All in for Christmas by Ginny Baird feels like a perfect blend of festive charm, a sweet golden retriever, and a second chance romance that will give you butterflies! It’s one of those warm, and magical rom coms that makes for the perfect holiday escape! The story follows Paige, a practical and career focused teacher who thinks she’s got her life pretty much figured out, until her college ex, Dean, unexpectedly reappears and throws her for a loop. Then thanks to a little holiday magic, she wakes up in an alternate version of her life where she is married to Dean with two kids and a dog. Paige is suddenly navigating potty training, school drop offs, and household chaos while wondering if this alternate life is actually what she’s always wanted deep down. There’s a light touch of magical realism that works perfectly for a Christmas read. It’s heartwarming, hopeful, and full of charm!

I enjoyed this charming take on a second-chance Christmas romance. Paige can't believe the love of her life is now teaching at her school. She and Dean parted ways six years ago, and she often wondered if she'd made the right choice. What if they'd stayed together? Thanks to some Advent Calendar magic, Paige discovers the answer. She wakes up to find herself living a married life with Dean, including two kids and a lovable dog.

How did she end up here? How can she return to her real life? Does she even want to? This is a truly sweet, wholesome, closed-door romance. I loved all the characters, and I didn't know how Ginny Baird was going to wrap it up, which made it even better. This would make a perfect Hallmark movie. Thanks to NetGalley and Winter Wedding Press for the ARC.

This is pure Hallmark-level holiday magic with a side of LOL parenting chaos. Ginny Baird nails the what if premise here when Paige wakes up in an alternate reality married to her college sweetheart, Dean, with two adorable kids, plus a dog who could win Best Supporting Actor in a Christmas movie.

What I loved most was how the magic didn’t overshadow the very real, very relatable moments like toddler potty-training disasters and the messy, tender push-and-pull of figuring out what you truly want in life. The banter between Paige and Dean sparkles, and the family scenes are so warm you can practically smell the cookies baking.

It’s festive, funny, and unexpectedly emotional exactly the kind of holiday romance that leaves you grinning like you just watched your favorite Christmas movie for the tenth time.

“All in for Christmas” by Ginny Baird was such a warm, festive read! I loved the sweet romance, the cozy holiday vibes, and the way the characters made me smile all the way through. I put my career first before having children. I met my husband after I turned 30. I always think about what it would be if we had met at a different time and started life together then. I can’t wait to read more from Ginny Baird!

This book had all the cozy Christmas magic I wanted and more. Paige and Dean’s second chance felt so warm, real, and full of heart that I couldn’t stop smiling. I loved how the story kept a balance between being heartfelt and a little whimsical, without ever feeling too over the top. The writing pulled me in right away, and the chemistry between Paige and Dean felt natural and nostalgic. It’s one of those books that leaves you with a full heart and a big smile. 5 stars from me. Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving a honest review

Baird's writing delivers a cozy, Hallmark-style romance filled with relatable moments, from toddler potty-training escapades to the tender dynamics of family life. The chemistry between Paige and Dean is palpable, and their second-chance romance is both sweet and swoon-worthy. The inclusion of a rare comet and a mysterious holiday market vendor adds a whimsical layer to the narrative, enhancing its magical appeal.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

What would you do if you woke up in an alternate reality with an entirely different life based on a single different decision?

That’s exactly what happens to Paige the week leading up to Christmas. Her whole world is turned upside down when she gets a glimpse into a life she might have had if she, or Dean (our MMC) had made a different choice.

In part, It’s a Wonderful Life and part a Christmas Carol, All in for Christmas is a cozy Hallmark-movie worthy read. This book has all the trimmings and shows that anything is possible when you just believe.

Thanks NetGalley!

Sell this to Hallmark — there’s still time to get it made before the holidays!!!

This one definitely put me in the spirit and just warmed me all the way through. Imagine you had a second chance that teleported you to experience a version of your life that could have been? There’s always those points in our life that we wonder “What If…” and that’s what we get to experience with Paige and Dean. Everything in its place and all things in good time ♥️

She Woke Up With a Husband, Two Kids, a Dog... and a Tattoo She Definitely Did Not Authorize

There’s something about Christmas that makes the multiverse extra chaotic, and "All in for Christmas" is exactly the kind of festive fever dream I want to live in. Listen. I get a few "A Christmas Carol" retellings shoved in my tinsel-loving face every year, but this one? This one slapped. It’s like "The Family Man" met "Freaky Friday", had a gingerbread-fueled baby, and then handed that baby to Hallmark and said “Raise her well.” And raise her they did.

Our girl Paige Pierce is that girl, the one with color-coded lesson plans and exactly zero time for romantic nostalgia. She’s a practical queen, launching a sweet “Paws and Read” program with dogs helping kids read (stop, I’m already crying), and just trying to ignore the romantic void she paved over with spreadsheets. But then Dean Burton, her college ex and certified "Mr. What If," shows up to her school’s faculty party like a very handsome Christmas ghost and absolutely derails her entire emotional ecosystem.

And THEN the universe, in a move I can only describe as a bold choice, decides to yeet her into an alternate timeline via a magical advent calendar and a rare comet. Yes, I said comet. Because of course.

Suddenly Paige wakes up in a new reality where she’s married to Dean, has two kids (a precocious daughter and a potty-training toddler who is the emotional equivalent of a live grenade), and a rescue dog named Scout who I would die for. Also? She apparently has a tattoo now. Her panic is immediate and very relatable. She doesn’t remember marrying Dean, she has no idea how to function as a mom, and the dog thinks she’s emotionally unstable (he is correct).

But slowly... and this is where the book got me good... you watch Paige thaw. Not in a cheesy “this latte cured my trauma” way. In a real, messy, emotionally resonant way. She doesn’t just fall for Dean again. She falls for the little humans who know her as “Mom,” the version of herself who made different choices, the partnership she didn’t realize she craved. There’s a scene with Christmas cookies and a meltdown that had me laughing through actual tears.

Dean, by the way, is pure cinnamon roll. Not one of those annoying passive ones either. He’s thoughtful and grounded and sexy in that “makes waffles from scratch and kisses your forehead while doing it” way. He wants the life they built. And once Paige starts remembering what it feels like to be truly chosen, the ache sets in.

Now, look. Is the ending a little fast? Yes. Does it tie up a bit like someone hit the Hallmark Deadline button? Also yes. But by that point, I was already fully invested, borderline feral about these fictional children, and humming “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” like a deranged ghost in a snow globe.

This is the kind of Christmas story that sneaks up on you with its charm. It’s not reinventing the sleigh. It’s painting it glitter red, adding a dog seatbelt, and filling the trunk with emotional depth and second-chance magic. If you’ve ever wanted to sob into a gingerbread cocoa, this one’s for you. Solid 4 stars from me. Would absolutely watch if it becomes a movie.

Merry Mayhem Prize: For Most Emotionally Disruptive Use of a Comet Since That One in "Deep Impact"

Thank you to Winter Wedding Press and NetGalley for the ARC, and for emotionally wrecking me with fictional toddlers and mistletoe. Rude. I loved it.