So, I loved Sadie and Max…most of the time, I was slightly annoyed about how many times they miscommunicated and at times it did feel repetitive, but overall I really liked them together. I would have loved more of the sweet moments as I felt there was a lot of anger sprinkled throughout. I know many people say they didn’t feel it was a Christmas book, but I disagree. Maggie Knox used so many common holiday themes- love, cozy vibes, them importance of family and friends, etc. I love how it touched on the stages of grief and how people do handle it differently. I think Max and Sadie’s support system really made this book. My biggest complaint would be how there seemed to be such a big loss of information between last Christmas and this Christmas, but I suppose looking back it made more sense than when in the depths of the novel. Finally- I loved the inclusion and detail of the Opryland Resort as it very well might be one of my favorite places I have been and love seeing it in books. Overall, I loved this more than the Holiday Swap and hope Maggie brings us an even better read next holiday season!

This book could have been 10 chapters shorter had the characters just spoken with each other. I really disliked this one. I didn't care for either character, and I really loathed the fake country accent that was on every other word. It was overkill. After really enjoying last year's Maggie Knox release, I was excited for this one. I was disappointed.


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book. I requested to read All I Want For Christmas as I loved this author duos last book.
The Holiday Swap has become one of my all time favorite romance books and I recommend it frequently. Unfortunately this book just didn’t work as well for me personally.
I think the setting of a reality tv show and being singing based had a lot to do with that as they are not my personal interests. I would definitely read another book by this duo as their writing style is just so fun and readable.

This book was adorable. I love the fake-dating trope, but the miscommunication portion of the book was tiring.
It was an overall sweet holiday read, even if did feel the male main character Max should have groveled or apologized a little bit more.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This worked for me on audio. It was cute and I enjoyed the reality TV show. It was a quick read and second chance romance which I really liked. The timelines sometimes felt a little choppy and it threw me off at times.

Max and Sadie are two very different people with the same goal- become country music stars. So when they are paired up on the show star maker and their chemistry is off the charts, can they make their dreams come true and stick together?

Overall, the book was ok. This was cute, but man were the leads frustrating. I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope and you can see some of the character arcs coming a mile away. I also struggled with the massive time jump. But overall it was a cute Christmas romcom.

If you love holiday season then this is one for you! A cheery holiday romance of a fated love story that no one would have thought. Although trying to avoid it they can't help but give into the pull of love.

Every book has its audience. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Just because I don’t like a book doesn’t mean it isn’t meant for somebody. And this one definitely wasn’t meant for me.

Romance books are difficult for me, because they have to walk the very find line of cheesy and sincere. Some people can do that amazingly (I’m looking at you, Emily Henry!). This one just veers way too far into cheese fest for me.

The characters are interesting enough, and I love the various nods to country music stars last and present (I’m from the Midwest, it’s what I was raised on) but the romance just didn’t hit for me. I couldn’t take the constant back and forth, and the lack of communication between characters was unreal! Yes, I know this is fiction, leave me alone.

That said, the relationship between Sadie and her gran was really what kept me going. It was sweet and funny and heartbreaking and so very real.

It just wasn’t a big enough part of the story.

Starmaker is the country music reality show where stars are created. When contestants Max and Sadie go viral for a duet where their chemistry is obvious, they have to take advantage of this opportunity to make it in Nashville.

In some ways, the first half and second half of this book felt like two different books. The pacing in the first half was really rushed, but I thought the second half worked well. I was often frustrated with the inexplicable, poor communication choices the characters made. I enjoyed how everything came together in the ending, and it was a fun Christmas romance.

I kind of struggled to get through this book. The romance was alright, and I just really didnt feel the connection between these two characters. At first, I was like ooh okay, this could be something. But that feeling did not continue as i kept reading. I know miscommunication happens, but this book had so much of it that it was difficult to enjoy the storyline.

All I Want For Christmas was much better than The Holiday Swap! I actually really enjoyed this lighthearted holiday read. I thought the characters were well developed and I enjoyed their banter! Good job! I’ll definitely read them again.

I liked Maggie Knox’s debut novel, The Holiday Swap, as a writing duo, although I did not love it. I thought I would give the authors another shot and read their newest book.

All I Want for Christmas is an enemies-to-lovers holiday romance set amid a reality television show competition for country singers. Despite reading 30 percent of this book, I can not tell you anything more about the story.

I rarely do not finish a book, especially one that was gifted to me. But I have been relying on holiday books to get me in the Christmas spirit this year. After some spending time on this one, I knew that All I Want for Christmas was not going to fit the bill.

The plot of All I Want for Christmas seems straightforward enough. However, I found that there was little plot outside of the reality show competition, which was not all that exciting. There was not even a solid establishment of the two main characters as enemies outside of the fact that they were both competitors vying for the same prize. Other than some interactions between a few characters, the story lacks details that would help create tension and excitement. But I ultimately felt like little actually happened to move the book along or hold my interest.

I do not necessarily dislike books light on the plot so long as they have strong character development. However, I found this novel also fell short on that front. Outside of their status as country singers and a minimal amount of details about their background, I did not know much about the characters. I was not rooting for either to win since there was not enough details about the competition or a fully formed character in which to be invested. Without feeling like I knew the characters or understood their motives, I was left with nothing pulling me into the story.

On top of that, there was almost no Christmas to be found in All I Want for Christmas. There are a few mentions of Christmas and singing Christmas songs. However, the holiday season is really treated as a setting and little else. So if you are looking for holiday cheer, activities, and spirit, you will not find it in this book.

For me, All I Want for Christmas was lacking all the key elements of a good story. I felt like I was thrown into the middle of a book and missed all the context and set-up. But I assure you that I started this book on page one. I found that All I Want for Christmas felt more like an unfinished idea than a book with full-formed details and characters. Ultimately, I could not constitute finishing All I Want for Christmas. I would recommend skipping this one.

I loved The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox, so I was really excited for this one! However, it just didn't seem to work for me. It seemed to feel like the same things I've read before, I didn't love or care about any of the characters, and ultimately I was ready for it to end.

So, I was really rooting for this book just like I was rooting for the characters on the singing competition. But, it fell through to me. I hoped there was more on the competition as there is a lot of potential there to make their relationship grow, but the skipping ahead drove me nuts. The miscommunication drove me nuts.

2/5 - Spice: 0.5/5

Okay, I'm not sure what went wrong for this book, but it just was not for me. I felt no romance, I barely even felt a passing friendship between Sadie and Max. I loved Maggie Knox's first book, the Holiday Swap, so when I started this I was excited for Christmas cheer, but it just didn't do it for me.

Brief Plot: Both performing in a music competition, Sadie and Max are paired together, and further encouraged into a fake relationship to promote their musical careers. But as feelings start getting real, and their dreams becoming reality, will their fake relationship be exposed? and can the two really form a genuine partnership with honesty?

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC copy of All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox. This is my honest review.

I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this! I thought this was a fun Christmas time read with. Log of heartwarming moments sprinkled throughout. Great time of year to read this!

This book was really good. I enjoyed the setting of the musical reality show. Admittedly, I read it a while ago and do not remember all of the details, but i do remember enjoying it.

Thank you to the publisher and author for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.


This book was a cute holiday story. But the miscommunication drove me a little nuts. I wish he would’ve stopped talking and running away for two seconds to listen to her explain her side of things. The fact that it happened over and over was too much. I liked the ending a lot though.

“All I Want for Christmas” is the Christmas book I was most excited to read this year. I liked Maggie Knox’s last book, “The Holiday Swap”, and I like music and reality TV so I was into the premise of this book – Sadie and Max are finalists on a TV singing competition who are forced to partner together in order to win the show. A year after the finale we catch up with them to see whether or not they’re together.


But the premise was the only thing I liked about this book. The characters were very one dimensional. And the plot made me want to scream. If Sadie and Max had even had ONE complete conversation with each other there wouldn’t have been any misunderstandings between each other. So the back and forth conflict felt extremely manufactured. And the writing was so wooden that the characters didn’t feel real, and the chemistry certainly didn’t either.

That said, maybe I’m not the target audience for these books. I like well-written contemporary closed door romance but I don’t watch Hallmark movies. If you can’t get enough of Hallmark holiday movies, though, and you like reality TV competitions and/or country music, give this book a try!

I was really excited when I was given access to this book because I've enjoyed some of Knox's other reads. Unfortunately, this particular book was a letdown because it didn't really have a a lot of Christmas feels, and had a huge lack of the romantic elements I was expecting from a book that is labelled as a holiday rom-com. On top of that, the main characters weren't very likeable, which is a big deal in a romance.

I fully plan to read Knox's other books in the future, and I have high hopes for them because I love the writing style.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for access to this arc in exchange for an honest review.