis and usually it works out for the best, but I think in this case that was a mistake. I’m not a massive fan of second chance romance to begin with and I firmly believe some relationships just can’t be saved. I know we all make mistakes and I know we all have our reasons for our decisions, but this is one of those books where I personally couldn’t get past the breakup.

Aside from the main plot point (lol) I really did love this story. I thought all the characters were so well crafted and the holiday vibes were perfect. I do love AHB’s writing and will continue to come back for more!

Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader! All opinions are my own!

**Many thanks to Berkley and Ashley Herring Blake for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley!**

"Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye
Tell me, baby, do you recognize me?
Well, it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me..." - Last Christmas, Wham!

It may have been more than a YEAR since Charlotte last saw Brighton, but in some ways, she is eternally grateful. After all, the LAST time they laid eyes on each other was right before what was supposed to be their wedding...until runaway bride Brighton took off with no explanation. Although this betrayal crushed Charlotte's spirit, in the five years since she has blossomed in her life in New York, playing with a professional string ensemble with a group of friends who feel like family. So much so that when her fellow ensemble member Sloane invites her home to chilly, idyllic Colorado for an old fashioned family Christmas, it sounds like the perfect excuse to dip out of the hustle and bustle that is NYC, ignore the fact that Charlotte's OWN family isn't living up to her expectations, and to be surrounded by Sloane's kith and kin. (Clark Griswold would be proud!)

But when she arrives in Colorado, Charlotte discovers that It's truly a Small World After All: Sloane's sister Adele has brought home a friend for the holidays too: none other than the silver haired one that got away, Brighton. Brighton has been dealing with her own pre-holiday strife: despite being a founding member of a popular band with a song that is now wildly popular, her band mates kicked her out and took all the credit. As much as she was looking forward to a respite from all the pain of her past, she now has to not only spend LOTS of time around her ex...but to also pretend she doesn't even know her. To top it off, Sloane and Adele's mom has planned all sorts of nauseatingly adorable Christmas activities, everything from snowy horseback rides to cookie decorating. With such a tangled past and the lure of holiday magic in the air (not to mention their ELECTRIC chemistry that has never gone away) will Charlotte and Brighton fall back into old patterns...and back into one another's arms? Or are they doomed to simply repeat the past...and a steamy romance that ended in ice-cold heartbreak?

I'm always on the hunt for a cute, cozy, and swoon-worthy Christmas romance, and with two musician heroines at its center, I figured a good dose of holiday joy and this sweet (although improbable) premise, plus an ADORABLE cover would deliver all the Christmas goods that I could ever ask Santa for...and then some!

But instead of a warm, soothing sip from the cup of holiday cheer...I felt more like the Grinch listening to a thousand Whos singing slightly off-key.

One pet peeve of mine that emerged almost instantly in this read, which soured my entire reading experience, was the PLETHORA of characters. Not only are there are FAR too many people to keep in the back of your mind, there's also the small fact so MANY of them don't actually matter...at all. Even worse, many of them have sort of uncommon names, and I don't know about you, but when I have LOTS of people to keep track of, it's somewhat easier to connect them to people I either know or know of (a celebrity, even), just to keep them all straight. When I have a bunch of unfamiliar names, it just takes me out of the reading experience even more. I didn't really NEED to know all about Charlotte's ensemble friends, so much about her deadbeat mom, Adele, Sloane...the list went on and on. At the end of the day, this story just didn't need all of the extra fluff, or even the drama. It didn't add ANYTHING to the narrative and just felt like a bunch of filler.

But why didn't we NEED any more drama, you might ask?

Because when I say the depth of toxicity of this relationship (both past and present) could have filled ANOTHER entire book...it's not only NOT an understatement, but serves as a clear indication that perhaps these two should have kept their hormones in check..and kept FAR, FAR away from one another.

When you find out the big reason that this relationship went to pot in the first place, you'll know exactly what I mean. Not only is it a prime example of the miscommunication (or rather, LACK of communication) trope, coincidentally one of my LEAST favorite tropes, but the issues that should have been communicated ARE enough to keep these two apart, and rightfully so. To put it simply with no spoilers, wanting different things out of life is actually a VERY GOOD reason to break up....and considering their perspectives haven't changed THAT much, I had a hard time wishing for the sort of sappy, Love Actually-esque type reunion. It's OKAY for the past to stay in the past, and although it seems strange, I much would have preferred that sort of sentiment rather than the one we received. Call me a Grinch, if you must...but these two made my heart feel more like it had shrunken than grown.

The one bright spot in this one wasn't the Christmas-y activities (surprisingly, even though this should have been a given) but the HOT, HOT, HOT scenes between the two MCs which were spicier than a tuna roll with extra wasabi! Although I had trouble rooting for the couple in every way that actually matters to long term happiness and success, boy did their hormones run wild...and I felt like I needed a Victorian fainting couch a time or two. If this is why you read romance books, or if that's what you're looking for...this novel will NOT let you down in that respect. I could see WHY these two were drawn to one another and uh, how much they 'missed' each other in that way. But at the same time, since the scenes were a bit TOO spicy for me at times, even this novel's greatest strength still felt like a bit of a weakness...sort of the same way that the build up and lead in to the Christmas season is so magical, but once the season is over, you almost feel WORSE from the letdown of it all.

And although a trip back down nostalgia way and reuniting with your long-lost One True Love at the holiday season SEEMS like it would Make the Season Bright(on), perhaps Charlotte should have listened to the wisdom Wham! had to offer and saved herself from tears by giving her heart to someone special.

3.5 stars

I didn't like this one as much as Blake's other works. I do wish that the Christmas of it all played a large part, as it was billed as a Christmas romance. As can often be the case of second chance romance, I wish we got a clearer idea of what made them fall for each other in the first place.

I found this book was okay. It was about two exes who find themselves stuck together for the holidays after one was left at the altar years ago. I found this more of Alyse than love story and while that’s ok it’s not what I thought it would be.

This one hurts me, because I am forever an Ashley Herring Blake stan. I've read her middle grade, YA, and Adult books. She's a household favourite (my 13-year old has read all of her middle grade books and will soon be moving on to YA). I consider her an auto-buy author. I'm also a sucker for a holiday romance. So, in theory, this should have been a 10/10 for me. Unfortunately, it missed the mark. The writing I know and love was there, but the story fell flat. I found the main characters to both be quite unlikeable, and I couldn't root for their relationship. I also forgot who the side characters were a lot so I got confused. I really wanted to love this one, but it didn't do it for me That being said, I still adore her writing and will always read any release because I think this one maybe just was not for me. Her writing is good enough that even if this wasn't for you, I think everyone should read more of her backlist because she is incredible!

I have enjoyed all of Ashley Herring Blake’s recent romance novels, and this one was no different! Filled with many of my favorite tropes, such as second-chance romance and childhood sweethearts. It was a thoroughly enjoyable holiday read, with complicated characters and a satisfying ending. I look forward to reading future books by Ashley Herring Blake!

What can I say: around December, I start craving Christmas romances, both in movie and book form. The sapphic Christmas movie selection may still be pretty weak, but at least we have plenty of seasonal sapphic romance books to choose from. I enjoyed the previous Ashley Herring Blake romances I read, so this seemed like an easy win.

Between this and Casey McQuiston’s The Pairing, I’ve been convinced that I am a fan of the second chance romance trope. Like The Pairing, these two main characters have been close since they were kids, but haven’t spoken to each other in years, since Brighton left Charlotte at the altar. Then they both end up at the same house for Christmas—it turns out their friends are sisters—it brings up a lot of intense emotions.

The second chance trope works for me because we start this story with so much tension and complicated feelings. They know how to push each other’s buttons. They miss each other. They’re angry at each other. That makes it easy to immediately be pulled into the story. I also appreciated that as the book went on, I could sympathize with Brighton’s decision to leave Charlotte at the altar years ago—it was a betrayal, but it wasn’t entirely one-sided. Romances always need an obstacle to overcome, and this one is big enough to keep them apart without ultimately feeling insurmountable.

Glancing through reviews, I found it a little funny that there are plenty of reviews saying Brighton is terrible and Charlotte deserves better—and that Charlotte is terrible and Brighton deserves better. Personally, I love flawed characters. They feel more realistic. Charlotte is closed off to the point of selfishness, but we understand why: she was raised by a mostly absent mother and then was left at the altar by the love of her life. Brighton cared so much about Charlotte in their relationship that she tried to suppress any of her own doubts and conflicting desires until it reached a crisis point. To me, that breakdown of communication between them—especially in their early twenties when they’d only ever been with each other—made total sense, and I was invested in seeing how they would bridge this enormous divide years later.

This really delivers on the Christmas vibes, too. Some books are marketed as holiday romances, but it isn’t actually that relevant to the plot. In Make the Season Bright, they’re staying with a family who is enthusiastic about Christmas, and they’re also roped into a series of Christmas-themed singles events.

I misread a review of this as “inexplicably sexy” (it actually said “explicitly sexy”), and honestly, I think that’s right. I associate Christmas romances with cozy and sweet, so I was a little surprised by the explicit sex scenes, including discussion of kinks, but I’m not complaining!

Another fun aspect was the queer friend group. In fact, despite the sisters complaining about growing up in this small town and being some of the only queer people, almost everyone we meet is queer, even side characters who only show up for a page.

I also appreciate that these friendships are given weight. Charlotte and Brighton have to repair their relationship, but so do Charlotte and Sloane. Charlotte hasn’t realized that by trying to be so independent, she’s been hurting the people who care about her by pushing them away. Sloane is right to be angry about this one-sided relationship, and I’m glad that Charlotte has to apologize for them to continue to be friends.

That brings me to the thing that didn’t work for me, though, and something I’m beginning to notice about Ashley Herring Blake romances: they always star white characters with best friends who are characters of colour. (I believe usually Black women, but I could be wrong about that.) Similarly, trans characters are mentioned, but never the main characters. I understand not wanting to write outside of your own experience, but it can seem tokenizing when trans characters and characters of colour never get the spotlight. What made this stand out to me this time was Adele calling Brighton “baby girl” constantly; I think about half of the lines she has include that phrase, and it felt weird to me, more like a catch phrase than a natural speaking choice.

While there were elements that I really enjoyed about this, it didn’t feel particularly memorable. Unfortunately, I’m still looking for that Christmas romance book that I love as much as The Holiday.