Thank you @putnambooks, Netgalley and @bookloversthebuzz for the #gifted book and this is my honest opinion.

I know it isn't even Halloween yet but I am ready for all the Holiday books. THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN is a fun romantic comedy that had me laughing out loud with all the puns and holiday antics.

Callie has been dumped by her childhood sweetheart and just wants to skip Christmas. Her sister Anita has other plans. She makes an Advent Calendar with tasks and treats to get Callie back in the Christmas spirit. Anita promises Callie they will complete the task days together. When Anita gets called away for work, handsome baker Marco helps Callie with her tasks. Can Callie get her Christmas spirit back? Will she be able to find her confidence and trust love again?

I loved the sisterly bond between Callie and Anita. It definitely put me in the holiday frame of mind as Callie completed the fun tasks of Christmas Caroling, sleigh riding and ice skating. All meant to get Callie out of her shell. The author also put a little of her Swiss heritage in the book especially all the delicious cookies. I highly recommend THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN and it would make the perfect Hallmark movie.

A fun Christmas read, as Callie sets out to complete the Christmas advent challenges set for her by her sister.

After suffering a terrible breakup, the FMC refuses to celebrate Christmas. Her sister, in an effort to help Cassie get over her long time love, creates an advent calendar filled with little tchotchkes and tasks to help her get into the spirit of the season.

As an ardent fan of the holidays and all things cold weather, this book tickled my fancy. There are all the classic elements like making cookies and shopping to drinking cocoa and going sledding. As the reader, you feel immersed in the atmosphere and want to take part in the festive experience.

The story is a closed door romance, which I appreciated as it allows you to focus on the theme and development of the romance instead of reading it FOR the sex. Seemed realistic.

I would recommend this book to almost anyone trying to get into the coming Christmas season but also anyone into a cozy romance. It's absolutely a Hallmark channel Christmas movie!

The Christmas Countdown is Holly Cassidy‘s sweet holiday romantic comedy for 2024. Reading this story feels like watching a Hallmark movie because the descriptions are so vivid and the characters are so colorful.

Callie wants to skip Christmas after being dumped by her childhood sweetheart. She refuses to go home for the holidays since her ex will be next door with his perfect new partner. Callie’s meddling sister, Anita, stages a Christmas intervention for her. She devises a homemade Advent calendar challenge inspired by their childhood holiday traditions. Callie is reluctant to participate but changes her mind when she meets a handsome baker. After he agrees to do the activities with her, Callie falls for him and then they are on their way to happily ever after.

This story is really like watching a Hallmark Christmas movie because the descriptions are so clear! While I’m not a fan of Hallmark, the characters of The Christmas Countdown are well-developed and engaging, and the story is engrossing. Anita is hilarious with her meddling ways. The competitive games are interesting challenges and require a multitude of skills. Callie’s journey to happiness is fun to watch.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy is the perfect book to curl up with on a cold winter's night. It's like a warm hug, wrapped in festive cheer.

Callie's having a bit of a rough patch after a breakup, but her meddlesome sister has a plan to cheer her up: an Advent calendar filled with fun holiday activities. It's the ultimate holiday hack, right?

Enter Marco, the charming baker who's as sweet as his pastries. Their chemistry is off the charts, and their holiday adventures are just too cute.

The story is predictable, but it's so cozy and heartwarming that it doesn't really matter. It's the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

So, if you're looking for a book to get you in the Christmas spirit, The Christmas Countdown is a must-read. It's a sweet and simple pleasure.

Wow i loved this book! Truly put me in the Christmas mood and i loved the premise of the story. The character growth of Callie was impeccable. This book was so relatable and truly made me feel the holiday feels. Honestly, would love for a sequel of Hazel and Joe!

Wow! Hannah Mary McKinnon (Holly Cassidy) can do it all! Such a great set up with excellent characters I read this in a day and could not put it down. I loved the Christmas time vibe. And I was 100% invested in the advent calendar! My only regret is that I have never done this with my kids. What a great Christmas treat. Loved it!
Thank you NetGalley, Hanna Mary McKinnon as Holly Cassidy and GP Putnam’s Sons for the opportunity to read and review this book.

4 stars.

"The Christmas Countdown" by Holly Cassidy is a super cute Christmas romcom that will put you in the perfect mood for the holiday season. It's a little corny, but I enjoyed it. Cassidy balances the goofy with the serious and the exploratory well. The story follows the main character, Callie, whose sister has created an advent Christmas calendar series of events for her to do to get her back in the holiday spirit and to bring her back to herself after a bad breakup and a move she didn't want. Along the way, Callie will receive holiday gifts, go on holiday adventures, and maybe even find true love. I found this story to be charming, mushy in a non-annoying way, and very, very festive. I liked the sisterly dynamic between Callie and Anita. Anita has her reasons for inserting herself in Callie's life, and we discover those along the way, too. I also liked the exploration of Callie and Marco's love story. I found myself rooting for them from the very start! Cassidy takes her time to get readers to believe in their romance. Their commonalities made me get invested in their long-term status as a potential couple. I loved how they learned about one another during the advent challenges. The third act made me want to pull my hair out from the miscommunication, but besides that, this book really did it for me. I highly recommend you add it to your holiday TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley, Holly Cassidy, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Such a sweet and fun read. Perfect for getting into the Christmas spirit and I loved the back and forth between the characters.

I really loved this one!!! Definitely gave me all the feels and got me in the Christmas spirit. Callie and Marco were just perfect. I didn't want their story to end. Maybe a sequel Christmas countdown in the future?? Highly recommend if you are looking for a quick, Christmas-y, romcom read!!

*Thank you partner @prhaudio and @bookloversthebuzz for the #gifted e-galley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

This was such a cute book! I enjoyed the swoon-worthy moments!! I love the concept of the advent calendar with the treats and tasks and reviving old childhood memories while watching our FMC slowly become more and more confident and stand up for herself. The conflicts at the end felt a little rushed but I do like that they felt realistic.

This was the perfect first holiday read and truly got me excited for the season💕

This book was a really cute rom com and perfect for the holidays. This is the second book I’ve read this month that used an advent calendar as the premise for the book. I think this is a sign for me to get an advent calendar 🤗. I love how Callie’s sister Anita reintroduced an advent calendar of cheerful events from their family tradition comprised of 24 wrapped gifts to help her get back into the holiday spirit and feel better after breaking by her childhood sweetheart she’s been with for 10 years. I’m so happy that she decided to play along with her sister’s antics because she ended up finding a great guy in the process 💙

Such a fun Christmas read!! I loved the Advent calendar story line. I want to start something similar with my own kids. Callie's love of puns had me laughing out loud. And her self discovery throughout the book is amazing. She stays true to herself through the ups and downs of the story. Highly recommend!!!

This is a cozy Christmas romance with all of the holiday feels! Callie has just gone through a rough break up, and is not in the holiday spirit. Her sister creates an advent calendar with fun holiday gifts and tasks. It’s a Hallmark type story with some closed door romance. I received a free copy of this book from the author, publisher, and netgalley, in exchange for my honest review.

She in NOT in the mood for Christmas

Maybe it used to be her favorite time of the year, but Callie is definitely not feeling the holiday vibes this year. It’s hard to blame her…she and her now ex-boyfriend Oliver grew up next door to one another in Pineville, VA, and had been together as a couple for ten years. When Oliver got a promotion and was transferred to Fallbrook in upstate NY, Callie did the supportive girlfriend thing; she pulled up stakes and moved there with him when asked, and was even able to get a job at the firm where he worked. Then, just four weeks after they moved to Fallbrook Oliver told her he was breaking up with her; he no longer loved her and in fact was now interested in someone new. Blindsided and heartbroken, Callie moved in with her sister Anita (who fortunately also lived in Fallbrook) and has tried to move on. Seven months later, Oliver is blissfully happy with his new girlfriend (a beautiful local TV reporter whom he is bringing home to Pineville for Christmas). For Callie it has been hard enough working in the same building with the man who broke her heart; there is no way she is going to spend Christmas with the happily-in-love couple right next door and having everyone in her hometown look at her with pity. No, Callie is fine coming back to the apartment after work each night to read thrillers or work on puzzles. She’s just FINE. Anita disagrees and has a plan to help Callie reclaim her life and find joy. She has gone back to a tradition that was one of the highlights of their childhood Christmases and created a “task ‘n treats” Advent calendar. Each day in December Callie must open a package (one day its a treat, the next its a task, and so on) with Anita promising to help with the tasks and promising that the treats are totally worth the effort (and Anita swears it will get Callie back in a Christmas-y mood). Callie reluctantly agrees, figuring. It will at least stop Anita from nagging her about going home to Pineville with her for Christmas and going out on blind dates. When Anita is suddenly sent to Florida on business, Callie finds herself stuck with completing her tasks alone. Even worse, there are shakeups at Callie’s job and not in a good way. Then Marco aka Eggnog Man, the cute guy (and professional dessert chef) Callie met when she and Anita were picking out a Christmas tree, says he is willing to be her task wingman (and keep her supplied with a steady stream of sweet treats) if she will use her accounting skills to straighten out his catering company’s books. With forays into sledding, caroling and game nights with cocoa, Callie might just shed her Grinch-like mood and open her heart back up to the magic of Christmas…and more.
The Christmas Countdown is a charming, fun read chock full of holiday joy. Callie is a relatable character, hurt by the man with whom she (and her whole family) thought she would spend her life. Anita is pushy (but with the best of motives), willing to prod her sister out of her protective cocoon by whatever means necessary, and has gone all out with the reboot of their childhood Advent calendar (what an amazing idea, by the way!). Marco is a great guy who has far more in common with Callie than Oliver ever did, and helps Callie rediscover parts of herself that have been in mothballs with the somewhat rigid Oliver. If you love a good Christmas romance then pull up your Spotify holiday playlist, grab a mug of your winter beverage of choice, and settle in for a story brimming with good cheer. Holly Cassidy is a pseudonym for suspense author Hannah Mary McKinnon, so fans of Ms McKinnon might want to give this novel a try, as should readers of authors Debbie Macomber, Susan Mallery and Pamela M. Kelley. Many thanks to NetGalley and G. P. Putnam’s Sons for allowing me early access to this highly enjoyable read. I just wish there were some recipes included!

3.75 stars

What you’ll find in this book: A Christmas tree themed meet-cute, lots of holiday activities, and puns (seriously, so many puns)

This book really toes the line between cheesy and corny. There were a lot of scenes that were just cringy because of how corny they were, especially with all the puns. Maybe some people will enjoy that but it just wasn’t the vibe for me. I liked Marco and he and Callie seemed to have a genuine connection although it sort of fell into “too perfect” territory. They are very insta-love and I wanted them to have some kind of conflict or something just to make their relationship seem more believable.
Unfortunately this came in the form of an infuriating third act breakup/conflict/whatever. It could have very easily been avoided with a conversation and although it was resolved well the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth.
You also get the overbearing family trope, with a sister determined to push Callie out of her comfort zone at any cost and parents who want her to get back together with her ex. Again, it was all resolved in the end but annoyed me throughout the book.

If you like cheesy romcoms with lots of holiday activities you might enjoy this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin group for the ARC!

The dialogue is so wooden and stilted the book was almost painful to read. I don’t understand how anyone can read this without massive skimming. So much explaining going on within the dialogue I felt like it was meant to be a joke. I won’t read another of her books.

The Christmas Countdown is the story of a woman, Callie, and the advent calendar created for her by her sister. Some days are fun tasks like sledding and baking classes designed to get her out of a rut and some are just treats like a manicure. And of course there is a hunky stranger who wants to help out with the tasks. My heart is full. This was such a huggable book. Each task was cuter than the next, filled with holiday cheer, warm fuzzies and silly moments. It was clever and sweet. and I loved seeing Callie find happiness. The quintessential holiday romcom.

This book was so lovely and fun, and perfect for Christmas!

I love the idea of the advent calendar of tasks. I loved the relationship between the sisters, and all the characters interacted so well together. This was the first book I read by this author, but I look forward to reading more.

I loved this book. It’ reminds me of a cozy Hallmark movie. So grab this book, a cup of peppermint coffee or hot chocolate and cuddle up next to a fire and get to reading.