Soo close, just not quite there.
I thought I was to going to really like this book and blow through it quickly. And I did. At first... and then I got to a little less that 50% and things just started to d. r. a. g. . I don't know if it was me or the book, but I just couldn't connect with the characters, let alone their love story Which is what I was expecting to get. I was not, however, expecting the trauma dump that happened in the second half of the book. Grief, death of loved ones, etc... totally fine, but it just felt so different than the start of the book that I ended up just feeling confused.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS is the story of two country singers – Max, the son of a world-famous country start, and Sadie, a midwestern girl looking for her big break – who start fake dating to bolster their chances of winning a reality singing competition. The premise had a lot of potential – country singers, reality show, enemies to lovers, fake dating – but ultimately did not live up to my expectations. It started off as a cute story (although a little repetitive with the reality competition element as that was a big part of Knox’s debut THE HOLIDAY SWAP) but I was never able to get very invested in Max and Sadie’s romance, real or fake.

Besides the scenes that took place in a Canadian cabin during a snowstorm, the reader doesn’t get to see the main characters interact in a way that makes them falling in love believable. Instead, there were countless conflicts all involving the most ridiculous and immature miscommunications ever. I felt like the middle of the book went like this: Max likes Sadie, Sadie tells Max she isn’t interested in Cruz (a sleazy side character), Max doesn’t believe Sadie and gets irrationally mad about how she doesn’t care about him. Rinse and repeat. At a certain point it was beyond frustrating because Max always thinks Sadie has bad intentions, and I couldn't understand why anyone would want to be with someone like that. Add in the element of a predatory character and yet somehow Max is always blaming Sadie, and never giving her the benefit of any doubts, and I stopped being able to deal with their "relationship."

There were some festive elements but other than this taking place during Christmas and some mentions of holiday decorations and snow, there wasn’t too much of a holiday vibe here; I felt like the story could have taken place during the summer and it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. With that being said, the story did remind me of a Hallmark movie so if that’s what you are looking for, you might have found your next holiday read. As for me, I am starting to think that maybe Maggie Knox’s writing is not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advance readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

All I Want for Christmas was a sweet holiday read for me in late September. I found it was just festive enough, but not overly so, to feel out of place to be reading in the fall! That said, I enjoyed the fake dating/enemies to lovers tropes in this upcoming release from Maggie Knox. Sadie and Max were likeable in their own ways, and I enjoyed them together-- even though their communication, or lack thereof, frustrated me at times as a reader. Plus, I loved that Max's late mother was named Maren, which is the name of my youngest daughter. Overall, a win for me and one I'd readily recommend to fans of holiday romance reads. Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group/GP Putnam's Sons for this ARC.

Sadie Hunter is a contestant on Starmaker, a country music competition show, and winning is her last chance at achieving her lifelong dream of becoming a famous musician. The only thing that stands in her way is Max Brody, child of music legend Holden Brody. When the producers of Starmaker insist the two team up on the show and fake-date to increase their ratings, Sadie and Max must tolerate each other. They have strong chemistry on stage that starts to bleed into their real life and they must navigate the difference between their fake and real feelings.

I enjoyed reading Maggie Knox’s Christmas romance from last year, The Holiday Swap, so I wanted to read this one as well. I read the majority of this book in one sitting. Even though it’s a Christmas romance, it didn’t feel overly festive, which I very much appreciated since I read it in September. The traditions and memories of Christmas were both really important to the characters. I found the romance between Sadie and Max very sweet. It did seem to develop quickly in some ways, but I think that showed their strong connection. My biggest issue with these two was their inability to communicate with one another for most of the book. Things would be going well and then something would happen that caused them both to shut down. I liked that both characters had their own issues going on that they had to deal with. It added dimension to who they were. I think this is a great romance to read when you’re ready to get into the holiday spirit!

Read if you like:
- fake dating
- stubborn main characters
- dual perspectives
- country music
- The Voice / American Idol

CW: grief, death of family members, sexual assault/harassment, alcohol abuse

This book was very cute with the Nashville setting, reality tv drama, and enemies to lover. My gripe is that there was too much tension. Every other page the two were getting back together and breaking up again. The constant breakups didn’t leave much room for us to get to know max and Sadie better. I felt so frustrated by the third break up that I had to struggle to finish the book.

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read the ARC of All I Want for Christmas, written by Maggie Knox. I throughly enjoyed this story… I couldn’t put it down!
The main characters, Sadie and Max, were pretty much at each others throats for most of the book. However, this made their growth together as a couple that much more rewarding towards the end of the book. I also loved that I thought I knew how the book would end, but was pleasantly surprised I didn’t guess the full ending.
While this book had a ton of tropes included: enemies to lovers, fake relationships, and grumpy to softie… the authors were actually able to touch on a lot of serious topics as well; loss, grief, addiction, etc. I thought they did an excellent job weaving those topics into the story but still making it a lovey Christmas themed rom-com. I will definitely read the other book these authors wrote together.
Thank you again to NetGalley for this ARC!

I loved this Christmas romance! All I Want for Christmas has all of the feels. Max and Sadie are trying out for a country music reality show and they get off on the wrong foot with one another but the producers see chemistry and pair them up together. The author, Maggie Knox did such a great job with building the relationship between Max and Sadie. I definitely recommend this Christmas love story.

This book had a lot of potential and all the makings for a great holiday romance- fake dating, enemies to lovers, reality show competition, Nashville setting- but ultimately, it was not a win for me. My biggest problem is that we never got to see the main characters fall in love or really interact with one another in a positive way (minus two scenes, which were great). There were MANY conflicts all centered around miscommunications, my least favorite tope, and I was yearning for more banter and opportunities to get to know Sadie and Max.


Thank you Putnam for the ARC. Pub date 10/4

This was another book I wanted to love, but just didn’t. Sadie and Max are competing on a reality singing competition and get paired together and pretend to be a couple.

It felt like every single scene between the main characters was forced. I didn’t find myself rooting for either of them. I mean, Max was super dense as someone IN THE INdUSTRY and didn’t think the producer was slimy and hitting on Sadie? Come on! The dialogue in this book was cringeworthy as well.

This just didn’t do it for me. The characters weren’t particularly likable and overall it was a bland story. Sadie also pulls a T Swift in the epilogue…

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an guest review.

Maggie Knox has given readers another heartwarming Christmas story with All I Want for Christmas. Sadie and Max are both contestants in a reality show, trying to jumpstart their careers as country western singers. They battle both onstage and off, until their managers come up with a plan to play up to their audience. We are treated to a story featuring a battle of wills and stubbornness, a fake romance, and simmering feelings which are just a spark away from igniting. Grab some peppermint tea and snuggle under a hand-knit blanket and enjoy this sparkling holiday romance!

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, I was provided an ARC of All I Want For Christmas by Maggie Knox via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

*****Publishing October 4, 2022*****

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Max and Sadie both enter the reality country show called Starmakers. When they are paired up in the competition, they impress not only the judges, but social media goes crazy! They have instant fans. The judges decide they have to continue as a duet, but request they act like they are also a couple. Can they pull it off or will they fall to their competitors? Will this forced interaction actually turn into a real relationship or will it go down with the competition?

A fun and entertaining ROM-COM that will have you cheering on Sadie and Max! If you enjoy watching The Voice, then you will be a fan of this book as well.

Did you know that Maggie Knox is the pen name for Karma Brown and Marissa Stapley? This is their 2nd book together, their first was The Holiday Swap!

Sadly, I was not able to finish this book. I did not feel a connection to the characters and the storyline felt fake.

We had all the good romance tropes of enemies to lovers, fake dating, celebrities in love, etc.
This was cute! But it was just that cute. I don't know that this will stick with me for any long amount of time, but I enjoyed it and think it will be a sweet read closer to the holidays.

If you are looking for a book that is sweet, Christmasy, and a fast read then you want to read this one. The bright spots in this book were Gran (she was the best), and Tasha. I loved these two supporting characters! As a main character goes, Sadie was great as well. She definitely grows on you and you really start to root for her to achieve her dreams.
However, Max could have been a great love interest but he just comes across as immature, ignorant, and lazy. He automatically assumes the worst of Sadie at all times. It frustrated me how willing Sadie was to forgive Max all the time when he could so easily see her doing all kinds of horrible things and in reality she didn’t do any of them. There were way too miscommunications in this book to be enjoyable. It’s almost like that is the only trope being used to create conflict. It was the same miscommunication every time. Max sees or hears something Sadie didn’t do and believes it anyway. Then Sadie apologizes when it’s not her fault. Max just needs to grow up.
2 1/2 stars rounded to 3 for GR.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

For some reason I never felt connect to Sadie and Max. I loved the enemies to lovers / fake dating tropes but I'm not sure.... it felt a little bland maybe? I hate that word but I think I needed a little more to root for the romance and the characters.

Cute holiday romance! Enjoyed Nashville and the whole country music tie in. Also the dogs name was great.

This has all the makings of a great Christmas story - fake dating, celebrity romance, holiday songs, cute dog in knitted sweaters….

The premise of the book is so good. I loved the singing competition. I loved how the corruption of key players in the music industry was portrayed. I loved the timeline. I wanted to love Sadie and Max more…. Their immaturity and miscommunication really brought the story down for me though.

I was expecting more Christmas, but since I’m reading this one in September that was fine. 😂 It’ll be fine to read year round. 🤷🏼‍♀️😂

A fun Christmas-time romance with engaging characters and festive settings...what's not to love? Reality show junkies will especially enjoy the singing competition aspect of the book. This was a quick, entertaining read.

Thank you #Viking Publishing and #NetGalley for the ARC e-book.

Cute romcom full of holiday magic straight out of a Hallmark movie. It's enemies to lovers, fake dating, and even grumpy/sunshine. And after reading The Holiday Swap, I was so excited to read this one by writing duo Maggie Knox. So where did it all go wrong?

”Life doesn’t always play out the way you imagine it will. But that doesn’t mean that what you do instead isn’t worth anything.”

Sadie is a ball of energy and enthusiasm. She knows what she wants and is willing to go to almost any length to get it. But when she’s unfairly paired up with someone from her past, she has to make a choice: fake it ‘til you make it or walk away from your dreams forever.

Trying to get out from under his father’s shadow, prodigy Max Brody wants to be able to do his own thing and not what everyone else tells him he should be doing. His one shot at gaining independence is being on Starmaker, a musical reality show, and even being partnered with a novice isn’t going to slow him down. Even one as beautiful as Sadie Hunter.

“You and Sadie may not always go together like peas and carrots, but that doesn’t mean y’all don’t have something worth fighting for.”

There’s a lot of great life lessons in this book. And in terms of Christmas stories, this one fits the mold. But it’s almost too cliche. The constant miscommunication or lack of any communication started as angsty, but quickly turned into frustration. And the amount of inner thoughts (that really should have just been spoken) is what brought this book down in ratings for me.

However I loved the witty lines, how all the loose ends get wrapped up, and even some of the plot twists. Honestly, if you’ve seen any Christmas romcom, you can see the plot twists coming from a mile away. But it doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. If you’re a fan of Hallmark Christmas movies and rockstar romances, then this one is for you!

“You can love someone who isn’t perfect, and be deeply loved despite your own imperfections.”

Loved Maggie’s first book last Christmas season and this one was just as good! All the cozy Christmas feelings. I loved. I will be posted my review on my Instagram closer to the Christmas season.