Didn’t vibe with this one, unfortunately. Charlotte and Brighton both kind of annoyed me: Charlotte is so self-centered she doesn’t even know the name of her best friend’s sister, and Brighton is alternately a sad sack or a bitch. The secondary characters were all absolutely delightful, though; can we get a book about Sloane and Wes’s second-chance romance or Manish and Dorian’s m/m one instead, please? Also, the logistical issues keeping them apart all worked themselves out in the last chapter so unrealistically even for a romance novel that it was hard to suspend my disbelief.

I was so thrilled to receive an ARC of this book! After reading Delilah Green Doesn’t Care over the summer, I fell in love with Blake’s writing style.

Blake has a gift for portraying characters with complex pasts and guarded hearts, making their emotional journeys feel genuine and satisfying. The relationship between Charlotte and Brighton is messy, heartfelt, and so worth the ride. Through Christmas events and snowy Colorado landscapes, their slow, reluctant reconnection is filled with tension, warmth, and nostalgia. The cozy, festive vibe had me craving hot chocolate and the smell of Christmas trees—Blake brings the holiday spirit alive in a way that’s tender and magical.

With a beautifully diverse, all-queer cast, Blake creates a romance that’s as inclusive as it is heartwarming. Each character brings their own story, making this book feel as layered and warm as a Christmas sweater. If you’re looking for a romance that wraps around you like a blanket on a winter night, this one’s a true holiday treat!

It would have to take something pretty major for me to still want to root for a second chance romance where one person ghosted the other with no warning on their wedding day. This book does not achieve that at all. I have never been so against a couple being together in a romance novel before. The descriptions in the steamy scenes also did not do it for me (her 'center??'), but it's definitely hard to enjoy a romantic scene between two people you really don't want to see together.

What happens when you are forced to spend Christmas with your ex who left you at the alar? You fall in love again of course!

To be honest, we struggled with our feelings on this book. It's a second change romance, which is our least favorite, and we really didn't like either of the main characters that much, Charlotte was just so closed off and unfeeling. It made it really difficult to connect with her. Brighton was better, but we couldn't get past the leaving at the altar bit.
There was much steamy spice, which we always appreciate, but this just was not our favorite Ashley novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the arc!

okay really struggled with this one which is so sad because i ADORE ashley herring blake books!!! i just found the MCs unlikeable, the miscommunication trope of it all was not for me. loved the side characters and setting!

No one does sapphic romance like Ashely Herring Blake.

A sweet, funny, holiday romance that made me want to bake cookies and cuddle up on the couch with some cocoa while I was reading.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A cozy second chance sapphic holiday romance

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Holiday reads with hallmark vibes
Second chance romance
Sapphic romance
Forced proximity- exes trapped in the same house
Small Colorado town Christmas vibes
Childhood friends to lovers
Violinist x singer/song writer
New York/ Nashville settings
All the angst
Found family
Snowed in

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
All the festive elements

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
While I wanted Charlotte ad Brighton to end up together I didn’t really connect with them and felt like they shouldn’t have gotten back together so quickly
Miscommunication

Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake offers a heartwarming second-chance romance set against the festive backdrop of a small Colorado town. I appreciated the authenticity of Charlotte and Brighton's rekindled relationship, noting how Blake captured the complexity of reconciling past hurts and rebuilding trust. I would have loved to see deeper conversations to resolve lingering issues. However, the story’s cozy seasonal atmosphere and the chemistry between the leads kept it engaging. The cast of side characters, including Charlotte’s friends and the locals, added humor and warmth, embodying a classic holiday “found family” charm. Overall, it's a sweet, comforting read that mixes emotional depth with festive cheer, making it an enjoyable choice for the holiday season

This queer Hallmark book was a wonderful read! It's to be expected, having read Blake's Bright Falls series, but was charming nonetheless.

I'm interviewing her for my podcast this coming Monday (10/28) and very excited to share the book with the world!

This book is the sapphic Hallmark movie we all needed. In a holiday where media is overly heteronormative, this is the perfect queer addition for those who love christmas and are looking for the representation they deserve. Not only that, but the Christmas joy is deeply felt despite the negative outlook on the holiday. The two main characters are well developed and the scenes of their "dates" are absolutely perfect, and so are the more tender and vulnerable scenes. As previously noted, this is just like a Hallmark movie in the sense that its large city people going to a small town for the holiday and finding love and the most wonderful time of the year. This is a classic second-chance romance Christmas romcom in queer book form and I'm here for it!

It's hard not to fall in love with an AHB novel, but this one takes the cake with the Christmas ambiance. A second-chance romance done right, with such vibrant characters and plenty of holiday mishaps. Would someone please make her books into romcom movies?! This will be a new staple for Christmas reading.

Another fantastic sapphic book from Ashley Herring Blake! I quite literally could not put this down. Charlotte and Brighton are each fabulously flawed and interesting and I just wanted even more from this book! I can’t wait for my next read from AHB!

I loved the found family vibes, snowy setting, forced proximity, and second chance pining!! Such a perfect book to curl up with during snowy weather.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the e-arc!
Another absolutely amazing romance by Ashley Herring Blake! She is such an auto-read author for me and I was so excited to see a holiday romance book being released. Compared to her previous work, I still have such a soft spot for her bright Fall series, but I enjoyed this. The vibes brought a ton of enjoyment as I am a sucker for a holiday romance, and Blake definitely knows how to set up a cute romance.
Now, second-chance romances are very hit-or-miss for me, and I struggled a bit with it in this story. I flipped-flopped a bit on how I was feeling, and I am kind of still on the fence. The explanations/execution just fell a bit flat for me. There were moments I liked and moments I didn't, so I am still unsure about the overall rating.

Ashley Herring Blake's Make the Season Bright is a delightful queer holiday romance. Five years after Brighton leaves Charlotte at the altar, they are forced together on a Christmas vacation with friends they met post breakup who happen to be sisters. This is a character driven second chance romance with a strong cast of supporting characters. Brighton, Charlotte, and friends are all participating in the town's single holiday dating extravaganza. It was a great little book to get in the holiday spirit.

This one made me excited and ready for holidays nice and early this year. This author is always a hit and has yet to disappoint me. Really excited to sell this one this holiday season

Make the Season Bright follows Charlotte and Brighton. The two haven’t seen each other since Brighton left Charlotte at the altar 5 years ago, but now find themselves in the middle of a small town in Colorado stuck together doing holiday activities with their mutual friends. I started off really enjoying this one, but it quickly turned sour the more I got to know our two main characters. Both Charlotte and Brighton were a bit insufferable, and I had no desire to root for them to get back together. The reasons they broke up the first time made sense, and honestly it felt like a conflict that should not have ever been resolved (hello… Brighton left Charlotte at the ALTAR? that’s unforgivable). I knew this was a second-chance romance going in, but the reasoning for the split should have made it final. Beyond that, the Christmas vibes that I wanted felt rushed and a subplot of a subplot. The Two Turtledoves aspect sounded really fun but the scenes never felt fleshed out.

I liked the friend group and the side characters, but beyond that, this was just… fine. This was a miss for me, which is disappointing as I’ve enjoyed all of AHB’s adult romances so far!

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for providing me a copy of this!!

I have read other books by this author and I absolutely loved the Bright Falls series and was excited to see that they were making a holiday book!

This book was a tough one for me in the beginning. I was getting the characters confused and who did what with who but I eventually got it all straightened out. There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed and other parts I felt that it was dragging a bit.

I am such a fan of second chances and in this one they were forced to be together in a snowy setting in Colorado during the holidays. The tension is high between Charlotte and Brighton. Charlotte rightfully so is still not over Brighton leaving her at the altar.

One thing that Ashley is so great at doing is spice! She made the intimate moments between Charlotte and Brighton feel so real and you could feel their passion towards one another. The old feelings never quite left them.

I thought this was a really cute read and great for the holiday season!!

Really enjoyed this steamy Christmas-setting second chance LGBTQ romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for the electronic advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, PRH Audio, Berkley and Libro FM for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-f/f contemporary romance
-holiday romance
-second chance
-childhood best friends to lovers to estranged to lovers
-forced proximity
-found family

I really enjoyed this one on audio. Second chance, with holiday shenanigans!