Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

There’s nothing better than reading a holiday romance in the summer. I love it.

If you’re looking for sweet, cute and Hallmarky with a little bit of spice, you found your read.

I would have loved this one to be a dual POV because it lent itself so well to that, but it was still so enjoyable. The plot was adorable and the characters were lovable. This book makes me want to experience Christmas in London even more now.

✨️ Ｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ ✨️

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞:Christmas Is All Around
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Martha Waters
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 295

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐬:
• Christmas Romance
• Small Town
• Child Star
• Hates All Things Christmas
• Hallmark Movie vibes
• Forced Proximity
• Miscommunication

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: Charlotte is a former child star who was popular from a Christmas movie (her one and only movie). Now as an adult, they are calling for a reboot. Everyone is on board except her which only makes the cast and the fans really upset with her. She takes an extended vacation to visit her sister in London to get away from all the madness only to get a different sort there. Her sister takes her to the location of the original movie. Now as an watercolor artist, she is hoping to make some prints to sell in their gift shop as well as some other movie locations in the area. Graham is one of the estate owners and they really would benefit from the reboot as the home is in great need of updating. While they visit each location, they get to know each other better and sparks start to fly.

I really did enjoy this book. The side characters were a lot of fun. I loved all of the holiday feel. I just felt that she was so pessimistic and at times I found that to be annoying. Holiday books are supposed to be fun and joyful - Charlotte was a stick in the mud with her hatred of Christmas. I did, however, really enjoy Graham. He is very kind, patient and doesn’t give up when changing her outlook. I really wasn’t a fan of how the miscommunication came into play but overall, it was a cute book.

I would definitely read more books by Martha - I actually have a couple on my shelf that I can’t wait to dig into!

I would like to thank @Netgalley and @Atria Books for providing me with the advanced copy of “Christmas is All Around” in exchange for an honest review.

There's something about the excitement of a midsummer Christmas story. (lol. Christmas in July anyone?) The story of "Christmas is All Around" was a delightful and unique blend of romance and festive cheer. I particularly loved the way it revolved around a charming home that had been immortalized in a famous Christmas film—a movie in which our main female character had starred as a child. The narrative sparked a wave of cozy and nostalgic emotions that got me excited for the Christmas season.

4⭐️ 1🌶️

- only one room
- England at Christmas time
- childhood movie star FMC
- cinnamon roll MMC

Charlotte was a former child star who was in a popular holiday film, and escapes to London to see her sister. Except she quickly realizes that she was accidentally left behind, and she happens to meet Graham, who’s parents own the Eden Priory Estate (which just so happened to be one of the films filming locations).

The banter between these two!!!

Thank you to Martha, Simon & schuster, and NetGalley for the arc! Thoughts are my own.

I am always charmed by holiday romance stories, so perhaps this one was a bit of a gimme. But don't we all need a gimme every once in a while?

Christmas All Around by Martha Waters is an absolutely adorable holiday romance that gave me all the cozy London-at-Christmas vibes! I adored the unique premise of traveling to famous filming locations from beloved holiday movies—it made me want to pack my bags and go on that festive adventure myself.

Charlotte and Graham completely stole the show. Their banter was snappy, their chemistry was sizzling, and I loved watching their relationship grow as they both faced the choices that brought them to where they are—and where they want to go next. The emotional depth balanced the lighthearted fun perfectly.

This is the perfect holiday read if you’re craving romance, travel, and a little movie magic.

Thank you to Martha Waters and Atria Books for my advanced copy of Christmas is All Around in exchange for an honest review.

This book has big cozy vibes, and the setting is really idyllic. The premise of the book felt like the perfect Hallmark-esque escape for the holidays. The execution, however, wasn't really able to keep my attention. I found my mind wandering and would have to go back a few pages, not realizing I was reading but not taking in anything on the page. There were parts I enjoyed, Waters did a great job of setting the holiday atmosphere, but overall the plot moved too slowly for me.

I may try again this winter, because I really do love reading Christmas themed books during the season, and I would definitely recommend it to someone who loves a good fluffy holiday read, but it wasn't my favorite.

Charlotte, a former child star from a beloved holiday film, dreads the season and the constant attention it brings. Hoping to escape, she visits her sister in London but ends up stranded at Eden Priory, a filming location from the movie. There, she meets Graham, whose family owns the estate and relies on holiday tourism to survive. Charlotte agrees to illustrate scenes from the film to support their gift shop, and as Graham escorts her to each location, an unexpected connection begins to form.

An original holiday romance. Charlotte was a grump, but she was not bitter or sullen. Graham was encouraging and optimistic without being foolish or oblivious. There were a lot of really great moments. Charlotte and Graham have a strong connection that naturally grew into a friendship that perfectly evolved into a romantic relationship. The scouting trips that they took together to these iconic film locations were all highlights.

I loved Martha Waters' historical romance series. This book didn't quite live up to those books because it lacked the humorous and playful tone that was present in her other series. Charlotte, Graham, and their families were a great cast of characters; there were certainly antics here and there, but the overall story just felt a little flat. It was cute and had a lot of potential, but I needed more.

Rating 3,5
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review!

A quick holiday read, however it didn’t give me much of the Christmas feeling and at times the FMC was quite whiny. Overall, a fun cast of characters written with Waters usual wit.

Sooooo… I ended up DNFing this book. When the majority of the time spent is dedicated to checking emails and other boring work tasks and there is absolutely no chemistry between the love interests I am checked out.

Christmas is one of my all time favorite holidays so of course I had to give this a read. This is such a fun read! The characters are witty. I throughly enjoyed this!

Christmas All Around is a sweet holiday romance that tries really hard not to be a holiday romance. The romantic leads were both great, even though Charlotte leaned a little too heavily into hating Christmas. I loved their Christmas outings and the side characters were great. I wish her sister wasn't married in this book because I would have loved her to get her own book.

Thank you to Atria Books for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was a huge fan of Martha Waters's Regency Vows series and wasn't sure how I would feel about a contemporary Christmas romance but OMG I LOVED IT.

I'll admit that going in, I wasn't too sure about the setup. In sum, the female main character, Charlotte, hates Christmas because, as a child, she starred in Love, Actually (Sorry, I mean Christmas, Truly) and does not want to be associated with it. Of course, hating Christmas is a pretty common trope for a holiday book, but it can get tired.

But I love what Waters did with it here. Without giving too much away, the character's experience felt integral to the story, rather than like a convenient plot point to make the book more festive. I also love the way it contributed to the meet (very) cute and Graham's individual arc, since he also has a connection to the infamous Christmas movie.

Graham was, naturally, dreamy in that Jude Law-in-The-Holiday way, and I was not mad about it. But I loved that both main characters felt like real people who just genuinely liked each other apart from the Christmassy plot shenanigans.

If I have one complaint, it's that the third act obstacle felt VERY surmountable, and I got kind of annoyed that the characters didn't see an obvious solution. But it's a small complaint.

At the end of the day, here's the thing about Ms. Waters that will keep me coming back: she is WITTY AF. That wit really shone through in this book. You just feel like the characters in her stories are people that you would enjoy hanging out at a coffee shop with.

Five star christmas read. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

A delightful holiday rom com that blends humor, romance, and a touch of self discovery. I loved the witty banter between Charlotte and Graham which added to their sizzling chemistry. A heartwarming and entertaining read.
Many thanks to Atria and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you for this copy! I enjoyed this book but it was a somewhat cliche, predictable book. It was a fun and cute read for Christmas though!

This book filled a little Love Actually sized hole in my heart! I thoroughly enjoyed the premise and the execution, and now I need a little more movie tourism in my life.

I know it's nowhere near Christmas, but I was in the mood for a Christmas story, so I had to pick up Christmas Is All Around, and I'm so glad that I did. Martha Waters created a heartwarming story and I wished I could visit the house that this fictional movie took place in. I could picture myself curled up by a fireplace while reading a book.

Our main character, Charlotte, has kind of lost her holiday spirit and reluctantly goes to London to spend Christmas with her sister. Charlotte was a child star in a holiday movie and people recognizing her isn't something that always goes over well. This is until she meets Graham, who hires her to paint some holiday themed pieces for them to sell the next year. Graham's family actually owns the estate she filmed that movie in and she ends up helping him try to save their family estate.

Charlotte was an interesting character. I can never understand why someone doesn't love Christmas, but Charlotte's story makes me understand. I did love seeing Charlotte start thinking about her past and even the holiday. This all starts as she opens up her heart to the town, holiday, and even Graham. Christmas Is All Around is filled with fun banter, but also some emotional times. The side characters added extra fun to this story, especially Charlotte's niece.

All in al, this was such a great holiday romance and it got me in the holiday spirit. I do wish we would've have had Graham's POV throughout this story. Dual POVs always tend to work just a bit better for me personally when it comes to romance. I really hope that Martha Walters gives us more holiday themed stories.

My review will also be posted on https://thebookdutchesses.com on July 3rd as a part of Christmas in July on the blog.

Christmas is All Around had all the makings of a cozy holiday rom-com—festive London settings, a grumpy-but-sweet love interest, and a heroine trying to escape her complicated past. The premise was promising: Charlotte, a former child star of a beloved Christmas movie, has spent years trying to distance herself from that identity. When backlash over a canceled reboot sends her fleeing to London for the holidays, she unexpectedly finds herself caught up in a potential new romance—and forced to confront everything she’s been running from.

There were definitely charming moments. The London holiday backdrop was magical, from bustling markets to the picturesque Eden Priory estate. Graham, the love interest, was patient, grounded, and likeable—an appealing contrast to Charlotte’s Hollywood baggage.

But the story didn’t quite hit the emotional notes I was hoping for. Charlotte’s disdain for Christmas stems almost entirely from her fame, and while that’s understandable, her character often came across as prickly and hard to connect with. The push-and-pull dynamic with Graham felt more frustrating than romantic at times, and I found myself wishing for deeper emotional development and stronger chemistry.

Still, if you’re in the mood for a light holiday read with a nostalgic twist and a cozy British setting, this one might be worth picking up—even if it doesn’t fully deliver on its potential.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

Loved this holiday read! If you enjoy holiday movies and their many tropes, this if for you. I loved Charlotte's quirky sister and in-laws and Graham's family. I wouldn't say this is full-on "enemies to lovers" but more like grumpy meets grumpier sunshine? I love everything Martha does, and this was a fun entry into the holiday romance world.

I will continue to read everything by Martha Waters because I enjoy her books so much! She is a great storyteller and I always enjoy my time reading her books.

Overall this is an enjoyable book despite my annoyance with the FMC. She seemed a little self-centered… she focused and complained about being a former actress way too much. She wasn’t even recognized very often. It was a little off putting.

The cast of characters is memorable and fun with their witty banter. The humor really carries this book. The romance between MCs is sweet and I loved their banter and chemistry.

I almost wish it was more focused on the holidays but definitely a fun book to read around Christmas!

Thank you to Atria Books, NetGalley and Martha Waters for the opportunity to read this ARC.

3.75 stars