Two requirements for holiday romance- cheesy scenarios and a happy ever after and this has both. I think that if there is ever a time when it is ok to have an over the top proposal with an instalove couple it’s when they’re running through NYC on Christmas Eve. Tessa Bailey consistently delivers stories that make your heart happy. The right amount of spice and angst mixed with characters you can’t help but love- that’s what Wreck the Halls delivers,

Wreck the Halls" offers blend of heat🔥and winter❄️ cheer in a story that brings together the daughter of music royalty and the lead singer's charismatic son, as they embark on a madcap mission to reunite their mothers' legendary band for a live TV performance.

Melody Gallard, a book 📚restorer who prefers to stay out of the limelight, finds herself at a crossroads when a generous offer to reunite her mother's band presents itself. Beat Dawkins, the charismatic and camera-friendly son of the lead singer 🎤, is her partner in this mission.

👫 Instant sparks fly between them, but is it true chemistry or just a case of #InstaLove? 🔥❤️
The book does offer its fair share of sexy scenes, but it's worth noting that Mel and Beat's instant connection is instalove that might not resonate with all readers.

In my case, the chemistry lacked the depth and authenticity I hope for in a romance. While providing a nice escape from reality, the emotional journey and personal growth of the main characters feel somewhat underdeveloped, leaving me craving for more depth and complexity in their relationship 💔.

🌨️ Wreck the Halls offers a winter backdrop, but it might leave you wanting more of that #ChristmasMagic. 🎄

🌟 Overall, "Wreck the Halls" is perfect for a quick and entertaining escape with a touch of holiday spirit. If you're in the mood for sexiness with a touch of winter cheer, give it a go! ❄️📖

#BookReview #HolidayRomance #WreckTheHalls #BookRecommendation #ReadingList #BookLovers #RomanceReads

The Facts: Friends to lovers, a lil bit Parent Trip-esque, insta-love/lust, only one bed trope, slight Christmas vibes but not overly Christmas

I know this is going to sound really dramatic, but I would die for this book. Literally. If there was a fire, I'd run back in the house to grab this (once I got my dogs out of course).

Now, I know, that sounds insane and crazy and slightly unhinged (okay, EXTREMELY unhinged) but let me tell you why:

BEAT AND MELODY. MELODY AND BEAT.

That's it. That's the review.

Just kidding.

I love the main characters in this book. They're funny, quirky in a totally loveable way, and hearts of gold. Reading their story just felt like home, and I was devastated when it was over. It was amazing to read them trying to get their mothers to perform again on reality TV. And the spice was amazing as per usual with Tessa's books. Melody and Beat were soulmates from the very start, and the writing showed that completely. AND HE CALLS HER PEACH. That is the cutest effing thing in the world. This book was a tribute to love, friendships, and soulmates. Melody and Beat were just so well-connected, like they were magnets trying to force themselves to stay near each other. I still can't even accurately state why I love this book. I just do. I think it would be impossible for me to not love this book.

This book is not your typical holiday book in fact it is on the craze of the rock and roll and band genre. The band Steel Birds broke up under mysterious circumstances and now a long lost song was released the pubic wants a reunion. The children of Octavia and Trina have a connection that not even they understand. Beat and Melody understand each other on a deep sense that they don't understand as well as can't explain. Beat (Octavia’s son) and Melody (Trina’s daughter) are now being paid to try and reunite their mothers. In the process Beat and Melody are required to have the whole adventure live streamed. On. this journey Beat and Melody find out many things about themselves they did not expect as well as each other. It is a fun, predictable book that is light to read and would definitely recommend. Tessa Bailey is quickly becoming a go to author for me and I can appreciate how she weaves a story together. There is something for everyone in this book make sure to pick it up Expected publication October 3, 2023

Thanks to Tessa Bailey, the publisher and net galley.

It’s no surprise that I love Tessa Bailey’s books, and I really love Christmas-themed Tessa Bailey books. Wreck the Halls has reverse Parent Trap vibes, with Beat and Melody working to get their mothers to get the band back together.

Wreck the Halls had a seriously unrealistic romance. But I don’t care. I love that Beat and Melody are essentially soulmates, like they’ve been waiting for this moment where they can be in the other’s presence. And their connection was fire. Tessa Bailey’s trademarked dirty talk was present and so, so satisfying.

Beat is so messed up, but Melody is so understanding and loving, helping him work through his issues. And while doing that, Melody just really grows as a character; she’s really a badass. I could relate to her so much.

I devoured Wreck the Halls and I couldn’t put it down. I fell in love with the characters and got so invested in their story. I already want to read it again.

Thank you to Avon Books for the review copy.

There was lots of hype about this book but sadly it didn’t live up to any of it. I found it impossible to care about any of the characters

I absolutely LOVED (!!!!!) this book! Tessa Bailey has written another delightful and fun rom-com read. I laughed, cried and I smiled with happiness throughout while reading (I was giddy at the end! It was sooooo good)!

Same as characters in past books, both Beat & Melody (I love these names!) fit together like the perfect puzzle pieces. The reader knows this to be true pretty much immediately - still the enjoyment is reading how they get permanently locked together.

Beat & Melody are children of two very famous female musicians (Octavia and Trina) who once were rock stars together and best friends. On the final tour all goes wrong, the duo split and a very strong hatred ensues between the two. This being the case - and just how different the women are - both Beat & Melody are raised quite differently.

Growing up the media loved Beat. Melody was criticized by the media. Beat had all the support and love from his mother. Melody had a lack of guidance and genuine signs of love from hers. Beat had all the advantages. Melody struggled with self-esteem and worked hard for what she had. Despite this, while separated for years, living different lives on opposite ends of the country - they always felt a connection from the very first time they met and that feeling never went away.

In the end, it is a reality show where the goal is to reunite their mothers on Christmas Eve to sing together again that brings them back together. Of course, in true Tessa Bailey style - there is much more to the need for this reality show to happen and be successful in the end.

Successful or not - Beat & Melody will tackle this together because you simply cannot have one without the other.

Wreck the Halls was my first Christmas book of the year and it was AMAZING! It was my favorite of the five Tessa Bailey books I have read so far. Make sure to add this to your TBR this Holiday season!

Synopsis:
Thirty years ago, Trina Gallard and Octavia Dawkin were rocking out as one of the most famous rock bands around, the” Steel Birds" .That was until they split, for reasons unknown. When the split happened, both were pregnant at the time. Trina had Melody, and Octavia had Beat.

Beat and Melody didn’t meet until they were sixteen and only for a brief moment. Their mothers hater each other, so being friends or in the same circle would have been impossible. They had an instant connection but quickly went on their own way. Fourteen years later, Beat finds himself in a bind and needing money. He is approached by a producer to make a live reality tv show over the next two weeks to bring back the “Steel Birds”. Melody agree’s, knowing that Beat needs the cash for some unknown reason. Over the next several days their instant connection they fourteen years ago flourished.

Over the next two weeks they work to try to reunite the “Steel Birds”, growing closer everyday. How long will they be able to resist the gravitational pull between each other?

Review
What a great holiday read.While you could argue that this was insta-love, they did meet when they were teenagers. Also in any holiday book, you are going to have to have some sort of quick romance. Melody’s character had me smiling and laughing with her sarcasm and witty remarks.

I enjoyed the reality tv show aspect. I do enjoy holiday books, most tropes are pretty repetitive. This one felt new and unique. The reality TV show aspect added some extra laughs in there.

Beat and Melody really had the perfect chemistry and balanced each other so well.

This book was a little cheesy, especially with the names, but I think every Holiday book needs to have a little of that sprinkled in.

You need to pre-order this book and read it this holiday season! Wreck the Halls comes out October 3rd. Make sure to add it to your TBR!

4.5

Wreck the Halls is a lot of things. A good book. A steamy book. A fun book with a great premise that I absolutely loved reading. But it is 100% NOT a Christmas book. So if you’re hesitant to read this one because of the time of year, don’t be. There’s a bit of snow, but this story could honestly take place in any season and still be just as good.

Beat and Melody are utterly charming together. Their matching names are a little too cutesy for me (and I never once stopped being distracted by Beat as a first name anyway), but I don’t think Beat is too far off when he calls them soulmates. They’re the kind of characters that are instantly connected when they meet, but Bailey does it in the most natural way. I totally bought them as soulmates – as friends, as lovers, as partners in crime. I was so on board for anything.

The plot is really wild and fun. Beat and Melody are trying to reunite their rock star mothers. And when I say this book has everything, I mean literally everything: elaborate galas, clashes with small town police, snowball fights, live-streamed reality TV, family drama, some seriously rock and roll moments, and, of course, Tessa Bailey’s signature sexiness. I think this may be the first time the dirty talk hasn’t completely ruined one of her sex scenes for me! Idk if that says more about me or the book, but whatever. Beat and Mel are explosive together.

I don’t know if this is the right book to put you in the Christmas spirit, but you should read it anyway, because it’s a hell of a lot of fun.

Another Tessa Bailey rom-com that doesn't disappoint! It's silly, it's cute, it's spicy and its the perfect holiday read that is not too centered around the holiday itself.

When Melody and Beat, two near strangers, set off to re-unite their long estranged rock star mothers for a Christmas Eve show, the two of them are fighting of serious crushes on each other. Their chemistry is immediate and undeniable, but is overshadowed by secrets Beat has been hiding, one of which he is being blackmailed for.

Their journey takes them to over-the-top Christmas parties and commune in the middle of nowhere, all while they are being followed by a camera crew. Melody's humor makes her lovable, as does Beat's kindness.

This was a quick and easy read perfect for a cold day!

Beat and Melody. Their mothers made up the infamous rock duo Steel Birds, that broke up in mysterious fashion 30 years ago. They’ve only met once, when they were 16, but the chemistry they both felt was undeniable. Now, a TV producer wants them to try to reunite their mothers for a one-night TV performance on Christmas Eve. The two weeks up to the event will be live streamed, so Beat and Melody will be paired through it all if they agree. And neither of them can deny the feelings that one chance meeting 14 years ago had left them with.

It’s no secret I adore Tessa Bailey. But dare I say…this one might be my new favorite? I absolutely loved Melody and Beat. Their banter, chemistry, and spice was off the charts. I laughed out loud. I caught myself smiling just sitting there reading. And I felt for these characters in the hard times. If this happened in real life I wouldn’t be able to look away from the live stream!

Even though this book is titled and appears to be a Christmas book, that’s just part of the story. There’s so much to it that it can be enjoyed any time of year, so don’t let that make you hesitate to grab this one! I’d highly recommend it for any rom-com reader that loves great witty banter, Insta-love, and of course, Tessa Bailey’s infamous spicy scenes!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for an advanced copy of this book!

Once again, Bailey does not disappoint!!!! The characters, the development, the plot, the banter… oh and the steam! 🙌🏻 absolutely will be recommending this to all my romance, smut, and witty banter lovers at the library.

right ok, I know its early and you wont be in the mood to read this yet but the second a flake of snow touches down within 5 miles, i'm going to need you to expeditiously pull up to your local bookstore!

Melody is us—awkward youth, glows up in her 30s— but if our mom was stevie nicks or something? Lost in her rockstar mom's shadow until BAM (or should I say Beat?) she meets and feels instant connection with the son of fellow rockstar—mom's bff turned arch nemesis.

the MMC name is Beat (I hate it too but we can't think about it to hard ok) he's always been cool, calm, collected and OBSESSED with Melody bc why wouldnt you, SHE GETS HIM.

they reconnect after YEARS and mayhem ensues as they try to get their mom's band back together.

there is literally nothing better than christmas in new york and this managed to capture that whimsy feeling within the e-pages so well, just chapters of HOT fun with two literal sweetie pies bc they are SO NICE (emphasis on hot, Beat is going through it).

when you want to forget everything going on in the world and enjoy pure holiday cheer, this is it.

5/5, reading this in sept was basically xmas edging (sorry Beat), but im not mad about it!

thank you Netgally, Tessa Bailey, and Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon for the ARC I had a great time, let's do this again soon!

Two nepo babies are tasked to reunite their rockstar moms on reality TV, whose band broke up ending their music careers before Melody and Beat were born. Beat needs the money a reunion would bring in and Melody doesn't want Beat to do this alone, but is afraid of the media after they hounded her as a kid. Can they successfully get their mothers back together for one spectacular Christmas Eve performance?

I really loved this book. While this is marketed as a Christmas book, I enjoyed that it wasn't the main theme of the story. It was really just a romance that happened to take place over December with the reunion happening on Christmas Eve. We have a classic Opposites Attract and Friends to Lovers romance tropes at play here. I enjoyed the story arc of Melody being this teenager who was harassed in the media who then turns out to be a media darling as the time reality show on. Both Beat and Melody were well rounded, likable characters. I loved their banter and the suspense of a will they or wont they finally give into their attraction. I didn't care for the third act breakup considering how late in the book they got together. I also had a hard time relating to Beat and his reason for not letting his mom know he was being blackmailed. It wasn't his burden to carry or his secret to keep. If I was in that situation I would have run to my parents right after I hung up the call!

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 10/3

This book is funny, it’s steamy, and the drama keeps the pages turning. This is a great choice if you like Emily Henry; it’s got the witty banter, it’s sexy but has more going on than just sex. This will be a super fun holiday read if that is your type of book.

I love Tessa Bailey, but for some reason, I did not like this book. I got to 25% and had to DNF.

I did not like the whole "we met for 5 minutes, haven't seen each other in 14 years, but we love each other and think about each other 24/7 thing. Insta-love is not my favorite trope.

Oh let's not forget to mention the fact that the media tore into Melody, called her ugly and all kinds of names, then Beat tells them to stop, they do, they start calling her pretty and all positive things just like that. Ummm no.

I had such high hopes for this book, but it was a letdown.

Thank you to Tessa, Avon, and NetGalley for this ARC

Quirky and delightful! Tessa Bailey is rolling into the holidays with a rock star reunion, intrusive reality show and unorthodox sexual tension as Melody and Beat comes together in WRECK THE HALLS for a Christmas miracle. The characters are quick to catch a reader's attention and their backgrounds easy to relate to. There's more drama to this story than comedic voice, but there's enough quirk to please a rom-com fan. I enjoyed their story.

I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a steamy love story with a lot of heart and turmoil mixed into the plot.

This story followed Melody and Beat, two adult children of female rock legends. In this dual POV story you learn that Beat is being blackmailed and he is out of money, so he does the unthinkable and sells his soul to the devil (reality TV) to try to reunite his mothers band. But to do so, he needs Melody, his mothers ex band mates daughter. They get so much more than they bargained for when they set out to reunite the band.

The spicy scenes were spot on. Chef's kiss. I've never read a book with edging before, but I didn't hate it. It was a part of Beats' journey. Melody, on the other hand, her character arc, felt really disjointed. I understand what happened needed to happen; but there weren't really any antagonists to her outbursts that were what I felt, out of character. She went from being an introverted person who is really unsure or herself to a vixen and a rockstar, and it came out of nowhere.

I loved the bond between Beat and Melody, though. I would have liked more closure for Trina and Octavia (the mothers) since the author took time to note that it was as much their story as it was Melody and Beats', I feel like I would have liked closure for them too.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. The characters were loveable despite their flaws. This was not a super Christmasey book, but I will say, the snow ball fight was my favorite scene from the whole book.

My one bone is to pick, and this is a personal issue. But I dislike when authors/publishers put cartoon covers on spicy books. It sends the wrong message to readers. These books could end up in the wrong hands(like kids' hands).

Thank you, Netgalley, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sensitive readers, I would check the authors' website for content warnings .

Spice 🌶 🌶 🌶

Tropes:
💋One Bed
💋Childhood friends
💋Edging
💋Protective MMC
💋 Bookish FMC

Thank you NetGalley, Tessa Bailey, and Avon Harper Voyager for this e-ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

I've said it over and over - Tessa Bailey is an auto-buy author for this reader! As an absolute QUEEN - her writing is witty, well done, and engaging. I was beyond excited to find that she had an upcoming holiday romance, and couldn't request this one fast enough! And man... I am so happy I did :)

The clever storyline had me laughing, blushing (redder than the brawling Santa's suits!), and REELING! Beat and Melody (how fun are those names by the way?!) are two children of rockstars; who find themselves stuck together while their mothers come together for one last show - on Christmas Eve. Oddly enough Beat still finds himself thinking about Melody still all these years later. Their undeniable connection shines brightly in this scandalous/hilarious rom-com.

The drama that ensues is downright delicious, and lovers of reality shows will feel like they are watching it unfold as they turn the pages. Perfect for generations old and young - this holiday romance is a must-read this upcoming season!

Read if you love:
- Opposites Attract
- Rockstars/ Celebrity Children
- Rom-Coms
- Holiday Romances
- Instant Connections
- Reality Shows
- Only One Bed
- Forced Proximity
- He Falls First & Falls HARD

Favorite Quotes:

"It was ridiculous that he should still be thinking about Melody Gallard fourteen years after meeting her one time."

"You'll never leave my system, Mel. You're one half of it." - um, excuse me, but who gave Beat the right to make me swoon that hard?!

I absolutely freaking loved this book!

It’s Tessa Bailey at the top of her game. There’s a great and unique plot that brings the main characters together. I really enjoyed the setting and the fact that it’s also a holiday themed book is a bonus.

I loved the characters. They had wonderful chemistry & the slow burn was done really well. I liked that we got to see their friendship too. It gave that little something extra to the story.

If you only read one holiday romance, make sure it’s this one!