
Member Reviews

I received an ARC of this book, all thoughts are my own.
I absolutely love Sophie Sullivan's books, and this one was no exception! I find some of the reviews on this kinda weird, with people talking about the constant sex - there's no descriptions of sex or the acts on the page. To each their own, I suppose. At any rate, I really enjoyed Maisie and Nick's story. It was sweet and swoony, packaged with a Christmas feel, mental health representation and family (both blood and found). It was less a second chance romance and more of a reconnection after a one-night stand.

Photographer Maisie is excited to spend a week reconnecting with family as they stay at a Christmas tree farm during Christmas. Despite her harpy of a mother berating Maisie at every turn for not having pursued a higher education degree like her siblings, Maisie is determined to have a good time, That hope is put to the test when she realized the proprietress is the sister of the man with whom Maisie had a one night stand then was ghosted by six months prior, and he’s also staying for the week.
Professional hockey player Nick is at a crossroads in his career. Many players retire at his age, and the latest round of injuries he’s received while playing may have him traded or contemplating the end of his career. Reconnecting with Maisie, however, makes him consider his life beyond the ice.
This book is touted as a Christmas themed book, and it certainly begins that way, as the setting is right on the nose, but Christmas only factors in the first third of so of the book. The rest of it seems almost as if it were authored by a different person, as the somewhat drastic change in tone and the shift from lighthearted romcom occurs. I’m very much a fan of open door scenes in my romance books, and many of my favorite authors balance the lighter side of things with steamy goodness, so perhaps I’m biased, but the lack of intimate scenes was a disappointment. Additionally, once Nick set his sights on repairing his connection with Maisie, the book suffered from repetition and became overlong. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley, and I’m sharing my honest impressions.

This is the first time I read this author and I really enjoyed this story. about Maisie and Nick. All the characters were great . This story added a lot of emotion , romance and the mystery that included were Nick and Maisie really going to get together, Her low self esteem caused by her parents and her profession were sad that Maisie had to go through that. It was a GREAT READ!!

As someone who loves holiday romances and hockey romances, You Make It Feel Like Christmas hit all the right notes! Sophie Sullivan brings warmth, charm, and just the right amount of second-chance tension to this festive read.
Maisie, a photographer with a big heart, and Nick, a professional hockey player with a complicated life, share one unforgettable night, only for him to disappear without a word. Six months later, fate (and Nick’s sister’s tree farm) brings them back into each other’s orbit. The forced proximity, awkward family holiday moments, and slow burn reconnection made this such a cozy, satisfying read.
I loved the festive setting, the strong sibling dynamics, and the emotional undercurrents that gave this romance real depth. Sullivan’s signature warmth shines through every scene, and the chemistry between Maisie and Nick felt natural and earned.
A perfect pick for readers who love second-chance romances, forced proximity, and Christmas cheer with a sporty twist!

Book Review – You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Sophie Sullivan
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.
This book hit every note I want in a holiday romance—and then gave me more. You Make It Feel Like Christmas is warm and funny, yes, but it also surprised me with its emotional depth, its realism, and how grounded it felt despite the charming Christmas tree farm setting. Sophie Sullivan manages to take classic tropes—forced proximity, second chance romance, big family holiday chaos—and turn them into something fresh, emotionally honest, and genuinely satisfying.
Maisie Smart is a photographer who doesn’t look back—not on her career, and not on the one-night stand she had six months ago with a hockey player who walked out the next morning. She’s a character who’s learned how to protect herself, and who’s spent a lot of her life feeling like she’s not quite enough—especially when measured against her high-achieving siblings. Her struggle to be seen and respected by her family is just as central to the story as her romantic arc, and it’s part of what made me so invested in her from page one.
Nick King, our hockey-playing romantic lead, is far more than the typical swoony sports hero. He’s in a vulnerable place—benched from the league with an injury and barely holding things together under the weight of panic attacks and career uncertainty. What I appreciated most about Nick was how real his internal world felt. His anxiety isn’t just a subplot; it’s a constant hum beneath the surface, influencing his decisions, his fears, and how he sees himself in the world. Sullivan writes his experience with such nuance and care that I found myself rooting not just for his romance with Maisie but for his overall healing. He’s a big guy with a soft heart and a whole lot of guilt—and watching him try to be better, even when he messes up, was one of the most rewarding parts of the book.
When these two are thrown together at Tickle Tree Farms—a family vacation gone chaotic thanks to a surprise reunion—they don’t waste chapters in bitter silence or juvenile avoidance. Instead, there’s tension, awkwardness, and some well-earned frustration, but also mutual effort. They talk. They listen. They move forward like two people who actually want something real. The romantic pacing is refreshing—it’s slow burn, yes, but also emotionally mature.
Sullivan brings the setting to life beautifully, filling it with just enough Christmas sparkle to give the story warmth without drowning it in holiday clichés. Cookie baking, scavenger hunts, matching pajamas—check. But these events serve more than just seasonal flair; they create space for connection. The farm feels lived-in, not staged. The moments feel personal, not just festive filler.
There’s also a great supporting cast here, and it never feels overcrowded. Nick’s sister Ellie and his scene-stealing four-year-old nephew Asher add levity and charm, while Maisie’s siblings bring a layer of family tension that feels all too familiar. And let’s talk about Maisie’s mom—one of the more frustrating but realistic characters I’ve seen in a romance in a while. The push-and-pull between them isn’t resolved with a single heart-to-heart, and that’s exactly right. The book doesn’t gloss over the emotional work that comes with family wounds or try to tie it up in a bow.
One of my favorite lines comes midway through the book, when Nick reflects on the pull he still feels toward Maisie: “He wanted Maisie. When he kissed her, he forgot about everything else…” It’s simple, almost understated—but it perfectly captures the way their connection quiets the noise in both of their lives. And isn’t that what we want in a love story? Not someone who fixes everything, but someone who makes the chaos bearable.
If I have one critique, it’s this: I wish we’d gotten more of their initial night together as a full flashback. For a one-night stand that left such a mark on both of them, it would’ve added depth to actually see that chemistry unfold instead of just hearing about it secondhand. That said, the emotional work they do throughout the book more than makes up for the lost pages.
And while the book is being marketed as a holiday romance, it really lives beyond its Christmas setting. Once the holiday ends (about a third of the way through), we follow Maisie and Nick into real-life decisions, career questions, and big emotional risks. The shift from cozy to contemporary romance doesn’t feel jarring—it feels earned.
Overall, You Make It Feel Like Christmas is heartfelt, fun, and deeply satisfying. It has all the warmth of a Christmas rom-com with the emotional richness of a character-driven love story. Whether you’re reading this with cocoa in December or iced coffee in July, this book has the kind of love story that lingers—kind, grown-up, and just the right amount of messy. 4.5/5 ⭐️

This is a Christmas romance that is warm and cute. The scenario is kind of exaggerated, and from early on you definitely expect that they will end up together, but the journey to get there is also nice to read. Some families get together to stay at a tree farm during Christmas, and among them is a photographer and a hockey player that had a past in a weird one night stand. They try to avoid each other but end up getting tangled together in multiple adventures.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!
This book was cute! It’s a closed door romance between a photographer and a famous hockey player. They first meet at a wedding, and have a one night stand. They meet again six months later, and each of them has not stopped thinking about the other. The FMC, Maisie, has a lot of self esteem issues because of the way she was raised. The MMC Nick was also dealing with anxiety and panic attacks, and they were able to comfort each other well. It started with beautiful, small town, Christmas vibes, but then they took off to Seattle halfway through the book, which threw me off a bit. Of course it made it more realistic for them to go home and see if it could still work between them. Good vibes, cute story!

You Make It Feel Like Christmas is a sweet, cozy and feel-good holiday romance story. It follows Mary, who returns home for Christmas only to find her ex-boyfriend now dating her sister. Things get even more complicated when her childhood crush reappears. The book is full of holiday charm, family drama, and second chances. The author writes with warmth and humor, making it easy to connect with and root for the characters. Mary’s journey of self-discovery and forgiveness is both touching and fun and the Christmas setting adds extra magic to the story. This book is perfect for anyone who loves feel-good romances, family stories, and holiday cheer. It’s light, heartfelt, and full of festive spirit. Highly recommend!

˗ˏˋ 3 stars ⟡ ݁₊ .
this book kinda felt like two books were forcefully merged into one. like the first half of the book was very christmasy and then suddenly it was over. then the second half of the book was about hockey.
despite that there were parts that i love in the book, it kinda feels like your standard typical romcom book. a cute short read nonetheless.
⤷ thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Sophie Sullivans work and this one was just as great as I hoped. It was definitely a Christmas Hallmark-y kind of vibe and it was worth it. I enjoyed how the story played out and will be reading it again later in the year.
"All bets are off when a single-minded photographer and a professional hockey player are forced to spend a week together on his sister’s Christmas tree farm" Hockey. tree farm. Family. Christmas, Yes please!!
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for a review!

This is a sweet one night stand turned second chance romance between Maisie, a professional photographer and Nick, an injured professional hockey player. Nick and Maisie reconnect when they are unexpectedly thrown together to spend Christmas together with their families. Maisie struggles with seeing her value because her mother doesn't appreciate her photography career even though she has been very successful. Nick has been struggling with mental health issues as well as his injury.
I really enjoyed the dynamic of them reconnecting while in the presence of their family at Christmas. This was a sweet Christmas story, but I feel like the true conflict/plot resolution happened about 15 chapters before the end. I did enjoy being able to see more of them together. I am secretly hoping that somehow Sophie can cook something up so Ellie and Ethan get a book!
Thank you St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was cute but lacked depth for me. Maybe I expected too much for the genre that it is. I was excited it was a Christmas book too but honestly did not feel it was very Christmas-y (besides briefly mentioning Christmas things here or there). It started of well and had a lot of potential, but the second half felt kind of disjointed. However, all this to say I would still recommend this book for someone looking for quick, cute romance.

this is the quintessential Christmas Hallmark movie, with spice, in book format. The town of Merry is the cutest ever, Ellie’s tree farm setting is magical, the planned out holiday family activities are super fun, the big tough hockey uncle playing with his cute 4 year old nephew is heart melting and the love story is perfect.
Was the book sorta cheesy? Sure, reindeer onesies and snowball fights. Was the ending pretty obvious? Yep but who doesn’t love a happily ever after! Was it predictable at times? Guess so, we knew the one night stand couple would reunite! Did any of that make a difference? No! Maybe I’m just a sucker for Christmas romance books but I just loved this story and couldn’t put it down.

Sophie Sullivan has done it again! She has created a cozy, winter, holiday romance that had lots of family and lots of heart. You Make It Feel Like Christmas is a second chance romance that both leads never saw coming. After an amazing one night stand, our two leads went their separate ways and then life got in the way of them reconnecting. Until both of their families have a connection that brought both leads to a Christmas tree farm for the week of Christmas. Their connection is strong from day one and once they explain how they feel, a Christmas romance is in their future. But can a professional hockey player and a professional photographer make it work for the long haul? This book had all the Christmas feels with scavenger hunts, matching pjs, cookie decorating contests and so much more. People will feel like they are reading a Hallmark movie!!!

Who doesn’t love Christmas in July? This was such a cozy read that made me wish it was December and I was sitting by the fire eating Christmas cookies and drinking hot chocolate. It was fun to see some repeat characters from the author’s book “Can’t help falling inn love”. I enjoyed the fast pacedness of this book and how even though they fell for each other quick, they still had that little bit of backstory that made it feel a little bit better. The world building in this book was amazing and I loved Nick’s personality and his banter with Maisie. I also really appreciated the representation of mental health issues in professional athletes as well as the representation of not always being the smartest one in a family of overachievers. Overall, this was such a wonderful read and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a cute and cozy hockey romance.

You Make it Feel Like Christmas is a sweet, cozy, holiday romance story. Maisie is a photographer and is spending the holidays with her family where her one night stand hockey player Nick is staying there too. Ellie is Nick’s sister and it is her farmhouse they are staying at for the holiday. While the holiday is in full swing both Nick and Maisie realize that perhaps their feelings for each other are more than just a one night stand. The first half is heavily a Christmas holiday book and the second half is mostly about Nick’s hockey life.
It’s a sweet quick read and sure to get anyone in the ‘holiday romantic feels.’
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press for this digital advanced copy of this book for my honest review.

This is the perfect mix of Christmas romance and sports romance. This was such a cute book! The romance was so sweet. I highly recommend this book.

A sweet quick christmasy romance, is there anything better than that? I don't think so! This was a lovely read that made me absolutely fall in love with the characters. Highly recommend!

This was my first Sophie Sullivan book but I don't think it will be my last!
I loved the cozy feel of this book, the warmth shared by all of the characters, and the low angst. Yes, Nick left Maisie after a one-night stand, but the resolution to that happens fairly quickly, and the lingering fears are not overdone. I was rooting for both of them to have faith in themselves and in each other.

You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Sophie Sullivan was a fun and easy read. I enjoyed the story and the characters, but just a heads up—despite the festive title, Christmas only makes up about 10% of the book. Still, it’s a sweet, quick read with some heartwarming moments!