Maggie Knox

A pitch-perfect holiday rom com about two oil-and-water reality-star country singers who must fake a relationship in order to win the opportunity of a lifetime, perfect for fans of Sally Thorne's The Hating Game and Christina Lauren's In a Holidaze. When Sadie and Max are selected as contestants on the famed reality singing show Starmaker's special holiday season, Sadie thinks she's finally gotten her big break and Max sees a chance to step out of his megastar father's shadow. But then they're paired up for duet week and stun the world with their onstage chemistry. With fans going wild for #Saxie the judges demand they remain a duo on and offstage, or exit the competition. Faking a relationship shouldn't be too hard, except for one small problem--Sadie and Max can't stand each other. But with their dreams just within reach, they agree to the ruse. Will their fake relationship be exposed before they can win? Or might their phony connection turn real by the Christmas finale?

All I Want for Christmas

I love the story idea and I was really enjoying it until they got back from Banff and then it just took way too long and too many random obstacles for them to finally admit they were in love. How many times can Max bail on everything?? It got boring.

Amelia Hruby

belle

Jessica Ford

3.5 stars
I love a Christmas romcom but this one has a little too much drama.

Camryn Swinamer 

Overall, I thought this was a cute Christmas read. It wasn’t my favorite one that I read this year, but it wasn’t bad. I liked the Nashville setting and how the characters were in the music industry and dealing with fame. I liked the role music played in the book as well. 

I liked Sadie and Max but I wasn’t totally sold on their relationship. I think it may have been because there was too much of the “enemies” stuff coming in after they declared their feelings for each other. I also didn’t like that Sadie didn’t tell Max about her gran. I get being sad and hurting but it had been a year. I get that that was a way to keep Max out, which is part of Sadie’s character and her development, but it could’ve been so much more powerful if Sadie let Max in and they deepened their relationship. I don’t think having the time jump one year in the middle of the book helped with the storytelling. Honestly, I think that hurt the story because the transition was so abrupt. Max and Sadie had not spoken for the whole year and then she shows up in Banff and things are okay and they get together right away? I’m on board with it but the execution felt off to me.

I guess this book is alright. It’s not the greatest but it’s not the worst. 

Kendall Deranek

Overall, I thought this was a cute Christmas read. It wasn’t my favorite one that I read this year, but it wasn’t bad. I liked the Nashville setting and how the characters were in the music industry and dealing with fame. I liked the role music played in the book as well. 

I liked Sadie and Max but I wasn’t totally sold on their relationship. I think it may have been because there was too much of the “enemies” stuff coming in after they declared their feelings for each other. I also didn’t like that Sadie didn’t tell Max about her gran. I get being sad and hurting but it had been a year. I get that that was a way to keep Max out, which is part of Sadie’s character and her development, but it could’ve been so much more powerful if Sadie let Max in and they deepened their relationship. I don’t think having the time jump one year in the middle of the book helped with the storytelling. Honestly, I think that hurt the story because the transition was so abrupt. Max and Sadie had not spoken for the whole year and then she shows up in Banff and things are okay and they get together right away? I’m on board with it but the execution felt off to me.

I guess this book is alright. It’s not the greatest but it’s not the worst. 

i wanted to like it because of the theme and plot but it fell short with the reoccurring drama. 

communication is key and this couple need to learn it. 

2.5 because i enjoyed the vibes and i haven’t read one like it yet

Lyndi Stettner

i wanted to like it because of the theme and plot but it fell short with the reoccurring drama. 

communication is key and this couple need to learn it. 

2.5 because i enjoyed the vibes and i haven’t read one like it yet

I really wanted to like this book and the first half was okay but there was just too much unnecessary drama for the couple and Max was unlikeable. Not a dnf because I did wanna know the ending but not as good as I had hoped

Soph

"You can love someone who isn't perfect, and be deeply loved despite your own imperfections.

You and Sadie may not always go together like peas and carrots, but that doesn't mean y'all don't have something worth fighting for."

I wanted to like this so much because it had everything I could want in a holiday romance but this just didn’t click for me. 

I was prepared for the miscommunication trope, but this felt like an unhealthy cycle of minimal to no communication between our two MC’s. It would get better and than worse at such regular intervals that it felt like there wasn’t enough story to allow readers to route for Sadie and Max at all. 

There also were a few too many unnecessary subplot moments that didn’t add to the story… 

That and some other factors I won’t get into because I don’t want to spoil anything ultimately made this a 2/5 ⭐️ read for me.

Kathryn

"You can love someone who isn't perfect, and be deeply loved despite your own imperfections.

You and Sadie may not always go together like peas and carrots, but that doesn't mean y'all don't have something worth fighting for."

I wanted to like this so much because it had everything I could want in a holiday romance but this just didn’t click for me. 

I was prepared for the miscommunication trope, but this felt like an unhealthy cycle of minimal to no communication between our two MC’s. It would get better and than worse at such regular intervals that it felt like there wasn’t enough story to allow readers to route for Sadie and Max at all. 

There also were a few too many unnecessary subplot moments that didn’t add to the story… 

That and some other factors I won’t get into because I don’t want to spoil anything ultimately made this a 2/5 ⭐️ read for me.

All I Want for Christmas

Reviews