I really love Martha Waters's writing and this was no exception. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

This was such a fun Christmas story! It had all the elements of a classic cheesy Christmas romance while putting a unique twist on the characters. A former childhood actress who hates Christmas meets the man who owns the home her Christmas movie was filmed at. I didn’t love the side characters but the main romance was cute. Definitely recommend this holiday season if you’re looking for a quick Hallmark movie like book.

Christmas is All Around
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Charlotte is not a fan of Christmas. After staring in a Christmas movie as a child, she has tried to distance herself from the movie and Christmas as much as possible. She lives in New York where she is an artist but travels to London to be with her sister at Christmastime.
Graham is trying to keep his family estate afloat. They host several seasonal gatherings to raise funds for their historic home, but times are tough.
Charlotte and Graham strike a business deal that is beneficial to both of them. Charlotte will
Illustrate iconic movie locations around London and Graham, being a Londoner himself, offers to show her around.
I enjoyed the banter and I love a grumpy x sunshine trope, but Charlotte was kind of hard for me to like. She didn't have very many redeeming qualities in my opinion.
I do think this would be a cute holiday read to add to your tbr.
I’ve really enjoyed this author’s historical romance books in the past.

I recently started reading “Christmas All Around” by Martha Waters. While I have enjoyed many of her historical romances, I found that this particular book did not resonate with me as much as I had hoped, so I decided not to finish it. Given that I didn’t complete the book, I am giving it a neutral rating of 3 stars. I appreciate the opportunity to explore different genres and look forward to more of her historical romance titles in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of Christmas is All Around!

Charlotte HATES Christmas. She tries to keep the fact that she was a child star of a highly successful Christmas movie a secret but when there is national outcry over the fact that she is the sole reason it won't be rebooted Charlotte leaves for her annual visit to her sister in London early. Her sister has a 6 month old baby and so they are doing Christmas BIG this year for baby's first Christmas. One of their Christmas outings takes them to a film location for Charlotte's Christmas movie. Through a series of events, Charlotte becomes reliant on the owners of the house for a ride and soon develops a kind of friendship with the handsome Graham who is desperate to keep his family home. But will they find a way to save each other?

I did not enjoy this book. Charlotte is a narcissistic bitch. She hates Christmas, she hates babies, she hates her parents. She has no redeeming qualities and I have no idea what the blandly handsome Graham sees in her since she is even extra bitchy towards him. Her sister even calls her out on her constant complaining but there are no changes to Charlotte's behavior. If you enjoy Christmas romances, I don't recommend you pick this one up as it is mostly just a constant condescending commentary from Charlotte on how much she hates everything about it.

Do you ever read a book and feel, “well, I don’t know why I like this, but this is really hitting right now?” That was Christmas is All Around for me.

Was it cheesy? Yup. Could I see what was coming a mile away? Oh definitely.

But it was cute and as heartwarming as drinking a cup of peppermint cocoa. It struck the right balance of rom-com fluffiness and tackling serious topics, which I crave in a romance book. And it was funny as hell and chock full of nostalgic movie references.

This wasn’t perfect but it was perfect for me. I love this ridiculous holiday romance. All the stars.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for this ARC. Christmas is All Around is out today!

A wonderful Christmas romance which celebrates the joys of the season while leaving space for when the past has left its mark. Charlotte, who eleven months of the year gets to live a somewhat private life in New York, escapes to London to visit her sister during the holidays when everywhere she goes in NY she is recognized as the child star of a Christmas movie which has become a cult favorite. Her escape is complicated when with her sister's in-laws she attends a Christmas program at one of the sets of the movie and meets the owners who are currently divided about how to make use of this piece of film history. A great story where the main characters are flawed but well-meaning; and the side characters bring the fun.

As you can see, my holiday reading is in full swing, and I love it. I’ve read some of Martha Waters’ Regency Period romances and adored the humor and sassy banter. I was so happy to find those same qualities in this contemporary holiday romcom.

A former American child actress known for her popular Christmas movie who happens to hate Christmas? Yep, that’s Charlotte. And she has run off to London for the holidays thinking she is avoiding fallout from why the reboot of the movie is not going to happen.

There, she meets Graham, the charming, bespectacled Londoner. He is working to keep his family’s estate open, and a visit from a film star would sure be a big boost. However, Charlotte has trust issues, and as Graham and she grow closer, she wonders if there are genuine feelings here or if her star status is all that matters.

I loved Charlotte and Graham together. They were witty, sassy, and a little nerdy. Because Charlotte was an actress, she would allude to things as being “romcom-like” and I found that fun and a little cheeky. They both have sisters and family that get involved, some good and some too nosy, but it rounds things out nicely. And, of course, I loved the festive holiday atmosphere.

🎧 I loved having the audiobook to accompany my reading. The British accents are always a nice bonus.


Thank you @Atriabooks for the gifted advanced copy ebook via NetGalley. Thank you @Simon.audio and @Librofm for the gifted audiobook.

I enjoyed reading Christmas Is All Around by Martha Waters. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Was this a stereotypical holiday romance? Yes! Did I eat it up? Yes! The female lead, Charlotte, hates Christmas and the fact that her one childhood stint in acting has followed her around, into adulthood. She meets Graham and gets sucked into a holiday romance that is Hallmark worthy without realizing it. It’s cute, slightly unbelievable, and surrounded in Christmas cheer! What more could you want? I give it a 3.5!

I'm a big fan of Waters' historical romances so I was super excited for her holiday contemporary romance (also set in London). Waters is such a good writer and I really think her specialty is dialogue. The words the characters say feel so naturally witty and fun and I really enjoy getting to experience their verbal sparring. I also think Waters writes unique romances. Never in a million years would I have expected to read a book about a jaded, grown-up child star who wants to get as far away from that persona as she can but instead ends up going to visit a house that was featured in the movie she was in and starting up a relationship with the man who is part owner. There's so much to enjoy about this book and I think the characters both grow in satisfying ways as the book goes on. The rest of the characters are also delightful and I'm sort of obsessed with the main character, Charlotte, her sister and husband and very loud daughter.

I don't know if it was reading a Christmas book during spooky season or what, but something about this book didn't work for me. Charlotte, the female main character is grumpy, yes, but it goes a bit too far for me. Her main personality trait seems to be that she hates Christmas and if you ever forget she will remind you of that on every page. I get that it's annoying to be constantly reminded of the movie but it's not that serious. She is sort of selfish and downright mean, especially regarding her niece who we are constantly reminded is a loud, dirty baby and how dare this baby exist. It doesn't seem cute, but read as mean-spirited to me and I didn't really like it. Charlotte does go through some growth in the book and I like that she does get confronted with some of the lies she tells herself but it wasn't enough to have me come around to her. I also wasn't super into the romance which was cute but never became anything more than that for me.

That being said it's a very cute, well written holiday romance that I recommend picking up if you love Love, Actually and want something that's going to scratch that romcom itch just in time for the holiday season to start.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars!

If you need a book to get you into the christmas spirit look no further. As someone who takes her annual Christmas reading as seriously as her decorating, this was hallmark plot mixed with ~a little bit of spice~. Pick this one up for a cozy, English, childhood-tv-star bout!

Thank you to Martha & her publishing team for the ARC!

Charlotte is a former child actress that starred in a holiday classic that fans won’t let her forget. When they find out that she is the reason that there isn’t a reboot she is forced to flee to London to spend the holidays with her sister. She ends up at one of the filming locations for the movie and is recognized by fans. It doesn’t go well and she is left behind and forced to accept a ride back with Graham, the property owners son. He offers to help her with her commission of illustrating holiday movie scenes in London in exchange holding an art workshop at Eden Priory. Her family holiday goes horribly wrong and she ends up spending more time with Graham. Is this a holiday romance or the start of something much bigger?

I love a good Christmas / holiday romance, and this one is so much fun! Charlotte hates Christmas after starring as a child in a popular Christmas movie (think Love, Actually). While visiting her sister in London for 5 weeks, she finds herself at the estate where some of the movie was filmed, and one of the family members is a hot, bespectacled guy who strips out of a reindeer costume in front of her the first time they meet (an excellent meet cute in my opinion). It's funny and full of holiday charm (not so much from Charlotte but someone needs to become less curmudgeonly). I absolutely loved Graham and Charlotte together, and the supporting cast is great. An excellent holiday rom com!

I LOVE Waters Regency Vows series and was super excited to jump right into her new Christmas contemporary romance story. Which did not disappoint!
Christmas Is All Around by Martha Waters was a sweet holiday rom-com set in England.
I absolutely devoured this book in just one day! It had everything: sweet moments, witty banter, and a cozy Christmas vibe.
This is the perfect cozy romance to curl up with this fall/winter.

Thank You NetGalley and Atria Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Martha Waters books are SO good, and her contemporary debut is no exception. It's funny, charming, and all the interpersonal drama feels earned (not cheap or like people are overreacting over nothing). There's a hilarious easter egg about Jeremy's waistcoat, but CW for people sensitive to alcohol use--there's a lot of drinking in this book, though it's played as casual, not maladaptive.

Christmas Is All Around had a really cute plot - who doesn't love a mix of a former child star actress and Christmas theme!? When it comes to holiday books for me, you really have to nail it or have something different than all of the others in my opinion, so you stand out! For this one, there was definite potential... but it just fell flat for me. I didn't love Charlotte, or really any of the characters, and had a hard time getting into the plot.

The cover was cute, though!!

Releases October 22, 2024. Thank you NetGallex and Atria for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.|

Christmas Is All Around by Martha Waters is a cute, charming new holiday rom-com about artist Charlotte, a former child star who recently refused a role in a reboot of the Christmas movie she owes her notoriety to. The public’s reaction has her fleeing to visit her sister in London from New York.

While in London, she meets Graham, a reluctant owner of an aging estate hoping to find ways to make ends meet. The two end up teaming up. Charlotte can paint art for his gift shop, and he’ll be a way for her to escape the escalating holiday frenzy at her sister’s place.

Graham and Charlotte have a sweet love story. Charlotte hates Christmas yet Graham can’t help but get her into the spirit. The side story of both of their family arcs really seals the deal on Christmas Is All Around being a must have for the holiday season. Thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and the author for the ARC.

🎄This book has everything I could ever want from a holiday romance novel— put it at the top of your holiday TBR now! Thank you to @atriabooks for the sneak peek— this is out today, and @marthabwaters, you hit this out of the park.

🎄 This is about two Grinches who hate holiday romances, who end up living their very own version! It made me laugh, it had heart- I can’t recommend it enough. Read it, especially if you love…
- grumpy + grumpy = sunshine
- one hotel room left
- romance books that poke fun at romance books
- allllll the holiday romance tropes

🎄 I love a book that leaves me smiling long after I’ve read the last word, and this book did just that. It’s holiday reading perfection and I’d recommend it for anyone’s TBR this Christmas season! Will you be adding it to your list?

4 stars

This was a simple cute holiday romance set in England. A bit of a slow-burn so at times I didn’t feel gripped by the story. I actually think this would work really well in a Christmas movie vs a book. There was nothing inherently wrong, just a bit slow for me. I liked all of the characters and they did all feel like real people and made decisions that made sense for their character.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!