The Mistletoe Motive by Cloe Liese is definitely on top of my Favorite Holiday Romance. I simply loved this beautiful love story and Highly Recommend it to all readers.

I know we are supposed to finish these books before reviewing, but I am halfway through and already love it.

First, look at that charming cover! It is so cute it makes my bookish-librarian heart soar! I knew it was going to be a goodie when it popped up on my screen.

I love the representation! I myself have type 1 diabetes so it is so refreshing to see someone like me portrayed in a romance. I could really place myself in the story.

It's got grumpy sunshine, enemies to lovers, bookstore at Christmas time...I really don't think I need to write much to give it my glowing endorsement. If you are looking for a fun holiday romance, this is definitely it. Put down the Macomber and pick up Liese's book ASAP. Such a great book!

A modern retelling of The Bookshop Around the Corner (like You’ve Got Mail) with a heroine who is autistic and a hero who has Type 1 diabetes. Set at Christmastime, in a bookstore? What more could you want? Delightful holiday treat! Chloe Liese writes such heartfelt, humorous romances that handle disabilities delicately.

I received an advanced reader copy from Kobo Originals. Opinions are strictly my own.

Great story centered around the holidays. Craziness ensued. Loved the main characters of Jonathan and Gabriella. The story line moved along and I enjoyed reading this book.

Heartwarming, with lots of delicious holiday-timed yearning and tension. Liese has been a favorite of mine since Two Wrongs Make a Right, and if you're looking for a You've Got Mail homage that fixes the inherent problems of the film while paying tribute to so many more classic romance tropes that we readers love, you deserve to treat yourself to this charming novella (which was MORE than worth a longer story, IMO, but I'm incredibly grateful that this one exists in its current form too).

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Chloe Liese is a new to me author and I have to say I quite enjoyed this book! I love festive holiday enemies-to-lovers romances. This steamy slow-burn featuring Jonathan and Gabby is perfect for the holidays!

My review of the Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese.

THE MISTLETOE MOTIVE is a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers holiday novella. If you love The Hating Game and You’ve Got Mail, then this is the book for you!


Jonathan Frost loathes the holidays. Gabriella Di Natale loves them. She’s the epitome of sunshine and he’s, well, the grumpy hero. The only thing thing that they have in common besides their mutual dislike for one another is that they both work at Bailey’s Bookshop. Until one day, the shop owners inform both of them how bad their financials are. Jonathan and Gabby both realize that one of them will unfortunately, be unemployed soon. Neither are willing to step down from their position, so they strike a bargain: whoever has more sales in December gets to stay on in the new year; the loser will resign. With a lifetime's worth of festive tricks up her sleeve, Gabby should easily outsell her nemesis, except the unreadable Mr. Frost’s every move seems purely designed to throw her off her game.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Gabby's deceptive ex won't quit pursuing her, and her anonymous online friend suggests they take a break. Worst of all, as the pressure mounts to save the bookshop and her job, Gabby meets a new, tender side of Jonathan. Is this the same man she's called her cold-hearted enemy?
Maybe he’s got a motive she just can’t figure out—or maybe Jonathan Frost isn’t as chilly as she once thought. Maybe Jonathan and Gabby already know—and love—each other in ways they never thought possible.

🌶.5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Some things I loved:

🤍Demisexual rep

🤍Autism rep

🤍workplace romance

🤍enemies/rivals to lovers!

🤍I thought you hated me trope

🤍MMC has type 1 diabetes

🤍grumpy/sunshine trope



First of all, there is a scene where there is a MR. DARCY HAND FLEX!!! If you have read or watched Pride and Prejudice, you know the one I’m talking about!! I was screaming when that happened like oh my goodness! I absolutely loved everything about this book. It was so cute and is THE perfect holiday read to start off this month! I always always love whatever Chloe writes.

A huge thank you to @chloeliese, @valentine_pr_, & @kobobooks for the arc! All opinions are my own!

#currentlyreading #ownvoices #chloeliese #themistletoemotive #holidayromance #enemiestolovers #kobobooks #kobooriginals #neurodivergent  #RomanticComedy #ContemporaryRomance #NewAdultRomance #BroughtTogetherbyaBet #Enemiestolovers #Holiday #OnlineRomance #Oppositesattract #WorkplaceRomance #Disability #bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #bookporn #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread

ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

The Mistletoe Motive is an adorable, rivals to lovers, sunshine/grumpy christmas romance and I couldn’t enjoy reading it more.
It follows Gabriella and Jonathan who work together at an independent bookstore and are now kind of competing against each other due to its financial problems.
Gabriella is our ray of sunshine, she is so kind and absolutely in love with Christmas, while Jonathan can’t stand the holidays and also her grumpy co- manager is.
They were so adorable and precious together, honestly I think I was smiling throughout this whole book. The character development and the description of their disabilitys was really good and authentic and their banter was so amazing.

If you are looking for a fast read with cutness overload to put you into the right christmas spirit, I would totally recommend this book to you

This was a Chloe Liese Christmas slowburn work of art! Gabriella and Johnathan are co managers at a brick and mortar bookstore that they’re desperately trying to save from closing. For the past year they have hated each other, but he knows strong smells gives her headaches…umm, hmm. Gabby is demisexual and on the autism spectrum, and Johnathan is diabetic and a grumpy curmudgeon. Somewhere along the way, the Christmas spirit invaded their senses and their dreams and they realize maybe you aren’t so bad. An effort to work together to save the bookstore, that good old Christmas spirit, a very interesting car ride from a hockey game, and a chat room realization sets up a Christmas to remember. Chloe says this is her first novella and foray into the Christmas scene, well done my dear, well done!

This was such a cute Christmas book. I enjoyed the smart banter, the awkward tension. I loved both of their stories. The jealousy. The love of books. The love of romance. The funny games. The angry kisses. The underlying sexual tension. Then that moment it finally all makes sense. So fun cute, Christmas with just that nice touch of seggsy times.

Chloe's chirstmas romance was just so good! I love the setting, the length, the sexual tension. This book was just so good.

Here’s Heidi’s review …found it in goodreads

Oh my word this is one of those reads that just grab you abs run away !

It reminded me a little of my favourite movie “ You’ve got mail “ and no that didn’t make me biased this book really is worthy of every star !

It’s always been my dream to own a bookstore or be a librarian so Bailey’s Bookshop won my heart from the first time I laid eyes on it from the smells I swear I could smell to the antique wall mounted clock❣️

So Bailey’s is in trouble when a chain store threatens their existence so the Bailey’s bring in Mr. Frost to try and rescue it but he and Gabriella are at loggerheads and man I can feel the attraction between these 2 and man do I swoon and I what really hit me is Gabriella is in the autism spectrum and it’s normalised for lack of a better word and that just hit home for me ❣️and I appreciated it so much as having 2 kids with ADHD and friends who’s kids are on the spectrum .

All my boxes were ticked with this book and it’s one I could shout out about from rooftops !

This was a fun enemies to lovers romance, and a great holiday story. Most of the story takes place in a brick and mortar bookstore, a setting I can’t help but admire and appreciate. Jonathan and Gabriella are such a snarky, antagonistic pair throughout most of the book; it was great fun watching the sparks fly and then watching the two of them try to understand the attraction that seemed to creep in unnoticed. I greatly admire Ms. Liese’s ability to create characters that are so convincing that I feel I could meet them in real life. Her characters have believable real life issues and health concerns that make them so multidimensional, as well as teaching the reader a great deal about how other people experience the world. I look forward to reading whatever Ms. Liese writes next!

4.5 stars! This is a really great spin on the You’ve Got Mail story, but I think with more emotional depth, and definitely more spice, but of the delicious slow burn variety. The main characters are intriguing, Gabriella is autistic and demisexual, she struggles in new relationships, and has difficulty reading people. She does have 2 really great roommates who are amazing friends, but they’ve known her for years - it takes time to build real friendships and trust. And she has her job at the bookstore that she loves, she’s the heart of the shop, with a touch for the emotional and physical aspects that draw people into the store. But her lack of business acumen drove the owners to bring in a second manager to handle the more business and financial side of things, which Gabriella felt immediately threatened by. Jonathan Frost is an interesting character. We see him through Gabby’s eyes, and she doesn’t trust him, even though she is insanely turned on by him. The many, many times her thoughts drive right into the ditch around him are quite humorous and really add a fun, sexy touch the story. But she also sees him as a threat, and from her perspective, he’s cold, grumpy, and overall just unpleasant. What makes it the most interesting, is that as we get Gabby’s thoughts and perspective, there are occasions where you can see where maybe she’s missing something in reading his actions. I think it really adds to the slow burn, because as the reader, you’re seeing things that she is just not picking up on. On those moments when she starts to let Jonathan in, it’s really sweet, and that’s when the slow burn really shines.

Gabby’s inner monologue is quite entertaining, really driving the story forward. She has the angel/devil conversations, she has the spicy dreams that then leak into her days, and she has all the awkward and adorkable moments that just make her even more endearing. And as things really start happening, it’s nice to see that she still approaches them as an adult, even if her initial reactions may be knee jerk, she manages to talk herself down fairly quickly.

Overall it was a very sweet love story, with some really good spice in the end. The characters felt very real, the emotions were authentic and believable, and it was a really enjoyable holiday romance.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Mistletoe Motive, it was such a sweet holiday romance! At this point, I think anything that Chloe Liese writes is the closest thing we have to magic. This short story was so adorable and tender, perfect to get into the holiday spirit. As always, the author blew my mind with her writing style and the delicate yet authentic way in which she writes her characters and their portrayal(s) of neurodiversity and chronic illness representation. Lastly, I really enjoyed reading from the heroine’s perspective and the epilogue was a wonderful surprise.

The Mistletoe Motive follows Jonathan Frost and Gabriella Di Natale, co-managers at the beloved indie bookstore, Bailey’s Bookshop. He hates the holidays. She’s full of festive cheer and can’t get enough of them. But when the store’s owners confess its dire financial state, sparks fly as Jonathan and Gabby wage a competition to save the store.
Jonathan is a prime grump candidate, but it’s so obvious to the readers that he cares about Gabriella. I really connected with Gabriella’s feelings of vulnerability and anxiety of being brave in showing your most secret feelings to someone you care about for fear of losing a good thing.
I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a grump/sunshine pairing, holiday season work place romance, and Own Voices portrayal of Autism, sprinkled with little Easter eggs of pure joy. *ahem* pride and prejudice nod *ahem*

📖The Mistletoe Motive, a Kobo Original by @chloe_liese is now LIVE!

Everyone knows how much I love Chloe and her books. I can't even tell you how many times I've read the Bergmans. Her books are some of my go to comfort rereads. She has a way with words that just pulls you in from the get-go and once I found out she was releasing a Holiday novel??? Like Christmas CAME EARLY. I dropped everything and held my breath for that ARC and thankfully, I received one.

Let me tell you guys that this one did not disappoint!
Once again a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read!

A perfect holiday romance! Set in a bookshop with characters living with autism and diabetes, it's A sweet enemies to lovers story.

If I had a dream list of things I'd want in a holiday story, The Mistletoe Motive would have checked every box. It's like Chloe Liese tapped into the mind of this romance reader and delivered the perfect Christmas gift! From the moment Gabby first declared, " I hate him. He is the prickly holly leaf in the Frasier fur garland of my life.", this reader just KNEW that this book was going to be a lot of fun. Gabby and Johnathon are such wonderful characters and their animosity towards each other was so obviously about misunderstood feelings that I was darn near gleeful about seeing these two fall. The Bailey's Bookshop was a terrific setting and helped to really flesh out the difference between these two characters. Gabby is pure Joy and Merriment, and Mr. Frost is all analysis and Bah Humbug. The one thing they do have in common is a real love for the bookstore where they work, and a love for the books that they read. I now want to read all the bookstore romances, so please feel free to share recs if you have them!

Here are just a few of the things I loved about this particular book:
* Grumpy/Sunshine - He's Mr. Frost and she LOVES Christmas
*Own Voices - fantastic autism rep / demisexual heroine/ honest conversations about living with long-term medical conditions (Type 1 Diabetes) /discussion of childhood issues that impact a person's feelings towards the holidays / recognition of an ex's manipulations
*Workplace romance - but make it angsty because they've decided to compete for the same position after the holidays
*Super sweet—but still a little steamy—holiday romance with a little extra something that I won't spoil. But this rom-com loving reader's heart did a happy little dance from the first moment this something extra was introduced to the story. Just so swoony!

This was one of those stories that played out in my mind like a movie, which doesn't happen often. It confirmed for me that I was absolutely justified in starting a Kobo subscription just to have this book. I even purchased the audiobook version, and thoroughly enjoyed Erin Mallon's narration (and the epilogue narrated by Jacob Morgan). Chloe Liese proved, once again, that her spot on my auto-buy author list is absolutely secure!

Excuse me, no novella has the right to be this good.

'The mistletoe motive" follows the story of Gabriella and Jonathan as they navigate their feelings for each other and fight to save the bookship they both work at.

Honestly this was everything I needed right now and it serves all we want from an enemies-to-lovers story. It gets better because we also get the grumpy/sunshine trope. It was cute, the pace was ideal and the slow burn was ready to kill me.

Think of it as a mix of You've got mail and The hating game, add the christmas spirit and what you get is perfection!! I mean with that many Jane Austen references a book can do no wrong, right?

It was nice to see real issues being addressed and it comes with no surprise considering Chloe Liese always makes sure to be inclusive and I love that about her.

It's shorter than a book which is a shame only because I could go on forever reading Gabby and Jonathan bicker and try to deny their feelings for each other lol. Everything was just so amazing, you can't possibly not be invested in the characters and their journey.

The mistletoe motive is out on december, 1st (less than a week!!) so make sure you grab your copy and enjoy :)

Rating: 5 stars 💫