This book gave me all the feels! I looooooved that God was at the center of this book always. The love story between Starr and Waylon was pure, clean and with just enough spice. As a Christian it's nice finding wholesome reads. Can't wait to read more from this author!

This was a feel-good, brother's best friend Holiday novella that sees Starr, the youngest in her large family and newly jobless, returning to her DC home to take part in her sister's over the top wedding to her ex. Full of family drama and a sweet romance, this was a charming, kissing only Christmas love story by a new to me author. Good on audio too and perfect for fans of Belle Calhoune or Beverly Jenkins. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Unfortunately, I was bored reading this book.
The characters had no dimension, the chemistry was almost non-existent and leans heavily on faith.
At the beginning, I almost didn't notice it, but at a certain point, the characters started speaking to God on every page, way too many times, and irritating.
The sister was a stuck-up bitch, the mother was as useless as a stool, and the final "twist" was anything but that, so predictable I rolled my eyes.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Super cute and cozy Christian contemporary romance.

This book was short and sweet so it was the perfect book to start all the holiday reading with.

Strong faith theme
Lovable characters
Great Christmas vibes

When Starr Lewis returns home to Washington D.C. for Christmas, she brings along a load of anxiety. Starr is looking for a new job after being released from her previous employment. She also will be serving as an attendant in her snarky sister's wedding, who by the way is engaged to Starr's previous boyfriend. During her stay with her family, Starr becomes reacquainted with her childhood friend Waylon, and sparks begin to fly. The Christmas season is a perfect time for mending disagreements and rediscovering the important things in life.

This is a truly enjoyable and sweet holiday read, as readers follow Starr and Waylon on their journey to romance. The Christian message is very clear, and the novel includes both likeable and unlikable characters who experience growth and renewal! This is the first novel by this author that I have read, but I plan to read others written by her.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this Christmas novella from author Toni Shiloh. Starr doesn't want to go home for the holidays for many reasons. She just lost her job making her feel like a failure when all her siblings are highly successful. Her sister is about to marry her former boyfriend. And Starr just doesn't feel like she fits. It's going to be a hard season. Then her oldest brother's friend steps in and she finds herself spending time helping him market his Christmas shop. He's inherited it from his mom and investing his holidays with her family so he's not alone. The more time they spend together, the more sparks fly. One thing I love about Toni's books are the richness of spiritual thread, and she does the same in this book. It might be short, but it's rich and well layered. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it. It'll put you in the holiday mood without being overly light and fluffy.

In “You Make it Feel Like Christmas,” Toni Shiloh combines family drama, holiday festivities, and a brother’s-best-friend romance with all the cheesy one-liners into a novella that’s as sweet as Christmas cookies.

If you love binge-watching Hallmark during the holidays, “You Make it Feel Like Christmas” is sure to be your cup of cocoa!

Unfortunately, You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Toni Shiloh was a DNF for me.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bethany House Publishing for the chance to review this novel.

You Make It Feel Like Christmas is a standalone holiday read from the fabulous Toni Shiloh. Full disclosure, she’s an auto read author for me. It’s been a bumpy couple of weeks here and I needed a little pick me up. Enter You Make It Feel Like Christmas. Of note – don’t even think about opening this if you’re needed somewhere in the short term. The book is a menace to good timekeeping. I couldn’t pout it down, and finished it in three sittings. It would have been two but I am responsible for getting our youngest to school!

In typical Toni Shiloh fashion, her characters spare no time getting under your skin and into your heart. Starr and Waylon were no exception to this, especially Waylon as he faced his first Christmas without his mom and with his only family far away in Japan. For a shorter novel, this didn’t feel rushed and still provided plenty of conflict before the very happy ending. And anyone wanting to take a masterclass in writing horrid family members, look no further, Shiloh is surely the master of this. At the same time, she weaves faith in without preaching, always striking just the right balance between trouble, truth and fun.

Highly recommended.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and also bought my own. The enjoyment is all my own.

You Make It Feel Like Christmas Is a sweet novella that is perfect for getting into the Christmas spirit. The story actually begins at Thanksgiving, so November is a great time to read it. I’m not a big romance reader, but I loved the relationship that blossomed between Starr and her brother’s best friend, Waylon. Since this is a novella, and Starr and Waylon already knew one another, I didn’t mind the speed at which they develop feelings for each other. I enjoyed the faith element of the story, specifically the reliance on prayer as integral to decision making, not as an afterthought. This is the first Toni Shiloh I’ve read, but now I’m going to pick up some of her earlier books too.

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I am a fan of Toni! Her writing is beautiful and the characters she creates just seem so real. I love the clean story and the message of faith weaved throughout!

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

i am slowly becoming a Toni Shiloh fan and I absolutely love this romance set around the most wonderful time of the year.. It follows Starr who is home for the holidays for her sister's wedding to her ex (*ouch*) . If that isn't bad enough she is unemployed and single, That all changes when she finds herself helping Waylon over the holidays. This is a wonderful story about family, love , Christmas miracles and God's goodness.

At this point, Toni Shiloh is an author I will keep coming back to. Her stories are full of life, with natural humor, but with impactful messaging, especially from a biblical perspective. While I enjoyed chic lit stories in the past, I was losing interest because the inappropriateness of the romance. In short, I didn’t see the love between the characters in traditional chic lit books.

However, with this story, I did.

Toni does a great job bringing Starr and Waylon, the main characters in the story, together. While a short read (under 4 hours in the Kindle), their relationship wasn’t rushed or unbelievable. The story didn’t drag or throw in a lot of backstory – it had a good balance that made me feel like I know a lot about these characters to believe they could have an interest in each other.

A major positive about the story was the plot. Starr had just lost her job and was returning home to spend Christmas with her family – and attend (and be a part of) her sister’s wedding to her ex-boyfriend, who left Starr for her sister. While this might not make sense for Starr to agree to, as you read the story, it does and it adds to Starr’s character.

The ending was satisfying and believable. Starr’s faith and how her relationship with God helped her navigate through many decisions was encouraging. I would recommend this to those who love Clean Reads, Chic Lit, and stories of encouragement, especially in dealing with tough times and adversity.

***This book was given to me by NetGalley for an honest review.***

I enjoyed reading You Make It Feel Like Christmas, set in Washington DC. Starr is the youngest of five siblings and she feels like a failure. Her NYC job was made redundant, and she returns home to DC for Thanksgiving. She plans to stay with her parents until Christmas, and find a NYC job in the New Year. Starr’s bridezilla older sister is getting married at Christmas to Starr’s ex-boyfriend, which is beyond awkward and an emotionally painful situation.

Starr is dreading all the wedding preparation drama, and she is happy to reconnect with Waylon, her brother’s best friend. He’s alone for the holiday season and appreciates being invited to spend time with Starr’s family. Waylon is drawn to Starr and he empathizes with her messy family wedding situation.

A lovely Christmas romance unfolds amid the family drama that kept me turning the page. I appreciated the satisfying story ending. I recommend You Make It Feel Like Christmas to contemporary romance readers who like heartwarming Christmas romances with the brother’s best friend trope and a relevant faith element in the story.

Many thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

Starr is home for the holidays in her big family but she's got a secret: she's been laid off. And if that isn't enough, she's single too! But maybe, the holidays won't be so bad with her brother's best friend Waylon around.

This book was a bit predictable for me, but the sweet romance kept me reading. I like the play between Starr and Waylon and I enjoyed the drama that Starr caused on her own with her family. This one was a good one.
Thank you to Bethany House for this ARC of this book.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you enjoy…

🎄 Christian romance
🎄 Age Gap
🎄 Set in the Christmas season
🎄 Brother’s best friend

Ok! You guys! This Christmas romance novella had me swooning!!

So this story is about Starr, who recently just lost her job, and she’s going back home for holidays to spend time with family to celebrate her sisters Christmas Eve wedding- to
her ex-boyfriend! But things get a bit better when her brother’s best friend Waylon comes for Thanksgiving. As a distraction, Starr decided to Waylon restore his late mother’s Christmas shop. But reality kicks in when she has to make a huge decision- is she going back home to NYC or see where this romance will go beyond Christmas Day?

The trust that Starr and Waylon had in Jesus that he will always take care of them- was so beautiful to see! And the added bonus that it was set at Christmas time! Such a great novella! 🥰🫶

I have fallen in love with Toni Shiloh’s writing and characters. This is one of the best Christmas novels I have ever read because of Starr and Waylon. I was invested from the first chapter. Waylon was a strong supporter of Starr and she encouraged him to take in everything. This romance was so sweet and deep. It was thoughtful and well-rounded. It was amazing!

I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I had the opportunity to review an ARC copy of this book. A Christmas Eve wedding with surprise guests, Toni weaves a beautiful story. I really enjoyed this book.

This was short and sweet. It was exactly what I look for in a holiday romance. I enjoyed reading a faith based romance that was chaste, fun, and full of Christmas spirit. Plus, the themes of forgiveness were handled beautifully, keeping the conflict away from the romance, which I appreciated.

Starr Lewis is returning home for her sister's wedding to her ex-boyfriend. To top it off, Starr is hiding the fact that she lost her job from her family. When her brother's best friend, Waylon Emmerson joins the family for thanksgiving, sparks begin to fly.

As Waylon and Starr begin to get to know one another again, they both work through life changing decisions that will impact their futures - alone and together.

This is the first book I've read by Toni Shiloh. It was a sweet, closed door romance, filled with sparks, family drama and a happily ever after. The story felt like a hallmark Christmas movie - and if that was the goal, it definitely hit the mark! There was not a ton of complexity in this story, and I felt the story was lacking any sort of serious tension point where the characters made a strong decision to turn to one another.