You give me a book with a main character that’s a baker who lives in a small town, that needs to overcome some adversity or save a business….I AM GOING TO READ IT AND GOING TO LOVE IT!!! This book was a Hallmark Movie to the T, and I love love loved it!

If you read this book I think you are almost guaranteed to feel all the comfy cozy romcom vibes that you deserve this holiday szn!

This book is OUT NOW and definitely deserves to be on every romance girlie’s winter TBR!!

3.5⭐️

Special thanks to NetGalley and G.P.Putnam’s Sons for a review copy of this book!

I was quickly all in once I started reading this heart-warming story. It's everything I want in a sweet holiday book. It’s romantic, festive, and heart-warming in all the best ways. There was warmth and realness of the small town setting and cafe with the perfect mix of characters. Hallmark holiday movie addicts will love this book. .

This reminded me of a cozy Hallmark movie, especially with the actor filming a movie in the town!! This book was a bit on the cheesy side, but if you don't mind that (and I didn't) then you will love this one. It is perfect for the holiday season! This is a closed door (kissing only) romance.

I was a little nervous in the first chapter that I wouldn't like this book - Sylvie was a little much BUT I am so happy I kept going because shortly after I fell in LOVE with her! She is sweet, quirky and lovable. I love that this was not a normal predictable story about a big famous person coming into town and sweeping a town person off their feet. This was a charming story about love, family and community. One of my favorite holiday reads this year.

This is the quintessential Hallmark Holiday story full of cheesy lines, a clumsy female main character, typical love interests (love triangle), and all the small town vibes, including nosy gossipy neighbors.

I would have enjoyed the way everything turned out in the end if Sylvia, the FMC, wasn't so one dimensional in the beginning. I couldn't stand how her clumsiness and awkwardness was her main character trait. I knew she was described as clumsy but I didn't expect the cringe worthy antics she got herself into. The secondhand embarrassment was so bad. She had her redeeming moments but honestly I think she was more comfortable being a doormat.

Other than that...Gramps and Abe sound like cool people and made the story more enjoyable. So they are the reason I rounded up my original rating up to 3 stars. Obviously this book was NOT my favorite but it did have good moments.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book has all the fun holiday things: hallmark vibes, holiday cheer, klutzy main character, small town, animals, etc. And all of these things were done really well, but just felt like it was missing something to tie it all together. I recommend it for fans of hallmark movies .

This book is a literal Hallmark movie in book form. It is such a cozy holiday romance and, just like Hallmark movies is a little cheesy at times, but it works really well in this book. If you're looking for a read that will get you in the mood to watch all of your favorite Christmas themed Rom-Coms, this is definitely the book for you.
Sylvie is your typical Christmas movie main character- doing too much for everyone else around her and barely taking care of her own needs, trying to save the cafe she and her now deceased grandmother loved. She is obsessed with old school romance movies, and gets distracted by a "new love interest" while not seeing the person who has been in love with her all along. Sylvie's awkwardness is too relatable, and only adds to the charm of this book.

This was a cute and easy Christmas read. I feel like I judge Christmas books a bit differently than other books. This one had the feel of a Lifetime/Hallmark Christmas movie but lacked a bit of the depth. But it was a very cute, sweet, and easy read to get ready for the holidays.

I usually rate Christmas Romance in a different type of scale - this one definitely hits a lot of my personal requirements as a good Christmas read! The focus here is definitely Christmas first, baking, holiday spirit, the usual Christmas activities. There’s a healthy dose of family and small town charm. This would translate to a Hallmark movie excellently. The romance is very light, and the downside for me is there is a “love triangle” that goes on for much longer than necessary. But overall, a pleasant, happy Christmas read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

This was a cute read, felt similar to a Hallmark movie, which is obvious given the premise of the book. It was lighthearted, but also not the greatest read. There were some pretty major plot holes and it was hard to figure out if the main character was supposed to be American or not. There never really felt like any real romantic connection between characters and it felt more odd than anything. Overall, it was a fine read and a cute short story for the holiday season.

I received this ARC for free from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book for free for an honest review from Netgalley

Perfect Christmas book! I highly recommend.

If you are looking for a low-stakes, cozy, predictable, Hallmark-movie Christmas read...maybe this is the one for you.
Sylvie is a baker at a Christmas Cafe in a snowy small town in Wyoming. She finds out the cafe may be sold and wants to do anything she can to save it. When a movie is being filmed in town, she tries to get a scene filmed at the cafe. Lead swoony actor, Royce, asks her out on a date but she is also having feelings for her childhood friend who is a handsome grown up man now.
Who will she pick? Will the cafe be saved? This one was just a bit too fluffy and predictable for me, but that might just be exactly what you're looking for this Christmas.
Thank you, NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam Books, and Eliza Evans for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me have a copy of this arc. This is the perfect Hallmark Christmas story wrapped into a book

This is a short, Hallmark movie type story about a young women who works in a Christmas diner that is going to be shut down. The story flowed easily and fun. I wish the characters were a little more fleshed out and that the ending wasn't so rushed. The main characters inner dialogue was a little harsh on herself sometime and her puppy was talked about a lot. The town had a lot of festive Christmas activities and the Christmas decorations were very descriptive. I am glad that the main character and her siblings found themselves and improved their relationship by the end.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the advance copy.

As someone who, just like the MC, is a Christmas loving introvert I wanted to really like this. Unfortunately it just didn’t work for me. I didn’t like Sylvie & her constant internal monologue about how ✨awkward✨ she is and how ugly and unlovable she is.

I know her Gram is who brought her up loving the cafe & that’s what fuels her wanting to save it, but we are reminded of how much she/grandpa misses gram every 2 & 1/2 seconds.

This book had Hallmark movie written all over it. The story was an easy one to get into but for me I wanted a little more of a connection to the characters. There was a lot going on in the story and there were a few soft spots that made it lack feeling and emotion for me. It was a quick read that I wanted more from to keep me really caught up in the story.
Thank you NetGalley, Eliza Evans and Penguin Group Putnam for the Arc of The Christmas Café. This is my personal review.

This book was sweeter than a candy cane Christmas story! I always love a clumsy heroine and grumpy hero story. What a fantastic debut novel. Hollywood swoops in to create true holiday magic of this hometown. Even with all the glitz and glam Sylvie stayed true to her roots and her grandmothers love of It’s a Wonderful Life. It tops all Made for tv Christmas movies, in my opinion. I loved Sylvie and Abe’s story with some furry sidekicks! I could smell the snow and feel the start of Christmas time magic even in the 90° weather here in Florida! I really enjoyed reading this advanced copy. These are my feeling upon reading this quirky and fun read!

I am simply not interested in reading this, I’ve made it to about 25% and I can’t get into it. I have too many books in my list to keep reading books that aren’t interesting to me.

DNF @25%

This is not a reflection on the author or the book.

The Christmas Cafe is Eliza Evans’ debut novel, which is a gentle Christmas romance set in a small Wyoming town. This is a character-driven story and it feels like watching a Hallmark movie because the descriptions are so vivid.

Baker Sylvie West has worked at the Christmas Café in Silver Bells, Wyoming, alongside her beloved grandma for her entire adult life. She was adopted and feels different from her uber-capable older sister, Mayor Claire, and her freelance photographer brother, Brando. Sylvie doesn’t care about her appearance, is very clumsy, and sticks her foot in her mouth whenever she speaks to someone outside of her family. So she hides in the kitchen, only conversing with the staff and her schoolmate, Abe, when he delivers food to the café. Sylvie lives with her recently widowed grandpa and her rascally chihuahua-pug, Crumpet.

Abe DeWitt is a former Army Ranger who moved back home a few months ago after his father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. He lives in a separate house from his parents on their farm and has taken over most of the farm duties, including delivering goat milk, goat butter, and eggs to the café. He has a pet goat named Bambino who thinks it’s a dog. Abe is gruff in both appearance and personality.

When the story opens, Sylvie is chasing her dog Crumpet outside while he runs off with her bra. He is nearly run over by a handsome man, who turns out to be a famous actor, Royce Elliott. Royce is in town to film Christmas scenes for the Holiday Channel (sounds like Hallmark Channel). Sylvie invites him to eat breakfast at the Christmas Café, not telling him that she’s the cook. He’s so impressed by the delicious food that he tells others about it. Then Sylvie finds out that the café owner might sell it, so she convinces the film crew to set a scene at the café. Sylvie winds up as an extra in the film scene, manning a booth at the Christmas festival, appearing at the Christmas parade, and attracting two very different romantic suitors.

This story is really like watching a Hallmark Christmas movie because the descriptions are so vivid and the story is so sweet. While I’m not a fan of Hallmark, the characters of The Christmas Cafe are engaging, and the story is entertaining. The lovefest between the dog and goat is both cute and funny. Sylvie’s awkwardness and her two romantic interests provide just the right amount of tension in the story. The Christmas Café is extremely well written to be a first novel.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Overall this was a sweet story with Christmas-y and some holiday bakery vibes. It was an easy read and very quick to get through.

It’s a closed door romance, similar to a Hallmark movie (a few little kisses only) - and it even has a Hallmark movie element with a “Holiday Channel” movie filming in Silver Bells, including a scene right in Sylvie’s kitchen!

I liked Abe’s character, and Jen in the bakery. They made for fun side characters.

I did think the book needed some editing. Like a Hallmark movie that’s just okay, there were plot holes and other elements that kept it from being a favorite of mine:

-A lot of characters, including the MC, we’re very immature and seemed to act way younger than they were
-Too many subplots meant each one didn’t get the attention it deserved
-Not a lot of chemistry with one of the male characters (who she ends up with) - she suddenly had all these feelings for him that seemed to come out of nowhere
-Her position at the cafe and her relationship with her boss - was she the chef? Head baker? Manager? Have a stake in ownership? She was pretty rude to her boss when he said he was considering selling if she wasn’t a part owner. And if she was only the baker or chef, why did she carry so much weight for it to be successful?
-The dog having its own “yip” dialogue constantly. It was unnecessary.
-Timing and missing plot elements, leaving lots of unanswered questions.
-The film crew had way too much stock and time and focus on her as a background actor.

If you need a light read this holiday season and like Hallmark holiday movies, then this would be a good fit for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.