This book was a delightful escape from reality. Callie has been dumped by her long term boyfriend Oliver and has let it suck the joy out of her life. Anita comes up with advent challenges for Callie to get her out and meeting people and moving on. On the first challenge she meets Marco who I loved because of all the funny puns he shared with Callie.

Marco agrees to do the challenges with Callie and they both grow and change through the challenges. It is fun to see them making each other laugh and support each other. It blooms into a beautiful relationship that even her family approves of.

I liked Swiss Miss and Eggnog Boy and all the food references and upstate NY references. This was a fun heart warming holiday read that will put you in the holiday spirit.

This is such a an incredibly sweet and creative Christmas story! I really enjoyed the characters and their journey. It's a perfect read to start the holiday season!

Holly Cassidy's second Christmas romance is a delight from beginning to end. It's well written and a quick read--I finished the book the same day I started it. It goes down smoothly--not a lot of angst or poor communication between the two appealing protagonists. And, yes, it would make a good Hallmark movie.

Accountant Callie is trying to recover from a recent breakup with her boyfriend of 10 years. And to make things worse, she and her ex still work at the same company. Callie's sister, Anita, who is much more outgoing, devises a creative Advent Calendar to shake Callie out of her low mood and chronic lack of self-confidence. It's in the form of a package to be opened each day in December, one day a gift and the next a holiday-related task that she and Callie will do together. But when Anita is called away on business for three weeks, pastry chef Marco volunteers to accompany Callie on these tasks, in return for accounting help with his business. Marco is an adorable character, and although he is also recovering from a betrayal by his most recent girlfriend, it's not something we hear much about, and he doesn't seem to be suffering.

I loved reading about the town of Fallbrook in all its holiday glory and about Callie and Marco's developing relationship (the rare closed-door sex scenes are unnecessary to the story). This charming book left me in a good mood, and what more can you ask of a Christmas romance?

My thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

I secretly put my Christmas tree up before Halloween is over and done with. There have been years where I ask to put it up for my wedding anniversary… the THIRTEENTH of October. I’m certifiably insane. So a Christmas book in May? I honestly don’t know how I waited this long.

If you like Hallmark holiday movies and need something to get you into the winter/holiday spirit, this is IT. Reading this arc before summer is even here has blasted all my pool plans out the window, brb while I get my trees out of the attic.

This book was cute! Did it have the cringe that every Hallmark channel Christmas movie has? Absolutely. The puns just about did me in but the surprise of each advent calendar day kept me coming back for more. I might just have to reread this again closer to Christmas!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the Penguin Group for the arc! 💌

This was a cute and cozy Christmas read. Gave you all of the small town romance vibes. Really enjoyed the characters, well written and was fast paced. Definitely a book you'll want to pick up during the holiday season.

Cute premise and easy accessible writing. Definitely feels like a strong 3-4 stars for the target audience, with 5 for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

Great cover! I liked the characters and the development of the story. This is perfect for fans of Hallmark Holiday movies. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

<b>3.5 stars, rounded up because of how chock-full of holiday feels it was!</b>

I loved the premise of this. The main character Callie has been devastated by a breakup with her long-term boyfriend and does not want to celebrate Christmas, so her sister Anita creates an advent calendar for Callie. The calendar is half filled with little gifts; the other half consists of festive tasks that Callie has to complete.

When I say this book is chock-full of Christmas elements, I am not at all exaggerating. From sledding, to sipping hot chocolate, to making Christmas cookies and candy, this book had it all. It was so festive and fun! I wanted to participate in all the fun events.

I liked the romance well enough, especially the emphasis on honesty in their relationship and how open they were with each other. However, the (closed door) sex scenes seemed a bit out of place in what was otherwise a perfectly clean and wholesome book. It didn’t really fit with the overall tone.

Still, I’d definitely recommend this book for those who love Christmas books or Hallmark Christmas books.

The Christmas Countdown had fantastic Hallmark Christmas movie vibes, it really has me ready for the Christmas season as you could feel the holiday cheer oozing out of this book (even if Callie wanted to ignore it in the beginning!). I loved Callie's journey to finding herself after her breakup. The advent calendar was a really creative way to have this happen. It went really well with the romance story being told between her and Marco. They were also very cute together! I really enjoyed reading this, and could not put it down once I started it.

This book left me wishing someone had made me a cute advent calendar for the holidays! I'll definitely be recommending it to my friends when it's published.

This gave classic hallmark Christmas movie vibes and I was HERE FOR IT. It was cute, cozy, and fun to read. Callie and Marco were so cute and just picturing all their Christmas tasks really makes me wish it was Christmas time even though it’s May lol. I adored this and will totally read again at Christmas time!

Cute Christmas romcom. Story is about getting out of your comfort zone. The storm is charming and hallmarky. Quick entertaining read with interesting characters.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for allowing me to read this book early.A cute Christmas read about getting over a heartbreak and out of your comfort zone.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It hasn’t even hit peak summer weather yet and this book has me praying for an early winter!

The Christmas Countdown had everything I’d want in a holiday romance:
- Small-town
- Hallmark movie vibes
- Baker/Baking microtropes
- So so cozy

I really loved the advent calendar plot- it made for such a fun read!

holiday rom coms are my absolute favorite!! so happy i snagged an ARC of this one!!! absolutely so cozy and cute! highly recommend

Okay, this book has made me eager for Christmas and it’s only May. This was an adorable holiday treat. The Christmas Countdown begins with our lead Callie not really feeling the holidays as she’s just been through a terrible breakup. Her sister comes up with Advent Calendar challenges that tries to get Callie back in the spirit of Christmas.

I loved seeing the progression of Callie’s confidence and happiness through the novel. All the cooking/baking references were making me dream of dessert, and Marco was the true icing on the cake.

Adorable and just feel good Christmas fun.



Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.

This book was a hallmark movie in a book in the best way possible. It was SO cute! I loved all the characters, the romance, and the premise! Adorable. It may be May but I am totally in the Christmas spirit now! Would love a physical copy to reread later, so I can’t wait til it releases!

This was such a cute hallmark-y Christmas time read.

Callie’s story is one that is relatable to everyone who has gone through a break up after a long term relationship. I enjoyed watching her character grow throughout the book and be able to move on through the help of her loved ones, her sister being the most helpful. And Marco was so sweet!!

The Christmas countdown aspect was such a fun idea too, and makes it the perfect holiday read!

This book was a little more tell than show for me with the way it was written, but I honestly think it’s just the writing style of the author. This didn’t take away from the book at all, and after a few chapters I was hooked into the story.

Thank you NetGalley, Holly Cassidy and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the chance to read this eARC.

Add this to your christmas list!! Holly delivered such a funny, holiday romcom that everyone will adore. Had a blast reading this despite the 80 degrees it is outside. Fast pacing, great writing. You won't regret adding this to your TBR!

Such a great title to get anyone in the holiday spirit. I know it’s way early but never to early for a good holiday read. Will be sharing a full review very soon.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Sometimes the holiday season is just magical…and sometimes they are downright heartbreaking. Callie is reeling from being dumped by her boyfriend of a decade and cannot face going back to their hometown where he will be parading his new girlfriend around. Callie is a beautifully written and relatable character who shows us that it’s okay to not be okay. But with the help of her sister, Anita's thoughtfulness and Christmas cheer, perhaps completing her homemade Advent calendar might just change Callie’s holiday season. When a handsome man named Marco keeps appearing, it seems like Christmas magic could be real…The Christmas Countdown is a delightful holiday read and provides laughs and hopeful glimmers to those who struggle during the holiday season. A wonderful read that evokes all of the nostalgia for egg nog and Christmas cookies.

Review is posted on Goodreads and will be on Instagram ahead of the publication date!