Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book!
This was my first christmas book i read for the year. What a charming book to get me in the mood for the season! I especially loved the setting and vivid description of London during the holidays. I could imagine myself there even with never having been.
Charlotte and Graham were both great characters that were well developed and easy to love.
This was a cozy christmas read!!

I very rarely share reviews for books less than 4 stars, because my cup of tea may not be yours and vice versa. However in the spirit of completing this book and receiving it as an ARC, here are my thoughts.

3 stars.

this was a new to me author, this is the only book I’ve read by Marta. I loved the idea of this story, but the FMC bugged me quite a bit 🫣 as a former child star in a very popular Christmas movie, Charlotte despised being remembered for role. She wants to be recognized for her art. This carries the theme throughout the majority of the book. It was difficult to look past the amount of times her distaste for the movie was mentioned.

This book had a ton of potential, it missed the mark for me though.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Publishing for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Christmas Is All Around” by Martha Waters
Every Family has their … issues
What a fun contemporary Christmas romance this was. A little bit serious, but mostly light with a lively cast of characters. I truly enjoyed my time within this story. Happy Reading ! !

this was sweet and it’s always a fun/meta time when characters are trope-aware. I love Martha’s historical romances and I think the hijinks in those pair really well her humor, and that humor was still present here but it was toned down and didn’t have quite the same impact on me. overall though, a great contemporary romance debut!

I love me a Christmas romance in the heat of the Summer, so Martha Waters’ Christmas is All Around was a delightful little treat! This heartwarming tale perfectly balanced humor and romance, offering a fresh take on a holiday book that hooked me in with Charlotte’s grumpy exterior in the first chapter. The book’s vivid descriptions of London and its iconic Christmas sights added an extra layer of charm. Thank to to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I got the ARC for this book I was like a Christmas book released in October? But when I started reading it I didn’t really care cause the book was a cozy cute read. While the plot is yes about Christmas it wasn’t just about that. Thanks to Atria for this advanced copy! The ending was a bit sudden though but it was a great start to the festive reading season.

Christmas Is All Around was a delightful Christmas romcom! London feels so Christmasy in this book it made Nashville in August feel cozy! I would love to see this turned into a movie!

A feel good enemies to lovers holiday romance by the one and only Martha Waters, yes please!

Child actor Charlotte made one film, a Christmas one, and it seemly ruined her life, or so she thought until she meets Graham. This book checks all the boxes for a festive holiday romcom beginning with a unique meet cute, forced proximity and the always favorite one bed.

Charlotte begins falling for Graham, the handsome owner of the stately English home from the movie she’s been running from half her life. As they spend time together she begins to realize maybe Christmas isn’t as bad as she once thought.

The characters are well developed, the setting idyllic and charming, this is one book you’re going to want to read this holiday season. I don’t usually read Christmas in July but when I do it’s Martha Waters and it makes me want to jet off to the English country side!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advance copy of “Christmas is All Around” by Martha Waters, all opinions are my own.

I’m here for the fluffy hallmark vibe Christmas books! This is exactly the vibe this book gave me throughout the whole read! Love love love!

Charlotte Lane is a former child star and her one and only role was as the lovable main character for a beloved Christmas movie. When she shoots down the idea for a reboot, the public is outraged, sending Charlotte running to her sister’s home in London for Christmas. During an outing, she runs into Graham, whose English manor home just so happens to be the film site of her movie! Trying to save his family’s estate, Graham’s entire life is centered around Christmas cheer and Charlotte’s movie. The two team up to create holiday film themed art pieces Graham’s family can sell over the holidays, but get more that they expected when they find themselves falling for each other. 🎄

I loved Graham and his commitment to his family and to Charlotte. He was a bit rigid in some things, but Charlotte helped him see the light and he was open to listening. Graham went out of his way to ensure Charlotte didn’t feel taken advantage of by the Christmas movie angle they were working. Which leads me to one of my dislikes… Charlotte constantly talked about how she hated everything Christmas, the movie she was in, holidays, and family, and it was too much. The third act conflict seemed to be blown way out of proportion. I understand this was so Charlotte could have her big character growth moment (and it was a good one, I’ll give it that) but it could have been avoided and addressed much earlier instead of being dragged out for 80% of the book.

Okay, one of the standouts for me were the side characters. Charlotte’s sister, Ava, and her family?! I need a book of just them on a family holiday. Seriously, I loved seeing the demon baby representation because yeah, babies aren’t always cute and sweet but that seems to be all we get in romcoms. So props to Waters for writing a baby that makes people want to tear out their eardrums.🤣🫶🍼👼

There were so many tropes going on here and it’s discussed in the book as the entire plot centers around classic holiday, hallmark-y movie, romcoms, and I loved it! The characters joke about the Meet Cute, the Grand Gesture, the Perfect Kiss in Front of a Christmas Tree, etc. and it just really worked for me and made me smile! 🎄🎅❄️⛄️

This was a fun read and will be great for reading in the lead up to the holidays! Christmas Is All Around features all the trademarks of a classic romcom and isn’t to be missed! Thanks to the publisher for the complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

A Christmas Rom Com with Banter galore, a must read for your Holiday TBR! 4/4.5

Charlotte Lane is a certified Grinch, with a strong distaste for Christmas and all things holiday cheer! This may have everything to do with her short lived child star moment in a hallmark level cringe film "Christmas, Truly." 20 years later when Charlotte refuses to participate in the sequel, she decides to flee the chaos of the holidays in NYC, to visit her sister in London. Though Christmas, Truly, is never too far away; a fact made evidently clear when Charlotte and the fam visit Eden Priory, a beautiful and once great house that happened to be a filming location from her festively haunted past. Enter Graham Calloway. In efforts to save his generational family home, Graham elicits the help of Charlotte, and commissions some of her artwork to be sold at Eden Priory. A business arrangement, nothing more. But when the two start to spend more time together, can they avoid the Hallmark movie Christmas magic circling around them?

This book was such a fun read! I was lucky enough to be sent a digital ARC before publication in October, but I'll definitely be re-reading during the holiday season! The banter between these two is so funny but also dry! I loved it! She's a grumpy sassy New Yorker and he's a grumpy stoic Englishman. The cultural clashes and sarcasm made for some incredible laugh out loud moments and the dynamic between the two characters was pretty realistic. And that's coming from a sassy New Yorker who happens to be dating a grumpy Englishman!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Cute and fun read with likeable characters. Perfect for lovers of holiday novels and I can never resist a good holiday read. it was a perfect read for in between my fantasy reads. Quick and easy to read with opposites attract trope. Definitely recommend!

I couldn’t get into the story just as I thought. Not disappointed but need more depth, I think. I can't remember when was the last time when I read a book in which the whole plot was 100% equal to what was written in the blurb and nothing more. There was no surprise there, no resolution to any of the plot threads and the whole story was blatantly predictable and painfully dull.

This was a very cute holiday read! Add it to your TBR if you are looking for a cozy read for the holiday season. I loved seeing the MCs relationship bloom and that they got along with each other’s families. The only (small) issues that I had were the 3rd person POV, the frequent run on sentences, and the no communication at times. Other than that, very cute read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

I was very excited to read a contemporary Martha Waters! This one has all her usual charm and wit with a semi-sly FMC. It maybe starts a little slow and the ending is a trifle heavy handed on Christmas (intentionally, I think) but I was along for a fun ride in between. I physically smiled while reading it. I hope Waters writes more in any genre-- I'll read them all.

This was such a fun festive read! I adored the setting of London during Christmastime and the descriptions of all the festive activities the characters went to like the lights in Kew Gardens. The banter between Charlotte and Graham was excellent and it was fun that the book was centered around fake "iconic" Christmas movies set in England. Christmas Is All Around is overall a solid Christmas romcom that is the ideal read for under the Christmas tree.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good book. I enjoyed how the characters were opposites. Charlotte wanted to avoid Christmas and the Christmas movie she had filmed, while Graham had it as a major focal point. I enjoyed watching the relationship between Graham and Charlotte develop. There were cute together! I did feel like at times this book dragged on a bit.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this title. While this is a fictionalized story, we really need to let celebrities BE. They are people underneath it all and are NOT the characters they portray in the shows and movies. That being said, this was a cute book. I'm a sucker for a holiday romance and this checked the boxes for me.

christmas in september, i wish. anyway this was cuteish? personally i didn’t connect with the plot very well. i wanted to (and waited) to feel more for the characters than i did, but ultimately i didn’t. charlotte got annoying at times, which is unfortunate. i am glad this book is self aware of all the christmas time tropes though.

About: Charlotte, an artist living in New York, starred in a Christmas movie as a child and now hates anything to do with the holiday season. When she suddenly starts facing backlash from fans after declining to star in a reboot of the film, Charlotte decides to spend December with her sister in London. She is dragged along to many holly jolly festivities and unknowingly attends an event at Eden Priory - a historical home that just so happened to be a filming location for the exact movie that she once starred in. After being left behind by her sister, Charlotte gets to know the family that runs the property, including the handsome son named Graham. She learns about their financial struggles to keep the home operational and volunteers her artistic talents to help source some income for them. She works closely with Graham to revisit other famous locations of holiday movies, which leads to her unpacking her own feelings about the special time of year and her feelings towards Graham himself.



Review:

As a big fan of all the cozy holiday feelings, I was eager to read a book from the other perspective - the added depth of Charlotte’s character having once starred in a famous Christmas film causing her to be a prominent aspect in many people’s holiday enjoyment (while she was constantly trying to outrun it) was fun to follow along with! I loved how Charlotte seemed to be living out her own holiday romcom throughout the whole book - while being so aware that it was happening - and how that helped her reevaluate her own strong feelings towards many aspects of her life. One of my favorite subplots was the general chaos that Charlotte’s sister and family added. I definitely felt a bit reflective of my own enthusiasm for the holidays from a different perspective based on their devoted commitment to all merriment of the season.

Overall, a fun cozy read for December!