The Christmas Countdown was a cozy, hallmark-style Christmas novel. While I enjoyed the puns, the main characters personalities fell kind of short for me.

A holiday novel about finding happiness and love again. Callie, who has been dumped by her childhood sweetheart, just wants to spend the holidays alone. Her sister, Anita, has other plans and stages an intervention in the form of an Advent calendar. The Advent calendar tasks push Callie out of her comfort zone in a good way. She (of course) meets Marcus, the super handsome baker, who (of course) volunteers to complete the Advent calendar tasks with her.

I loved this book. The Christmasy vibe, from the ugly sweaters and sledding to the hot cocoa and holiday baking, was perfect. The story line kept me interested and the romance was super sweet without being cheesy. The perfect comfy, cozy, Hallmark-ish read for the holidays!

This was seriously one of the most fun holiday reads I’ve experienced. I absolutely loved the Advent tasks of this one! It was a fun holiday read that will be one of my favorites for a while! Such a fun and cute romance!

Thanks Penguin and NetGalley for this ARC opportunity!

In this charming holiday romance, heartbroken Callie plans to skip Christmas to avoid her newly-engaged ex-boyfriend, but her determined sister Anita has other ideas. Reluctantly, Callie joins in on Anita's custom Advent calendar for December, leading her on a journey that helps her open not just presents, but her heart as well.

The book is filled with cozy Christmas traditions, from sledding and ugly sweater parties to cookie baking and ornament making, capturing all the festive feels. The romance is sweet and wholesome, with relatable characters that are easy to root for. Callie’s character growth shines throughout, and the loving (if somewhat nosy) family dynamics add depth and warmth to the narrative.

Overall, this delightful holiday read is perfect for curling up by the fire on a cozy winter night in anticipation of Christmas day!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the opportunity to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinions!

After being dumped by her long-term boyfriend, the last thing Callie wants to do is celebrate the holidays. When her sister, Anita, comes up with a fun advent calendar to distract her and add some holiday cheer, the last thing Callie expected was for it to bring her holiday spirit back. She also didn't expect to find love again but when she meets a handsome and funny baker and starts doing the advent calendar activities with him, will she be able to resist his charming self and how he makes her feel?

This was such a fun twist on a holiday romance and I really enjoyed it! The advent calendar of treats and activities was such a fun idea and Callie and Marcos's chemistry was immediately obvious. I also loved how Callie gained her confidence throughout the challenge and finally stood up for herself and what she needed. This was the perfect read to start getting into the holiday spirit!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC!

Leading up to this year's Christmas Day, Callie's sister has decided to give her an Advent calendar with 24 days of tasks and treats. Hopefully, this "Christmas Countdown" will help Callie overcome her heartbreak from the previous year. The holiday-themed tasks include cookie-baking, snow-sledding, and donating food and gifts to the poor.

I loved the idea of an advent calendar filled with merriment for the holiday season. I could see implementing something similar with my own family. The two main characters were a bit too much of a Mary Sue and a Marty Stu as her romantic interest. Both characters lacked flaws and seemed a bit too picture-perfect. Otherwise, it was a cute read for a lighthearted Christmas romance.

*** I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ***

This was so sweet! Callie is going through a tough time with romance, so her sister lovingly creates a challenge to help her find love! This has holiday hallmark movie vibes, and is such a sweet, feel-good, pleasant surprise of a book that leaves you with a smile!
Thank you to Holly and NetGalley for letting me read this adorable holiday romance!

I love Hannah Mary McKinnon’s thrillers so when I learned through THE BUZZ that she released a Christmas novel, I jumped at the chance to read it! Thank you for the free/gifted book Putnam Books!! The Christmas Calendar did not disappoint and definitely got me in the festive spirit!

Callie is still reeling from a breakup as the holidays approach. When she learns her ex partner (and hometown neighbor) of ten years is now engaged just mere months after their split, Callie knows there is no way she can face her family or hometown for Christmas. To get her in the Christmas spirit and bring back an old tradition, her sister creates an advent calendar alternating treats and tasks.

I loved the advent calendar concept, the treats and tasks Anita came up with, and that Callie put herself out there to complete the activities and find her festive joy. The love interest(s) were great - if not a little too good to be true! - and the connections felt authentic. Callie was a good person and it was easy to root for her. I also appreciated that she had so much personal and professional growth during the book that took place outside the romantic interests.

If you’re looking for a clean romance to help you get in the holiday mood, I can’t recommend this one enough!

Callie has given up on love after a bad breakup with her childhood sweetheart (and now colleague). She plans to spend the holidays in isolation, but her sister Anita has other ideas. Determined to lift Callie's spirits, Anita creates an Advent calendar filled with cheerful holiday challenges to push her out of her comfort zone - alternating treat and task days. Despite her reluctance, Callie agrees to participate and meets charming baker, Marco. As they complete the tasks together, Callie’s attitude toward love and Christmas begins to change, leading her to wonder if the Advent calendar might open both their hearts to new possibilities.

4 stars

Now this was a cute one! Aside from Anita and her coworker Hazel, Callie doesn't have much of a community yet in her new hometown, so the idea of her staying alone for the holidays just to avoid her ex at her family's annual gathering feels super lonely. Insert Anita's clever and heartwarming Advent calendar and this story had its own unique path to the holidays. This book gave me great ideas for new traditions to start with my own kids! The alternating and related treat and task days were such a fun idea and Callie's new baker beau Marco made for a perfect activity partner. There were various twists and turns of the story that kept my interest and I enjoyed the festive feels! Be warned though: it will make your sweet tooth itch for all the goodies!

Thank you so much to Putnam Books, Holly Cassidy and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early copy of The Christmas Countdown in exchange for an honest review of the novel.

Recently dumped Callie wants to ignore Christmas this year but her sister won't let her. She arranges a series of Christmas countdown challenges and treats and implores Callie to find someone to help her with them when she can't do it herself. Enter baker Marco who enthusiastically volunteers to help Callie with the challenges. The more time they spend together, the closer Callie and Marco get learning to take a chance on love again together. A cozy, Hallmark Holiday movie style romcom with a bit of closed door spice and lots of charm. Highly recommended for fans of authors like Jenny Bayliss. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

A fun christmas scavenger hunt read! Callie's sister set up an advent adventure to help get her out of a funk. Along the way she meets her new bestie turned something more, Marco, as the two check off all of the holiday related tasks (cookies and caroling and polar plunge and sledding and more!)

This was a fun read, a little tooo insta love for my taste (I normally don't mind but it was hard to see because Marco and Callie were such good friends that the chemistry just wasn't there) and a little too many side plots (his and hers work drama, ex drama, multiple iterations of family dynamics issues) that kind of took away from some of the story. That aside though everything was so festive and this is definitely a great read to get into the holiday season!!


Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my review!

The Christmas Countdown was as cute and holiday cheery as they come!

The advent calendar was a clever twist on your typical holiday romance and I was always on the edge of my seat trying to guess what the next task would be. Callie’s holiday fun made me want to go have some holiday adventures of my own!

Our FMC Callie and MMC Marco were both very likable and that nerdy type of cute. They complimented each other well and I loved that they started more as friends. I wouldn’t call this a slow burn, rather a realistic getting to know you and falling for you as we build a friendship type of love. Definitely satisfying!

The book was easy to read and I felt like the book went pretty quickly. I enjoyed the pacing a lot. This was great writing and I was just able to sit down and enjoy this story.

Definitely hallmark level cute, but I enjoyed it! I would definitely recommend this for a little bit of a unique story and Christmas twist!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam- G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was super cute! Callie has had a bit of a rough year. After her boyfriend of 10 years has her move for his job, he breaks up with her. Callie moves in with her sister, Anita and now it’s the holiday time. She really just wants to forget Christmas and hibernate. On top of it all, she works for the same company as her ex, Oliver. Anita is determined to get Callie back into the Christmas spirit. She does this by creating her own Advent calendar, something their mom did for them as kids. Every other day is a treat, and every other day is a task. Callie decides to play along, and Anita rigged it so that Callie would be seeing more of a baker who she ran into one day. As they come to a deal that she would help with accounting for his business, and he would accompany her on tasks. He’s been hurt by someone too. But can these two closed off hearts open up?

This book was so sweet, and I loved the plot. This was nothing like I have ever read before. The idea of the homemade Advent calendar full of tasks and treats is really genius (and honestly, something that I may not implement with my own kids!)

I loved Callie. You can see her growth throughout the book. She went from kind of timid and grumpy to more assertive, sure of her self, and happy. I really loved her sister too. A little overbearing and meddlesome, but clearly she loves her sister and she only means well.

Now, the chemistry between Callie and Marco was fantastic. You felt the instant connection when they started talking about Switzerland. I liked the cute little moments when they were painting – the giggling, the flirting. It felt like I was reading scenes from a movie. Speaking of which, this book would make a really great movie!

I truly enjoy this author, her Christmas romances and her thrillers – I can’t wait to read more by her!

Rom-com readers are going to LOVE this book!

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.

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.

Adorable Christmas story! We've all had those holidays when we just want to hide and someone tries to pull us out of that dark place. This was delightful to read. I especially loved Anita and how she brought Callie to a place where she allowed herself to meet the right person. I love the idea of the Advent calendar for this! Cute holiday read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Grab your Christmas cookies and put up your tree! The swoon worthy Christmas novel by Holly Cassidy is here! This book is filled with holiday feels! From sledding, cooking making, ugly Christmas sweaters and so much more!

This is such a perfect, easy read for the holiday season. I finished it in one day because it was so cute. There were moments I was laughing, giggling and kicking my feet. It was filled with holiday traditions and the entire time I’m reading it I’m seeing it played out in my head as the perfect Hallmark movie. If you know me, Hallmark movies at Christmas time are my thing! So it was an ideal read for me!

The romance was sweet and the spice was closed door and the characters were all relatable. Watching Callie’s growth throughout the book was phenomenal. At one point seeing her find her voice and stand up for herself, I was really cheering her on!

I would HIGHLY recommend to all my Hallmark Christmas movie loving besties! This is seriously a must read for the holiday season! 🫶🏻

Thank you SO much to the author and @putnambooks for the #gifted E-ARC!

✨ARC Review✨

⭐⭐⭐ for The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy

This was such a cute story, perfect for Christmas! Cassie and Marco were adorable together and their eggcellent puns were so fun!

It was a touch insta-love-y for my personal preference, but still enjoyable. Read if you like cozy small town vibes, Christmas romcoms and adorable cats!

Thank you to Putnam Books and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

The Christmas Countdown is a fun read set in a small town in western New York. Part of me was a bit annoyed when I started reading the book. Why? Because Fallbrook, the town the book is set in, is described as being in upstate New York. That automatically makes me think it’s near the Canadian border. But the vibes it gave were that it was closer to New York City. The more I read, the more I realized it’s closer to Buffalo than New York City. As someone from New York, I know that part of the state is considered Western New York. I know it’s a bit nitpicky, but it’s a battle I’ve had many times with people from New York and not New York. The part of New York I’m from is called Northern New York or Upstate New York. But that’s a discussion for another day.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. Callie is someone I could relate to. She’s heartbroken, but she’s always been cautious with what she says and does. She’s just trying to protect her heart. Anita is someone who I wish I could be. She’s daring and willing to seek adventure. But above all, she loves her sister and wants to see her happy and smiling again. Marco is someone trying to survive the holiday season. He’s a baker and super busy with orders. He’s concerned about his business and protecting his heart.

Fallbrook’s setting is perfect for the holiday season. The town is mad for Christmas, and there seem to be daily activities leading up to December 25.

Overall, The Christmas Countdown reads much like a Hallmark holiday movie. And I am okay with that. Those movies are comfy and cozy. And who doesn’t need more comfy and cozy in their lives?

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of this novel.

The was such a Christmasy book with automatically made it a favourite in my opinion to begin with. I loved the friendship/sisterhood between Callie and Anita. They were my favorite part of the story. I loved the Christmas countdown aspect and felt it had all the right Christmas elements.

I also think the banter between Callie and Marco was great. Especially when they first met but I felt like their chemistry didn’t always hold up throughout the whole story.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good Christmas romance.

3.75/5 starts rounded up to 4 for this review.

Holly Cassidy introduced me to rom-coms with her first holiday novel, THE CHRISTMAS WAGER that I loved so much I came back for more! I ldid not move from the couch until the very end. Literally!!

This is a clever, entertaining & charming holiday rom-com dripping with festive holiday traditions & finding happiness. I immensely enjoyed it.

We are introduced to sisterhood, family & other loving (and not so loving) characters. My favorites being Eggnog Man & Swiss Miss. Their goofy cliches are adorable.

I liked that there was no graphic sex. Just hints of it was refreshing.

Looking forward to the next one! Can we have it closer to Christmas next year?

Favorite Line: “Next time, remind me to bring my own polar bear.”

Thank you to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam’s Sons & Holly Cassidy aka Hannah Mary McKinnon for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall okay. Cute and very festive. Started out pretty good, but the ending felt rushed and like a chapter or two were missing. Fast and cute read for the holiday season. Will not read again.