Thank you Atria and Simon Audio for the review copies, I really enjoyed Christmas is All Around and loved it on audio in particular.

Christmas Is All Around by Martha Waters is a delightful and heartwarming holiday romance that will capture readers with its strong character development, chemistry between the leads, and an engaging storyline that offers more depth than the typical holiday fare. Charlotte, a former child star who loathes Christmas after starring in a famous holiday film, finds herself in England for the holidays, only to be drawn back into the world she’s tried to leave behind. When she meets Graham, the owner of the estate featured in her iconic movie, sparks fly as they work together to save his family home.

Waters does an exceptional job crafting a sweet and charming story that balances humor and heart, with characters who grow both individually and together. The chemistry between Charlotte and Graham is compelling, and their witty banter adds a fresh twist to the classic holiday romance tropes. Charlotte’s grumpiness, paired with Graham’s grounded nature, makes for a fun and engaging dynamic.

Beyond the romance, the novel explores themes of self-discovery and family, all while cleverly incorporating references to holiday movies in a way that feels both nostalgic and self-aware. The holiday setting, especially in the quaint English countryside, adds an extra layer of coziness, making this the perfect read for the season.

For those who love a good romance with a holiday twist, Christmas Is All Around is a must-read. The audiobook is also a treat, making it a great choice for those looking to immerse themselves in a festive, feel-good story with memorable characters and a sweet love story at its core. Highly recommended!

Charlotte isn’t your average child movie star. In fact, she doesn’t want to be known for the famous Christmas movie that she starred in at all. But when she and her family visit the England home that it was filmed in, nothing could prepare her for the events that followed.

This was a very cute Christmas romance, even though it was a little slower during the first half of the book. I really enjoyed the friendship that blossomed into more with Graham and Charlotte, and found their banter quite entertaining. I loved that it was set in England, as well. It gives you all of the Hallmark Christmas movie feels which simultaneously poking fun at how “predictable” they are. (Which is kind of the point of them, right? 😉)

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Atria books for the advanced reader copy of this book!

I love everything I've read from Martha Waters and Christmas Is All Around is no exception! What a lovely anti-Christmas Christmas rom-com! It gave all the feels of a Hallmark holiday movie without all the cringe that I usually associate with Hallmark movies. Charlotte hates Christmas movies after having starred in one 20 years ago. Yet, fate has her living out her very own holiday romance when she travels to England to spend Christmas with her sister and she meets Graham, the owner of the very home that is featured in the film she starred in. The two find themselves working together (as they must in a holiday rom-com), in order to save Graham's ancestral home and sparks fly (as they do in a holiday rom-com).

While following the standard tropes seen in a holiday romance, Waters is able to create a story that feels fresh and unique. The only critique is a personal view, as someone who loves Christmas and the holidays, it was hard to see Charlotte hating so hard on the festivities. But I still very much enjoyed the banter and watching the two characters fall in love with each other (and maybe even the festive season)!

Martha Waters has nailed it again, this time with an anti-Christmas rom-com. American former child actress Charlotte hates Christmas and the Love Actually-esque film she starred in long ago. As fate would have it, when the travels to England to visit her sister, she ends up at a filming location for the very film she loathes, and finds her own Christmas romance. Many books of the Christmas romance genre may feel generic, but Martha Waters is a gifted writer, and Christmas Is All Around stands on its own as a solid romance.

This was such a cute holiday read. and while there is no snow on the ground yet, I loved the Christmas aesthetic and can't wait for the holidays!

This is a contemporary romcom set in England over the holidays as Charlotte, a former childhood star escapes across the pond only to find herself falling for Graham, an Englishman who's trying to save his family's estate home.

The banter between these two is so funny! She's a grumpy sassy New Yorker and he's a grumpy Englishman. The cultural clashes and sarcasm made for some incredible laugh out loud moments and the dynamic between the two characters was pretty realistic.

Christmas Is All Around, will have you swooning for Graham, Charlotte's love interest in this holiday read set in London. Unfortunately, for me, is wasn't a fan of Charlotte herself.

3.5 stars


I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ever since her one acting role as a child in a popular Christmas movie, Charlotte has hated the holiday. While on vacation in England with her family, she accidentally ends up at the family estate house the movie was filmed out. As she tries to run from that unwanted legacy, she is actually being pulled towards the estate's new owner, Graham.

This was a cute one! Here's what I liked:

Charlotte and her humor: Waters does an amazing job with Charlotte. She's sarcastic and has a super dry sense of humor at times, I adored all of this about her. I wanted to be her friend.

The forced proximity: While Charlotte and Graham voluntarily go together to different houses used for movie sets, you still get that forced proximity feel to it. I loved all of the settings they go to and enjoyed watching them come together as they traveled.

The side characters: This one has some amazing side characters. Both of their families and friends really helped get me into the story!

Overall, this was such a good holiday romcom!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

I recently finished reading “Christmas Is All Around” by Martha Waters, and I absolutely loved it! The story follows Charlotte, a former child star who isn’t a fan of the holidays, as she navigates a chaotic Christmas season in London. What really stood out to me was the charming and hilarious dynamic between Charlotte and Graham, the son of the owners of Eden Priory. Their interactions were filled with witty banter and heartfelt moments that made me smile throughout the book.

I also appreciated how the book balanced humor with deeper themes of self-discovery and letting go of the past. The festive setting and the vivid descriptions of holiday decorations added a magical touch to the story. Overall, it was a delightful read that perfectly captured the spirit of Christmas romance.

Christmas Is All Around is a delightful Contemporary Christmas Romance set in the heart of London, England. It follows Charlotte, a former child star turned artist from New York City who, ironically, despises Christmas. In an attempt to escape the festive chaos, she travels to England to visit family. While there, she's reluctantly drawn to an estate that once served as the backdrop for the film that launched her career. It's at this historic house that she meets Graham, a man battling to maintain his family's home—a place rich with history but now facing financial strain. Together, they devise a heartwarming plan to preserve the estate, and in the process, something magical begins to bloom between them.

This book marks a wonderful departure from Waters’ signature regency romances, and I couldn’t be more thrilled! The chemistry between Charlotte and Graham feels authentic and crackles on the page. I especially loved the clever nods to Hallmark Christmas movies and classic romance novels—it adds an extra layer of holiday charm that fans of the genre will appreciate.

If you're looking for a festive, feel-good romance to kick off the holiday season, Christmas Is All Around is a must-read. It’s full of warmth, wit, and the kind of cozy atmosphere perfect for curling up with a cup of hot cocoa.

Christmas Is All Around is a Contemporary Christmas Romance set in London, England. Charlotte is a former child star/turned artist from New York City who hates Christmas. She goes on holiday to England to see family, where she reluctantly visits an estate once used as a set for the movie she starred in. There she meets Graham, whose family has owned the house for generations. Graham is struggling to upkeep the house and together they hatch a plan to help save it.

This book is a departure from Waters’ previous regency romance writing and I am here for it! The chemistry of the main character is fantastic! I loved all of the Hallmark Christmas and Romance novel references throughout the book! This is definitely a must read for the upcoming holiday season!

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really cute story!! I loved the plot. I personally love Christmas so it got tiring to hear how much Charlotte hates Christmas. Graham basically carried this book on his back (love him) and thank goodness for her sister Ava! It was exactly the conversation she needed. I would have loved to see Charlotte be more open to Christmas and liking it a bit more at the end but it’s okay :) I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is such a delight! Martha Waters brings her sparkling dialogue to a contemporary rom-com, and she delivers - big time! So much of the banter had me laughing out loud. I could easily visualize every scene while I was reading (Hallmark AfterDark, perhaps? lol). As much as I love her Regency set books, I hope we get more contemporary from the author in the future!

I put this off because it's still like a million degrees where I live and I wasn't in the mood for a Christmas book, but once I started it, I immediately got pulled in. I loved Martha Waters's Regency Vows series and was cautiously excited about a contemporary from her. I really enjoyed this story of two people who are trying to figure their lives out and find each other while they do it. Charlotte Lane is a successful self-employed artist who is in a bit of a bind. As a kid, she starred in a Love Actually style Christmas movie called Christmas, Truly that was a huge success and continues to be popular. After that, she decided she hated acting and never wanted to do it again, to the disappointment of her father who is in film and tv and her mother who is in theater. But she's still known mostly for being her character, and when an article from an industry magazine indicates that Charlotte is the only cast member who won't agree to a reboot that fans really, really want, she gets hate DMs and has a run-in with an angry teenager in New York City, where she lives. She decides to go to England, where her sister lives, earlier than usual for the holidays, but unfortunately finds herself pulled into weeks of Christmas celebration at the behest of her sister's in-laws, who want their new grandbaby to do all the touristy, Christmasy things they can. At a tree lighting, Charlotte finds herself at the historic home of an artist that she realizes too late is also where one of the iconic Christmas, Truly scenes was filmed. While there she meets Graham, the son of the current owner of the home, and they strike up a slightly acerbic friendship that leads to him asking her to create a series of watercolor paintings of British homes that were used in famous Christmas films that they could sell at Eden Priory (his home) the following year. Seeing an excuse to get out of more Christmas themed stuff (because, also, Charlotte really hates Christmas), she agrees and they begin to travel together so that she can sketch and take reference photos for the series. They are clearly into each other but it takes a while for them to act on it, after which things are pretty good and then of course pretty complicated (this is a romance novel, after all). I loved how absolutely and unapologetically grumpy Charlotte was, I found the shenanigans of her sister, brother-in-law, and niece to be hilarious, and I though Graham was a great balance of realistic and swoony. A great contemporary Christmas romance from Martha Wells! Content warning for death of a parent (past and off page).

I love this author’s Regency Vows series and was excited to see she was pivoting to contemporary romance. This one was fine but not particularly memorable. I thought Charlotte and Graham had good chemistry on page together, but I never really found myself caring about the story. I also wanted things a little more tied up at the end.

I read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

A snarky, funny, endearing Christmas romance. I love that Charlotte is a Christmas curmudgeon. And that she is strong-willed & unapologetic about keeping boundaries. Especially being somewhat famous. It was refreshing that she didn’t need to be liked. She & Graham have great chemistry. I love the setting- an English Christmas. A perfect holiday romance!

Thank you so much Atria for the ARC!

This one was overall pretty cute, but there were things I loved and didn't love!

I loved:

The cover
The Christmas-y setting
The Male Main Character

I didn't love;

The Female Main Character
The obsession with alcohol, I think the FMC has a problem
The hating to insta-love

Overall, this was cute but had some of my least favorite tropes, so not one I will remember, but I'm sure it will be a hit with many!

This was a pretty solid Christmas read. The characters were likeable and Graham is a swoon-worthy book boyfriend. I loved the comedic relief offered by Kit, but didn't really care. for Alice...she can't have been that bad! :) I would recommend this to anyone that loves holiday movies and the nostalgia their settings bring when visited in real life.


Thanks NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this fun take on a Hallmark movie esq.. The references to rom coms were cool. I liked the leading man so much. He was so honest. The leading lady was not my fav. She did grow on me as she learned to chill and I loved that everyone told her she was wrong at the end. So we had a really good ending.
This is an adult novel. There is one detailed sex scenes but I was so happy that was not the focus of the book. There were a couple sexual conversations. There was swearing. F words and lots of religious swears. There was no violence and no drugs. There was mention of alcohol and pot.

This was such a cute holiday story with Hallmark Christmas movie themes. Charlotte and Graham were so fun to follow and watch develop, both within their own selves and with each other. It was fun having the grumpy character take on a female role, even though Graham definitely has his moments as well. It was as though two grumps transformed each other into their own sunshine’s. The struggle to decide what was best in terms of their relationship was interesting to follow, and I loved their decision in the end! This was such a fun read- nice and lighthearted for the holidays!

This would make a perfect Hallmark movie. A great book to start the holiday season with.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.