All I Want for Christmas is a bit second chance romance, a bit rivals/enemies-to-lovers, and a bit fake dating all tied up in a Nashville country Christmas bow. Aspiring singer-songwriter Sadie sees this season of the reality show Starmaker as her last chance at making it on the country music scene. Likewise, Max, son of Music City royalty, sees this season as his last chance to make it in country music on his own terms. There’s some animosity between the two aspiring stars, but when they are paired for the duet round, it turns out they make musical magic together. They just might be each other’s ticket to the top.

This book was tailor-made to become a Christmas film on Great American Family. I can see it slotted easily into the channel’s Great American Christmas lineup.

You get a tour of some famous Nashville landmarks, a trip to the Canadian Rockies, some time in the studio, and plenty of snuggles with a pup named Patsy Canine. (I just adore that name.)

In addition to the sparks and strife between the main characters, you have emotional family moments and moments of true friendship as well.

The main sticking point that keeps it from being a five star read for me is the withholding information / miscommunication trope in the book. I am typically not a fan of drama that can easily be resolved by characters communicating—although I do understand why authors employ this trope to create conflict and tension in a novel.

All in all, All I Want for Christmas is a fun holiday read that will bring a smile to your face and a song to your heart.

I received an advance copy of the book from Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

This was your typical holiday romance book that had my heart exploding at times, but also had me so angry with Max and Sadie…because wake up and stop being so difficult! This was the perfect trope mix of enemies to lovers and fake relationships. Although I had mixed emotions while reading it, I powered through it in ONE sitting…all while my flight was delayed to New York (FUN!)

Max and Sadie are competitors on a music competition show and decide to join forces and take over the music industry. Along the way, they have their ups and downs…and it seemed to be a lot of childish downs that made me a little irritated, honestly. I couldn’t understand how one “couple” could have so many miscommunications and mishaps in the matter of weeks. By the end, I was so happy to see they put their childish ways behind them and loved getting to watch them transform.

The book was written in three parts - Last Christmas, This Christmas, Next Christmas, so it was super cute to get to see how everything progressed. I also really loved getting to see the different relationships get mended and how everything was tied up so perfectly with a bow under the most perfect Christmas tree with their song playing in the background 🥰

4 ⭐️’s

I really enjoyed the Maggie Knox Christmas book from last year. This one was cute. I just didn’t feel as much of a feel good vibe and character connection as the last one. I always enjoy an enemies to lovers trope. The writing was good. It just didn’t have the whatever is necessary to want me to keep reading and feel invested in the characters. Huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Thank you @putnambooks and @netgalley for the eArc of this! Officially out today
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★ ★ ★ ★ ★
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I freakin’ loooooved this one! Which is no surprise, because I also loved their last book ‘THE HOLIDAY SWAP’ Forever #TeamSaxie
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I loved Sadie and Max so much! I binged this in one sitting. I couldn’t help it - I was tooooo invested. Definitely gave me all the Christmas country music vibes so get your country Christmas songs defrosted because this will make you put them on.
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Read if you love:
•Country music
•Singing reality competition shows
•Dual POV
•Fake dating
•Enemies to Lovers
•Everything Nashville, TN
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Also, recommend 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘛𝘰 𝘍𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘺𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘈𝘷𝘢 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 if you want another book like this!

Is Halloween only a merely few weeks away? Yes. Is it not most certainly spooky season? Double yes... Did I just read the heck out of a cute holiday romance? BIG OL YES

This is my second read by Knox after The Holiday Swap and I very much enjoyed it! A Hallmark esque closed door romance which is a must read this holiday season!

*3.75 out of 5 stars, rounded up to 4*

This is a quick, romantic holiday read, perfect for those who love:
-fake dating
-enemies to lovers
-miscommunication trope
-country music
-celebrity culture
-reality TV and/or singing competitions

Max is the son of a popular country music singer but is determined to make it on his own. Sadie is an aspiring (and struggling) country music singer. They are both competing on Starmaker, a reality TV singing competition, and are paired together.

Once I started this book, I could not put it down. I was invested in Max and Sadie's relationship, even if sometimes frustrated with them and their careers.

They're both guarded, stubborn, and quick to jump to conclusions. However, the chemistry was well-written and easy to get swept up in.

Despite being a holiday romance, the book touched upon some difficult subjects including grief, substance abuse (alcohol), sexual harassment, and the dark side of the entertainment industry. Please check the content and trigger warnings.

The authors manage to address these topics without losing the story's holiday charm.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advance reading copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

All I want for Christmas by Maggie Knox
Genre: Holiday Romance
Rating: 4 stars

What a little cutie! Our two main characters, Sadie and Max, are on reality tv music show competition where they end up getting partnered together to sing a duet. After this duet, the world falls in love w/ them and they are forced by their management to fake date despite being enemies.

So many fun tropes in this one --

-grumpy/sunshine
-fake dating
-enemies to lovers
-holiday romance
-dual pov
-fade to black

There are mentions of death of a loved one (off page) and grief and workplace sexual harassment (v minor, but on page).

This was just a cutesy little read and I enjoyed it! It's not super Christmasy by any means, but it is a feel good holiday themed book!

All I Want For Christmas by Maggie Knox is perfect for those that loved the drama of TV's Nashville and want it in book form.

Sadie and Max are both giving Nashville one more chance last Christmas. The two enter a song competition with the hopes of winning individually, but once they're paired up it's together or nothing for the duo nicknamed Saxie. The two fight more than oil and water but when they're singing it's nothing but pure flames. On the heels of winning the competition, the two split up for nearly a year when they're reunited this Christmas with one goal: write a hit Christmas song to perform and finish their contracts with the show. But will they let the outside world push them apart again? Or will they realize their singing isn't the only thing that works together?

I couldn't wait to pick up this book after loving The Holiday Swap last year, and did a happy dance when I received an ARC from Putnam and NetGalley for it. My dreams of a repeat hit were quickly dashed though through this chaotic and plot hole filled read. All I Want for Christmas had all the makings of another success, but it just wasn't there in my opinion sadly. It felt like chunks of the plot were missing, the dialogue was disjointed on every page, and it had so much unnecessary and pointless drama I nearly threw my Kindle across the room on several occasions. Patsy Canine, Max's rescue dog is by far the best part of the story. Sadly, I'm going to advise skipping this one this Christmas, but if you haven't read The Holiday Swap from last year I highly encourage that fun read. That is a solid book of Christmas fluff perfect for the holiday season.

All I Want for Christmas is a light and fun country music based romance. It is filled with classic country holiday song mentions and lots of fake dating tension. Max and Sadie become an internet hit when they perform a duet on a country music competition show. They decide to fake a relationship to help bump both of their careers. Personal issues, grief and lots of miscommunication hold back the sparks that fly any time they are together.

It was fast and felt so much more Christmas'y than other books I have read this year. I loved the world and the side characters. But miscommunication is always a personal struggle for me.

All I Want for Christmas was a fun start to a holiday season, albeit a bit early! On a cozy fall weekend, full of rain and cold temperature, this novel was a warming, charming read.

I'll admit, I flew through this book wondering if our two star-crossed musicians would ultimately end up together, However, I was disappointed with many of their interactions, the immaturity of their conversations, and just how dumb they sometimes were. It seemed like every interaction in the first 3/4 of the book was that if pre-teens, instead of adults. Maybe this is my high expectation for communication, whether between co-workers or lovers but much of their conversation left me wanting more.

Nothing in the novel was.. well, novel. It felt like a typical Hallmark story of miscommunication, perfect timing, love and other things. It was a simple holiday read, full of Christmas magic, lots of snow, and eventually love. I'd recommend as an easy way to escape your holiday blues, but TW for death and other hard topics.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox

Publication Date: October 4th
Publisher: Penguin Group, Putnam Books

All I Want for Christmas was written by writing duo Marissa Sterling and Karma Brown under the pen name Maggie Knox. They also wrote The Holiday Swap that was popular last year.

This story follows the son of a famous country singer, Max Brody, and country music hopeful, Sadie Hunter. The two start as competitors on a singing competition tv show and are soon paired up. It had hate to love, fake dating, and a major miscommunication plot.

This book was not for me. I had a lot of difficulty with the flow of the story, believability, and dialogue. I considered DNFing, but ended up reading through 70% and then skimming to the end.

Perfect for you if you like:
Country music scene
Miscommunication plots
Hate to love

🛑 one brief open door scene
⚠️ triggers for sexual assault in the music industry

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book.

This book was just ok. I loved the premise of the book ( fake dating) and the story line but the book just fell flat. There was so much miscommunication between the main characters and not enough real romance.

I enjoyed All I Want For Christmas early on, but as it continued I found myself struggling to finish it. Miscommunication is not an enjoyable trope for me and this book relied heavily on it to create conflict. I did however, love the Christmas atmosphere which put me in the holiday mood.

Sadie and Max are two aspiring music stars in Nashville. When they're told that to win the competitive singing show they're on they need to team up on and off stage, they start faking a relationship. They can't decide how they really feel about each other, and they're frequently hot and cold when dealing with each other. Will their relationship continue past the show, or will they go their separate ways? This was such a fun story with the background of the music scene and the recording industry. These characters navigating the hurdles of trying to become performing artists made it so interesting to see if their relationship or their career would win out. Sadie and Max are awesome characters who continue to do their best at making the most of their lives no matter what comes their way.

This was a cute little festive read about a couple of contestants on a reality country music singing show. The reader is treated to a bit of fake dating and some delicious banter. The plot is a bit Hallmark-y, but it's a lot of fun and perfect for romance lovers who want a seasonal read without overdosing on the Christmas spirit.

This book was just really not for me. I couldn't even get through it easily and had to skim past 50%. Insta-love, HORRIBLE miscommunication, immature MCs, and not enough exciting plot to keep things going. I also felt like it was a very rushed story. The first few chapters jumped nearly 5 days in between each one - there was so much potential character development that we didn't see. It was very predictable which is expected in a holiday rom-com, but I really thought I'd enjoy it more. I never connected with the characters and did not care how the story would play out. Unfortunately it was a disappointing read!

This was just disappointing, I was bored. If you are looking for a good book with a singing competition spin, I would definitely recommend Backstage by Caitlyn Duffy. I appreciated the holiday spin but I didn't actually feel very festive reading this one. Hope you have better luck!

All I Want for Christmas comes out next week on October 4, 2022, and you can purchase HERE.

On the stage in front of them, a dozen or so of the other contestants were warming up. Max had no clue who the contestants were, or what their stories were, because he hadn't met any of them yet--he hadn't bothered to.
It was probably time to pay closer attention because these contestants were his competition. But the white noise of the mingling voices made it tough for anyone to rise above the rest. until one did.

The voice that reached him belonged to a woman at the edge of the stage, closest to where Max and Tasha stood. It wasn't just that she was the closest to Max. It was that her voice had the rare quality to it you didn't often hear--even in Nashville.

Max Brody is an up and coming singer (with a famous dad he has a tumultuous relationship with) and Sadie Hunter is undiscovered talent and they’re both competing against one another on the competition show Starmaker and halfway through they are paired together.

After the competition Max and Sadie have gathered many fans and they’ve been instructed they need to remain in a fake relationship for publicity. When Sadie gets heartbreaking news on the night of the finale of Starmaker, Max and Sadie have an argument and then a falling out, just after starting to develop real feelings for one another.

Max has run away off to his family cabin in Canada to isolate and stew in his feelings for the better part of a year, ignoring all of Sadie’s attempts to contact him. Finally, Sadie’s manager sends her up to talk some sense into Max and they start to re-ignite their flame. However, this isn’t the end of the obstacles for Max and Sadie between each other or their familial relationships.

There’s also a significant plot line with a slimy music executive, Cruz, who is inappropriate with Sadie and has gone Scooter Braun level of keeping Sadie’s musical masters captive.

This book has a great cast of characters and really encapsulates the feeling of being in love and spending time with good family and friends at the holidays (and all year round) I think this is a great choice to add to your winter TBR!

4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A good choice for lovers of country music and fake dating, plus enemies to lovers, all wrapped up in a down home aw shucks narrative..
Sadie and Max are coerced into tell the world they’re an item or it could mean the end of both of their careers.
Despite the snapping and the dissension between them, something starts to form.
If a songwriter can’t make some lyrics out of that plot, then they need to listen to more country crooners.
My favorite character was Patsy Canine, she should have had more scenes.

I enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. I was so mad at Max for not talking about how he is feeling but Sadie did the same thing too but I love when they did talk about they feel to other people. They will talk about it. It was a cute book and I enjoyed it.