I absolutely adore the setup of this book, the advent calendar our main characters sister made her. It's full of little gifts and and tasks for Callie to complete. So fun! This book feels sooo Christmas-y in the absolute best way.

The Christmas Countdown was a fun and light-hearted read centered around Christmas activities and finding love after a breakup.

Callie recently broke up with her first love and has zero interest in getting back into dating, or really leaving the house except for going to work. However, her sister, Anita, has a fun plan for getting Callie more involved in their community and hopefully back into the dating scene. Anita plans a very elaborate Christmas countdown designed to get Callie out of the house. The countdown was originally designed to be activities for the two sisters but Anita has a work emergency and ends up having to travel, leaving Callie to figure out how and with whom she will complete the activities.
The first task of the countdown calls for Anita and Callie to go Christmas tree shopping, where they meet Marco. This chance meeting between Marco and Callie and Anita’s special Christmas countdown come together perfectly to break Callie out of the cozy shell she had planned on keeping herself in until the holidays are over.
As the countdown continues, Callie finds herself enjoying the activities and looking forward to what each new box will hold, and with each new activity, Callie rediscovers herself and begins making friends and a place for herself within the community.
If you are looking for a fun, cozy Christmas romance, this will be the perfect read.

I want to thank Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive an advanced copy of The Christmas Countdown.

The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy is a an adorably charming holiday rom-com! This one reminds me of Funny People by Emily Henry.

Callie is feeling like the Grinch the Christmas following her break up with decade long boyfriend, Oliver. They grew up next door to one another and their moms are the best of friends. Callie wants nothing to do with her family’s holiday bash this year… however, her sister Anita steps up an adorable advent calendar full of adventures to get her back into the holiday spirit.

While Callie and Anita are out shopping for Christmas trees they bump into local dessert baker, Marco. Callie and Marco hit it off with their love of puns and European desserts… Anita coordinates a session with his company, Dessert Dudes, for a holiday baking event... and from then on we get to have a lot of fun while Marco helps Callie with the rest of the advent calendar adventures.

I was hoping for a lil more spice with this one and was bummed out when the scenes faded to black, but overall this was really adorable and I’d highly recommend picking it up this holiday season. You could probably finish it in one cozy afternoon cuddled up with your favorite beverage and animal companion.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I would love to read more from Holly Cassidy in the future!

Thank you to Putnam for the ARC!

Title: The Christmas Countdown
Author: Holly Cassidy
Pub Date: October 22, 2024

Grab a blanket and some coffee/hot chocolate, because you're going to want to sit down and stay awhile with this cute and cozy Christmas read!

After reading and loving THE CHRISTMAS WAGER last Christmas, I was SO excited for her new one, and it definitely didn't disappoint!

The story ultimately revolves around Callie who finds herself lost after being dumped by her longtime boyfriend while also trying to keep up with her sister Anita's idea to try to cheer her up around the holidays. Her sister's idea? An advent calendar full of challenges and rewards for each challenge! Some are quick and easy and some require immense effort!

While going through with these challenges, mostly to appease her sister, Callie happens to stumble across a cute baker who DESPERATELY needs her accounting help to get to the bottom of why his cookie business isn't as profitable as it should be! I would say the rest is history, but things aren't always as they seem.

I loved the sister and parent drama in this one! I find stories centered around sisters to be so fun, especially at Christmastime! I thought the romance was believable and I was never bored! Overall, I'd definitely recommend to get you in the holiday spirit!

Spice level: fade to black

The Christmas countdown
By Holly Cassidy

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 (3 out of 5)

Publishing date : 10/22/24

Ya know what.....if I give my "review" it's not fair to thia book. This is the 12th ARC in a row that I have finished. And honestly, I miss reading the books from MY shelf....but I had to read and review lots of arcs for September and October.  Because of this, I just really wanted to get through this one. I didn't give it my full attention like I should have. Therefore, a full "review" isn't fair. So here is the good reads blurb.

I will say, I really liked the romance connection !

Do you think this sounds like a title you would enjoy?

GOODREADS SUMMARY:
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.

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?

Always-thank you @netgalley and @putnambooks !

I genuinely love a good holiday romance, this one had all the pieces to make it one of my favorites so far. I think everyone can relate to the main character, Callie, as she navigates the holidays through the awkward post-breakup stage.

In an effort to cheer Callie up, her sister orchestrates an advent calendar over the course of December filled with activities that will have you laughing and crying right along with her up until the end.

This book has holiday spirit, a great sibling relationship, a little bit of drama mixed in all unfolding in a cute, small town. Whenever you’re ready for a holiday read, I genuinely recommend snagging this one.

Unfortunately I found this book pretty boring and uncomfortable. The FMC and MMC “banter” was so cheesy and awkward. And the stuff in between just wasn’t entertaining.

I thought the idea of the book was cute. And it def had Christmas spirit but that’s about it.

This is the Christmas heartwarming tale with this charming holiday rom-com. Holly Cassidy delivers another charming tale filled with laughter, love, and a whole lot of holiday cheer. Callie's grumpy demeanor is balanced perfectly by the charming baker, creating a delightful dynamic that will keep you smiling from beginning to end

While the story is predictable at times, it's still a delightful read that will leave you feeling cozy and festive. Fans of holiday romances will appreciate the familiar tropes and heartwarming ending

I thought this was such a cute story!!! I usually don’t care for holiday novels because they can be super cheesy but this one was different for me. I loved the characters & the storyline. I have loved advent calendars since I was a kid so this really made me nostalgic. I thought this was cute & definitely would recommend this to readers.

This one was cute and I binged it in a few hours. Easy to read. Loved the sister story. Callie wasn’t feeling festive and her sister, Anita wanted to cheer her up by making her an advent calendar to get her out of her comfort zone.

Publish date: October 22, 2024

Thanks to Netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for my advanced e copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was the most adorable holiday read! The MC Callie is still in a funk after getting dumped by her long term boyfriend, so her sister decides to break her out of her shell by organizing an advent calendar full of holiday tasks for her to complete. After a chance encounter with Marco, a tall dark and handsome baker, they decide to complete the tasks together.

Marco and Callie were too cute, they were both a lil nerdy and shared a love of puns. The character and relationship development were great, and all of the Christmas themed activities will definitely get you into the holiday spirit. I was a little bummed about the third act breakup in this one, but there was of course a very sweet HEA to make up for it. I would highly recommend reading this closer to the holidays!

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Callie has lost her Christmas spirit; her boyfriend of ten years has dumped her out of the blue, then became engaged to someone else. And to make matters worse, they work at the same company! Callie's sister creates an advent calendar for Callie to complete in hopes that she find her spirit once again.
Such a heartwarming book for the holidays! This book proves that a christmas advent calendar can always mend a broken heart! Thank to @NetGalley and the publisher for providing me the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam and Holly Cassidy for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about Callie finding her spark again. Callie was with her childhood neighbor and high school boyfriend for 10yrs and recently moved out of state with him but he broke up with her just weeks after. She’s been struggling the last few months dealing with the breakup, especially since they work at the same company. She normally loves Christmas and spending it at home with her family and close community but is not in the mood for any of it this year.

Her sister (and post breakup roommate) puts together an advent calendar of gifts and tasks hoping to remind her of her love of Christmas and push her to go home for the holiday even if her ex will be right next door.

Unexpectedly, task one brings Callie and Marcus together and their punny banter cannot be denied!

The book was an easy read and fun. The idea of the advent calendar was really unique and clever, I enjoyed those gifts/clues and how the activities pushed/motivated Callie.

I love getting an epilogue but this one was not my favorite. The email to her sister covered a lot but felt very forced and an awkward way to recap everything that happened since last year.

Overall a cute story I think many would enjoy, 3.5 rounded up.

Closed door.

The holiday's are looming and Callie just wants to curl into a ball and sleep through it all. Her parents want her to go back home for the holiday and her sister is not helping that discussion at all. Wanting to just stay in the city and work her way through a hard breakup, Callie would rather just be alone. Christmas was such a big deal in their family that Anita hatches a plan to try and get Callie back into the holiday spirit. She decides to give Callie a gift each day until Christmas. But some of these come with stipulations and Callie must follow through completely with all things in these carefully arranged 24 boxes. Will this boost Callie back into the holiday spirit or only reminder her of what she has lost? I really enjoyed this holiday read and thought it was brilliant how Callie had to do a physical advent calendar leading up to Christmas. This was a cozy Christmas read! Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ebook. The Buzz is getting into the holiday season with this one! This review is of my own opinion and accord.

This story is heartwarming and will bring on the Christmas cheer. Callie Meyer just wants to skip Christmas this year. She moved to a new town with her now ex boyfriend and now he is engaged to someone else. Her sister Anita insists on helping her get the Christmas spirit and Callie agrees to do an Advent calendar for December. Anita cleverly creates activities for Callie to do in addition to getting treats. Along the way she makes friends with Marco who helps her on her advent adventures. He is a baker and enjoys a good pun.

I really like the idea of a an activity oriented Advent calendar. The tasks are fun and include baking, sledding, singing and more. It helps Callie, who is an under appreciated accountant, become more outgoing and find some zest in her life. It is really her journey almost more than the friendship and romance (closed door) with Marco. I found the story sweet and the characters likable. I will say my Christmas books are starting to blur a little as I’ve read several recently that are being released soon. I did read the author’s previous book, ‘The Christmas Wager’ (Sept 2023). Maybe her books will become an annual tradition. (3.5 Stars)

Katherine Center may have said it best when she said a rom com end is not suppose to be a surprise, it’s built for a happy ending.

In any case, this story hit all of the things. Callie is struggling in a work place where she is under appreciated AND she has to work with her ex-boyfriend, Oliver. An ex of a 10 year relationship who was also her neighbor growing up, the holidays are coming and she has decided not to go home to avoid Oliver and his new life. Enter her sister - she creates an advent of treats and activities she hopes will lead Callie to come home for Christmas. Needless to say the advent is creative and full of fun ideas to get Callie out into the world where she meets Marco and many others who color her holiday world. I appreciated that the story had some depth, with the typical indirect route to happiness of a rom com. This was a great early start to my seasonal romance era this year.

Callie’s childhood sweetheart, and boyfriend of 10 years, broke up with her 7 months ago, right after they uprooted their lives and moved to a new town. This year, she just doesn’t have it in her to feel jolly about Christmas. So her sister/roommate surprises her with an Advent calendar challenge, just like the ones they used to do as children, hoping it’ll help pull her out of her funk.

Was this chock full of holiday cheer? You betcha! Were there plentiful heartwarming moments between the characters? Oh, yeah! Did it get a bit cheesy at times? Definitely. But I still had a fun time reading this cute little holiday romcom.

I enjoyed Callie opening up, growing in confidence, and finding more of herself a long the way. I thought the romance was cute, with some swoony moments. And I really appreciated the focus on open and honest communication in their developing relationship. (Always a favorite of mine in a romance!)

If you’re looking for a light-hearted, cheesy, holiday read, with strong hallmark movie vibes, this book will definitely be right up your alley.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and @netgalley for for providing me an early copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

What this book is giving:
✅ Holiday Romcom
✅ Advent Calendar Challenge
✅ Small Town
✅ Terrible Puns
✅ Hallmark Movie-esque
✅ Closed Door

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶️ / 5

Callie has no plans to celebrate Christmas since she’s been recently dumped. Her sister plans a series of gifts and experiences to get Callie in the spirit. During one experience, Callie meets Marco and he ends up joining her for them. This is a fun read with a lot of character growth by the FMC. I highly recommend this holiday read.

This is a perfect holiday romance read. This book had me laughing out loud, cheering for Callie, and crying happy tears for the main characters. I loved the idea of an Advent calendar with tasks & treats. The romance was 🚫🌶️ closed door and a wonderful read. I enjoyed it immensely.

Callie has given up on love and Christmas. After being dumped by her high school sweetheart, all she wants to do is hibernate. She is officially in Grinch mode but her sister, Anita, won't let her give up. Inspired by their childhood family traditions, Anita sets up an Advent calendar full of surprises to get Callie back in the holiday spirit. Callie meets a cute baker who helps her with some of the Advent activities. Will he be the missing link to her holiday happiness? This is such a sweet love story. I really enjoyed this book. Thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC of this book.