I enjoyed reading The Christmas Cookie Wars by Eliza Evans. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

The holiday season is upon us.
We find ourselves in a cozy read where the cookies are freshly baked and the story is as warm as a good Hallmark movie.

Melody is a widowed mother of two who lives in a small town where every year at Christmas time they hold a cookie contest, but this year she learns that it has been cancelled, so she sets out to save it.

In the quest to head the committee in charge of this contest, Melody takes us on an event full of laughter, chaos, traditions and lots of cookies.

A great read to kick off the holiday season.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this beautiful ARC.

This read is a good starter to this holiday season. It was a cozy read that put the reader in the mood for the traditions including cookies. For all of those who want those fuzzy holiday feelings, this is a good choice to read. Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the early copy of this read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
This book was so fun and cute! I loved the premise of the Christmas cookie events/cookie committee ( I have fond memories of a cookie swap from childhood). Our FMC had the cutest boys and I enjoyed all of her family throughout the book. This was a fun hallmark movie in a book!

This book was so cute and so good!! I was giggling and kicking my feet. Hallmark, please make this book into a movie.

Christmas books can be very cliche, so it is refreshing to have this book be so wonderfully written and fun. Worth a read and then some.

Melody is a widowed, fashion designer, mom of 2. When she hears that the cookie events her town puts on every holiday season are canceled, she offers to head the cookie committee to save the STEM program her boys love. Finn and Tate, her twin boys, are in 5th grade, and find themselves in the Principal’s office often.

As Melody starts this new position she realizes that she’s got an uphill climb to find help in the town since no one wants to get on the bad side of the the previous head of the committee, Charlene. Melody, along with her sister, brother in law, aunts, uncle, mom and dad, and some brave women in town, fight for the town traditions. There’s one other ally, one she didn’t think she’d ever have anything in common with, the school principal.

This story is filled with so much heart and is destined to be a Hallmark movie. There is laughter, mayhem, tons of cookies, quite a bit of not so great cookies, traditions kept, traditions lost, and some new ones that fall into place at the time they were meant to. Melody is every mom’s hero. She’s doing her best to be the best mom she can- loving her boys and keeping their dad’s memory alive. She’s also balancing how to hold onto the love they shared, let the boys stretch their wings, and allow herself to stretch her wings a bit too.

@booksbysaraandeliza I’m sincerely hoping this isn’t the last story for Melody and her crew.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

@netgalley and @putnambooks thank you for this #advancedreaderscopy - pub date is 10/22/24!! It’s a perfect holiday read!!!

#2024bookchallenge96of75
#thechristmascookiewars
#netgalley
#christmasinoctober

The Christmas Cookie Wars is a cute Hallmark style holiday read. I love how hard Melody tried to keep the Christmas traditions alive for her twin boys and the lengths she was willing to go to when the Cookie Daze traditions were threatened. They had such a great relationship. Since this was more of a fluffy holiday read for me, I felt the plot pacing moved along nicely. I thought Melody and Jonathon had great chemistry and banter between them. I appreciate that Evans thought about the struggles they would have navigating the student parent/student principal dynamic. The one thing I didn’t love was the mean mom/mom group stereotype. I’m all for women uplifting each other rather than being one of the plot point conflicts. I did appreciate that they were able to come to an understanding eventually, I just personally wish a different route had been taken. I still enjoyed the story and would recommend others that are in the mood for a holiday read check it out.

Thank you to NetGalley, PRH Audio, and Putnam Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book and audiobook for free in exchange for my review! @prhaudio #PRHAudio #PRHAudioInfluencer
All opinions are my own.

This was another cute holiday-themed romance by Eliza Evans (aka Sara Richardson). I enjoyed the back and forth banter between Melody and Jonathan, so if you enjoy the enemies to lovers trope, I can almost guarantee that you will love this book!

On the audiobook front, this book is narrated by Eileen Stevens and I thought she was the perfect narrator for this book. Her voice is sugary sweet and pleasing to listen to.

This book is available at your local bookstore or library just in time for the upcoming holiday season.

I definitely recommend this adorable rom-com!
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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a Christmas book with a lot of emotion in the story line. It gives a warm easy to read rom-com that was a quick read.
Melody has twin boys, and she wants to bring Christmas back the way it was before they lost their dad. It gives a vibe to the story, and it was a perfect story to be a Hallmark movie.
Thank you NetGalley, Eliza Evans and Penguin Group for the copy of the book The Christmas Cookie Wars. This is my personal review.

4.5 stars Thanks to Netgalley and Putman Books for the E-ARC. I really enjoyed this story of Melody FMC her 10 year old twins and Mr. Braxton MMC. As a boy mom I related with Melody so much. This Christmas story has so much family time. It dealt with traditions and how its hard to let go. It also had some very funny moments along with a little mystery. But overall it was just so pure and so wholesome and such a great easy read.

The perfect enemies to lovers holiday romance. A good cozy romance and family story that is low on spice but high on good vibes.

I loved reading The Christmas Café in 2023! I was so excited to read The Christmas Cookie Wars by Eliza Evans. Which did not disappoint.
This romantic comedy is a joy to read! With quirky characters and a fun plot, it’s filled with laugh-out-loud moments and tender scenes. The relationship develops in a believable way, and the ending leaves you with a smile. Perfect for anyone looking for a light, uplifting read!
This story will leave you with the most wonderful, happy, full feelings ever!

Thank You NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

The Christmas Cookie Wars is a Hallmark movie in a book! This was such a cute quick read and I loved every minute of it!

When single mom Melody decides to take over the cookie committee in her twins' school, she partners up with the principal to ensure the town of Cookeville still gets all the cookie fun for the holidays. The problem: Melody and the principal, Jonathan, haven't seen eye to eye since her sons have been arriving late to school every morning.

Even though they're complete opposites, Melody and Jonathan's chemistry is off the charts as they plan each cookie event. In the midst of their story, Melody's sons are so adorable, someone tries to sabotage all their efforts, and we get all the fun holiday traditions!

The only thing I would ask for is Jonathan's POV.

Check out Eliza Evans new book if you're into these tropes;
-single POV (Melody's)
-dual single parents
-all the Christmas traditions
-opposites attract
-small town
-clean and cozy romance

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC for my honest review!

Melody loves Christmas traditions and her small town is full of them. She takes over planning the cookie events for the school and finds that she likes the principal more than expected. Everything keeps getting sabotaged for the cookie events but Melody presses on.

This story was a sweet holiday read with an emphasis on the importance of forgiveness and moving up from loss.

This was a very cute holiday read. I love how important family was to the characters and loved the cozy holiday vibes. Fans of Hallmark movies are sure to love this one as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group and Eliza Evans for allowing me to read this e-arc.

Great read to get into the holiday spirit!! So many aspects of this book were exactly what I was looking to read right now. Truly so enjoyable.

THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE WARS – Eliza Evans
G.P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN: 978-0593544587
October 22, 2024
Romantic Comedy

Cookeville, Colorado – Present Day

Widowed and a single mother, Melody Monroe has lately had trouble getting her twin sons on time to school, which means she has to deal with the principal, Jonathan Braxton. With Christmas around the corner, she and her boys look forward to the Christmas cookie events but learn that the event coordinator has canceled everything and stepped away. Everyone, including Melody, is disappointed, so she decides to revive the committee and moves ahead with plans. This means working with Mr. Braxton, though it seems whatever she does has him glaring at her in disapproval. However, the more time Melody spends in Jonathan’s vicinity, the more she becomes attracted to him.

THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE WARS is a funny and feel-good romance that will tickle the hearts of readers. Melody’s beloved husband died a couple of years ago and she will do whatever it takes to make her sons' lives happy. They have been looking forward to the cookie exchange and Melody is willing to pitch in, even though she is possibly the world’s worst cookie baker. She feels intimidated by Jonathan Braxton, though it could be because he’s only seen her at her worst—looking disheveled while arriving late at the school to drop off her kids. After finding out that Charlene—her rival—has dropped the Christmas cookie activities, Melody offers to lead it, which surprisingly finds Jonathan offering to help. Of course, he is a top-notch cookie baker. How can Melody compete with a seemingly perfect man—or garner his attention?

Melody’s boys are cute and precocious and provide some challenging times for her. Jonathan is also a single father as Melody soon learns, and his daughter is soon introduced. Meanwhile, the romantic vibes are vibing between Melody and Jonathan. Both are conscious of the fact that people might frown on the principal dating a student’s mother. But they can’t hide from each other how they feel toward each other. Along the way, there are plenty of laughs as Melody’s plans for the holidays go awry, though Jonathan does his best to help her out. Her cookies are inedible and he’s a maestro at cookie baking. How will they ever mesh and get together? Will the cookie festival activities be a hit with everyone, or will Charlene try to sabotage things? You’ll have to read this tale to find out.

With lots of fun scenes and even funnier banter, readers will enjoy reading THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE WARS. Don’t miss putting this on your holiday romance reading list.

Patti Fischer
Romancer Reviews Today

The Christmas Cookie Wars is just adorable. Perfect for the upcoming holiday season, I truly enjoyed getting to know Melody, her twin boys, and the man who would become much more than just the elementary school principal. We get a glimpse into the harried life of the widowed Melody and how she feels as if her boys are starting to slip away as 10-year-old mischief makers. Although they might give her a few gray hairs here and there, Tate and Finn love their mom fiercely and try their best to keep her smiling.

I really loved that Melody was a successful clothes designer for her shop in downtown Cookeville, where all things Christmas, especially cookies, were well-known. She has such a flair for fashion yet her baking skills pale in comparison. When she takes over the boys' school's cookie committee, however, the heat is on and not just from her oven. New ideas, especially one where bakers have to create their Christmas cookies in front of a live audience of parents and students, start a competition of sorts between Melody and the sexy Mr. Braxton, and from there it's simply a matter of time before they each find in the other exactly what has been missing from their lives.

There is plenty of playful banter and a surprising longing from Melody as she gets to know Jonathan Braxton on a whole new level. They both flounder a bit when in each other's presence but it's the sweet moments like when Jonathan helps out Melody as the baker extraordinaire he is or when she gifts him with a copper bowl that reminds him of his grandmother that make this story sing. Both completely out of their element as they start to date a bit, I was happy for them that others around them were willing to keep pushing them together. Especially Melody's sister, her parents and eventually her boys and Jonathan's daughter.

It's an all-around lovefest as Melody finds a new kind of future with Jonathan and she falls into an easier rhythm just by having him around. I loved all the secondary characters, even those who weren't as kind as they could be but liked that Evans was able to redeem them without too much fanfare. The author proved just how wonderful a woman like Melody is, always willing to give others the benefit of the doubt even if they didn't always do the same in return. She's a great role model for her boys and clearly the right choice to take over the cookie committee.

The town of Cookeville is every person's dream place to visit during the holidays and the way everyone pitched in to make all the events planned a huge success truly brought a tear to my eye. I had a great time with this book and will definitely read more from this talented author. The Christmas Cookie Wars is in a word, enchanting, and I happily give this book a big 4 stars!

Title:  The Christmas Cookie Wars  
Author:   Eliza Evans       
Genre: Romance        
Rating: 4 out of 5

Melody Monroe will do anything to help her nine-year-old twin boys muster up the holiday spirit. Especially since they lost their father, the boys have started questioning the point of Christmas at all.

So, when Melody learns the school’s Yuletide Cookie Club has disbanded due to dissension in the top ranks, she knows she must take over the cookie club herself, even if it means dealing with the infuriating school principal, Jonathan Braxton.

But when a small argument turns into a town-wide bake-off between her and Jonathan, Melody finds that her competitive spirits have turned romantic. Love can't be in the cards. Her focus is on her boys, and saving Christmas. This year, will Melody be willing to let go of the past and embrace the magic of the holidays for herself?

This was a cute, fun read. Melody’s fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants way of living made me laugh—but kind of made me shudder, too. Jonathan came off as very buttoned-up at first, but it was nice to see him let his guard down. This was a quick read that had me laughing as I breezed through it.

Eliza Evans is a bestselling author. The Christmas Cookie Wars is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Penguin Group Putnam in exchange for an honest review.)

A fun story of an uptight principal and a free wheeling fashion designer/mom of 10 year old twins. She thinks he's humorless and he thinks she's scattered, but when the Annual Cookie Days are threatened to be cancelled, she steps up to chair the events. Working together they bring new life to the events and they see one another for who the other really is. Great characters and a bit of a mystery help to make this a good read.
I received an ARC of this book in return for a review.