Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC of My Favorite Holidate in exchange for an honest review.
This book is the definition of festive fun—full of holiday cheer, witty banter, and the kind of sweet romance that makes you want to curl up with a blanket and hot cocoa. Lauren Blakely always delivers humor and charm, and the chemistry between the leads was undeniable. I especially loved the playful moments that captured the magic of the season.
That said, while I enjoyed the overall vibe, some parts felt a little predictable and a bit too rushed toward the end. I would have liked more time spent on character depth and emotional connection beyond the holiday sparkle. Still, it’s a cozy, feel-good read that will leave you smiling and ready for the holidays.
Perfect for readers looking for a lighthearted seasonal romance that doesn’t take itself too seriously. 🎄✨

Thank you to Atria Books for gifting me a copy of My Favorite Holiday by Lauren Blakely via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoy Lauren Blakely’s work and was super excited to dive into this book! It’s never too early to read holiday romances 😊 🎄

Tropes -
🎄 Holiday Romance
❤️‍🔥 Boss and Employee
😏 He Falls First
🩷 Fake Dating
🌶️ Spicy

I have to first start by saying Wilder is a very dreamy character and I loved him so much! 💕 He is very thoughtful and ensures to put his loved ones and their needs first, always. The relationship between him and Fable is just adorable! I really loved the tension that was evident anytime they were around each other. I enjoyed this book so much and it just kept getting better as I read on. The plot being around Christmas was just perfect and I enjoyed the winter games they played. ❤️

This is definitely a MUST READ!!

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plot rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Character rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

This has to be the most ridiculous book I’ve ever read. The author made more s3xy Christmas puns than I ever thought imaginable. And just one cliche after another. I’d like to say, “… but it was so cute and funny and I couldn’t put it down!” But I can’t say that. I would be lying. It was honestly very difficult to finish the book. I usually love books published by Atria, but this one didn’t work for me.

This wasn't my favorite by Lauren Blakely. I didn't like the characters and didn't think the story flowed well. I found myself very disinterested and quit reading around the 40% mark.

This ARC was provided by Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Okay! For the first half of this book I was really open-minded and thought this could be a fluffy Christmas romance that's light and fun enough to be 4 or 5 stars. As the book went on though, I found myself annoyed with the billionaire trope. I love a good billionaire love interest and fake dating is fun, but there is just too much money being thrown around and I found myself rolling my eyes at some of it.

Overall I liked the characters but I found they lacked any depth. The storylines were really cliche and it felt like the author tried to fit too many tropes into this book but didn't fully develop any of them! The Christmas competition is supposed to be a big part of this book and we just glazed over it so quickly.

By the end, I was glad this book was over. I really hung on to the good parts of this book and the spice was good but I wish there was more of it.

I think that the main character, Fable, may be my favorite part of this book. She was real, never whiney, honest, no miscommunication, normal, etc etc. Her character was written so well, as was Wilder’s, the hot billionaire fake holidate. This moved so much quicker than other fake dating books, and I honestly just loved it. This is a definite Christmas read to add to your list!! Oh, and the spice was veryyyyy spicy in this one, in case you were wondering. 🔥🔥

I appreciate the opportunity to read this title, but unfortunately it didn’t quite capture my interest. While the premise was promising, I found it difficult to stay engaged. That said, I’m sure it will find its audience with readers who connect more strongly with the writing style or pacing.

Blakely, you've done it again! The way I giggled and kicked my feet but also blushed was utter perfection. The banter and spice are top notch, as usual! Just another reason why Blakely is an autobuy author for me.

If you’re in the mood for a spicy, feel-good holiday romance with just the right mix of fake dating, festive chaos, and slow-burn-to-scorching chemistry, My Favorite Holidate totally delivers.

I picked this up looking for something light and escapist, and it hit all the right holiday notes. Fable is such a fun, fiery heroine—smart, bold, and delightfully relatable (her fake-boyfriend ad made me laugh out loud). And Wilder? Swoon. He’s the kind of charming billionaire single dad that shouldn’t work on paper, but absolutely does here. Their banter is sharp, the tension is delicious, and when things finally heat up? Let’s just say it’s worth the wait.

I loved the setup of the week-long Christmas competition—baking, decorating, and flirting under twinkle lights? Yes, please. There’s something inherently fun about watching two people pretend to fall in love only to actually do just that, and Blakely milks every ounce of romantic tension from it. Plus, the fact that they’re both navigating messy exes, family dynamics, and workplace boundaries gives the story a nice emotional depth underneath all the tinsel.

The bonus short story at the end was a sweet treat, and made the happily ever after feel even more satisfying.

Why not five stars? A couple of moments felt a bit too convenient, and the pacing dipped slightly around the halfway point—but nothing that took away from my overall enjoyment. If you love fake dating tropes, holiday settings, and steamy romance with heart, this one’s definitely worth curling up with.

I loved "My Favorite Holidate" by Lauren Blakely.
Very good, some spice, lots of banter.
Boss/employee, fake dating romance, opposites attract, single dad, holiday themed.,
The only complaint I had was that My Favorite Holidate seemed pretty long overall. I think it could have been a little shorter.
Overall though, I loved reading about Fable and Wilder.

I have read all of Lauren Blakely's hockey romance novels and a few of the others, so I knew Fable and Wilder before I read this book. It has been on my TBR for a while but with the new cover releasing soon I wanted to read it before the next hockey romance was released.

Fable has been a wonderful and supporting friend in her friends group and this time it was nice to see how the supported her during her romance with her boss. The friendship between the female leads in the other books and this one makes me wish I had a friends group like them, who would drop everything to be there when needed. Wilder often was mentioned but hasn't played as big of role in Lauren's hockey books.

Fable is the designer for Wilder's football teams merchandise and an aspiring jewelry designer. Wilder and Lauren also share many friends and family outside of work. When Fable's boyfriend cheats on her during a family gathering, she is angry but doesn't want to make a big deal because her sister just got engaged. Faced with seeing her cheating slimeball ex during Christmas and the wedding, Fable decides she needs to find a "boyfriend" for Christmas.

Wilder is also facing a dilemma because his aunt and sister love to set him up with women when he truly believes that love and marriage isn't for him. His relationship with his daughter's mother failed and with his unreliable father as a role model, he is scared to want a relationship. He is on good terms with his ex and has a great relationship with his friends. He is also a wonderful father and son but outside of his family, he is scared to trust love will last.

Wilder and Fable have always been attracted to each other but hadn't pursued anything because they worked together and work relationship can go horribly wrong. During a meeting they agree to be each other’s plus one for the Christmas trip and wedding. They would secretly pretend to date until the New Year to avoid awkward moments and cheaters who don't know how to behave civilized.

As the holidays got closer, so did they as they learned more about each other and spent time together planning events for the team and their families. When they got to their chalet, their matchmaker had arranged for them to share a one bed honeymoon cabin instead of their original two bedroom. Of course, the magic of the one bed led to the two getting closer and closer.

Like most secrets, they don't stay secrets for long and the jig was up. They felt bad about lying to everyone but were they really lying to anyone except themselves? Was it really fake or had it become real? Were they brave enough to trust each other and their love?

Fable and Wilder love started as a friendship that became more while faking it. I love these two and the hijinks that ensued. These two were meant for each other because they truly listen and challenge each other making them want to be better.

The book is a bit long and a few scenes seemed unnecessary but overall I really enjoyed this book. Reading this book gave me a better understanding of Fable and Wilder and how their supporting roles in Lauren's other books. Thank you Lauren Blakely and Netgallery for the review opportunity.

As a sucker for over-the-top, silly Hallmark movies, I really wanted to love this book. Sadly, it just did not do it for me.

The first half of the book was super fun and silly! Between the cast of characters and the holiday vibes, I was having a great time. The last half, however, was where I lost interest. I liked Fable and Wilder as friends with crushes on one another, but once they began hooking up, it felt too… much. I love silly banter and corny jokes, but it reached a point where it was a bit too constant, especially during smut scenes.

I actually really liked Fable and Wilder as characters, terrible Christmas puns aside, and would love to read more of their story outside of the holiday setting!

4.5⭐️

This was my first Lauren Blakely book and I will be reading all of her other books asap! I'm a sucker for a book with the enemies to lovers trope and even more of a sucker when it's set at Christmas time.

Watching Fable and Wilder grow together and on their own was so much fun. And honestly seeing a little bit of character progression from the side characters was great as well!

I listened to the audiobook and read this ARC as a tandem and OH. MY GOD. The full cast of the audio and 3 of my most favorite narrators made this book even better! If you're an audiobook listener, I definitely recommend it!

I loved this. It was cute and sweet and spicy. Billionaire single dad + with co worker + fake dating…what could go wrong?! Wilder really is the BEST MMC …dang. Now I need to go back and read all the ones before this! I didn’t realize this was book 5 in the series!! Obsessed. What a fun way to enter into the “BER” months. The banter was so good and f*** Brady 🤣🤣🤣

This book was very cheesy, but if that’s your vibe, especially at Christmas, this is a good read. This book is weirdly obsessed with Christmas in a not cute way, but oh well. I think this book will have people who fall for it. The book is predictable and an easy read, but nice enough. I thought the length of the book was going to be an issue, but it didn’t feel crazy long. Mostly just silly, but fun. Three stars.

Thank you to Lauren Blakely and NetGalley for the chance to review this book! I've been a huge fan of Lauren Blakely ever since reading/listening to The Boyfriend Goal and the rest of the Love and Hockey series, so I just couldn't wait to jump into Wilder and Fable's story, which was hinted at in previous books.

Tropes
Holiday Romance
Single Dad
Fake Dating
Billionaire Boss

This was such a cute, feel good story. Kind of like a good Netflix Christmas movie, however, I will say the story was a bit long, probably longer than it really needed to be to move plot along. Having said that, I loved that Fable and Wilder finally got their story. I've been wondering about them ever since I read The Romance Line. The romance between our two main characters is a slow burn with lots of pining. Overall, a nice addition to the Love and Hockey universe.

This full-length holiday romance was a spicy and sweet treat. I sometimes struggle with workplace romances because of the power dynamic, but this one did not give me the ick for several reasons: the FMC already was planning to move on to another career before anything started, the "relationship" was disclosed to HR at the outset, and there were levels of supervision between our main characters in the work setting (not a direct report). Once I got past that, it was a very fun fake relationship between our NFL marketing exec and the billionaire that owns the team. He has a daughter and relationship issues, she has a cheating ex to show up, and they both have the hots for each other. Lots of holiday flavor (Christmas games, shopping, decorating, baking, etc.) and a strong dose of cameos from other books by this author, all wrapped up in very literal bows. Cozy winter treat, although I do not recommend reading this one with a glass of eggnog. IYKYK.

4 stars, 3 spoons.

Thanks to the author and publisher for the chance to read and review!

My Favorite Holidate is my first novel by this author. I had not heard of Lauren Blakely before reading this novel. I was initially surprised at the length of My Favorite Holidate, since romance novels are often very short. As I read I realized that Blakely was adding a lot of detail about the characters, their jobs, and their backgrounds. That said, like many other romance novels, My Favorite Holidate is at its core, a fairytale, with more sex than most fairy tales include.

My Favorite Holidate is clever, funny, and like with most romances, readers know how the book is going to end. It isn't the end that matters. It is the journey, and this journey is very good. Blakely uses 2 narrators to tell the story of this romance, which is a nice addition to the story. Fable tells the woman's POV, while Wilder gives readers the male POV. The chapter titles are cute and often funny. Readers should particularly enjoy the title of chapter 30. Even though the characters fit the fairy tale motif--wealthy man and talented less monied woman--the character descriptions work well. There are fully recognizable backstories.

My Favorite Holidate may be a fantasy, but it was still a fun fantasy, and I enjoyed reading it. I would recommend a fan to cool off readers. I think the term is spicy, very spicy. There is also a short story included at the end of the book. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. I don't read very many romance novels, but when I do, I try to pick out ones that will hold my attention and that includes some complexity. I did enjoy My Favorite Holidate enough that I will look for additional Blakely novels.

4.5 = 5 stars

Fable and Wilder are the perfect story to kick off the holiday season. Their story seamlessly blends tropes like boss/employee, fake dating and forced proximity into this beautiful story about leaning into love when it shows itself to you and not believing the narrative that you are unworthy of that love and devotion in return. Their story is full of fun holiday moments all while bringing the best combination of pining, banter, friends and romance.

My Favorite Holidate is a cute little holiday romance read. Both Wilder and Fable are needing a date to her sisters wedding - Wilder because he's tired of his aunts meddling, and Fable because her ex is garbage. So, what better thing to do than fake date??? With it being a Christmas wedding, they will be participating in the towns holiday competition week, meaning they will have to get real close to each other to make people believe they're in love for that whole week. However, things get a little muddled along the day on what's real and what's fake. The way the ex was taken care of also really just made me happy! There were some moments that I thought the book was kind of dragging on but overall I enjoyed it and would probably read it again as a holiday cutesy pick me up.