This was just... fine!

This follows the story of Ben and Sadie, two country singers who compete on a reality show and are forced together into a fake relationship to boost the ratings. Predictable, so we all know what happens. I was super stoked for this as I loved the authors previous Christmas story. This one fell a little more flat to me. I didn't LOVE either of the characters. Ad due to the enormous amount of miscommunications and arguing, half the time I felt like they weren't even meant to be. And that kinda pulled me out.

But, it was cute. And it was Christmas. It was fun, just not a top favorite.

The holiday season is fast approaching, which means books about the winter holidays – including the latest from Maggie Knox – will soon be filling your feed. All I Want for Christmas has all the trappings of a great holiday read, but for me, it ended up being just OK.

WHAT I LOVED
🎄 This romance pulls in a lot of popular tropes – enemies to lovers, fake dating, and second-chance romance to name a few – which means there’s definitely something for everyone.
🎄The Banff/Nashville setting and song competition plotline made this really stand out from other holiday books I’ve read.
🎄Sadie’s relationship with her grandmother and mother was really touching and I really liked how her conflicts and struggles with them propelled her character arc. They were an integral part of her story, something that remained consistent from beginning to end.
🎄There was a very minor subplot about Sadie trying to reclaim her masters from a producer that felt like a thinly veiled reference to Taylor Swift. Not sure if the story needed it, but it was a fun Easter Egg.

WHAT DIDN’T WORK
🎄I felt like there were some missing pieces to the story, especially at the beginning. Knox really drops the reader in the middle of the action, and while that does get the story going, I personally felt like I had missed some important information about the characters and setting. I kept going back to reread to make sure I hadn’t missed anything, which was a bit jarring.
🎄I had a hard time buying into Sadie and Max as a couple. There was a lot of “telling, not showing” when it came to their chemistry. Yes, they were cute, but at points it felt like they went from enemies to lovers in 0 to 60.
🎄TW: There are references to and scenes of sexual harassment and assault which felt very strange for an otherwise fluffy Christmas book. The story had enough conflict and this felt like it was stuffed in for reasons I couldn’t figure out.

Overall, I prefer The Holiday Swap to All I Want for Christmas, but you can’t go wrong with either if you’re looking for a seasonal read in between baking cookies and watching a movie.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

thank you to netgalley and viking publishing for this arc of all i want for christmas by maggie knox!

so overall i thought that this was going to be pretty cute, but honestly just kind of okay. i did enjoy sadie throughout the story (and occasionally max), but my biggest complaint actually comes from the pacing overall. it was so weird! the entire blurb focuses on the singing show that actually only takes up the first 25-30% of the book and then we get a year long time jump.

i also found almost every moment of their misconnects and misunderstandings to just be for the sake of the plot, like him ignoring her for an entire year was just not super understandable in my opinion.

unfortunately this was not a favorite for me. 2.5 stars rounded up.

This was a delightful read that really got me in the mood for the Christmas season! I'm a sucker for an enemies-to-lovers plotline. There are some darker and heavy themes, which wasn't entirely expected based on the cover and description, but I thought they were well handled, felt realistic, and humanized Max and Sadie and gave their characters more dimension.

This is the second book I've read by Knox and really enjoy her writing style. Overall a cozy, enjoyable read that I'd recommend to anyone.

I really enjoyed The Holiday Swap so was super excited to be approved for All I Want for Christmas. MC Max wants to get out from under his father's famous name and be big on his own as a singer. Sadie is sick of mic nights and wants to break out big into the Nashville scene. Enter the Starmaker Competition for country singers and a fake dating trope after Max and Sadie meet and have epic chemistry. They are pushed into this fake relationship to be marketed as a duo. But they want something different - solo careers. But they soon realized their connection can't be ignored

While this wasn't a five star read for me it was cute and an easy read for the holidays.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

The fake romance turned true love trope is always a good read! This book was no exception. Trigger warning: sexual assault.

All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox follows Sadie Hunter, an up and coming country music singer who has come to Nashville to participate in the popular Starmaker singing competition and hopefully finally get her big break. This is her second time coming to Nashville and Sadie has decided that if she doesn’t get her break with this contest, then it’s time to give up on her dream of singing professionally. I really enjoyed Sadie’s character. She’s a dreamer but she’s also a realist about her chances of winning. I especially loved her relationship with her grandmother, who is Sadie’s biggest fan and cheerleader. It was sweet to watch their interactions, and Gran’s unconditional support of Sadie’s dream.

I’m also always up for a good underdog story so I was immediately invested in having Sadie be successful in this endeavor, especially when it becomes clear that her primary competition comes in the form of Max Brody, who is nothing short of Nashville royalty and thus has contractually been guaranteed to make it through to the final round. I found Max a little tougher to love at first, just because of his entitled status, but he grew on me pretty quickly, especially when we finally get to see him behind the scenes interacting with his adorable little dog, Patsy Canine.

There was a lot to love in this book, especially when Sadie and Max are forced to work together as a duet and it becomes clear that the two of them have pretty amazing chemistry, both on and off stage, so much so that the show’s producers decide it would be fabulous for ratings to have the two of them pretend to date. I love a good fake dating story so I was totally on board for this ruse since I was hoping it would lead to more. I really enjoyed watching Max and Sadie get to know each other better. Most of my favorite scenes between them actually take place outside of Nashville. When Nashville gets to be too much for Max, he retreats to Banff, a snowy small town in Alberta, Canada. Sadie follows him because they have to write a Christmas song together and are on a tight deadline, and it’s here in this magical little town that the sparks really fly between them.

While I enjoyed the story overall, there were some things that somewhat hampered my enjoyment, the number one thing being miscommunication. It seemed like almost every scene between Max and Sadie ended up with some miscommunication that could have easily been avoided. There’s a huge moment in particular where Sadie decides to keep a secret from Max about her grandmother. It made no sense to me for her to keep the secret and it ended up sending her relationship with Max into a downward spiral because he assumed the worst. And speaking of assuming the worst, Max is the king of seeing something, jumping to incorrect conclusions based on no evidence whatsoever and making an ass out of himself. He does this on numerous occasions and it made me want to just slap him silly. I’m all for creating a bit of drama and tension and a “will they or won’t they be able to get through this?” vibe, but I got pretty tired of it here.

Even with my frustration with the miscommunication, however, I still enjoyed this story overall. If the premise of a reality singing competition being a catalyst for romance appeals to you, definitely check out All I Want for Christmas.

I enjoyed The Holiday Swap, so I looked forward to this book. I enjoyed the first 35% or so, but when it got to the finale of the show and the main characters had a falling out, I was confused by the pacing. It felt more like an end of the book plot point than a first 1/3 of the book plot point. The main characters were starting to lose their appeal, and I honestly couldn’t see where the rest of the book would be able to go after that point. I enjoyed the writing style, but I think this missed the mark for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Max and Sadie y'all. 🥰🥰🥰 the fake dating, real feelings, enemies (but are they), dream supporting, estranged (but are they), all amidst a will they won't they, set in Nashville (and Banff) over three Christmases, is a perfect read for cozy season (no spooky season here, we're skipping straight to cozy!) Christmas cheer, a magical week in Banff, some insight into the Nashville music scene, and Max's dog sweater knitting adventures and the reader is fully immersed in Max and Sadie's story. It's a bit of a roller coaster but not once is the reader left convinced they won't end up together. Max, Sadie, and the reader are all rooting for their relationship (even if Max and Sadie don't know it yet), from the chasing the dog sprained ankle to Christmas on Banff with the whole family.

Perfect read for curling up with your favorite family knitted blanket watching the first snow of the season. 😊

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my review!

I loved The Holiday Swap last year by these authors and could not wait for their next release. Unfortunately this one was a miss for me. I had a hard time really liking Sadie and Max, and it slowed the story down for me a lot. I will definitely read anything these authors write and hopefully their next release will be a hit for me!

I was so excited to see another holiday book by Maggie Knox since I loved The Holiday Swap. Tbh, I liked The Holiday Swap more than this one, but this one is still really cute and cozy. A few of the characters are unlikeable, but that’s not unusual. I loved the enemies to lovers trope (who doesn’t?!) and the music element. The described setting (Nashville and Canada) was really beautiful.

Grab your favorite blanket + a cup of hot coco to accompany you while you curl up with this rom com!

All I Want for Christmas was a cute read but wasn't quite what I expected.

Given the fact that Christmas is in the title, I expected this book to feel really festive. Unfortunately, it didn't give me that feel. Beyond the fact that the singing competition show takes place around the holidays, there isn't as much of a holiday vibe as I thought there would be. I thought this book had an interesting and entertaining storyline with Sadie and Max being competitors in a singing competition show. They both are willing to do whatever it takes to secure their big break, but things don't go quite as planned and they have to fake a relationship with one another even though they don't get along. I typically enjoy fake relationship tropes given frequently awkward interactions and forced proximity, but this story was different as there is a long gap where the characters are apart. With that distance between the characters, it made the plot lose a bit of its steam for me. I think I would have connected a bit better without that gap. Overall, this is still a cute fake relationship story that many people will enjoy.

HEAAAAA we all love a good HEAAA!!! Christmas vibes so save this one for christmassss!!! story kinda dragged a bit in the middle which kinda killed a bit of my mood ngl

Are you ready for a country music Christmas? This grumpy-sunshine romance takes us on the set of a musical competition show, where the MMC and FMC are forced to compete together because their chemistry brings the ratings the show needs.

I adored the scenes in Banff! I road-tripped through Banff, Jasper, and Yoho national parks with two friends a handful of years ago. Even though I was there in the summertime, I can absolutely see how downtown Banff would be the perfect Christmas setting for a romance.

More things I loved: the insight into the country music industry, how Sadie worked through her grief, and how Max dealt with his family trauma. And Patsy! Max the grump had a little purse dog that he doted on, and you know I love a good canine sidekick.

I didn't love how prevalent the miscommunication trope was. This was one of those books where a simple text could have solved the whole conflict, multiple times.

Unfortunately, this story was a little light on the Christmas. I was hoping for something more like The Holiday Swap, which was chock-full of Christmas vibes, whereas All I Want For Christmas was mostly just set in the winter.

This was a quick and easy read for me.
It was cute and cozy and perfect for the holidays.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! All opinions are my own

A rising star looking for her big break, a famous artist's son blazing his own path, country music in Nashville, a reality musical competition show, and a good story line all make All I Want for Christmas an enjoyable read. Max and Sadie were both likable characters to me. The highs and lows felt a little disjointed, making me question how genuine their feelings were at times. Overall, an easy read without much angst, closed door intimacy, and an HEA (which is always my favorite part!).

Really enjoyed this Christmas book. It was enemies to lovers set in Nashville TN and centered around a music show similar to the Voice. The main characters Max and Sadie were enjoyable and relatable. I did think it drug on a bit in the middle the ending was happy as was expected. I plan to read their other Christmas book as well
This was an ARC from NetGalley.

I need to stop with the Christmas books. It’s spooky season.

American Idol but make it country music! I hate country music. Except Taylor Swift's old stuff which is mostly pop anyway. Yes, I'm from the South. No, we don't all love it. Take your stereotypes elsewhere.

In this rendition of Not American Idol, Sadie and Max are contestants. Max is Nashville royalty. His dad is kind of an asshat. He is also kind of an asshat. I prefer reverse grumpy sunshine. See Well Matched.

This is your run of the mill white hetero romance. Nothing you haven't seen before. If that's what you're into, you'll enjoy this. I need a little more spice in my life.

I adored Maggie Knox's first book, so I was really excited about a second holiday book from them! I loved the premise, the setting (well, multiple settings!) and the fake dating (but they actually fall in love!) trope. Max and Sadie have a genuine spark, but they are constantly at each other's throats. However, the narrative was not as seamless as I would hope. The amount of miscommunication and jumping to conclusions was frustrating. Max and Sadie's time in Banff was so romantic and so fun and I wanted more of that spark, rather than the constant sniping.

The side characters were genuinely awesome, especially Tasha and Gran (the Halloween wig scene!). Give me more of the feel good parts next time, please!

On a side note- I loved the cover!

This is Sadie’s final chance to make it in Nashville before she has to give up her dream. Being paired with Max on Starmaker, was not part of the plan, but the audience adores the singing duo. With winning coming down to audience votes, Sadie and Max decide to pretend to date. When they actually begin to fall for each other though, their communication skills blow up in their faces.

Ok so first of all, Max drove me absolutely insane. I loved him, but damn can boy jump to conclusions! I half the book I just wanted to shake him and be like dude, really think this through for a second! I really enjoyed the music competition aspect, but I do wish we had a little but more from those aspects. Overall though, this was such a fun story and I loved watching Sadie really grow into herself. While Max had a tendency to drive me batty, the overall story was just so heartwarming and lovely.