I’ve read a lot of Christmas books that are set to release this coming Christmas season and they’re all very nice, but the book I’m about to tell you about is a five star read. It’s the book you’ll want to go out and buy when it releases 10/22/24. The book is called a the Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy. This is a story about Callie and her boyfriend of ten years Oliver. When Oliver asks Callie to leave her parents and move out of town with him for a job promotion, she agrees only for Oliver to dump her four weeks lager. The complicated part is that work for the same company and Oliver gets a new girlfriend almost immediately. So, Callie moves in with her sister Anita to regroup emotionally. Anita gets an idea on how to pull Callie out of her funk. She creates a homemade advent calendar of beautifully wrapped packages full of treats and tasks. The deal is, Callie must complete the tasks or Anita will badger her with blind dates. Each task is holiday themed and designed to pull Callie out of her shell. During the first task, Callie meets Marco a dessert chef and they hit it off immediately. The question is, will the advent calendar tasks put Callie in the Christmas spirit or will Marco ensure she has a merry Christmas? I loved every minute of this book! It has all the Christmas elements I want in a book. There’s Christmas tree hunting, caroling, sledding, baking, and charitable deeds done with a Christmas twist. Plus, it snowed all the time which puts me in the Christmas spirit. I loved how each task made Callie more confident and we watch her become a reborn woman. Her relationship with Marco grows and it has become one of my favorite book relationships. I’m not one for pet names, but he calls her his Swiss miss which you’ll have to read the book to find out why. I loved the whole concept of the advent calendar and each gift was well thought out and holiday themed. Thank you NetGalley and Putnam books!

This book had me from the very beginning. I like how after the heartbreak she encounters it all is ok once Marco comes along. The love her sister has for her is undeniable and so caring.

This was such a fun book! I loved the idea of the Advent Calendar - interactive gifts are just so memorable and thoughtful - and I really enjoyed Callie's growth throughout the book. I also enjoyed seeing her navigate the work place and her new town as she healed from her breakup. The antics from Dazey were pawsitively delightful and I think I'm going to need to book a trip to Switzerland pronto.
Overall, a very cute Christmas [in July] read!

🎄The Christmas Countdown 🎄

Christmas in July part 4! 🎅🏻

4⭐️

Out 10/22

Thank you for my early copy, Penguin Group- Putnam!

I got to read The Christmas Wager for Christmas in July last year and loved it so much! When I saw Holly Cassidy had a new Christmas book, I knew I had to read it this month! 😍🎅🏻

This gave me all the Hallmark movie vibes!!

The exboyfriend, the romance, the advent calendar, it was truly a magical read.

I definitely recommend adding this to your Holiday TBR!

It was the best read at the doctors office!

I really enjoyed this book! The wit and banter was top-tier. It had me laughing out loud, swooning, and wishing it would never end. It was everything I love about Christmas wrapped up in a cute little present. Highly recommend.

A huge thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this!
This is an adorably cute Christmas story about a woman still recovering from the breakup of a 10 year romance and the treat/task advent calendar her sister makes for her. It is chock full of Christmas cheer, a meet cute with a Christmas tree, a few bits about career and finding yourself, and most importantly just dripping with nostalgia.
I wish the relationship between Marco and Callie felt a little more fleshed out: I found myself wanting more in every interaction. I also really disliked the 3rd act 'breakup': the stakes just didn't feel all that real. But this is syrupy sweet and fun: great for holiday reading.

NetGalley ARC Review:

The Christmas Countdown
By Holly Cassidy
Pub Date: 10/22/24

A girl who got dumped and still works with her ex.
A pushy sister.
Overbearing parents.
A funny meet-cute.
Lots of holiday related tasks and plenty of puns.
Self-discovery and second chances at love.

The Christmas Countdown is a perfect Holiday Read that will get you into the holiday spirit. I thoroughly enjoyed Holly's last Christmas book, The Christmas Wager, and this one was equally as good. This book is perfect for those that can't resist a good Hallmark Christmas movie. It's a vibe for sure!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Get ready for a cozy holiday read! I've seen a few adventures calendar based cheesy holiday movies, but haven't read a book of the same theme. I enjoyed this one. It was the winter equivalent of a feel good beach read!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio.

I really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure in the beginning if I would like it but I did. Such a cute love story. I loved the advent calendar idea. I need to do that. I loved all of the characters.

It takes a special book to make Christmas come alive when you read it in the dog days of summer, but Ms. Cassidy does it with delightfully crafted characters and a lovely story. Recommended read.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

What a cute story! This book put me in the Christmas spirit and I'm reading it in July! Callie and Marco are adorable but I also loved how it tackled not-so-fun subjects like misogamy in the workplace. I hope this turns into a Fallbrook series as it was the perfect small town holiday romance.

***AUTHOR'S NOTE***

Writing THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN and sharing some of my Swiss heritage (my father is Swiss and I lived in Switzerland for 35 years) was quite simply magical. The Advent calendar was something I started for my husband, and later on made for our three kids when they were little. Every Halloween I'd siphon off treats and put them in little bags with task'n'treats notes, all of which I'd hang from our banister, exactly the way Callie's mother does for her and Anita.

I mention the Advent calendar very briefly at the end of my first Holly Cassidy romantic comedy, THE CHRISTMAS WAGER, and that's what sparked the idea for THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN. Another fun fact: the real Dazey Rocket was my agent's cat. Dazey passed away as I was outlining the story, and I'm so happy to have been able to immortalize her in the book :-)

I hope you have fun reading about Callie and Marco, and that you enjoy their journey.

Holly Cassidy / Hannah Mary McKinnon
www.HollyCassidyAuthor.com

4.5 ⭐️

I just love this author’s Christmas romcoms and this one is no
exception.
I really liked the mail female character, Cassie. I liked her overall growth and confidence at the end. I really loved the relationship between her and her sister, Anita.
The advent calendar was so fun and inventive. It’s inspiring me to make my own tasks!
The romance was so cute and fun. I liked how you could see it gradually blossom into more. I just adored Marco. He was so good and patient with her.
Overall, a fun and festive book to read for the holiday.

Magical and heartwarming! This book is filled with festive cheer and irresistible charm. The characters sparkle with warmth and depth, making their journey to love delightful to follow. The writing captures the spirit of the season beautifully, wrapping us readers in a cozy blanket of love and joy. A perfect read to brighten your day.

I read her last Christmas novel and loved this one equally. A bit of Christmas in July as I love reading Christmas/winter novels in the summer.

Callie is getting over the heartbreak of her 10-year childhood love breaking up with her, and she is avoiding the holidays as it would mean running into him, his new fiancee, and his family. So Callie's sister, Anita, creates an advent calendar alternating between treats and tasks to help Callie get back into the holiday spirit and get out of her comfort zone.

Positives:
Pure Hallmark holiday spirit captured in a book
A cute romance without a lot of drama and miscommunication
Festive and fun

Negatives:
None. It was a delightful holiday read and I will continue to read this author's future holiday novels.

This is such a cute holiday book! I absolutely loved it from start to finish. I think I relate to Callie so much as I love having everything planned out, but sometimes you need someone who will push you out of your comfort zone because that’s when you make the best memories in life. Holly Cassidy does an amazing job bringing the characters to life and I wanted to know if Callie and Marco were going to be together in the end or if tough situations were going to ruin their chances. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good Hallmark style romance!

THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN by Holly Cassidy

Puns! Ugly sweaters! Cookies and good deeds! Good fun and warm feelings! So much good transpires in this fun holiday book. Eggnog Man and Swiss Miss meet up when Callie’s bossy older sister makes an Advent calendar of tasks and treats to help her reclaim her holiday spirit. It worked so well that I felt my own holiday spirit rekindling as well, even though I read it in July. So immersed was I in upstate New York skating and sledding that I was momentarily startled to see grass when I watched A Capitol Fourth on TV, well, half-watched, as I was mostly reading. Yes, it’s that hard to put down, a welcome distraction and hopeful outlook. Clear your calendar and have fun!
I confess to an extra connection as a formerly bossy older sister.
It was also, for me, a reminder of my ten years in Minnesota, building snowmen and skiing on lakes. Right I before I moved back to St. Louis, I did even try to match a fireman with another friend. I still think it could have been a good match. ;-)

Thank you to NetGalley for this sweet, fun, and heartwarming book! I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy. It was a fun way to celebrate Christmas in July.
The book centers on Callie, who is still adjusting in a new town after relocating with her now ex-boyfriend. To help her get into the holiday spirit, Callie's sister Anita created an advent calendar of activities for Callie to do the weeks leading up to Christmas. After bumping into and starting a new friendship with Marco, he asks to help Cassie with her tasks. As they take on each festive holiday activity, Callie becomes more outgoing and grows closer with Marco.
The book was very sweet and charming. It definitely had all of the Hallmark feels. It was a cozy read and inspiring to get out of your comfort zone, stand up for yourself, and feel more joy. If you love cheesy and adorable Christmas romances, this is worth reading for sure! I can't wait to read more by this author and recommend this entertaining holiday book!

Remembering how much I LOVED The Christmas Wager, I went into reading Holly Cassidy’s newest holiday rom-com, The Christmas Countdown, with the highest of hopes. She blew my expectations out of the water! I am officially having a book-hangover at the moment, and can’t decide if I want to read it again immediately or to read one book in between my The Christmas Countdown book sandwich.

While there are some oft-used tropes in this novel, the way that Holly Cassidy used them with humor and real and relatable life situations made them special and drug me under their spell until the last page. And it wasn’t that I read this book in the dog days of summer and that I was having holiday nostalgia or longing. It was so much more because of her character development.

I felt like I could really understand being in a holiday funk and grinch-forward because of what life had dished out to me, much in the same way that I empathized with all that Callie, the protagonist, had to overcome in her life. I love the love that her family had. I love the way that her creative sister thought up the actual Christmas Countdown/Advent Calendar Challenge. That devotion and thoughtfulness is inspirational. I also love that Holly Cassidy let her characters’ flaws show, and that many of the characters got to grow and learn in this book, and not just the protagonist.

If you’re allergic to puns, you’ll need an antihistamine, but since I Love them, I was in giggles from the first through the last chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this fabulous ARC!!

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

It always weirds me out to be reading Christmas books in the middle of summer, but I try to pretend I’m in Australia celebrating at the time.

This was a pretty good holiday rom com. Callie is dealing with being dumped by her boyfriend of ten years, and now living in her sister’s apartment while working at the same place her ex works. She’s decided she’s not feeling the holiday spirit this year. But her sister isn’t going to let that stand. Harkening back to their childhood, she creates an Advent calendar for Callie to do that will attempt to make her enjoy this holiday.

It’s a rom com, so obviously there’s a romance, which I liked, even if I felt that the last obstacle to the HEA could have been resolved by both of them taking ten minutes to just talk to each other, but isn’t that how it always goes?

Mostly, I just really enjoyed seeing Callie grow and become more comfortable with herself, and what she wants. She stands up for herself to her boss, her parents, and her sister, as well as her ex. I think her figuring herself out was the highlight of the book for me.

Definitely recommend for a fun holiday read!