3.5/5 stars

This was a cute and charming Christmas romance with a woman who hates Christmas and a charming English man - the perfect recipe for a Hallmark movie (which it actually is emulating). Was it corny at times? Absolutely, but it was charming and it got me in the holiday spirit.

The FMC hates Christmas due to being in a holiday movie as a kid and her identity being connected to that film instead of her art career. It was very much a main point with her character, which could get a little annoying at times, but wasn't enough to turn me off altogether. I loved her and the MMCs relationship and how it blossomed over their time together. The book had just a dash of spice in this one which was a nice little cherry on top. I wish there was a little more development with their relationship, but honestly, it very much fits the fast-paced fell-in-love-on-Christmas that so many Hallmark-type movies create.

I didn't love the ending being so on the nose, and would have liked a little less conflict for the sake of conflict, but again, it fits the holiday movie tropes so it made sense. I wish there was an epilogue to see where they ended up, but overall a cute holiday book if you're looking for one this year!

Overall, if you go in with the expectation of holiday romance movie in a book, you'll be entertained. A sweet and sassy with a little bit of spice holiday romcom set in England over Christmas - you really can't go wrong!

Thank you Atria for a copy of this book!

A delightful grump/grump Christmas that put me in mind of one of my movie faves the Holiday. An easy, CUTE Christmas read to get you in the spirit, no matter the time of year!

Thank you Atria and Netgalley for the ARC!

A sweet, lighthearted holiday rom-com. FMC hates Christmas, meets MMC and finds herself spending more and more time with him. Not my usual read but nice for this time of year :)

“Christmas is All Around” is out now!

As a child, Charlotte’s only acting job was a role in a popular Christmas movie. Now there are rumors of a reboot, but Charlotte wants nothing to do with it and leaves to spend the holidays with her sister in London. While there she ends up at one of the filming locations for the movie and meets Garahm, the son of the home’s owners. She agrees to partner with him to bring in more money for the house by commissioning illustrations from iconic London holiday movie locations to sell in his home. Graham agrees to accompany her to the various locations and as they spend time together Charlotte can’t help feeling the magic of Christmas.
As someone who loves to rewatch iconic holiday movies (why do all of the best ones take place in London?) I loved this premise! This book was so much fun to read! Between the picturesque setting, the witty banter, and the entertaining cast of side characters, this is a holiday book that I can see myself rereading!
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

A perfect Christmas romance, and exactly what I predicted a Martha Waters contemporary would be: just as smart and funny and slightly acerbic as her historicals. Absolutely loved it.

This book has a great message at the end! I thought the idea of this story and overall plot was really interesting (those roles are iconic!) but the negativity was a little much for me and dragged the story down for me in the first chunk.

Charlotte just wants to escape to her sister's in London for the holidays. She was a bit of a social media target for refusing to be part of a sequel/reboot of the beloved holiday movie she was in as a child. She is now a successful illustrator running her own business - and running far far away from show business which is basically the family business.

There is so much Christmas in this book and I loved it. Charlotte's sister and in-laws are planning on doing all the traditional things for baby Alice's first Christmas. Charlotte is reluctantly going along but she'll complain the whole time. Then one outing to a country manor turns out to be the UK setting of the Charlotte's movie. The family at Eden Priory commissions Charlotte to paint the manor as well as other famous film locations. The hunky Graham is enlisted to be her tour guide. There's some good banter, lots of festivities, and some minor family dramas to be resolved.

I found myself wanting to see Charlotte's illustrations of these fictional houses in fictional holiday movies. I would really love a sequel set five or six years in the future when Alice is old enough to enjoy spending time with her Auntie Charlotte. Graham can come too but really I want more Alice.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. I am required by law to disclose this. #ChristmasIsAllAround #NetGalley

I really liked this book! I don't usually love Christmas romance books, but I was very pleasantly surprised with this. I absolutely love Martha Water's Regency Vows series, so I was very excited to get into her contemporary romance debut; it did not disappoint! I thought the premise for this story sounded really fun and interesting, and it was very well executed! As always, I loved the writing style and flew through this in two sittings. I adored the setting of this story, and I really loved Graham and Charlotte together as well! I loved their banter and watching their relationship develop! I also really liked the side characters! Overall, I would 100% recommend that you add this to your winter/holiday TBR, and as always, I can't wait to read whatever Martha Waters puts out next! :)

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I was not able to get into the celebrity aspect so I did not finish.

Thank you to NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review! This felt like it could be the next Lindsay Lohan holiday movie. It’s about a former child actress who hates the holidays spending Christmas in London with family and of course she meets a handsome man. Instead of grumpy/sunshine, it was grumpy/grumpy. They both were Debbie downers and I couldn’t really make myself care about the story. They had some funny banter. Overall it was sweet & cheesy just like you’d expect.. just not my cup of tea.

Really enjoyed this book. I loved the focus on Christmas movies. Such a fun storyline. Love UK at Christmastime.

Even though Charlotte gives off major Grinchy Bah Humbug vibes she’s not completely shut off from having feelings. Enter Graham and her sister and, well, Christmas all around, and she starts to defrost. While the main characters certainly hold their own, the secondary players add a lot of humor and color to the story. 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy. Always happy to read a Christmas story in December.

"𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴, 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺, '𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘕𝘖𝘛 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴.'"


This book was everything.

It had all the best parts of some of my favorite holiday rom coms, specifically Cameron Diaz and Jude Law a la 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 - whom I kept picturing the whole time I was reading (minus the single dad aspect, of course).

My heart just feels happy after finishing this and it's definitely fueling my final push through the end of the year - for reading, for work and for home!

🎄 England in Christmas
🏰 Child Christmas Movie Stardom
🎄 Scrooge/Grinch FMC
🏰 Cinnamon Roll MMC
🎄 English Castle
🏰 ALL the Holiday Movie Clichés
🎄 Only One Room!

A huge thank you to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review! ❤️
.
.
.
.
#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #christmasisallaround #marthawaters #book93of2024 #whatsnikkireading #atriabooks #netgalley #christmasinengland #holidaymoviecliches #holidayromance #romance #onlyoneroom #scrooge #grinch #holidayromcom

I LOVED THIS!! Holiday book of the season for me, for sure.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDYJESzROlu/?igsh=MXU2NDh3M3FpN3Jscg==

The snow fell in gentle flurries, coating the grounds with a pristine white dusting. The Christmas tree was lit and the warmth of the lights could be felt even from the outside. She rubbed her gloved hands together to warm them, but inside her heart was cold. She wishes she could just bypass Christmas.

Christmas is All Around follows Charlotte, a former child actress who starred in a famous Christmas movie. But when she’s pressured into a reboot that she doesn’t want any part of, she flees to London to get away from all the pressure. While there she hopes to avoid all things Christmas.

This was a cute holiday romance filled with all the Christmas cheer and activities. I loved watching Charlotte’s grinch heart grow as she slowly discovered the magic of Christmas she’s been trying to avoid. The sarcasm and witty banter between Charlotte and Graham was excellent and I found myself chuckling quite a bit as they made fun of all the cheesy holiday tropes.

If you love holiday romances, grumpy (her)/sunshine (him), and a “must save the family business” storyline… this is a cute read to pick up.

This was a cute holiday read, but u sound myself having a really hard time getting into it. Maybe the story based in England wasn’t for me, or the obsession with Christmas movies since I’m not a huge fan of

Definitely recommend adding this Christmas romcom to your TBR! This storyline was cute, witty, and different enough from the three other Christmas romcoms I read before this to keep my attention for the whole book. It was hallmarky but never felt like a recycled story.

I loved Waters’ historical romances and this contemporary Christmas one was just as good!

Thanks NetGalley and the Publishers for this ARC.

I love Christmas books, especially those that take place in London. This was cute and a good book to get in the holiday mindset.

This cozy holiday romance is perfect for fans of Love Actually!

If you enjoy the “hates Christmas” trope than this one is for you!

I’ve been a fan of Waters since her historical romance coms and all her strengths show through in this contemporary holiday romance! Hope it’s one of many to come!

This was such a fun and joyful holiday romance! Charlotte and Graham are delightful grumps within their respective families of holiday obsessives and their chemistry together is electric on the page. I found the surrounding cast of characters very funny, and while there were some elements that felt underdeveloped I thought overall this book really hit the perfect balance of nods to Hallmark Christmas movies and something a little deeper. Recommended for anyone who loves holiday rom com movies!