Christmas is the best time of the year and truthfully what’s not to love about the holidays but not for the soon to be new partner at her law firm, Katherine truly despises it because nothing good happens to her during this time. Her father died on Christmas Day and just when she finally took some time off, she finds herself in the hospital with concussion, bra-less and her ex-husband by her side because really what good comes out of the holidays anyways.

Lauren Layne is back again with an hilarious rom-com second chance ex-spouses stuck together kinda novel and it’s truly the perfect palate cleanser you need if you are stuck like me in a reading slump.

Thank you NetGalley for this book.

Katherine, an ambitious NYC attorney, gets diagnosed with a concussion and must be monitored for 48 hours to make sure it doesn't get worse. Unfortunately, she forgot to update her emergency contact so the person they call is her ex-husband, Tom. Unable to be left alone, Katherine reluctantly agrees to travel to Chicago with Tom for the holidays. But thanks to a blizzard, what should have been a quick plane ride turns into an antagonistic overnight misadventure that stirs up old feelings even as Tom prepares to propose to his girlfriend on Christmas Eve.

I loved this book so much. The audio version was perfection, the narrators were great! I loved the timeline and that the two might have discovered that they should not be divorced after all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I very much enjoyed the narrators, and though the story was generally predictable it still managed to be sweet and funny.

Second chance romance meets holidays! This was a delightful listen. The plot was original, the characters were hilarious, the development throughout the book was wonderful. The authors did an excellent job with this, and the narration was great!

Emergency Contact

I absolutely ADORED this holiday, second chance romance! I always love Lauren Layne's books, and this one written with her husband is no different.

A mash up of planes, trains and automobiles journey with these two ex-spouses to get home for Christmas warms could warm even the Grinch's heart. Brought together by sheer accident - literally - because Katherine forgot to update her emergency contact at work. Needing supervision as she recovers from her concussion, Tom drags her on a holiday travel nightmare as he tries to get home to his family so that she won't be alone in the hospital for Christmas. The time together forces the two to recall how much they loved each other - and still do.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators absolutely crushed it. They did an amazing job bringing Katherine and Tom's dry humor and antics to life from the page. I flew through it and listened in a day because I could not put it down. I highly recommend!

Check this one out for:
- travel mahem
- holiday, second chance-romance
- Hilarious support characters
- grumpy sunshine vibes

Thank you to Blackstone for the ALC! My opinions are my own.

Whatever can go wrong will go wrong is the way I would describe this book, this led to many very entertaining moments between our main characters a divorced couple who are forced to travel together on Christmas Eve. This was fun and at some point heavy but over all a lovely holiday romance.

Katherine gets into an accident and who does the hospital call? Her ex-husband who she hasn't seen in 4 years. Katherine needs her injuries to be looked over for 48 hours, so her ex-husband decides to take her along to his yearly trip home to Chicago. With just a few days before Christmas, we travel alongside Katherine and Tom as they attempt to make it through a snowy blizzard, jumping over physical hurdles and emotional ones as they navigate their feelings for each other even as Tom plans on proposing to his girlfriend waiting for him in Chicago. This audiobook was just darling and delightful. I loved that there was a dual POV and we got to hear from two narrators. The narration was fabulous and the perfect fit for this story. This was laugh out loud funny as we encountered some of the craziest experiences between Katherine and Tom as they fight their way to Chicago, It was the perfect Christmas read for the holidays and a true romantic comedy.

Katherine has been waiting to become partner at her firm every year. Her boss usually calls whomever makes partner on Christmas Eve. Katherine lost her father on Christmas and has always been fairly self described “Grinchy” about Christmas.. A car accident in a taxi lands her in the hospital with a concussion and her emergency contact is her ex husband, Tom.

Tom is ‘tasked’ with taking care of Katherine and making sure she doesn’t sleep, the only problem is he has big plans to propose to his girlfriend on Christmas Eve.
He reluctantly takes Katherine with her and their journey home is a little bumpy

I really enjoyed this! It was fun. Sometimes heavy but mostly light.
Thank you NetGalley. A fun listen in between heavier books.
I look forward to more from
This author

I absolutely loved this audiobook. The narrators did a fantastic job, and the story was amazing! I was entertained and didn’t want to stop listening. Definitely a holiday book I will re read!

This was a really cute book. I thought the narrators did a great job.
The scenarios were totally crazy but I loved it. This would make a great Hallmark Christmas movie.
I'm not normally one for second chances, but I loved how this was 'enemies' type.

I absolutely adored this. While it took me a little to get into it, once I was in, my heart just wanted Katherine and Tom to find their way back to one another.

It was heart-wrenching and heartwarming. One of my girlfriends compared it to the feelings while reading Emily Henry’s, Happy Place and it was exactly that. I even found myself tearing up at various points. Needless to say, I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an audiobook of this novel!

This is a great second-chance romance. Katherine finds herself in the hospital when her ex-husband shows up. Why? Because Katherine has forgotten to change her emergency contact info, not to mention she wouldn't really have anyone to change it to anyway. Since she has to have someone with her as she recovers from her concussion, Tom takes her home. Now, this would be fine... if Tom wasn't planning on proposing to his girlfriend in two days (on Christmas Eve). They decide to make the trip together, but things get in the way, and they reignite the connection that they once had.

If you're not a fan of love triangles, this might not be for you, but I thought it worked well especially since they had previously been married and we didn't see many interactions between the hero and girlfriend.

This was a quick and easy listen. Both narrators were pleasant to listen to, and were consistent throughout (nothing bugs me more than needing to change the volume and/or speed between chapters!).

This book I requested on a bit of a whim and when I needed to get into a bit of the holiday spirit this was the perfect book to do so. It was an easy listen and a fun story. I have a soft spot for second chance romance and enter in the crazy circumstances and this made for a very enjoyable read. After taking a break from romances I think this one may have convinced me to keep giving them a chance.

Such a perfect holiday romcom!!! I need this made into a movie asap. While the second chance trope is not my favorite, I loved this. The banter, y’all!! Squeal worthy.

4.5⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC audiobook for an honest review.

This was a cute holiday story with a unique premise. Our divorced couple, Katherine and Tom, unexpectedly go on a planes, trains and automobile adventure due to our heroine ending up in the hospital with a concussion and our hero still being listed as her emergency contact. Katherine is a prickly "grinch" who is trying to make partner at her law firm. Tom is the loveable ex who intends on proposing to his girlfriend on Christmas Eve at his family home. Taking care of Katherine puts a crimp in his well laid out plans but the task turns out to be less and less of a hardship as unresolved feelings are discovered. We see both a past and present timeline to give some history of the two. While I was routing for the couple to reunite and I enjoyed the situations and time they spent together, I felt the ending was slightly rushed (as was the end of their marriage!) It appeared neither fought very hard for the relationship the first time around and then their second chance romance happens immediately after their trip, and everything is resolved...hmmm. I think we needed more before we get the happily ever after even though that is the ultimate end game.

Still, a fun holiday romp with narrators who brought the story to life!

3.5 stars

I loved this one!! Such a fun and heartwarming story. I loved the banter between Tom and Katherine. It was such a fun balance between romance, comedy, and holiday. Will recommend!

This was such a cute read! It reminded me of a Hallmark Christmas movie that I’ve definitely seen before. It’s an easy read and just the right length without feeling overdone or too long. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators did a great job! They really captured who the characters are.

While the main female character was frustrating (continuing to mess things up), this was still a fun story and journey. The narration was good and kept me engaged.

This was one of my first holiday reads of the year, and I didn’t expect to love it so much. Featuring a grumpy (grinchy) x sunshine with a second chance romance storyline, with all the festive holiday vibes. I loved the characters, the connection, the heartfelt moments and seeing the characters come around and learn from past mistakes.

🎧I listened to the audiobook format and thought the narration was such a great choice! It was so easy to completely immerse myself into the story and root for Katherine and her ex-husband Tom.

*thank you Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

This book was an unexpected surprise and I loved having it as my first ALC of the year!
It was so much fun listening to the banter between Katherine and Tom. This second chance romance was great and it made me laugh every time a new obstacle came their way. You can tell how Katherine and Tom fall back in love with each other!

This book just makes you smile, and is such a fun, easy listen!

I received this audiobook from NetGalley I highly recommend it.