This was such a cute Christmas romance! Callie was a wonderful main character who has been left reeling from an unexpected breakup. I really liked Callie and especially liked her relationship with her sister, Anita. Anita sets up an adventure calendar adventure for Callie that leads to more than she bargained for. This book not only has romance and Christmas vibes, but also personal growth, professional growth, and a great male romance interest. Definitely one you should pick up if you're looking for a quick holiday read!

This was very cute and read like a Hallmark movie. It follows Callie, who isn't really feeling the Christmas spirit after a bad break up. Her sister Anita creates an Advent calendar full of festive tasks in hopes of cheering her up and getting her home for the holidays. The tasks lead Callie to Marco, a super sweet and cute baker. The premise is super fun and definitely put me in the holiday spirit, but the writing kind of fell flat. It didn't necessarily need to be great, but sometimes this felt choppy and the character actions didn't always make sense. Like at one point Callie puts on a bikini to wear around the house for no reason. There's also a money laundering/tax fraud/cheating plot tacked on at the end to really make the third act conflict as convoluted as possible. My other big issue is how much Callie's mom and sister tried to control her life. They are barely held accountable, and her mother's behavior is especially atrocious. Still, if readers are looking for a cheesy, holiday romance, this is a fun and cute choice! It did what it had to do and would have a place at our library.

First thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for an electronic arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: Callie had a rough year and broke up with her boyfriend shortly after moving to a new city for him. She also works at the same company. She now lives with her younger sister and dreads the holidays especially after her ex boyfriend gets engaged to the new girlfriend quickly. Her younger sister tries to cheer her up with an advent calendar that includes treats and tasks. Will this bring back the holiday spirit?

What I liked: this book had a good amount of holiday spirit and charm with the chemistry. I also liked the self growth journey that Callie goes on throughout the book. Mateo was a fun character and what a holiday romance needs, someone who believes in good and kindness. He really helped Callie grow and drop some baggage she was carrying. Callie herself was a good character, cautious but her character development supported it. I loved the concept of a treat and task advent calendar. It made it more realistic. The book reads quickly and the vibes felt great while reading. There wasn’t too much angst or conflict and not too much cheese either.

I’m

Callie is tasked with an advent calendar thanks to her sister to help her get into the Christmas mood again. Marco, a handsome stranger, that she bumps into offers to help her out with these "tasks". This was such a cute Christmas book ! It has all the wintery vibes you could ask for. It was a fast pace book and it kept me entertained !

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun book. I really loved it!

4.5

I really enjoyed this holiday romance. We love a little meet cute moment and meddling sisters 😂! I loved the advant calender idea so much... I seriously thought about doing my own for my daughter to do next year. I enjoyed all the wintery/holiday themed things her sister had her doing, just seemed so fun. I love that our main character was able to grow from her break up and move on to better things all while no longer being upset about her ex. And of course I loved her new guy too! 😍 All the characters were fun and the story was a good time. I would definitely recommend this one for the holiday season.

This is such a wonderful Christmas book to read during the season. I loved the advent calendar and all the fun activities that took place during the book. I thought that just added something extra to the romance/dates and I liked how that aspect made it feel different from other Christmas romances. I also really enjoyed seeing Callie’s growth throughout the story. I think if you’re looking for a closed door romance book to cozy up next to the Christmas tree with then definitely give this one a try.

This book was a really perfect holiday read. I love how the main character overcame her ex and moved on like a boss.
I am looking forward to reading The Christmas Wager by Holly Cassidy next and I hope to see more books from Holly Cassidy hit the shelves soon!

This book had its up and downs for me. I thought the concept was really cute and I loved all the Christmas activities. I found myself not really enjoying the romance and he sort of love triangle. The conversations felt a little forced to me and something just did not click.
I did really enjoy all the references to Switzerland as I know the author grew up there and I found it fun to learn more about that.
A cute read to pick up for the holiday season.

This is one of those books that will definitely put you in a festive mood. Callie has had a tough year due to a break-up, and she isn't planning on going home for the holidays. Her sister surprises her with an advent calendar, alternating treat days and task days, with all the tasks aimed at getting Callie to interact with the world and to help her find some Christmas spirit. And of course there's romance to be found along the way.

I was drawn in immediately by the advent calendar concept. Sure, Callie's sister is a meddler, but it was also so incredibly sweet and caring of her to go out of her way to put together this entire advent calendar, which immediately showed the strength of their sibling bond. It was so fun to find out what would be the treat or task on every new day.

Callie quickly meets Marco and ends up spending a lot of time with him over the course of the month. When her sister has to travel for work, he replaces her on most of the task days. In a romance, I really enjoy seeing the couple having fun on dates, so this worked so well for me.

I will say this book was a somewhat slower read, but that really worked for me here. I loved the level of detail in which every day, and especially every date, was described. This book truly lived up to its incredibly fun premisse.

I hope Holly Cassidy one day starts writing books year round - I love the Christmas books (of course!) - but I want even more stories. They are so easy to read and enjoyable all the way through! Can't wait for the next one by her!

The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy is a festive read featuring a grumpy and lost female main character who’s pulled out of her slump by her loving sisters with an advent calendar which includes treats and activities.

While the story is very predictable and the villains lacked depth, the cute romance and delightful food references made it an enjoyable holiday read. If you’re looking for a cozy, feel-good read with sisterhood at its heart, this one’s worth picking up!

Thank you to the publisher and author for my eARC.

If you’re looking for a Hallmark story, setting, and ending this is the book for you.

Die to a bad break up to her childhood love, Callie has no holiday spirit. Her sister sets up an Advent challenge where each day in December Callie gets tasks or treats to help erase her Grinch-y attitude. From childhood memories and keepsakes to polar plunges and caroling, Callie gains confidence, finds joy, and learns to love again.

Some of the dialogue was a little strange and didn’t seem like something late 20s adults would say. I read that the author is from England and I think that explained it a little bit.

The Christmas Countdown is a cozy, festive read that captures the magic of the holidays. This book is perfect for Hallmark Christmas Movie fans. The Advent calendar theme was such a fun and creative way to structure the story, and I loved how each daily challenge brought a mix of heartwarming moments and holiday cheer. The holiday spirit in this book is infectious. From the festive activities to the warm, small-town charm, it’s impossible not to feel the holiday spirit. While there were a few predictable moments, the overall warmth and charm more than made up for it. This is a light, feel good holiday read that’s perfect for curling up with by the fire.

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

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Callie is not looking forward to Christmas after being dumped by her long-term boyfriend earlier in the year and she plans to spend the holidays hibernating at home. But her sister has other plans and designs an elaborate advent calendar for Callie designed to get her in the holiday spirit through a series of gifts and tasks. As Callie embarks upon an adventure, she meets Marco, a chef who ends up helping Callie tackle several of her tasks.

This was a cute, wholesome, clean Christmas romance. Very strong Hallmark Christmas movie vibes, although it did end up being a little too cheesy for me at times. The characters were solid but I would have liked to see more depth to the secondary characters who all felt a little one-dimensional.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Overall: 3.5/5, rounded down
Spice: 0.5/3 (read this on vacation so I don't remember 100%, but I know it was closed door/clean)

What a beautiful story to read at Christmas time.
Main character, Callie, is having a rough time this Christmas season. Her childhood boyfriend has broken up with her. It has been 7 months since the breakup and Callie is still not having anything to do with holiday spirit in any way.
Callie’s sister decides to challenge Callie to a Advent calendar adventure to bring her into the holiday spirit.
I loved the Advent calendar challenge! It is full of challenges, tasks and treats!
Callie meets Marco as she is trying to accomplish on of the advent challenges.
What follows is a sweet Christmas romance journey for the two of them.
The Christmas Countdown is a sweet, closed-door Christmas romance that will definitely pull you into the holiday spirit.
Author, Holly Cassidy, writes in a way that has you feeling all the feels the characters are experiencing.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

What a fun, festive book!

Callie is a few months post breakup. Her and her boyfriend were together 10 years and broke up less than a year ago. She’s mostly doing ok but 1) they work together 2)she moved to a new town for him before he dumped her for someone else 3)their parents are best friends and 4)he will be next door, at his parents and new girlfriend if she goes home for the holidays.

Callie’s sister has seen her sister lose her spark. She decides to renew a childhood tradition: an advent calendar with both a task and a treat every day.
She plans to complete the tasks with Callie but gets pulled out of town.

Just as the season is starting, Callie meets Marco while picking out a tree with her sister. He winds up filling her sister’s spot with the advent tasks.

While they barely knew each other when it started, they get pulled into a bunch of fun seasonal activities. Callie finds herself having more fun with Marco than she had with her ex.

Add in a cute cat and lots of holiday sweets and what’d not to love? This isn’t just a love story, it’s also about a woman trying to figure out who she is without her relationship. And it’s about family too. Callie’s sister might be pushy sometimes but it has to feel good for her to be so loved by her sister that she’d go through all the time and expense to make the adventure calendar. I’d recommend this to anyone who wants a lot of festive vibes and fuzzy feelings. I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!’

A sweet holiday read. I really enjoyed the tasks and treats Advent calendar concept which brings the main female and male characters together.

Such a cute, feel-good holiday book. There is nothing going right in Callie's life that makes her excited for the holidays. After being dumped by her childhood sweetheart, she just wanted to stay inside and DEFINETLY not return home, where her ex lives right next to her parents. Her sister has other plans though. She creates an advent calendar full of Christmas activities. Callie agrees thinking her sister will be the one to complete them with her but after she has to go out of town someone new may be her new partner for the countdown as well as forever.

The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy is a fun and easy Christmas Rom-Com.

Callie has given up on Christmas. Ever since her fiance broke up with her, she has been depressed and lonely. Her sister, Anita, has decided enough is enough and stages an intervention. Anita has crated a Christmas Advent calendar of gifts and challenges for Callie. Initially, Anita has planned to do the challenges with Callie but then is unexpectedly called out of town and Callie has to find someone else to do the challenges with her. Cue in Marco.

The book is predictable but fun. It is fast paced so the predictability doesn't get in the way.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.