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!

Tessa Bailey's Christmas books are my kryptonite. Actually, I think Tessa Bailey books in general are my kryptonite. I absolutely loved this book! The premise itself is so fun - two children of rockstars who are stuck together while their moms reunite for one last time? SO good. It almost barely felt like a holiday romance because of this. I also just love the way Tessa writes characters - Melody and Beat each so clearly have their own hardships that they need to work through and overcome, and the character development by the end of the book was immaculate. And as per usual, the chemistry was off the charts - I'm obsessed. Can't wait to read whatever Tessa writes next!

Thank you Avon for the ARC! :)

I LOVED this! Beat & Melody (apart from having the most perfect complementary names ever) are like peanut butter & jelly, movies & popcorn, and me & books (you all understand and can relate to this one!). Their love story and their mission they’re on - reuniting both of their respective mothers’ band after a decades old feud - was one that I didn’t want to stop reading (and I didn’t - I was up way too late finishing the book and then immediately writing this review).

Tessa Bailey (I’ve said it before and it’s worth repeating - she’s one of my all-time faves!) was able to write this in such a way that I felt like I was watching it on screen. I mean, the story is actually about a reality livestream show, but I felt like it could be actually made into one. Fingers crossed for a TV/film adaptation! In addition to loving the dynamic duo of Beat & Melody, I adored Beat’s mom, Octavia. There’s one scene in particular that cemented that for me (she’s a wise lady) and she was everything. As for spice, Tessa leaves the door wide open and it’s just so good. A word of caution - don’t be reading this around your family this holiday season though, unless you want your cheeks to be as red as Rudolph’s nose! (That was a corny joke and I make no apologies.)

All in all, I loved this, love Tessa, and give this book my wholehearted recommendation. Pick it up to read during this holiday season - or whenever, really!

Huge thanks to NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for this eARC. You made my year with this approval! This review has been written honestly, voluntarily, and these thoughts are all my own.

This book was so dang entertaining form start to finish! As if I couldn't fall in love with Tessa Bailey even more, she gives us a heartwarming, funny, dirty, mushy holiday read that I couldn't put down. Melody and Beat's insta-chemistry was insane from start to finish and I loved every single thing about them. I loved how they fit together just right, like they were made for each other. This rom-com was funny as hell, Tessa Bailey style, and further affirmed how much I love Tessa. The feud between Melody and Beat's mothers was hilarious but also realistic, and the mental health issues that both Melody and Beat went through/were going through made my heart ache to read. I love that Tessa makes her MCs always obsessed with each other. All in all, this was a FANTASTIC read, Tessa knocked it out of the park once again.

Wreck the Halls was my most anticipated holiday romance of the year. It had all of the things that I wanted...celebrity, steam, just the right amount of Christmas woven through...But it also had things that frustrated me to no end. Blackmail just isn't a trope that works for me. It seems like such an easy fix from the outside looking in and always leads to lies and secrets. Their need for space constantly made me feel like they weren't dealing with their issues. It was so good and had so much potential but also left me wanting more.

This was an easy fun read just in time to get me ready for the holidays! I really enjoyed these characters and loved getting to see their story play out. I loved the tropes and couldn’t help but laugh at some of these moments between them. If you’re looking for a great pick me up and make me feel good romance then this is a good one!

Wreck the Halls isn't like anything I have ever read before. Melody and Beat have been connected their whole lives by their mothers' fame. When they finally meet, that connection is only reinforced, but they don't follow up on it for reasons. Melody is convinced that Beat has the whole "child of a famous person" thing handled while she is just trying to hide from cruel tabloid articles. It turns out that the truth is way more complicated than that. I loved both of these characters, and I loved their relationship. The magic between them jumps off the page and makes this book impossible to put down.

I absolutely LOVE Tessa Bailey and I was THRILLED to receive this ARCH book. This swoon- worthy holiday romance gave me everything I didn’t know I needed, I’m crying and have such a book hangover from this. PEOPLE; ORDER THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW!!!

🎤holiday RomCom
🎸second chance(ish)
🎤celebrities’ kids
🎸reality show
🎤insta connection
🎸one (very narrow) bed
🎤close proximity

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

It Happened Once Summer & Hook, Line, and Sinker were the second and third romances I’ve ever read. The latter was the first I’d ever done an edit on because… well, I couldn’t help it. It did things to me. Made me feel. And I just couldn’t not do it. I’ve been chasing that Tessa Bailey high ever since. Until now. Until Wreck the Halls.

“And why did she feel alone whether she was with people or not?”

I could tell there was something special about this one from a handful of pages alone. The same special thing so many of us found in the Berlinger Sisters.

“Were you made for me? Is that what this is?”

Beat & Melody go into this wild crusade to get their moms back together for one last concert. All while getting the whole thing streamed live on social media and as they dodge the many secrets they harbor.

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

The banter. THE BANTER. The swoon. THE SWOON. The laughter. THE LAUGHTER. Tessa Bailey hit the perfect home run with this one and made me crave the holiday season like crazy.

Tessa’s humor really shines through Mel.
Tessa’s talent to write a perfectly imperfect MMC really shows with Beat.
And this might be my new Tessa Bailey favorite.

Tessa Bailey is QUEEN!! Tessa is one of my favorite authors, and have been for years. I have read almost all her books, and they are always a hit for me. This one was no different… I ate this UP!! A perfect read for the christmas season & I know everyone is going to love this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars

Wreck the Halls is the latest Tessa Bailey romcom and this time set at Christmas. It follows Melody and Beat, children of two former rockstars who team up to reunite their estranged mothers at Christmas. Mel and Beat had a teen romance and realize those feelings never went away.

This was such a cute and steamy holiday read. I love a second chance romance and this one really worked for me. It definitely made me ready for the holiday season!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

‘Tis the season to reunite everyone’s favourite rock divas—who haven’t spoken in decades. Meet Melody Gallard, daughter of music royalty, whose life is quiet and quaint. Preferring to spend her days restoring old books and avoiding the cameras, she’s the perfect opposite to Beat Dawkins, the lead singer’s son, who is adored by the paparazzi. Growing up under the eyes of millions who just want Melody and Beat’s respective mothers to reunite and sing epic songs again, Melody and Beat have a lot to deal with and they’re just fine not stoking the fires of reunion rumours. That is, until a producers offers them a lot of money to reunite their mothers’ band on live TV. Together, they will try their best to make the Steel Birds soar once more by Christmas.

While dealing with a camera in their faces 24/7, mobs of adoring fans and the seemingly impossible task of getting their mothers to reunite, Mel and Beat can’t seem to help their intense chemistry and attraction. And what starts out as a way to gain independence from their headstrong mothers and earn a whole lot of money might just be the start of a newfound love.

But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal could ruin everything Melody and Beat have been working towards—most of all their happily ever after.

“You’ll never leave my system, Mel. You’re one half of it.” Excuse me, nothing to see here, just catch me simping for Beat Dawkins the way he simps for Melody. If you like the “he fell first AND he fell harder” trope, add this book to your TBR right this second. In all my years as a romance fan, I have never seen a man be that gone for a woman and I was very much here for it. One fateful first meeting between the two of them when they’re teens turns into a love story for the ages when the two are thrown together to reunite their parents’ band and old feelings surface. And honestly, who can blame them, even I fell in love with both of them just reading that scene.

Melody and Beat have uncanny chemistry from the very first moment they meet. I loved all the scenes between them, from Beat’s protective instincts to Melody’s kindness and hilarious running commentary on everything they were experiencing. It’s so painfully obvious that these two are meant to be together and I just wanted to tell them to get smooching already (just like all the fans watching their livestream). Rarely have two characters been so in tune, whether it comes to the way they understand each other’s fears and reluctance to open up or simply to the way you can charm somebody’s pants off.

While I confess that the secrecy around Beat’s kink and his reluctance to tell it to Melody seemed a tad ridiculous to me (I’m a veteran indie romance reader and let me tell you, that kink is like the most run-of-the-mill one there is when it comes to romances), I think it made a lot of sense, especially considering the way it was heavily influenced by his inability to trust anyone who wouldn’t use it to exploit him.

This brings me to another highlight of Wreck the Halls, and that’s the sensitive touch with which Bailey approaches the topic of trust in here. Both Melody and Beat find it hard to trust others because of the way the media has been treating them over the years and the way Beat is being exploited by someone that should care for him. I loved how we got to see the ways in which this has influenced their attitudes toward others—Beat has perfected his performance in front of his friends and loved ones while Melody shies away from being too vulnerable and opening up her heart. Individually and together, they both have a lot to learn and it’s a fascinating journey following them to their happily ever after, all mixed together with hilarious situations with their mothers, the ups and downs of falling in love and casually being hunted down by adoring fans. Because, lest you think this story is super heavy, Bailey excels as always at balancing the heavy with the light, and every sad scene is easily counteracted with one that makes your stomach cramp from laughing.

In all honesty, their mothers Octavia and Trina, while only present for a few key moments, are the cherry on top of an already incredibly delectable story. Their animosity, smart banter, and eventual scheming perfectly rounded out this intense yet hilarious romance. I think this just might be “the” holiday rom-com of the year.

A story of love, forgiveness, and learning to trust after being burned, Wreck the Halls is the unputdownable holiday romance you’ve been waiting for!

I am a Tessa Bailey Stan but this book was not it for me. I did like the whole second change romance aspect but I found the characters to really not be great and I’m finding out that I don’t like music themed romances. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love Tessa Bailey books. That said, I had a wee bit of a hard time connecting with this one. I loved everything, except Beat’s reason for why he’s doing this. Also, the synopsis was definitely deceptive to me. That said, I did love the journey into some different loving. Can’t say more cause I don’t want to give away any spoilers!

Let’s be honest…Tessa Bailey books are the best and they never disappoint. The characters and chemistry are pitch perfect. Beat and Melody are great characters…and the steam…WOW!