Sisters are always so special…especially when one can help pull the other out of a funk caused by an ex, just by the use of an imaginative Advent calendar! A new treat or task every day, and a “helper” who happily gets involved with each one.

I’m so sad to say I DNF this one around the 40% mark. The concept is adorable, two sisters recreating their holiday tradition of tasks and treats. I just couldn’t get into the writing style, wasn’t for me. I can see others loving this one and it makes as the perfect holiday read but just didn’t work for me.

****Publishing October 22, 2024****

Callie is not in the Christmas spirit after being dumped by her childhood friend, Oliver! Callie moves in with her sister, Anita. Anita created an Advent Calendar challenge like their mother used to do for them. The point was to get Callie out of the house and living life again. Callie is touched and skeptical by this, but agrees to do it. What will Callie discover? Where will it lead her? Will this get Callie in the Christmas mood?

This book had a clever premise that made it so fun and entertaining! I loved how this story is heartwarming with a satisfying ending! The humor, the drama, and the entertainment definitely check all the boxes for a fun holiday read! A great book to add to your holiday TBR list!

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam (G.P. Putnam's Sons), I was provided an ARC of The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3 Stars - This book reminds me of a Hallmark Christmas movie. It was an easy, fun read to put you on the Holiday spirit.

Callie is a Grinch this Christmas. Her long term (years!) boyfriend broke up with her shortly after they moved together to New York state, taking jobs at the same company. That was months ago. Callie now lives with her sister and is still getting over her ex. Her sister wants to help her move along so she devised a task and treat Advent calendar to take Callie through December. Does it work? This is a fun book. Last year I read The Christmas Wager by this author and enjoyed it. I liked this one even more.

After her childhood sweetheart dumped her, Callie isn't exactly in the Christmas spirit this year. In fact, she's turned into a complete grinch and is refusing to go home where she will run into said ex and his new girlfriend because his parents live next door to hers. Callie's sister Anita is determined to bring back Callie's Christmas spirit. Anita has resurrected their childhood Advent calendar tradition, and Callie agrees to play along. Along the way, she meets Marco, a handsome baker, who may be just what Callie needs to get her into the holiday spirit. When Callie and Marco come up with a deal that has Marco completing the calendar activities with her holiday fun ensues. Will Callie's grinch heart grow two sizes this Christmas season?

The Christmas Countdown is a fun, festive read that's guaranteed to get even the grumpiest grinches into the Christmas spirit. It's full of fun puns that will have you laughing your socks off. There's Callie's meddling sister Anita, who starts out with the intention of bringing Christmas spirit and happiness back to Callie, but then manages to set up Callie with Marco. Marco is a hot baker who is just as quick witted as Callie and rivals in her pun making. Their chemistry is instant the first time they meet and continues to grow as they complete all the fun Advent calendar challenges that Anita has put together. This was such a cozy Christmas read with Hallmark vibes. It was my first holiday read of the year, and it's going to be hard to top.

The Christmas Countdown is a very sweet Christmas romance, and Callie and Marco are a delightful couple! I loved that Callie was forced to come out of her shell as she completes the Christmas challenges her sister gave her to get her through what might have been a very sad and lonely holiday. This book is filled with Christmas joy, as well as humor, warmth, and love. I received an advance reader copy of this book through Net Galley.

This book is full to the brim with Christmas-themed cuteness and yet avoids becoming too cloying or mawkish. (Quite the accomplishment, as far as Christmas-themed rom-coms go.) I enjoyed the structure of the advent calendar as a backdrop to both Ellie’s personal growth and her relationship with Marco.

I wish I had more to add. I can’t point to any one thing and go ‘This is my issue with the book’, but at the same time, it didn’t resonate with me on a deeper level. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4, for the sake of the rating system.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced reader copy of this book, provided in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Loved this Christmas book! I was so excited to find out what Callie was getting in her Advent calendar every day and how her relationships would evolve throughout the book. Loved the sister relationship in this one too. And all the great traditions.

This is a really sweet holiday romance. We meet Callie who is 6 months post break up from her decade-long relationship with her childhood sweetheart, who she also works with. She's living with her sister and in a very routine funk. Her sister notices and tasks her with a Christmas countdown advent calendar that she must complete. She meets Marco, a handsome chef, who helps her with her tasks.

It's a story of realizing what you want out of life and going after it. This is a festive & fun romantic comedy - I think the second half was more action-packed and had me more invested than the first but overall, this is a really cute holiday read. Hallmark would approve.

🎄 Holiday Romance
❣️ Rom-Com
🏡 Small Town
🌶️ Brief Closed Door Spice
☝🏻 FMC 1st Person POV

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a cute read with very Hallmark vibes and put me in the spirit of Christmas this early. Loved seeing the FMC, and Callie realizing her worth throughout the story, and also loved the sweet romance with Marco. In all, this book was sweet


*closed door romance*

This is a fun Christmas story about a woman who finds herself again after a tough break up with the help of some holiday fun coordinated by her sister. Callie is an accountant who is cautious and was recently dumped by her boyfriend of 10 years after moving across country with him. She isn't in the holiday spirit and isn't planning on going home for Christmas since his parents live next door. Her sister who is the opposite of "Cautious Callie" makes an interactive advent calendar with tasks and treats for Callie to complete and hopefully revive her Christmas spirit. Callie goes through with the calendar and ends up meeting new friends and finding pieces of herself she had lost in her old relationship. This is a perfect balance of Christmas romance, the love of family and finding yourself again! I highly recommend! I loved the romance aspect, but my favorite part might be the relationship between Callie and her sister Anita. It was such a spot on representation of sisterhood and what it means to be there for each other.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Definite holiday must read!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC!

What an adorable, adorable story! This is what Hallmark movies are made of and I'm here for it.

I absolutely loved Callie and Marco. Their dynamic was incredibly respectful and sweet from beginning to end. Their love of puns and dad humor satisfied my comedic tastes to no end.

While at times she seemed to be a little OTT, Anita was an incredibly supportive sister and and very well-written side character.

Definitely give this one a read!

☃️ S W O O N S A T U R D A Y review ☃️ featuring “The Christmas Countdown” by Holly Cassidy aka Hannah Mary McKinnon!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Callie wants nothing to do with the holidays this year after being dumped by her childhood boyfriend of ten years. Callie refuses to go home for the holidays since her ex boyfriend’s parents live next door to hers and she has no interest in seeing him with his NEW girlfriend.

Callie’s sister Anita has a plan to (hopefully) make her spirits bright by putting together an advent calendar for her to count down to Christmas. Each day is either a thoughtful TREAT or a nostalgic TASK to get Callie out of the house and out of Grinch mode 🌟!

The only wrench in Anita’s plan is that she suddenly has to go away for work and cannot do the challenges with Callie as planned. So sub in an adorable baker named Marco who is also repairing a broken heart and the holidays may not be so bad after all for Callie!

This book is totally charming, swoon worthy, witty and magical and the idea of an advent calendar challenge is brilliant! I was just as invested in each daily treat/task as Callie was and I loved following along in all the fun holiday activities and entertainment 🎄!

Read this if you love:
❄️ small town romance
❄️ Hallmark movie vibes
❄️ holiday baking
❄️ cheesy puns
❄️ meet cutes
❄️ friends to lovers

Thank you kindly to @hannahmarymckinnon @vikingbooks @penguinrandomca @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on October 22, 2024 and is a must read for your holiday TBR!

This book was a sugary delight. It touched all the bases: charming small town, “forbidden” romance, second chances, and let’s not forget the Christmas setting. It was everything I didn’t know I wanted. The romance is light, with no open door scenes, so if you’re looking for spicy, this is not your jam. But, if you’re looking for an easily readable palate cleanser between heavier or darker reads, this might be the thing. Strongly recommended on a snowy winter afternoon paired with some cocoa.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This is the story of Callie. She moves to a new city with her longtime boyfriend after she gets hired at his company. But after a few months Oliver dumps her for someone else. Callie ends up moving in w her sister, Anita. Callie is devastated by the breakup and is in no mood to celebrate Christmas. To cheer Callie up, Anita puts together a Christmas advent calendar of boxes filled with either a task or a treat.

Callie estaba en una relación con Oliver, eran novios de toda la vida, tenían juntos diez años como novios más los años de amistad, hasta que el maldito cobarde la hizo que se mudara a otra ciudad y que consiguiera trabajo en la misma empresa para dejarla semanas después y seis meses después pedirle matrimonio a su nueva novia.

La pobre Callie estaba desconsolada, obviamente por lo que le hizo su ex sino también por la forma en como lo hizo y además, tiene la presión de que sus familias son amigas y tienen la esperanza de que regresen.

Anita, la hermana de Callie, le hace un calendario de adviento en el que cada día deberá realizar actividades que la saquen de su zona de confort y que la diviertan.



Disfrute todo, excepto lo que pasó en la cita con el bombero, se me hizo injusto para Marco. Ojalá se modifique esa parte del beso.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Callie's sister, Anita, puts together an advent calendar challenge to get Callie back into the Christmas spirit. Upon doing the daily tasks, Callie slowly finds her happiness. 

I loved Holly Cassidy's The Christmas Wager so I knew this year's festive installment was going to be a goodie too. The sisterly challenge was so much fun and the romance was incredibly sweet. I adored this Hallmark type read. It was exactly what I needed and left me with a huge smile on my face by the end. If you're after a perfect holiday book, look no further.

The premise is cute, the overall story is cute; however I just couldn't stop thinking about the things that bugged me about the book. Namely the overuse of the word bauble. I wish the author could have described any other Christmas decor other than baubles over and over and over again. I couldn't get past the window being open in December in upstate New York. An accidental door left open too long could have brought the same silly mishap. Lastly is just personal with getting a cat from a breeder. I just can't get on board with it.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy
Expected Publication date: October 22, 2024

Date read: July 12, 2024



All Callie wants for Christmas is to hibernate. She's still reeling from being dumped by her childhood sweetheart, and under no circumstances will she go home for the holidays considering her ex will be right next door with his new, perfect partner. Callie is officially in grinch mode, but her meddling sister, Anita, won’t let her give up on life, love, and Christmas quite so easily. So Anita stages a Christmas intervention for Callie with a homemade Advent calendar challenge—cheerful tasks to push Callie out of her comfort zone and into the holiday spirit, inspired by a childhood tradition. Callie reluctantly plays along, but when she comes face-to-face with a charming baker who just might be the spoonful of sugar she needs, her strict rules on love and the holidays are tested. As they strike a deal to do the activities together, could the twenty-four little doors on Callie’s Advent calendar not only open up one, but two closed-off hearts?

You know how sometimes, after you've had a long, stressful day, you just want to sit back with a hot chocolate and throw on the latest Hallmark Christmas Romance and unwind? Well, that's what this is, except in book form.

There's nothing super complex in this story, and it's incredible predictable, and pretty cheesy (the two towns mentioned are Fallbrook and Pineville, which are just about as eye-rollingly Hallmark as you can get). And yet, it's also all pretty adorable and like a sweet little hug after a tough day.

I liked both main characters a lot - they were both sweet and fun and I enjoyed Callie's clumsiness. Marco is just the perfect sweet guy who comes to her rescue, but isn't pretentious about it. The "villains" of the book - Callie's ex-boyfriend, Oliver, and her boss, Grant - are just as horrible as they need to be, but never feel truly over the top. (Grant's sexism made me so mad, though!).

Overall, this is just a cute Hallmark Christmas romance that's an easy read for when you're feeling stressed or trying to get into the holiday spirit. Not the kind of book if you're looking for surprises or a lot of substance, just an enjoyable, predictable romance. Recommended for readers who love romance, and especially for those who look forward to Hallmark Christmas movie season every year.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Content warning: sexism, gaslighting

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book