The Holiday Mixup by Ginny Baird is an absolute gem of a Christmas romance that delivers all the festive charm you could want, with a side of witty humor and swoon-worthy romance. This story is the perfect blend of While You Were Sleeping and The Wedding Date with a delightful Puerto Rican holiday twist that sets it apart from the typical holiday fare.

Ginny Baird excels in creating relatable characters, from Katie’s vulnerability to Mateo’s quiet strength, and her vivid descriptions of the winery setting make it easy to get lost in the festive spirit of the story. The plot is filled with twists and turns, secrets, and emotional revelations that keep you turning the pages well into the night. The romance is sweet, the stakes are high, and the emotional payoff is incredibly satisfying.

If you’re looking for a holiday romance that’s equal parts heartwarming, charming, and a little bit unpredictable, The Holiday Mixup is a must-read. It’s a story about second chances, family, and following your heart—perfect for cozying up with a cup of hot cocoa and getting lost in the magic of Christmas.

I love a holiday read and this checked all the boxes for me. I loved the family feel throughout the book and the journey that each character took to find themselves.

Fake dating? Falling for the wrong brother? It’s all here complete with a Christmas bow on top in Ginny Baird’s new rom-com, The Holiday Mix-Up!

In this Christmas-lite novel, waitress Katie Smith is asked to be a fake holiday date for one of her diner regulars, who she just so happens to of course have a massive crush on. Katie has been loving Juan from afar for ages, so naturally she jumps on the chance to be by his side for the holidays (even if it is just for pretend), but things get as sticky as a Christmas pudding when Juan is hit by a car and ends up in a coma. When she accompanies him to the hospital, Juan’s family is eager to meet and take in “Juan’s new girlfriend.” Yes, he told them all about her, and they can’t wait to welcome her into the family for the holidays.

Not wanting to further complicate things and not knowing what exactly Juan told his family, Katie keeps up the ruse, and joins the Martinez family at their local winery, where the Martinezes are apt to get to know the girl Juan has fallen for and deemed worthy of introducing to the family. With Christmas fast approaching and Juan’s recovery from his coma looking hopeful, Kate, who has been so lonely since the death of her parents, becomes more entangled in the Martinez’s lives, even taking part in their family’s holiday traditions and enjoying the spirit of Christmas once again. To make matters worse, the more time she spends with the Martinezes, the more she finds herself falling in love not with Juan, but with his younger brother Mateo, who is everything Juan is not.

What will happen when Juan wakes from his coma and the Martinezes learn the truth? And how does she handle explaining that it is not Juan she loves, but Mateo?

Ginny Baird has recently ventured into writing rom-coms, and having enjoyed Right Girl, Wrong Side last year, I was excited to see what Baird did with a Christmas romance. Baird’s hallmark is writing rich and vibrant family dynamics and tangling her characters up in some awkward, but relatable plot lines. Her stories are heartwarming and wholesome, which is refreshing since so many holiday romances tend to go down the “spice road.” Rather, her tales keep the focus on family and tradition with a little bit of love sprinkled on top.

The Holiday Mix-Up is perfect for anyone looking holiday novel that is not overloaded with Christmas references (I was actually able to read this book in October because it doesn’t go Christmas crazy, so it didn’t feel completely out of place with the season.). Readers who enjoy books that are rooted in family and what makes us who we are will find much to love about The Holiday Mix-Up.

This isn't bad I just think it wasn't for me. I thought Katie and Mateo were cute but very surface level.

3.5 stars

The Holiday Mix Up was a sweet, fun book that reminded me of While You Were Sleeping.

Katie is lonely and crushing on Juan a customer who comes in frequently to the diner she works at. She can't help but agree when he asks her to pose as his fake girlfriend. Things get complicated, though, when Juan is in an accident and then a coma, and his family thinks that Katie and him are in love. The more she gets to know the family the harder it is to let them go and the deeper she falls for Juan's brother Mateo. I did feel like they fell in love really quickly, but they certainly had a connection that was established early on.

Overall, this was an enjoyable story and my favorite book I've read from this author. I couldn't wait to see how everything was resolved in the end.

The Holiday Mix-Up by Ginny Baird had well-developed characters and a plot that was engaging. This book was a great read. I highly recommend!

**Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the e-ARC. All opinions expressed are voluntary and my own.**

The Holiday Mix-Up by Ginny Baird is a delightful romantic comedy. It embraces the magic of the holiday season with warmth, humor, and a touch of serendipity. Set against a charming backdrop of a small town during Christmas, the novel follows the story of Emma and Jack, whose lives unexpectedly collide during a holiday mix-up that leads to a series of humorous misunderstandings and heartfelt moments. While reading this book, you feel like you are in the setting with Emma and Jack. I loved it and look forward to more from this author.

A decent light holiday read! Fake dating trope featuring a close knit family and apparently the most kind-hearted FMC of all time. The “family issue” seemed a bit shallow and too easily “fixed” for me, but that's okay

There was just too much telling and virtually no showing? None. Nada. Nichts. Nothing happens either so that makes it twice as painful to read and I had to SLUG through that book because I refused to quite for some reason, go figure.

I'm a huge fan holiday/Christmas books. I can read them all year long and not get tired of them. Especially love have fun and predictable they can be. Unfortunately, this book was not for me.

Katie is a waitress at a diner, who Juan (a regular) has asked her to be his fake girlfriend for the holidays. Unfortunately, soon afterwards falls into a coma and she keeps up the act for his family.

Mateo, is Juan brothers, after meeting Katie, even though she is "taken" has started to fall her..

Both this characters fell flat for me and didnt feel a connection to either. I honestly preferred the side characters more.

1.75 stars

A cute retelling of While You Were Sleeping! The setup was quite good with two MCs who were genuinely nice. I really liked Mateo's family and how hilarious they were at times. But, the part that fell flat for me was the romance. There was hardly any chemistry between Mateo and Katie and I don't even understand why they fell for each other. I wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Katie and Mateo. Katie is a waitress at a diner. She has had a customer come by for 3 months. The customer, Juan, is Mateo’s brother. He ask Katie to be his pretend girlfriend for Christmas Day. She says she will but as Juan is leaving he gets hit by a van. He had been texting his family about Katie being his date for Christmas. At the hospital when he was brought in his family saw Katie. They loved her being Juan’s boyfriend. But once she saw Mateo and he saw Katie all bets were off. They fell in love.

While You Were Sleeping is my favorite romcom, so the moment I read the summary for this book, I knew I had to read it! And I'm happy I did. I would definitely recommend trying this novel!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I love a good holiday themed book - particularly when it is a loose retelling of a movie I enjoy. The Holiday Mix-Up by Ginny Baird echoes While You Were Sleeping very loosely. It follows Katie who works as a waitress and has no family. She is asked by Juan to be his fake date at his family's Christmas to get his aunt off his back.

However, Katie has had a crush on Juan for a very long time. Anyways, prior to the event, Juan is hit by a truck and goes into a coma. Katie saves him from dying and goes to see him at the hospital. While there, his family assumes the two are engaged, even though they barely knew each other and had only planned the fake date.

So, much like the movie, in The Holiday Mix-Up everyone just falls for Katie and in turn she falls for the family. She also ends up getting pretty close to Juan's brother, Mateo. As it turns out, the two are quite similar in their values and what they want out of life. Slowly, Katie and Mateo fall for each other. However, they can't act on it because Mateo truly believes Katie is Juan's fiancé.

Overall, Ginny Baird's The Holiday Mix-Up was a cute story. I ended up rewatching While You Were Sleeping because I liked the plotline of this story. It is very chaste - there's absolutely no spice and barely even any kissing. So, your mileage may vary if that is something you look for. Katie and Mateo are good and nice people but not especially memorable.

On a Scale Of One To Buddy The Elf, How Much Christmas Spirit Does The Holiday Mix-Up Have?

I would say that The Holiday Mix-Up has an uplifting amount of Christmas spirit. There is volunteering. Cookies are baked. Family gathering occurs. Oh, and we even get to go to a Christmas tree farm. I liked that this story was thoughtful in different aspects of celebration. It is a book that ultimately does uplift and there is no villain. I just liked how low stakes and low stress it was.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This one was alright. A nice mindless read but since finishing it I haven’t thought about it again. I would recommend if you need some fluff but it wouldn’t be the first one that would come to mind

I didn't love or hate The Holiday Mix-Up. It was a cute little Christmas novel. I liked how Katie meshed with Mateo and the family, but I feel like we let Juan off the hook really easily for all he'd done. It was cute! I don't like closed door/no spice romance novels, but it was a sweet book with fun tropes.

My only wish would be more spice, more flow, more accountability for Juan, and for Mateo and Katie to get together sooner!

This was a cute enough story. It wasn't particularly christmassy and could probably be read year round. The "other brother" trope is not my favorite but this was written in a way that it wasn't too bothersome. I did find some of the reactions over the time for the truth that had been revealed, but over all a nice little palate cleanser.

I recently had the pleasure of immersing myself in the delightful world created by Ginny Baird in her novel, "The Holiday Mix-Up," and I extend my sincere gratitude to NetGalley for granting me access to an advance reader copy (ARC) of this charming book. Baird's storytelling prowess shines through in this heartwarming tale of mistaken identity, unexpected romance, and the magic of the holiday season.

"The Holiday Mix-Up" follows the endearing journey of its protagonists with a perfect blend of humor, warmth, and festive cheer. Baird's characters are wonderfully portrayed, each with their own quirks and vulnerabilities that add depth to the story. As the plot unfolds, we are swept away into a whirlwind of Christmas magic and romantic misadventures that kept me eagerly turning the pages.

Baird's writing is engaging and immersive, effortlessly capturing the spirit of the holidays and the joy of falling in love. With its enchanting storyline and lovable characters, "The Holiday Mix-Up" is a delightful read that leaves you with a smile on your face and a warmth in your heart. I highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for a heartwarming escape into a world filled with love, laughter, and holiday cheer. Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with the opportunity to experience this enchanting story before its official release.

Think While You Were Sleeping with a Latino family who owns a winery. Katie, who works as a waitress at a diner, agrees to pretend to date her long time crush, Juan for Christmas so he won't get set up again this year. Immediately after Katie agrees, Juan gets into an accident and remains in a coma in the days leading up to Christmas. Not wanting to break her promise to Juan, Katie continues with the charade that she is Juan's girlfriend. Meanwhile, Juan's family welcomes Katie with open arms and she keeps finding herself in the middle of family gatherings to keep up appearances. Katie wasn’t expecting Mateo, Juan’s younger brother, to have her questioning her feelings about which Martinez brother she really wants.

I really wanted to love this book, but it fell a little short. It was very instalove and borrowed a little too heavily from previous works. It is a cute and clean romance for Christmas, just not a book for me.