Baggage Claim is the perfect holiday romance read! I loved Olive and Finn! A reverse grumpy/sunshine, he falls first... and his nickname for her "Lil Grinch" is so cute! There is something so romantic about a meet-cute that takes place on a plane.

I wasn't a huge fan of Finn at first - his vanity was a bit obnoxious BUT I think he grows throughout the book and becomes a lot more humble and I appretiated that. It also helps that Olive didn't fall over herself for his attention. I love that he's protective of her but not in a controlling way, like you see in a lot of romance novels.

Must read if you like:

-Grumpy/Sunshine reverse
-He falls first
-Fake dating
-Aspen, Colorado
-Holiday romance

This was a cozy and easy read! Thanks to Netgalley and Juliana Smith for the eARC!

Olive and Finn end up fake dating so he can help her out with her family while she is in town for the holidays. Just when you think they might have a chance for real, he discovers the secret of why she left in the first place, so will they find a way to be together?
Looking forward to more books from this author.

I wanted to love this book so much more than I did. I loved the premise and the storyline but when it got to the ‘issue’ that was so secretive throughout the whole book (until about the 80% mark), it just threw me off. I could not get over how it played out - I felt it could have been written in a much less awkward way. Overall the story was great and I loved the banter and chemistry.

Spoiler alert: no baggage was lost in this story! 😜

Olive and Finn meet on a plane right before Christmas, heading towards the same destination. From the beginning you feel the grumpy/sunshine trope, there is one bed, family drama and broken hearts.

This story is a perfect read for the holidays season, funny & lighthearted, but also touching on some more mature topics.

The only ick for me was the part of the main character changing completely her appearance for the beauty standards after kind of a traumatic event.

I had fun, I felt the warmth and I would recommed this book for a light read!

This was such a fun story! I love fake dating tropes, and this one did not disappoint! I did feel like it dragged a bit but it was worth it! And having the grumpy heroine and sunshine guy-so refreshing! I think it was really great to see both characters open up, and they truly had a connection.

Overall this was a cute holiday romance, with a fake dating trope and a grinchy main character. I enjoyed the dynamic between Olive and Finn. He pushed her to open up and be happy again and she showed him the love and affection he was missing. Finn's mission to give Olive the twelve days of Christmas was sweet and I'd take a skiing lesson from him any time.

The reveal of what happened to Olive three years ago was so frustrating. The justifications were dumb and I would have cut my whole family off after that bullcrap. I understand that the story is about moving forward and choosing love, but not everything can or should be forgiven and I personally would not accept the ridiculous apology.

Excluding the above part, this was a four star read and not a bad way to kick off the holiday season.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley for the copy

Absolutely love Juliana and her writing. This has to be a new favorite! I loved the characters and the storyline, it was so hard to put down. I can’t wait to read more from her!!

Two things I didn't expect:

A. the title; what "baggage" meant
B. the book; a closed door romance

And two things I admit I wasn't a fan of:

A. The writing was odd at times, at least for me
B. The conflict was dragged out till towards the end, when it was the "known" elephant in the room all along.

Once I looked past the minor flaws tho, I enjoyed reading this one - gave me "Holiday Romance" vibes. It's like a Netflix christmas movie (iykyk)

I really liked Finn and Olive, the reverse grumpy heroine x sunshine hero trope. Love the way he admires her 🧅 (again iykyk, with the onion)

Verdict: "Hop aboard the Finland train!" It was a good read 😌

Read this if you like a simple Christmas romance with fake dating and grumpy x sunshine tropes.

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Eating disorder, weight loss

I enjoy reading this book due to the great chemistry between the main characters (Finn and Olive) and the beautiful scenery of the town.
I love the little nickname – Lil’ Grinch is adorable! I can’t stop smiling during their sweet dates and I like how they slowly started to open up more to each other as the story progress.

The story has short chapters, good pacing and told in dual POV which gives insights on what Olive and Finn are thinking.
The plot is pretty predictable, I guessed the reason of the main conflict quite early. It made me so mad knowing the reaction to Olive’s family about that particular problem, I really don’t blame Olive for not coming home for years after what happened.
Although, Finn’s reaction might be a little bit over the top as well…..

I really like the way Finn supported Olive about her eating disorder and the talk of weight loss near the ending but I wish the topics were more discussed and being tackled in a slightly better way before the book ends.

Despite all of that, I really love the Christmas vibes and the sweet romantic dates Finn and Olive went for twelve days. While I wish some things are more developed, I still enjoy reading this book!!

I received this advanced review copy through Netgalley and I’m leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author as well!

I binged through this book. It was hard to put down, cute and just the type of easy read I enjoy. A clean romance with fake dating and a Christmas vibe, highly recommend this one for the romcom lovers!

Meet Cute, reverse grumpy sunshine, skeptic to believer in love. This book has all the feels. It was the perfect holiday read.
I loved Finn so much. I loved that we got both perspectives and got to fall in love along with Finn.
Poor Olive had been totally scorched by a past relationship, and was on the rocks with her sister as well. She had absolutely no desire to go home for a visit, but had avoided her family for long enough. She knew it was time to go home for Christmas. The only problem is she sorta told her mom she was dating someone; which she totally wasn’t. When Finn sits down beside her on the plane and orders them a couple drinks, she lets it slip that she lied about the boyfriend. Finn thinks Olive is a challenge to be met and he suggests being her fake boyfriend but she refuses and won’t even agree to see him again.
Finn won’t give up that easily! He remembered her mentioning dinner plans with her family and shows up to play her boyfriend. He promises to give her the best Christmas ever, and to be the best fill in boyfriend. The ruse works so well that soon they both catch feelings; but Olive has been holding back from Finn, and as details emerge surrounding her past heartbreak and the conflict with her sister, everything implodes.
Will it all be too much for Finn or will he melt the brick of ice surrounding Olive’s heart?

Filled with adorable moments, laugh out loud situations and a cute Grinchy nickname, this is the best book to kick off the holiday season.

☃️ Baggage Claim ☃️

5/⭐️ (if I could give it more stars I would!!!)

I absolutely love this one!! I loved reading the relationship between Olive and Finn develop. This not-so-spicy romance had me wanting more.

Fake dating turned into real love truly captivated what love really is.

I also enjoyed the windows into Olives past and despite chance the insecurities that still carry on.


Seriously Loved this book and It had me wanting more with each page. I can't wait to read more from Juliana Smith!!! I would love a sequel and I feel like this book left that door open. Absolutely adored this couple and their relationship. Honestly I thought Olive was very real and relatable and I loved that.

One thing in the Net Gallery edition one of the chapters repeated itself (chapter 37 and 38) Chapter 38 was supposed to be from Olive's POV, however, it was a copy paste repeat of 37. Not sure if there was intended to be more from Olive's POV there. Also noted a few spelling errors.

Still loved the Book!!!!!

I missed the deadline on this review, I apologize. Thank you ARC, I look forward to reading this soon.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I enjoyed the grumpy/sunshine and fake dating aspect of this book. Those tropes are one of my favorites. Finn is such a great guy. His dialogue was so warm and funny. I was not a fan of Olive. Although her dialogue was funny at times I did not enjoy the development of her background, the weight loss and the way that she needed to be perfect all the time. That rubbed me the wrong way.

The development of the main characters romance was not believable in my opinion. Olive despises him for almost all of the book and then right at the end she decided that she liked him? Seemed too far fetched to me. I did like how they met on an airplane. That part was really cute and swoony. I loved the Aspen location and the fact that Finn was a ski instructor. It was the perfect backdrop for a Christmas book.

Olive has not talked to her sister in three years and I figured out the reason very early on but it was not confirmed until the last 10% of the book. Lastly, I loved the location and the character of Finn. Overall I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 starts.

This book was so light-hearted and fun! You feel in love with both the characters, and your heart broke for Olive and her past. Finn gave you butterflies and Olive made you smile. Such a fun, setting and really gets you into the holiday spirit!

Fake dating ✔️
Reverse grumpy sunshine ✔️
He falls first ✔️
Christmas themed ✔️

After three years away from her family Olive finds herself on a red eye flight back home to spend the Christmas holiday reunited with her family. She’s grumpy to begin with but is made grumpier by her sexy sunny seat mate Finn who feels the need to spark some conversation. One too many plane cocktails later she finds herself divulging details about not wanting to go home for the holidays. Finn is armed with this information and a misguided spirit to help when he suggests and decides that they’re going to fake date to help her get through the holidays. They spend more and more time together and Finn begins to make Olive fall back in love with Christmas - all to find out about a last betrayal that destroys it all. With them living in Florida and Colorado doing the long distance thing wouldn’t have worked anyway - right?!

This one brings festive family fun, closed door chemistry, and the HEA we all desperately want in our books! I loved loved loved Finn - he’s the former playboy that finally meets the woman that can ground him. Olive is the beautifully damaged girl that needs to be brought back to life and Finn is the gent for the job!

Olive Moore has been away from her hometown for three years but agrees to come home, after a call from her mother. She lets slip that she is bringing a boyfriend, but the only problem is that she has no boyfriend. Yet, the handsome stranger, Finn Beckett, who she has enjoyed the flight to Aspen with, makes her an offer to be ‘the boyfriend’. Despite Olive’s protestation, Finn arrives at a family dinner, introducing himself to everyone. So, they then spend the next two weeks, convincing everyone of their feelings, without realising how truthful, these stories may be. However, Finn begins to realise that Olive is holding back on a secret, that is intertwined with her avoidance of her family.
Finn is such a great character, adding some lightness to the story. As the book progresses, it becomes apparent that Olive has been badly hurt in the past. Finn is incredibly supportive and patient, restoring her self-confidence. This is a sweet read, with great character development.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Olive Moore has been avoiding her hometown for three years now. But a phone call with her mom has her agreeing to spend the holidays back home with her family, she lets it slip she will be bringing a boyfriend with her. The only problem with that is she has no boyfriend. That is until she meets a handsome—albeit annoying—stranger on the plane who makes her an offer she can’t refuse.

Finn Beckett has always had good luck, as demonstrated by the gorgeous blonde he’s seated next to on a flight to Aspen. One drink too many leads to Olive spilling her problems in his lap, and he feels compelled to help. So he makes her an offer: he’ll pretend to be her boyfriend to keep her family off her back and make this the best Christmas ever.

Olive and Finn spend the next two weeks going on spirit-filled Christmas dates with her family. Their ruse is working perfectly, but Finn can’t help but notice Olive is holding something back. Something that could ruin everything.

Their relationship may have taken off smoothly, but with all this turbulence, will they ever make it to baggage claim?

Such a quick, fun, cheesy romcom that hits all the right notes. I read it in under two hours, it's one I would buy in paperback.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Baggage Claim (eARC) — 4 ⭐️

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: For the past three years, Olive has avoided going home to visit her family. It’s too triggering, but after her mom convinces her to stay for the holidays, Olive agrees. However, she mayyy have told her that she has a boyfriend, which was a lie. Being distraught about the whole situation, Olive was not in the mood when her seat mate on the plain starting flirting with her. After too many drinks, the handsome stranger convinced her to spill her guts, and he offers to be her fake boyfriend. What could go wrong?

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: Baggage Claim was a great start to my holiday reading, and it put me in the Christmas mood! While Finn wasn’t my favorite at first, he grew on me as I saw more of his personality. Plus, I just wanted to wrap Olive in a big hug and never let her out of my sight.The author’s writing was easy to follow and kept me engaged. I definitely recommend looking at the trigger warnings before diving into this book, but I really enjoyed it!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 —
🥸 Fake Dating
☀️ Grumpy vs Sunshine Trope
🔐 Closed Door Romance
🎄Christmas Related
👀 Multiple POVs
😠 “Who Did This to You” Trope

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐟 —
✨ It’s a Wonderful Life is your favorite Christmas movie
🎄 Christmas celebrations can bring up bad memories for you
🏡 It’s hard for you to visit your hometown
⛷ You’re not very coordinated when it comes to sports
🎧 You enjoy listening to podcasts

𝐓𝐖: infidelity, body dysmorphia, fat-phobia, eating disorder

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Grumpy / Sunshine AND fake dating?!? I was hooked from the red eye meet cute!

I absolutely adored this novel. I had all the emotions during this one! I absolutely adored our Finn and how he was exactly what Olive needed.

I love when the grumpy sunshine trope takes the opposite role and SHES the grump and BOY WAS IT DESERVED.

This is such a fun, christmasy read that i highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!