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.

All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox is next level holiday entertainment. This was a really sweet holiday story. I love the idea of two singers on a show like American idol fighting for fame in Nashville. ⁣Their best shot at winning it all, is fake dating and these two are fire and ice, but their voices meld together like whiskey and honey when they’re in the spotlight together.
After reading the Holiday Swap last year and loving it, I knew Maggie Knox would deliver again and get you in the holiday spirit. She is becoming the holiday romance queen!

This was a really sweet holiday story. I love the idea of two singers on a show like American idol fighting for fame in Nashville. ⁣
⁣
Their best shot at winning it all, is fake dating and these two are fire and ice, but their voices meld together like whiskey and honey when they’re in the spotlight together. ⁣
⁣
While we love Max and his grumpy, brooding self, trying to get famous without using his famous dad; we adore Sadie who’s wholesome but a spit fire and full energy and she has the sweetest relationship with her grandma. ⁣
⁣
We’re expecting two enemies to fall in love while fake dating for the country music show, but we get so much more. Heavy topics of loved ones lost, family baggage, grief and loads of miscommunication but there are still some swoonworthy moments along the way. ⁣
⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was really excited about this one because I love fake dating and enemies to lovers, but unfortunately, this one did not work for me.

It honestly had a ton of issues. The reason they are enemies to begin with is ridiculous. After finding out why the FMC "hates" the MMC, I hated her character even more than I already did. 

The character development is nearly nonexistent. I know nothing about these characters, and they are never given the time they need to connect and fall in love. I never once believed in their relationship. They had absolutely no chemistry. They spend 85% of the book arguing, and it's not the cute, witty banter that you'd expect. 

I felt like it was simultaneously too short and too long. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam-Penguin Group for the opportunity to review this. All of the opinions above are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the chance to review this ARC.

Another great addition to Christmas TBR's this story is cute and sweet!

Fans of enemies to lovers , fake relationship and the always lovely grumpy/sunshine will want to get this on their holiday reading list.
Max and Sadie has so much chemistry!
This one has a little bit of everything, tears heartbreak all the things.

Overall a great read!

As much as I loved The Holiday Swap, I enjoyed this one but was constantly debating whether to stop reading due to the annoying behavior of the male lead or push through.

I am glad I did push through, it turned out to be a cute read. Our female lead is constantly facing difficult situations and still has the decency of trying to save the show and maybe their relationship. Right up until the last 20% of the story, the male lead was man child with no common sense and a tendency of abandoning anything good in his life the minute things don't make sense or they get rough. His dad gave him good advice and maybe he didn't have enough time to come up with a good song but it was something a 12-year-old would make.

There are some good lessons along with the way. I would love to try another book from the authors.

I had a hard time connecting with this story, about the son of a country music superstar, Max, and an up and coming ingenue, Sadie, who meet on a country music reality show competition similar to American Idol. I don't listen to or particularly enjoy country music, and I don't watch reality television, so right off the bat there was a disconnect in interest, but that's not the book's problem, that's my problem. As for the story, Max and Sadie have instant chemistry, which the producers of the show quickly capitalize on, and after insisting they perform as a duo, they win the competition. The catch is they don't receive their winnings until they write a Christmas song together and come back to perform it on the following year's holiday episode. Immediately after winning the competition, Sadie receives a phone call with devastating news, and runs off. Max, confused and hurt, retreats to his Canadian cabin, and spends the rest of the year ignoring Sadie's calls and Nashville in general.

This story relies heavily on the miscommunication and running away when things get tough tropes, which I personally find very frustrating to read. And there were several instances of this from both MCs. I found it hard to root for them to get it together, when they both had so many issues to work out. This was a cute, predictable holiday rom-com that I think would be much more enjoyable to someone who is already a country music and/or reality television fan.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an ARC of All I Want For Christmas in exchange for an honest review.