Member Reviews

This was such a good sweet pure love story. It was a nice clean romance which was reminiscent of A Hallmark Movie, perfect for the season.

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Loosen up those facial muscles with this smile-inducing, sweet romance that's good for any time of year, not just Christmas.
This was actually my third time reading this story and it was just as fresh as the first time. Toni Shiloh writes feel-good stories that keeps you turning the pages and this was no exception.
I was provided this book by the publisher, but as always, my opinions are my own.

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I really enjoyed this sweet Christmas romance. It lifted my spirits and brought a smile to my face.

Reluctantly back home for the holidays after losing her job, Starr’s hopeful she can keep her unemployed status a secret from her family, all while feigning happiness for her sister’s impending Christmas Eve wedding to her ex-boyfriend. Talk about a complicated holiday!

I liked Starr a lot. She was nice, genuine, and down to earth. She was an easy character to root for. Waylon was such a sweet and caring guy who I couldn't help falling for. His cheesy one-liners made me laugh. I loved watching their genuine friendship grow into more. And since they already knew each other, their speedy relationship felt natural.

I enjoyed getting to know the Lewis family. Well, some more than others. Angel was a handful, to say the least. She was so self-centered. She treated Starr so badly, and I don't even know if she realized it because she was so focused on herself. But, other than Angel, I really liked the other Lewis siblings and enjoyed seeing the dynamic between them.

This sweet romance is sure to put you in the holiday spirit. I highly recommend it!

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my own honest opinion.

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This was a cute Christmas story by Toni Shiloh. I enjoyed the characters and the family dynamic between Starr and her family. I liked how Waylon saw Starr for who she is and loved her for it. I liked how Starr and her siblings got closer as they were honest with each other, especially Starr and Angel. I also like how Waylon and Starr’s romance developed and they work through some of the decisions they had to make. I thought this was a sweet story and a well written Christian romance.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

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I thought the character development in this book was awesome. I really got a feel for Angel and Starr, Waylon, Noel, and the rest. I loved Waylon’s personality and the way he found one liners for every occasion. Angel was a very credible bridezilla. I thought this book would be a great start to a series focusing on each of Starr’s siblings. I’d like to know more about what happens with each of them.

I appreciated the family aspect of this book. This family came together to support each other when it mattered most. I love that. Even though they sometimes hurt each other, in the end, they had to find a way through it because they’re family.

Thank you to Bethany House for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

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The perfect holiday story to put joy in your heart and laughter on your face. I love reading a Shiloh story!

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This is a wonderful Christmas romance! The characters are very genuine and endearing.. The family dynamics and life struggles they face are relatable. How they deal with their problems is very encouraging. I like that this romance had some depth to it, and wasn't all fluff.
I highly recommend this title.

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I was weary of this since I wasn't so into the other book I read by Shiloh but I liked it, it was a thoughtful story about soemone overlooked and underestimated by her family and the two leads were wonderfully drawn and protrayed. While faith and prayer were part of the story, prayer in particular was part of the many ways to move through hard times, not the only way.

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This was a wonderful Christmassy read by Toni Shiloh! I enjoyed it so much, I finished it in a day!

I loved the mostly Washington, D.C., setting; having visited there a number of times over the years, it holds a special spot in my heart (all politics aside, lol). I love the idea of visiting there at Christmas, and this read certainly gave me some ideas about things to do there during the season!

The storyline was refreshingly original, particularly on the heels of a a very Hallmarky (even for me) read--just what I needed to kick-start my holiday cheer again. It definitely gets me very much in the mood for cooler weather (nothing to do with hot/humid weather where I recently moved ... <innocent whistle> :D) and all things Christmas!

I truly feel Shiloh could write a whole series of books on the family presented here; Starr comes from a large enough family to certainly encourage it, and they all sound like a hoot! I especially loved the twins' (and may-as-well-be-twins') interactions and banter; it was truly a lot of fun, and made me miss (and appreciate even more) my work twins--speaking of "may as well be twins." ;)

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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The last thing Starr Lewis wants to do is go back home for the holidays without a job or a boyfriend, especially because her sister is getting married to Starr’s ex-boyfriend. When Starr gets home, her brother’s best friend Waylon is there to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Lewis family. Soon Starr and Waylon are spending time together and finding the holidays might be joyful after all.

I loved everything about this story, from the wonderful Christmas traditions to the electric relationship between Starr and Waylon. I almost felt like I was there and the Christmas season came alive through the beautifully written descriptions. I easily related to and sympathized with Starr as she endured her sister’s behavior and tried so hard to find the right job. I appreciated the biblical truths woven throughout the book and was greatly encouraged. This story is perfect for getting in the Christmas spirit and it gave me all the feelings! I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to the next story!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from the author and publisher. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

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This book was sooooo cute! I could not put it down. I’m all for a holiday romance. The family gave The Huxtables vibes and it was squeaky clean, just kisses. It's the perfect cozy read.

I love all the cheesy goodness when it comes to my romance reads and this book delivered. I also appreciated how it naturally incorporated the characters’ Christian faith in the dialogue. It never felt forced into the plot.

This is my first Toni Shiloh book but it definitely will not be my last. Her writing reminded me so much of my favorite author Kim Cash Tate’s style and I can definitely see myself binge-reading her books.

5/5 stars for me! It is holiday-themed but I think it would be enjoyable any season.

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I'll be honest: I ordered this book because of the cover and the synopsis. I didn't see that it was a Christian romance. I'm an atheist, so I personally didn't like it at all, but I'm aware that I'm not the target audience.

The characters and the plot in the romance seem very interesting to me, but if there were not approximately 60 passages (in a novella!) in which the characters pray and ask God to guide them... it would have been much better .

But hey, I repeat that I am not the target audience at all, so I would surely recommend it to people who are very Christian. But I, who had chosen it because of the synopsis and the cover (and it does not say anything that it is a Christian book beyond the genre), did not expect this. So I haven't enjoyed it at all.
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As the holiday season approaches, Starr Lewis joins the streams of people traveling home. Only Starr will need to stay there. Not something she ever imagined having to do once she finished college and moved to New York City to start her career in marketing. After working diligently for two years, she’s the easiest to lay off when the company faces a downturn.

Starr has no idea how she’ll break the news to her driven, math-genius family. Everyone loves math and has a successful career to prove it. Starr, the baby of the family, loves words and creativity. She doesn’t even want to think about her family’s reaction when they discover her job has evaporated.

And so, Starr comes home for Thanksgiving and plans on staying through the New Year—or longer if she can’t find a job. She’ll suffer through her sister’s Christmas Eve Wedding (to Starr’s ex-boyfriend). But she decides to keep her job situation to herself. Things will turn a corner soon. She hopes. Nothing can make the situation better.

When her brother’s best friend shows up on her parent’s doorstep for Thanksgiving Dinner, Starr decides Waylon might prove the antidote she needs for an otherwise awful holiday season.

In theory, Waylon Emmerson knows best-friend’s-little-sisters grow up. But he wasn’t prepared to see the grown-up Starr Lewis. His instant attraction ties his tongue in knots and leaves him feeling like an awkward teen. Waylon needs to focus on restoring his mother’s Christmas Shop to its former glory, not the beautiful Starr.

When she offers to help him market the store, Waylon knows it’s a win-win situation. Because the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes he’s losing his heart.

What I Loved About This Book

You'll love this book if you love sweet romances with a strong faith element. And if Hallmark Christmas stories make you swoon, you’ll really love You Make it Feel Like Christmas. Readers will relate to Starr and Waylon as they work through dreams deferred and discover who God created them to be.

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Author Toni Shiloh put the magic in Christmas with this one. I love the Lewis family and would enjoy hanging out with them. Let’s deck the halls together!

Poor Starr needs to learn she is not her job; that’s not where her value is. Sister Angel needs a good shake, and someone to tell her the world doesn’t rotate around her. Or does it? The characters in this story are well developed and most of them are very likable. Except for that ex-boyfriend. He’ll make you shudder. And the Lewis brothers. What sweethearts, most of the time.

A story of second chances, forgiveness, and family, You Make It Feel Like Christmas will be worth reading again.

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

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This book is great for lovers of Hallmark Style Christmas stories during the Christmas season! As Starr Lewis returns home for the holidays, jobless and single, she isn't happy to be dragged into her sister's wedding plans - because she's getting married to Starr's ex-boyfriend on Christmas eve! However, when Starr meets her brother's best friend, Waylon Emmerson, at their family's Thanksgiving get together....she starts the think maybe coming home isn't so bad as she starts to enjoy hanging out with Waylon and forgetting all about the festivities with her sister's wedding. For Waylon, this is a perfect distraction to help keep him busy as he is struggling with the loss of his mother and trying to keep her old Christmas shop alive....the story goes on from here as Waylon and Starr's stories unfold.

I love what Toni Shiloh does in the Christian Fiction market - she always weaves faith in her stories and I appreciate her so much in that regard. I really liked seeing how Waylon's was working on his mother's Christmas store he was taking care of and I think this could be a story that could potential help others going through something similar during the holiday season. This book will get you in the holiday spirit and I think it would be a fun one to start during Thanksgiving since it starts off at a Thanksgiving celebration.

I really enjoyed the Christmas atmosphere, cozy elements and nice faith content. I do think the drama with the sister's wedding festivities with Starr's ex-boyfriend took away from the story for me a bit as that is not always my favorite trope or storyline, personally. Her sister was a bit too rude for me but the ending was a nice resolution. The romance was a bit rushed for me as well but I think that's due to the shortness of the story and us not having a ton of time to truly get to sit with our characters as they got to know one another.

Overall, I think this is a quick, cute Christmas read that many of you will enjoy during the Christmas season with lots of hallmark cheese that many enjoy during the holidays. I thank Toni Shiloh for always giving us nice, light hearted reads with clean romances and faith elements.

Thank you for Bethany House and Toni Shiloh for providing a copy to honestly read and review. All opinions are my own.

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I knew it was a good idea to read a Christmas book by Toni Shiloh in the heat of summer. This family-oriented, hometown romance was the perfect dash of sweet and spiritual. Since the story is only a novella, the characters do fall pretty fast for one another, but it makes sense because they have known each other for a long time. I think it could have been a novel-length story (my only complaint), but I enjoyed the fast introduction and watching the main characters fall in love.

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This was a super cute holiday romance that made me smile and laugh. I’m a huge fan of cutesy banter and this book did not lack!

I loved how unashamedly Waylon pursued Starr and helped her to see herself as someone worthy of love and being treated well.

The romance was kindled a bit quickly (I prefer a slower burn), but I realize it’s most likely because this was a novella.

There was a good dose of family drama which I’m here for because that’s real life), but I loved the way it was resolved in the end. I also loved how Toni weaved the character’s faith throughout the book.

Definitely a cute one worth adding to your holiday TBR!

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Toni Shiloh is one of my go-authors when I'm longing for enjoyable contemporary romance. Her characters are relatable and the situations are realistic, but she always adds a little extra punch! This book is no exception because it's almost Christmas and Starr Lewis is carrying a lot of anxiety. How can a gal be truly happy when she's lost her job and she has to watch her sister marry the man she thought was hers? How will she survive the next few weeks?

Shiloh is a master of witty, fun dialogue sprinkled with thought-provoking nuggets of faith but she also knows how to turn friendship into swoon-worthy romance. Starr and Waylon Emmerson have long known each other but there's a different connection when she returns home for Thanksgiving. Watching their relationship evolve is pure joy and I loved that this story takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Is there anyone who doesn't enjoy a holiday romance?

You Make It Feel Like Christmas is a delightful story and I recommend it to all who enjoy contemporary Christian fiction.

I received a copy from the author and publisher. There was no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts.

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A good Christmas story and one that I enjoyed reading. This is the first I have read by this author but I will be looking for more.. 4 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

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I can read books set at Christmas any time of year and YOU MAKE IT FEEL LIKE CHRISTMAS was both heartwarming and filled with family drama. This is Starr's story and it begins just before Thanksgiving when she returns to her family's home in Washington D.C. after being laid off from her job in New York City.

There are many stories being told all central to her or one of her siblings. A childhood friend of one of her brothers, Waylon, is also around and there's a definite attraction between Starr and him. Is it just because they are both now grown up and single or is there more? There are some laugh out loud moments along with tears, anger, angst, fear, hurt, a bridezilla, careers, work pressures, family moments and activities, holiday celebrations, romance and love. There are layers to the story and a depth to Starr and Waylon as we get to know them better.

There are some twists and turns to the story with someone getting just what they deserved. I like that both Starr and Waylon are pondering their futures and whether they can make their friendship and attraction into more. I enjoyed how they each prayed for guidance and signs but it wasn't preachy. There is wonderful closure and a happily ever after. I liked the cover.

Ms. Shiloh is a new to me author and I look forward to reading more of her books. This book is a reissue and I saw there are other books in the series even though none of the sites show YOU MAKE IT FEEL LIKE CHRISTMAS as part of one.

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