The characters are well-developed and relatable, each facing their own challenges—be it a romantic entanglement, family pressures, or personal growth. Waters excels at creating a tapestry of interconnected lives, allowing readers to see how their stories intersect in unexpected ways. The humor sprinkled throughout lightens the mood, ensuring that even the most emotional moments are balanced with laughter.

Martha Walters has been a long time favourite of my mine for a sweet holiday rom com with depth, and this book didn’t dissapoint!

Once again this author comes up with a unique plot. Charlotte (an American) hates Christmas, after starring in a Hallmark type holiday rom com as a child. She goes to England to spend the holidays with her sister, who unfortunately drags her along for several holiday activities. She ends up at Eden Priory, where part of her holiday movie was filmed and has a chance meeting with Graham. Grahams family own the historical house, and are hosting events and activities to try to generate enough income for repairs, and to keep from looking their home.

Overall this story was interesting, with great plot and fascinating characters.

I did find it hard to warm up to Charlotte initially, she is a grumpy grinch who doesn’t want to hang out with her family (who she came to visit) and do anything Christmas themed because of all the attention she received (good and bad) from the movie she was in as a child. At that point I felt especially sorry for her sister, brother in law and their baby whom she came to visit! She isn’t getting recognized by many people, and maybe needs some counselling at this point.

However, we definitely see some character growth throughout the story, which redeems her.

Overall this book was entertaining and interesting, with great characters and dialogue. However, it is not a sugary sweet Hallmark type rom rom if that is what you are in to.

Thank you to Atria books and Netgalley for providing me with a eARC of this book to read and review.

3.5⭐️ A cute, easy read just in time for Christmas!

This book follows Charlotte as she escapes the US & her past as a child actor to reunite in London with her sister. While there, she meets & develops a relationship with Graham who owns the house in which in her childhood movie was filmed.

This was unique and unlike any other romance online I’ve read. I found the FMC a little insufferable and could not relate to her Christmas hatred. But the relationship and MMC are top tier!!

This was an advanced read copy I received through Netgalley so it’s not going to be officially published until October 22, 2024! But this is my honest review!

Add this book to your to read list, I promise you won’t regret it! & then let me know what you thought!

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Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
London at Christmas? Count me in. This is such a cute and unique story! I have loved all of the author’s other books and this one did not disappoint. I loved the child star of a Christmas cult classic plot and enjoyed the chemistry between our main characters!

I'm not a huge fan of Christmas stories. Scrooge much? But I really enjoyed Christmas Is All Around.

Charlotte is complex. She's had a strange, and not entirely enjoyable, childhood. Starring in a campy Christmas movie that became way too popular, she's worked hard to reinvent herself. She knew immediately that Hollywood wasn't for her despite her parents' desires. She never wants to make another movie. She'd be happy if the one she made would just go away out of the public's mind. Graham isn't really into the movie or the Christmas events his family is forced to hold to try to keep the ancestral home. After Charlotte's sister drags her to the house featured in her film, she find a nook to hide in and sketch the decorations. She's an artist now and this is her happy place, the drawing not necessary the nook. With the chaos of her husband, in-laws and young baby, Charlotte's sister' leave Charlotte behind. She's prickly with Graham but needs his offered ride to get back to her sister's London home. The two realize they can help each other. Graham will chauffeur Charlotte so she can do a series of Christmas cards for Graham to sell featuring his home and others used for Christmas movie sets. Charlotte can see where this would be a good business decisions and reluctantly agrees. The two spend a lot of time visiting locations and find they really like each other.

There's lot of tension. Difficult parents, a screaming baby, those in-laws, Charlotte, and it all makes for an interesting story. I liked watching Charlotte realize how much she's shut herself off as a coping mechanism and Graham deciding his life's work and moving into it.

I really enjoyed this book.

Thanks to the author, Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Christmas Is All Around by Martha Waters 🎨
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐

I enjoyed this cute and quick Christmas romance!

I liked the premise and the characters and thought it was a well written story! The beginning felt a lot stronger than the end half but overall, it would be a good addition for your classic holiday romance reads this winter.

When I saw that Martha Waters had a new book out that was contemporary fiction, I was really excited to check it out. I've read Waters' historical romance series and really enjoyed them as they aren't as stodgy or formal as other historical romances that I've read in the past. In 'Christmas Is All Around,' Charlotte is a former child actor who starred in only one movie, a very popular holiday movie called 'Christmas is All Around' (ahem, a Love Actually-esque film) but hasn't acted since. When the movie is optioned for a sequel and all the original actors sign on to play their roles except for Charlotte, she encounters a lot of hate and backlash, in person and online. Since it's almost Christmas, Charlotte decides to escape New York City and heads to London to stay with her older sister, brother-in-law and baby niece for a month or so until New Year's. Coincidently, she joins her family on a tour of an old mansion for Christmas carols that winds up being the place where many of her 'Christmas is All Around' scenes were filmed years ago. In a funny meet-cute, Charlotte is thrown together with Graham, who's family owns the mansion. He's struggling to help keep the home in the family despite the large fees it takes to maintain it, and enlists Charlotte, who is a graphic designer/artist, to create sketches/prints of the mansion and a few other England-based homes and buildings that have been featured in popular holiday movies to sell in their gift shop. The relationship between Charlotte and Graham develops slowly and sweetly--neither are necessarily ready to jump into a relationship with someone who lives across the ocean. The family interactions and conversations are entertaining, especially the descriptions and adventures with Charlotte's baby niece. I really did enjoy this book, although Charlotte does come across as one-note throughout the book. She really hates Christmas and that kind of becomes her personality. Graham was a very relatable male lead, although his stubborness kind of became his only personality trait too. I loved the setting of London during the holidays though, and I'll definitely look out for more contemporary romance from Martha Waters.

I adored Martha Waters’ The Regency vows series. I was curious to see how Waters would pivot from historical romance to modern romance, specifically Christmas romance.

With her signature wit and development of a likable full cast of characters, Waters pens a very cute Grinchy romance about Charlotte and Graham. Charlotte starred in a Christmas movie hit when she was nine and the movie haunts her. Graham’s family owns the house where part of the film Charlotte starred in was filmed. This book is hilariously self-aware and pokes fun at the holiday romance plot lines, Christmas traditions, and people’s obsession with actors and popular movies.

I saw that Waters posted an early review that described this book as two nepotism babies falling in love. I think that’s apt — some of the problems feel a little contrived. For example, Charlotte’s complaints about the film felt a bit overblown at times. Graham deals with more substantial issues and is a gem. We protect Graham at all costs. I liked how their relationship develops and I loved how Charlotte’s sister and best friend interact with her and call her out when needed.

Overall, a solid romance that’s ideal for anyone feeling Grinchy about the season but who also wants something cozy and cute.

Ever since appearing as a child in a Christmas movie that has become a classic, Charlotte has tried to distance herself from the holiday as much as possible. Charlotte heads to London to celebrate with her sister and get out of the States. It seems Charlotte can’t escape her past even in a different country. When she heads to an event at Eden Priory-a country estate where the movie was filmed-Charlotte’s past and present collide. She becomes quick friends with the family who owns Eden Priory, the son Graham in particular. When he commissions Charlotte to illustrate famous Christmas scenes all around London, the time together leads Graham and Charlotte to challenge each other. This creates a spark they can’t deny. But all is not what it seems.

With Martha Water’s trademark wit and sweetness this holiday romance has gone straight to the top as one of my favorites!

what a fun, unique, intriguing story! I loved Charlottes character as she grapples with past haunts while also falling for Graham who is unknowingly connected to Charlottes past. I was hooked into Charlottes story here, wanting to know more and more about her why’s. Graham is cute and I love his and Charlottes connection and love story.

overall, a super fun, captivating, unique story! thank you for the arc :)

This story was a sweet Christmas romance! The tongue-in-cheek aspect, especially towards the end was a bit much for me personally, and the side characters felt underdeveloped which led to a more flat feeling as I read.

This was an interesting storyline - a take on a young, child actress from love, actually (but of course renamed)… who grew up in a Hollywood family … but hated fame. She winds up being forced to attend a Christmas event at one of the filming locations that celebrates the movie, after fleeing home to avoid the public outcry from enraged fans after refusing to do a sequel, like, 20 years later, and basically being told her decision has derailed the entire project.

Meeting a very non-fan and someone related to the property (Eden Priory), she somehow winds up touring the English countryside and doing commissioned drawings of other iconic movie locations with him, and realizing that the Christmas season might not be so bad, afterall…

I’m a big fan of Waters’ regency romps and this one is really different, but really enjoyable! I also love the actual movie it was loosely based on (the one that Charlotte was in as a child actor), so those ties definitely might have kept me glued to the pages a little more, waiting for some other Easter eggs. I definitely recommend this one to her fans, and love, actually fans, and just good Christmas romance fans!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Atria Books, and this is my honest feedback.

I don't read much historical romance but LOVED Martha Water's series so I knew I'd love this one as well and I was right. An absolute delight: smart, sexy, whimsical, festive.

This was such a fun Christmas story. I loved the relationship between the two main characters. They were both so thoughtful of each other and so respectful. I also loved the idea of an unwilling child star.

Charlotte is a former child star who hates the holidays and has no desire to associate with the movie that made her famous. To escape pressure to do a reboot, she heads from NYC to London to visit family for the holidays. While there, she accidentally finds herself at a filming location for the movie, and strikes a deal with one of the owners, Graham.

3.75 stars

If you love a good Hallmark Christmas movie but crave some additional spice, reading Christmas is All Around is definitely a good idea. Author Martha Waters gives readers a delightful little romp in modern day England with all the charm and wit of her historically-set previous works.

This book winks at its predecessors and is meta in the sense that it’s breaking down its tropes in real time, all without feeling too rote. Those who crave interesting and safe (meaning there's a happy ending) holiday reads will be delighted by the book.

I will say that this book feels more cinematic than literary, if only because its commentary throughout is mostly regarding films. The ending is definitely an HFN, and I would have loved an epilogue.

Overall, though, this is a nice addition to other holiday-themed contemporary romances and a book you’ll definitely want to finish in one sitting.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this! I had high hopes going into this book as I love a good, Christmas read. Charlotte is a previous childhood star battling her past role, and is definitely a bit of a Scrooge for the holidays. This book is good, and the character development and bond between Graham and Charlotte is sweet. I did find that Charlotte was too much of a Scrooge at times, sometimes to the detriment of keeping my interest and the story line, but overall a festive read!

Christmas Is All Around is a fun holiday romance, perfect for fans of Hallmark Christmas movies. Charlotte hates the holidays.  When she was younger, she starred in a Christmas movie. Well, to her misfortune, that movie has become a fan favorite. It’s one of those Christmas movies everyone watches each year. Charlotte shoots down reprising her role in a reboot and receives a lot of hate from it. Desperate to flee the crazy fans, she flies to London for 6 weeks with her sister and brother-in-law before the holidays. What Charlotte didn’t expect was to find herself falling in love like everyone does in a Christmas romance movie.

This is a cute story! I loved every scene with Charlotte and Graham. They were adorable together, and I loved their sarcastic banter. Martha Waters does a great job portraying a realistic relationship between the two. They slowly drop their walls and let the other in, bit by bit.

I don’t have any complaints about the story. I gave this 3 stars rather than 4 stars because I never felt fully invested.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book!

Super cute and cozy read. I loved the child star angle for the FMC - this was so refreshing! I really appreciated how her story line tangled with the MMC, because it felt really natural that they would have tension around the movie. However, I really wanted to see the story from the MMC's perspective - I felt like he was supposed to be grouchy, but not really? I'm not sure I fully got a sense of who he was.

Additionally, the romance moved at a strange pace - did they like each other or not? That being said, I loved the ways that their story was drawn out a bit by different challenges they experienced along the way. But the spicy moments...they felt very jarring and sudden. There were only a few pages between them kissing and then getting spicy. While I enjoyed the spice, I didn't see how they'd landed there in the plot. It felt sudden.

BUT, that being said, this was a lovely read and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a fun, refreshing holiday read.

This was such a great book for the holidays and will appeal to both people who love Christmas and those that don’t (like our lovely but surly FMC, Charlotte). I really enjoyed the idyllic setting of England/London during the holiday season and found myself wanting to be transported to these lovely towns that Charelotte and Graham were visiting! Also really liked how the characters felt real and nuanced and were each dealing with their own demons but helping each other too. The chemistry was great and I LOVED the cast of side characters! Overall highly recommend this for your holiday tbr!

Another book to add to your holiday list! This was a fun rom-com, but it wasn’t syrupy sweet. There was enough fun banter between the two main characters that they built tension but weren’t aggravating.