"The Worst Christmas Wife", by Katie Bachand, caught my eye because of its cute cover and the promise of one of my favorite tropes: fake dating. Ava is looking for a new job due to her former boss stealing the credit for all of her work. When her friends know of an opening at Hendricks Cole's architecture firm, they recommend Ava and she gets the job. But she quickly learns that Hendricks is a grump on the best of days, and he really hates Christmas. But when Hendricks is desperate to land a client's contract and learns that she will be more willing to accept if he comes across as a family guy, he begs Ava to pretend to be his wife. What will happen when Ava and Hendricks realize they're no longer pretending?

I enjoyed the premise of the book, though it was similar to other books that are popular right now. However, the chemistry between Ava and Hendricks was non-existent, and I didn't believe that they actually had feelings for each other. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC All opinions are my own.

This was cute but it was so short. I felt like I didn't get enough time with the characters to really know them. If you want a fun short holiday romance, this is for you.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

This was a cute read but also a bit weird. Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes, so I was looking forward to this, but I just felt a little behind at times. We know how it goes - she’s sunshine personified & loves Christmas while he’s the grumpy Scrooge. They are cute together & make a believable couple. However, there’s no lingering looks or touches, no almost kisses, no will they or won’t they moments & there’s a huge missed opportunity for the trusty only one bed trope. The spiciest we get is a kiss on the cheek at about 70%.

This would make a fantastic Christmas movie that I would love to see, but as a book, I found it lacking.

Hendricks is a grumpy, Christmas hating boss who needs a wife to seal the deal with a customer.

Ava is his new Christmas obsessed, designer assistant.

He strikes up a deal with Ava to make him his pretend wife through Christmas and in the end they find love.

This book is a low angst, clean romance. It takes place around Christmas and it felt so magical. Literally felt like I was in a hallmark movie. Grab you a cozy blanket and some hot chocolate and get ready to read! It was a super cute, fast, easy read.

I would’ve liked to see an epilogue of their happily ever after.

Thank you NetGalley and Katie Bachand for a copy of this book.

Talk about the cutest Xmas Rom Com. So cute! This was a happy, fun read that will get anyone in the mood for the holidays. Lovely!

I was so excited when I read this was a grumpy/sunshine, workplace romance. I loved the plot and the characters were both very likable. I don’t think I felt a lot of the grumpiness in this story though. I think it could have added a few more pages and really transformed him from grumpy into a softy for her. I really wanted to see him change for her.
I also wish we saw a bit more physical connection from them earlier in the story. *spoiler* They got engaged after knowing each other for less than a month and before they even kissed. That just didn’t match up in my mind. If they had a longer history I could make it make sense. But I just needed a bit more depth.

Thank you NetGalley and Katie Bachand for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was made to be turned into a Hallmark Christmas movie 100%.
It was a cute, funny, quick read with a nice Christmassy love story that definitely got me into the Christmas book spirit.

Also that dedication? Oof.. had me in tears.

Thank you for this advance copy.
3.5 ⭐️s

Very Hallmark channel, so sweet I felt like I had to brush my teeth after reading. You definitely need to love love love schmaltzy Xmas everything, but otherwise this grumpy grinch meets holly jolly decorator is plenty cute.

The Worst Christmas Wife by Katie Bachand is my first book to read by her. It is everything you think it will be by the name, but it doesn't disappoint. It's a grumpy/grinch, fake arrangement trope that has you laughing and swooning. I look forward to reading more books by Katie.

This is the perfect holiday romcom that will pair well with the rest of the books on my Christmas season TBR! It’s funny with warm fuzzies.

The Worst Christmas Wife...

This was a cute Christmas read. It was also a quick read. If you love Hallmark movies, this is right up your alley. It's a charming story about Ava and Hendricks. Hendricks being The Grinch and Ava being the lover of Christmas. Hendricks wants to land a deal and finds out he would look best if he had a wife. That is where Ava comes in. And that is where the contract comes into play.
As Ava and Hendricks spend more time together, we can see Hendricks heart growing. He claims Ava didn't follow the contract, making her the worst Christmas wife.
Enjoy this sweet story.

What if Scrooge was in a romcom? Hendricks and Ava will tell the tale! Ava is a Christmas-obsessed interior designer tasked with decorating Hendricks's home with all things Christmas! Antics and banter ensue for a Hallmark-worthy read!

This book was adorable. It's the perfect book to put you right in the Christmas mood and even get you out of a read slump. It was very fast paced, and it felt exactly like a cozy, comforting Hallmark movie! It was also absolutely hilarious, and I loved the dynamic between Ava and Hendricks. The storyline was also brilliant, and it was every bit as cute as I expected going int0 it.

It did feel a little too fast paced to me, but I think that also made the book exactly how it was intended. A quick, sweet, Christmassy read. However, I did struggle with the third person pov which is definitely a personal problem, not a fault of the author.

Overall, this book was adorable and I definitely recommend it to put you right in the Christmas mood.
Thank you so much to Katie Bachand and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. <3

Thank you Netgalley and Katie Bachand for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Worst Christmas Wife has you laughing and aching for love! It's a fake marriage story that turns into so much more. This story was made for Hallmark. Ok, not really but it should be a Hallmark movie! It's a quick and fun read!

4 stars

I loved this!!!! It was such a fun read and really enjoyable. I definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC on exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book was so great; enemy to lovers, marriage of convenience, grumpy/sunshine and some minor forced proximity.

Hendricks is a grinch, and Ava LOVES Christmas. When Ava started working for Hendricks as his assistant, she knew he'd be hard work, but didn't imagine he would propose a mutually beneficial fake marriage to help get him a client, and her a step up in the industry.

In general, I really loved the story, and there were parts the relationship felt really authentic. I loved that Hendrick's mellowing wasn't entirely linear, and that Ava also mellowed her attitudes.

At times I felt the dislike was too intense and exaggerated, and started from nowhere; they were getting along just fine, then with minimal explanation, they're suddenly mad at each other.

I wish we got a bit more of a drawn out saga of an ending, I would love to have seen how this couple slowly transitioned into a real relationship.

All in all, I enjoyed this and would definitely read more from this author, particularly Christmas stories, because she did such a fabulous job of capturing the feeling behind Christmas. Her writing made me feel really warm and fuzzy, and this would be an absolutely perfect read in the lead up to Christmas.

Thank you to Katie Bachand and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy for review.

I had not heard of this author before, but decided to take a chance.

This book has the commonly used plot of boss and receptionist embarking on a fake marriage only to develop real feelings. It is a plot you see frequently, usually set at Christmastime. Despite this, it was still a fun read.

A lightweight, simple read that can easily be finished in an hour.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest opinions.

This was a cute story. A bit Hallmarkishy for my taste but overall it was okay.

Thank you to NetGalley and Katie Bachand for the E-ARC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Hendricks Cole and Ava have to pretend to be married so Hendricks can work with Camryn Wren.

Hendricks is an architect that wants to design her new house for the directors retirement. Wren is the director of Christmas movies with the common theme of husband and wife so Hendricks decide he needs a "contract" wife for Christmas. Ava is his new assistant and they know each other well enough to pull it off. They are able to convince Wren of they are married and the people to design her home. By the end of the month, Ava turns Hendricks from the Grinch to a Christmas lover and feelings start to grow between the two of them.

Hendricks and Ava go from faking feelings to having true feelings in this cute quick Christmas read.