A sweet holiday romance with an over the top HEA. I had a good time reading this book- the characters were likable and flawed giving them dimension that's oftentimes lacking in books like these. Both the Gwen and Caleb have some very real issues and traumas and I found myself rooting for them both individually and as a couple. Though Pip is 100% my favorite character.

Things I enjoyed:
-The Christmas bits!
-Characters facing and dealing with problems
-Forced proximity
-The meet cute.
-The HEA

Things I didn't like so much:
-Gwen's mother waiting to give her the news about the job until the DAY BEFORE she was supposed to visit.
-Gwen's mother's reaction to the photo and her subsequent phone call
-Gwen's mother.
-Caleb's mother.
- The constant references to Caleb's scent. Cinnamon. He smell like cinnamon toothpaste. Got it.
-The HEA- I mean.... really WHAT CAN'T THIS COUPLE DO?! It was too much for me.
- The second half of the book seemed to drag a bit.

Over all a quick, fun holiday read that tackles some heavy topics.

The perfect holiday read! Full of festive charm and heartwarming moments, Melissa Dymond brings joy and romance to the season. A true winter delight!

Melissa Dymond’s Holiday Star is a charming festive romance that sparkles with warmth and holiday spirit. The story revolves around a young woman navigating her way through the challenges of the holiday season, including family expectations and personal aspirations, all while discovering the magic of love.

Dymond’s writing is engaging and evocative, beautifully capturing the essence of the holidays with vivid descriptions of festive settings and traditions. The characters are relatable and well-developed, each bringing their own stories and struggles to the mix, making the emotional journey feel authentic.

The pacing is delightful, with a blend of lighthearted moments and deeper reflections on love, family, and the importance of following one’s heart. Themes of hope, redemption, and the joy of connection shine through, making it an uplifting read.

Overall, Holiday Star is a heartwarming and enjoyable read that will resonate with fans of holiday romances. It’s a perfect escape for anyone looking to immerse themselves in the magic of the season while enjoying a sweet love story.

This book was fine but I found it to be overall predictable. I felt the book was way too long for the amount of story and I had to skim a large portion of the book to be able to complete it.

The fact that this book comes in a closed door and SPICY version, immediately yes. Sign me up and OBVIOUSLY for the Spicy version.

Tropes: Doctor, Movie Star, Romance, Forced Proximity, Stepdads Nephew, Grinch, enemies to lovers

Gwen and Caleb are forced to spend the holidays together, can they get past their differences? The angst, the tension, the SPICE. Yes, Yes, Yessss. This is the best Holiday romance I have read in a minute. I love the enemies to lovers trop and Gwen and Caleb just had SO MUCH CHEMISTRY!! The characters in this book just felt so real, the way that Melissa Dymond wrote melted my heart and was everything I needed for a Holiday romance, I felt like I was right there with them on this journey.

Highly recommend!

I appreciate that this author offers her book in two versions-spicy or not spicy. That shows she cares about her readers! This was an adorable story. I loved Gwen as the main character. This had fun holiday romance vibes, and I was here for it!

This romance novel is a beautifully crafted tale that explores the complexities of love and relationships. The characters are well-developed, each with their own struggles and growth arcs, making them relatable and endearing. The chemistry between the protagonists is palpable, filled with moments of tension, humor, and tenderness that keep readers engaged.

Holiday Star - Spicy by Melissa Dymond is a fun, feel-good romance, ideal for readers who love a bit of celebrity sparkle. If you're into Christmas-themed stories that dive into love, self-discovery, and the magic of the season, this one’s a great pick!

I really enjoyed Holiday Star - especially the fact that there are two versions to enjoy, depending on your preferred level of spice. It takes a minute to get into the plot, but once you're hooked, you're hooked! I am a sucker for holiday romances that also delve into deeper topics, and this story delivered on all fronts. I can't wait to enjoy her next one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Tropes:
holiday romcom
forced proximity
vulnerable MMC
groveling
addiction
therapy
coming of age
self discovery
spicy romance

Dr. Melissa Dymond never misses, I can always count on her books being 10/10 and this spicy holiday book is no different!

I could not put the book down. I was immediately drawn to Gwen. We had so many similarities and insecurities in common. She was so easily relatable. All the characters were well thought out and created with purpose. The storyline was brilliantly written and held my attention until the very last word. This is not just a story about romance, this is a story about heartache and healing. It’s about grief and recognizing all the ways it affects us in our daily lives. It’s about shattering other people’s expectations of yourself and living your truth. It’s also a story about fighting for what you believe in. To have the courage and strength to dream new dreams and reimagine your life, despite the outside world–or your doubts–standing in the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
This was a wonderful book and I'll be purchasing it for the library!

I thought this book was a cute and fun holiday romance. I felt some parts to be repetitive, but all in all, I enjoyed it. I would recommend reading the bonus chapters, because they are in Caleb’s POV, and I think the Christmas Day one was eye-opening into what happened. I wish we would’ve seen some of his POV throughout the story though instead of just having bonus chapters, especially if there is important information that would be useful for the reader. But overall, I enjoyed it and it would be a good read during the holiday season.

This was very cute but ended up lagging a bit half way through for me - some of the drama included felt unnecessary. I’m a sucker for a holiday romance though so I did enjoy this but just felt it should’ve been shorter!

She’s a doctor, her mom remarries and the nephew of the man she marries is a celebrity and the two go through a forced proximity. There’s a lot of different topics mentioned in this book. I thought it was really awesome that for every copy of this book sold, 10% goes to colon cancer research. There’s also 2 different copies of this book, you can get a spicy version or a regular version which I also thought was very well done for each type of audience reading this book.

Very cute book! Loved the characters and a fun plot. Enjoyable holiday read!

Thank you NetGalley and Melissa Dymond!

ARC REVIEW: Holiday Star by @melissadymondauthor 🎄
🌺 RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌺

“𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚. 𝙉𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙨, 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙞𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚. 𝙃𝙚’𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄’𝙢 𝙝𝙞𝙨.”

Holiday Star was one of the loveliest Christmas Romances I have read this year. Your FMC is Gwen, a doctor, who is so easy to fall in love with even though she does have her flaws, we learn to love and accept them throughout the book - she grows SO much from beginning to end, as well as the MMC Caleb, an actor, who despite the assumptions is actually such a LOVELY soul who is dealing with his own problems.

This book has forced proximity, it has a few spicy scenes which aren’t too overwhelming🌶️ if anything it shows the bond strengthening between Gwen and Caleb. The other characters in the book (parents, best friends, etc) were really good for each of the main characters’ development as people coming to know who their true selves are and accepting that - it really does pull at the heartstrings.

I have given a 4/5 stars just because it took me a fair few chapters at first to get hooked - I think by chapter 5/6 I was like ‘okay this is getting good now’🫣 but sometimes some of your favourite books start out like that & this is definitely one of those moments, I love Gwen and Caleb together - I think they have such a good relationship and they work hard to make it work which for me, is just an ode to reality and our relationships everyday - they’re not a piece of cake. We all need to sometimes put extra work in to make everything okay👏🏼

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

Gwen and Caleb both need someone for the holidays. They had no idea it would be each other. Because of unforeseen circumstances, they end up in the same home together and craziness ensues. I enjoyed the laughs, the feels and the spice. I definitely recommend this holiday spicy read.

This book was adorable! I love a good holiday romance, and this was a quick, fun, and easy read. The connection and way Gwen and Caleb are uniquely connected to start, make this story step off in an interesting way. The forced proximity in this book, along with the emotions and feelings of the holiday season, give this book a very nostalgic, homey, cozy romance feel.

I enjoyed this, but felt I was just looking for a bit more from it. It was a quick read and was easy to follow. I did enjoy the characters, I think I would have just preferred to have a bit more added to the story.