3.75 stars, rounded to 4.
Much like most of the holiday books, this one was cute and served its purpose to give you the holiday vibes during the first half of the book. One night stand, MMC bounces, FMC wants to forget it - then.. six months later, they run into each other at MMC's sister's Christmas tree farm. The perfect little second meet-cute.
It was predictable, as most of these books are, but I still enjoyed it. I do think it's worth it to add to your winter/holiday TBR.
I think what specifically helps this book is that the second half of the book is more contemporary romance, rather than just a holiday book.
Maisie - photographer, family issues.
Nick - hockey player (injured), regrets, anxiety.
Loved the mental health representation with Nick; it was well written.
The plot is structured okay. I think the only thing that throws me is the third person POV - I always struggle when this alternates... its probably me, I am just not a big third person POV reader. The pace is good. It slows a bit in the second half, but I also love that the second half turns into contemporary romance.
The characters are well-developed. I found it easy to connect with them. Chemistry was fabulous.
Love the secondary characters and could see some adorable books about them.
Overall, this is sweet, adorable, has a beautifully supportive relationship, first half Hallmark movie vibes, and it's just so dang charming.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sophie Sullivan for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!
Happy Reading!

I got this book as an ARC so thank you, and it got me in full Christmas mode.
Maisie, a professional photographer, meets up with her family, who some of them have a problem with her profession, at a Christmas Tree Farm to spend the holidays there.
The said Christmas Tree Farm is owned by the sister of the man, Nick, Maisie had a one night stand 6 months ago, and can't stop thinking about him. Nick, just so happens to be an NHL player.
They meet up at the Christmas Tree Farm and try to play it cool, but their relationship blooms during their holiday.
Maisie finally stands up to her family and Nick makes a lot of decisions regarding his future, along with his and Maisie's.

The writing was absolutely amazing! It was a great read, kept you sucked in the book from start to finished! I wanted more.

The beginning of this story certainly encompasses the spirit of Christmas, with families gathering together to play games, bake cookies, and exchange gifts. It follows two families brought together through marriage as they spend the week before Christmas at Tickle Tree Farm, owned by Ellie.
Maisie, a successful photographer, arrives, eagerly anticipating the arrival of her family. However, she is taken aback to find Nick, Ellie’s brother, there. Maisie had met Nick, a professional hockey player, at a wedding several months earlier, and she has been grappling with her feelings for him ever since. Complicating matters, Maisie has a strained relationship with her mother, who is also set to arrive for the holiday celebration. While her parents and siblings hold advanced degrees, Maisie did not attend college, leading to her mother’s frequent reminders of this fact.
As I continued reading, I realized that the Christmas holiday served as merely a backdrop to the story, with much of the narrative focused on the reconnection between Nick and Maisie. Unfortunately, I found the book to contain excessive profanity and sexual content, including frequent use of the F-word. I generally prefer to avoid such elements, particularly in stories that initially draw me in with the promise of a sweet, family-oriented Christmas tale.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.

First thank you to st martins press and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 3.75 stars

Synopsis: Maise has a one night stand with nick who disappears afterward. She goes up to meet her family at a tree farm near her and runs into nick again. His sister owns the tree farm and he is best friend with her brother in law. Will the magic of the season bring them together?

What I liked: the writing is really and I liked maise and nick. If you like insta love this book is for you. I’m not a big fan but the writing and chemistry were good. You will have to suspend belief in a few spots but overall a fun enjoyable romance

I received an ARC for this book from NetGalley. I was excited to read this book, but unfortunately I would not read it again or recommend it to my friends. There felt like a lot of disconnect with the characters and the story plot. I kind of find myself little bored but kept reading hoping the story would get better. I even accidentally skipped ahead and found I didn’t even need the in between chapters I accidentally skipped to know the story.

3⭐️’s: Maisie Smart is a photographer who’s had an unforgettable one-night stand six months ago with a man who ghosted her the next morning. She never expected to see Nick King, a professional hockey player, again until her family’s Christmas vacation at a cozy tree farm puts them under the same roof. Both are carrying emotional baggage, and Nick’s anxiety and injury-related career uncertainty add another layer to their growing connection.

This book had such a cute Hallmark-style setup, and I really enjoyed the Christmas tree farm atmosphere and early holiday scenes. The snowball fight and family outings were some of my favorite moments. I also appreciated the honest depiction of anxiety, especially Nick’s panic attacks and Maisie’s difficult relationship with her parents. The conversations around expectations and self-worth felt very real.

However, the story started to lose steam around the halfway mark. Once the characters leave the Christmas setting and the plot pivots toward Nick’s hockey career in Seattle, it lost some of the charm I signed up for. I was hoping for a festive Christmas romance, but the holiday vibe faded too quickly. Also, with all the tension and chemistry between Maisie and Nick, I expected great spice but it ended up being closed-door, which felt like a mismatch with the tone.

Still, it’s a pleasant, low-stakes read that fans of second chances and cozy seasonal settings might enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review🫶🏼💕

A rare "one-off" at a wedding has Nick King & Maisie Smart both longing for each other, but no connection.

When Nick's sister invites him to spend Christmas at her recently purchased Christmas tree farm he is happy to take the break from him hockey career physio. When photographer Maisie Smart accepts an invitation to spend the holiday season with her family at a rental farm house, romance flare when Nick and Maisie find themselves under the same roof.

Small town values and quirky characters mix with some steamy rom-com situations. This makes for a fast moving fun-loving novel.

⭐3⭐
Thank you, St. Martin's Press, Sophie Sullivan, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Sophie Sullivan was a fun holiday-ish read. You got Maisie Smart, the super cute, talented photographer, who has so much potential. She has a budding career ahead, but the two things holding her down are her mixed feelings of proving her worth to her mother and Maisie trying to understand her feelings for Nick. Who is this Nick? No unfortunately it’s not jolly old Saint Nick thanks to the Christmas title, but low and behold it is a…HOCKEY player!
Nick King who is hockey mid life crisis. He’s injured, getting old, having panic attacks and feeling super regretful that he chose his hockey career over his family. What can Santa bring him this year to lift his spirits? Oh how about forced proximity to the one night stand you jilted awhile back Nick?
In keeping the Christmas spirit alive, this book felt like that one present you get that you’re forced to keep because it’s from a relative and you discover it’s electronic so you can’t return it because it’s an online knockoff. So you have to open it and think how can I use this in my life? And maybe it works for like a couple of weeks and then you look at it and decide, nah I don’t need this anymore, because you can’t find the charger. So it just sits there in the closet. THIS IS THE FEELING YOU GET WHILE READING THIS BOOK!
How can a book feel like Christmas when the last two thirds of the story is solely about hockey!? I don’t understand and there wasn’t even a strong hockey team vibe going on. What was cute was the Christmas challenges and Christmas outings with the whole family. Drop the Maisie momma drama and make Nick a Christmas tree farmer and then we got a sweet holiday story.

Thank you for the advance copy of this book.

This was a fun read. I loved how one of the main characters had anxiety and how the author handled the topic of mental health. It was refreshing to have main characters with a conflict that was talked through through communication and wasn't just a simple misunderstanding. There was depth to their issues. and the value of communication.

The author did all this while creating a fun easy read that makes you feel good inside.

I really enjoyed this story. I love romance and when it is so well done I cannot recommend it enough. This will definitely be one of those times. The plot was well written and the characters felt so real!

Warning!!!! Do not start this book if you are in the middle of holiday prep. You won't want to put it down.
I'm sorry to say that You Make It Feel Like Christmas was the first book I've read by Sophie Sullivan but it certainly will not be the last.
This is a feel good, Christmassy romance without fakey fa la la. Masie and Nick are both realistic characters, Are there "naughty words? Yes, but they are used in context rather than just here to be used. It is a hot romance? Yes but descriptive, not graphic. Is there a hot hockey player and a talented photographer? Oh yea. Did I love it? Yes, I certainly did.
I highly recommend a reader take time for themselves during the busy holiday season to relax and enjoy this well written book.
My thanks to #NetGalley and #Althea Mignone @St. Martin's press for the opportunity to early read.
Five stars and a don't miss this book from me.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. Maisie owns her decisions, whether it be professional or relationships. She is happy she pursued being a photographer and okay with her decision to have a one night stand six months ago. However, the night of the one night stand was spent with a professional hockey player, Nick, who promptly left her, and that makes her feeling a bit low. But her family has her get in the Christmas spirit by visiting a tree farm - except Nick is there, as his family owns the farm. He has second thoughts about bolting after his one night stand, and that fuels his anxiety already present from a game injury. So when he runs into Maisie, not only is he happily surprised, but his attraction is still present.

This was a cozy book about the most festive time of the year and second chances. The family elements were really nice as well, providing a nice second layer to the overall storyline. I also felt the characters were mostly relatable and written realistically.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished a great book. You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Sophie Sullivan is available this fall. Pick it up! You won’t regret it.

Loved this book! It’s so relatable it’s crazy.. I had so much fun reading this book! I loved Nick and Maisie. I loved the hockey player romance, forced proximity, and Christmas Tree Farm setting which I think is the best part. This book was heartwarming and funny.

Full of heart and holiday charm, You Make It Feel Like Christmas delivers a sweet second chance romance with just the right mix of tension and tenderness. Maisie and Nick’s chemistry shines, and their emotional journey feels real. The cozy tree farm setting adds a festive touch to a story worth curling up with.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of "You Make It Feel Like Christmas" by Sophie Sullivan

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

What happens when a photographer and a hockey player et stranded on a Christmas tree farm? Calamity will surely arise and love after all. T’s a quaint romance that will have you in the mood for love and the holiday season.

This romance is so cute, but I simply did not buy that two people would. be such a wreck over one another after a one night stand - no matter how good the connection. If the relationship had more depth or the hurt hadn't been so deep, I would have been more on board but I just struggled with that aspect. Otherwise the cast of characters were great as was the setting.

Put me on a Christmas Tree Farm with a hot hockey player any day.

Sophie has another hit on her hands. Maisie is visiting a Christmas tree farm with her family. What she didn't realize when she agreed, is the farm is owned by her former one-night stand's sister. Nick's life is a mess right now. He's a hockey player but has been struggling with some issues over the last few months, so all he wants to do is escape to the farm his sister just bought and hang out with her and his nephew.

However, it seems fate have brought Maisie and Nick back together. The chemistry between these two is sizzling. They try to keep to themselves and not fall back together, but the challenge of being together for the holidays, might just be too much for them to resist. Read this book and take yourself to a beautiful farm for the holidays.

This was such a great holiday read! The writing really had you relating to the characters and feeling all of their up and downs.

I really loved the vulnerability that each main character showed and I loved the relationship Nick had with his family. But unfortunately that's where my love for the book ended. The honestly felt about 20% too long, the plot felt like it dragged on and on but nothing really happened. I also didn't fully believe the pace of the relationship- I could see how they had chemistry and acted on it but to suddenly be living together after really spending more than 24 hours together a little less believable.