I loved Martha Waters regency series so I was psyched that she had a Christmas book coming out, named for Love, Actually which is my favorite Christmas movie! This was a cute holiday romance, we have a former child actress that is haunted by the Christmas movie she did as a kid and is just trying to distance herself from it, then we have this sweet, charming man, picture Jude Law in The Holiday, who owns a classic English estate that is barely keeping float. They come up with a plan that could help them both and of course start to fall in love. It was a good book, but I didn't really understand whyy Charlotte hated her role sooo much and she brought it up too much. I also didn't love how they both made fun of corny holiday romance movies which I happen to love, especially Love, Actually, which that book is name after!! So that was kinda off-putting but I think it was more of a me thing.

This book was a solid mid book for me. I was enjoying it. It was cute and fun and moved along quickly. Charlotte may have been a little too grumpy but it was kind of relatable, not really understandable though. She lives in New York city and is successful enough as an artist she doesn't need a different full time job, like why so grumpy girl.
HOWEVER it lost a star because the 3rd act breakup was absolutely ridiculous and made no sense. It was overreacting for the sake of drama.

Charlotte is trying to outrun her past - namely her role as a child in a very famous Christmas movie. When she is the only thing stopping a sequel, she heads to London to visit her sister and family and let the spotlight die down. But on a trip to the very house featured in her Christmas movie, Charlotte meets Graham, the owner, and slowly but surely, starts to feel like she’s starring in a real life Christmas movie.

This is a fun Love Actually-inspired Christmas story that had some laugh out loud moments and a lot of heart. I liked this book. Charlotte is definitely the grumpy side of the grumpy/sunshine trope, sometimes overly so. But I liked the chemistry between her and the MMC. Overall a solid Christmas romcom.

Charlotte is a former Christmas movie child star who no longer enjoys Christmas, and also refuses to participate in a reboot that could save Graham’s family estate. Graham is determined to show her some Christmas cheer, and (of course) they fall for each other along the way! This is a classic little Christmas romcom, and perfect to get you in the Christmas spirit! I loved Charlotte’s chaotic family as well, and the ending was adorable. Definitely one to add to your Christmas TBR!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read before pub day! ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. CHRISTMAS IS ALL AROUND is out now!

3.5 rounded up to 4. This was honestly everything I could ask for a holiday romance! I enjoyed that the roles were a bit reversed in terms of Charlotte being the grumpy one for the holidays. Graham really pushed Charlotte into the holiday spirit, and shocker they developed feelings for one another. What started as a working relationship definitely blossomed into more. I felt like some of the side characters/storylines weren’t always necessary but overall, I enjoyed it.

I liked the concept of this book, but I think the story ultimately fell flat. It took me forever to slog through this book, which is never a good sign. Furthermore, the third act conflict was pretty ridiculous and childish in my opinion. I thought the premise and Christmas vibes were nice, but I didn't really enjoy reading this overall and can't see myself recommending it to others - it didn't really do much for me. Thanks anyway for the ARC.

Feels like a Hallmark Christmas movie in a book! This is my favorite type of book to read this time of year. I really enjoyed the main characters but the supporting cast really brings the story to life.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Really enjoyed this book! The main character was very relatable and the concept was fun. I really enjoyed all the side characters. definitely gives London Boy by Taylor Swift.

Charlotte is a former child actress who dislikes the holidays. She had starred in a Christmas classic and fans will not let her escape from that role. She escapes to London to spend the holidays with her sister and build up her art profile. Little does she know they stumble into Eden Priory where her movie was filmed. In a whirlwind of events she accidentally gets left in the town and recognized by fans of the movie there. She ends up meeting one of the owners Graham and he helps to get her back to London. Charlotte finds out that Eden Priory is slowly failing and that the funds for the holiday house are running low. Charlotte and Graham make a deal to help each other out but over time there seems to be more between them. Will Graham’s intentions for Charlotte reveal a secret motive all along? Will Charlotte be saying So Long, London or will her heart warm up to the holidays and Graham?

This book screams perfect Netflix Christmas movie! I think the setting was perfect being in cozy London. I liked Charlotte’s growth from beginning to end. However I couldn’t see where her hatred of her holiday movie really stemmed from. I enjoyed seeing the bond between Charlotte and Graham and it just grew when they went on their short trips together! I think the two main characters balance each other out well! Overall I recommend for a fun Christmas romance!

Such a charming and fun holiday rom-com! This one is set in London & brings all the holiday vibes!

I really enjoyed the family antics. I find a lot of holiday books have big & dramatic families, and it just brings so much humor and fun to the story. I also really liked the main characters, and I felt their connection right from the start.

Overall, it was engaging and fun! A must add to your holiday TBR!

This book was okay. I enjoyed the setting of London at Christmas but I found the main character of Charlotte kind of unlikeable. I found she was ungrateful, selfish, and kind of unpleasant. I found the romance between her and Graham to be lacking. How does someone like Graham who enjoys Christmas and is very family orientated fall in love with someone that hates Christmas and seems to not really like any of her family members, including her niece Alice who she seems to actually hate.

There were sometimes too many characters for me. Characters were mentioned and included and then never spoke of again. What happened to Leo? He was never spoken of again after the drunken Christmas party. I will say though I did enjoy Ava and Kit's relationship more then Charlotte and Graham. They were much more likeable and loving.

Overall this book wasn't terrible though. It was exactly what I look for in a Christmas romance book.

I loved Martha Waters's entire Regency Vows series, and though I knew I’d read anything she put out, I was surprised when she announced her next book: a contemporary holiday romance called Christmas Is All Around. It’s such a different style of novel, starting with it not being set 200 years in the past. And yet her writing and voice shine as much here as in her historical romances. This is another win in her rapidly growing catalogue.

Christmas Is All Around stars a former child actor, Charlotte, who appeared in a popular holiday film, Christmas Truly. (Yes, it’s basically Love Actually!) However, Charlotte didn’t enjoy acting and honestly doesn’t like holiday movies or Christmas in general. So, a bit of a grinch! She goes to London to visit her sister and six-month-old niece, and while there, she meets Graham. His family owns the building where Charlotte’s Christmas Truly love interest lived, and they’re looking for new ways to fund this old house… and holiday cheer certainly draws a crowd. Should Charlotte keep trying to outrun the ghosts of Christmas past, or could Graham be worth it after all?

Tropes & Narrative Devices:
• Holiday romance
• Former child actor
• Grumpy heroine
• Work-related romance
• Field trips
• Only one bed
• Third-person POV (Charlotte)

What I Liked:

• The anti-Hallmark movie vibes. The author sold this book as one that would appeal to people who don’t like Hallmark Christmas movies. And indeed, although I do enjoy Christmas and many holiday movies, Hallmark movies specifically… I kind of hate them. So this book sounded perfect to me! Charlotte is a grinch, and I appreciate that she never has to discover the joy of the season. She can find love and overall happiness, even without the holiday cheer people expect of her. Good for her.

• Funny banter. All of Martha Waters’s books are hilarious, and the characters’ banter in particular is her trademark. Prior to this, it worked well in her regency romances, and it translates easily to the contemporary setting, too. Perhaps it’s more natural here, actually. Regardless, this book was such fun to read, grinchy vibes and all!

• Christmas themes. Obviously, a book called Christmas Is All Around is going to surround our characters with Christmas. In addition to movies (and the obvious Love Actually similarities), I enjoyed seeing Charlotte go about doing Christmas-y things against her will. It certainly put me into the holiday mood.

• Discussions around creativity and individuality. Charlotte wants to be known for her current art, not that one movie she was in as a nine-year-old. I liked the discussions around her worth, being held back by or grateful to that movie, and finding balance in her perspective.

What Didn’t Work for Me:
• Since I currently relate to Ava in that I have a (nearly) six-month-old baby, Charlotte should be a more involved aunt! Lol.

Final Thoughts
I don’t read too many holiday romances, but Christmas Is All Around was the perfect one for me. I enjoyed the romance between Charlotte and Graham, seasonal setting and all. It’s smart, funny, and just a feel-good (but not Hallmark-y!) read that’s perfect for the holidays.

Christmas is All Around is a contemporary holiday romance from the author of The Regency Vows series, which is historical romance.

Christmas All Around presents a unique spin compared to other holiday romances I've read this year: the main character, Charlotte, is the former child star of an immensely popular Christmas movie.

I found Charlotte and her romantic counterpart, Graham, entertaining and endearing. The plot felt a bit too slow, for the most part, but overall I adored the charming setting and festive vibes.

It's a great romance to pick up for this time of year!

I really enjoyed this unique Christmas book. The main character starred in a hit Christmas movie as a kid….as a result she hates Christmas. Of course she ends up at the house she filmed at which happens to be now owned by the swoony British Graham who is just trying his best to save the family home. These two end up spending time together over the holiday season and you can guess how the rest goes!

I loved Charlotte’s distaste for all things holiday related. She had me laughing many times throughout the book. I found her very likeable. There was some solid making fun of Hallmark movies that is warranted and had me cracking up.

Graham was cute, charming and sweet. A great Christmas love interest.

This was a great listen on audio and I ended up listening to the entire thing doing stuff around the house.

A lovely holiday story with many moments of self reflection. I loved the writing style the author used and will probably pick up more from the author in the future.

4.5 rounded up

Such a great Christmas rom-com. The story is a classic meet-cute, including a Christmas hating MC. Add in a family estate in need of saving and you have a cast of characters and a plot.

The enjoyable, light story is a quick read with an equally quick pace. A perfect, light Christmas book to enjoy during the season.

Advanced reader copy provided by Atria and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

This is my first Christmas read of the year, and it was a great one! I loved the meta, tongue-in-cheek aspect of Charlotte hating Christmas because she starred in a holiday rom-com as a child. A lot of seasonal novels are slapstick, require a lot of suspension of disbelief, or are formulaic to the point of exhaustion, but this didn’t have any of that. The characters were charming and clever, and the circumstances felt almost plausible. I loved the setting in London. I would recommend this one!

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

CHRISTMAS IS ALL AROUND
Martha Waters

If I oversaw putting Christmas in a snow globe filled with merry and mirth, love for the season, and love for each other the first thing I would put in would be Martha Waters’ CHRISTMAS IS ALL AROUND. It was that good. It might in fact be my favorite Christmas-themed book I’ve ever read.

It might be the season; It might be a personal desire of mine for celebration and levity and the idea of love being a cure-all, love being the answer to every question. It might be post-election hope. Whatever it is, whatever it was, I had a great time with this book and I think you will too.

CHRISTMAS IS ALL AROUND stars Charlotte. Charlotte is the grump who hates Christmas and hates celebrating the holidays. She is a former child actor who found great success in the one film she starred in. A Christmas-themed rom com with her as an American girl in New York who wrote letters countryside.

She is an artist now, much to her parents’ dismay. She finds herself this year in London to celebrate the holidays where her family is, where the English leg of her childhood movie was filmed, and where Graham is.

Graham is the sunshine. The one who celebrates the season openly cherishes the holidays and owns the house where the movie was filmed. Wears Christmas-themed boxers underneath his suit trousers. Graham is the best!

We get to be a fly on the wall as Charlotte and Graham meet, hatch a Christmas-themed plan, and fall in love.

This was cute and everything I needed and wanted it to be. I read it on audiobook as I cooked pies for Thanksgiving dinner and it not only put me in a celebratory mood it made me fall in love again with the season, and look forward to the celebrations to come.

It was great!

I have had mixed success with Waters’ so if this is similar to where you are I can assure you this one is worth taking the risk. Four stars and an all-around good time.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy!

CHRISTMAS IS ALL AROUND…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Charlotte was not a fan of Christmas. In fact, she is rather annoyed by it. That may stem from being a child actor in a beloved Christmas movie, but she never has gotten over it. She heads to England to stay with her sister for the holidays and ends up in a bit of a real life romcom.

This one moved a bit slowly for me and I had a hard time liking the characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the read!

Christmas is all Around is exactly the type of holiday read that I love to dive into. The storyline was completely unique and didn't use a recycled theme. There was a witty banter that I really enjoyed and had me laughing out loud a few times, especially the baby references.

A former child star who hates this part of her past, finds herself in the middle of a potential Christmas reboot that she doesn't want to be a part of so she whisks herself off to London to spend some time with family and to get away from the nightmare. 

Misadventures unfold and she finds herself in the company of a handsome Englishman who may just sweep her off her Christmas feet. 

I felt totally immersed in the Christmas spirit while reading this book and am grateful that it was gifted to me. It will go amongst the favs for this year.