Another cute holiday romance for the win! If I see one, you better believe I’m going to request to read it. I just can’t get enough of these charming Christmas stories to pack around the suspense this time of year.

THE CHRISTMAS CRUSH centers around Elena and Lawrence, as they butt heads and have to come together during a Christmas cookie competition.

I listened to the audio format and it was so cute!

*many thanks to Dreamscape media and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

If you love hallmark movies and all their cheesiness, this book is for you. Although I’m not the biggest lover of holiday based romances, this one was a nice palate cleanser! Plus who doesn’t love a little enemies/rivals to lovers AND baking! If this wasn’t a book I read between darker stories I do think the overly clean narrative would’ve gotten on my nerves a little because, as stated before, this isn’t my typical subgenre. However, given the circumstances it did its job perfectly!

“The Christmas Crush” by Noelle Douglas is an enjoyable holiday story. It features the rivals-to-lovers trope, a contrast between small-town and big-city life, and a setting that feels like a classic Christmas movie. I read the ebook while listening to the audiobook.

The story follows Lawrence, a small-town baker, and Elena Voss, a marketing executive promoting her company’s cookie business in a new town. Their first interactions are tense, as Lawrence worries that the new bakery chain will take his customers and threaten his business.

I liked both main characters, though I felt the third act breakup could have held a little more tension if it had to happen. However, I still enjoyed the story, especially Lawrence’s grandmother, Sugar the dog and the town’s Christmas traditions. The setting of New Hope, Pennsylvania, contributed to the cozy holiday atmosphere. I think a shorter length and more gradual romantic tension between the characters would have made it more engaging.

Overall, it is a sweet, predictable, and closed-door romance that makes for a pleasant Christmas read.

Audiobook review:
Kim Churchill did a good job with the narration for this audiobook! She was able to bring both the FMC and MMC to life, making it easy to follow along. The character distinctions were spot on and even when the story slowed down a bit, the audiobook kept me hooked and pulled me right back in. Definitely a fun and engaging listen!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the gifted audiobook. All opinions expressed are my own.

I absolutely adored this! It's so good! I loved the two voices used and the story was written so well! The Sprinkle boss, environment, and corporation as a whole really made it super relatable and realistic. The banter with the friends had me ugly laughing! Great book!

Definitely buying as a favorite for my shelf!

If you are wanting an easy read to get you into the Christmas spirit, this is the book for you.
Filled with laughs and love of a small town, this book was one of the sweetest Christmas romances I have read in a while!

All the feels wrapped up in this sugary sweet goodie. Elena comes to town as the new marketing manager for Sprinkles, a franchise bakery, and Lawrence is not happy, it could put him and his artisanal bakery out of business. Everything blows up at the town meeting when Lawrence tries to get Sprinkles building permit denied. Instead they join forces in a cookie baking contest. Close quarters brings out all the feels. This gives off all the vibes of a Christmas time movie.

I listened to this on audio and it was so sweet! A classic Hallmark Christmas movie! Predictable, adorable, and full of festive cheer. Nothing to write home about, but a book that will make you feel good.

this book is absolutely a cheesy hallmark movie in a book form! i was looking for a festive book to get me in the holiday spirit and this one 100% delivered.

Adorable! Pleasantly surprised with this one and thought it was a cutie for the holiday season. I’m not a baker so couldn’t totally connect with that side of things, but enjoyed it nontheless

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. It is possibly a case of too many holiday books, but I didn’t find anything unique to keep me engaged. I do love the idea of all of the baking! If you are a Hallmark fan, give this a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a sweet rivals to lovers story! I really loved how they began as cookie rivals and slowly fell for each other. This was a great holiday read that really put me in the Christmas mood. This was just adorable.

"The Christmas Crush" has two cookie rivals battling it out for the town's business.

Marketing executive Elena Voss is planning for the grand opening of Sparkle Cookie's latest shop in small town New Hope, Pennsylvania. But what she didn't anticipate was the hot, local baker Lawrence Higgins, a beloved town staple.

And the more she gets to know Lawrence after their disastrous first encounter, the more she likes him. The problem is, her toxic boss expects results, one way or the other, and Elena's mission is to ensure Sparkle Cookie's sales figures are stellar.

So the question she has to wrestle with is, is there enough room in the small town for both Sweet L's (Lawrence artisan cookie store) and a major conglomerate like Sparkle Cookie? And can she get everything all sorted out business-wise before she completely loses her heart to the sweetest man she's ever met?

Filled with ups and downs, this small town, enemies to lovers romance has all the "feels."

Thank you to Noelle Douglas, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the advance review copy.

Despite The Christmas Crush being a quick and atmospheric read, I had to grit my teeth to finish it, for the flirting/use of endearments were cringey and Elena and Lawrence’s relationship escalated WAY too quickly for my taste, also Lawrence put Elena before the livelihood of his bakery when he had BARELY known her. 😐 Truth be told, my favorite part of this book is the recipe at the end. I just adore cookies, so I may try my hand at baking the ones Ms. Noelle Douglas included<3 Anyway, this is not to say that this book is not worth reading, but rather a reflection of my struggle to find contemporary romance books that I deem truly exceptional…I would like to conclude by saying that I still recommend reading The Christmas Crush, which has closed-door romance and no swearing (that I can recall), if the book description entices you xoxo

The Christmas Crush by Noelle Douglas is an adorable holiday romance full of work life drama and delicious cookies. While the characters were a little bland, this was a fun story that is perfect for anyone who loves cheesy Hallmark holiday movies. The romance has a little bit of an enemies to lovers start but it's overall pretty sweet. The descriptions of all of the delicious cookies were my probably favorite parts though. This book left me craving sweets. The audiobook has great narration done by Kim Churchill that really brings the story to life.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an gives review.

3.5⭐, 1🌶️

A sweet rivals to lovers romance. I liked the small town vibes with both characters being bakers. The romance was a bit meh for me(the insta lust was kinda off putting and the rivalry to lovers switch was too abrupt - i think I coughed and missed the switch) , but I enjoyed listening to all the cute Christmas events they got into together. Not a great book but I liked it enough while wanting

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This one is about a small town baker who’s fighting to keep his beloved bakery afloat all while a popular franchise cookie place is getting ready to open next door. Will he be able to stop them and not fall for their marketing manager?

This one was so far detached from Christmas that I couldn’t figure out the title at all. There was really abrupt insta love that just made no sense and the characters; in my opinion; had no chemistry. The only cool thing was that HE was the small town baker and SHE was the one with the corporate job.

Once again, it took me far too long to finish this audiobook—will I ever learn? Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t hit the mark for me. The chemistry between the main characters felt flat, and the banter lacked spark, making it tough to stay engaged. That said, the setting was a highlight—think charming small town straight out of a Hallmark movie. While the story itself didn’t fully win me over, the cozy town atmosphere added a nice touch.

Tis the season for cozy holiday readers with festive vibes! Elena and Lawrence take us on an enemies-to-lovers romance journey, with cookie baking at the core. While the plot feels a bit rushed at times, the small-town charm and holiday season makes for a charming read. I also felt the voice acting was well matched to the characters and brought a nice dimension to the story.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

Elena is a high-powered. corporate VP of marketing for a bloodthirsty cookie (yes, cookie) chain. Lawrence is a giant but sweet town baker. You already know what is going to happen, don't you! When Elena is charged with opening a new cookie shop in Lawrence's town, sparks fly, but is there any hope for the star-crossed lovers?

This was a cute if slightly anxiety inducing ride. It covered toxic work environments, social anxiety, and family issues, in a light hearted manner. The third act break up was predictable and the ending was sweet, no cookie pun intended.

Overall I enjoyed this book and the cookies sound great.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Rivals to lovers, small town plus cookies? Yes, please! The setting was fantastic - I live about 30 minutes from New Hope and am now planning a Christmas trip. The dynamic between Lawrence and Elena was cute. I really dislike a third act breakup and this one had me frustrated but ultimately it was a sweet Christmas novel.