Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey is absolutely a fun read for the holiday season. I can't of one thing I didn't enjoy about it. This novel features two children of former rockstars (who now despise each other), Melody and Beat. From the very first time these two meet (as teens), you can sense the connection between these two. Then, fast forward years later and when confronted with an opportunity to reunite their mothers and make money that would each help them out of a situation, they reconnect and the sparks fly immediately. There's absolutely zero chance these two are going to be just friends, and I loved every second of their romance.


Bailey created two characters who just worked for me. Melody is hilarious and honest and unique. Beat is protective and kind and down to earth. The two of them together are an odd but perfect pairing.


Despite some rough patches relating to trust, these two find their happily ever after and I truly was happy for that and yet sad for it to be over. This novel was funny and fun and sexy and a wonderful way to spend a weekend close to the winter holidays.

Wreck the Halls has quickly become my new top pick among Tessa Bailey's novels, a delightful surprise considering I never thought anything could surpass my love for It Happened One Summer.

Meet Melody and Beat, the offspring of two legendary rock stars, comprising the famous duo known as the Steel Birds, whose epic rift left fans longing for a reunion. However, Octavia and Trina, the two mothers, haven't exchanged a word since they were both pregnant with the now grown-up Melody and Beat. Despite having met just once during their teenage years, an unspoken connection was formed between the two children.

In adulthood, Beat basked in the spotlight, while Melody chose a more discreet path, dedicating herself to the restoration of rare books and avoiding the limelight. Nevertheless, the pressures of fame take a toll on both of them.

Their lives take an unexpected turn when a producer approaches them with a proposition: to star in a reality show where they must collaborate to reunite their estranged mothers for a Christmas Eve concert. Can they bridge the gap between their mothers and, in the process, help themselves?

Prepare to embark on a thrilling journey alongside Melody and Beat as they attempt the seemingly impossible. These main characters are not only compelling but also exceptionally kind-hearted. Their unique bond, rooted in their mothers' shared fame, serves as a source of strength as they navigate the challenges posed by their mothers, the media, and even the possibility of encounter with a cult and a bunch of Santas.

A special thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my candid review.

I don’t care that it’s October, Christmas books are my jam. I like to sprinkle them between my other books and this might be my top Christmas book of the season! I loved this one!
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Here’s something I realized about myself. I love a reunion or a reboot. So when people say why are there so many tv show reboots….it’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me! I will watch any reboot or listen to any reunion band. That’s the premise of this one. Melody’s mom and Beat’s mom or mortal enemies, but once they were best friends and the members of the famous band, Steel Birds. When their hit song, Rattle the Cage from 1993 goes viral on TikTok the pressure is there for a reunion. The only two who could possibly get these two to reunite for one song on Christmas Eve is their adult children, but there’s a catch. The attempt to get them to reunite will be filmed 12 hours a day for a live stream reality show.
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@tessabaileyisanauthor writes in a way that I can picture every aspect of her story. I want to hear Rattle the Cage, but she also writes it like an anthem I’ve known my whole life. Plus I felt like I was watching The Today Show when they were filming. She creates an entire world in her writing!

This is so much fun and I adored Beat and Melody. I fell in love with these two. Christmas stores are usually pure fluff, which don’t get me wrong I love but this one was a lot more!

Huge thank you to @avon @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute read, though i will say that since this is marketed as a holiday romance I expected more holidays in it. I liked the story and it was a fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I have read many Tessa Bailey novels and loved them. This one was solid but not my favorite (The Bellinger Sisters is Tessa Bailey at her best). This one was cute, but not really Christmas themed as promised. I liked the premise...children of former rock stars who fall for each other, but the rest kind of fell apart. The relationship development was abrupt and not that believable.

Don't let the cartoon cover fool you on this one! It was spicyyyy! I love Tessa Bailey and was so excited to read this new release. This was marketed as a Christmas romance but It really was only a sprinkle of Christmas lol. The plot though was so interesting and fun. Two ex rockstars and their kids trying to pull a parent trap on them. I loved Beat, Tessa always creates the best soft lover boy characters and that was him. This was one of those books that had a great plot and great spice! I loved!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey.

This has been one of my most anticipated releases of the year as I love a Christmas romance book and will read anything by Tessa Bailey.

This was an enjoyable romance following two children of 90’s rock stars who come together to star in a reality tv show about trying to get their parents back together to perform one last time.

I think where this missed for me is that I don’t care for reality television so their instant fame was kind of confusing for me. It also was not as Christmasy as I had expected. Overall a fun read but not a new favorite.

Tessa Bailey is hands down my go to author when I want to laugh, swoon, and blush. Her stories are all so unique and fast-paced FUN! I really enjoyed Wreck the Halls for the rockstar angle and found the holiday vibes perfect combination of nostalgia and magic. I loved the second chance/re-meeting trope of this romance and the teaming of the mains to reunite their parents and pull off the reunion tour of the century. This will probably end up being one of my favorite romances of the 2023 holiday season!

I gave this 3.5 stars because while I enjoyed the premise of the book I felt the character’s connection was a bit awkward at times. I could definitely see this book made into a holiday adaptation on Hallmark and would watch it. Thank you for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I love Tessa Bailey's writing! This romance book put me right in the mood for the holidays. It is a great weekend read/vacation read.

WRECK THE HALLS - TESSA BAILEY
4⭐

PLOT -
Melody and Beat are children of a famous rockstar duo who had an ugly split and haven't spoken since then.
Mel and Beats are offered a lot of money to reunite her mother's band on live TV.
Beats and Melody are complete opposite of each other and have always found the other attractive and now with cameras 24×7 in their face their feelings are evident on and off camera. But their deadline to reunite their mother's band is approaching ..can their decade old scandle wreck even their present new found love.

MY THOUGHTS
This is a perfect holiday romance which has some really funny heartwarming and even some suspense making it overall great read .
It gave me total Parent trap vibes and Beat and Melodys characters were really well developed. Just wished we had an epilogue of some sort .
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this arc in exchange of my honest review.

I am not sure what it is about this book but something about it was just ADDICTING and this is probably the most fun I've had with a tessa bailey book since it happened one summer. I always forget how absolutely unhinged her mmcs are (in the best way) and its so funny. Like her mmcs are all literal caveman when it comes to the girl and I'm gonna eat it up every single time. And when I say Beat is obsessed with Melody, I mean OBSESSED. This woman will just talking casually and his inner monologue is like "is this what its like to want to die for someone?" like BEAT please calm down but also don't. I also am always a sucker for a good soulmates story and because of Beat and Melody's circumstances, where they are literally the only people in the world who could understand each other's lives, they feel so fated. The soulmatism that radiates from these two gives way to some extremely tender and sweet and profound moments that show just how much their paths were destined to cross and how their story started so long before they ever came together in this book. They are just so sweet and funny and unhinged and I loved their love SOOOOO MUCH

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

For a book that has a Christmas tree, lights, and wreaths on the cover, and a title that's a play on words from a popular Christmas song...it BARELY gave Christmas vibes. The cover is the most holiday-related thing about the whole book. I went in expecting a Christmas romcom, but got a mediocre love story focused on the music industry, reality TV, and celebrity. I don't know why this was marketed as a Christmas-themed romance, other than the fact that the final scene takes place on Christmas Eve. I think this book would've been more successful as a generic romcom, as it doesn't set the stage for the reader to be disappointed.

There were some funny scenes throughout the book, and I especially liked any time Melody's mom was involved - she was a hoot. Other than that, I found the chemistry wildly unrealistic, the story took way too long to get going, and the dirty talk and spicy scenes made me cringe. I'm all for open-door, but the way this was written gave me the ick.

Overall, I think there are much better holiday romcoms to add to your TBR. I think this book had a lot of potential, but ultimately fell flat.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon, and Tessa Bailey for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! Sadly, this book didn’t really work for me, but I can see why a lot of people would love it. I got 50% through and hope to pick it back up closer to Christmas, but I really enjoyed a lot of the parts of the story. It follows Melody Gallard and Beat Dawkins, the children of two popular singers who no longer speak. I loved that it focused on them as well as the romance and thought that this helped round the story out. If you like romance, Christmas stories, or Tessa Bailey, check this one out!

A cute start to get ready for the holidays. Tessa Bailey is someone I'll always read and this was very enjoyable!

Beat and Melody are the son and daughter of the famous duo called Steel Birds. Their parents dissolved the band and haven't spoken to each other in years. When Beat ends up in a tight spot, the decides to accept an offer to reunite the Steel Birds for a million dollar fee. Beat met Melody years ago and he's equally eager to see her again, and also worried that she might break down his defenses. He has a thing for her. It's so cute in an intense sort of way. The crush is reciprocal and these two are really adorable.

Getting their mothers back together is no easy feat, but it makes them stars when their efforts are live-streamed to the world. It was a bit crazy how much everyone loved Steel Birds, I had a hard time with that a bit, but I absolutely loved the ending to it all. Beat and Melody really have to decide what they want to each other, but Beat is pretty hard to resist with his earnest yearning and love for Melody, which was super sweet and a joy to read.

Gaaaah!!! I absolutely loved it. Can Tessa Bailey do anything wrong? I really don't think so at this point....Loved everything about this. The perfect Christmas read + all we love about Tessa Bailey. Loved the friends-to-lovers in this one!

Beat and Melody are the offspring of two women who fought years ago and broke up their band. All of their lives, both Beat and Melody have been hounded by strangers and friends alike about when their mothers would reunite the band. Beat is approached by a reality tv producer to try to reunite his mother Octavia with Trina (Melody's mother) on Christmas Eve, in return for the money that he desperately needs to pay off his blackmailer.
This is not really a Christmassy story-it's more of a character-driven romance set at Christmas-time. If you don't like insta-love and the notion of soulmates, this book likely isn't for you. I had a hard time with the premise that Melody was unable to find romantic love because she'd met Beat at 16 and thought that he was her one.
That being said, both characters were interesting and it was fun to read about their burgeoning relationship. Some relationships in the book wrapped up a little too easily while others were a little too angsty but still a fun read-unexpected in the sense that I expected something a little more light hearted.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Story: 4 ⭐️
Steam: 4 🔥

This book was super cute! I enjoyed the sweet love story between Beat and Melody. The story was unique and fun and perfect for a quick, steamy Christmas read!

4 stars!

"Wreck the Halls" by Tessa Bailey is a feel-good insta-love Christmas romance that just made me really happy while reading it. This is the kind of holiday book I yearn for: a mix of sweet, sexy, full of intrigue, music, connection, Christmas! The premise is not all that believable, but c'mon, I'm not going to hold that against it. I fully admit I am more likely to be lenient about this for holiday books, but oh well. The main characters Melody and Beat have such terrific chemistry! They only met once when they were teenagers, but the bond they formed in one short meeting was enough for them to still feel the same for them 15+ years later when they are thrust together again for a livestreaming reality show where they must attempt to reunite their former-rock-star-bandmate-mothers for a Christmas eve concert. Enter super protective main male character who wants the world to know how amazing the main female character is, for everyone to truly see her like he does, and swoon. Tessa Bailey is the queen of banter, and this book is no exception. Ahhhhh, I loveeeeeeeeeeeed. It's fun, flirty, steamy, a little silly, and has a great ending. You can't ask for much else from a Tessa Bailey novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tessa Bailey, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.