In this Christmas entitled book, truth be told, it has very little to do with Christmas except that the events revolve around December 25th. This is the story of two wannabe country singers who are contestants on a reality TV singing show. Max is the son of a well-known country singer and considered Nashville royalty. Sadie is a small-town Minnesota girl who has given up everything to pursue the dream. Together they can win it all, but to do so, they need to fake being in love but they can’t stand each other. Together they form #Saxie, whom the audience love for their romantic vibes as they sing. Perhaps they protest too much! While a romance seems to blossom, there are some obstacles and lack of communication that seem to hamper whether they will find a happy ending.
In this fast-paced contemporary fiction story, the story is very light. The characters are really not complex and are highly predictable as is the ending. It’s also a story that could be set at any time of the year and the magic of Christmas played not a part in the plot of the story which I found to be disappointing. It lacked the holiday spirit even as they sought to find true love. I agree with others who have commented that when you read a Christmas romance, you want it to be about the magic of Christmas! So, while this is still a fun romance story worthy of a read, read this any time of the year, don’t save it for a holiday read. I rate it a 3.5 but know that I have to round it to a 4.

Many thanks to #netgalley #alliwantforchristmas #maggieknox for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really wanted to like this one. It's cute and I liked the characters and their chemistry, but I wanted more. I especially wanted more Christmas with this title.
I know many will like this one as a light read for Christmas.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox
Romance
352 Pages
Pub Date: October 4, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I had to read a Christmas book during Christmas in July! I always watch the Hallmark movies in July. This year however I am trying to read a couple Christmas books. And this one was the perfect match!

This story is about Sadie and Max, two country singers. Sadie has given up everything to come to Nashville for her dream. Max is the son of one of the most famous country singers. They end up meeting on a reality singing competition where they get pushed together.

This ensues a fake dating situation and a whole lot of ups and downs for the duo. Will they end up making their fake relationship work, will it become real or will it all end in catastrophe.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend if you love a good romance book! This hits the country music scene, fake dating, reality shows and the gossip behind the scenes.

I love how so many things happened in the book. I could not keep myself from the book because it was so good

All I Want for Christmas is the second book by Maggie Knox, the pen name for writing duo Marissa Stapley and Karma Brown. On this book, we follow our main characters, Sadie and Max, as they make their way through a country singing competition. When sparks fly during a duet between them, their agents decide that they should fake a relationship in order to get further in the competition.

After reading and enjoying The Holiday Swap by this author duo last year, I was excited to see what they would come out with next and I am so disappointed. This book was such a letdown. This book primarily takes place in Nashville so, being someone who lives relatively close to the city, I was excited about it. And this book does feel like a love letter to Nashville, but not Christmas at all. I think this book could have taken place at anytime during the year and it wouldn’t have changed the story at all. Nashville is beautiful at Christmas and the characters literally visit a hotel in December that is known for going all out with its Christmas decorations but that is never mentioned. I read this to have those warm and cozy feelings I experience around the holiday season but this book failed to deliver. I think the book this author duo put out last year just worked better because it took place in a small, quaint town that just felt like a hallmark destination.

And then just the book itself was not enjoyable for me. The characters didn’t have a lot of depth and a lot of the personality traits they had were given to them just for the sake of having drama to work though. The miscommunication trope is something that is very common in romance books and though I do get annoyed by it, I can usually look past it. This book took the miscommunication trope and dialed it to 11. Every single issue in this book was caused because the main characters didn’t talk to each other. The relationship was super unbelievable. This book tries to deal with grief but it is in a way that is so absurd, I couldn’t even feel bad for the characters.

I could probably write a much longer review but I don’t want to spoil the book for those who are interested. This just wasn’t for me at all.

3.5 stars

All I Want For Christmas follows Sadie and Max, two country singers on a reality tv shows whose fake onscreen chemistry turns into something real the more they get to know each other! Their relationship was a bit rocky for me—the way they communicated (or didn’t) was very immature at times, but that gets chalked up to them both being very guarded people and their inability to open up because of that. Other than the issues with their slow relationship development, I really enjoyed the book. It’s cutesy, atmospheric, and a super quick read that’ll put you in the holiday spirit!

Big thanks to netgalley and Putnam for this arc!

3.5 stars. I really wanted to love this book. It started out great. And I was excited to see where it was going. Then it got to be a little too much for me. The two main characters went so back and forth with their feelings and emotions and it got annoying for me more than anything. I almost didn’t buy what they were trying to sell in the book. But the ending just brought everything back together for me and I really liked the ending.
I also had an issue with it being a Christmas book. I understand why it was called “All I Want for Christmas”, but this book could have been written during any time of the year without really changing too much. When I read a Christmas book, I want it to be a CHRISTMAS BOOK. Not a book that happens to take place in December and Christmas lights are mentioned a handful of times to justify it being a Christmas book.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest, and critical (which I hate doing) opinion.

Sometimes you just want a quick and fun story set during Christmas time and that is exactly what All I Want For Christmas is. Set over the span of two christmases (three if you count the epilogue), we get to follow the journey of Max and Sadie. I loved the musical chemistry that these two had but outside of that, I couldn't tell how they fell for each other once the music stopped.

These two also communicated like fifteen year olds. They would continually just walk out on each other instead of at least trying to have a conversation about what was happening at the time. They also both were extremely guarded and never let the other in until probably 75-80% through the book so that was also frustrating.

Despite all the shortcomings of this story, it was still almost a four star for me because it did a wonderful job of making you feel the Christmas setting and was still an overall cute story.

I recommend this a quick and easy December read!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my copy of All I Want for Christmas.
Country music reality tv show. Were the only two things I needed to know so that I can be read this amazing book. As an avid fan of both, it really made this read even more enjoyable. We follow Sadie and Max both trying to make it in the world of country music and find themselves on the show to make their dream happen. They both have their own personal struggles colliding in on them. Sadie is convinced this is her last shot to make it big and Max is trying to get out of his dad’s(famous country music star) shadow.. When on duets week they are paired together the chemistry is undeniable and they find themselves wondering if this spark is just a spark. I really enjoyed their story and had a fun time reading this.

Predictable but very cute story based on the faking-a-relationship-trope. The music contest setting was a good backdrop for these characters, and I enjoyed the ending.

A fast-paced, holiday romance book perfect to cozy up with on Christmas Day!

Max and Sadie share a special relationship from the start. They may not have gotten along very well in the beginning, but you see that there is a real spark there. It blooms into something truly beautiful. Think it as a couple you see in the streets that you just know will make it through all the curveballs life throws at you.

What makes the story even more special is that Max and Sadie are such imperfectly perfect characters. Their flaws is what makes them stars and a power-couple. I won't lie, I did shed a few tears. The messages carried within the plot were just too beautiful and emotionally-wrecking.

We all need a Sadie and a Max in our lives, whether as romantic or platonic partners. They would go to the ends of the Earth for you and battle all their personal demons to help you.

HEA? Yes!

Thank you to Netgalled and Maggie Knox for this advanced copy!
This is my honest opinions :)

Two country singers, Sadie and Max, are paired up for a reality show, vying for the top performing spot. A scripted reality tv move turns into on-screen and actual chemistry. Can Sadie and Max open themselves up and get out of their own way to make themselves happy?

I love a holiday romance. Sign me up for every Hallmark-movie-like-book that exists and I'll devour them all and end up in a saccharine coma. All I Want For Christmas had quite a few of the right ingredients to hit the sweet spot, and while it was an okay read, it won't be my favorite holiday book this year. 

This book had serious swoon potential and there were a ton of moments where I was grinning, ear to ear, and I felt like it was going to make the turn. However, this book was kind of like a rollercoaster that stops and starts halfway through... there's too much going on and the plot is a bit of a mess. I wasn't overly invested in either of the characters and found the conflict predictable and a little annoying, even for a holiday rom-com. 

I did read this so fast... I wanted to really like it... but it wasn't my favorite. 

I received an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Basically,this book is exactly what you'd expect. Sweet romance, set against a backdrop of Christmas music season in Nashville, between two slightly jaded lovers. They get together/breakup/repeat throughout the book, due to (completely obvious to everyone but them, of course) numerous misunderstandings.

The book was cute. And it definitely have the holiday vibes that I love around Christmas time. I did find that some of the dialogue read very unnaturally, especially when the authors were trying to use it to advance the plot (maybe it's just the back-and-forth of the two authors writing?).

Overall, a solidly cheesy feel-good holiday romance.

3.5 Stars

This book was cute. It defintiely gave me Hallmark vibes which is always a plus. I felt the sparks flying right from Max and Sadie’s first duet. Their fake dating started off fun for sure.

It just kind of moved slow for me and took me a while to get through it. The characters I didn’t find particularly likeable, I just couldn’t connect with them. I would still recommend picking up this sweet Tennessee romance closer to the holidays!

#TeamSaxie

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

BOOK REVIEW: All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox
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Rating: 5/5 stars
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Such a heart-warming, Hallmark-esque, holiday romance. I was a little worried going into this book because country singers and Nashville aren't really my vibe, but that didn't matter. This book has a reality TV show plot (in this case, a show very much like American Idol), and rivals fake dating. These are all tropes I love so this book was set up for success from the begining for me. There was a lot of the miscomunication trope being used in this book, so if that's not your thing this book might not be for you. Despite being wary about the country singer plot, I actually enjoyed this book more than the Holiday Swap. I liked that it was spicier than the Holiday Swap as well. Overall, I can see this being a go to read during Christmas season for many.

It's Christmas in July y'all!

Calling all country music fans!

Mark your TBRs as this festive romcom is gonna be a must read this upcoming Christmas season!

Sadie has been dreaming of becoming a music star for years and finally her dreams are coming true when she's selected as a contestant on the voice competition show Starmaker.

Max is Nashville royalty as his father is a big music star but he unfortunately hasn't had the best of luck trying to make something for himself out from under his dad's shadow but being on this music show might be his break.

When they are paired together during duet week the producers see something big for both of them and they agree to become a couple for the sake of the show ratings and for their own careers which are at stake.

However as we've seen before with the fake dating troupe, do things ever stay easy? Nah they get messy and complicated and feelings begin.....and of course throw in Christmas and snow and cabins and well....it's the perfect Christmas love story!

Thank you to netgalley and putnam books for this ARC in exchange for my review!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

All I Want for Christmas is a fun, light, holiday read and I would give this a 3.5 star rating. It was full of festive charm, family secrets, and who DOESN'T love a dog in knit sweaters? I'm a huge fan of the love/hate relationship between the main characters, as well as their musical chemistry, but the repeated miscommunications throughout the story got a bit frustrating. Overall, I did enjoy this read!

Ahhhh! This one is giving me all the warm fuzzies that I love about a Christmas themed book!

Reality Competition (singing) ✔️
Enemies to Lovers ✔️
Fake Dating ✔️
Christmas ✔️
Likable Female Lead ✔️
Book Boyfriend To Fall For✔️
Lovable Tiny Dog! ✔️
Authors I already LOVE ✔️

All I Want For Christmas has it all! Oh and that new book boyfriend?! He is country music royalty with the boots, the jeans, the belt buckles, AND as a bonus he knits tiny dog sweaters for his little rescue Patsy Canine (need I say more 🥵)!

I fell in LOVE with Maggie Knox with last years The Holiday Swap and immediately searched for what else they had written or had coming out. I was devastated (overly dramatic response I know) to see that I would have to wait almost an entire year for the next helping of Christmas cheer but immediately added it to my TBR -watch/buy list! My elation when I was selected for an ARC - I may have squealed while dancing around like a maniac!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book for an honest review!

This is a cute little southern Christmas romance story. I love romance Christmas stories because they remind me alot of the hallmark channel. I read this book in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down.

Sadie and Max are pretty much enemies that turn to lovers but it wasn’t a slow burning love to me. It happened super quick. They both have their issues they have to work through but nothing brings people together like Christmas music lol.

I’m definitely going to buy an actual copy of this book and reread it for my 25 books of Christmas stories!

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

3.5 stars for this light and quick holiday read. I thought the premise was just what a holiday read needs...reality competition, music royalty, family secrets, and lots of festive cheer. There were a few times were I felt like the miscommunications just kept happening over and over which made them a bit frustrating, but overall, a fun holiday read.