I loved this book! I honestly wish I didn’t have a job so I could have just kept reading it!! There is so many things this book touched on that made it relatable even though it included a celebrity. The friendships, the way Gwen processed her grief, the mental health issues and the insecurities that weren’t only limited to the female main character - it was really nice to see a man have a list as well. I really enjoyed the growth in both Gwen and Caleb and how they changed for each other and themselves.

❤️ The Spice
❤️ The inner dialogue for Gwen (she was so funny)
❤️ The friendships (loved Wayne!!)
❤️ CHRISTMAS!!
❤️ Teddy & Gwen’s sibling relationship

I LOVED this book! I would go as far as to say it is one of my favourite reads of the year. I adored Gwen and Caleb's story. I am a sucker for romance and the fact that this book had the holiday aspect as well made it an instant must-read for me. The book was very well written and I fell in love with the characters. It was quite the roller coaster of emotions but totally worth it. I look forward to reading more of Melissa Dymond's work. I also love the idea that you can get this book in a spicy or sweet version. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this e-book but all opinions are my own and entirely honest.

This book might be Christmas themed, but it isn’t a fluffy little Christmas romance. It is deep. Our main character is navigating the grief of a loved one and the sense of loss that always comes around the holidays knowing that you not only lost the person but all those experiences you had with them while they were here and you won’t get those with them again in the future. Not only did she lose a loved one but it seems as if everyone else has moved on from it and she’s just stuck in place. She looks forward to the holidays to break up the monotony of her every day life but then she gets left behind and will have to spend Christmas alone. Until her new stepfather’s nephew, who happens to be a drop dead gorgeous super famous celebrity, crashes her solo Christmas and the two are forced to spend the holiday season together.

Some topics in this book that I loved seeing represented-
Grief, this is a beautiful portrayal of grief and how even after many years and life events, there will always be a space left behind by the people we love who leave us too soon.

Substance abuse and mental health- the two main characters both struggle with their own demons and we get to see the journey of them each discovering that they can’t do it alone and enlist the help of professionals instead of just accepting their fate.

Some things I loved about this book-
I loved the twilight references! I am a rattie for life. Also we stan a man who grovels. And when Caleb’s naughty possessive side comes out, good lord I got the butterflies. We also love a FMC who stands up for herself. She learns what she deserves and will accept nothing less and we love that for her. We also love seeing women in STEM!


The pacing is a little slower than I’m used to but this also isn’t your typical dual POV romance with a third breakup either. The characters are fully fleshed out, the conflict feels organic as is the resolution and it takes time for everything to wrap up and end in a HEA. I loved seeing how everything takes place over the course of a full year and how the characters grow and develop in that time.

Tropes

𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑦
𝐶𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦
𝑊𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑆𝑇𝐸𝑀
𝑀𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑡ℎ/𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑝


If you’re looking for a romance with Christmas vibes but also depth that will majorly put you in your feels, this is the one for you. Grab your egg nog, put on a fluffy sweater and a Christmas playlist and enjoy! 🎄

🎈p r e m i s e:

🌟 putting up the start on the Christmas tree can’t be that special… right?

🧸 r e v i e w:

oh, Caleb and Gwen. your love story. i fell in love.

Gwen. so strong, big of heart, loving, care taking.
Caleb. consistent, supportive, thoughtful.
both, so relentless fighters.
both, battling in life.
both, perfect for each other.

i loved everything about this book: the beginning, the happiness, the mourning, the sadness, the fallouts, the character development, the joy of Christmas, just everything.

while i was reading i thought: “this is how a love story should be written”. couldn’t ask for a better way to get into Christmas’ books. a perfect holiday reading, that holds every emotion you feel on the most wonderful time of the year🎄.

thanks to netgalley and victory editing for sending me an ARC.🥰 congrats to @melissadymondauthor 🫶🏻

Happy publishing day to "Holiday Star"
I really enjoyed this one ! The story of an unexpected romance between a doctor and a movie star was just so fun and sweet. I enjoyed the short chapters which made the book really easy to read and just that much more fun.
This one was a real page turner. The metaphors added a lot.
I also really appreciated that there are two versions of this book- with and without spice. I personally enjoy spice but not everyone does and I think having something for everyone and making a book inclusive is a really cool thing to do.

I really enjoyed my time reading this! The celebrity trope done so well. The pace was great, I didn’t get bored. If I had to tweak anything I think the consistent mention of Gwen’s dad. I understand the intention there but if she mentioned him a handful less we would still understand how important he was. Regardless, I definitely want this book for my shelf and physical collection of Christmas books. Also, I applied for this arc because of the PR boxes I saw. Very cute! They worked on me and I didn’t even get one. Nice marketing! Loved it.

This book has all the holiday feels we anticipate for during this time. It has all the angst and tension and suspense and love and happiness and joy and loss and grief and pain jealousy and literally everything you could ask for

I am so impressed that the author is a doctor and yet one of my new favorite authors!

There are so many chapters in this book, but they’re short so that makes it better. Also there’s always a cliff hanger at the end of every chapter and the plot just kept going (and I wasn’t bored for one second) that I didn’t feel like the book even had that many chapters

I couldn’t stop reading. It’s so easy to read and such a page turner. I loved the metaphors. Like they’re just so smart and they fit perfectly. I was left giggling to myself

It was giving under one roof by Ali Hazelwood and When in Rome by Sarah Adams.. SO I WAS ALL IN

I liked the friendship between Gwen and Jenny. Polar opposites yet so much in common. Perfect friendship!

I love that Caleb is portrayed as a hard ass to the world because of all the popularity and the picture that needs to be painted to the people to protect his image.. but he’s actually a softie and a hopeless romantic and just a guy who wants to love and be loved. I could easily swoon over that

I loved that I could relate to both Gwen and Caleb, which felt very refreshing to be able to feel that while reading

I love books that have medical terms and references because its probably the one thing in the world that i can completely understand. It also helped that Gwen is an ER resident and I'm an ER nurse and i was an ICU nurse. Basically, i get it..

As you could tell, I loved everything! Thank you for giving me the chance to read this beautiful ARC!

Heart-warming, life-affirming, feel-good read without being saccharine sweet!

Our MC's are a great counterpoint to each other. Gwen the nerdy almost-Doctor, who had to grow up too fast and take on responsibilities when she lost her father. Caleb the golden haired movie star who should have the world at his feet but he's stuck in a rut and hiding some trauma of his own.

This book is all about love (in all its forms; romantic, familial, sibling and friendship) being tested through grief and loneliness. Caleb needs some redemption along the way and major dose of grovelling is required.

All the characters are fully fleshed and have very real flaws and struggle with decisions. Gwen deals with her perceived abandonment and resentment of her mothers new marriage and Caleb with his possible addictions and boredom with moviedom.

I’m a selfish person, specially with my loved ones. It has always been hard for me to share them, and I know it’s not okay, but we cannot help how we feel, just how we act. Gwen reminded me of those feelings, and I can relate to her in that instance.

Caleb and Gwen do not have an instant connection instead their relation develops by spending time together and that is beautiful. I truly adore them both.

What I specially like about this book is how the climax (fight/misunderstanding/ mistake) of the book happened. Normally you see this happens toward the end of the book in the last 20%. In this one it was at around 65% which allowed Caleb and Gwen to really work on themselves and their relationships.

I wish we would have seen more of Caleb’s POV; I believed his journey is worth knowing as well.

Please note there are mentions of alcoholism, death of a parent and grief. Also, there are two versions of the book, one with spice and one without it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Victory Editing, and the author, Dr. Melissa Dymond, for allowing me to review an advanced reader copy of Holiday Star!

It couldn't have been more perfect, a smart doctor (Gwen) and a movie star (Logan) meet at the wedding of her mom and his uncle. The end? Not quite. After not seeing each other for some time, they are pushed together under unexpected circumstances when Dr. Gwen's mom and new husband leave for Japan on a new adventure leaving her to housesit. Soon, Dr. Gwen and Logan learn more about each other. She, still suffering from losing her dad to colon cancer, and him feeling the high expectations from his family and fans.

This book was quite a page turner, where I didn't at any time feel like the story stalled out. It flowed perfectly in how the two main characters discover things about each other and themselves, leading to them both relying on each other for unconditional support. The author wrote two versions of this book, a spicy/open book version, and a sweet/closed door version. I read the spicy version, and it is spicy but not to the point of being unrealistic or bothersome in the storyline. I enjoyed that the Dr. Gwen (female main character) had her own life as a smart, independent doctor before she met Logan. She wanted to save the world by helping her patients and inevitably saved others close to her in the process.

An inspirational love story to always keep going and be there for the people you love. I enjoyed this book and loved that the author is donating 10% of proceeds to fund colon cancer research.

My first holiday book of the season, and it didn't disappoint! Holiday Star is filled with all of the elements that make a fantastic winter story- from atmospheric elements to a little spice. Definitely a must-read this holiday season!

4.5 stars. This was a Christmas romance that kept my interest and at times was hard to put down. I liked the two main characters. I chose the “spicy” version, but it was good because it had the perfect amount of spice (not too much and not too little). I actually ended up with an advanced readers copy from both netgalley and book sirens (I thought the book seemed familiar when requested (and got accepted for) a copy from netgalley (because I already had it t from book sirens. My review is still unbiased though.

Holiday Star by Melissa Dymond is a great festive read.
This book was super cute it felt cozy and was a lot of fun reading.
An entertaining enemies to lovers with sweet funny moments that I adored.
I thought the characters were great and you see a lot of growth throughout.
A very interesting story with amazing writing that sucked me in and was a hard one to put down.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Victory Editing for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

This book is more than just your average holiday romance novel. There is spice, humor, passion, turmoil and a HEA. There is no insta love, but an enemies to lovers trope. The story is also packed full of loss, grief, loneliness, self discovery, family/friendship relationship dynamics and healing.

Melissa Dymond truly weaves her words in such a way that you feel a connection to the down to earth, self doubting Dr. Gwen and lonely superstar Caleb Lawson.

I love that this book may start out during Christmas time but expands over a long period of time past Christmas so even though it's called Holiday Star, I think it can be read year round!

🌶️🌶️/5
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Totally entertaining enemies to lovers story of two step-cousins in law stuck together while Gwen, ER doctor writing paper and house-sitting, and Caleb, Oscar winning celeb hides out from everyone. Characters are well drawn and the story has an underlying theme of struggling with grief that is touched with real poignancy. The author offers two versions of the story: one, closed door and the other with a bit of spice. Actually would be a 4.25 stars if Goodreads allowed more nuance in the rating system.

I’m so thankful to Net Galley & the author for allowing me to read this early in exchange for my honest review!!

I adored this book! Going into it I was totally getting ROMCOM vibes but it was much deeper. Gwen is an ER doctor who is house sitting for her mom & stepdad in LA over Christmas. Here she is thinking she’ll be alone over the holidays, when Caleb, her stepdads nephew - super famous movie star, shows up at the house to hideout.

They each are dealing with their own struggles & grief but begin to open up the more time they spend together.

This book was about dealing with heartache & loss, coming together, falling apart, only to find eachother again, but also finding yourself & being with someone who encourages you to follow your dreams & makes you want to be a better version of yourself.

With the Christmas vibes mixed in I highly recommend adding this to your holiday TBR! GREAT read!

Dr. Gwen Wright is successful but lonely in a grueling ER residency, when her favorite holiday seems ruined by her mom leaving the country with her new stepdad. Suddenly she's stuck house sitting and forced to live with her step-father's nephew, famous actor Caleb Lawson. After forced proximity and holiday magic, they find themselves caring a lot more than they bargained for. The author did a great job creating complex characters, even down to the supporting characters we meet in Wayne and Alvina, who I adored. We stan a FMC who goes to therapy, and I thought her self discovery process was genuine. The writing grabs my attention, but is also easy to speed-read when I had to know what was next! The third act feels also authentic to complicated adult love, as we watch the MMCS try to sort of the ambiguity of their identities. I really liked that Dr. Dymond (author) exposes the hard part of residency (smash the patriarchy!), but doesn't steep us in the trauma. Can't wait for more from this author!

This is not your typical holiday romcom. There is a holiday aspect but the meat of the story happens after the holidays. This is where there is much deeper development of Gwen's story with a little bit of info on Caleb's side of the story. I think it is great that the author touches on the topics of mental health and alcoholism and a little of what that entails (more with mental health as that's Gwen's issue). There seems to be a bit of a missed opportunity with covering Caleb's story more in-depth, but overall this was a good read.

Thanks. to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

Dr. Gwen Wright's quiet holiday season takes a surprising turn when Hollywood heartthrob Caleb Lawson crashes into her life. Alone in her mother's house for December, Gwen finds herself sharing her space with the enigmatic movie star. Sparks fly as they navigate their differences and discover that love may be the greatest gift of all. A heartwarming Christmas tale of unexpected romance.

What a sweet story. I was pleasantly surprised that this wasn’t a quick surface level story, but the characters deal with a couple heavier topics and the author presents them with such care and respect. The story was multi-layered; adolescent family dynamics, their connection, and there careers/dreams. Past, present, and future. I also really enjoyed the pacing of the story. Maybe I’ve just recently read too many slow burn stories, but I appreciated how it was other elements that carried the story forward. The Christmas elements are obviously also so adorable. You’ll definitely want to add this to your holiday reading list!

The author created a spicy/open-door and sweet/clean/closed-door version of the book. I read the sweet (closed door) version. Both are available on Kindle Unlimited so make sure to double check which version you’re selecting.

Perfect for you if you like:
Author Sarah Adams
Characters with impactful pasts
Mid-paced romance (not slow burn but not insta-love)

Similar to:
Wrapped with a Beau by Lillie Vale
When In Rome by Sarah Adams
The American Roommate Experiment

⛔️I read the closed door version
⚠️previous death of a parent, mentions of previous car crash, grief, alcoholism

I believe this is this author's debut novel. What an awesome job! This was a really fun, engaging enemies to lovers, forced proximity and movie star Christmas romance. The characters were very well developed and the banter between them was exceptional.

Gwen (a doctor) is having issues with feeling abandoned by just about everyone in her life. Caleb (a movie star) is the polar opposite. He can't seem to get a moment to himself. He's come to his uncle's house to hide out. The only problem is Gwen is there to house sit and oversee some construction in the house while her mother (who is married to the uncle) is away. It's bound to get a little rocky...until it doesn't.

I loved the vulnerability of each of the main characters. Their feelings were really put out there and that's what draws you in. A lovely story! I can't wait for another book from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.