
Member Reviews

I really enjoyed this European holiday romance! It was a lot of fun to read and the setting was beautiful. I thought the romance was a perfect blend of sweet and swoony!

My final holiday book of the season, was Christmas is All Around.
Charlotte as a child stared in a holiday movie and its fans are hounding her for choosing not to rejoin a remake. To avoid all the internet bullying, she decides to spend the final five weeks of the year with her sister in London. While there, she mistakenly goes to one of the film locations and is recognized. She inadvertently gets left behind and the generous historic home’s owner, Graham, drives her to her sister’s. Graham needs to find a way to make more funds for the home and bring another film location is off the list. Can he create enough events and buzz as the holiday location to save the family home.
Martha Waters writes a fun historical romance series that I have really enjoyed but this book didn’t captivate me. When the holidays are hectic I want attention-grabbing reads and this one felt fine/cute. I felt the third-act breakup didn’t serve either Charlotte or Graham and didn’t feel like a good conflict for them to work through. I also didn’t love Charlotte’s character - there was a lot of hate towards acting and a film more than 20 years prior that gave her amazing opportunities later in life so it was hard to connect to her. If you want a cute London-based romance or love a child actor story this one might be for you.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

2.5 Stars. Charlotte was a child actress, starring in the hit Christmas movie “Christmas, Truly”. When she is reluctant to appear in a sequel, she flees to London to escape the hate of the fans and spend the month leading up to Christmas with her sister.
The Christmas season was so busy that I did not have time to finish all my Christmas reads, so here we are reading Christmas in January—and I love it! I absolutely loved all the nods to Love Actually, from the book title, to the opening line, and to the storyline of Charlotte’s appearance in a Love Actually-esque Christmas movie as a child. However, while I understand that Charlotte is fulfilling the role of the “Grinch-like” character that’s lost her Christmas spirit, a roll most Christmas movies/stories have, I found her to be overly miserable and unlikeable. Honestly, I didn’t like Graham much either, so I struggled to feel invested in their relationship. While there was enough Christmasy elements sprinkled in to make it a festive read, this wasn’t the book for me.
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for my gifted copy!

This was a fun Christmas romance. Great to read during the holidays to bring you that hallmark feeling in a book!

"Christmas Is All Around" by Martha Waters is a delightful holiday rom-com that blends humor and heart, making it a perfect four star, festive read. The novel follows Charlotte, a former child actress who starred in a beloved holiday movie but has since grown to despise the season due to the persistent attention from fans. Seeking refuge, she escapes to London to spend the holidays with her sister. There, she meets Graham, a charming man whose family owns a vineyard, and together they embark on a journey that rekindles her holiday spirit and opens her heart to unexpected romance.
Charlotte's character is richly developed, showcasing her transition from a holiday cynic to someone who rediscovers the magic of the season. Graham's warmth and support play a pivotal role in her transformation, and their interactions are filled with witty banter and genuine connection. The plot is well-paced, with each chapter introducing new challenges and heartwarming moments that deepen their relationship. Set against the backdrop of London's festive charm and a picturesque vineyard, the story captures the essence of holiday romance, making "Christmas Is All Around" a must-read for those seeking a cozy and uplifting tale.
This book released October 22nd meaning it is available now to enjoy!
Thank you NetGalley, Martha Waters, and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a personal review.

This story follows Charlotte in third person. Charlotte starred in a popular Christmas movie as a child but decided acting was not for her and now pursues her passion in art and prefers to avoid the holiday. Her parents who have always worked in the entertainment industry and have a volatile relationship don’t understand her choices. After refusing to star in a sequel to her movie, Charlotte flees the media to stay with her sister and new baby in England for the holidays. Unfortunately, Ava’s in-laws are also visiting and love all the holiday festivities.
One of their excursions takes them to the Christmas tree lighting at the home of an artist that Charlotte admires, but when they arrive, she finds the estate strangely familiar. There she meets a descendant of the artist that she admires and is commissioned to illustrate iconic holiday movie scenes in various parts of London. Graham escorts her on some of these excursions and the two become friendly.
I really enjoyed this lovely holiday story. Charlotte has unresolved issues with her experiences in acting and resentment of her family’s dismissive treatment of her chosen profession. Graham is trying to save his family’s historic home and move into the future with it in a way that makes it more self-sustaining and family run. This is my sixth read by this author. I think I’ve read all her books. This is the first contemporary. I really enjoy the banter she creates between her romantic pairings. It had the perfect blend of romance, holiday, family and professional angst.
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

This story follows a child star who wants to move on from acting but she ends up in a place she doesn’t expect. I have read Waters’ histrorical romances which were some wonderful reads but sadly this one wasn’t it. I was enjoying the beginning of this book but then it started to go downhill. I ended up not liking the third person pov as all the names just began to jumble up. The storyline was good but I felt as though a lot of the sentences were repetitive because if often felt like I read the words before. This is told from Charlotte’s pov.
Charlotte is the FMC and let me tell you that this woman hates everything. I couldn’t understand her and with her hate, it just made me not want to focus on seeing her growth. Then we have Graham who was honestly just like her but barely there. There are many other side characters but I truly didn’t care for them. The romance was okay but as I didn’t truly care for them. However they are perfect for each other. This is a grumpy x grumpy with an american x english trope and some steamy scenes.
The ending was decent with a HEA. This book takes place in London which I enjoyed because the setting was well described. This book didn’t truly feel like a christmas romance for me and I had high hopes for it since Waters wrote it. However, many readers will enjoy this because this is what I just thought. I will still be reading their other books because I truly enjoyed those a lot more.

"Christmas is All Around" is the perfect book to add to your holiday reading list! I loved the Hallmark feel to this book and the perfect winter setting. I really enjoyed the plot and coudln't stop reading this one!

You’ve got to add this book to your winter TBR—it’s the perfect mix of an engaging story and cozy Christmas vibes.
Here’s a little sneak peek: The main character, a former actress, is haunted by the childhood role she can’t seem to escape, and the male lead? Turns out he owns the house where she filmed that movie.
I loved watching the characters interact and grow. Their families were such a great addition, with their own little subplots that really brought the story to life. That said, I’ll admit I skimmed through a few parts—Charlotte’s constant frustration with her old role got a bit repetitive. I get wanting to be recognized for your art, but she seemed overly focused on it, especially since only a handful of people even knew who she was!
Still, the passion and energy the characters brought to the story totally made up for it. Overall, it’s such a fun and heartwarming read, and I’d definitely recommend it!

The current Goodreads rating is 3.57 and I’d have to agree. This book is enjoyable, the storyline is enjoyable, but it wasn’t anything that blew me out of the water. I wish the characters had a bit more depth. Or maybe that’s just the current mood I’m in.
Thank you Netgalley for this one!

This was such a cute Christmas in London story! Loved the references to movies, and castles. I would recommend this as one my favorite Christmas books read this season!

This was a sweet Christmas book. I truly loved the characters so much! The child star story line was unique, and I loved how much heart this book had.

I was so excited to read Martha Waters' first contemporary romance! This story was so cute and had such a unique premise. Graham and Charlotte had amazing chemistry, I loved spending time with them. Banter - amazing! Meet cute - phenomenal! Amazing Christmas spirit.
To me, the most interesting thing about this book was the conflict. Charlotte is kind of hung up on what is, arguably, not that big of a deal. Her character arc is about getting over her issues being a child star.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, but didn't love it enough to rate it any higher. I can't really see myself ever revisiting this book.

I was a huge fan of Martha Waters Regency Vow series so when I saw that she had a Christmas romance based in London, I was so excited to read it! However, this book basically just consisted of the main character repeatedly expressing her disdain for Christmas and for a Christmas season lover like myself, it was really hard to get past. I also just didn't feel the chemistry between the FMC and MMC, it felt a tad forced.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)
-m/f contemporary romance
-holiday romance
-frenemies to lovers
-hallmark movie vibes
-man in glasses
This was like being transported into a Hallmark movie for all of us who find them a bit cheesy (but secretly love them) i had the best time and honest started debating looking at moving to England. Martha's writing just transports you into the sweetest romance between two jaded adults who definitely weren't looking for love but stumbled into it any ways. Martha always writes fun anter and i had just the best time with this. Can't wait to see what she writes next.

Thanks to Atria Books I received an eARC of @marthabwaters newest book Christmas is all around, her first contemporary book that has a sneaky tie in to her regency vows series that I IMMEDIATELY DM’d Martha about when I saw it.
I’m giving this book 16/10🎄bc I can.
This book is about a woman, Charlotte,, who greatly dislikes Christmas in large part due to having starred in one of the most popular Christmas movies when she was a child. she is spending the Christmas holidays in London England with her sister and her family and is forced to participate in numerous Christmasy activities much to her chagrin. When attending a Christmas tree lighting event, she ends up meeting Graham and the serendipitous meeting is the start of not only a business relationship, but a romantic one as well.
And that begins a story of humor, family, lots of Christmas, and perhaps not letting go of the past, but accepting it and being able to move forward
My Thoughts:
I’ve binged-read this book in one afternoon because I enjoyed it so so much. I am a fan of Martha’s books and her writing. I think fans of the Regency vows series will thoroughly enjoy this book because it has all the hallmarks of Martha’s wonderful writing – humor, family, friends, shenanigans, and love.
I like that the female main character is very cynical about Christmas and she’s forced to reckon with this cynicism and navigate why she feels this way when she’s existing in the world in which Christmas is just coming out from all directions. So how can she find a way to live with Christmas in a way that she doesn’t have to be a super-uber Christmas fan, but how can experience it with more positivity than what she currently does.
This is definitely a book I would happily read each Christmas season and I hope that somebody out there decides to turn it into a movie because I think it would be a wonderful visual experience as well.
If you are looking for a book to start to get into the Christmas spirit, definitely check this one out I think lots of people will enjoy it.

Super cute story, great banter and and few LOL moments. Martha’s writing style shines through but love that it’s not historical romance. Bring on her next book!!

This was a very enjoyable Christmas read! Great banter, great background story, and super fun side characters. I loved the “quest” that the MCs went on - so fun!
Definitely recommend this holiday romcom and will likely read it again in future seasons!

I loved this book! It was a perfect hallmark movie meets romance novel andI couldn’t get enough! It was cheesy and cute and everything you want in a holiday romance. I definitely recommend!

Christmas Is All Around follows Charlotte, a former child star of a popular Christmas movie who has grown up to resent the holidays and the movie, and flees to England to spend the holidays with her sister and out of the spotlight.
Overall, this was a fun story with cute Christmas vibes, and I would recommend it for a read around the holidays!
If you take a close eye to the story, though, that’s when I had to knock it a few stars.
At the beginning of the book, I liked Charlotte and really rooted for her. But as the story went on, it becomes clear that her only personality trait is hating the holidays and hating Christmas, Truly (the movie she was in as a child). Her resentment is understandable, but her inability to ever let it go or stop talking about it started to drive me a little crazy.
The characters also kept making references to being in a romance novel, and the meta-ness of that pulled me out of the story every time (and it happened way too many times).
Honestly, a lot of the characters in this book weren’t super likable, aside from the two main love interests. I’ve seen some critiques that this book would’ve benefit from being dual POV, and I agree. I think balancing Charlotte’s grim attitude with Graham’s upbeat one would’ve really benefit this story.
If you’re able to shut off your critic’s eye and simply enjoy the story, I think it is a fun Christmastime read. But if you’re looking for something with more depth, this probably isn’t the story for you.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.