Two train tickets, zero holiday cheer, and a pact between strangers that changes everything.

For Cleo, surviving the holidays with her family requires a serious game plan: thwarting her mom’s relentless matchmaking, keeping up with an absurdly packed itinerary, and hiding her recent chronic illness diagnosis until the new year.

All she wants is a normal holiday before everything changes.

Enter Hardy—a bookish “Hot Viking" who makes her laugh and sparks her curiosity. For him, heading home means confronting a bitter family feud over his inheritance. He’s dreading the holidays and feels lost—until a flirty meet-cute pairs him with an empathetic journalist who asks all the right questions.

Their cozy connection inspires an idea—what if they teamed up to survive the holidays together?

The deal is simple: No fake dating. No pressure. Just two strangers offering support through their family festivities.

But somewhere between the warm laughs and late-night talks, their simple pact gets deliciously complicated. When real feelings crash the party, surviving the season together might lead to more heartbreak… or the best gift of all.

The Holiday Haters is an emotional, sweet and spicy, slow-burn romance packed with witty banter, festive fun, and the cozy magic of finding love when you least expect it, but need it the most.