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Member Reviews
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The Worst Christmas Wife brings all the festive cheer and rom-com goodness to this holiday reading season.
Ava is an interior designer desperate for a leg-up in the industry when she finds herself working as the assistant of self-made billionaire architect and perpetual grump Hendricks Cole. But what starts as a banter filled dynamic between boss and employee, quickly shifts gears when Hendricks finds himself in want of a fake wife for Christmas.
To impress a high-profile client, who is known to work collaboratively with professionals who value love and family above all else, loner and chronic bachelor Hendricks realises he needs to make a better personal impression, proposing a mutually beneficial contract to his sassy and talented new assistant, Ava, with the hopes that, together, they can win over said new client before the end of the year.
Fake-relationship shenanigans ensue, as Ava and Hendricks learn they work as well together outside of the office as they do inside of it. As Christmas fast approaches and their “fake marriage” contract nears its end, professional lines become blurred the more they get to know one another, helped along by friends and family and the romantic magic of the season.
This story was super easy to read, full of sweet, relatable characters, and so many of my favourite romance tropes I almost self-combusted with joy. If you’re into even one of the following, this delightful Christmassy romance might be just the ticket this holiday season:
☆ grumpy x sunshine
☆ fake relationship
☆ (pretend) marriage of convenience
☆ billionaire romance
☆ office romance
☆ Christmastime shenanigans
☆ great support characters
The Worst Christmas Wife has put author Katie Bachand on my reading map, and I look forward to trying more of her stories, if this brand of low-angst, smile-inducing romance is to be expected.
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I really enjoyed this book! The Worst Christmas Wife is the perfect sweet Christmas romance. I feel like I got all the enjoyment of a Hallmark movie, but it was even better because books are always better than movies! Hendricks is the perfect grumpy counterpart to Ava’s sunshiney disposition, and to make it even better, this was a workplace romance. The instant chemistry between the two leads was perfect, and the way they each denied their feelings for the other made their miscommunication completely relatable, rather than frustrating. To me, the pace of this novel was perfect. I kept finding myself reaching for this one instead of my book club pick because I was so invested in the characters! I’m definitely looking forward to reading more books by this author in the future! If you love Christmas love stories, check this one out!
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I had such a good time reading this book! I was completely in love with the story and amazing characters, awesome character developement. It's a wholesome story and well written. It was fun and funny and so entertaining. It left me with a happily ever after ending. I loved it!
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Omg I LOVED this book! The Christmas vibes, the love story, the side characters... The Christmas world Katie Bachand created was stunning and so cozy. I am recommending this book to everyone! My Mom already just got it on Kindle Unlimited!
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Delightfully sweet and festive holiday romance! Hard and stoic Hendricks is no match for Ava's love of red and Christmas! If you're a sucker for happy endings, this is the book for you!
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The worst Christmas wife was such a cute, heart-warming story! Hendricks and Ava are pretending to be married to impress a client, and as they spend more and more time together, feelings start developing and sparks start flying!
I love a good fake dating, grumpy-sunshine romance, especially when it involves amazing roommates, a loud family, banter between the main characters and of course, Christmas!
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I’ve been holding on to this book to read as an holiday read and it delivered! If you are looking for a grumpy x sunshine, surrounded by Christmas vibes this one is for you. Hendricks Cole is basically the grinch while Ava Brown lives and breathes Christmas. When Ava, who is a passionate interior designer starts working for Hendricks, she can tell he isn’t happy about it but as a big opportunity presents itself, they are pushed to get a lot closer. Ava sprinkles her love of Christmas around while he desperately tries to ignore it.
𝖱𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗂𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾:
𝖥𝗈𝗋𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝖯𝗋𝗈𝗑𝗂𝗆𝗂𝗍𝗒
𝖥𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗅𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗉
𝖦𝗋𝗎𝗆𝗉𝗒 x 𝗌𝗎𝗇𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗇𝖾
𝖧𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗆𝖺𝗋𝗄 𝗋𝗈𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝗏𝗂𝖻𝖾𝗌
𝖢𝗁𝗋𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗆𝖺𝗌
I would so watch this as a holiday movie. Also planning on grabbing another book from Katie Bachand:𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖢𝗁𝗋𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗆𝖺𝗌 𝖫𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝖢𝗈𝗅𝗎𝗆𝗇!
✵𝖬𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝖪𝖺𝗍𝗂𝖾 𝖡𝖺𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖽 & 𝖭𝖾𝗍G𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗒 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗀𝗂𝖿𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖠𝖽𝗏𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝖱𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋’𝗌 𝖢𝗈𝗉𝗒 𝗂𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝗒 𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗐.✵
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'Tis the season to read ALL the holiday books and watch ALL the holiday movies and this one reads the way a Hallmark movie feels! It was super cute, sweet and funny with hijinks and banter, plus lots and lots of Christmas cheer. The Worst Christmas Wife is a grumpy sunshine, opposites attract, fake relationship, falling for the boss, festive romance and I loved every single aspect of it. The main characters are Hendricks, a grumpy architect seriously lacking in Christmas cheer, and Ava his new personal assistant who loves all things Christmas and interior design. In order to land a huge client, Hendricks proposes a fake marriage contract to Ava: he lands the client and she gets some money and free rein to decorate. The longer their charade goes on, the more Hendricks realizes he needs Ava for more than just landing this pitch. The side characters are lovable and memorable which is always a plus. I would have loved a bit more from the ending, which is pretty much always the case for me because I always want more content with characters I love, but if you're looking for a sweet holiday romance this is a great read!
I received this eARC version from NetGalley & Katie Bachand a couple years after the release so if you haven't already read it when it came out in 2021, this holiday season is the perfect time to check it out!
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All the makings of a the perfect Hallmark Christmas Rom-Com movie ! Loved this book. Gave all the Christmas feels!
Received from NetGalley
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So this was a super cute Christmas book. There's absolutely no spice in this book. Very hallmark and adorable. Grumpy boss MMC & a very sunshine assistant. The side characters were
fun.
Nothing very extensive in plot which makes this a very easy and fast festive read.
Read if you like:
* No spice
* Grumpy / sunshine
* Fake dating/marriage
* Christmas
* Hallmark movies
* Third POV
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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I loved this book! I devoured it in only a few sittings and wish there was more to read. The story line was paced very well and the characters were easy to love!
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* Grumpy/sunshine
* Scrooge/Grinch he hates Christmas
* Fake dating/marriage
* Christmas themes
* Hallmark movies
* Third POV
I really enjoyed this short Christmas Hallmark vibe novel. There were so many cute and funny moments. I could absolutely picture the hallmark movie as I was reading. Loved the side characters as well. They were hilarious AND we even got some hockey in there!
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We join Ava and Hendricks as they embark on a professional relationship that soon takes an interesting turn.
This had all the best tropes... Fake relationship, forced proximity, grumpy sunshine... I enjoyed the dynamic between the two main characters but I also loved the friendship between Ava and Geoffrey... Everyone needs a friend who's honest, supportive and loyal to the end and that was him
A fun, Christmassy read
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The Worst Christmas Wife was an adorable holiday read! The length was perfect and the writing was quick and easy to follow.
I’m such a sucker for the grumpy x sunshine trope, and I thought Katie Bachand did a good job of balancing Hendricks serious nature with Ava’s quirks. I loved that Hendricks opened his heart easily to Ava’s friends and family, which meant opening himself up to love Ava.
The way Katie described Ava’s holiday decor sounded so magical and makes me want to step up my game in my own home. I would hire Ava too!
Overall, I recommend The Worst Christmas Wife to anyone who loves a Hallmark-esque holiday romance that will warm your heart faster than Ava and Geoffrey’s spiked eggnog!
Thank you to NetGalley and Katie Bachand for an advance copy. These are my honest thoughts.
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Cue the Hallmark movie. I really enjoyed reading The Worst Christmas Wife by Kate Bachand. In this book we meet Ava and Hendricks. Ava gets a job as the assistant to Hendricks who is an architect. Ava is a designer who is hasn't made a name for herself in the industry yet. Hendricks is trying to get the opportunity to build the dream house of a retired actress. In researching her, he finds that she is all about family. To get the edge up in getting the job, he asks Ava to be his fake wife.
It was a little slow in the beginning, but as I read on I really enjoyed it. I liked how Ava was able to get Hendricks to enjoy Christmas and enjoy her family and see what is important in life. Ava and Hendricks really complimented each other as an architect and designer. I feel they brought out the best in each other and complimented each other in so many ways. I would love to have had an epilogue and flash forward to a sneak peak a few Christmas's later.
Read this book if you enjoy
* grumpy sunshine
* Fake dating
* Christmas themes
* no spice
* hallmark movies in book form
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others. Thank you Netgalley and Kate Bachand. I voluntarily read this book and gave an honest review.
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Oh, my gosh!
I truly loved this story!
Grumpy boss
Savvy designer
Their story makes for a laugh out loud story that I read in just a few hours.
Beautiful Christmas/Holiday romantic comedy that I highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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I loved this book & all the characters. Hendricks was the perfect grinch and Ava was the best main character who helps change his perspective on it all. Camryn saying she knew made my heart melt for them
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Cute, sweet story. Clean romance. No sex. Barely any kissing.
Ava was a good character who I enjoyed watching her melt Hendricks' heart.
Enjoyable story
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Ava is a young, frustrated interior designer obsessed with Christmas and is currently searching for a new job after her last boss stole her designs, took credit, and fired her. Hendricks Cole is a self-made architectural billionaire, who is also a grumpy, Scrooge, and his PA is about to retire. His PA pushes Ava onto him, realizing whether or not, they both need each other. Hendricks is also trying to win the pitch to build Camryn Wren's, a famous writer, producer and director, to build her forever home, and realizes he needs Ava's help to learn everything about her,
Camryn is famous for her Christmas romances, so Ava suggests for Hendricks to watch a few movies to understand her vibes, but what he takes away from it is that Camryn is all about family, and if he is a married man, he has a better chance at commission. He proposes a fake marriage contract to Ava enlist her help until he end of December or until he gets the contact, while Ava gets a decent amount of money, free will to decorate his homes, and his client list.
Hendricks is all about the blueprints and lines when it comes to the house, so when Camryn tells him he wants the house to feel like a home, he must enlists Ava's help even more so they can pull together their designs for her new home.
If you like Christmas Hallmark movies, opposites attract, fake-relationship romances, then this is right up your alley. Hope into this cute lil Christmas romcom before the holiday season!
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This is the cutest feel good Christmas book! Ava is an out of work interior designer who is obsessed with Christmas and being Holly jolly. When her BFFs aunt wants to retire from her assistant position for Billionaire architect Hendricks Cole, he gets Ava the job without a hitch. Soon after, Hendricks has the incredible opportunity to design a home for none other than the famous “Christmas romance” actress Camryn Wren and he’ll need alot of help from Ava to pull it off. Mixing Ava’s love for Christmas and Hendricks Grinch like disdain for it made for adorable comedy and a heartwarming story. Highly recommend for getting in the Christmas spirit!
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.