A cute, Christmasy, cosy read. Definitely a good one for snuggling up by the fire reading! Now I want to go to Quebec and try some of the delicious sounding traditional foods that were described so well!

What do you do when there’s ONE person standing between you and your dream? When realizing it is so close you can almost taste success. Can Zoey charm her way to the mayor’s heart?

Newly single, with no plans for Christmas and a big dream to fulfill, Zoey Andrews takes on a tremendous workload in the days leading up to the holiday. She works for Epic Productions, a production company, that specializes in holiday movies and has her heart set on shooting an upcoming movie in Chelsea, Quebec. It’s Zoey’s first chance to direct her own movie and she won’t let a small geographical mix-up ruin it all. Can she sort out all the problems and get film permits- a Christmas miracle - days before Christmas?

You’ll be swept up in Zoey’s quest to solve problem after problem that comes between her and her dream. Her resilience and focus are commendable. When Ben becomes part of the problem, Zoey is determined to make him part of the solution!

I loved the references to my hometown and the magic mustard! I enjoyed the sunshine/grumpy and the forced proximity trope as well as the subtle Christmas setting. Guertin’s character development is certainly amazing and I soon learned to like Benoit once I uncovered the reasons for his resistance. Yes, it's predictable. However, I think the protagonist's resilience will keep you turning pages despite knowing how this will all work out.

This isn’t a fluff festive read. There isn't over-the-top chemistry between the characters. BUT - it’s got substance. I heartily recommend it.

I was gifted this copy by Penguin Random House Canada, Doubleday Canada and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

It Happened One Christmas by Chantel Guertin is a quaint, festive read that will charm lovers of the traditional Hallmark holiday movies. While none of the tropes utilized are surprising or new, there is just something about the comfort of the familiar, and Ms Guertin finds the perfect balance of sweet and salty. There is a reason that these tropes return again and again, and that is that readers love them. Also, bonus points to the author for giving life to a Canadian setting that doesn't purport to be anywhere else, a truly refreshing change. If you find yourself eagerly anticipating the newest addition to the Netflix line-up of holiday romances, add this title to your TBR immediately.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an ARC.

It Happened One Christmas by Chantel Guertin - 4/5
General Fiction (Adult) - Romance
Publication - October 31, 2023

If you enjoy off-Hallmark Christmas movie vibes, this is the book for you - 100%
Zoey is off to a small town in Canada on a mission; of course, someone is standing in the way of her dreams, Mayor Ben. After all the hard work Zoey has put into this idea she will not back down so easily.
Will Zoey's idea get shut down or will the two come together and make things happen?

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canda for the eARC.

Hallmark Christmas movie vibes!

Zoey heads to a small town in Canada to get approval to make a Hallmark-like movie there… one she wrote and is emotionally invested in. But it all comes down to Ben, the mayor, and he’s not sold on the idea. He’s afraid it will negatively impact his town. Throw in some forced proximity as they get stuck in an ice storm together and watch the sparks (ice?) fly!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for It Happened One Christmas to come out October 31, 2023.

I love holiday books just as much as I love watching holiday movies. You know there is going to be a happy ending. However, I truly disliked this one. Zoey and Ben, were boring and I never truly felt the chemistry between the two. While we know most of these books are predictable, which this was, somethings just felt too unrealistic.

If you love Hallmark movies you will love this book. It's set at Christmastime and has a slightly predictable story, but sometimes it's nice knowing that you're going to get a happy ending! Zoey eats, breathes, and sleeps Christmas. So much that she wrote a screenplay based on her family's happiest Christmas holiday in Canada. Her boss greenlights her project and through a series of unfortunate events one of the assistant gets her permits to start filming in the wrong country, so she has to head to a small town in Canada to convince them to let her film. She used to have that assistant's job so she should be able to fly in, get the permits and have them on her boss' desk. Until she meets Benoit, who happens to be the mayor and does not want her filming in his town. The two keep getting thrown together and sparks fly. All in all this checks the boxes for a delightful Christmas read. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this book.

It was such a fun read, I couldn't put this book down! I loved the premise. It starts out in my hometown of Burbank where director - to - be, Zoey, hears that there's been a mishap with the securing of the location of her film. She hops a plane to Canada to set things right and comes up against a mayor who stands in her way of making her dream film. The people in the town are on Zoey's side and Guertin does an excellent job of defining the characters and creating ones the reader can identify with. The atmosphere is nicely explained and I got a feeling of being there. I always love it when I can picture the scenery and the characters. Guertin made me laugh and root for the characters and all around enjoy this book. I would love to read more stories centering on these characters.

I felt the storyline was very unoriginal and overdone. But in a certain mood I would gobble a predictable romance up.

It Happened One Christmas is a delightful holiday romance. A recommended read for the hallmark movie fans and for those who like holiday magic.

**I read an advanced review copy of this book from Netgalley**

Perhaps my biggest issue with this book was the formatting. It could have been my ereader but the formatting/style made It Happened One Christmas very, well, bad.

The storyline also was not very original. We have our heroine who has literally written/and about to direct a Christmas movie. (And her process was very Hallmark/Netflix esque). She goes to a quaint Quebec town and meets the man who owns a Christmas tree farm. Only he doesn't want her filming on his property. Not only that, but this guy turns out to be the mayor of the town.....and he doesn't want her filming anywhere.

But you know that is not where the book is going to end. Cue a winter storm, an accident, and a power outage. You figure out the rest. ;)

It was sweet. And predictable.
But I have read many other Christmas romcoms that I like better.

I give this one points for setting. But the characters were not my favorite. So there were parts of me that did not care if they survived the winter storm. LOL

A big-city film director needs to convince the grumpy but handsome mayor and owner of a Christmas tree farm to give her the permit to shoot her Christmas movie in his town. Zoey Andrews absolutely adores Christmas and has directed a ton of Christmas movies. When there is a mistake in the film permits to get the location for her dream Christmas movie of her own she decides to take matters into her own hands and flies down to Canada a few days before Christmas to try and get it. There she meets Benoît Deschamps, the very handsome but grumpy mayor of the town and owner of the perfect Christmas tree farm who is standing in her way and refuses to let her film in his town. Zoey will not give up but Ben is not changing his mind, but when a snowstorm hits and they both get stranded in the middle of nowhere they will be forced to face each other. Can Zoey change his mind before it's too late or will he never give in? It will definitely take a Christmas miracle! Unfortunately I just wasn't feeling this one, it was all the parts of a Hallmark movie but fell flat for me. I really just didn't see any romance or chemistry between Zoey and Ben and just couldn't get into the book no matter how hard I tried unfortunately. If you are looking for a Christmas romance with a grumpy love interest and the trope of being stranded together then give this one a go!

*Thanks Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada, Doubleday Canada for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Zooey directs Hallmark-type films, and is looking for a particular location for her newest movie. Ben is the mayor of said town, and less than inclined to allow filming there. What ensues is their discovery of each other, new holiday traditions, and a fight for survival in a dangerous ice storm! The plot plays out very much like a Hallmark movie of its own...

Beyond excited for this beautiful upcoming Christmas Read! I cannot wait to dive into Zoey and her adventures. I love the idea that after many years living and breathing Christmas by producing countless ills she had the chance to make her own mark. Enter Ben——cannot wait for this relationship to develop and go defrost real quick. I know this book will be an an absolute delight for our readers and I will be sharing more soon. Thank you!