I love a good Christmas novel! Bring me all the Christmas cheese and delight. It was like a warm hug and a cup of hot chocolate.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my copy of All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox in exchange for an honest review. It published October 4, 2022.
Maggie Knox brings it again for a sweet, fresh, and actually truly interesting Christmas romance! I loved the back Drop of Starmaker for this book, and found it to be set apart from many Christmas books and movies that come out every year. Definitely a stand out!
I enjoyed following along Sadie and Max, and I especially loved the dreamy Banff in winter setting! Now a new bucket list destination.
This is such a fun and sweet one, you'll enjoy it!

A holiday romance with a broody main character, with American Idol/The Voice vibes. This is a super cute and sweet (closed door!) romance. I felt like the story moved pretty slow at first, and the country twang written into the dialect was a little overdone and at times pretty cheesy. Overlooking that, this is a light and fun story for those in the holiday spirit!

I loved this angsty, heartwarming read! Sadie and Max’s relationship provided the grumpy meets sunshine trope that I need and love.

I was a fan of THE HOLIDAY SWAP, so I was excited about ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS. I love a cozy, holiday romance and this has a great concept -- there's a reality TV show for musicians, two contestants who can't stand each other but exude great chemistry, and a faked relationship.

While I really enjoyed several aspects of this book, I felt it was a bit too long and kind of dragged on during the second half. I thought the main characters, Sadie and Max, had strong chemistry and their banter was fun, but I did find some of their issues to be massively due to miscommunication, which is one of my personal pet peeves in romance (one or two misunderstandings are fine, but if miscommunication drives nearly all conflict, I get bored). Overall, I would recommend this novel if you enjoyed THE HOLIDAY SWAP and want a similar, cozy read.

I really enjoyed this book! The cover is cute but misleading, I would have never guessed that the book is about a reality country music show at the Grand Ole Opry at Christmas time.
The main characters are Max, the son of a hard drinking, womanizing country music legend. Max is appearing on Starmaker to prove that he’s an artist in his own right.
Sadie has a gorgeous voice, but if she doesn’t make it in Nashville this time, she’ll have to go back to Wisconsin and give up her dreams.
Their managers get them in a fake relationship so they can sing together and have a better chance to win. They have tons of chemistry that comes out when they sing, but offstage things are more complicated.

I liked the two MCs very much, and liked that their relationship is a slow burn. I recommend this book! 4 stars.

This book was good but not great. It was a cute holiday romance, but for me it lacked the humor and fun of Maggie Knox's first book. Would I still read this to get in the Christmas spirit? Absolutely. Are there better books? Of course.

I think what made this fall flat for me was the characters, especially Sadie. She felt immature (who holds a grudge when a man you've known for 2 minutes skips your performance??) and didn't really grow up throughout the novel. Max was slightly better, but still fell flat. At the end of the day, it was hard to root for a couple who couldn't stop having mundane arguments - they seem like they'll have a toxic future. If you're unable to take a story at face value, or try to imagine the future for your protagonists, this one won't be for you.

this book had so much potential but sadly fell flat to a lot of tropes that I wasn’t a fan of.

it had the makings of a great holiday romance - fake dating, a reality show competition, competitors who outwardly hate each other but secretly are pining for each other … but they all crashed and burned due to … MISCOMMUNICATION!!!

literally, the least popular and least loved trope of them all in romcoms. why can’t the characters ever just be honest and talk to each other? I just don’t understand why authors can’t write healthy relationships!!!

anyway I love maggie knox’s writing, and I love the open ended characterization of the side plots!! I was definitely yearning for more banter though - and I would definitely love to read more about these characters!!

thank you to netgalley and viking for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! can’t wait for more christmas reads!

rating: 2.5 stars
wine pairing: sonoma coast chardonnay

This book wasn't for me. I loved the idea behind it. I thought both MCs were good and strong at the start but as the story continued I didn't see growth in either of them. I also felt like the same thing kept happening in the plot and nothing was really resolved. I did love the music show vibes and wish there had been more of that.

A sweet fun and lovely Holiday read! A great backdrop of a talent show with musicians and a fun romance is the perfect holiday read. Strong characters and great writing make this book a must read,

I am so sad I have to even write this, but this one just didn’t work for me. The amount of miscommunication was just too much and I just didn’t really connect with the characters at all. I’m so bummed because I really loved the previous novel from this writing duo and was so excited for this book. Thank you netgalley for my free copy, unfortunately I won’t be recommending this one.

I made it to 40% and did not have the desire to finish. It started off really cute, especially since we’re all watching The Voice as a family. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. None of the characters were fleshed out, there were few details of the actual singing competition, and little actual interaction between the two MCs so I’m not sure how we’re supposed to believe they were trying feelings. I do have this author’s first novel on my shelf and I’m hoping it is better than this one.

I wanted to love this one sooo bad. Fake dating is my favorite romance dating trope, and Nashville musicians seemed to be something I would really love! However, the miscommunications between these two main characters drove me CRAZY. Soo many of their problems could have been solved if they just talked to each other. I am more than a little disappointed in this book. I just felt like Sadie as a main female character was dense and stubborn. Also, for a Christmas romance I could have used a bit more Christmas.

Thank you so much PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book! This book had me invested from the very beginning! I loved the chemistry and tension between Sadie and max! I love a good fake dating enemies-lovers trope and the fact it was mixed with the warm and fuzzy feelings you get at Christmas time just made it better! I loved this book had a great mix between lighter parts and parts that were emotionally deep. This book really got me in the Christmas spirit! The romance and the drama definitely makes it impossible to put this book down!

This is such an incredible Christmas read. Sadie and Max’s story was unexpected in the best ways while still keeping to tropes we love, like enemies-to-lovers and fake dating. Max has family history in the music industry, and Sadie’s going for her big break. But maybe their success can be better found together than apart… even as people around them try to tear them away from one another. Not only was this a powerful (and spicy!) romance, but this also displayed a world I’m unfamiliar with- the music industry in Nashville. It was so compelling, heartfelt, and passionate, both the love between our main characters and their love for music. This is a holiday reread for certain! I highly recommend.

Maggie Knox’s All I Want for Christmas is the story of Sadie and Max who both agree to appear on the reality singing show Starmaker. Paired up as a duet, the stars can’t stand each other but for the sake of the show, they must appear to be a couple. I voluntarily read this complimentary copy of this adorable book that will leave you feeling the warmth and happiness of Christmas time.

If you are looking for an enjoyable read this holiday season look no further than All I Want for Christmas. You’ll find the best of what you are looking for - Reality Show, Enemies to Lovers, and a HEA that will leave you very happy you’ve spent the time following Sadie and Max through their Starmaker journey.

Add in a beautiful story between Sadie and her grandmother - and you have another thoroughly enjoyable holiday read by the dynamic duo Maggie Knox. I cannot wait to see what they write next!

Happy Holidays!!

I liked this book! It was light and easy to read, but i felt like the story was all over the place. I also didn't find it stayed with me much after the last page. I loved last year's The Holiday Swap, and was hoping for the same with this one, but it just fell short.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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All I Want for Christmas started off SO strong and I had incredibly high hopes until about 40% of the way through where, to be honest, I’m not quite sure what happened. The book is about two country singers, one of “royal” birth (think like, the son of Tim McGraw), and one from Wisconsin just simply chasing a dream. They find themselves paired up with each other on a country music competition show, headed up by a sleazy music producer. Sadie and Max, from two pole opposite ends of the country music spectrum, have found themselves in a fake-dating/real-life love/hate affair for the betterment of their careers.
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Around 40%, both characters became increasingly unlikeable. They’re supposed to be in their late 20s but acted and communicated like teenagers, they both have tons of unresolved family trauma that, to be honest, they’re pretty childish about, and Sadie is so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed that she can’t notice red flags right in front of her face.
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This book just wasn’t for me, but it was an insanely quick and easy read!

I really liked this authors last book but this one is a little slow. I am about half way and need to DNF for right now. I do like the music troupe but it isn’t holding my attention.