I swear, only Tessa Bailey could make me read a book about a guy called Beat. For real. This was absolutely ridiculous but it was so fun and I loved it. It was definitely insta-love and the way they were like "I've met you exactly one time and you're my SOUL MATE" was giving delusional and cringe but I love absolutely anything Tessa Bailey writes and this is no exception.

My favourite characters were Octavia and Trina. They were so funny and I would love to read their story about their days in the band and the breakup - kind of a Daisy Jones vibe.

If you're looking for a silly lil romance book to read at Christmas time but isn't very Christmassy (not a bad thing in my opinion), this is for you!

This is my first Tessa Bailey book and I’m obsessed! This doesn’t release till October, just in time for Christmas and this is truly the perfect Christmas read. Don’t sleep on it…

Beat & Melody are children of rockstars; the female duo band; The Steeler Birds; but just before they were born, the band disbanded and the whole world wants a reunion, unfortunately the 2 women haven’t spoken in 30 years and are arch-nemesis and it would be impossible to get them to talk let alone get them to perform as a duo once again.

Beat & Melody for their own reasons decides to do a reality show that would live stream as they try to get both their mothers to perform one last time at the Rockefeller Centre for New Years Eve.

As they try to put together the impossible; they realise they have a lot more in common, their 2 peas in a pod for several reasons…

This was definitely a MUST READ especially during the holidays, but I couldn’t stop once I started. I’ve been in a bad reading slump and this was the first book I devoured in MONTHS! It’s entertaining, with lots of laugh out loud moments and nearly all the characters are loveable but one.

Beat & Melody was amazing to read, loved them both from the prologue. The whole somewhat of a thrown together reality tv live stream was hilarious and loveable at the same time.

Beat and Melody were a delight! I loved the chaos of this narrative, the plot and driving force was so much fun to read. Each character was unique and felt very real to me. Even the rock stars, which I can't say I've ever met any in person, but it was fun to imagine a duo being cut from very different cloth.

I did receive an ARC for this book and I noticed there were some grammar points which I would hope get picked up and edited before final publishing. Though that being said, this was an ARC and my rating does not factor this in and is graded purely on the enjoyment and story of the novel itself.

As this was my introduction to Tessa as a writer I am definitely going to be looking into her more popular books that have already released. My only issue with her writing style is it is quite difficult for me to actually pin down who is speaking or what actions are being done by which people at particular times during the novel. Again I am unsure if this is because of the ARC copy and would be better amended in the release or if this is common for her books. I will only be able to confirm by reading others!

If you want to warm up your Christmas this year, I would actually very easily recommend this book. The shenanigans our two main protagonists got into were so out there, it felt like I was reading the script to an outrageously fun Holiday Rom-Com movie. The banter was great and I 100% saw myself falling into the "Melody-Head" bandwagon, she was adorable and I loved her so much!

Tessa Bailey has done it again! Another amazing book. To say I devoured this book would be an understatement. I absolutely adored this story. The premise of the “parent trap” has always been one of my favourites. This book has everything you can want and expect from Tessa Bailey. A compelling love story, underlying plots, a hint of mystery, intrigue and of course our favourite “only one bed”. Wreck the Halls is a perfectly crafted Christmas read. If you haven’t preordered your copy already, why are you waiting for!?! Wonderful book. One of my top books of 2023 so far!

Unfortunately I couldn’t finish this title.
The book lacked a pizazz and the premise was weird, and if I’m honest, really quite invasive.
I want to thank you for the opportunity to review this title and I hope to work and review for you in the future.

Are you in need of a fresh rom-com with a reality TV spin set in New York City? What could be more intriguing and festive than two celebrity progenies ambitious enough to reunite their famous rock star mothers?

On the surface, Beat Dawkins and Melody Gillard couldn't be any more different. As they both grew up in the public eye, Beat received a more favourable attention while Melody was unfairly criticised. Fourteen years after their first meeting, they were sitting in front of each other and Beat couldn't take his eyes off her. He was so smitten by this woman in front of him. Melody, the quirky yet attractive Brooklyn girl who restores old books for work, was undeniably starstruck with Beat. Naturally, she couldn't say no to him, and a million dollars in the bank, doesn't sound bad either. So they set off into this impossible task, forcing them closer together, and getting to know each other on a deeper level. And they will discover how much they have in common -- including their growing fondness for each other.

Beat is an interesting character. Everything about him seem perfect. On the surface, he has it all together. But deep inside, he is carrying emotional baggage from his past and present. And he has some serious trust issues. To the point that it is scarring his relationship with Melody. He would rather keep a facade and restrain himself from experiencing happiness and genuine connection. He is the type of guy that will bleed for you, shield you from the mob, and bail you out when you're in trouble BUT he also has a dirty mouth when it comes to bed. (Tessa Bailey, you naughty girl! Hahaha! I cannot.)

On the other hand, Melody is the antithesis to this side of Beat's personality. She knows how to reach to him without even trying. Her warmth and honesty become the catalyst for Beat to see what he is missing and what he needs to change. I liked Melody's personality -- the kind where she is unaware how beautiful she is, inside out. Underneath the layers of clothing and reserved nature, she is fun, quirky, and daring, given the right motivation. (All while reading the book, I can picture her as Jess/Zooey Deschanel in New Girl.)

There's a lot of heat, spice, and tension in this book. You will thoroughly enjoy it if it's your cup of tea. It's giving Daisy Jones and The Six meets Hallmark Christmas movie vibes ;) Although, I must say, I would've loved to have seen more of the Christmassy scenes. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, especially the ending. It's perfect!

Rating: 4.75/5 stars Spice rating: 3/5

Special thanks to HarperCollins Publishers Australia, Avon, and Netgalley for the e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a bit lukewarm on this one, so don't plan to post these comments in a public forum.

I lost interest in the last 20% of the book, when Beat did the whole "keeping secrets" thing *yet again*. I don't feel the story needed a second angsty break-up sequence, especially since including it cut the legs out from under the pretty good reconciliation scene with its agreement to be honest and open. It's also not helped by how late it comes, when it's very apparent is *must* be resolved pretty darn soon. I'm much rather have seen the ambush job on the Today show be the thing that (with encouragement from Melody) finally gives Beat the impetus he needs to actually talk to his mom about what's happening.

It's a shame, because until this point, I was rather enjoying it. It had definitely not been a subtle or nuanced book, but I enjoyed its unabashed melodrama and some of the more humor-based sequences, such as when Beat comes to Melody's bocce game, and what happened after, worked really well.

Tessa Bailey has done it again! Such a good holiday romance to get you into the Christmas spirit a little early!

3.5 stars
Firstly I don't think this had any festive feel to it at all. It took awhile for me to get into the story and it ending up being ok. I must sat that the last 15% was the part I enjoyed the most.

This was an enjoyable light hearted read. The descriptions of the Scottish highlands makes me want to visit.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

Wreck the Halls held a lot of promise and managed to deliver while occasionally going a tad overboard. The characters of Melody and Beat were undeniably likable and endearing. Melody's humour was spot-on, and Beat's charming broodiness, coupled with his desire to protect her, had both a sweet and sexy appeal. However, Beat's preference for self-indulgence in certain intimate moments wasn't my cup of tea.

The premise of the story centred around two characters brought together by their rockstar mothers over the Christmas period. I loved the concept, however, them trying to reunite their estranged mothers after decades of silence felt a bit far-fetched.

I was not the biggest fan of the extreme "insta-love" between Beat and Melody. While I usually don't mind this trope and can find it sweet when executed well, it was a bit too over-the-top in this case. If you're not a fan of instant love connections, you might want to pass on this one.

Overall, my reading experience with Wreck the Halls was enjoyable, providing a lighthearted and fun romance. While I didn't fall head over heels for it, I still found it to be an entertaining read. This was my first Tessa Bailey book and I will definitely be reading more of her books.

Typical Tessa - this is lighthearted and pretty silly. There's some sympathy for the main characters as they bumble towards a HEA, but no real connections are made between reader and character.

It's a bit steamy with an O-denial going on, but nothing earth-shattering (so to speak)...

All around, an easy and quick Christmas read.

Regardless, thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was so fun to read I devoured it in one day! So many delightful, hilarious characters & plenty of swoon worthy moments. Overall a captivating, feel good romantic comedy - it will make perfect holiday reading.
If you already like Tessa Bailey books, or romantic comedies you won’t be disappointed with this one! 5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper for giving me a digital copy of "Wreck the Halls" in exchange for an honest review.

Tessa Bailey is an author I generally enjoy. Some of her books are a miss for me, many are terrific. This book was definitely in the latter category.
If I were to sum this up, it is a sweet, yet dirty at times (this is Tessa Bailey, after all) modern love story.
Our two protagonists, Beat and Melody, are the son and daughter, respectively, of two women who led a hard rock band 30 or so years ago. There was a very nasty break-up of the band and Melody and Beat, while knowing of each other, don’t actually meet for the first time until they are 16. Then they don’t meet again until….fast forward to today, where they are now thirty, and their story really begins.

Why modern? Because their story takes place under the lens of a camera and attached to a microphone- they have agreed to try and reunite their mothers for one last show and the process becomes a social media live-streamed production. (They both need the money that has been offered, but for different reasons). They are always miked up and followed by cameramen. They become an online sensation, mobbed wherever they go, all the while each of them struggling to overcome deep-seated personal issues and navigate the depth of feeling they are discovering they have for each other.

I wasn’t sure about the idea when I realised where this was going: I had to imagine what it must have been like for them growing up in the shadow of their rock legend mothers, and how this might have impacted them mentally and emotionally. Once I was able to connect to this, I was hooked.

Honestly, I wanted to slap Beat upside the head any number of times, and occasionally I would mutter out loud: that boy needs therapy. Stat! At first, I thought we were going down the kink road with his approach to sex. That I did not need, when I liked Melody so much. (#TeamMelody) I am not sure whether the author’s explanation for Beat’s sexual habits was valid from a psychological viewpoint, but I just went with it. And the sex scenes were very hot, just how Ms Bailey likes to write them. The dirty talk was definitely there! But really, Beat was pretty screwed up in the beginning.

I think what impressed me the most was how much Melody grew in the course of the book. She learned to value herself, so much so that when Beat mucked up AGAIN, she didn’t just cave at his first apology. She demanded what she felt she deserved: his trust. She made the point clearly to Beat that it wasn’t his job to look after her. It was their job to look after each other. (#Belody. Yes, really…) Beat took a while to finally see himself clearly, which did frustrate me. As that was probably the author’s intention, she was successful in achieving it!

Apart from a cracking good love story and clever incorporation of social media trends, I laughed out loud at some of the hilarious one-liners that Melody would blurt out, blithely ignorant of how funny she actually was. Definitely added to her cuteness factor, and confirmed her individuality and intelligence. She had a sweetness that was perfect.

Wreck the Halls is definitely a giant hit for me from Tessa Bailey. The previous TB book I read was Unfortunately Yours, and I loved that one, too. The lady is on a roll!

This was a very enjoyable read.

I loved the main characters, Melody and Beat. Their witty mums, Octavia and Trina are also really entertaining.

Octavia leads a glamorous life in New York. She enjoys attending philanthropic events organised by Beat to sponsor scholarships for young people in order to improve their lot in life. Trina, by way of contrast, is the opposite. She’s a songwriter, an anarchist, and a bit of a stirrer.

Melody, Trina’s daughter, is an introverted and kind person who possesses a quick wit. She restores rare books for a living. She has lived under her mum’s overwhelming shadow for too long and is now trying to make her own place in life.

Beat is a handsome, cool dude who loves the limelight. He is also kindhearted.

The two meet at sixteen during a studio interview. Beat rescues Melody and her reputation in the face of a rapacious media. They become friends and they understand each other.

When they are thirty, they both become part of a reality tv show. Huge money (winnings) is at stake here. Beat needs the money to solve his money problems as he’s being blackmailed about a secret. Melody needs the money to escape her controlling mum.

The reality show focuses on them reuniting their mums to sing on Christmas Eve at the Rockefeller Centre, where they last sang together 30 years earlier.

There are many wild adventures ahead of Melody and Beat including fights with Santa Clauses, ending up in jail cells, etc as they try to reunite their mums.

Melody and Beat are very attracted to each other. Beat worries about the burden of his secret. He’d like to let Melody in, but it’s not easy.

This is an engaging, warm fast paced read that I would recommend to others .

Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I received an email saying that I had some books to read and review (some Christmas is July selections) I was excited, I love me some Christmas. I didn't read the blurb I just jumped right in. It was a bit hotter than I'm used, I mean a lot hotter! I enjoyed the characters and the story line. I haven't read a storyline like it before so I was engaged from the very beginning. I didn't really put it down until it was finished. So I recommend, but warning to the faint hearted when it comes to steamy romance, this is definitely not a cozy clean romance in any shape or form.

The concept was fun but the plot was not. Beat was a terrible name and I'm sure there are many other names about music that could've been used. However, I 'm pretty sure Beat and Melody were chosen just so this line could be said

"There's not Beat without a Melody."

I think Jesus Christ was the only thing I said repeatedly while reading this. I wasn't a fan of the insta-love and how they were in love after such a short period of time. I think it would've been more believable if they had met several times over in their lives prior to this event.

Beat's issues could've been resolved if he went to therapy and I didn't enjoy reading about his sexual needs because they felt kind of forced and put in as a fan to create conflict and have Melody resolve these issues. All the actions of the characters were so over the top and caricatured. I was being flung left and right from these unhinged actions.

I didn't understand the need for Danielle and Joseph's relationship to be a subplot - it felt so unnecessary and random. It's probably because their characters didn't get characterised very well. I didn't really like any of the characters. I'm not sure if I'll pick up another Tessa Bailey book as out of the 8 books of hers I've read, I only liked 2.

The fun plot premise didn't make up for the characters and so in my opinion, I did not like the book very much.

Initially, Wreck the Halls was lukewarm at best. halfway through I was only half committed to Melody and Beat and struggled to engage with the story. Beat's internal monologue was overwhelmingly about his infatuation with Melody, not providing much insight to him as a character. It left me feeling somewhat disconnected from his journey.

Some of the dialogue between Beat and Melody dealing with childhood trauma felt overly saccharine and, at times, lacked authenticity.

However, I persevered and ended up warming to Beat and Melody and their relationship despite these initial reservations, the book managed to redeem itself and I found myself cheering for Beat and Melody.

Wreck The Halls is an engaging and hard to put down holiday romance full of cute moments, humour, rock star antics, and alot of spice. There's an undeniable connection and sizzling chemistry between Beat and Melody as they work together to reunite their rockstar mother's for a reunion show. The pair must endure the constant live streaming of their own lives while navigating complicated feelings (both past and present) and the strong bond they feel towards each other. The pace of the story keeps you hooked and offers surprises along the way from the other characters and their impact on Beat and Melody's lives. If you're a fan of a good spicy romance with a strong will they/won't they trope then you're in for a treat. Beat and Melody are adorable and simply cannot stop staring at each other or holding hands despite trying to keep thinks just friendly.

Melody and Beat - two intricately linked parts of a hit song. And the children of feuding, epic rock musicians. When Beat Dawson and Melody Gallard are approached by a production company to get their mother's band back together by Christmas - after 30 years of estrangement - they themselves become a sensation more stirring than their parents' chart topping songs.

This was a fun steamy read. It has all the hallmarks of a Christmas romcom, with the deprecating with of Melody offset by the protective, brooding sexiness of Beat. We have the polar opposite rock stars - Octavia in her gold and white chic apartment and Trina barefoot in a hippie commune - the behind the scenes sexual tension of the production company, the well written sex scenes themselves, and a fun romp around New York followed by hordes of adoring fans.

This isn't all fluff and influencers: we also see the less welcome side to instant fame, learn family secrets, and explore the different relationships between mothers and their children.

But it is mostly a fun, fluff read! I smashed this out in a day.

~Many thanks to HarperCollins Publishers Australia, Avon, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~