Even though Charlotte gives off major Grinchy Bah Humbug vibes she’s not completely shut off from having feelings. Enter Graham and her sister and, well, Christmas all around, and she starts to defrost. While the main characters certainly hold their own, the secondary players add a lot of humor and color to the story. 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy. Always happy to read a Christmas story in December.

"𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴, 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺, '𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘕𝘖𝘛 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴.'"


This book was everything.

It had all the best parts of some of my favorite holiday rom coms, specifically Cameron Diaz and Jude Law a la 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 - whom I kept picturing the whole time I was reading (minus the single dad aspect, of course).

My heart just feels happy after finishing this and it's definitely fueling my final push through the end of the year - for reading, for work and for home!

🎄 England in Christmas
🏰 Child Christmas Movie Stardom
🎄 Scrooge/Grinch FMC
🏰 Cinnamon Roll MMC
🎄 English Castle
🏰 ALL the Holiday Movie Clichés
🎄 Only One Room!

A huge thank you to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review! ❤️
.
.
.
.
#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #christmasisallaround #marthawaters #book93of2024 #whatsnikkireading #atriabooks #netgalley #christmasinengland #holidaymoviecliches #holidayromance #romance #onlyoneroom #scrooge #grinch #holidayromcom

I LOVED THIS!! Holiday book of the season for me, for sure.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDYJESzROlu/?igsh=MXU2NDh3M3FpN3Jscg==

The snow fell in gentle flurries, coating the grounds with a pristine white dusting. The Christmas tree was lit and the warmth of the lights could be felt even from the outside. She rubbed her gloved hands together to warm them, but inside her heart was cold. She wishes she could just bypass Christmas.

Christmas is All Around follows Charlotte, a former child actress who starred in a famous Christmas movie. But when she’s pressured into a reboot that she doesn’t want any part of, she flees to London to get away from all the pressure. While there she hopes to avoid all things Christmas.

This was a cute holiday romance filled with all the Christmas cheer and activities. I loved watching Charlotte’s grinch heart grow as she slowly discovered the magic of Christmas she’s been trying to avoid. The sarcasm and witty banter between Charlotte and Graham was excellent and I found myself chuckling quite a bit as they made fun of all the cheesy holiday tropes.

If you love holiday romances, grumpy (her)/sunshine (him), and a “must save the family business” storyline… this is a cute read to pick up.

This was a cute holiday read, but u sound myself having a really hard time getting into it. Maybe the story based in England wasn’t for me, or the obsession with Christmas movies since I’m not a huge fan of

Definitely recommend adding this Christmas romcom to your TBR! This storyline was cute, witty, and different enough from the three other Christmas romcoms I read before this to keep my attention for the whole book. It was hallmarky but never felt like a recycled story.

I loved Waters’ historical romances and this contemporary Christmas one was just as good!

Thanks NetGalley and the Publishers for this ARC.

I love Christmas books, especially those that take place in London. This was cute and a good book to get in the holiday mindset.

This cozy holiday romance is perfect for fans of Love Actually!

If you enjoy the “hates Christmas” trope than this one is for you!

I’ve been a fan of Waters since her historical romance coms and all her strengths show through in this contemporary holiday romance! Hope it’s one of many to come!

This was such a fun and joyful holiday romance! Charlotte and Graham are delightful grumps within their respective families of holiday obsessives and their chemistry together is electric on the page. I found the surrounding cast of characters very funny, and while there were some elements that felt underdeveloped I thought overall this book really hit the perfect balance of nods to Hallmark Christmas movies and something a little deeper. Recommended for anyone who loves holiday rom com movies!

I am such a sucker for British holiday romances. There is something about them that is just cozier than a book set anywhere else. And this book also has a giant, old country estate (I was picturing the house in Downton Abbey) and a handsome, bespectacled Brit (a la Jude Law in The Holiday) who appreciates snarky wit.

I think this was the perfect wintry read. It is Christmas -adjacent but that is not an overwhelming part of the plot. Readers who don’t love an overpowering Christmas book would still enjoy this.

I am so happy I read this!

Hallmark vibes! One bed and forced proximity! Fun easy bingeable read. Not too spicy which was great

This was a great little holiday read about Charlotte who's a Christmas Grinch and she encounters Graham who had a different outlook in the holiday, her life might be able to change in that perspective.

Charlotte once stared in a Christmas film as a child and when word of a reboot comes out and people just ASSUME Charlotte will want to do it (she hasn't acted since), she goes to spend time with her sister in England but gets involved with Graham who owns an estate that was a location for that movie.

I did think the romance was cute and Hallmark-y but what I really enjoyed was the sister relationship. Ava as a new mom was so relatable to me. She was fresh and funny.

This is for you if you like cheesy, cute hallmark movies!!

Grab a cup of hot cocoa and get snuggled into a blanket to read this cute Christmas book. ❤️💚

Add it to your holiday TBR ASAP!

Charlotte hates Christmas. The whole Christmas season.
Sound familiar anyone???? Anyhow, she hates it partially due to her parents and her upbringing but then the other part is because she was a child star in a Christmas movie & her fans won’t let her move on from that. She heads off to London to spend Christmas with her sister & her family. Along the way, she meets Graham. This is where things get interesting IMO. It’s like grumpy x grumpy or in this case, grinch meets grinch. Graham hires Charlotte to paint Christmas movie themed estates & while spending time together, they both sense a spark igniting between them. Graham just MIGHT be the one to change Charlottes mind about hating Christmas. Maybe, just maybe…

I enjoyed Charlotte, though at times I felt like she was a complainer about certain things. Graham was a great MMC & I really liked the sweet banter between him and Charlotte. I disliked the third act breakup, but that is again, just my opinion.
Read this if you enjoy:
One bed
Holiday romance
Forced proximity

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a copy of this ARC! All opinions are my own.

While I have enjoyed Martha Waters in the past, I think I prefer her historical romances and ones that have a dual POV. This is charming enough for a holiday romance that is riffing on famous Christmas films (Love Actually in particular) but it isn't anything special. Charlotte is a once child star famous for being in a Christmas film and recognized everywhere, so much so that she flees NYC to visit her sister, brother-in-law and niece in London for the holidays. There are fans online upset that she's not a part of a reboot of the film 20 years later. She doesn't care for the holidays but she manages to end up going to plenty of events throughout December with her family. One of those events is at the very house that some of her pivotal scenes from the film were shot, Eden Priory, where she meets Graham. Graham's family owns the place and is trying to keep it afloat (taking a historical romance hero problem and bringing it into the 21st century). Sparks fly between Graham and Charlotte as they work together. Charlotte is an artist doing sketches and water colors of scenic holiday places from films.

The third act break up was just not reasonable. A situation of the heroine getting in her own way. Thankfully she figures it out pretty quickly. I give this points for having a happy for now ending (no engagement or wedding epilogue here). The friends and side characters are all pretty charming. Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a fan of Martha Waters by way of her witty and sly Regency rom-coms, I was just a slight bit worried that those elements might not translate to 2024 United Kingdom. Fear not, gentle reader – Ms. Waters’ sparkling wit has usefully been leavened by lashings of 21st century humor and snark, without leaving out a particle of the tropes of the genre. Except of course, where she gives ‘em a hearty twist.

Charlotte has long since relegated to the dust heap her childhood brief bloom of fame in a Christmas movie she’s spent two decades trying to forget. If only her more dedicated fans (and in her darkest mutterings, she might be overheard to say ‘rabid' fans) would leave well enough alone. But no, since she declined to participate in the planned reboot of "Christmas, Truly" and the word leaked out, she’s had DM’s from hell cluttering up her feeds and even a pissed off teen confronting her in Central Park.

Enough! She flees New York for an extended visit to her actress sister and family in London, rationalizing that she can do her artwork, which has become her livelihood, anywhere. Just so long as no one drags her into Christmas activities, especially in London, which seems to have become a hub of festivity. Fat chance on that score, especially when she’s dragged along to visit a classic country home for a Christmas lighting ceremony and finds to her horror that she recognizes it from all those years ago as the setting for some of the movie’s scenes.

From there the pace moves briskly along, including a meet-cute with a handsome Brit (with glasses – an extra kick to her kink), who she found stripping off a felt reindeer costume in the very nook she retreated to in order to flee the room with the huge Christmas tree that was giving her those unwanted flashbacks.

There's also her infant niece, whose default mode is pitching a fit and frazzling Charlotte’s sister and brother-in-law, to the requisite/inevitable falling in love with said Brit., misunderstandings, and even....ta da.... a Grand Gesture. Which I have to confess was a bit less than I thought it would be but no less satisfying.

If you are in the mood for something that’s both festive and a palate cleanser for all those ‘cut from the same cloth’ TV holiday movies, Ms. Waters has you covered. Now I want to go back and revisit her Regency Vows books to compare and contrast – but I fully expect that her signature wit will be the throughline. Highly recommended. Advance reader copy provided by Netgalley, which has not influenced this review.

Sassy and festive, I loved the juxtaposition of Graham being the sexy British sunshine to Charlotte's grinchy grump. Honestly, I empathize with Charlotte dealing with complicated family issues that magnify around the holidays. I also wouldn't want to be identified as "that kid in that Christmas movie" for my whole life, I think others were a bit put off by her but I could relate.

Who wouldn't want to get escorted around London by a super cutie pie and be able to do art? There was also some sizzling banter, which I always appreciate.

The little story was flat in places, and I would have loved an Epilogue, but over all its a cute Christmas read perfect for lovers of Grumpy x Sunshine.

While I didn't personally love this one even though I loved the premise. What's not to love about a heroine who hates Christmas and all things Christmas movies. I can't relate at least for Hallmark channel movies. And the England setting was to die for as well as the Graham. But Charlotte the heroine got on my nerves and I never warmed up to her. But most Christmas rom com readers who don't mind annoying heroines will enjoy this one.

An easy breezy, fun holiday read! It’s short, under 300 pages with parts that are laugh out loud funny. I loved the descriptions of baby Alice and the commentary of all the real life craziness and cringe moments that come with being a first time parent (or aunt in out FMC’s case). I so enjoyed the banter between characters, not only the FMC and MMC but also the FMC and her sister. I loved that relationship. The overall theme of gratitude was so heartwarming. I did hate that this one ended so quickly. I wanted an epilogue!

This story was so incredibly fun! The fact that this was about a former child star from a Christmas movie who hates Christmas was the perfect premise. Also her visiting her sister who has a screaming new baby and her in laws staying with her just added so much comedic relief. Then of course the husband British love interest made this a sexy, heart warming story.