Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

The Christmas Countdown is a great option if you're looking for a cozy, holiday romance to add to your bookshelf. The main character is down on the Christmas season due to post-breakup memories, so her sister decides to make an advent calendar with activities/gifts to get her out of the funk. A love interest comes along during said activities and can these new friends become more? I won't spoil the rest, but overall this a fun, quick read. Some of it is a bit cringe and hokey, which makes the writing feel more novice. The story is pretty straightforward and lines up to be quite predictable. All of this aside, I enjoyed following the characters and the less complex vibe of the plot!

Would recommend for anyone looking for a lighthearted, holiday read.

Callie and Marco are the type of characters that make you believe that everyone has their person 🥹 Their meet-cute was so cute! Callie’s relationship with her sister was one of my favorite elements to the story! This story is great for people going through a breakup to show you that everything truly does happen for a reason and it’s usually because the universe has something better for you 🩷

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. I don't think the writing was bad or anything but it was just too cheesy and over the top for me. I know a lot of people like that so I bet others will love this one.

I will be giving this one three stars because I think it is more a problem with me and less the book itself.

Thank you @putnambooks @prhaudio @hollycassidyauthor for my gifted book. The Christmas Countdown is out now!

Callie has recently been dumped by the love of her life and she’s down in the dumps as the holidays approach. To cheer her up, her older sister creates an advent calendar style month of Christmas and winter things to do to get her back in good spirits. As she begins her tasks, she meets Marco, a local bakery who is super sweet and helps her with the challenge.

I liked this one a lot! The challenges were creative and Callie was a smart, hardworking woman who just needed some cheering up. Marco was adorable and treated Callie well. This was a great audiobook option.

This was a sweet quick really. I really loved pretty much everything about this book. It was a fast read that was fun, interesting, and was easy to keep track of. I loved the holiday spirit it sent into my body.


Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of this book!

This book was very cute! A fluffy Christmas romance about a woman, Callie, who was just dumped by her long term boyfriend and childhood best friend, Oliver. Callie who was a Christmas lover is not in the holiday mood this year so her sister creates a real life advent calendar with gifts and tasks for Callie to complete every day. Right before stating this challenge, Callie has a very adorable meet-cute with a hot baker who happens to be our sunshine mmc.

This book is exactly what you would expect! Full of funny puns and Christmas cheer. I personally felt like the puns were a bit much in the beginning of the book but eventually warmed up to them as the story went on.

Overall, a very cute lighthearted Christmas rom-com to get you in the holiday spirit! Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the arc!

Such a cute and fun Christmas rom-com.
What the world needs now is the Christmas Countdown and more life sized Advent Calendars!!
This was an uplifting story by a great author.
Highly recommend!
Thank you NetGalley!!

I’m always so impressed by authors who can write in two completely different genres. Did you know that Holly Cassidy also writes thrillers under the name Hannah Mary McKinnon?

THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN was just what I needed to get me into the holiday spirit this week! I loved the Advent calendar challenges that Callie’s sister planned for her, in an attempt to make her fall back in love with Christmas.

Callie has a meet-cute with a handsome baker while picking out a Christmas tree that involves spilling hot cocoa — because of course it does 🥰

It was fun seeing Callie’s sunshine personality come back out with each challenge. I loved how Marco was always game to participate and helped her see that there are good men out there who will allow her to be her authentic self!

This was such a cute Christmas story. I love a book that includes sisters & the added treat and task advent calendar challenge from one sister (Callie & Anita) to another was such a treat & so unique.
I felt like this book was more about finding yourself after the end of a long relationship. Callie learned who she was without Oliver ( her ex) They had been together since high-school and she had to learn who she was without him. Seeing Callie happy with a new job, a new love interest & Christmas spirit was heartwarming & found this book felt like the perfect hallmark Christmas movie . I thank NetGalley, the author & the publisher for my arc copy. My thoughts are my own

This is a cute Christmas romance about a woman, Callie, facing her first Christmas season after her boyfriend and close family friend of 10 years has broken up with her, while still living in the same town and working at the same company as him. She comes from a Christmas-loving family but is dreading the holiday season this year and has decided not to go home for Christmas. In an effort to cheer her up, her older sister/roommate creates an advent calendar challenge for her that includes a mix of holiday-themed treats and tasks to complete. When her sister has to leave town for work leaving Callie to complete the remaining calendar tasks alone, a cute baker she met at the Christmas tree market taps in to help her and holiday shenanigans ensue.

While I found this book to be a cute, quick read that was entertaining, I thought it was over-the-top cheesy with a lot of dialogue that I couldn't imagine real people actually saying to each other. It was also very predictable. However, if you're just looking for an easy Christmas book while you're home for the holidays, this might just fit the bill!

I loved this concept of an Advent calendar of alternating gifts and activities! My family always did an Advent calendar growing up, so it was fun and nostalgic to read about.

I loved Callie's relationship with her sister. Her sister was so sweet to work so hard to cheer Callie up after her recent breakup. Marco was also adorably supportive as they got closer.

Overall a fun, entertaining read perfect for the holiday season.

⭐️ 4,75

I loved this one so much! I‘ve read the other Christmas book by this author last year and it was the only Christmas book I actually enjoyed so I was super excited to read this one and it didn‘t disappoint one bit.
The characters were great. I could feel what they felt, I understood what they went through and there was no unnecessary out of character drama or whatnot.

I hope we will get a lot more Christmas books from this author, I will read every single one!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an earc!

After being unceremoniously dumped, Callie is ready to call out this Christmas. Fortunately, her sister Anita won’t let her be a total Grinch, forcing her to participate in an old family tradition- a Christmas Advent calendar. Only this isn’t your typical countdown. With each day that inches closer to Christmas, each activity takes Callie just a little bit further out of her comfort zone.

As Callie tackles her daily duties and curmudgeonly carries out the Christmas cheer, she finds herself slowly warming to the holiday spirit. Meeting a hot baker doesn’t hurt in turning up the heat either. Soon the pair are tackling tasks together. With the countdown on, can they find their way to love in time for Christmas?

The Christmas Countdown is a sweet holiday read that mixes in a dollop of romance. Though nothing new or exciting, just like Christmas itself, its up a warm message might not be a memorable one, but it’s fun and festive all the same.

This has probably been one of my favorite Christmas books that I have read so far in 2024! I loved the concept of an advent calendar that has both gifts and tasks to complete within it. It made me want to do something like this in the future (but we all know that I’ll probably be way too tired in the future to even remember this concept LOL).

Marco and Callie were absolutely perfect for each other and I do wish that there was no third-act conflict, because it really could have been avoided… The puns were a lot, I personally enjoyed them because I was completely there for the cheesiness of this book, however if you think puns are dumb…this book will definitely not be for you my friend!

Getting to watch the personal and emotional growth that Callie goes through as the story progresses was extremely satisfying as well as super heartwarming. We love a FMC who grows and still can acknowledge that they are not perfect or "fixed."

Also – small side note – Grant and Oliver SUCK.

Thank you so much to Putnam for this advanced copy on NetGalley! 🤍

This book was good. Nothing crazy. It took me awhile to get through it because it was too slow for my liking.

The banter between Callie and Marco was a bit awkward and I could never fully get behind their romance. The one-dimensional characters were hard to root for.

It is a light holiday read that would be enjoyable on a cozy snowy day. The Swiss references were interesting and the fun winter activities helped to increase my rating of this book.

Thank you Penguin Random House for the ARC.

3.25 stars

This book was so sweet and the perfect Christmas read. I absolutely loved the relationship between Callie and her sister Anita. This book had me laughing out loud in some parts Anita was a hoot.

"I’ll do anything to have you in my life, and I hope you want to be in mine.”
"Want us to write a new chapter? How about a new book?”
"Neither of those are enough. If you’ll share it with me, Callie, I’d be like us to have the whole damn library.”

This was a cute holiday romance! I loved reading about how Callie has to go on all the adventures with her sister’s advent calendar! The relationship between her and Marco was so sweet to read. I liked how supportive he was of her. The way the two of them share their love of puns had been falling in love with them! I will say that the ending got a little bit messy with all of the drama that unfolded. I do wish that Callie could’ve seen the red flags in her relationship with Oliver.
That being said, I loved the HEA at the end!

Read if you like:
3rd person heroine’s POV
Holiday romance
Advent calendar challenges
Swoony hero
Closed door romance
Baker hero
Jealous ex
Meddling sister

This book came along at the perfect time for me. It is exactly what I needed during the stressful holiday season. I can't recommend it enough.

What a fun holiday romance!

I loved everything about this book. The only think I didn't like was that it ended. lol. I would loved to have stayed with these character for so much longer.

It has great family dynamics, great love story without it being too "love at first sight", and a great character arc for the FMC.

I do wish it would have had a bit more on the page about their chemistry, but it does do a great job a letting you know they are VERY into each other.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

For the upcoming holiday season, Callie wants to do nothing but sit in her apartment and come back out in the new year. Still dealing with a broken heart, she is doing her best to avoid Christmas. Her sister, Anita, has other ideas and creates her a holiday adventure calendar full if adventure and gifts. As she starts, she meets Marco, who might be the extra magic to get her out of her shell. Agreeing to help him with business accounting, Marco steps in to be her calendar buddy when Anita has to go out of town. As they make their way through all of the activities, could this be what Callie needs to open her heart back up to love again?

I wish someone would make me a holiday advent calendar with adventures. This concept was so fun to follow. It was great seeing just how much Callie changes through the book. All of the characters truly fit together perfectly. This was a wonderful holiday romance.

Thank you Net Galley, Holly Cassidy and Penguin Group Putnam and for the advanced copy for my honest review.