The Steel Birds, the greatest female rock duo in history, split up many years ago. They’re like oil and water and haven’t spoken in thirty years. They have two children between them, Beat and Melody. Beat is being blackmailed by his biological father, and desperately needs money to pay him off. He gets Melody to agree to do a live reality show over the two weeks leading up to Christmas in the hopes of attaining a $1million payday. The one condition though is that they have to orchestrate the seemingly impossible - get their two mothers to agree to a reunion performance of Steel Birds.
Holy smokes! Break out the fans, ‘cause that’s what you’ll need while you’re reading this hot romance. These two have got it bad. It’s a character driven story, and what a great cast it has. Melody slays, she’s SO funny! I loved watching her blossom. For everyone who likes romances with lots of sizzle and humor. 4.25 stars

Melody and Beat, the adult children of two rockstars, team up together on television to convince their estranged mothers to play a Christmas Eve concert. But a decades-old scandal threatens everything, including their growing love for one another.

I loved this stand-alone holiday rom-com! And even though I don't always go for the insta-love trope, Tessa Bailey might have just converted me! Melody and Beat had only met once before, briefly as teens, but through their unique position as children of celebs, I readily accepted their connection and how it bonded them. Plus, they had great chemistry.

I really like Bailey's FMCs, but Melody is my new fave! She was sweet and genuine and never changed for the TV cameras or recognition that came her way. She was also adorable and witty and delivered many of the funniest lines in the book! And to top it off, Melody was bookish and worked in old book restoration. Beat was handsome, charming, and kind-hearted. Bailey writes great banter, which was on full display with these two, along with some spice!

This had such an escapist feel it almost felt like watching a movie with its glamorous rockstar/reality TV elements and the NYC Christmas setting, complete with a snowball fight! Fast-paced, sexy, and fun! I could not put this down. Spicy rom-com lovers and Tessa Bailey fans will want to add this to their tbr!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the opportunity to review this ARC!

Wreck the Halls was such a feel good and fun holiday romance that can be read anytime of the year!

Beat and Melody are the two children of the famous duo- Steel Birds that broke up 30 or so years ago. When Octavia was pregnant with Beat, and Trina with Melody. They haven't spoken in all that time, but now that they've grown popular again people are demanding a reunion and who better to facilitate that than the children of these legends? A reality tv producer wants to make this happen.

Beat would never dream of doing something like this, but honestly he needs the money and it's for something he can't go to his mom for. Melody and Beat have only met once when they were 16 but have this major connection. When Beat asks Melody to help him, she can't say no. They only have a few weeks and cameras are following them nonstop, but they set off to do the impossible. Together.

This is a very character driven story and I think that's why it worked so well. Melody and Beat are both incredible charters. Melody, however, stole the show. With her quirky personality and fun loving attitude, you can't help but love her. She and Beat are both so gone for each other. It's adorable.

I loved so much about this book! I do wish we would have gotten more of an ending, an epilogue maybe, but aside from that it was truly magical!

*Title: Wreck the Halls, a standalone 

 *Release date: 10/3/23, read: 10/1/23

*Author: Tessa Bailey, read the Bellinger Sisters and Hot & Hammered series-*4 reads

*Format: e-ARC

*Page Count: 368

*POV: 3rd person

*Setting: NYC

*Genre: Contemporary Romance, Rom-Com

*Tropes:
- celebrity parents
 -live reality show
- holiday vibes
 -female friendship
- love triangle
-friends to lovers

*Look out for:
media bullying, mental health/therapy

*Synopsis: After 30 years, Melody and Beat agree to film a reality show attempting to reunite Steel Birds-their mothers' rock band now music royalty.

*Characters
*Beat Dawkins: 30, son of Octavia Dawkins; being blackmailed for money and family secrets.

*Melody Gallard :30, a rare book restoration specialist; Trina Gallard's daughter.

*Octavia: the lead singer; now has a foundation that provides scholarships for performing arts students. Shares responsibility with Beat.

*Trina: The lyricist and bassist; now only visits Melody once a year and pays for her expenses.

*Danielle: From Applause Network. Wants Mel and Beat for a live reality show to reunite their mothers' band-Steel Birds.

*Review: I loved how protective Beat was towards Melody, even when they were kids. Mel's life was reclusive and quiet until Beat came back into her life. They were attracted to each other and had their mothers' fame and music in common. A great steamy romance!

*Rating: 5/5  

 *Spice level- 5/5 

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for this ARC💙! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions are my own.

Just take my money. I *demand* a special edition because a book like this deserves all the frills.

Melody and Beat are the now-adult children of rock royalty, their mothers the leads in a band I mentally compared to Heart while I read the book.

The band that broke up (explosively) before Mel and Beat were born, and went viral again 30 years later.

As their mothers were no longer friends, Mel and Beat didn’t grow up together. But they did meet once, and it was clear that they had an instant connection.

And man, was it well written. I could not for the life of me imagine these characters apart, and I ate up every second of it!

Now, Beat is being blackmailed, and it looks like the only way he can protect his secret is working with Mel to get the band back together in time for a Christmas Eve reunion.

Ensue live-streaming, adoring fans, ALL the sexual tension (and forced proximity), touch-her-and-regret-it, and music references!

My favorite part of this book was the way Beat touched Mel, and no, I’m not talking about the spicy scenes.

(But the spice? Excellent, of course! It’s TB, after all.)

Beat was always touching Mel, whether it was for his own reassurance, to protect her, to comfort her… and I will be re-reading this for that feature alone.

I adored who Beat was, his consideration, and want to BE Mel (she has the coolest job ever), who grows so much throughout the book, finding her voice.

This is a quick and deliciously fun read that will appeal to everyone who likes romance, music, and the holidays.

At its heart was the undeniable link between Mel and Beat— and I’m sold!

This should be on your holiday reading list.

How does Tessa Bailey continue to make these romances so good?! She just has the magic touch. I enjoyed this one and I loved getting to see two people come together and fall in love, with one being an introvert. I loved reading this holiday story and can't wait for everyone to read it!

This was an interesting set-up to have the children of a legendary music duo finally meet and fall for each other. I also liked following the growth of the heroine, Melody, who was so very shy and unwilling to put herself forward.

I just felt that the story dragged a bit in the middle. I enjoyed it, but I wanted to see more revenge on the bad guy who had so messed up everyone’s lives.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review

Bookandachai National Treasures: Henry Cavil, Jennifer Coolidge, Sam - the barista at Starbucks who always makes the perfect chai, and Tessa Bailey.

“You’ll never leave my system, Mel. You’re one-half of it.”

Picture two bad a$$ rocker chicks, who make up one of the biggest bands of all time. They mysteriously break up and years later their respective kids - Beat & Melody try to stage a reunion. Live. Like, all of it is LIVE streamed for the public to also catch the hype. Except - Beat has always stayed uber-private about his personal life, why all the sudden would he sign up for a reality show? And Melody has become her own recluse, restoring old books and barely making bocce night once a week. But when she's with Beat she just, shines.

THE BANTER. Celebrity kids. Insta connection. Holiday romance. Open door (duh, this is Tessa Bailey). Rock stars. One bed.

*please say Danielle (producer) and Joseph (cameraman) are getting their own story too ...

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Book for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so cute! I am not a big fan of holiday books until it’s actually December (or very close), but this book was very light on the holidays - in a good way! The main characters are on a livestream reality-type show to get their mothers to reunite for a Christmas Eve concert. Beat and Melody were born around the same time in early 90s to each of the women in a popular band, Steel Birds, that broke up in an epic way prior to their births. While the public has been calling for a Steel Birds reunion for a while, Beat is now motivated by money to make it happen and Melody finds herself more game than expected. They had previously met about 15 years prior, feeling immediately connected. As one can imagine, their instant connection morphs into an insta-love romance that the livestream viewers can not get enough of!
With a great plot and some steamy scenes (although not as gratuitously steamy as many of the author’s other books!), Wreck the Halls is a really fun read that I recommend! Thanks to Avon Books for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. This comes out Tuesday, and don’t let the title fool you into saving it for December (although I’m sure it would be good then, too!)

what amazing holiday sweetness has been bestowed on us by miss tessa bailey!!

i don’t usually like holiday rom-coms. i don’t know, maybe it’s the hours upon hours of hallmark movies i’ve watched with my nana and mom that have worn me down? who can say… but i LOVED this. maybe because it’s not *overly* christmas.

i had a great time. i read it in under 24 hours. it isn’t even the holiday season yet, but wrap me up in some tinsel i am ready to go.

beat and melody (yeah, you heard that right) are the children of two female rockstars who’s iconic band broken up right before they were born. after meeting briefly when they were 16 years old, melody and beat have never been able to stop thinking about one another. so when melody gets approached by a tv producer to have a meeting about a live reality tv show — that beat has already agreed to — melody says yes. really, she just wants to see beat. so begins ‘wreck the halls’ the reality tv extravaganza in which beat and melody will try to parent trap their mothers into getting the band back together for one more show on Christmas eve.

tessa bailey’s books are *exactly* what you’re craving when you say: i want to read a rom-com. funny? yes. romantic? yes. quirky? yes. a little far-fetched? yes (in the best way). the antics of this story were a delight to partake in. the storyline was unique and i think that’s what immediately drew me in. beat and melody had instant chemistry. melody was the kind of FMC where everything she does you just want to scream: YES GIRL GET IT. and she does, she does get it. the scenes with melody’s mother trina, and the santas, i was laughing out loud. please read this book just to get to that part which is utter chaos and lunacy and delight.

highly recommend this book for some fun.

well you know what they say… life’s too short to read books you don’t like. i forced myself to get 40% in and i just can’t do it anymore, i have been bored the entire time i’ve tried getting through this the last two days.

i fully assumed this book was going to be a super cute cheesy hallmark esque but spicy kind of book, and maybe it would have finally gotten to that point but the only christmas going on in this book is that it starts two weeks before christmas and they need their mothers to reunite by christmas eve. that’s it. also there’s this whole blackmail subplot that kind of smacks you in the face immediately and is just weird?

40% in and nothing and has really even occurred other than a whole bunch of babbling and internal monologuing. i do like the main characters on their own as a person but together it’s just lacking and i’m not connecting to either nor really feel a connection between them.

really sad bc i expected to be giggling and kicking my feet the whole time but i do be snoozing instead 🥱🥱🥱

i still encourage others to give it a try, this could just totally be a me situation of not enjoying my time reading it. but it was definitely a huge miss for me unfortunately

This book was everything. It was a holiday romcom that was more focused on the characters than the holiday. The cast was lovable, the pace was fast, it was a great mix of plot and character driven storytelling. Pure magic and an absolute joy to read.

Melody is the daughter of one half of female rock duo The Steel Birds and she teams up with Beat the son of the other half of the rock sensation. Together they join a reality TV stream to try and reunite the band for one last concert. For Melody this is the chance to shake up her quiet life as a book restoration specialist who avoids the limelight. For Beat, who is the opposite, this is a last ditch effort to get the finances to pay off his blackmailer. But they need each other to even stand a chance at reuniting their moms who haven’t spoken in over thirty years. Doesn’t hurt that the two have been harboring secret crushes since they met the once at 16 years old…

Typical Tessa Bailey spice and a second chance holiday storyline? What’s not to like?!

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Such an adorable holiday read!!!! If holiday romance and rockstar romance had a baby, this is it, well kinda!
The characters are lovable, and also relatable. As far as relationships, go, whether friendships or romantic, there’s always that one that is an extrovert, and that one that’s an introvert, this book captures both of their personalities perfectly!
If you’re wanting a good, holiday read, this is it!

Can one moment change your life? Melody and Beat are struggling with that question. They met, briefly, when they were teenagers. Each the child of a famous duo that broke up just before they were born. It was at that moment that a spark was formed but neither ever followed up on it. Now, there is a producer hounding them to star in a reality show, one that will bring their mothers back together.
I guess I didn't quite realize from the description that the two of them would be in a reality competition. Public-facing romances are not my favorite so I had a little bit of difficulty connecting to this book. Even if I didn't quite connect with the premise, I still enjoyed the writing.

The Premise: This is a standalone holiday rom-com about the adult children of two former rock stars( Beat and Melody) who team up to convince their estranged mothers to play a Christmas Eve concert.

I loved this book.

Let me back up.

I usually don't go for insta-love novels, but trust Tessa Bailey to pull it off.. It's cute, it's hilarious, its spicy and it takes place at the most wonderful time of the year. What else could you ask for?

My one gripe ( it really isn't a gripe, just one thing that bothered me) was that we knew a lot about Beat's life. What he did, his friends etc.. But with Melody, other than playing one sport and what she did for a living, we didn't learn much about her life outside of the story and her mom. I would have loved to have her have a friend to confine in or talk to about her relationship with Beat.

And Beat, bless his heart. If you read the book, you will understand that. LOL

All in all, this was just what it was supposed to be: a quick fun Christmas read. Think Hallmark with a lot of SEX.
Spicy sex.

I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was my first Tessa Bailey book, and I’ve wanted to try her for a while.

This one was fun and cute - I think my personal preference are stories where the couples are a little less insta-lovey, and with a little less miscommunication.

My own preferences aside, this was fun, and I think plenty of people would enjoy this story.

Wreck the Halls is bestselling author Tessa Bailey’s newest standalone Christmas romantic comedy featuring opposites with a shared history. It’s very different from most Christmas romances in that it’s both steamy and it involves adult children of rock stars.

The Steel Birds were America’s most popular female rock duo until they split up in 1992 for reasons they wouldn’t disclose. The next year both Octavia Dawkins and Trina Gallard gave birth to a baby. In 2009 their offspring met for the first time, at age 16, at a TV studio for separate interviews. Beat Dawkins was a golden boy from Los Angeles, handsome and living a charmed life. Melody Gallard was an awkward New Yorker, raised by nannies, and fighting acne and hormones.

The story picks up in present day as both Melody and Beat approach their 30th birthdays. Melody is still living in New York City, but she lives a very quiet life, restoring rare books and avoiding the limelight. Meanwhile Beat runs a charitable foundation with his mom and has spent his all his money paying off a blackmailer in order to keep their family secrets from being revealed. Now the unknown blackmailer, one of his mom’s old band members, is demanding a $800,000 payment, which Beat doesn’t have. When Danielle Doolin, a TV producer, offers him a million dollars to reunite the Steel Birds on live TV, Beat is very tempted.

When Danielle approaches Melody about reuniting the Steel Birds, she agrees to do it because she’s ready to break free from her quiet life and she wants to see Beat again. Neither Melody nor Beat forgot their one meeting and still feel attracted to each other. There’s a lot of craziness as they convince their mothers to perform this one show on Christmas Eve. While Beat and Melody are falling in love, they discover why their moms split up and reveal the blackmailer.

Wreck the Halls is an excellent Christmas story if you are looking to read something that is very different from the normal Hallmark-style books. The plot is unique. Melody and Beat are both very likeable characters, although incredibly different. The challenges they face in getting the concert to happen and discovering the blackmailer’s identity really keep the story moving. This tale is different from the author’s previous bestselling books, and I really enjoyed it.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a CLASSIC TB book. However, like with TB's other holiday romance, I found this one to be a bit rushed in development.

Bailey is often a utilizer of insta-love and thought I sometimes don't mind it, I think it killed this story a little bit for me. Wreck The Halls is about the children of famous musicians who once had a public breakup of their band (think Daisy Jones and the Six meets the Fleetwood Mac Silver Springs Live moment). When a reality show producer approaches Beat and Melody (yes those are their names) about reuniting their mothers for one last holiday performance, the two team up, Beat needing the money from the show.

The key to this story is the first chapter/prologue, in which Beat and Melody meet as teenagers on a morning show set. They briefly interact, both finding the other immensely attractive and form an instant bond due to the unwanted attention from their mothers' public feud. They meet almost 10 years later for the reality show.

Wreck the Halls had Tessa Bailey's signature humor and VERY hot sex scenes, but I think the reliance so heavily on this almost 'love at first sight' plot ended up undermining the relationship building. Both the characters have convinced themselves they are basically in love w the other within the first few chapters. Though the story itself was fun, I don't think it was necessarily engaging ENOUGH to make up for the lack of relationship-building.

That being said I did speed-read this, due to the humor and fun spicy scenes. Definitely not Bailey's best, but far from her worst. A very mid holiday romance.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Original concept, loved the chemistry between the characters right away and how the story found resolution.

Beat and Melody...

Born two months apart to two famous, rockstar mothers, who broke up in 1993, right before they were born. It was a bitter, acrimoious and permanent break up. Right?
Beat, the perfect, handsome son of Octavia, the one who everything came easy to, the one the media loved and adored, too much came easy for him. It left him with a very particular sexual hang up. Control. Letting go.

Melody was the one the media picked on, made fun of, was brutal to. She shuns the limelight, does her YA book repair and sees her wild child, hippie, rocker mother once a year for her birthday. She's crushed on Beat since they met that one time at sixteen. Beat has crushed on Melody, too, only, he's so perfect and handsome, no one thinks he's into Melody. Thank god, Beat has his sexual prediliction and that he's being blackmailed, or else he would be too perfect, Kind, charming, perfect.

Beat needs the money to pay his blackmailer off. Melody is helping Beat. They share a unique connection that only they two can share. Attraction and understanding.
I loved how funny, snarky and unexpected Melody is. She's adorbs, her lack of filter is just so funny. Beat is sweet and his hang up fits his personality perfectly.

So they agree to do a reality livestream show to get their mothers back together to do a Christmas performance. Can I give it a ten? Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. Its was funny, sweet and spot on. Hands down, my new favorite Tessa Bailey book.
Highly recommend.