This is marketed as a homage to Hallmark Christmas movies and it doesn't disappoint. Dunlop has captured, the warmth, tone and slight unreality of a cozy christmas film really well. There is humour and swooniness but Dunlop injects a depth missing from the movies she references. Meditations on friendship and how even good intentions can ripple negatively, and themes of independence run throughout.

There was some pacing issues and the placements of certain revelations would have perhaps worked slightly differently , but the clear writing and emotional truth overrode any concerns I was having.

For a debut novel this was pretty accomplished and I would enjoy seeing what Dunlop could do in the future.

If you’re looking for a hallmark movie in a book then this is it!!!! I loved the pacing, I loved the true relationship between Elle and Mally, it felt like authentic friends and not “movie friends” of
You know what I mean.

It was a really festive and cosy read made for a classic christmassy romcom !
The only downside was sometimes it got a bit too deep into the work linguo and lost me, but it's just personal since I like my christmassy romcoms to be a bit light and "brain-free" reads. Other than that I had a great time, and it really did put me in the festive spirit even during this heatwave!

Fresh Take..
Fresh take on a Christmas themed romcom in this gently amusing, emotional and nicely done festive offering. Warm and thoughtful with a nicely drawn cast of characters and a well paced plot. Cosy and comforting.

This book was adorable and made for a cheesy. christmas movie. I felt like the story would have felt better in a different setting, but overall a good feel good christmas story.

Hallmark movie obsessed, Mally, goes on a journey of grief processing and self discovery through It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. A major step in this journey is visiting her hometown for the first time since her family moved away after her sister’s passing. By the end of the read, she realizes that the Hallmark movies are her safe place for hiding her massive feelings as they are predictable and won’t surprise her with any nasty turns. This book was definitely not for me and I would argue objectively not that good. There were too many pointless dragging scenes with not enough pay off to have made them worth it. That ultimately canceled out any charm of the Hallmark tropeyness of it all, and ended up not fun to read or worth the time. Everything was a bit too on the nose in terms of revelations or lessons. It read as pretty juvenile as our main character processed her sister-in-law being a three-dimensional human being, and not a stereotype, as if she was in junior high and not 10 years this grown adult’s senior. It was all very basic and flat. There was one second of charm where the male love interest was a bit silly, and I appreciated that his goofiness was appreciated instead of cringe, but it really didn’t go much farther than that. This honestly seemed to just be a series of unfortunate events. The exploration of grief between the family may have been interesting, but there was too much other weird bullshit that overall just left it muddled.

This book is full of nostalgic reunions, tropey chaos, and maybe even love. It’s warm, witty, and perfect for fans of feel-good seasonal stories with a British twist

Mally loves a Christmas movie it’s comforting, but she’s faced with spending Christmas alone and she’s not impressed.
Then she’s offered an assignment going home to her hometown trying to create the ultimate Christmas movie experience. She reconnects with her past but can she create her own magical Christmas experience.
Great book loved it

I think this is one of the best Christmas books I read in a while. It has a lot of heart to it and it's emotional, like the Holidays tend to be. Everyone's age felt super fresh to what we are usually used to reading and I welcome that.
Amelia's story is heartbreaking and raw but it has a lot of heart to it. It had me tearing up several times due to how real it was and how it portrayed love, loss, and life.
Super cute read! I will definitely recommend it to anyone that loves Christmas and real stories!!

This at the heart is a cheesy Christmas romcom, but it also deals with a tragedy and long slow journey of healing. Mally is at times a pushover and other times she tries to be strong. Elle is definitely not the friend she should be and I wish Mally had told her about herself more.

Tom, the childhood crush does so much to open Mally up to what her relationship with Elle is really like. Mally definitely grows in this book while she is facing the family tragedy and I really enjoyed her opening her eyes and finding her path.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for providing an advanced copy of this book, all of my opinions are my own.

A sweet, well-written Christmas novel that has all of the Christmas tropes that the season makes us wish for.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free advance copy in return for an impartial review.

If you love a classic Christmas made for TV movie you will love this - it sets out to be exactly this in book form and it delivers! I could not put it down! Almost missed my stop on the tube/train a few times while reading it.

I don’t want to spoiler the book too much so will just say I really like the way Hayley Dunlop has put this together, the mix of real and imaginary places works well and never feels off. The characters that you’re supposed to like are likeable and there are some villains in the mix too!

I might have called this chick lit back in the 90s, now I’d call it a cosy romance, and it’s one that is done really well, it even works in August!

It;s beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas is a combination of wistful and romantic. The story features our lead character who is visiting her old hometown during the holiday season to write an article about tropes featured in Christmas Hallmark movies. She loves these movies and is successful in writing about them. While reading, you will get to know about family heartaches, with a bit of mystery involved. I enjoyed the hometown Christmas setting, and (most) of the townspeople we get to know. Thank you to Netgalley for this free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely inhaled this book, which was a combination of three of my favourite things - Christmas, made-for-TV Christmas specials and cosy romance, with some deeper tragic elements that were skilfully woven into the plot. I loved spotting the little made-for-TV Easter eggs (Christmas puddings?!) that were scatted throughout the book and in Mally Allister, I found a heroine with whom I could wholly relate. The author also shares my love of an excellent pun. What's not to like? I can already say that I'll be looking out for her next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for providing an advanced copy of this book, which I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I got to read an ARC from this book and have to say I enjoyed it. It was an easy read with a good story. It started off a little slow for me but picked up fairly quickly. I knocked it down a star since it just didn’t give me as much cozy Christmas vibes as I was expecting but I still enjoyed it.
I liked the message she sent in the book since we tend to blame ourselves for many things. Self inflicted guilt if you will. That it is up to us to forgive ourselves.
Definitely cute little rom com story.
It won’t let me review on Amazon but I will return when it’s released.

This cozy Christmas slow burn romance definitely filled me with festive cheer (even whilst reading it in the middle of summer) I absolutely adored the FMC. She could be me with her love of Channel 5 Christmas movies with there predictable stories. I particularly loved that this book felt new, its storyline a spin on a traditional Christmas love story. It had me laughing with all the humour and tearful with her background story that unfolds with the book. The mmc is a welcome addition with a charming Darcy edge that doesn’t make you roll your eyes. This is a book that I could read again and again and will be hitting my bookcase in physical form soon. Now to go and make a hot chocolate and dream of snuggling under blankets.

Thank you for the digitally arc.
#ItsBeginningtoLookaLotLikeChristmas #NetGalley

This is a warm, witty tribute to the beloved Hallmark-style Christmas movie, complete with snow-dusted streets, second chances, and small-town magic—but with a smart, self-aware twist.

At the heart of the story is Amelia “Mally” Allister, a corporate-minded woman with a deep love for cheesy holiday films. She’s created an entire bingo-style drinking game based on their tropes, never imagining she’d one day live them out herself. When her exuberant (and borderline pushy) best friend Elle challenges her to write a heartfelt feature article for The Helix, Mally agrees—on the condition that she returns to Scarnbrook, the hometown she’s avoided for two decades due to a family tragedy.

What follows is both humorous and surprisingly heartfelt. Dunlop cleverly weaves the classic Christmas romance clichés—mysterious reappearances, small-town charm, and rekindled teenage crushes—into Mally’s real life, as she finds herself unintentionally checking off each trope. Yet beneath the whimsical surface, the novel touches gently but powerfully on grief, healing, and the complexities of returning to a place that no longer feels like home.

Mally is relatable in her awkwardness and emotional hesitations, and though the romance is sweet, it’s her personal growth and reconnection with her roots that drive the story. Supporting characters add richness, though Elle, while dynamic, comes off as overbearing—a flaw that seems intentional and well-executed.

Overall, it is a cozy, clever, and touching seasonal read. It’s perfect for fans of meta-romance, light-hearted drama, and anyone who enjoys a bit of introspection with their festive cheer.

An adorable little (smut free) Christmas romance that I utterly adored.

(Most of - IYKYK) The characters were loveable, and as a Brit who immigrated to Canada as a child, this book held all the warmth and love of Christmases at my Gran’s that I dearly miss.

Just an incredibly hygge, cozy read. 🥰

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I love a cheesy Christmas book to put me in the mood for the holidays. And this was one perfect. It marked all my boxes and I adored it.

'It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas' was exactly the sort of Christmas-theme read I'd been craving. It had the spirit of a cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie; while subverting the patriarchal elements I find infuriating, like the heroine giving up the job she loves in the city.

This book was a beautifully layered journey as Mally returns to her hometown twenty years after her family fled after her younger sister’s death. Mally undergoes a slow transformation as she is forced to deal with her family’s repressed grief which also led to a chasm between them. I loved watching Mally slowly come to realisations about her life, career, and relationships, especially with her family and best friend Elle. I also loved her reconnection with her high-school crush, the sweet and dependable Tom who carefully illuminated the unhealthy friendship with Elle. Pace-wise it was a bit slow at the start for me, but after 20% I was hooked.

A solid debut that was full of heart, warmth and sensitively portrays grief. Loved it.

Thanks to Hera of Zeus and NetGalley for the ARC.