Despite meeting only once when they were sixteen, Beat Dawkins and Melody Gallard have always been a part of each other's lives. Their mothers fronted one of the biggest rock groups of the '90s, and rumors of their feud and break-up still swirl around the internet. Beat and Melody have spent their lives hounded by people wanting to know the truth, and it seems like the wait is over. When a producer offers Beat a lot of money to sign on to a reality TV show reuniting his and Melody's mothers for a Christmas performance, he's hard-pressed to say no, but he won't do it without Melody. Melody isn't one for the spotlight but is willing to put her anxieties aside to help Beat. Neither are prepared for the media frenzy that follows or that more people seem interested in Beat and Melody's raging attraction than seeing Steel Birds reunite. But dredging up the past means bringing long-buried secrets to light that have the potential to ruin everything.

You can always count on Bailey to have a male love interest who is 100% obsessed with the main character, and this was no exception. Beat and Melody spent about five minutes together when they were sixteen, and the dude has been harboring a protective desire for her ever since. Don't get me wrong, who doesn't swoon over a guy who is helplessly in love with the main character? But I don't think it fully worked here. The storyline takes place over about two weeks, and I didn't feel that was enough time to develop the relationship. Everything just felt so rushed. They did have insane chemistry, and it was cute how they were both in love with each other for years, but I wanted more emotional depth. We got there eventually, but again, it just felt rushed. I also thought everything about the reality show they were filming felt far-fetched. Still, it was entertaining, and I think fans of Bailey will eat this up.

Format - E ARC (Netgalley)

Rating- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Spice- 🌶 🌶 🌶

Series-

Troupes- “Forced proximity, friends to Lovers, parent trap shenanigans,

Representation- social anxiety

CW- blackmailing

Only for a Tessa Bailey book would I read a Christmas story before it’s even Halloween but I’m a Tessa Fan girl though and though so here we are.

Beat and Melody are the son and daughter respectively of the 90’s rock chick duo who had a nasty public brake up. With a blackmailer breathing down his neck Beat needs a lot of cash in a hurry to save his mom from scandal. Enter “Wreck the Halls” a livestream/TV show that will follow him and now the girl he has never gotten out of his head Melody as they embark of a quest to reunite their mothers for a Christmas Eve concert. It’s all fun and games until Melody’s very obvious crush on him becomes public knowledge and Beat can no longer keep his attraction hidden.

This has all of our favorite things about Tessa’s stories, mutual pinning, hot looks, close calls, a witting heroine who doesn’t know how great she is and a hero who would literally burn the world to make her happy. Throw in a his very interesting Kink, some very steamy spicy times and a third act break up that needed to happen to some awesome revenge and it’s one of the best early Christmas presents you’ll read for this season!

I thoroughly enjoyed this absolute madness of a Christmas book and can’t read it again snuggled up with a warm drink and blanket during the actual season!

Perfect Christmas second chance swoon worthy read!


Start to finish, I was laughing; some crying moments. Every Tessa Bailey book I have read is just pure perfection and this book is no different!
There’s a perfect combination of self love, redemption, healing relationships and swoon worthy moments and just the right amount of spice.

Thank you so much to Avon for the advance copy of this!!!

I remember when Tessa announced that she was working on this book, I knew it would be up my alley and that I would just eat it up! And I did! The idea of famous people children getting together still fascinates me even when it plays out in real life so on paper it was no exception.

"Do you think I can just turn this off? Carve you out of my chest? I can't."

Quick summary: Beat and Melody are each children from the duo Steel Birds who are rock legends and split up before the kids were born. Each cannot run from the shadow of their famous mother but a lucrative opportunity arose to try to get the two back together. Beat and Melody need to work together to try to mend their mothers relationship while trying not to fall in love.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Beat and Melody. In the prologue we got to see their meet cute and see the sparks fly between them as teens. And then when this opportunity to get their moms back together, they were forced to see one another and you could just tell how much they trusted one another even without knowing one another. They were in this unique situation together and could really bond over that. Plus hello it's not a Tessa book if there is not sexual tension and then amazing sex scenes.

There was one element of the story in Beat's character that I just didn't get. I won't say what it is but when you read, you may know what I am referring to. But hey it made for great build up.

"What are you doing tomorrow?"
"What else? Watching these two pretend they wouldn't die for each other."

Other than the romance, the process of getting their moms together was an adventure! The tie in of social media and an audience obsession with having content 24/7 made for interesting couple weeks for the two. It definitely is an interesting concept and gave me Big Brother vibes. I thought Beat and Melody did as well as could be expected being thrust into the spotlight. And I did love Beat's protectiveness towards Melody. He got her into this mess and knew he would feel guilty if something would happen to her.

I love how each Beat and Melody had different relationships with their moms. Beat has a close relationship with his mom, working indirectly with her for a charity while as Melody has a standing meet up with her mom every February. She is a free spirit and Melody pretty much raised herself because of this. We learn in the beginning that there is a reason why Beat needs to do this reunion and it connects to why the band broke up & ultimately why they are put in the same room together.

If you are a fan of Tessa's writing, I think you would really enjoy this! I think it was such a fun Christmas theme book! Looking forward to more holiday books from her!

4.5

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the Advanced Readers Copy of Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey!

I genuinely enjoyed this book! Wonderful Christmas vibes and who doesn't love New York at Christmas? I loved the former band-mates, their insults had me actually laughing out loud. The only thing lacking was... the spice? I find it hard to say that about a Tessa Bailey book, but I think a big opportunity was missed to explore a specific sexual preference. The characters did a good job explaining and justifying, even making each other feel safe in their sexual wants. But I wanted more of it! They could have taken his preferences and kept them going while still opening up to each other and creating their level of trust. Anyway, this is a very cute standalone read and I will definitely be adding it to my holiday rotation!

This books has a really interesting premise and I was excited to see it play out. The connection between Beat and Melody was great from page one when they were only 16. Tessa does have a way of writing great connections between characters. Beat’s kink plot line was not what I expected, but I actually liked it and how it played into their overall relationship, it was different and a little intriguing. Overall I really liked the book and and would have given it 3.75 stars but I really needed more from the ending, an epilogue or something. With a story like this you need that little bit more to show where they are in 5/10 years or whatever. So that made it more like a 3.5 star book (rounded up to 4). I’d recommend it, it was a quick and easy to read and you definitely cheer for Beat and Melody from page one. I just really wanted more in the end.

Melody and Beat's moms were the hit band in the late 80s and early 90s with a tumultuous breakup. After the breakup, the women had their two kids and never spoke to each other for 30 years.

Melody is a timid girl who restores books for a living, with a very healthy stipend from her mom. She was bombarded and tormented by the paparazzi during her teenage years and she became a recluse ever since.

Beat was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and always felt like he could never fully trust anybody. Everybody only wanted to know why his mom's band ended. He could never be his true authentic self. In order to combat his station in life, he denies himself any form of pleasure and will do what it takes to help the less fortunate.

Beat and Melody met only once, at 16, and it was instant love on both of their ends. They didn't see each other again for another 14 years when Beat was approached by a reality TV producer to see if he could help get his mom's band back together for a one-night concert. He only would do it if Melody would participate. The only caveat with the show was that Beat and Melody would be filmed and have it live-streamed.

During the livestream their romance bloomed. Millions of viewers got to watch the looks they gave each other and the small gestures they would make in order to be closer to each other.

What I Liked:
The sexual tension was the only thing about the story that I liked. The tension was *chefs kiss*.

I also LOVED that Beat edged himself intentionally. He truly believed that he didn't deserve to feel pleasure so he would never finish with a partner. I can't say I've read about an MMC that would intentionally not finish during sex.

What I Disliked:
The characters themselves were lacking. You never felt like you really got to know the characters. The only thing you could comfortably know about them was that they just couldn't live without each other. Their personalities were each other - if they weren't around each other they were literally nothing. They did nothing and couldn't think about things except the other person. To me that's boring and unoriginal, I understand being so into someone that you think about them a lot, but Beat and Melody truly had 0 personalities if they were alone.


Final Thoughts:
This book felt like something that was written really quickly and not very well thought out... I really enjoy Tessa Bailey's books, but this one just didn't do it...

Another wonderful, fun, spicy, romantic and heartwarming read from Tessa Bailey!

I enjoyed so many facets of this story so much. I found both of our MCs to be SO ridiculously charming. Melody is hilarious and sweet and entirely unaware of her effect on others, in such a humble and aloof way, its just so fun to read her on page. Beat is a dream boat, he is fiercely protective in the way he stands up for everyone around him, but he doesn't land as possessive in an overbearing way. Tessa Bailey has a way of writing such glorious men who are so deeply obsessed with the girl they fall for, and it makes me so giddy and delighted while reading. These two really did have such amazing chemistry, and I really could see what they both meant when they talked about being more themselves when they are together than they ever are otherwise.

The rock star / reality show aspect of this was SO FUN, I was absolutely obsessed with it. Trina and Octavia both had such presence on the page, I felt like I knew them and had been a fan of theirs for my entire life. It made for so much hilarious banter and plot development between their attempted reunion, their enemy status, and the questions surrounding their split in the 90s.

The only qualm I had, and the reason this didn't get 5 stars, is because I really especially hated some of the circumstances of the third act breakup. for one, this plot had plenty of conflict and intrigue at this stage in the story. it really didn't need more between Melody and Beat themselves. Also, Beats particular screw up felt very nonsensical and counter-intuitive to everything we know about him. It just took me out of the story quite a lot. The reconnection had a lot of dramatic payoff and was very romantic, I just wish we had gotten there differently.

I ultimately still enjoyed this a TON, and despite my qualms I think these two are a new favorite TB couple of mine. I think this will be a great holiday read, and definitely will go down as another hit from Tessa Bailey for me!

Thank you so much to Avon & Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the eArc of this!

Melody Gallard and Beat Dawkins are the children of two former rock stars. Melody spends her days restoring old books. Beat runs his mother's charity. Melody was basically harassed by the media when she was younger, while Beat was adored. When Beat is offered alot of money to try to get the duo back together, he approaches Melody to get her to agree.

It was okay. I did like the characters. I think it was slightly spicier than I prefer, but I should have expected that with Tessa Bailey.

I cannot say enough about this book. I finished it in 2 days and it would have been done in 1 day but life got in the way.

The perfect hilarious, laugh out loud, feel good, swoon worthy, libido enhancing holiday romance!

You fall in love with these characters from the very start and fall even harder throughout this book.

Mandy Harris
Angel Wings Bookstore

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey! To be warned, I'm a big fan of the 80s band Heart...and Beat and Melody's mothers gave me major Heart-vibes in this one!

Wreck the Halls has to be one of the cutest, sweetest, spiciest holiday rom-coms I've read in a while! I was captivated by Melody and Beat, their parental backstory, the connection between them....basically everything. I think what I loved most about this story was Melody met Beat at a time when she just needed someone kind. Each of them, internally, had already built up the connection to the other because of their mothers, and meeting for the first time just validated all those teenage curiosities wondering if mother really did know best. Their first meeting was just the cutest little meet cute!

I love the idea of reality show/forced proximity, and that's exactly what Wreck the Halls delivers on from start to finish! Sure, we want to reunite the band (a la Heart in the 80s, anyone?), but we also want to unite Beat and Melody. Both Beat and Melody have such insecurities from their lives growing up in a fish bowl, and they were each other's balm for those insecurities from the beginning. Was it always realistic? No, of course not. But their imagined connection over all the years manifests into one very real connection throughout the book, and it's just plain adorable.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Tessa Bailey's perfect use of spice...the connection between Beat and Melody is HOT. There's a lot of pent up pining from their teenage and early adult years, and once things get close to the finish (IYKYK 😈), you just know their connection is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I found myself blushing several times as I read because, let's be honest, Beat can tap out a rhythm for me any day of the week. 😂

As far as holiday rom coms go (which is a very specific genre, I know), this is a five star read. It has all the elements of the perfect holiday romance! It completely swept me away.

Rating: 5⭐️

There is nothing I like more than a Tessa Bailey book. I’d read anything she writes. If she could find her childhood diaries I’d love to read those. I’d help her self publish them.
Anyway…this was a fun, holiday romance about the two children of two former rock and roll stars. Octavia and Trina created the band Steel Birds and were so popular that 30 years later they are still being asked to reunite. However, they “hate each other” and it will be a cold day in hell before that happens.
Except that Beat (Octavia’s son) and Melody (Trina’s daughter) (see what they did their with the names) 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.
Oh and Melody has had a crush on Beat forever and Beat would lick pavement just for a chance to see Melody for a second. So they chemistry is 🥵

Tessa Bailey can do no wrong in my eyes and Wreck the Halls is just another amazing read from her repertoire! Readers won't want to miss this incredible new romance that is truly PACKED with heart and soul!

Every time Tessa Bailey has a new release, I know I’m going to love it because in Tessa I trust and “Wreck the Halls” did not disappoint! I don’t know what drug Tessa puts in her books but I’m addicted and I’m left waiting with bated breath for her next book release.

Beat and Melody are the children of two former rockstars and now in their adulthood have embarked on the impossible task of reuniting their mothers for one last show, but here’s the catch: every moment of their lives will be lived streamed for the world to see.

Melody was honestly so hilarious that I found myself laughing at loud so many times, and Beat omg I’m obsessed with Beat. He is fiercely protective over Melody, a little bit (a lot) jealousy, and makes her feel like the only person in the world. I love them together so much!

A 5 ⭐️ read for me!

Wreck the Halls featured Melody and Beat, the children of a retired rock star duo, who are trying to pull off a Christmas miracle and convince their famous mothers to reconcile long enough to have a long awaited reunion. There was also a some blackmail involved and a hero who was a bit tortured but completely enamored of the heroine.

Tessa Bailey dished out her typical over-the-top storyline, which was definitely chaotic, but also pretty fun. I do adore how hard her heroes go for the heroines; Beat was obsessed with Melody, and I sort of loved it. I only wish his name was not Beat - it made me laugh every time I read it.

Overall, Wreck the Halls was a fun, slightly ridiculous, yet classic Tessa Bailey read and a fun start to the holiday season.

This hero was a lot to process. I could understand if they had more of a background but he only met her once at 16 for a couple minutes. The whole live streaming thing added another layer of ridiculousness. I never got a sense of the heroine because she was supposed to be a shy shut in but apparently made everyone fall in love with her. Throw in the heroes hang ups and it all added up to a read where I rolled my eyes a lot

Content warnings: blackmail, bullying, estranged parent, long-term family lies

Melody Gallard and Beat Dawkins met once when they were 16, but they've been thinking about each other ever since. They're connected by their mothers, members of the iconic 90s band Steel Birds. Steel Birds broke up 30 years ago, and no one knows why.

When Beat and Melody are approached by a TV producer with an offer to do a livestream reality show about reuniting the band starring the children of the rockers, Melody accepts because Beat says he needs the money. Their goal is to livestream the reunion concert on Christmas Eve... if Melody and Beat succeed.

The characters and their magnetism towards each other reel you in, but you'll stay to find out what everyone is hiding and if the band will get back together. The romance scenes are rated R, so avoid this book if that's not what you came for. Otherwise, recommended for anyone who enjoys romances, especially those revolving around celebrities and/or Christmas.

How does one adequately verbalize the sheer warmth and delight this book brings?

Beat Hawkins and Melody Dawson. The children the iconic rock duo Steel Birds are truly two halves of a whole.

Wreck the Halls is a must read, feel good, heartwarming, whimsical, enchanting JOY — and I recommend this to anyone who enjoys romance (and doesn’t mind some spice 🥰).

Dual POV
Second chance
Magnificent secondary characters
Charming banter
Soulmates

With a side of…
Reality showing
Santa brawling
Spontaneous singing
Bocce balling
Snowball fighting
Bandmates reuniting
And of course… otherworldly loving ♥️♥️♥️

❄️ Friends to lovers
🎄Only one bed
❄️ Celebrities


“Do you work with a magnifying glass attached to your head?” “I work mostly from home. Sometimes that’s all I wear.” Beat choked on his sip of coffee, and flames climbed Melody’s cheeks.

“Kissing Melody was like a welcome home party in a place he’d never be lucky enough to call his home.”

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


Beat Dawkins & Melody Gallard are the children of a women rock duo band that broke up & unknowingly named their kids with complementing names. They would have grown up together had the band never parted but they don’t meet until they are teenagers where they are both smitten with one another but when Beat gives Mel his number she never uses it. Their mothers are complete opposites where Octavia Dawkins is a NY elitist running charity galas and raising money for scholarships but Trina Gallard is a nudist who is in her own little world.

Beat Dawkins has been getting blackmailed by a man for a year and a half wanting money in exchange for his silence on old family details that could ruin his mothers reputation and hurt his father. It’s his surprise birthday party (because he knows his friends so well) and of course the blackmailer chooses that night to ask for more money.

Melody Gallard is a rare book restorer who plays bocce ball with her coworkers. She keeps to herself and knows everyone wants to know about her mother but giving up details feels wrong.

They are both being asked to participate in a reality show to try & get their moms to do a reunion of their band Steel Birds. It’s been 14 years since Mel & Beat last spoke and they both take the meeting mostly to see each other. The show wants to follow them for two weeks to catch every detail live and pay them in the end.

At the meeting they take some time to chat because they aren’t sure what they want to do with the situation. They are still smitten with one another immediately. They both decide to go through with the show but they don’t believe they could ever pull off a reunion.

Finding out who the blackmailer is shocked me. But finding out the band had a love triangle which led to the break up was crazy.

The live videos are a hit for the show and people are loving both Beat & Mel. They also convince Octavia to do one song on Christmas Eve with Trina but now they have to convince Trina even tho they lied and said she already wanted to do it.

Trina is wild. I don’t want to give away any of the details of the trip up to see and convince her of the reunion. That entertainment needs to be a surprise.

Of course in the last 1/3 of the book we have to have the falling out right after the couple officially gets together. Peak rom com but it did make me sad. Overall this book was cute & I really enjoyed it. Thank you Tessa Bailey, NetGalley & Avon for this arc!


A couple things I didn’t love:
- calling it The Parents’ Trap was so awkward and I’m glad the books namesake replaced it
- How long it took beat to tell her about the blackmailer but that he didn’t name who
- It felt like the book kind of just ended. I would have loved to see another 60 pages.