When Fable’s boyfriend cheats on her right before the holiday’s and her sister’s big Christmas Eve wedding, the best man steps in to pose as her new boyfriend. But Wilder, mister knight in shining armor, is also her boss. The two hope to get sweet revenge against Fable’s ex by winning the annual Christmas competition. They definitely didn’t plan to fall for each other in the process.

Nearly 500 pages!!!! This was longer than it needed to be. It started to get repetitive and I found myself skimming at times. Regardless it’s a cute holiday romance to get you into the Christmas spirit. The Christmas competitions were fun too!

*Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

This is top 3 for holiday romcoms for me (and I've read a lot)! Wilder and Mac are a family that's impossible not to fall for. Also, the ribbon scene..... it was adorably smutty with all the holiday puns / jokes you could ever want. This felt like a Hallmark movie in all the best ways. I loved all the resolution in the third act and that Fable's terrible ex gets what he deserves in the end. This was a fun and low-stakes holiday read, great for anyone looking for a little fun.

Thank you to Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

I am still alittle bit confused because this book has been previously published from what I know on November 2024. Its still even up on Amazon as the same thing.

Either way, interesting book with the fake dating/billionaire romance aspects. Very easy follow plot and characters were likable. Would read more books from this author.

Very fun billionaire/fake dating holiday romance! Very developed, easy to love characters. Found myself unable to put it down until I had it finished! Would read this author again!

Fable walks in on her boyfriend with the caterer and Wilder is tired of people trying to fix him up with dates so they team up and decide to fake date through the holidays. Wilder's daughter and Aunt Bibi add humor in the story and are absolutely adorable.

Christmas competitions that take place are in an absolutely gorgeously described setting that make you want to be there and Wilder does some pretty amazing things to show Fable how a rich boyfriend is suppose to treat her. The things he does to spoil Fable are amazing and show he is a secret romantic at heart.

However, unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. It actually seemed like it was written by two different people. The first part of the book there is little or no cursing and then, about halfway through, the F word becomes abundantly used and thrown around like confetti on what seemed like almost every page (I read this on my Kindle.) This book is spicy so if you like spice and don't mind the use of profanity you might enjoy this one. The story itself is good even though I think it could have been condensed some.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I absolutely love Wilder. He's just a giant golden retriever teddy bear. Fable is so relatable she's a mess and I love it. Their insta love is cute and the christmas themed innuendos had me cracking up. The vibe is just so cozy even with her crazy ex.

This is a great feel good Christmas story with some good tropes. Fake dating, billionaire, boss, Christmas, insta attraction, single dad.

overall rating 4.25🌟
3 🌶

The thing about holiday books (or even movies), they are cheesy, they are predictable, and yes even cringe at times. Honestly, that's what I love about them, throw in some fake dating and a little bit a spice, and Im sucked in. Fable and Wilder for sure had some chemistry.

3.75 stars

Thank you Netgalley and to Atria Books for providing me with this amazing ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

I chose this book to feel that cozy Christmas romance, and boy did it deliver. Very swoony, it's got the mistletoe, Christmas tree moments, etc. All the mentions of him being her boss though? Kinda a turn off. Overall though it did make me feel cozy in Florida summer and that's what I was looking for.

My Favorite Holiday is a pretty standard fake dating rom com with a decent amount of spice. While I appreciated the character growth throughout the book, some of the Christmas references were a little over the top (and I’m a Christmas lover!). I enjoyed that it wasn’t exactly a cookie cutter fake dating book - this had several other factors thrown in that made me wonder what the big event would be towards the end of the book. A solid 3 stars for some good Christmas feels (even if it was a little cheesy).

So imagine my surprise when I'm reading The Boyfriend Goal and I got approved for this ARC by the amazing Lauren Blakely. Thank you so much NetGalley and Atria Books.
I gave this book 3.5 stars but rounding up to 4 😊
I loved being introduced to Fable and when I saw a certain Mister Wilder Blaine pop up I just KNEW sparks were going to fly between them in their own book. So I was very excited to get into this.
I love a billionaire romance because their love language is always gift giving and Wilder of course went above and beyond every time to show Fable how she should be treated like a queen. Their relationship may have been fake but the way they acted made it seem anything but. Not only was the chemistry between the MC's hot, I always love a single dad trope for an added bonus. His daughter Mac was the cutest trying to push these two together and seeing Fable bond with her and get accepted into this little family was so adorable.
If you're in the mood for a feel good Christmas book (which, I'll admit may be a bit cheesy at times but still really good) then definitely check this one out.
OR, if you're not in the mood for a Christmas book, check out Lauren's other series Love & Hockey 🏒

Overall, this was a cozy, Christmas rom com. It had great chemistry between the characters, the pace of the story was great, and I loved the Christmas themes. Where I think it became a two story book for me is the cringe moments. There were 3 that I could think of that brought the book down for me. As the story went up and down - there was one really cringe Christmas part at around 66% that dropped it down for me.

But overall a fun, quick read for the holidays.

A swoony, feel-good holiday romance! Wilder and Fable have undeniable chemistry, and their fake dating scheme is full of heart, heat, and hilarious moments. With grumpy/sunshine vibes, a single dad billionaire MMC, and a creative, lovable FMC, this story hits all the right romance beats. Add in a slow burn, one bed, and festive holiday chaos, and it’s impossible not to fall for them. Another win from Lauren Blakely!

I do love Lauren Blakely and enjoy most of her books very much, but this book wasn't for me. The corny Christmas puns were too much. I do usually enjoy a good fake dating premise, but with everything else going on in this book, it didn't work.

If you're into Hallmark movies and want something cozy to read, this might be the one for you!

i really enjoyed one of my new favorite holidate (haha see what i did there lol um okay 😂) but i really enjoyed this book for the holidays omg if you love the following tropes
- Single Dad 👨
- He Is Her Boss
- He Fall First And Hard
- Fake Dating
The way, Lauren Blakely is able to write funny spicy rom coms is amazing I really love the relationship between Wilder and Fable the way that they had a fake dating relationship and dating during Christmas is so good as well as there is Holliday competition you have your pretend boyfriend make your ex jealous amazing also the things that you can do under a Christmas tree. Yeah that was wild. I love that just like the banter the chemistry it's amazing it's all there and wilder is a single dad to a teenage daughter, so Mac, being sweet and having a good relationship with Fable is so cute because it just shows that every single day with a teenage daughter has a daughter who's mean

My Favorite Holidate is full of charm and holiday spirit. This spicy, low-stakes office romance follows Fable, a quirky designer, who teams up with Wilder, her hot, billionaire boss, to devise a plan: fake a holiday romance to make her cheating ex jealous. As their fake relationship evolves into real feelings, Fable wonders if this holidate could last forever.

With a swoon-worthy male lead and plenty of heat, this book is perfect for a cozy Christmas read.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

After reading this I’ve decided that billionaire romances are not for me. This was one of the cringiest and cheesiest eye rolling books I’ve ever read.

Such a fun & spicy holiday romance! The characters had the right amount of depth and lightheartedness. Wilder was so thoughtful and collected, and I enjoyed Fable’s creative and fun personality. It gave all the Christmas feels 🎄🎅🏻✨ not to mention, some steamy holiday scenes that I will be using as inspo for my husband’s gift this year 🤭😇

I eyeball read this one but see that Samantha Brentmoor and Jason Clarke are narrating 😍 that’s going to be one steamy audiobook! Love when those two work together.

+fake dating
+billionaire boss
+only one bed
+”f*ck it”
+single dad

I will note, if cheesy Christmas puns and hallmark movie vibes aren’t your thing, go ahead and skip this one! 🫶🏻

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC for my review!

Before I get into the review, a quick thank you to NetGalley and the publishers over at Atria Books for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. My Favorite Holidate follows a billionaire businessman and his designer employee who decide to fake date their way through the social events of the holiday season. But both get lost in the act and wonder if there's anyway to find truth in the lie. All while celebrating the joys of the holiday season. My Favorite Holidate comes out on October 7th and is available for preorder now.

This is a fake dating holiday romance so what the hell am I doing giving it under 3 stars? Well, my main issue with this one was that it had two different--and distinct--tones that really threw me off. At first, this book comes across as this dirty and silly rom-com for (as the dedication says) "anyone who ever wanted to bang under a Christmas tree." Over the top rom-com things happen while things like eggnog suddenly have a dirty twist to them with the wordplay the author uses. But then the book has its second tone come in that gives a much softer, less filthy, and more earnest vibes. It's a man and a woman trying to sift through their emotions while getting closer during the holidays. We see their pasts and the hurt that still lingers from it. We also watch them enjoy the holidays and get to know each other better. So the whiplash from enjoying them have such a sweet, tender family moment to being a little freaked out by their filthy use of Christmas lights was a bit unsettling. I will say that I went in knowing there were sex scenes in the novel. I just didn't realize how many there would be or how the holidays got wrapped up in those scenes. Also, at the end of the novel there's a very over the top moment where the main female character's ex does something over the top and it was just impossible to read without cringing. No one in real life would ever act like that so my ability to suspend my disbelief just didn't exist in that scene.

I liked most of the nods to Christmas (except during the sex scenes) and I could really see the winter wonderland they were in. As well, the characters all had very distinct voices which can be hard when we spend so little time with the side character. The author did a good job making (almost) everyone realistic and distinct which I appreciated. I also really liked the set up for the fake dating. It made sense why they would do this and why they would want to hide it. Sometimes these things are so contrived because the author just wants to write fake dating and what does the rest of it matter really.

Overall, this was very Christmassy which I was looking for in my first read of Christmas in July (Week 2). I just don't think this author is going to be for me moving forward.

Cute holiday romance. Falls into some miscommunication tropes but overall, it’s a fun and spicy read.

₊˚⊹⋆ first thoughts: i love a good holiday romance!! cant wait to eat this fake dating trope all the way up!