This was so cute and has a fresh and unique quality that if oftentimes lacking in a holiday romance for me. Charlotte’s distaste for Christmas cracked me up, I loved her humor and the chemistry between her and Graham was great. Nikki Massoud is a great narrator and sounded exactly like I imagined Charlotte would

Thank you Atria Books for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

I wasn’t too sure about this book, as I haven’t read any of the author’s historical romances, but after a review from a trusted friend I moved it up my TBR. And I LOVED it. It was such a fun, festive book with a lot of heart. It also has excellent audio production and was a great companion during this transitional time before December. It was Christmassy, but not Hallmark Christmassy.

Synopsis:

“Charlotte hates the holidays. As a former child actress, she starred in a modern classic of a holiday movie, and its fans won’t let her move on. When a piece revealing that her reluctance nixed plans for a reboot, she flees to London to spend the five-week countdown to the holidays with her sister.But the ghosts of Christmas past follow her there when she ends up at Eden Priory, a filming location for the movie she has never visited. There, after being recognized by a fan while viewing the extraordinary holiday decorations, she’s accidently left behind, forcing her to accept a ride back to London from Graham, the son of the owners. Their family business—and the funds to keep their historic house running—relies on holiday cheer, and Graham knows a visit from a holiday star would bring in more visitors.Now an illustrator, Charlotte accepts a commission illustrating iconic holiday movie scenes in London and its environs. Graham offers to help escort her, as long as she’ll commit to an art workshop at Eden Priory. But as Charlotte’s chaotic family holiday goes awry, she begins spending more time scouting locations with Graham. She may not love a Christmas romance…but what if she has one of her own?” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Premise—If you asked me what is one thing I’d want before I retire from an acting career, it would be to be in a classic Christmas movie. They’re my favorite films and I love that they are a part of families’ traditions each year. So I thought it was fun to see the effects of that, especially on a child star!

The Humor—This was a really cheeky, fun book and I thought the banter was nice between all the characters.

The Cozy but Not Cheesy Vibes—This is what I look for in a Christmas book! I don’t want holiday pun names, I want real people with their real lives and real problems amidst the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

What Didn’t Work For Me:

The 3rd Act Break Up—This was one that felt like a stretch for me. It surprised me and didn’t feel strong enough.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 4/5

Content Warnings:

grief

Any book set in London gets added to my TBR. Charlotte was a bit grumpier than I expected her to be, especially for a holiday book. It was cute, but not a favorite of mine.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. ugh, another holiday romcom set in london? it was alright, nothing special. i liked the third person pov and the characters were fully developed.

This was such a cute cozy christmas romance! I don't normally read holiday themed books, but this reminded me of a Hallmark movie. I loved the character development of Charlotte and putting her fears and family trauma behind her but looking at it in a more positive light. I thought Graham was the perfect male lead. It was your typical meet cute with an argument causing them to briefly break up but come back better than ever. This was a great book, fun read, quick, and perfect for the holiday season.

Christmas Is All Around is a charming holiday novel that takes the reader to the countryside of England during the Christmas season. It is a warm and cozy romance, perfect for those who love watching Hallmark movies or classic holiday hits as soon as Halloween is over.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Publishing for the opportunity to read this novel.

Thank you to Atria for an eARC of this book

Tropes: Holiday Romance, Hallmark Romance, Opposites Attract


This book felt like I was reading a Hallmark movie. There's the awkward meet, the doing activities together until they start having feelings, they both deny that they have feelings, then there's a grand gesture. I think what made it better was that it acknowledged the fact that it was like a Holiday romance movie.

Our FMC is escaping to London to spend time with her sister and to get away from the angry fans. When she was a child she starred in a popular Christmas movie, and with a reboot being discussed, and her refusal to be in it, people are angry. So now she goes to see her sister and be a part of the holiday. The main problem, she hates Christmas.

I enjoyed the book, it was cute, and the side characters were fun.

This book was delightful and the balm to any grinch feelings towards Christmas. It’s a great harkening back to classic Christmas movies. Charlotte and Graham have great chemistry.

This was such a fun holiday read! I love that it is set in England. I love that the main character is famous for playing a role in a famous Christmas movie as a kid. I love that it makes fun of cheesy Christmas movies and I loved the banter between the characters. Overall it is just a fun, romantic Christmas read!

Thank you to Atria books for a gifted copy!

This was such a charming and fun holiday story set in present-day England. It poked gentle fun at traditional holiday romance tropes while also utilizing a reverse grumpy/sunshine theme in which the female MC hates Christmas. It featured a great cast of side characters and all the minced pies, mulled wine, ugly sweaters and crumbling old mansions you could want. Definitely worth adding to your holiday TBR!

Thank for your the opportunity to review this. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. I only made it through half the book before I had to throw in the towel. The main character hates everything and it’s repeated SO OFTEN. I feel awful for her sister who had to deal with her while she celebrates the holidays with her baby, husband, and in-laws. The romance was weird and lacked chemistry. I wanted to see this through but it was ruining my holiday spirit.

If you had asked me a few years ago if I liked romance novels (especially historical) I would have told you "no". If you had asked me if I liked Christmas, I would have told you "no". Fortunately, I've since read some really fantastic romance novels, including Martha Waters. And in the past couple of years, despite my grinchy-ness, I have really come to enjoy the occasional holiday romance. All that considered, Christmas Is All Around was clearly written for me.

What I love most about Christmas Is All Around is that the problems each MC were facing weren't cataclysmic, existential issues. This was a sweet story, with a bit of tension and a lot of Scroogey moments, perfect for the holiday romance convert (or the grudging fan like me these days). Waters writes very cleverly, alluding to all the tropes we know and love. Our MCs were fun and I was rooting for them. Altogether a fun, easy holiday read.

In Christmas is All Around, current artist and former child star Charlotte is commissioned by Graham to create a series of holiday paintings—and ends up getting more than she bargained for. This light, quick holiday read delivers a cozy, festive experience perfect for the season. Though the story could benefit from a bit more depth and character development, it's still an enjoyable escape that captures the spirit of Christmas. If you're looking for a sweet, uncomplicated holiday romance, Christmas is All Around is worth adding to your seasonal reading list.

Charlotte, a former child star, is not a fan of the holidays and plans to spend Christmas with her sister in London. She meets Graham who happens to own the estate the film she is known for was filmed. This was a cute read and the characters had good chemistry but Charlotte was just too much of a grump for me

Lighr and easy holiday romance. Good banter, likeable characters and a lot of setting details. Goes down easy for the holiday!

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋 (I definitely prefer more descriptions, explicitness and emotional factors in my scenes)
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑 (about a page)
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥 (basically one full scene and then a few more implied scenes/fade to black)
Humor: Yes! Lots of great banter and silliness
Perspective: third person from the heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: Not too long in...about 13% or chapter 2 (of 21)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: No

Should I read in order?
I think this is a stand alone?

Basic plot:
Charlotte plans on spending the holidays (which she hates) with her sister but when she meets a stripping reindeer her holiday adventures change track.

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary romance
- holiday romance
- London setting
- American heroine / English hero pairing
- bit of a grumpy heroine that hates Christmas
- artist heroine (former child actress)
- low steam – I believe 1 light scene and some mentions/alluded to scenes

Ages:
- heroine is 29, hero is 33

My thoughts:
This one was really cute! A bit of a grumpy heroine that hates holidays meets someone that entertains society with holiday cheer. This had some really great banter and humor and just such a sweet falling for each other.

I do wish Waters had more steam! I’m always left wanting a bit more in the bedroom, or more tension and longing between the mains. But I find her books generally really sweet and enjoyable and always delightfully humorous!

I was so excited to request a copy of this book from NetGalley after reading the author's Regency Vows series! This modern romance tells this story of Charlotte, who starred in a well-loved Christmas movie as a child, but now wants nothing to do with it as an adult. She escapes the festive New York Christmas landscape and lands in London to spend the season with her sister. Charlotte ends up involved with the family whose ancestral home in rural England was a filming location for the movie Charlotte is trying to distance herself from.

I love it when authors include fourth-wall breaking talk about tropes, it always feels like a fun Easter egg for regular romance readers. Waters includes a few (One room at the inn, anyone? How about a grand gesture?) that made the story fun. I love Christmas, holiday movies, and reading seasonal books, so this book was just right!

I felt really neutral about this book. I enjoyed the storyline, it was very cozy Christmas; but I had a hard time relating to the characters and found myself not wanting to read on.

One of the common ingredients in a holiday romance is a character who doesn't like Christmas. Well Charlotte takes that to the extreme. As a young child she starred in a holiday romance film that continues to haunt her as an adult. This year, with talks of a reboot, she flies off to the UK to spend the holiday season with her sister.

Graham doesn't care much about Christmas one way or the other, he is only focused on keeping his ancestral home running, and the holidays are a big part of that. It's an old English estate, and every dollar since his father died has been a struggle. They meet when Charlotte and her sister visit an event at the place, Eden Priory, and Charlotte realizes it is the place her formative movie was filmed. Rom-Com magic happens and Graham is giving Charlotte a ride home. Now an artist, they strike a deal that she will paint a few landscapes for their giftshop.

I feel like the summary of this book doesn't really do it justice. I've been trying to come up with ways to spruce it up for ten minutes, but the plot just is what it is. It's a vehicle for these two awesome characters to fall in love. That's not to say it's a throw away plot, just that it's hard to summarize concisely.

The best part of this book is the easy banter. Oh goodness, I found myself smiling so much during this book. Charlotte is unapologetic in her disgruntled holiday persona, and Graham is happy to oblige her. The romance that builds between them is so satisfying and natural. Perfect rom-com material!

The story goes deeper than that though. Both of them have old wounds to heal, Graham's about his father and his responsibility/hero complex, Charlotte about her holiday past and even past relationships. Nothing feels forced (except maybe the inciting incident), it's just really good storytelling.

This is absolutely a holiday romance you can get lost in this season. There is something special about the genre of holiday romance, and I really recommend this one!

I know Martha Water’s from her historical romances and I was happy to see how easily she switches gears to a contemporary holiday romance. Charlotte is a former child actress who made a holiday classic movie. Fans still want her to be that character. Charlotte now is an illustrator and accepts a commission illustrating iconic holiday movie scenes around London. In London she meets Graham and he offers to escort her to locations.

In an unusual twist Charlotte is the grumpy one about Christmas compared to Graham. They have fun banter as their romance grows. I was pulled into the London setting and enjoyed the couple. (3.5 Stars)