3 Stars All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox was not quite what I was expecting, but in the best way possible. Based on the description, I thought the whole novel would take place over the reality singing competition, not just the first third of the book. Their first “breakup” at that point in the novel very much felt like the typical third act breakup, so I wasn’t sure where the story was going to go after that. Max and Sadie were fun to read about; they definitely were like oil and water at times, and were both so damn stubborn. I appreciated that the ending showed them working together but also exploring their own solo careers. Very cute and a fun Christmasy read!

Prepare your self for a wonderful-cozy-feel good-country-christmas story!

This book is country American idol Christmas love story with a fake dating trope with Grumpy-Sunshine. The timeline expands for over a year which adds a little of slow burn.
You will want scream some sense into the characters obviously, but isn't it that part of the fun of reading a romcom? These 2 signing love birds are from 2 different backgrounds, each wanting what the other one had.
Max is country royalty, son of one of the most successful country singers on both sides. He has never wanted for anything except for the weight of his parents fame. Poor little rich guy right?
Then we have Sadie who is in her second shot of trying to make it in Nashville and won't let anything get on her way. Is a make it or break situation for her so she'll take whatever opportunity she can get.
They are stubborn AF in their own ways and think that are very wrong for each other but when they perform is like all the stars align. Their on stage chemistry is undeniable, they just have to make it work in real life. While getting to know each other, they find so many surprises behind the stereotypes.
There are so many aspects of the book that I enjoyed aside from the love story. One is how stigmas or appearances are not always true. Two is how it approached the generational programming that sometimes families can unwillingly pass on. Three is the approach to finally end a predatory behavior from a men in a position of power that a whole community enabled it by keeping silence and how speaking up is important.
This book was a treat for me while we are facing a heat wave, a rom com Christmas read is exactly what I needed. This is the second book I read from Maggie Knox and I already can tell they are a auto buy author :)
Thanks NetGalley, Maggie Knox and Penguin for the ARC in exchange for my honest review :)

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun read! I like books thst let us see behind the scenes sof things like TV productions. The characters were likeable as well.

Thank you NetGalley for my arc. This was a quick, light, and fun holiday read during the summer ! It has all the hallmark vibes!

⭐⭐⭐.5/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

* Slight spoilers. *

I have very mixed opinions about this book. I've never read anything by Maggie Knox, so I went into this unsure of what to expect. I loved the holiday theme and the overall plot of the book, and there was so many times where I was very into it and could not put the book down. However there was many other instances where I struggled to continue reading. One of my least favorite tropes is miscommunication, but I can let it slide when it happens once, HARDLY twice, in a book. This book just featured so much miscommunication I was annoyed. It felt like everytime the main characters were doing good a miscommunication bombshell fell onto them. Max and Sadie had a lot of potential as characters but I had a hard time loving them. There was also just weird storylines, (SPOILER) like Sadie's mom following her around? It was explained in the book, but it was just so weird and never made sense to me. I still enjoyed this book, and the Christmas theme to it, especially towards the end. Would I read it again? Probably not. Would I recommend this to a friend? Possibly, with fair warning of the overused concept of miscommunication!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!!

All I Want for Christmas follows Sadie and Max who are contestants on a singing competition show called Starmaker. They are paired up during duet week and the world falls for their chemistry. So the network demands they remain a duo on and off stage. There is just one problem: Sadie and Max do not like each other. But they both dream of making it big so they agree to it. And maybe just maybe they will learn to like each other. 

Trigger Warning: 
Has themes of loss of a loved one
Has themes of sexual harassment 

I freaked out when I saw that Maggie Knox had another novel coming out. I loved The Holiday Swap. Both books that Maggie Knox has written I have rated five stars. If you are looking for a cute holiday book to read I would suggest both of these. I loved the relationship between Sadie and Max. This book also gave me such cute and cozy vibes. This book did not disappoint me at all. I literally screamed when I got an ARC of this book. Thank you so much NetGalley, Maggie Knox, and Viking for the ARC of this book. This is one that I would highly suggest.

Two musicians forced together to help their careers find themselves both at odds and intensely attracted to each other. What starts off as a stint on a reality singing show turns into a fake relationship for Sadie and Max. Sadie deeply dislikes Max based on a rude encounter when she was just starting out, so she very reluctantly agrees. Max meanwhile doesn't want to be saddled with someone who clearly can't stand him. He's got enough of his own demons to deal with her.

Everything changes after a snowy trip north though. When they can get away from the fame and attention, they discover something meaningful. Will this tender spark survive the brutal Nashville reality, though?

This was a cute story, but I didn't ever connect deeply with the characters. There were some cliches that took me too far out of the story and the supposed "spark" between Sadie and Max wasn't entirely believable. I didn't find myself rooting for them like I have other couples in romance books!

It was fun to read about the behind the scenes of the Nashville life and a singing competition though. I'm always a sucker for books set during the holidays so this scratched that itch as well.

This cozy holiday book was a bundle of fun. Sexy rom com, fake dating and enemies to lovers combine two of my favorite tropes. Max and Sadie are two singers trying to make it in Nashville, their magnetic chemistry onstage leaves the crowd wanting more of the duo..... who secretly can't stand each other. Overall a good time and a fun read.

Was this the cutest story or what? I LOVED it! As a Tennessee native, I loved the Nashville setting. I could easily visualize where the characters were within the city, as I've spent a lot of time there. I mean, Christmas at the Opryland is so magical. I thought this was a very realistic romance, as it showed the ups and downs of all relationships. Max and Sadie had such great chemistry, and while, they struggled to find their groove, they really did bring the best out in each other. The relationship between Sadie and her Gran was so sweet and special. It reminded me of my own grandmother. I felt that this book could easily have been a Hallmark movie. And, I secretly hope it becomes one. I was smiling the whole time I read it. It was a super quick and easy read. I read it in one sitting because I could not put it down!

I actually enjoyed this book a lot! It would be such a cute Hallmark movie and I need it as soon as possible. I loved Sadie and Max's characters so much, as Maggie Knox wrote them so well and made them such a joy to read. Their story and the character development was probably my favorite thing about this book. The writing from Maggie Knox was beautiful and so entertaining. The plot kept evolving and after every chapter, I couldn't stop reading. There wasn't much I didn't like about this book, as it is the perfect holiday book that everyone needs to read this Christmas season. I can't wait to read more from Maggie Knox! Definitely recommend this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

I loved Maggie Knox's last book, the Holiday Swap, so I was so excited to be approved for this new novel! I loved it just as much, Maggie has such a strong voice in her writing, it is hard not to get sucked in. I feel like the story line is perfect for the holidays. It is definitely a rom-com - I had a few laughs out loud moments! Would highly recommend for anyone looking for a heartwarming holiday read.

When two country singers are paired in a reality singing contest, sparks fly in many directions. The couple sing beautifully together and in order to generate publicity, their managers decide that they should have a fake romance to keep them in the news for the next year, when they have to return to the contest as the reigning winners. There are lots of misunderstandings and wrong turns and the relationship is hard to fake but they have to try. This is an entertaining and readable romance and I enjoyed rooting for the characters to find their happy ending.

I was intrigued by the cover of All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox. It just looked so cozy. And the blurb describing two country singers competing in a competition around Christmas? It sounded so cute! Plus there are plenty of classic tropes in this holiday romance: enemies to lovers, fake dating, and grumpy/sunshine.

But unfortunately, the first half of this book relies too much on lack of communication and the characters being jerks. It was difficult to like Sadie and Max early on and buy in to their romance. I wanted to quit at around 25%, but I stuck it out and ended up liking the second half of the book better. I got sucked in by the grandma plotline, and Sadie and Max slowly grew on me.

Thanks to Putnam Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

I read this book in August and went into it with high hopes of being pulled back into the Holiday spirit and that didn't happen. The book spans 2 years during the months of December. Sadie and Max are on a musical competition show, similar to American Idol, and get roped into performing together and fake dating to help with the shows ratings. I love the tropes that were used (fake dating, enemies to loves and a bit of grumpy sunshine) but I didn't love the characters. I felt like I couldn't connect to them because I didn't know them. I felt like the storyline was a bit rushed at times and didn't make sense.
This book also dealt with some heavy topics, but I fell flat. There was grief and sexual harassment. Everytime there was an issue there was a miscommunication between Max and Sadie which was annoying. Max had these internal thoughts about liking her but would leave every chance there was. Sadie felt immature at times.
*Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review! *

4 stars. What a cute and cozy Christmas novel! This book made me so excited for the holiday season. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC!

This one wasn't for me. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and their story just did not hold my interest. I know this book will find it's audience, but I just didn't find much here to grab me.

This book was one big frustration of a constant lack of communication between the two characters.

I forced myself to finish it when I should have given up at 30% because nothing changed.

I love the idea of a reality singing competition ala American Idol but that took such a backseat and was only a minor part of the story. Even the fake relationship lacked depth and didn’t have any traction.

Plus there was just no basis to these characters actually liking each other let alone falling for each other given their lack of time together, their lack of communication and an entire year apart.

Stick with their holiday romance, The Swap, which was super cute and an enjoyable read. I, unfortunately, recommend skipping this one which I honestly forgot was a Christmas romance because other than a few holiday song titles and a gift exchange, there wasn't anything holiday about it.

I received an advanced reader copy from Netgalley. All opinions are my own,

✨Book Review✨

All I Want For Christmas
Maggie Knox
Pub Date: October 4, 2022

🎶Synopsis:
When Sadie and Max are selected as contestants on the famed reality singing show Starmaker, each thinks they’ve finally gotten their big Nashville break. But then they’re paired up for duet week and stun the world with their romantic onstage chemistry. With fans going wild for #Saxie the network demands that they remain a duo on and offstage, or exit the competition. Faking a relationship until their final performance in the Starmaker holiday special shouldn't be too hard, except for one small problem—Sadie and Max can’t stand each other. 
 
But with their dreams just within reach, they agree to the ruse. Will their fake relationship be exposed before they can win? Or might their phony connection turn real by the Christmas finale?

💭Thoughts:
This book was great for the first third, then it just started dragging. I kept fighting the urge to just skip forward a bunch of pages to find out what happened. I didn’t enjoy the continued miscommunications between Sadie and Max. It happened over and over and over. I just kept thinking I get it, let’s move on. I started to really not like either character because of it.

I also felt like way to much was getting shoved into the last third of the book. So many different plot lines and characters. The characters were left underdeveloped. It definitely could have been spread out more to flow better.
—————
There were some things I did really enjoy though.

🎵 The inclusion of country music and Nashville. Which are two of my favorite things. The holiday atmosphere was lovely with all the talk of wreaths and twinkling lights.

🐕 Who doesn’t love a dog named Patsy Canine?! She was a fun addition to the book and made me smile every time she was referenced! I could envision her walking around in her cute knitted sweaters.

👵 Sadie’s Gran was a lovely character. I wish she was included more in the story. She had the best advice and clearly loved Sadie very much.

⭐️ The inclusion of articles from Hotstargossip.com made me laugh. I used to love to scroll People and UsWeekly for celeb updates in the mornings when I’d get up. Now I just scroll IG. 🤣

Overall, I had really high hopes for this book and it just didn’t pan out for me. I’m sure there are people who are going to love it. Just make sure you are a big fan of the fake dating and miscommunication troupes because they play a huge part in this story.

Thank you to @netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to read and review.

I loved this story of Max and Sadie. I liked both characters even though they both had their fair share of baggage. Of course like with any rom-com there was lots of misunderstandings and miscommunications. The setting started with the set of television competition show in Nashville and took the reader through Nashville and into the snowy mountains in Canada. I really enjoyed this book and the journey that Max and Sadie took to make it to each other.

Just like Maggie Knox's last book, I do enjoy a book that has a touch of celebrity/tv show magic involved. I love that they had such hot chemistry together right from the start and of course when you throw in the fake dating trope, we all know where things are going to go. I think that there are times where the miscommunications got to be frustrating for the reader, but what is a good book without some turmoil thrown in? Overall great story and a fun read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!