Only For The Holidays by Abiola Bello wraps you in a festive embrace, sprinkling romance, family bonds, and teenage drama like snowflakes.

Here's what you can expect:
Sibling Connections: The sibling relationships in this book? Pure magic. From shared secrets to bickering, Abiola Bello captures the essence of family—the messy, beautiful, and unbreakable bonds.
Honesty and Self-Worth: Our characters learn that honesty isn’t just about telling the truth—it’s about revealing your heart. And knowing your worth? That’s the ultimate gift you can give yourself.
Surviving Tough Times: Life isn’t all tinsel and fairy lights. But these characters face adversity, past and present, with resilience and love.
Fun Teenage Drama: With first loves, secrets, and heartache, this book's teenage drama is sweet, relatable, and oh-so-nostalgic.

I highly recommend Only For The Holidays for anyone craving a feel-good romance set during the holiday season. Grab a mug of cocoa, snuggle under a blanket, and let Only For The Holidays whisk you away to a world where love sparkles like fairy lights.

I received a gifted copy of this book.

Immediate 5 stars! This was soooo good and had me giggling and kicking my feet the whole way through.

I loved Tia and Quincy and adored the development of their relationship, it felt very natural. The setting was great, the descriptions of the farm were lovely!

Got me right in the mood for Christmas and I look forward to reading more!

This was a fun, cozy, and adorable YA Christmas read and while the book was super cute why was the drama so juicy lol. Kali and Simon would have never been forgiven let alone been able to speak to me again and everything about Mike screamed toxic Tia deserved better.

I loved the holiday theme and atmosphere the author created with the horseback riding, ice skating, the snow storm, and winter ball. The pacing started a bit slow but the build up to that magical night at the winter ball was perfect.

I think the author perfectly captured the complexities of teenage relationships exploring themes of trust, betrayal, miscommunication, personal growth, and letting go. The way Tia drove herself mad after Mike asked for space did annoy me. But what really got me was how he tried flipping things on her in the end. Quincy was the nicest guy in the book and him meeting Tia when he had was obviously fate. There wasn’t an instant connection between the two MC’s but I did enjoy the alternating perspectives and watching their connection build.

Overall, I liked the book and think it’s the perfect holiday read. If you enjoy fake-dating, opposites attract, he falls first, or burdened-ex tropes you’ll like this book. Special thanks to @hearourvoicestours @soho_teen for my gifted copy‼️

Rating: 3.5/5⭐️

Thank you to Hear Our Voices and Soho Teen for my ARC copy! This review contains my personal thoughts and opinions.

"Only for the Holidays" by Abiola Bello was pretty darn cute. I loved the holiday vibes, and I think this makes the perfect book for people who want to read a holiday-themed book that doesn't overdo it. The characters were lovable, there were moments that made me giggle, and it was just sweet overall.

While the FMC, Tia, was a bit exasperating, it's important to keep in mind that she is a teenage girl. She acts exactly how teenage girls act when they think they are in love and are dealing with their feelings. I feel that she really came into her own though towards the end of the book, and I am hoping we get a sequel because I am actually very curious about how things progress after how the book ended.

Quincy, the MMC, was a sweetheart. We all need a Quincy in our lives. He was one of those characters where you only wish for the best for them. I really loved the relationship he had with his family and how responsible he was with his duties at Saiyan Hedge Farm. It was refreshing.

Overall, "Only for the Holidays" was a pleasant read. For people who love easy, cozy holiday stories and fake dating, I would recommend picking this one up!

Rating: 3.75/5

Only for the Holidays is my second read by Abiola Bello. I read Love in Winter Wonderland last year and absolutely loved it! I could not wait to dive in to this one.

Tia's mother is gifted a Christmas vacation as a gift to celebrate a new job. Shortly before they're set to leave, Tia's boyfriend tells her that he needs space, and this sends her into a spiral.

Quincy's family owns a farm where people can come to visit. It's finally their year to host the coveted ball. Still in the aftermath of a breakup and in an act of desperation, Quincy tells his family that he has a new girl that he will be bringing to the ball.

When Tia and Quincy meet, they decide to "fake date" in order to benefit both sides. Will their fake dating turn into something more?

After a bit of a slow start, this did end up being cute and super funny! Though, I am starting to feel like I might be aging out of lighthearted, YA romances. Don't get me wrong, I love LOVE in general, and I was a teenager once. I get that emotions can run high and feel so big during that time. One thing I struggled with here, however, was Tia being absolutely shaken by her break up with her boyfriend. She acted as though he was her end all be all, like she didn't have her whole life ahead of her. It's kind of hard to buy such serious, mature relationships for characters who sound and act so immaturely. That part made the beginning a bit hard to get through. I wanted to jump in the book and tell Tia that there are so many more fish in the sea.

Once Tia and Quincy met and began their fake dating relationship, the story grew on me. I loved them together and found them easy to root for. There were so many warmhearted, cute moments between the two. The pacing also felt a bit better here. One thing I also could really commend was Tia's mom and her reactions to Tia lying. She held firm in the consequences, and I thought that was very realistic. (Now I'm thinking this may be my sign that I'm aging out of these books, haha.)

Overall, I think this is a cute read for those on the more mature end of YA. I'd probably say at least 16+. Thank you to Netgalley and Soho for my early copy. All opinions are my own!

my rating: 3/5 stars

Thank you Soho Teen for the ARC.

I really enjoy Bello’s Christmas YA romance books. I hope she writes more so that they can be the start of a tradition. Each year I like to think that I improve my British vocabulary just a tad bit. It took me a while to figure out what a jumper was as I envisioned men walking around in overall looking outfits.

Fake Dating & the Holidays
I love how Bello centers Black British teens in her stories. Their families’ Nigerian and Caribbean cultures are always shined upon and I love it. Only For the Holidays features the fake dating trope between a country boy and a city girl. Both of whom are experiencing relationship issues with former or maybe-former (We were on a break!-Ross) situationships.

As the countdown to the Winter Ball ticks away, Quincy Parker is in desperate need of a date to abide by the formal rules of the town’s favorite tradition. After a nasty breakup and small town pickings being non-existent, Tia Solanké, a new guest at his family’s Inn seems like a brilliant choice. Tia agrees, but on one condition, that he makes sure she can get back to London for her “boyfriend’s” 18th birthday party.

If you know a girl who is currently trying to “fix her relationship” by doing all of the heavy lifting while the boy does whatever and leads her on, you definitely want to share this book with her.

Foodie Fun
Another thing I loved about this cute romance is that Tia is a baker and her mother is a chef!!!! Food like jollof rice, oxtails and more get featured during the story. I love foodie-related stories!

If you are looking for a Christmas romcom to add to your TBR for this holiday season, definitely preorder Only for the Holidays! And check out her other teen holiday book, Love in Winter Wonderland.

Only for the Holidays by Abiola Bello is an alternating perspective Black British YA Christmas rom-com and it is such a fun read!! I was completely hooked (you know it’s good if it keeps me up past my bedtime reading multiple nights in a row!).

Quincy and Tia are characters who are easy to root for. Really, all of the characters (except for a couple…) are so likable and I just wanted the best for all of them! I felt like I was in the British countryside while reading, and I really wish I could attend the Winter Ball with them!

It is the perfect book to have on hand this holiday season when you need an escape from reality (but still want to be festive!).

📕: Only for the Holidays-a standalone

✍🏾By: Abiola Bello-new to me author

✨Rating: 3.5/5

Format: eBook 357 pgs.

🌍Setting: England

📅 Publication 10/8/24, Read 10/3/24

👆🏾POV: dual

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Soho Press| Soho Teen, and Abiola Bello for this ARC🎄! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

🧑🏾‍🎄Genre: AA Interests, Contemporary Romance, YA

❄️Tropes: fake dating, opposites attract, small town, Christmas holiday, coming of age


⚠️ TW: cheating-H is cheated on, swearing, fade to black


💭Summary: Tia's boyfriend Mike has asked for a break which devastates her. Her mother books their family a trip to the English countryside's luxury Georgian farm owned by Quincy's family. Quincy is nursing a broken heart because his BFF and girlfriend slept together. Tia and Quincy make a deal to fake a date for the annual Winter Ball hosted for the first time in White Oak by a black family-Quincy's. Hoping to save face with his family and make Kali jealous, Quincy will sneak Tia into Mike's 18th birthday party in London.

🎭The characters

🚺 Heroine: Tia Solanke (18)

🚹 Hero: Quincy Parker (18) British

Tia's mother and sisters: Nigerian-British mother, older sister Willow and baby sis Bank

Quincy's brother and sister-Cam and Drew

Mike-Tia's bf "on a break", half-black/ half Indian

Eliza-Quincy's BFF

Kali- Quincy's ex-girlfriend

🤔My Thoughts: This was a sweet, cozy, coming of age for Tia and Quincy. They believed they didn't have much in common but used each other to get back at their exes/soon to be exes. I loved the familial interactions that reminded me of my siblings and cousins. Loved the cover and diverse characters.

Great holiday YA book. Giving Christmas spirit in the fall season. Rooting for a happy ending.

I love a fake dating troupe. This was a great book to read. thankful for the arc copy.

Thanks to Colored Pages Book Tours & Soho Teen for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Check out my tiktok and IG (@blackgirlbujos) for my reading journal spread for this story!

Only for the Holidays follows Quincy after a bad breakup. His girlfriend cheated on him with his best friend right before his family gets the opportunity to host their town's winter ball—leaving him without a required date. Then there's Tia, a girl whose mom plans a surprise vacation to Quincy's family farm just after her boyfriend Mike sends her the dreaded "I need space" text. When Tia needs a ride back to town for Mike’s party and Quincy needs a date to make his ex jealous, the two connect with a deal that becomes more than either of them planned for.

This was a truly cute romance. I could see my younger siblings and cousins loving this little love story. It dives into a lot of the insecurities and realities of firsts: first love is hard and confusing. You see Tia and Quincy take risks and make questionable decisions to impress others. It feels real. The side characters were fun and added to the story without distracting from the main focus.

CAWPILE Rating:
Characters: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Writing: 7
Plot: 8
Intrigue: 8
Logic: 7
Enjoyment: 8

This gives Only for the Holidays a 4 star rating, making it a light and heartwarming read that’s worth checking out!

Very cute Holiday romance. Parents meddling, wanting to help the family business and the romance. I thought it was magical and cute. Complicated. I enjoyed this a lot overall.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It was a really good holiday read! Fast paced, heartfelt and cozy. I really liked the MCs and their families, Tia's growth was really great in the book. Quincy was perfect from the beginning so not much potencial there :)
The tropes were good, the reverse grumpy X sunshine was a great twist to the Xmas theme (usually the MMC is the broody one in these stories). Also it was an interesting take on the holidays, writing about Xmas time but not really about that. It was more focused on the ball, and I really think it gave the whole story a freshness. All the Xmas stories are focused on presents, Santa, the tree and decor, the menu and cookies... Yeah we had these elements but they were a bit in the background, which I really liked.

All in all, it was great but a bit open ended for my liking (will they really have a future? Is it going to be a long distance relationship? Etc). But this way I can cook up for them whatever I like!

I really enjoyed Love in Winter Wonderland last year so I was really excited to read Bello’s next YA Christmas romance. Overall, I thought it was really great! I really enjoyed the setting of the farm and I’m a sucker for an event like the Winter Ball and that part of the storyline was so fun. I absolutely loved Quincy so much, especially seeing his relationships with his family. I mostly liked Tia, BUT I’m automatically suspicious of anyone who doesn’t like animals and she had some really bratty moments that were a little much. However, I liked that she owned up to her behavior and apologized when she needed to. I LOVED her relationship with Quincy and I thought the fake dating trope was so well used here. There is a lot of miscommunication in this book, however, it was all pretty understandable miscommunication like Quincy not wanting to tell everyone why he and Kali broke up so I did not mind it at all. I would have loved an epilogue to see how everything ended up, especially with the long distance between Quincy and Tia. All in all, a pretty fun fake dating YA Christmas romance!
CW: car accident, infidelity

Thank you to NetGalley and Soho Teen for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ahh, young love. This was super enjoyable! It was a little more YA than I usually read, but the story was really sweet and well written. All of the characters had depth and were relatable in their own way.

The setting was totally perfect and I loved the “holidays at a resort ranch” vibes. It brought all the characters together organically and getting to see everyone interact was fun.

Nothing says cute, cozy, Hallmark holidays quite like ending the story with a Winter Ball! I do think I would’ve liked one more chapter because I was so invested in Tia and Quincy, I wanted just a tiny glimpse into their lives post-Christmas.

I loved the theme of “young women should date men they deserve.” And that man was Quincy. What an excellent example of a healthy relationship for young people! The opposites attract trope was well done. Two different worlds collided and it made for a wonderful story.

I would definitely recommend this read for folks who love Young Adult novels for the holidays! Thank you NetGalley and Soho Press- Soho Teen for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I love a sweet romance and fake dating plot, however this book just wasn’t right for me!

Thanks to Hear Our Voices PR & Soho Teen for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Check out my tiktok and IG (@blackgirlbujos) for my reading journal spread for this story next week!

Only for the Holidays follows Quincy after a bad breakup. His girlfriend cheated on him with his best friend right before his family gets the opportunity to host their town's winter ball—leaving him without a required date. Then there's Tia, a girl whose mom plans a surprise vacation to Quincy's family farm just after her boyfriend Mike sends her the dreaded "I need space" text. When Tia needs a ride back to town for Mike’s party and Quincy needs a date to make his ex jealous, the two connect with a deal that becomes more than either of them planned for.

This was a truly cute romance. I could see my younger siblings and cousins loving this little love story. It dives into a lot of the insecurities and realities of firsts: first love is hard and confusing. You see Tia and Quincy take risks and make questionable decisions to impress others. It feels real. The side characters were fun and added to the story without distracting from the main focus.

CAWPILE Rating:
Characters: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Writing: 7
Plot: 8
Intrigue: 8
Logic: 7
Enjoyment: 8

This gives Only for the Holidays a 4 star rating, making it a light and heartwarming read that’s worth checking out!

With the way time is moving, Christmas will be here tomorrow! Abiola Bello has written the cutest YA holiday romance.

Tia’s family has been down on their luck and decide to take a family vacation to a farm outside of London to celebrate the holidays. The only problem is that Tia’s boyfriend, who asked for a break, will be celebrating his birthday. Tia’s uncertainty of her relationship leads her to forging new friendships with Quincy.

My rating of the book is 3.5 stars out of 5. I thought it was a good story. However, I felt that some of the experiences were more mature than I would expect for a YA novel. I know that teens are having sex but it's a bit awkward, as someone older, to be reading it. Hopefully other younger adults can see themselves in the story and connect more.

Thank you to SoHo Press & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a super sweet & fun holiday romance, that will be the perfect Christmas Read! A city girl and country boy stuck together fake dating, with the grand finale of the Winter Ball!

What more could you want in a holiday read, I definitely recommend adding this to your holiday TBR!

Ok I LOVED this book! Tia and Quincy are both such wonderful and complex characters who are each going through breakups. The farm the setting, the BALL! So so fun. Absolutely adorable. The short chapters were really lovely too, that’s my fav!

3.75 - rounding up because the vibes were perfect :)

this christmas book that brought a smile to my face! there’s nothing i love more than black love and boy did this serve! i had a really good time reading this one. i will say it took me a minute to get into at first, but after about 75 pages i was locked in!