Did I love The Nightmare Before Kissmas? Absolutely, I did.
Could it have been executed a bit better? Also yes.
Would I have enjoyed it more if there was a bit more world building? Probably, but who cares.
Honestly, this was just plain fun.

This was fine. I was hoping this was going to be ridiculous and whimsical, but the political hostage plot point kind of put a damper on the whole book for me. This is very clearly inspired by Red White and Royal Blue, but I don't think the story is as strong. It's not bad, but it wouldn't be the first book I picked up if I had other options available.

Overall -- a resounding meh.

RATING: 3/5

The premise of this book is very cute but the execution left a bit to be desired as I wasn't pulled into the story.

“The Nightmare Before Kissmas” is exactly what it says on the tin – it’s a joyful, queer rom-com in the vein of “Red, White, and Royal Blue” that focuses on the troubled romance of the son of Christmas and the son of Halloween. At the end of the day once one removes the holiday trappings, this is grumpy/sunshine, right? And as far as that goes, it succeeds very nicely. It’s written in a zippy, breathless sort of voice, with Coal being in pure self-pitying mode for the first third of the novel. Unfortunately, a lot of the worldbuilding just fell apart for me – yeah, fine, I was willing to handwave some basic stuff but this is a LOT of handwaving and complicated explanations for how exactly this society functions. There’s a focus solely on Western holidays, which is… a strange choice? Some of the anti-capitalist overtones might have played well with a more global perspective on holidays. Sure, “Nightmare Before Christmas” didn’t have to worry about that, but “Nightmare” was an hour and a half long kids movie made in the early 90s. You’d think something intended for adults in 2024 would be a little less myopic.

Still, the romance is cute, if a little fraught. I wish I could have turned off my brain for this one, but while I enjoyed it, if I thought too much about it the whole thing melted like cotton candy.

Oh em geeeeee, could the Prince of Halloween and the Prince of Christmas be any cuter?!?!

I will be the first to tell you, light-hearted rom-com stories are not usually my thing, Christmas is also not my thing, but Halloween is definitely for me, so that peeked my interest in this book. Add on that this was marketed for lovers of Red White and Royal Blue, which I also absolutely adore, and I knew I had to give it a shot.

I quickly found myself loving this story and those adorable holiday Princes. My cheeks are still recovering from how much smiling I did throughout the book.

I have a massive love-hate relationship with Hallmark movies, but apparently in book form that hate doesn't apply because I enjoyed every minute I spent reading "The Nightmare Before Kissmas" by Sara Raasch. The characters were well fleshed out, the plot was enjoyable and paced very well, and the end left me wanting endless sequels and spin-offs.

This was the perfect level of spicy content for me as well, as I don't really love reading overly graphic scenes unless it's a BL or a manhwa, but the romantic plot was also just my cup of tea. Think golden retriever meets black cat and then combine fake marriage, holiday magic, and a touch of daddy issues.

I adored this book and I am very much looking forward to the next in the series so we can see what Kris gets up to in Ireland!

I wanted to love this but it was just ok for me. I was excited to read something that was being compared to Red, White and Royal Blue so I immediately dove in but the love story was a little lacking for me. I also felt like a little more explanation of their world would have been helpful from the start because it was a little confusing. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Not what I was expecting. Unable to get into the story and did not finish. This might be a good book for other readers but wasn’t for me

A sweet and fresh take on the contemporary Christmas centered romance genre. Essentially each holiday has a corresponding royal family that harnesses the joy experienced by people during said holidays in order to perform magic. Again the premise of this book is really unique, I like all the characters quite a lot and the political machinations were interesting to watch unfold. This book takes the real world issue of Christmas slowly encroaching on other holidays and and turns it into a political drama with a forbidden romance between the prince of Christmas and the prince of Halloween thrown in.
I really liked the characters relationships with one another; love a good friendship triad. The plot itself is told over the course of the month leading up to Christmas Eve and the relationship between Coal and Hex develops very quickly. Our boy Coal is ready to jump Hex after their first meeting before even knowing his name. Not a bad thing overall, and I think fans of traditional contemporary romance will love how fast things get intense between Coal and Hex. This is being packaged as Red, White and, Royal Blue meets Nightmare Before Christmas and usually I’m not for these types of tags but this one fits. I would also add that it gives a little bit of a Rise of the Guardians (animated film from 2012) vibe; Coal reminds me a lot of Jack Frost from the film. Looking forward to Kris’s book next!

What if each holiday had a royal family? And what if those royal families all had responsibilities and duties to uphold? And what if all of those get thrown out the window the minute the Prince of Christmas makes out with the Prince of Halloween in a bar alley?

This book was so much more than I expected. We got political intrigue, complex relationships, and a sweet forbidden romance all in one. This is the kind of book you’ll want to read while sipping cocoa next to the Christmas tree.

I’m already looking forward to our next holiday royals story!!

A fun world that revolves are holidays. I enjoyed the take on the holidays and thought the book was a fun quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bramble, and Tor Publishing Group for this advanced copy! You can pick up The Nightmare Before Kissmas on October 8, 2024.

I LOVED this book. The vibes, the banter, the heart? I was hooked immediately and continued to be blown away by the way Sara Raasch depicted relationships between the characters and individual character arcs. This book gave the exact same feel-good emotions as a Christmas movie, and it had an engaging plot to keep things moving in addition to a DELICIOUS queer romance.

Hex and Coal will always have my heart. I loved their tension, their interactions, and their motivations. Each character felt palpably real and relatable, and I would love NOTHING more than to have an epilogue or bonus chapter of them visiting Halloween together. My only complaint is that I wanted MORE Halloween content from our gloomy spooky boy. Otherwise, this book was perfection.

All the stars and 10000000/10 recommend. Everyone better be picking this one up come October!

I’m all in my Holly jolly Halloween feels after finishing Sara Raasch’s The Nightmare before Kissmas! Nicholas “Coal” Claus loved Christmas, but his father, the reigning Santa, has taken the joy out of Christmas, especially when he is commanded to marry his best friend Iris, the Easter princess (and his brother’s crush)—to make it worse, to appease Halloween, he has to compete for Iris’ hand against the Prince of Halloween, Hex, a beautiful man he has been dreaming about since they made out on a drunken night years prior. Oh I loved this book. I loved the magic and the world building. It has a big Red, White and Royal Blue feel, but with all the holidays. I loved the politics, and I loved loved loved these characters. This read is steamy, but in a way that just feels intimate and personal and Hex and Coal are just beautiful together. Coal is wonderfully relatable—he’s anxious and wants to do well for the people he loves. And Hex is all broody and sexy. I love how these two challenge each other and help each other grow. The writing is fun and witty and emotional and there is something so fresh about this story. It’s gooey and steamy and heartwarming, and I could rave about this book all day!

This book kept surprising me with laughs! It was a fun concept that has Christmas and Halloween colliding while competing for the hand of an Easter Princess. Except, it is a reluctant situation all around, with the Christmas Prince and Halloween Prince having feelings for each other. It was cute, while also discussing while imagining the flaws that holidays present as the world becomes more worldly. The main character was annoying but in a just this side of making it endearing, so he didn't drive me too nutsy, particularly cause he liked to make himself the focus of a joke as much as those around him.

A book that's been described as Red, White, & Royal Blue meets The Nightmare Before Christmas: YES PLEASE. This story will be the perfect one to curl up with on a cold winter night. It's addictive, funny, and adorable all the way through. For fans of queer romance, rival holiday princes, magic, fantasy, and royalty.

I loved this book! I enjoyed the premise of the two princes coming together and that the princess Coal had to marry was one of his best friends. I rooted for him from the beginning because it was so easy to see that beneath that exterior of the jokester, he had a heart of gold. I also love that Hex is the prince of Halloween and Dia de los Muertos, so there's a tiny bit more representation in the book with him. I hope we see more of Hex's side of things in future books because I'm intrigued to see how the other holidays work and do things (hell, I'd love to see more of that for Christmas, too). Overall, I enjoyed this and highly recommend it!

I am in love with this book. The title and cover caught my eye immediately and the description hooked me right away. What a fun, unique concept!

I loved Coal and Hex so much. They were both so well done and had such great character development. They really complimented each other so well and had such chemistry between them. I also really like Kris, Iris, and Wren. Really, every single character was well done and felt so real that it was easy to get drawn into their world.

I am so excited to read the next book to find out what happened between Kris and Iris and what happens for Kris next!

This is such a fun holiday book. The characters were so likable and I loved the plot. I deff recommend :)

Unfortunately this book was not for me.. Thank you TOR and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review the book.

Fair warning, The Nightmare Before Kissmas will result in premature holiday decorating if read outside the Halloween/Christmas season. You will fall in love with the Princes of Christmas and Halloween as well as their love for their holidays. Quite simply, this book is an absolute delight. I don’t know the last time I smiled or giggled as much as I did while reading this book. I have to say bravo Raasch - you’ve simultaneously given me a new favorite romance book and new favorite comfort holiday read. I challenge anyone to read this and not adore Cole’s character. In general, this book really shines with the characters. I loved the friendship trio of Cole, Kris, and Iris. Hex is a Halloween delight, and I am obsessed with how he uses his holiday to mess with Kris. Be prepared for one liners that absolutely sleigh and great pop culture references. Despite the cozy nature of the read, it deals with some surprisingly heavy topics surrounding abandonment and grief. I both eyeball and audiobook read this and hands down can’t recommend the audiobook enough. Ellis Evans nails the narration. You can fully feel Coal’s anxiety, stress, excitement, and every other emotion experienced throughout the book with Evan’s excellent narration. I also felt that it made the story really come to life and added an extra level to some of the truly fantastic puns. Again, I can’t recommend this story and especially the audiobook enough.