Merrily Tucker is visiting her dad and the small town she grew up in. Her dad's new family leaves no room for her in his house, but she's happy to be able to rent the big house she always dreamed of living in right when it's decorated in its twinkly, tinsel-lined best for Christmas. Except she arrives to find Grant Moody already staying there and determined to remove all signs of Christmas. This is the guy who humiliated and broke her heart as a teenager, so sparks are ready to fly. But they're not all the bad kind of sparks, and the chance to be home alone for the Holidays isn't looking as enticing as being not home alone.

Merrily and Grant are also the epitome of gumpy/sunshine, which leads to incredibly perfect moments and interactions. Grant is a teddy bear on the inside who puts up a cold front to keep people away and protect his heart, so of course, Merrily is the perfect ray of sunshine to thaw him out and get him to enjoy Christmas and the love the season represents.
I'm not usually a fan of small-town or Christmas stories, but Merrily has a lot of charm that won me over. It helps that the town is small and everyone knows each other without it being forcefully quirky. It's just a perfectly regular small town with a holiday tradition, and that made a huge difference.
The narration by Max Meyers and Victoria Connolly feels spot-on to the characters. It really brings them to life and adds to the story. They make it really obvious who is talking when and give scenes the inflection needed to get emotions across.
Overall, It's nothing particularly original or engaging, but it is a very cozy and satisfying romance that I'm glad I read.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the romantic holiday read!