I spent my Sunday cozying up with this story, and I was charmed thoroughly! It felt like being transported to a Christmas setting, and for once I could relate to a character in this setting - Charlotte's hate for Christmas had me feeling very validated in all of my Grinchy glory. This didn't take away from objectively acknowledging all the traditions around Christmas and how people really enjoy this time of the year.
Featuring a nice slow-burn of a romance with an English man who wears glasses, some family moments, and a demon baby, Christmas is all Around was a great way to spend a lazy Sunday.
I have enjoyed Martha's histroms, and I can say that I really loved this contemporary romance from her as well.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The banter between these two was TOP TIER. Also Martha Waters is just hilarious in general. I literally laughed out loud so many times while reading this book. I'm only knocking off a star because I didn't feel like the plot was super strong.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ah, a book where the main character is sort of a grinch, but learns that there is more to the holidays than just decorating. This book had a great message and I enjoyed that aspect a whole lot. Charlotte had a great reason not to really like the holidays, I mean I wouldn’t either if I’d gone through what she did! The plot ended up being nice and moved along at a nice clip. It wasn’t super fast, nor was it super slow, though at time I do wish that it had been a little faster. I found that Charlotte was rather opinionated and had a strong personality, at times she was a bit much. I did have to remember her origin story as to why she was that way because at times it was a bit exhausting. I loved the setting of this book so much, that was truly the most magical part of this book for me. I felt like I was right there in a Christmas town despite it being October.

This is a cute holiday read.

I love Martha Waters' historical romance novels, the characters are all fun and a little wacky making it for a great time. I was super excited for her writing a contemporary romance, and a holiday one at that. I think overall this was a cute, holiday romance with a great cast of characters. Ultimately, what brought the book down for me was Charlotte herself. She was so negative about Christmas, and I didn't get the insisting on calling her niece a demon baby, she's just a baby.

I love a Christmas novel with a Christmas Grinch character, but Charlotte was a lot of Grinch, so this book took me longer than I expected it to take me to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria book for a free arc of the book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was very cute! I liked that it didn’t take itself too seriously regarding the multitude of holiday movie/story tropes mentioned in it. There was a lot of good character development, and although I did find it slow in places I did enjoy it. Would recommend to others!

I knew I was going to love this book as soon as I read the dedication: “for Kristyn, who hates Christmas.”

This was one of the most realistic romances I have read in a long time, from the banter, to the situations, to the conflict and subsequent resolution. It wasn’t contrived or forced, but felt like a story you’d hear from a friend of a friend. The dialogue between siblings I could see as actual conversations I’d have with my own siblings. The honest communication between Charlotte and Graham was refreshing, especially since that’s the go-to trope for conflict. The Regency Vows have been on my bookshelf for a while, patiently waiting to be read, and now I’m looking forward to actually getting around to reading them!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC!

P. S. A special thank you to Ms. Waters for accurately portraying what babies are like. Adorable? Yes. Demonic? Also yes.

Holiday Steamy Romance featuring a former child actress turned illustrator in London for Christmas meets a man who helps her change her perspective about the holidays.

5/5 stars: This is Waters's Holiday Steamy Romance stand-alone that's set in London, England and follows a former child actress turned illustrator travels to London to celebrate Christmas with her sister's family meets an Englishman, who's family home was a filming location for the modern holiday movie classic she starred in and would love to forget but when she declines to participate in a reboot the fans won't let her alone. Despite hating Christmas, she accepts a commission illustrating iconic holiday movie scenes to be sold in the manor home's gift shop with him acting as an escort. But as her chaotic family holiday goes awry, she begins spending more time him and she begins to wonder is Christmas so bad if you’re falling in love? Waters's writing and character work are excellent; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain likable. I love Charlotte and Graham. Their great and I love seeing them dealing with their personal issues as they come together for a lovely HEA. The romance is top notch with plenty of swoony banter and the OPS sex scenes are incredibly steamy and very hot. Additionally, Water's humor hits just the right spot... I had several LOL moments! While there are plenty of heartfelt and lighthearted moments, Waters does takes on some sensitive subjects; so take care and check the CWs. Filled with great holiday fun and tons of holiday movie love, this is a great yuletide read that will tug on your heartstrings.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Martha Waters is a new author to me. This book was super cute and I really enjoyed it. It was like reading a really charming, witty Hallmark movie, which I am a fan of. The slow burn love story, the witty humor between Charlotte & Graham had me fully invested. I found myself laughing out loud at times. Not to mention it involved an “extremely handsome Englishman who wears glasses.” Count me in! Ithink it’ll be a really good book to curl up and read this holiday season.

Cute, rom com set in London with love actually undertones. This was a little slow at times but overall it’s a sweet read, perfect for the holiday season.

Visiting her sister Ava for the holidays in London, ex child actor Charlotte now 29 and famous for starring in a Christmas movie at 9 years old, is forced to confront her Scroogeness while surrounded by holiday cheer.
She meets Graham, basically Stephen Nedoroscik (it’s the glasses for me), and embark on their own little holiday romcom.

This is a slow burn, but I didn’t always feel the chemistry or tension between the characters. It felt a little unresolved at the end and a little too open ended for me.

Side note: 6 month old Alice being a fussy, screeching baby throughout this whole story was distracting. It didn’t add anything to the plot and instead made me skip ahead. I don’t know what vendetta Waters has about 6 month old babies and parents who seem oblivious to the triggers of a fussy baby, but I could have done without this subplot.

Overall, 3 star read. Great to add to your TBR if you love a hallmark woman leaves her hometown to visit her sister who moved away/overseas and finds romance storyline.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster/Atria for this eARC!

I tried but ended up DNFing this one around 50 percent. I’ve enjoyed Martha Waters historical romcoms in the past but this fell a bit flat for me. I found the dialogue to be cringey, too many characters I do not care about, and honestly the references to Love Actually were just way to much for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Christmas is All Around is a sweet Hallmarky rom-com set in London, which adds to its charm. I enjoyed how the book poked fun at itself mentioning how the characters' arc mimicked a Hallmark movie itself. I felt that the anti-holiday sentiments of the main character were a bit heavy handed at times and wished that there were greater character development. However, it was a light, fun, holiday story, which delivered in putting me in a calm, jolly mood.

I absolutely love this book, the MMC had just enough swoon and just a little bit of a coni mon roll vibe and I could. It out it down!

Great, quick Christmas read. It was easy to get sucked into the story, and it held my attention throughout. I ended up reading the whole book in one go. This story gives all the Christmasy/Hallmark vibes, with a captivating plot that many other Christmas stories are missing. I do wish there had been an epilogue, as I had some questions about how things were going to work out for them in the future. Overall, I loved the writing and would pick up any book written by Martha Walters in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books Publicity for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love a cozy Christmas read, even when I start it in August! This was a cute, cozy and predictable read but at times dragged on. During the school year when I make time to read, I need a book to be easy to dive into.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I enjoyed this book from first till last page.A sweet Christmasy romcom that spread’s Christmas cheer.Gave me all the holiday feels #netgalley #atriabooks

This book was excellent. I found the characters' opposites to be endearing. While Graham had Christmas as a major focal point, Charlotte wanted to avoid it and the Christmas movie she had filmed. Observing the evolution of Graham and Charlotte's relationship was entertaining. Together, they were adorable! This book did seem to go on a little too long at times.

Delightfully fun holiday romance!

Charlotte has worked hard to escape her reputation as a one-time child actor in a beloved Christmas film, but it’s made even more difficult by the fact that strangers on the street are now blaming her for holding up a 20-year reunion movie. She flees New York across the pond to visit her sister and escape the chaos…and straight into the orbit of Graham, a handsome Brit with his own ties to the Christmas movie from her past.

This was a great time, but I think my favorite part was seeing how close the author could get to making a Love Actually reference (Charlotte’s Christmas movie is “Christmas, Truly”) without ACTUALLY referencing the movie. A lovely lighthearted cozy holiday read!

Highly recommend to anyone who watches Love Actually every year at Christmas (🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️), or even those who are a little skeptical of Big Christmas but still want to feel holly and jolly.

One of the things I love about this author is that she comes up with the best storylines. They are completely unique and do not have a recycled theme. Waters is an amazing storyteller and I never hesitate to grab her books!

This story is a blend of fun and witty conversations and actions found throughout the book. Her characters are memorable and hilarious especially when we meet the reason for birth control, her niece!

The female main character is a bit strong minded when it comes to anything Christmas, because of her past and family ties, so experiencing Christmas in England has her screaming a bit inside.. and maybe a few times outside too!

The male main character is a surprising treat to her vacation and a delightful addition to balancing out Charlotte. Their banter is awesome and their growing romance is sweet, swoony, and steamy.

Christmas Is All Around is a Christmas story that will become a memorable part of your holiday romances. Definitely not one to be missed. I hope that Waters continues to write her historical romances and now her contemporary romances as well. She excels at both and I now have a new genre to follow of hers!

If you are preparing for the holiday season, add this to your Christmas reads list. This was a cute romcom taking place in London. Charlotte, the main female character, is a huge scrooge, and it was frustrating at times. Perhaps I am just very close to my family and don’t mind being around them, but I didn’t like the way Charlotte treated spending time doing holiday activities with hers. I really adored Graham and appreciated all of the holiday antics the characters went through. The ending was a bit corny, but that’s a holiday romance for you! If you like Martha Waters’ historical romances, I think you will enjoy this one!