rating: 4.5 stars <3

single dad hallmark christmas book literally ALWAYS got me like you can't do wrong with these books i love the cheesiness and the heart that comes with these kind of stories and this one was no different <3

Grumpy meets Sunshine in this hilarious festive romcom that will have you wishing for a HEA!
Sutton Alsop hates Christmas. So much so, when confronted with a house that looks like Santa himself vomited Christmas all over it, she accidentally (drunkenly) destroys every fairy light, fake reindeer and candy cane in sight. Unfortunately for Sutton, this house belongs to none other than Gus Langston, single dad and owner of the village’s year-round Christmas shop – aka Mr Christmas himself.

But Mr Christmas has a secret only Sutton knows…

With the two of them forced together for the holidays, the sparks between them are hot enough to melt even the coldest of hearts!

This is a cute Christmas read. I enjoyed the parallels that the author drew between Sutton's friendship with Layla and Gus' relationship with his wife. The betrayal and letting go.
I really liked that unlike with so many other romances, Sutton didn't give up her dream job and wasn't afraid to say that she wasn't ready to be a mother. That exploring their relationship would require work for both of them. While this isn't typical in a rom-com it felt refreshing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fun holiday read with plenty of Christmas cheer. There are funny aspects, but the majority of the story is a bit uneventful.

Thank you NetGalley and Joss Wood for the ARC copy of Confessions of a Christmasholic. Overall I did enjoy the book though it took me a little bit to get into before I connected fully with the characters. It was an easy read feel good holiday Rom-com.

Fast forwarded really quick at about 27% in. Hired and then bam, already has a relationship formed with the kids.

Layla’s story being tossed in felt super forced. Her paying back around 80% in felt unnatural and the convo that followed with Gus and Sutton was also kind of weirdly done. Then the whole Layla didn’t show up, after years and years of friendship, it was just awkwardly done.

Gus calls her Sutt way too often in dialogue.

She does a lot of back and forth thinking, chapter after chapter. Too repetitive, and we never really know what she’s really thinking - in love or not, take the job or don’t.

In same chapter, loves him but also just likes him, which is confusing to readers.

Abrupt ending, cliffhanger?

Overall, a decent story about learning who you are and loving the ones you’re with.

Thank you the copy. This was, cute and spicy, a very festive feeling book. I liked the characters and their emotional growth. And Surton's and Layla's relationship really hit home. It is good that a platonic relationship was finally considered heartbreak.
And Gus was, well, swoon worthy. Only, I would have like the word 'masculine' used a little less. Kind of got to me after a while.

Drunk, broke, and unemployed, Sutton comes into Gus' life like a tornado. Gus doesn't really have the time to deal with a drunk stranger, but recognizing that Sutton is the victim of some unfortunate circumstances, Gus welcomes her into his home for the holidays as his nanny. He has his hands full with his twins at the best of times, but nicknamed Mr. Christmas, he is especially busy during the holidays and he could definitely use some help.

Falling for each other is not the goal, but it doesn't take long for sparks to start flying.

My thoughts

This was definitely a cute, easy read, and if you're looking for a quick holiday Hallmark-esque book set in a small town that is reminiscent to that of Stars Hollow from the Gilmore Girls, to get you into the holiday spirit, this could be the book for you! It's adorable overall and easy to read in just a few hours if you're looking to cozy up with a book on a chilly afternoon.

However, if you're looking for anything deeper than just a cute holiday romance, this may not be the book for you. It was very fast paced, and while the relationship between Gus and Sutton was cute, it felt very superficial. When they were having thoughts about falling in love, or having thoughts about already being in love, I found it very hard to believe because they had very little under their belt in terms of meaningful interactions that would lend themselves to falling in love. So if you can't get behind insta-love, or at least, close to insta-love, you might not love this story.

I also wish that the backstories of Gus and Sutton were developed more. It is mentioned multiple times that Sutton had to grow up fast because it was up to her to raise her siblings, and Gus was having marital issues before his wife passed away. Both of these things were mentioned multiple times but the author didn't provide much more details than that. I feel like if those backstories were developed into deeper, I would have felt more connected to the characters.

Lastly, I feel like the ending came about a little abruptly and because of that, I would have loved to see an epilogue. I would have loved to see how Sutton and Gus handled everything a couple months down the road from where the proper story left off.

Despite my small gripes, I enjoyed the novel for exactly what it was. I was on the look out for a cute holiday read and that's exactly what was delivered.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5

Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins, One More Chapter and the author for an eARC of Confessions of a Chrismasholic in exchange for my honest review.

This is definitely hallmark movie-esque! I’m a sucker for the holidays small town, and grumpy x sunshine. We have a single dad MMC which can be hit or miss for me but I think Joss Wood did this one well! Forced proximity, a bit of spice, and a HEA that’s perfect for the holiday season. It’s a meet-cute,fluffy, rom com, though Gus and Sutton’s relationship felt a bit rushed in some areas and the plot felt a bit slow at times.

Sutton Alsop's hatred for Christmas reaches new heights when she accidentally wrecks the festive display of none other than Gus Langston, the single dad known as Mr. Christmas in the village. As the owner of the year-round Christmas shop, Gus embodies holiday cheer, but he harbours a secret. Forced to spend the holidays together, their interactions spark a surprising warmth that defies Sutton's holiday aversion. The novel combines humour, unexpected connections, and the magic of the season, turning a tale of reluctant Christmas spirit into a heartwarming and very spicy read.

this is such a cute, fun, grumpy/sunshine, single dad, holiday goodness! I love the grumpy/sunshine trope in holiday books because it brings so many different people together on such a personal level of dealing with all the intense emotions the holidays bring about. this story is so cute and funny to read! the raging on the holidays takes such a physical, visceral peak that leads to so much ooey, gooey holiday magic through the lens of hurt, grief, innocence, hope, and so much joy. what a fabulous holiday story!
thank you for the arc!!!

This book was funny and touching and at times sad, and it was a wonderful read. I found myself falling in love with Conningworth and the people surrounding Gus and Sutton. Their story is cute and the happy ending was more nuisanced than the typical holiday romcom, and the story is more believable because of it. I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of hallmark movies or rom com holiday books!

When life has gone in the crapper, you are all but dead broke, you have had too much tequila, are freezing to death because you don't own the correct clothing for winter and you are at your wits end, what should you do? If you guessed helping the hot guy beat up the huge inflatable Santa in his yard, you would be correct! Of course, things will go awry and you will end up owing said hot guy a kidney for everything that happens or will happen in the coming days! If you are looking for a good single dad romance, laugh out loud fun and a fantastic Christmas setting, then you need this book in your life. There is some spicy language that definitely enhance the story fun, but if you have virginal ears that can't handle 4 letter word sentence enhancers then you might be a bit to prudish for this book, but you will be seriously missing out as the vocabulary is absolutely on point for a single dad or any parent of twins actually. I can seriously attest that the twins in this book will have you giggling outrageously and their grandmother may have you outright guffawing at their combined antics. I would recommend that reading this book in public should only be done so by readers who don't mind others thinking you have lost your mind! This is the fun you need and the Christmas story that you don't want to miss!

This was such a funny Christmas romcom. It was a quick read with a little bit of spice! I loved the plot and the characters.


Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

Grumpy and sunshine, the story of Sutton and Gus. They meet while she is looking for a place to stay temporarily, but when she starts to fall for him is it enough to give up her career plans for? An enjoyable festive read, but I would have liked more of an epilogue as it ended too soon.

October brings about the beginning of the Christmas romances. Christmas brings about different events for everyone. Sutton is not a fan of Christmas. Gus is Mr. Christmas sexy single father to twins after the death of his wife. Gus is the owner of the village’s year-round Christmas shop. Sutton has one too many tequilas when she sees a house festively decorate with a tad too many decorations. She spots Gus kicking an inflatable Santa Claus. Sutton gets the impression that Gus is not a fan of Christmas and decides to go over and help him when takes a fall and Gus does not reach her before she falls. Gus intern helps her up and brings her inside his home to sleep it off. Gus is in need of a nanny for the holidays and Sutton agrees. I enjoyed reading this Romantic Comedy about Gus and Sutton. It has just the right amount romance, spice, attraction and chemistry. Mr. Christmas has a secret that only Sutton knows about. Pick up your copy to find out what Mr. Christmas aka Gus’ secret is. As usual Joss Wood does an awesome job with whatever she write. She has a way drawing the readers in, keeping them enthralled to the last page and wanting more.

I received an ARC and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Such a cute book! I loved the characters, the spice, and the laughs! Sutton was a hoot,and easy to love! This was a fun, easy Christmas romance that I would recommend to a friend!Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This holiday rom com has all the ingredients of a Hallmark Christmas movie, and that is a recipe for success.
Down-on-her-luck Sutton Alsop drunkenly stumbles into the festively decorated front yard of widower Gus Alsop, known in his charming Lake District village as Mr. Christmas. Circumstances lead to Sutton taking temporary residence as live-in nanny for Gus' 4 year old twins, and as expected, sparks ignite. Grumpy-Sunshine, forced proximity, Christmas traditions, quirky neighbors, and shared secrets lead to a delightful HEA ending.
Put up your tree, bake some cookies, grab a cup of cocoa and enjoy this cozy, feel-good story.

This felt like a stereotypical christmas book. It was cute and I enjoyed the relationship between Sutton and Gus. Rosie was hands down the best character. My biggest issue was Gus' reason for being Mr. Christmas just didn't seem believable or make sense once you learned more about his backstory.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and author Joss Wood for providing me with this eARC

I loved the beginning of this book! The first few chapters with Sutton literally falling into Gus’s life were so much fun and so promising.
Sadly the book soon began to drag for me. There were endless, repetitive inner monologues by Sutton about why she needs to be by herself and why this can’t be a relationship and why would Lyla ever do this to her. Just the same thoughts, over and over again.
It was just all tell and no show.
Due to the repetitive monologues we sadly didn’t get much building of the characters or the relationships - not just out two MCs, but also the side characters which had the potential to be great.
There were some classic, adorable christmas scenes and the writing had a nice flow.

I adored this book! If you want a fun festive and spicey Christmas story then this one is for you just a whole lot of fun!

I liked that Sutton was a bit grumpy and enjoyed reading about Gus as a single father, Gus is just such a cinnamon roll of a character!

Highly recommend!