In "Wreck the Halls," Tessa Bailey delivers a delightful holiday rom-com filled with humor, heart, and rock and roll. Melody, the daughter of music royalty, finds herself thrust into the spotlight when a tempting offer comes her way – reuniting her mother's band for a Christmas Eve concert on live TV. Reluctant but intrigued, Mel decides to take on the challenge, and her partner in this madcap mission is none other than Beat, the charismatic lead singer's son. Despite their mothers' infamous feud that shattered the band, Mel and Beat embark on a wild journey that not only involves dealing with rock star shenanigans, brawling Santas, and adoring fans but also sparks a wild, intense attraction between them.

The chemistry between Mel and Beat is palpable as they navigate the chaos of their plan, and Bailey skillfully blends the humorous elements of the story with moments of genuine connection and self-discovery. Mel's journey from a quiet book restorer to someone willing to shake up her life is charmingly portrayed, and Beat's charisma and support provide the perfect foil. "Wreck the Halls" is a delightful and engaging holiday read, showcasing Bailey's talent for crafting a romantic comedy that is both heartwarming and hilariously entertaining.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for an e-galley of Wreck the Halls.

Beat and Melody have barely met each other despite the fact that their mothers were in the same band. Granted, there was a very public breakup prior to their births, but still. Flash forward thirty years and the two have been thrown together with one goal - reunite their mothers' band. The real kicker? The whole adventure will be live streamed. The world will see their every move as they try to figure out what caused the band to break up and the subsequent 20+ year rift. Will Beat and Melody meet their goal in time for Christmas? Or will it all fall apart before it begins?

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Avon and Harper Voyager for the gifted book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Dual POV, rockstars, spicy

This was too cheesy. It was totally missing holiday vibes. They met one time before. The romance was lacking. Their names are awful. I just could not take it seriously.

This was fun and spicy. I loved the premise of reuniting a band via the members' children and a reality show/live stream and I adored watching Beat and Melody connect. There was a type of spice that I wasn't expecting given the fun cover and Christmas book, but it made it all the hotter. Another hit by Tessa.

I typically love Tessa Bailey’s writing.. and I love christmas.. so i really thought putting the two together would be a dream
come true.. however, it was not. The cover is so festive and fun.. but the book itself was minimal christmas vibes. It was overall an okay experience, i loved the concept of the children of two rock band members reuniting the band and ultimately falling in love with one another in the process, but this fell horrifically flat.

This was my first time reading Tessa Bailey, and I was pleasantly surprised! I've read similar books in the ever-popular rom-com genre, but Tessa's writing really stands out. The book also isn't too "Christmas-y" despite the title, so it can be a general winter-time read. The romance in this story is very believable, and I became truly invested in Melody and Beat from the start! The balance of narration, character development, and spice is great! I also found the characters very relatable as fellow millennials. Can't wait to discover more of Tessa's books!!

This was so fun! I absolutely loved these characters! The idea behind the story was so different and interesting too. Loved how these two were dated to be together Beat and Melody - the names were perfect too!

I did get frustrated with Beat trying to protect everyone and pushing them away when a lot the issues could have been easily solved with talking to his parents.

I don’t feel as thought it’s marketed correctly. I was hoping for more of a Holiday book and this was less Holiday and more just winter.

I loved the idea of their “show” being live streamed as they tried to get their moms
Back together and how social media fell in love with Beat and Melody. Overall I think this was a good one!

I just love Tessa Bailey's writing! A lot of romance novels don't dig as deep into the relationships between the couple, but Tessa really gave us a great love story between Beat and Melody! I loved the different layers she created. Not only were we rooting for Beat and Melody, but we were kept on the edges of of seats as to what happened between their mom's, The Steelbirds. Such a great read!

This story follows Beat and Melody (ironic I know 😭), the children of rockstar mothers and members of a legendary rock duo that had broken up decades ago. Beat and Melody have always been connected because they understand each other in a way no one else can. They both know what it’s like to never quite live up to their legacy, to hide pieces of themselves away from friends because you never know whether people like you for you or just for your connections. When a producer approached Bear and offers him a large sum of money that he desperately needs in exchange for his participation on a live reality show to reunite the rock duo for a Christmas Eve concert, Beat can’t imagine doing it without Melody. It’s up to them to defy all odds to patch up their mothers’ broken relationship and to find their own happiness along the way.

This had all of Tessa’s classic joy and chemistry. Both characters were charming and funny, the story was engaging and almost felt like a comedic hallmark take on Daisy jones and the six. With that said, something was missing. Much of the angst between this couple revolved around Beat’s kink and its roots in his psychological traumas. I felt like the issue was too smoothly resolved. On top of that, both characters suffered from a very YA-like inability to communicate their needs, which made sense in the beginning when they were 16 but not at all when they met again at 30. Then there’s the insta love. I’m not a hater of insta love but this was like insta infatuation with the power of 10000 suns. The story wasn’t a short one but instead of developing slowly it felt like it sped up a mountain and then couldn’t find its way down. Beat and Melody were at a fever pitch the whole time and ended up engaged in 2 weeks.

To sum up, I had a great time reading this but it wasn’t one of my favorites from this author.

This was such a captivating story! I loved the amazing chemistry and tension between the two main characters - it was so real it felt like something you could reach out and grasp. There were an amazing amount of emotions interwoven through the book and I really loved reading it. Some parts towards the end got a bit trite for me but overall I just so enjoyed reading this one.

I really wish this was based on a true story because I would follow along on this reality TV show journey! As well as listen to the music of the two lovebirds mothers. Tessa Bailey writes fun romcoms that I always easily get caught up in, and this was no exception. The added bonus of it being a holiday read made my heart even happier. Highly recommend picking it up if you are still reading Christmas books, or add it to your TBR for next year!

Tessa Bailey books are always a fun ride! Wreck the Halls was a cute story. It's perfect for those who want to immerse themselves in a quick holiday read that is heartwarming and funny.

I gave this one a 3.5 and would recommend for fans of Tessa Bailey and romcoms in general

I can’t believe it’s basically Christmas - wow, has time flown by! I’ve finished shopping, wrapped all my gifts and am ready for the big day! 🥰 I also have consumed myself with holiday reads and have made a serious dent in my holiday book stack!
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I just finished Wreck the Halls and I don’t want to be a Grinch, but it was… odd. The concept was really great, but the execution was… not. 😬

I've been so let down by Tessa Bailey recently. I think she's writing too much and too fast. I love her older works but this was just bad. The sex scenes were almost unbearable to read, the pacing was off, and the characterizations were add and forced.

3.5 stars
I enjoyed this one mostly, it was entertaining. Beat & Melody are the children of rock stars but their families had a falling out. It is up to Beat and Melody to get them to be friends again. Ends up being a a fun story. Liked both of their characters!

Melody and Beat are the children of the legendary rock duo, but after a falling out right before they were born, their mom’s broke up the band and haven’t spoken since. When Beat is offered a large amount of money (that he really needs) if he can get their moms to reunite on Christmas Eve on live TV, but he will only do it if Melody is also on board. Pretty soon livestream cameras are following the two of them, watching them attempt to reunite their moms, and fall in love with each other in the process.

While this wasn’t my favorite Tessa Bailey book, there was a lot I enjoyed. I thought the plot was fun and having the children of two rockstars team up was a lot of fun. The wild situations Beat and Melody found themselves in were a lot of fun and the livestreaming made for an extra twist of drama. This book also has the amazing spice I love from Tessa Bailey’s books. Although this is marketed as a holiday romance, it was very light on Christmas.

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Melody Gallard and Beat Dawkins are the adult children of the stars of the broken up rock group, Steel Birds. With their mothers not talking since the band broke up, Mel and Beat haven’t seen each other in 16 years. When a reality TV show producer reaches out to them to get the duo back together, the two must team up, on a reality TV show no less, and get the rock legends to perform live on a Christmas Eve special.

I loved the synopsis of this book when I read it, and thought the plot sounded so cute that I knew I needed to read it. I held off to read it until this month since it’s marketed as a Christmas romance. Would I consider this a Christmas book? Not really. Is it set around Christmas? Yes, but that’s pretty much all it has to do with the holiday. Did that stop me from enjoying it? Not at all!

I thought Mel was a great character. She started off sort of nerdy and introverted, and I loved how once she started working with Beat, she came out of her shell and gained confidence in herself. These characters had a way of bringing the best out in each other, and it was really sweet to see how protective Beat was with Mel. However, he seemed a bit possessive of her, and there were times I just wanted to yell at him to open up to her and let her figure things out for herself. She’s an adult and he should have treated her as an equal and not someone who always needed to be protected.

This book has a lot of spicy scenes in it so be forewarned that if you’re listening to it, like I did, this is not safe for work! 😂 I found the steamy scenes to be a bit cringy and would have liked a little more romance thrown into them. Without giving any spoilers, I did think Beat’s issues in the bedroom, for lack of a better word, were a bit odd and not completely realistic.

I really wanted more with their mothers as I thought they brought the comedy to this romcom, and I loved when the two of them were together. There should be another book just about them (hint hint)!

I enjoyed the reality TV show aspect of the story, and how all of Beat and Melody’s friends could see what was happening between them even when they couldn’t. The ending felt a bit rushed and not entirely realistic since these two really only knew each other for two weeks, but overall I really enjoyed this story. After not loving the last book I read by this author, I was happy that this one felt back up to the writing I’ve expected from her after reading It Happened One Summer.

I listened along to the audiobook while reading the DRC and really enjoyed both narrators, Brooke Bloomingdale and James Gloucester. The dual point of views worked perfectly, and they did a great job of bringing these characters to life. I highly recommend listening to this one if you can!

Beat & Melody are what Christmas & Hallmark romcom dreams are made of!

They are the children of rock legends (who had a major falling out) & now they are tasked with getting them to agree to a reunion, alllll while being filmed for a live stream reality show! What could possibly go wrong there 🙃

Seriously though, loved these characters, their development, their chemistry, & their story! Was a great book end to my holiday reads this year & highly recommend!

I had heard mixed things about Wreck the Halls so I went it with low expectations and it was a super cute read! The children of a rock duo that broke up over 30 years ago try to get them back together for a reunion while being live on the internet? For sure a good time! This has easily been my favorite Christmas read of the season. Melody and Beat (yes the names are cheesy but cheesy is def the name of the game in this novel) both have their own trauma from growing up as the children of infamous rock stars and deal with it in totally different ways. It was fun to watch the sparks fly and see them both grow throughout the book.

So steamy and fun! Melody and Beat are the children of famous rock duo, Steel Birds. They decide to team together to get their mothers to reunite, while live streaming their adventures along the way. While the show starts about their moms, fans quickly see the connection between Melody and Beat.