I really enjoyed this delightful rom-com set in England. Based on the cover art, I expected it to be just another fluff piece, but it was much more. It delved into family relationships, guilt after the death of a parent, other annoying parents, self-confidence, and, of course, love.

I am a huge fan of Martha Waters historical romances. So the minute I saw that she was writing a modern romance I was sold, but then I heard it was a Christmas romance (which is not always my cup of tea). I am historically quite the Grinch - so much to my surprise I can’t tell you how much I loved that my girl Charlotte is also quite the Christmas Grinch! What a delightful take on the m anti-Christmas Christmas book! But for real, I giggled a lot because all of the anti- Christmas stuff really hit home with me yet at the same time. I wish I had that love of Christmas that some people (Mother-in-law) have. Overall, this was delightful romcom. I had a great time reading it and I can’t wait to explore more Martha Waters’ contemporary romances!

Thank you #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wry and witty. A slightly meta take that both lovingly skewers and celebrates ridiculous Christmas rom-com tropes.

This was the thirteenth (!!) Christmas-themed ARC I’ve read this year and one of my favorites. For me, a good holiday-themed romance must straddle a fine line - it must, of course, celebrate the season, but without becoming overly sentimental and predictable. By openly acknowledging and sarcastically sending up typical holiday tropes, this book manages to strike just the right balance.

As a child, Charlotte starred in exactly one film: a movie called Christmas, Truly (which is, clearly, a send-up of Love, Actually). The success of the movie continues to haunt her, well into adulthood, causing her to flee NYC to spend the holidays with her sister in London. Knowledge of movies like Love, Actually, Hallmark films, etc. is not necessary before reading this book, but if you have seen those films, you’ll appreciate the satire here.

At the heart of the book, we have Graham and Charlotte, who seem to inherently understand each other, almost from the start. They’re both a little dry and sarcastic in their humor, both a little jaded about most things holiday-related. Their repartee is warm and clever. I don’t often laugh aloud while reading, but this book had me laughing several times. What can I say? I too am sarcastic and a little jaded, but a softy at heart.

4.5 stars, rounded to 5 for the sake of the NetGalley rating system.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced reader copy, offered in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

I would like to thank Net Galley, Atria Marketing/Simon and Schuster, and Zakiya Jamal of Atria for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC. I have read all of Martha Waters Regency Novels and loved them all. I was sad to realize that the fifth one was the last in the series. I was really happy to see this book cross my path- a new Martha Waters and a Christmas book to boot. I was not disappointed. It is a fun frothy mash up( and send up) of Christmas Books,Christmas Movies and life in general. The plot of the book is as follows- Charlotte is an artist in her late 20's. When she was 9 , she was cast in a movie , called Christmas, Truly. She was not an actress but her father was a director and was friends with the movie's director. So Charlotte was in one movie, and then decided she did not want to be an actress. The movie went on to be a Christmas Classic and beloved by all. Just prior to the start of the book, a reboot was suggested with all of the original cast. Charlotte refused, bringing the wrath of fans on her head ( in in her twitter account). Charlotte decides to spend Christmas in London with her sister, brother in law, new niece and her brother in laws parents. Hilarity ensues:) It really does. Charlotte accompanies her family to a Christmas Tree lighting event at a local estate. She realizes that the estate was used in the filming of Christmas Truly. She is recognized by fans and tries to hide. She has an extremely cute meet cute with a man . The man turns out to be the son of the family who owns the estate. It is a bit convoluted, and I won't give any spoilers.I will say that I did not want to put it down. And for fans of the Regency series, pay attention, there is a small Easter Egg if you look for it. Thanks again for this book.

Such a fun read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

i love you martha waters, i needed this after the end of the regency vows series. it's always weird to read a christmas romcom when its still over 75 degrees outside, but nonetheless i still really enjoyed this book. despite the constant hate on christmas movies, i still felt for a cared for the romance and characters. but all-in-all <3 martha waters books <3

Overall, I did enjoy the book and it had its moments but the majority of the characters irked me for all different reasons.

Charlotte, well, she hates Christmas. After starring in a Christmas rom-com as a child and not having the best experience, everything Christmas is annoying and awful to her. That’s all fine and dandy because even I know people who don’t like Christmas, but to complain so much that you are dragging everyone down with you is not ok. It annoyed me as a reader. She also seems to complain and not be attached to her niece in really any way. I can understand not being a kid person or knowing much about them but to not really be excited to see them or do anything with them seems excessive. I know plenty of non-kid people who would happily gush and spoil their loved one’s kids or be present so I think that just created another disconnect for me. After all of this, I can understand where some things come from because who could grow up with parents like hers and not have some issues to work through, but damn.

Ava, is someone I’m conflicted about. Ava is Charlotte’s sister and I’m glad she stands up for herself and the life she wants- as she should. However, the one thing I would never forgive from a sibling is letting a random person know my location, especially from stopping by a place they live (information not shared with said stranger), and then not even giving them a heads up too. She was a child star who recently had a bad PR happenstance and you just share where your sibling is? Love the family dynamic surrounding safety and accountability. I wish we saw a little more of Kit, who seemed to really be wonderful father, and his family’s dynamic.

I wish we also saw more of Padma and got to know her better because she was a great character who Charlotte should be communicating with more-especially since she’s her wake up call and main support system.

I will also say for Graham and Eloise- I feel like with that twist, a relationship with Eloise would be strained and the one with Graham could be forgiven and moved on from with time.

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

Charlotte is a former child actress whose only role was in a popular Christmas movie (think Love,Actually). The fans want a reboot, but she hated acting and has vowed never to act again. This causes her to be harassed so she decides to fly to London to visit her sister to get away from it all. Unfortunately instead of escaping the movie, she ends up right in the middle of it and falling for the one man whose livelihood now depends on her using her fanbase to save his family home.

This enchanting holiday romance features a delightful cast of secondary characters you’ll wish were your best friends, and a heroine you’ll wholeheartedly cheer for. It’s the perfect cozy read to enjoy with a cup of mulled wine by the glow of the Christmas tree.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book!

What a sweet book! Loved both Charlotte and Graham. I do think Charlotte is unnecessarily hung up on her role in Christmas Truely, but it also leads to her growth in the later pieces of the book. Definitely add this one to your holiday TBR lists! Enough Christmas spirit and humor to include this rom-com this holiday season.

This story the best Christmas vibes. The setting of the story was the perfect backdrop, and the plot of the story made it feel like I was reading a Hallmark movie.
The plot of the story was to save an old house, which was previously used to film a Christmas movie. One of the stars (who conveniently doesn’t like Christmas) comes to stay in the house falls in love and rediscovers the meaning of Christmas. Definitely not an entirely original story but overall kept me entertained.
I enjoyed the characters and their story falling in love. They had decent chemistry with each other. I really like their outings together while she was doing the drawings.
I found the main character Charlotte a little frustrating to read about at times. There were moments she got on my nerves, particularly when she was complaining about the movie. It got a to be a little overkill.
Some of the side characters kind of ran together in my head and it was hard to keep track of who was who.
If you are looking for a Hallmark movie in Book form. Check this one out this holiday season.

3.75 stars rounded up

Christmas Is All Around by Martha Waters is cute! Charlotte hates Christmas partially because her parents didn't make good memories during the holiday and partially because she starred in rom-com set during the season when she was a child that the fans will never let her forget. She escapes to London after she's outed as the reason why the sequel is not happening. While in London she meets Graham who is helping his family save their estate. Graham hires Charlotte to paint Christmas movie themed estates for them to sell in the house and while she draws them, they spend time together and something seems to be sparking along the way and maybe Charlotte might stop hating Christmas due to it.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I liked Charlotte a lot and I thought Graham was a nice MMC. I liked Charlotte's character development when it came to her family, I thought that was very nice. I also liked how she grew to appreciate the new memories that can be made even if something is associated with something unpleasant. I thought Graham's protection of his family was just so nice. I did not love his sisters because it didn't seem like anyone was seeing anything from his perspective or trying to at least. I did think that sometimes the book tried to be oh so clever and point out the tropes that were happening. I don't really like when books become that self-aware so I had to deduct some stars because it kept on taking me out of the story. I thought that the third act breakup didn't have enough longing so I deducted half a star for that.

Overall though the story is cute and puts you in the holiday spirit. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a quick fun holiday rom com. I thought it was a little hallmark movie in a book which I believe was what the book intended.

Tropes: One bed, holiday romance, forced proximity, boss/employee (sort of)

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria, and Martha Waters for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, I found this book lacking in originality. It was entertaining enough, and the holiday atmosphere was great, but there wasn't a lot that set it apart from other holiday stories I've consumed in the past.

While this is all about a woman who hates Christmas, the romance is no bah-humbug. I absolutely adored Graham and Charlotte’s story. This was nothing as I expected yet everything that I love. I have become a huge fan of Ms. Waters and this book, like her previous works, is fresh and original. The storyline kept me engaged and I could not turn the pages fast enough. Everything about this pulled me in. There is just something about the way this author writes that I find highly addictive and Christmas is All Around is another example of the magic she wields.

Christmas is All Around was like reading a Hallmark movie (with the addition of kissing and more) paired with Book Lovers in that the characters make reference to the idea of tropes and things that they're experiencing at the same time. Set in London, Christmas is All Around follows Christmas grump, Charlotte, who starred in a Christmas movie when she was 9 and has genuinely hated it ever since. Now an artist, Charlotte would very much like to put her past acting career very far behind her, but the public's desire for a follow up movie has gotten very loud and out of control. So Charlotte moves from NYC to London to stay with her sister for six weeks before Christmas. Her sister's in-laws are staying in the apartment above them and Alice, the baby, is very loud and Charlotte is not necessarily much of a baby person. Pretty quickly, we wind up meeting our love interest at one of the various Christmas shenanigans Charlotte gets dragged along to and he is a stressed out boy. Graham is the oldest son and is now responsible for his crumbling estate and feels so much pressure. He also has two sisters and a best friend we get to know throughout the book. The two of them have a pretty immediate connection that neither of them quite know what to make of, but slowly, they let themselves explore whatever it is between them. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and appreciate Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

As much as I wanted to love this book (London setting, holiday romance, travel romance, et al), something just fell flat for me. Unfortunately. It reads quite quickly and the writing isn't poorly constructed, meh, it's just the overall story. I just wish it had more ... something, I can't put my finger on it. Again, not knocking that it wasn't well-written, because it was, certainly and I can agree on that. It also was a cute, holiday rom-com set in London, but it just missed that spark that drew me in and could make me obsessed in an instant. It's just not the book for me, but maybe it is for you.

Also, if you came to this book because you are a fan of the author's historical romances, just know that this is set in the modern-day.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this ARC.

This is a fun holiday read! Banter was enjoyable, but really loved the descriptions of Christmas in the UK, makes me want to plan a trip abroad for the holidays! As someone who loves The Holiday, but doesn't enjoy Love, Actually, this brought a nice happy medium.

4 Stars – Christmas is All Around by Martha Waters is about Charlotte who hates the Christmas holiday. She was in a movie when she was 9 years old and, unfortunately for her, the movie was a HUGE hit. Charlotte has had a challenging time moving forward with her life as she is always recognized as her movie character. She resents and hates the movie and holiday and, honestly, became quite self-centered about the whole thing. With her best friend and her sister finally getting through to her that the successful movie gave her opportunities in life that she wouldn’t typically have been afforded to have. Charlotte’s maturing process develops when she meets a yummy Brit in London and falls in love.

Christmas is All Around is a great holiday read! I really enjoyed it and think most readers will too. It is a little bit Hallmark-y and I wasn’t Charlotte’s biggest fan in the beginning. But by the end, I was rooting for her to get it together and be with Graham.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing an ARC. This review is completely voluntary and joyfully shared.

*I had a difficult time with Charlotte’s character
*Charlotte’s anger about being attached to a movie is kind of her entire personality
*Charlotte’s issues with her niece are irrational

The book’s title made me think of Bill Nighy as Billy Mack singing “Christmas Is All Around” in Love Actually and the song remained in my head during my reading. I was ready to love this but found I just wasn’t able to connect to the story. Other readers will likely love this, but it wasn’t a favorite for me.



Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the DRC

A charming reluctant holiday rom-com that was fun to read.

The banter was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the relationship development between Charlotte and Graham. I think the third-act breakup was a bit of an overreaction on Charlotte's part, but I liked the growth she went through to recognize her issues. I enjoyed the perspective of someone who isn't all in on the holidays. Overall, a fun holiday read.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

This story is absolutely beautiful! 8/10

Charlotte, an artist, was a child movie star for one Christmas movie, a popular one that she hates, and hates Christmas. With talks of reboot of the Christmas movie, she gets accosted in New York, and decides to go see her sister in England.

With her sister and her family, Charlotte visit a famous house, one that she recognize from her Christmas movie. From there, she meets an Graham Calloway, a descendant of a family artist, an artist that Charlotte admired. Knowing who each other are, Graham asks Charlotte to hel with the house, Eden Priory, with making money as the Calloways are struggling with keeping up with the house and it's maintenance.

Charlotte and Graham learn to overcome their faults and grown as adults, and learning that Christmas isn't that bad.

Also, I thought the story was going to go one way, but it went the other way. Different from what I had exptected, which kept me hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley and Martha Waters for the ARC!