I enjoyed reading The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

If you’re ready for a book that will give you all the festive feels, look no further! This is the perfect #feelgood #meetcute! I adore Callie & the #adventcalendar theme! Told each day from December 1, I loved getting to follow along with her as she embarked on “advent”ures to brighten up her holidays & on her journey to self discovery!


Thank you, Holly Cassidy, Regina Andreoni, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Penguin Random House, & netgalley, for my advance #gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

This was such a cute, light Christmas RomCom! If you are looking for holiday RomCom with closed door this is one you might enjoy.

I felt that the pace was off on this one and it was really slow. I just wanted a lot more and didn’t get what I was expecting.

Many thanks to GP Putnam Sons and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy! Cute, sweet, and cozy holiday read! I love the use of an advent calendar to move the book along - it felt like something that would genuinely happen, which I really appreciated. The characters and their challenges felt realistic enough, yet still whimsical.

I would recommend this behind closed doors romance to anyone who wants a cozy read with a plot!

I really adore Holly Cassidy's Christmas books. This one was such a fun premise, and I really related to Callie. However, the miscommunication toward the end really bothered me plus her parents are pretty awful. I enjoyed seeing a healthy sister relationship where the fought but made up, and as someone who has two sisters this was refreshing to see! Plus mine would never make me an advent calendar full of activities to do - I loved this plot!

I think I'm slightly burnt out on Holiday arcs bc at times I'd get bored, but I think that was on me not the book so going to give this one 4 stars since it was full of all the Christmas activities. I just wish I read it closer to December!

Thank you to NetGalley and GP Putnam's for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Solid Hallmarkie Christmas Romance That "Officially" Has The Weirdest Personal Story Ever For Me. This is one of those damn near prototypical Hallmark Christmas movie type romances, and that alone will tell most people whether they're going to like this or not. Obviously, with how much success Hallmark has with these types of movies every year (and with so many of the romance authors I've worked with over the years now getting chances to write some of these actual movies), there is quite a considerable market for exactly this type of story, so kudos to Cassidy (and the actual person behind her) for branching out into this realm. Here, Cassidy even manages to introduce a few wrinkles not *always* seen... but this also ties into the personal story I have to tell.

For those who don't care about my very weird personal history with this book, what I said above is everything you need to know. It was really good for its type and had some interesting wrinkles, and is absolutely worthy of your time if you like these types of tales. Very much recommended.

Now, for the weird personal tale:

As I was reading this book in the week before release in October 2024, I *absolutely knew* I had read this tale before. To the level that it was an exact duplicate of the tale I knew I had already read, which I recognized 100% from one particular scene, among others. As I've known the actual person behind the Cassidy pseudonym online for many years now and have read and reviewed many of her books under her real name, I knew such blatant plagiarism simply *was not* possible. Not the author I've known for so long. And yet... I *knew* I had read this story weeks earlier, back when I last reviewed this author's 2024 release under her real name.

And yet... I had *ZERO* record that I had already read this book. Which is statistically damn near as close to zero as you can get, as I have *extensive* record keeping about literally every book I read in *numerous* different places.

I have an Excel file where I have three different sheets containing different data about every book, and I mark each sheet as I complete a given book. I download the cover to my phone and then create two separate images - one with my Hardcover.app profile on the side and one without - with my rating of the book on both. I then post the one without in a Facebook group on my personal profile where we keep track of all the books the group reads. I then Facebook Messenger my reader profile both images. I then save both images in a particular folder on my computer. Then I begin to actually write the review in Hardcover.app. I then copy the text of the review into Goodreads, BookHype.com, BookBub.com (if the book is there), TheStoryGraph.com, NetGalley.com (if the book came from there, as both the earlier book under this author's real name and this book did), my blog, and at least two separate Facebook reader groups, and I'm trying to get better about making it at least three. (My own group there, Reader Garage, as well as at least Readers Coffeehouse and I'm trying to get better about My Book Friends). I then finish out my review on my blog with imagery and some links, then post the links from my blog to the Hardcover.app review and to the NetGalley review. I then copy all of the other review site review links into the NetGalley review and submit that. Finally, I place the link to my blog review in my LinkTree and get the Hardcover version of the cover image out on my Twitter, Instagram, Threads, and Facebook Blog Page. I then share the Facebook Blog Page post publicly on my reader profile there.

So there are a LOT of places that *some* record of me reading this book back then *should* have existed in some form. 25 by my count, 26 counting the My Book Friends group.

And YET, I found record that I had read this book in just *ONE* of them - It had been removed from the Excel tab where I remove books as I complete them. Even this isn't conclusive, however, as I've been known to make mistakes and cut the wrong book from time to time over the years.

But y'all, I *KNOW* I read this book, and I even remember having the plan back in July, when I read the other book under this author's real name, that I would read this book immediately after - along with then doing the same thing with another author who had two books releasing around the same time as both of this author's books. (IIRC, the other author's first book released a week or so after "Cassidy"'s first book, and the other author's October book released last week, a week before this book.)

So what I *suspect* and *believe* happened - yet have almost exactly zero evidence of - is that I did in fact read this book back then. It is the only thing that makes sense with everything that I know to be true about everything surrounding this very weird experience. I then noticed that I simply had too many books releasing in August to follow through with my plans for working the other author in a similar manner, and clearly I somehow forgot to go through my review process for this book back then. I honestly have no idea what caused such a lapse, but such a lapse happening is the *only* thing that actually makes sense with everything else I know.

So there you have it. Even the "machines" of the book review space, as some authors have called me over the years, have our breaking points. It seems that August 2024 - whose books I did not fully clear until September 30, with my review of James Rollins' Arkangel - may have been too close to my own for comfort. But at least I'm on the back side of that, and some new opportunities are arising as I begin to slow down the ARC work that has kept me so busy for so many years now.

Hopefully y'all will continue to follow me on these new adventures... and hopefully you'll continue to follow Ms. Cassidy under both this identity and her real one. :)

Completely and no doubt a new Holiday favorite! “The Christmas Countdown” surpasses my expectations with Anita giving her sister, Callie an Advent calendar hoping to turn around her Grinchy attitude.
What could be more Christmassy than a Tree Farm, hot cocoa and a romantic twist? I loved Holly Cassidy’s adorable plot bringing this ugly sweater and holiday pun filled novel to life.

A delightful read kept me turning the pages. I needed and wanted more of Callie and Marco! Loved the fun and festive Advent treats and tasks inevitably turning Callie’s holiday spirits around and into full swing. Such a joy of a read.
I highly recommend this as a sure read on your Christmas read list. Thank you @GPPutnamssons @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and views are my own.

Callie is determined to be a grinch for the Christmas season since her longtime boyfriend broke up with her and is engaged to someone new. She's now living with her sister Anita who revives a childhood tradition of an advent calendar. Each day Callie is challenged with either a task to get her in the holiday spirit or a treat. Callie meets Marco when doing one of the tasks and he becomes part of her advent challenges when Anita has to go out of town. The boyfriend who jilted her is in the picture for the entire book as they worked at the same company and he lived next door to her growing up. Good story.

The Christmas Countdown is such a cute, funny romance, seriously the Excel shirt! Do they actually make that? This is the perfect Christmas love story, there’s no spice but so much humor and feel good story line. Highly recommended.

All Callie wants to do is be a Scrooge this year; her sister has other plans.

Callie always loved Christmas until her boyfriend broke up with her. First, she moved to a new city to be with him, and then he dumped her for someone else. Now, she is living with her sister, Avoiding her ex, and hoping to hide from Christmas. Her Sister will not let that happen. She has a very elaborate plan: a Christmas Countdown. Too bad her sister has to go out of town and can't be there.

Now, if only there were someone to help Callie complete this Countdown. Maybe she just met someone like that. Enter Marco. The perfect Hallmark Leading Man. A baker with a heart of gold. Enjoy this Cozy, Fun Holiday Read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for an Honest Review.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #PenguinGroupPutnam for the book #TheChristmasCountdown by #HollyCassidy. Callie is trying to get over her decade long relationship with Oliver. The breakup has caused her to be a Grinch this year about Christmas. Her sister, Anita, has made her an advent calendar to try and bring the spark back to her life. While on one of her advent outings, she meets a handsome baker, Marco who is getting over a relationship also. Can their hearts thaw and find love again?

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
I thought The Christmas Countdown was a cute holiday romance. It was a fun, fluffy read for the holidays. Marco and Callie were cute together, while their puns were a little excessive for me, their relationship was sweet. Callie was a relatable FMC and Marco is a fun MMC, but chefs will always win points for me haha. I thought the Advent calendar challenge that Callie’s sister created for her was so fun and something that helped Callie get back to being herself after a break up. It gives Hallmark Christmas movie in the best way! If you want a fun holiday read that is sweet and full of Christmas cheer, definitely pick this one up!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I thought this one was so cute!! The perfect book to get you in the holiday spirit!

Thank you NetGalley, thank you Putnam books Penguin group for this ARC.
Reading this in the middle of the “spooky season” was a good move.
Like many other readers, I like when a romance book set at Chirtsmas gives you all the “Hallamark movie” vibes, and this one does the trick.
Callie is having a hard time after the break up with her long term boyfriend Oliver. Her sister Annita came up with the idea of a unique Advent Calendar with daily treats and challenges hoping that this bring back joy for Callie. In the meantime, she had a meet cute with Marco, a baker who ended up helping Callie to carry through the daily tasks of the Advent calendar.
This is a very cute-feel good Rom-Com. I loved the dinamics between Callie and her sister and her friend Hazel. I really like the slow burn between Callie and Marco and how he always was trying to make her feel better. I think the puns were very funny, although at some poin I felt they were a Little bit too much. My only complain is that it was a Little bit weird the “love triangle” with Joe, Callie and Marco. I know it wasn´t a love triangle, but that situation felt out of place.
In general I found all characters very lovable (except for Oliver and Grant), I loved the evolution of Callie and how she and Marco were very open with each other.
It was a very enjoyable read, recommended for fans of Jenny Bayliss ans Kitty Wilson.

This book was super cute and will get you right into the holiday spirit.

Our FMC Callie, moves to a new city with her long term boyfriend of 10 years and starts working for the same company as him. When Oliver meet someone else, he decides to dumb Callie, sending her to go live with her sister Anita. After the big break up, Callie is in no mood to celebrate Christmas, but Anita creates an advent calendar that is fill of Christmas treats and activities for her to do.

During one of the baking activities, she stumbles across Marco, who is a pastry chef. When Anita gets called out of town for business, Marco ends up helping Callie complete the advent calendar tasks, in exchange for her to clean up the financial reports for his business.

Even though she swore off finding love after the last, these two are super compatible and their relationship just seems to fall into place in the best way possible. This truly felt like a Hallmark type movie!

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an early copy of this book.

Such a fun premise for a Christmas story …
Callie is NOT in the holiday spirit this year, after being dumped by her longtime boyfriend. Her sister, Anita, tries to rekindle Callie’s holiday spirit by devising an elaborate Advent Calendar of Christmas Treats and Tasks, incorporating lots of Christmas memories and traditions old and new. Throw in a chance meeting with a hunky local baker, Marco, who is ALL IN helping with the Advent Calendar Tasks - and we have the recipe for a one-of-a-kind Christmas story that will bring you JOY!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC opportunity!

I really enjoyed this book! Not only did it give the perfect Christmas vibes, like a good Hallmark movie, but it also had great character growth with the FMC, which i really enjoyed seeing.

Moments were predictable, like the situation with Vince but i did not see the Ruby twist coming. However, that did not deter from the story at all.

Marco is literally perfect. This man could do no wrong. He had a great sense of humor and understanding. Really solid MMC all around.

Exactly what I was looking for - cozy holiday vibes!! The story follows Callie, fresh off a breakup and determined to have a quiet, uneventful Christmas. Her childhood sweetheart has moved in next door with his new girlfriend, and Callie is set on avoiding him and skipping the usual holiday cheer.

Her sister has other ideas.. pushing her into a homemade Advent calendar filled with fun (and sometimes uncomfortable) challenges.

At first Callie is reluctant, but when she meets a sweet, handsome chef, things start to change. She slowly rediscovers her holiday spirit and seeing her open her heart up to love again is so heartwarming.

A light, quick holiday read if you're looking for easy, feel-good vibes with a touch of romance.

Review: I thought this book was so freaking cute. I honestly didn't wanna put it down and I read it in one day. I loved the interactions between Marco and Callie, and I loved the growth that Callie went through as the book progressed. Towards the end, I found the sister and the mom to be borderline insufferable, and I think that was the point, but it did take away from the story for me just a bit. BUT I really did enjoy this book and I'd definitely tell people to add it to their Christmas tbr. It made me laugh, I loved the Advent Calendar part of the story, and just in general this book was very feel good/happy.

Synopsis: She’s given up on love and Christmas…but fate has other plans.

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?

A Hallmark themed movie with a bit of romance added in.

If you want all the Christmas feels, like sipping hot chocolate, sledding, baking Christmas goodies, so many festivities, this book will give it all to you.

The book tells the story of Callie who is devastated by a breakup with her boyfriend and isn't in the Christmas spirit at all, with good reason! Her sister Anita decides to step in and help Callie make it through this hard time and to try to give her a bit of Christmas joy. She creates an advent calendar for Callie. The calendar doesn't have only little gifts in it, it also has tasks that Callie has to complete.

Definitely would recommend for any Christmas story lover out there!

Thank you to Netgalley, Holly Cassidy and Putnam publishing for allowing me this arc version in exchange for my honest opinion.