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.

This book was so fun! It had all the Christmas things and was so entertaining. I loved the banter between Charlotte and Graham. It was such a great read!

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"Christmas is All Around" by Martha Waters is one of the best Christmas-themed romantic comedies I've read. It's charmingly self-referential and the characters often joke about rom-com tropes, in a way that grounds the plot and provides comedic relief. Our main characters, Charlotte and Graham, have unique backstories and lots of witty banter; their relationship progresses in a believable way, and they deal with conflict in ways that feel authentic to their characters. The supporting characters, especially Charlotte's relatives, are hilarious and the December in London setting is delightful. Although Charlotte was occasionally too much of Grinch, her emotional arc plays out well in the last third of the book.

Christmas Is All Around by Martha Waters follows the journey of a former child star who discovers that the magic of the holiday season can be found through a shift in perspective. This charming and humorous holiday romantic comedy is a delightful mix of eccentric characters, clever dialogue, and heartwarming romance. Get ready for a festive adventure filled with laughter, love, and a touch of holiday magic.

This has HUGE potential to be my fav holiday romance of 2024!!!

I've read and enjoyed all of Martha Waters's historical romances and I REALLY loved this first contemporary romcom set in England over the holidays as Charlotte, a former childhood star who had one hit Christmas movie and wants nothing to do with the reboot escapes across the pond only to find herself falling for Graham, an Englishman who's trying to save his family's expensive to maintain estate home.

Full of great banter, lots of digs at the Hallmark holiday movie genre as a whole and a likeable grumpy female main character. It was also great on audio narrated by Nikki Massoud. Perfect for fans of Jenny Bayliss and HIGHLY recommended!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: some fade to black scenes, mild details

Firstly, many thanks, indeed, to Netgalley for the ARC of this book! I really appreciate it! I absolutely enjoyed Christmas is All Around! It is definitely my favorite Contemporary Rom-Com and, in particular, my favorite Christmas Rom-Com to date. This book is a combination of Jane Austen meets 'Love, Actually,' meets Hallmark. I thoroughly love reading Martha Waters's Regency books, and, while this current Christmas book is a departure for her, she is super-talented regardless of genre or time period. The description of the countryside and of the aura of England definitely come through in this book, and I felt like I was 'there,' watching a movie whilst reading this novel. Such a clever concept - and to envision a British Christmas in its many forms, with a backdrop of a lovely romance (to be fair, I felt like the hero Graham could have been a duke in another lifetime...very swoony romantic here, and a lot of chemistry with the heroine Charlotte) was amazing. I have been in England at Christmastime and have always been entranced. Martha Waters captures this all perfectly. I think the idea of basing a book on a former child star (reminds me of Liam Neeson's son in 'Love, Actually') and almost having her relive her movie days while an adult on a trip in England is brilliant. I would highly recommend Christmas is All Around. I am planning to buy the physical book once it is released so I will have it for my bookshelf. Awesome! :)

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a complete and total sucker for a good holiday romance. Christmas is All Around checked all the boxes for me and I loved all the tongue in cheek nods to the classic romance tropes. I enjoyed that the plot centered around Charlotte, the child star of a beloved Christmas movie, who has been desperately trying to leave "Christmas, Truly" behind her and Graham, a son who feels bound to his ancestral home and preserving his father's memory while ensuring his little sisters can live the lives they want.

This was a delightful, quick paced read that definitely got me into the holiday spirit!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

While this is worlds apart from The Regency Vows, I loved Christmas Is All Around.

It contained the same charming dialogue and fantastically written characters from a different time. Charlotte was so believable, and her hatred of Christmas was understandable given her background as an unwilling child star who unintentionally stumbles over the film location from the movie that made her a star. Graham escorts her around the English countryside while she works through her feelings about Christmas to try to help him save his estate. It's got all the makings of the perfect romcom, including the ending!

I've read all of Martha Waters' historical romances and was so excited about a contemporary holiday read from her, and it did not disappoint! Christmas Is All Around is the perfect festive novel to get you in the holiday spirit! With its delightful blend of humor, romance, and heartwarming moments, this book was so fun to read. The characters are quirky, charming, and relatable, and the London holiday backdrop setting adds even more magic to the story. And don't get me started on glasses-wearing Graham (so hot); he's the MMC of your dreams.

This book has some of my favorite romance tropes—a swoon-worthy, banter-filled, friends-to-lovers arc and a cozy, forced proximity situation that keeps the sparks flying! Waters does a fantastic job balancing humor with emotional depth, making it a fun and meaningful read. If you're looking for a feel-good Christmas read with all the romance vibes, this one is a must for your holiday TBR!