SO bummed that I didn’t like this one. I loved Maggie Knox’s Christmas book last year. I was so excited about this one, but it just was not the book for me.

This one was cute! I loved the banter between the characters and I enjoyed that they were both musicians. I just wish we saw their relationship blossom more into something great.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC of "All I Want For Christmas", written by Maggie Knox. It was released on October 4th, 2022!

Overall, I rated this novel 3/5 stars!

Think of the show "American Idol" - our main characters Sadie & Max finally have a chance of hitting it big in Nashville's "Starmaker". They get paired up during duet week and all of the fans love the romantic chemistry that seems to spark between the two of them. They are told they need to quit the competition or remain a dynamic duo offstage as well as onstage. All of their fans even have a "ship name" for the two nof them - #Saxie.

Is their fake relationship actually fake? You'll have to read more in order to find out!

All I Want for Christmas was not really about Christmas at all. Taking place at first on a reality TV show where musicians battle to win the top prize, our two main characters meet. Sadie and Max don't really like each other at first (not really enemies to lovers) but are supposed to be fake dating for ratings and slowly become friends and then something more. Something goes awry at the end of the show and one year later they're still fake dating but haven't talked or seen each other.

It's not super heavy on the Christmas, which since it's in the title I wanted that. There were a few Christmas scenes and some talk of it but the title and cover were a bit misleading. I feel like this book was mostly about the Nashville Music Industry instead and we saw the characters work through past trauma, loss of a family member, and sexual harassment. There was a tiny bit of spice, maybe a 1/5 on the steam radar but it was really cancelled out for me by HOW MUCH miscommunication happened in this book. No one would talk to each other about anything for the entire book, it never got better. I loved the Holiday Swap and enjoyed this one for what it was but wouldn't recommend for a super christmas-y read.

Thank you NetGalley and Viking for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a cute feel good holiday read that was reminiscent of a Hallmark movie. Sadie & Max are both contestants in a country singing competition & they are probably each other’s biggest competition. There’s an instant dislike for each other as they both have misperceptions of each other. Sadie wants to win the competition badly to solidify herself in the industry. Max needs to win the competition to be in the music industry on his own merits rather than his country music star father’s merits.
As these two are forced together throughout the book, their perceptions of each shift and their relationship slowly evolves. Their connection while performing on stage together is magical. But can that same connection carry over into a relationship off stage?
This is very much a slow burn and a fade to black romance.

Thank you @netgalley and @vikingbooks for this copy of my eARC in exchange of my honest review.

Sadie has been looking to catch her big break in Nashville for years. So when she lands a spot on the reality singing show Starmaker, she sees it as her last shot. Too bad she’s paired up with Nashville royalty Max Brody for duet week. And even worse, fans loved them together so much it seems they’ll be paired up for the remainder of the show as a fake couple. Will their relationship remain fake? Or will spending all their time together change their minds about each other?

This book was cute, although a bit slow for me. While Sadie and Max do have chemistry, I felt like the constant back and forth and misunderstandings were a bit much.

This one gets 3⭐️‘s from me.

Small town girl gets her singing break only to be stuck with another singer with a well know father. Sounds intriguing doesn’t it? Though it seems like all the two do is misunderstand each other and change their minds way too much.
I loved The Holiday Swap and expected to love All I Want for Christmas but I have to say, that wasn’t the case.
This was a ok read for me though not one I enjoyed overly much.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Rating: Not For Me, 1.5 stars, rounded to 2

All I Want for Christmas is a Christmas love story following the son of Nashville country music, royalty and a newcomer to town as they compete on a country American Idol-esque show and afterwards.

Big tropes are enemies to lovers and fake dating. I would say that the reality show/competition is not super prominent either.

This book had a really great premise that pulled me in, and the setup was great; however, the execution didn't work for me. The main reason is that I absolutely cannot see these two as a couple and I was not rooting for them at all. There is some really intense miscommunication in this book with the pair continually coming together and falling apart for seemingly no reason. The amount of times that one or the other would get upset over something really small and stupid made me completely baffled of how they were able to make a go of it at the end.

The other thing that really frustrated me was that I felt the characters were very flat. There was a ton of telling us that they were x, y, or z, and that they had good chemistry, but I never actually saw it in the story. There is an attempt to deal with slimy music producers who attempt to take advantage of young women (CW for SA) as well as the grief of losing a family member and the difficulty of estranged parental relationships, but since I didn't care much about the characters I didn't find it particularly moving or well-handled.

Honestly this is one that I should have just DNFd, but I was hoping that the ending would at least be cute. It was fine, definitely not the worst book I've read this year, but definitely not a hit either.

Thank you to NetGalley and to GP Putnam's Sons for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All I Want for Christmas released October 4, 2022.

It pains me so much to write this review because I LOVED The Holiday Swap, but this book fell flat for me. I felt like the characters were very one dimensional and so their heavier backstories didn’t hit me like I think they were intended to. I also really disliked Max, the love interest, and didn’t find him endearing — even in what I believe the authors were attempting portray as a “brooding” character.

Max, the country music royalty son of acclaimed musician Holden Brody, and newcomer, Sadie, are competing in a singing competition and are paired up together. To boost ratings, they are forced to fake a relationship even though they can’t stand each other. Told through the span of two Christmases, Sadie and Max ping pong between loving and hating each other and this reader was very ready to put their romance to bed by the end of this book.

2 stars. Also WHY the knitting!?

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

As a country music, Nashville and singing reality competition fan, this book was tailor made for me. Add in the holidays, and I was sold from page 1! Was it a little sappy, occasionally over dramatic and unrealistic? Sure. Would I change it? Nope! I read it in a day and loved every minute of it. Worthy follow up to last years Holiday Swap and then some.

Sadie has wanted to be a country music star her entire life. Growing up in the Midwest, she kept her eyes on Nashville until she was old enough to move down there and give her dreams a real try. She’s finally made her way onto Starmaker, the reality television show that is hoping to introduce the country to the next big country music superstar. But she’s disappointed to get there and find out one of her competitors is no one other than Max.

Max is the son of a country music superstar, and he’s running out of steam. After watching the industry and its pressures take its toll on his family, Max is trying to decide what he wants more—to be a star, or to leave it all behind for a quiet life. But he’s taking one last chance on country music, appearing on Starmaker, to see if he can get the momentum to break through.

Sadie and Max do okay on the show at first, but when they are paired up for the Christmas duet “All I Want for Christmas,” they bring the house down. Fans all over the country are all over social media asking for more #Saxie, and the producers want to keep that excitement going. They make a deal with Sadie and Max that as long as they keep performing together, the producers will keep them on the show.

But Sadie and Max are both really strong personalities, and as much as their music is in perfect harmony, those strong voices tend toward arguments and criticism when they’re not on stage together. That’s a problem, since their new arrangement with the producers means that they have to pretend to be a couple off-stage as well as on. And they have to keep this up for a year, until they come back to sing on the next year’s Starmaker Christmas special.

Although #Saxie has stolen the hearts of the country, Sadie is still frustrated by Max’s attitude, and Max is defensive about his father’s career being the reason he’s on Starmaker. But they both realize that their musical magic is more than the sum of their significant talents, and some of those warm feelings may be starting to spill over into their real lives. Will they be able to keep their fake relationship separate from their real feelings, especially when the realities of life in the spotlight start to close in on them?

All I Want for Christmas is a charming holiday rom com from the writing duo known as Maggie Knox. Authors of last year’s The Holiday Swap, Karma Brown and Marissa Stapley have crafted a fun, romantic novel that takes a look at the country music industry and the reality of reality competition shows and uses them as a dramatic backdrop for a Christmas love story that is more genuine and romantic than any made-for-television holiday movie.

This book has a lot of heart and a lot of family, adding the warmth and love of a good family with the secrets that parents hold on to in an attempt to protect their children from heartbreak. Sadie and Max are both smart and naive, inspiring but inexperienced, and they come together as a caring and adorable couple, when they learn to get out of their own way. I loved reading All I Want for Christmas. It was exactly the type of holiday book I was looking for, with hot cocoa, bad decisions, knitting, the Grand Ole Opry Hotel, and some rare Nashville snow.

Egalleys for All I Want for Christmas were provided by G.P. Putnam’s Sons through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I loved the Holiday Swap, and was so excited to get the eArc of this book! This story left me with lots of warm and fuzzy feelings. The holiday vibes were immaculate! It was such light and fun read!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eArc in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted to love this book but it fell a little flat for me. I had trouble getting into it and getting attached to the characters. There was also a high level of misunderstands which were getting really frustrating. It didn’t have a huge holiday feel, but it was a sweet story. 3.5 stars.

I liked this book! It was light and easy to read, but I 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 a little short.

All I Want For Christmas by Maggie Knox is the perfect enemies to lovers Christmas romance that would be delightful any time of the year!

Max and Sadie are competing on the TV talent show Starmaker. The are enticed into a fake relationship to win the hearts of viewers. The story was heartwarming and kept me smiling. Maggie Knox writes stories I simply can’t quit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved Knox’s last book and was excited to read this one. Sadly it didn’t quite live up to my expectations, but I did really enjoy reading it.

Sadie was a great character and I really enjoyed her story. I wish she’d realized a few things earlier on, but I understand her actions.

Max had some depth to his story, but I feel like I didn’t get to know him like I wanted. In fact, some of the same could be said about Sadie as well. We’d get glimpses of him outside of his life as Holdens son, but I wanted more of who he was outside of music or his dog.

I liked that this book touched on grief, but that’s all it did, touch on it. I wish we’d seen Sadie and Max discuss their grief together and lean on each other more. This one was a bit more plot and conflict and less time seeing their connection.

I appreciated the music aspect and really loved the Nashville scene. Having spent a lot of time in Nash, it was fun see so many places I’ve visited in the book.

As a southerner who no longer lives in the south, the amount of times darlin’ and sweetheart were said grated on me. It’s so patronizing. She has it annoy Sadie as well, but it’s never really addressed, even with Max.

Overall, I really enjoyed this Christmas romance, and am glad I read it, but it just wasn’t one I’m likely to reread or remember.

Cute country romance book with a reality show twist! This book had its issues *cough* failure to communicate *cough* aka one of my biggest book pet peeves, but by the end it had definitely redeemed itself. Sadie and Max were both likable characters (but the pair's nickname of Saxie... no thank you. I hate combined couple-y names like that).

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for providing an ARC to review.

I loved the premise of this book. Reality show competitions combined with romantic hijinks are a trope I will always give a try. Sadly, this story didn't click with me. All the steps were there. The competitors to lovers concept were all laid out, but we were missing the character connection needed to make it work. In the end, Sadie and Max were a dud. I give this book 2.5/5 stars.

All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox

I enjoyed The Holiday Swap from this writing duo last year and was excited for another fun holiday read. This one wasn't a win for me, but it has a fun Nashville and country music setting and this spans multiple Christmases with several big moments falling on the day itself.

This story follows two aspiring country musicians, Sadie and Max, who are competing in a reality competition. They are coerced into a fake relationship to help boost ratings.

I understood why they each wanted to win this competition - Sadie believing this is her last chance to make it and Max wanting to make it on his own, despite his family name. However, it was tough to believe the relationship itself. This felt a lot of telling, not showing, and I didn't feel invested in the couple. They were fighting/bickering a lot, which took away from any hints of chemistry we were building towards and just an excessive amount of miscommunication. I would have loved a few more sweet scenes between the two and just more positive interactions in general! Both characters also have storylines involving their family and struggles in the music industry and they either wrapped up extremely neatly, or lacked any resolution or growth for the characters.

All I Want For Christmas was such a cute story and perfect to get you in the mood for the holidays! Sadie and Max were great, but I feel like there was more time that they were at odds rather than actually together. I wish we had gotten to see their relationship develop more, but overall it was such a nice escape and I loved it!

Thank you to the authors, publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC.