The Christmas Wish is a cute, sweet romance set in Sunshine Valley, Colorado. Everett Bollinger is the new town manager, hired to keep the town profitable once again. The first thing he has to do, is cut some of the town's holiday events, making him very unpopular with the townsfolk. Rosalie Reyes is opening a new pet shop, with plans to have the grand opening during the town Christmas Parade, only thing is that Everett wants to cut the parade. Rosalie is not going to take the cuts sitting down and challenges Everett. Enemies to Lovers, Grumpy vs. Sunshine, both tropes that I enjoy.

This is a novella, so there is not a lot of character growth in this one. There are lots of likable and fun characters in town and I am hoping we get to know them better in other books in this series. Everett and Rosalie are fun main characters. At first they clash but before they know it they find themselves falling for each other. With some great banter, hidden sides, and background that comes to light, I enjoyed getting to know them. Of course I have to mention the dogs, Remy and Tinkerbell, as they are so adorable. As with many Christmas stories, this one is a bit predictable, but still an enjoyable Christmas Romance.

I finally read this book!! I have had it on my Netgalley since 2019 🫣

Loved this cute Christmas romcom. The story had just the right amount of Christmas/romance!

If you love dogs, Christmas, romance and a quick read this is a must read!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

What an enchanting story! As the beginning of a series, this is a wonderful start. I look forward to more from Sunshine, Colorado.

This story is written in a dual POV format. Getting a glimpse into both characters' thoughts really help me to fully understand and connect to them.

I would recommend this story to anyone who loves the second chance of romance. These characters are 39 and 40 which is something that I also enjoyed. There are just a few kissing scenes. I would also suggest that a tissue be ready in case you tear up easily. I do and I sure needed one a time or two.

Tease! Okay, so this is a Novella, and is only 92 pages. I need more! I love Christmas stories and read them all year long. 92 pages is just a tease. Next time, make it 928 pages, please.

A sweet little Christmas book set in a small town where a new town manager, Everett, is trying his hardest to find corners to cut, so they can meet their budget, but of course cutting things during the holiday season can make someone a little "Scroogie!" Rosalie is a new business owner in the town, just opening a pet shop and is hoping for her sales to grow and grow, but these town cuts may affect her sales.

Now I don't tend to love romance books that are shortened because it makes go from zero to sixty and in my opinion too fast, but for some reason this one was better than most. I thought this one was sweet in the interactions between Everett and Rosalie and the townsfolk gave the book some great color, so this one really worked for me.

My first Melinda Curtis read and will not be my last!

This was such a cute and sweet Christmas romance! I loved the romance between a pet store owner and the new town manager. These two certainly butt heads at first, but it gets better as it goes on. This book is filled with like-able characters and holiday spirit. If you’re looking to get into the holiday spirit, I highly recommend checking this one out!

A cute story with the central reminder that Christmas is about helping others and sharing joy. Curtis has developed characters that the reader can empathize with, and I wanted to visit the pet shop because of the vivid description. Easy to read and lighthearted.

This was such a cute christmasy read! I loved the dog on the cover and couldn’t wait to read this book!

So cute and super quick that will have to feeling gushy! Would definitely recommend

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this, I absolutely LOVED it. This was the perfect read to start my holiday reading off! 5 stars!

Sweet and darling romance! The characters were charming and fun. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Everyone in Sunshine Valley, Colorado, are in Christmas spirit except for new town manager, Everett Bollinger, whose job is to make the town profitable. Rosalie Reyes plans to open her new pet shop during the Christmas parade. With Everett making tough decisions about holiday celebrations, clash between them is imminent. But before long, they find themselves falling for each other.

A cute romance with a charming heroine. The only issue I had was that it was too short. I didn't notice that it was a novella, my mistake!! But otherwise a very enjoyable book filled with Christmas cheer. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Bitsy is not ready for Christmas. She is part of the widows club and a matchmaker.Bitsy wants to find love for Rosalie another widow.Rosalie and Everett don't make it off to a hot start.Everett is known as scrooge but starts to show Christmas spirit and have a heart. Everett was a little uptight sometimes he didn't want the town bells rung for a proposal. A nice clean short story. I liked the pacing. I liked the ending.

I really enjoyed this sweet, heart-warming Christmas romance. Loved this one.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

It's not Christmas, but its a stay inside all day snow day and this book was perfect for it. I needed a good, warm romance and this was just the thing. Rosalie and Everett and their dogs make for such a warm relationship and a good story. It is a novella, so there isn't a whole lot of depth to the character development or details to the story, but just the right amount of puppies and Christmas to make your heart happy.

I so enjoy reading books by Melinda Curtis, her writing style just draws you into the story and enjoys getting to know the characters as well. I love reading christmas stories and when you add furry babies to this you cant help but fall in love even more with them. Christmas doesnt seem such a happy time for this town until you come into contact with such adorable furry friends, you cant help but get into the mood of the christmas spirit. Grab your copy today and settle in for a uplifting read.

The Christmas Wish is a cute and fun Christmas novella. It is everything you are looking for in a Christmas romance with a few surprises that you dont expect. I liked this book very much.

The prologue with the widow's club felt like an entirely different story. In the beginning there were a lot of characters to keep track of, but the parts that focused on just Rosalie and Everett were very emotional. Overall this isn't my cup of tea, but is a no steam, small town romance that feels very much like a hallmark movie and I know that there are still readers I would recommend it to.

I thought this was a super cute holiday story! I enjoyed the characters, especially the fiesty widows' club. The story was just deep enough for the length, and although most romances are predictable, this one was fun and had a few surprises.

4.5 stars! Rosalie is 34 and a widow and the owner of a pet shop. He is nicknamed Ebenezer Scrooge and was blindsided by his wife's criminal ways. Everett is staunchly by the book, impersonal, and looking to leave the town as soon as his temporary work is done. Rosalie wants the parade route to go by her shop, but he refuses to play favorites. She is a "pet whisperer" and shows him how to train Tink, which is adorable all on its own. They seem to be opposites, yet find themselves attracted to each other despite that.

Both have trust and anger issues due to their spouses choices. Neither were looking for a second chance at love. I liked that both characters had a sense of the realistic. Both were likable. Rosalie's focus on her business while trying to be kind hearted went against his play by the rules attitude. There was fun banter as their attraction grew.

There were the older ladies in the town who were helping them get together. Nothing felt like a cliche. I found the story absorbing and I liked how it ended. Small town life at Christmastime: quirky, irritating, funny, and engaging.

I received an advance reading copy from Netgalley. This is my honest review. I'm so glad I got the chance to read it.

The Christmas Wish by Melinda Curtis is a holiday novella that is part of the Sunshine Valley series. The novel follows the Sunshine Valley town manager and holiday Scrooge, Everett and Christmas-loving pet shop owner, Rosalie. Everett and Rosalie find themselves growing closer despite being always at odds regarding the town’s holiday festivities. With the help of some adorable dogs, a few town matchmakers, a little Christmas magic—love might be the gift of the season for these two characters. Melinda Curtis gives readers a sweet and satisfying holiday novella.