4.5/5

I love a Christmas romance - even in the summer - so was super excited to read this one early! I really enjoyed Lexi’s story and loved Masie’s.

The first half of the book did a great job playing up the tension between Masie and Nick (who had a perfect one night stand and then he left). It was filled with holiday spirit and the joys of having the family together at the holidays. I enjoyed the character development.

Cannot wait for the next book! Thanks for the ARC!

This was very much a Hallmark movie book, and that was great! Maisie (coded dyslexic and discalculic), while given a lot of reasons to have anxiety based on her mom, has an outsized reaction to Nick leaving for any amount of time. This ended up reading clingy to me, which is antithetical to the strong, independent woman she is in the rest of her life (especially her career).

Her dad could probably have been left out of the book entirely, and her mom's turn around was rather shocking in its quickness, even if the sibs were on her side and not her mom's. Though, I did enjoy the catharsis of the speeches aimed at her mom, even though those speeches point to an entirely different woman than the one who thinks Nick will never ever come back.

Cute read otherwise, but not my favorite holiday romance.

This is a sweet and heartwarming holiday romance with just the right mix of charm and emotional depth. Nick and Maisie hit it off at a wedding and share one unforgettable night—only for Nick to vanish by morning. Maisie chalks it up to a one-night stand… until she shows up at her family’s Christmas gathering on a tree farm and realizes the farm is owned by Nick’s sister—and Nick is there too.

Things get a little awkward at first, but as the two reconnect, they open up about the real issues they’re each facing. Nick is dealing with anxiety over a possibly career-ending injury, while Maisie struggles with her mom’s lack of support for her photography career.

A great pick for fans of second-chance romance, cozy holiday settings, and characters working through real-life challenges.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this free advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I will say it over and over: I love tropes done well. I love the fake dating and forced proximity tropes especially. This was a fun holiday read!

Sophie Sullivan is a must-read author for me, and You Make it Feel like Christmas doesn't disappoint! Maisie and Nick had a one-night stand six months ago and now they are both spending Christmas at the same Christmas Tree Farm. I love that this story connects with two of Sullivan's other books. All the characters in You Make it Feel like Christmas are fantastic; I especially liked Nick's 4-year-old nephew. I will definitely be reading this one again at Christmas. Fans of Sarah Adams and Falon Ballard will enjoy this book.

My first Sophie Sullivan started out strong with a rating of 5 stars. But I seem to be landing a consistent meh of 3 stars for any subsequent read. And I am not sure why. The characters are interesting. There is some build up to the romance and love so not really insta love. And the conflicts are not the kind that tear the characters apart and make me think "why are you even together." But .... I just don't seem to be as engaged with them as other romances in this space. It could be that I am reading these during a slump or a time when I need to mix up the genres with something else - even the graphic novels I've read have been underwhelming me - or because this is the second slump with Sullivan books maybe it's not me but the books themselves.

Again, it's well written. I had moments where I was really into the story, but then things fizzled. I read some other reviews, and the ones that fall into the meh category all seemed to say they fell off when Maisie and Nick leave the tree farm to head back to their lives in Seattle. I don't disagree with that. But for me, it was right at the start where I felt like this book may go off the rails for me. The minute the coincidence of their family connection started to emerge and then the shared bedrooms were already too much. But I let it go and had fun with all the adventures they went on with family during the lead up to Christmas. Maisie packing her bags on Christmas Day just felt wrong on so many levels. You are there to celebrate with family. And sure, her mom was being an ass, but really? It wasn't the kind of situation that would merit running away. Especially if your biggest fear is people leaving you. And things went south pretty fast after that. Maisie became so insecure in her relationship that I wanted to smack her. As someone who was long distance across the whole country with her partner for almost 8 years, the argument that long distance doesn't last feels really weak as a plot device or a reason for breaking up. Then, to have her freak out when he is not putting her first even after they have only known each other weeks?! I'm sorry, but I would hope that my partner would give me the space I need to work through all the career and life choices Nick had to face. Then her mom coming to town. Ok. So, I will stop now.

The book wasn't bad. I just didn't love it and had a hard time keeping going from the point where they were in Seattle. That was about 100 pages from the end. I didn't hate it. I just felt like it was meh and so I was easily distracted by other things.

If you like Sullivan's books and have been consistently happy, then you will likely love this one too. If you are looking for a cute holiday romance, I think this will tick many boxes. If you are, like me, looking for a book to totally wow you, not sure this is it.

Such a sweet book about two people finding their way back to each other. I loved seeing how Maisie and Nick supported each other and any scene with Asher stole the show. Not quite as much hockey as I typically like for a hockey romance, but I loved the rest of the plot so much that I don't mind. I'll be checking out other titles from Sophie Sullivan.

The author took all of the things I love finding in a holiday romance and crafted a Hallmark worthy bingeable Christmas love story.

Hockey Romance | Holiday Romance Mashup✅
Second Chance ✅
Christmas Tree Farm ✅✅
Forced Proximity ✅
Small Town ✅

This is exactly the kind of book I reach for mid-Autumn. It's sweet and cozy with likeable characters and a storyline that will hold your attention!

I'd recommend adding this to your holiday TBR and look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

Thank you Sophie Sullivan, Net Galley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for proving me with an ARC of this book.

I hesitate to categorize this as a Christmas book. It’s really one of those books that happens to take place at the holidays. The romance (which I loved and unfolded at the perfect pace) was going to happen no matter what, so why not set it at a Christmas tree farm? Whatever you want to call it, it’s absolutely charming. Thanks to St. Martin’s for the ARC.

This book was so good! I am a sucker for a holiday romance and an even bigger sucker for a sports romance. Sophie Sullivan has written compelling and interesting characters. Maisie (who is our main protagonist) has a learning disability and is pursuing her passion despite her family (mostly her mother) pushing her to give up her “hobby” and pursue degrees and prestige. It’s written so realistically it makes you feel for her character. Even Nick (our main protagonist) who is struggling with anxiety throughout the book feels real.
I am definitely going to come back to this book year after year.

Looking for a hallmark christmasy style of book? This is it! Super cute one night stand Turned falling head of heels for each other! Maisie is an upcoming photographer on a Christmas get away with her family, little does she know the owner of the property is related to someone she met before!
Nick is a hockey star known as “King” is out on injury and needing a get away, headed to his sisters Christmas tree farm. Needing a much needed escape from the fame, only to find the one person to help his find his peace

I'm so glad and grateful to get this ARC. Totally did not connect that it has to do with Lexi from Can't Help Falling in Love. I total blanked until the said Lexi & Will that works at GrandBaby. (YKIYK).

Anyway, this is about Lexi's BFF, Maisie, who had this amazing one-night stand and that dude just snuck out and ghosted her. It sucked, but she was about to pick herself up and dust herself off and move on, even thought that was an amazing night and left her wondering if and when that will happen again. Little did she know it was sooner than she expected.

She drove up to her bro-in-law's family's tree farm. And wouldn't you know, Mr. One-Night-Stand is the brother of the tree farm owner, Nick. He comes with his own set of insecurities, passing of a parent, his sister's divorce/ buying the tree farm on top of becoming a single parent. Nick wants to be there to support ALL of it, on top of his own injury is taking longer time to recover than he liked.

But the chemistry between the two is undeniable. They are to a point of cute. What I do appreciate is that as piss as Maisie is, she gave Nick a second chance, deserved or not. And what colorful fun they create together. Both of them are competitive, both of them wants the best for the other. Both of them love each other in this overwhelming sense.

This book didn't feel as flat as the prior book, where some of the characters in the 'Fall' felt two dimensional. This one did not have that feel at all. Pace was moving along lovely, thank goodness Maisie has an awesome support system against her mom. That gives her the love and understanding to give to Nick who needed it more than he realized. Oh! I just love these two. Also a hint of the next book. This is a very cute universe to be in.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin's for the ARC

A family Christmas with all the special people in her family at a real honest to goodness Christmas tree farm! Maisie Smart was on sensory overload with excitement and anticipation. Their hostess Ellie, was a delightful young mom to 5 year old Archer, a top contender for cutest little guy ever! Ellie's brother who has a room next to her with a Jack and Jill bathroom? Oh my! Maisie's only one night stand ever from six months ago, Nick King, right wing for the San Jose Guardians Hockey team.
WOW! Talk about a set up for a great story! A story that was filled with love, Christmas, and beyond. The author did a impressive job weaving together personalities, issues, family challenges, insecurities, and various love stories in this endearing book. Romantic and breathtaking at times, family and friends support at all times, it is a book that exemplifies all real lives can be. This is not a book just for Christmas.

Maisie Smart is a professional photographer, and Nick is a pro hockey player. Once upon a time they had a hot one-nighter and then...POOF!
Now they are thrown together staying at the Christmas tree farm and revisiting what happened and how each of them feels about the whole debacle. Enjoyable story!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin via NetGalley. Pub Date Sep 23, 2025 *****review @bookbub @goodreads #LibraryThing
#You Make It Feel Like Christmas by @authorsophiesullivan @stmartinspress #NetGalley #storygraph #hockey #romance #treefarm #anxietytriggers #secondchanceromance #HEA #panicdisorder #familydrama #secondchances #christmastime #contemporary #recriminations

Hockey romance ✅
Second chance romance ✅
Forced proximity ✅
This hockey Christmas romance was perfection. It had the perfect amount of plot mixed with spicy. Nick and Maisie are adorable and fun to get to know. This book is the perfect cozy read to enjoy while snuggling under blankets near a fire. I loved it and can’t wait to recommend it to friends.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC. Opinions are my own.

I am usually not the type of person who reads a hockey romance story. But because this was by Sophie Sullivan, I made an exception. I’m so glad I did.

Not only because I love her writing, and that heartfelt connection which she does so well. But this had hardly anything to do with hockey. Amen.

What this was about was a reconnection of two people who met one explosive night, and meeting again under very interesting circumstances for Christmas makes your heart full.

Sullivan tells a story with beautiful descriptions and intense situations that show compassion, growing love, emotion, and straight-up romance. She knows how to put the romance into a heartfelt story.

She truly has developed the perfect couple. What I love the most is was there was no third act demolition of their feelings and connection.

This was a beautifully written, clean, romantic story that honestly left my heart happy. I loved it so much, and this is why I love Sullivan’s stories.

This is one of the best Christmas romances I’ve ever read! I loved the depth of this story- we got all the joys of Christmas time but also saw how Nick & Maisie handle real life. I also appreciated the anxiety and panic disorder representation in this story, especially showing men supporting each other. The families and friends in this book were beyond funny and wonderful to read too! Sophie did an amazing job balancing the lighthearted cozy Christmas with a genuine love story between complex characters. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

I don’t like to read povs that are not first person. So this book just wasn’t for me. However, I bet others will absolutely love it. It’s a cute concept.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I ended up finishing the book in just a few sittings and really enjoyed the story and characters.

Such a cute, heartwarming Christmas story! You Make It Feel Like Christmas has everything from one night stand misunderstandings tropes, family drama, cookies, one G.O.A.T. and a plethora of spicy romance <3