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A sweet holiday romance. Very cheesy, very Hallmark. As long as you go into it with that expectation, you will be satisfied. Did the characters have a ton of depth? Absolutely not. Did they go on lots of fun, Christmasy adventures? Yes! Sledding, baking, caroling, skating...it's all here. I had a good time, but this is not a book I would reread.

"The Christmas Countdown " was a cute holiday romance. The plot revolves around Callie, a recently broken-hearted woman, who with the help of her sister tackles her insecurities of being good enough in the eyes of those she loves, work relationships and romance . Anita, Callie's sister, devises a plan for Callie to participate in a holiday advent adventure. It is while doing the advent challenges that Callie finds her voice and love. Thanks to Netgalley and .P. Putnam's Sons Publishing for sending the ebook.
From the auth‹
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The Christmas Countdown is SUCH a fun and unique concept. I loved the advent calendar idea and I feel like it was the perfect way to fit in so many really fun and festive activities without feeling forced or "too full". I also loved Marco, although I was more naturally drawn to Callie. This book also does a great job of crossing the cheesy threshold, where it gets to be too much. Great holiday romance!

The Christmas Countdown features Callie who is living with her sister and her grumpy cat. Callie usually loves Christmas but this year, her heart was broken by her long time boyfriend who she followed to the small town they now live in. Callie has to contend with seeing her ex every day as they work for the same company. Callie's sister hopes to get her out of the holiday funk by setting up an Advent calendar countdown which includes treats and tasks. Along the way, Callie meets baker Marco who ends up going along for the calendar adventures. Could Callie's grinchy like heart melt this Christmas season?

I loved Callie and Marco. Callie took all the challenges to heart and it helped her break out of her norm and live in the moment. Marco is definitely a golden retriever MMC. So sweet and fun to be around. All the characters in the book were fleshed out. Callie's sister really cares for her. I enjoyed reading in the author's notes that the bookstore owners and their store was taken from her real life town.

This book has very little heat. Behind doors, fade to black. This is the second book from Holly Cassidy but won't be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the e-ARC. This review is my own opinion.

A great read for anyone looking for holiday feels, twists, and satisfying character growth.

Callie is down on her luck: stuck in a job where she's not appreciated and trying to navigate life after being dumped. Enter her sister Anita, who re-creates the Christmas advent calendar that she and Callie used to complete as children. The activities in the advent calendar give Callie a new sense of purpose, and introducing her to handsome chef Marco along the way. Soon Marco and Callie are completing tasks together and growing closer. But what happens when Callie discovers something that could ruin their budding relationship? You'll have to read to find out!

Last year I read Holly Cassidy's The Christmas Wager, and I ADORED it. I still count it as one of my favorite contemporary Christmas novels of ALL TIME! This story, unfortunately, didn't quite hit for me. The romance didn't feel believable enough. The Christmas tasks weren't always particularly interesting. The subplots of Callie's job and her awkward encounters with her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend weren't something I enjoyed. And there were twists towards the end that felt out of sync with the majority of the story.

I appreciated how the author attempted to give us a variety of experiences in her novel, but it didn't quite gel for me. I'm still a fan, though, and look forward to her next novel!

Trigger warnings: cheating, toxic work environment

I'd like to thank Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

In "The Christmas Countdown" by Holly Cassidy, Callie is heartbroken and ready to skip Christmas after being dumped by her childhood sweetheart. Her sister Anita, however, has other plans and creates an Advent calendar filled with cheerful tasks to reignite Callie's holiday spirit. Reluctantly, Callie agrees to the challenge and soon meets a charming baker who helps her complete the activities. As they spend more time together, Callie begins to question her strict rules on love and the holidays. The Advent calendar not only opens up Callie's heart but also brings unexpected romance into her life.

This book is a heartwarming and delightful holiday rom-com that will lift your spirits. Callie's journey from heartbreak to rediscovering the joy of Christmas is beautifully portrayed, and the Advent calendar challenge adds a fun and festive twist. The chemistry between Callie and the charming baker is sweet and genuine, making their budding romance a joy to read. Cassidy's writing is engaging and filled with holiday cheer, making this book a perfect read for anyone looking to get into the Christmas spirit. Highly recommended for fans of holiday romances and feel-good stories!

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putman's Sons for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved reading The Christmas Countdown. When our main character is still reeling from a bad breakup, her sister gives her an advent calendar with "calendar tasks" designed to get her out of the house and living again (and also home for Christmas). But when one of those tasks brings Callie and Marco together, things start to work out better than Anita ever planned!

This was a cute Christmas read, I loved the way Callie and Marco interact, and Anita is the kind of sister I wished I had looking out for me growing up. It's a sweet story without too much unneeded drama where Callies finds herself and her voice and most to of the time the characters do believable things. I fun quick read to get you in the mood for the holidays!

The Christmas Countdown is a fun and festive read by Holly Cassidy who wrote my favourite Christmas book last year The Christmas Wager. Holly Cassidy is better know to us as thriller writer Hannah Mary McKinnon.

In this book Callie had broken up with Oliver and was not in the Christmas spirit this year. She was not planning to go home for the holidays due to the break up. Her sister Anita decided to help bring back Callie’s Christmas spirit by assembling a Christmas Advent Calendar full of treats and tasks to complete. Callie meets Marco (a baker) who offers to help her complete the daily advent tasks!

This book is one that will bring your Christmas joy and spark memories of Christmas past. It’s a closed door romance that gives you a Hallmark movie kind of feel. I loved the mention of the local bookshop in Burlington name A Different Drummer bookstore!

I highly recommend adding The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy aka @hannahmarymckinnon to your TBR this season!!

This was a fun, sweet Christmas read. The main premise of Callie doing advent calendar challenges to help her find herself again after a breakup was such a clever idea, and I thought the challenges were creative and brought out the best in her. Her romance with Marco was hallmark movie cute - they both love puns and are really perfect for each other.

But the main conflict was sort of shoved in at the end and resolved a little too quickly. The rest of the book all flowed well but the abrupt ending didn’t work for me as much.

What a delightful Christmas rom-com. The advent calendar that alternated treats and tasks was very clever and added a lot of creativity to the story. The big sis was awesome!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC! This felt like I was reading a Hallmark movie, it was so cheesy and cute. The love interests all felt a little too good to be true, the dialogue was clunky, and some of the conflict was overdone, but overall a fun read. The letter to her sister at the end was weird, it came across like she and her sister hadn’t spoken in the last year with the way she’d summarized their last year? Doing an actual epilogue would’ve been less strange. Regardless this was a solid 3 star read for the holidays.

I throughly enjoyed this story! I loved the advent calendar that Callie's sister put together for her- all the fun things she got to do during the month of December. I loved watching her fall in love with Marco-and knowing that she would be okay on her own too. This was as much a story about growth and self love as it was a story about falling in love.

Thanks to NetGalley and The PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the opportunity to read The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy which was the perfect holiday escape; joyful and caring. I loved the Advent Calendar events.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my copy of The Christmas Countdown
by Holly Cassidy in exchange for an honest review. It published October 22, 2024.
This was such a fun and creative book with a lovely premise. I adored the advent calendar aspect, and I can’t say I’ve ever read a Christmas book quite like that before, and it’s refreshing.
I found the character development to be top-notch and the characters themselves to be realistic and not over-the-top or cheesy.
I loved all the tasks, and could t wait to keep reading to see what would unfold!

Another holiday delight! I have had years where I was in grinch mode so this was highly relatable. While I wish this was an open door, the romance between Callie and Marco was so sweet. I officially need to have an advent calendar with challenges and goodies!

Very cute holiday read. Loved the advent calendar concept of this book. The characters were all likeable. Hallmark vibes.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for ARC!

This was a really cute one! I really enjoyed how complex of a story it was. This wasn’t your typical holiday romance, it showed various relationships (past, family, friends, romantic) while bring the holiday cheer while also showing dealing with the sadness of a failed relationship

The idea of an advent calendar as a gift from one sister to another to reignite the holiday spirit is so creative and heartwarming. After a rough breakup with her longtime boyfriend—who also happens to be tied to her family through their mothers’ close friendship—Callie has completely lost her enthusiasm for the season. Her sister Anita, ever the meddler, decides to create a countdown to Christmas for her, filled with wrapped surprises that include small gifts or festive tasks for Callie to complete. Though hesitant, Callie goes along with it, and soon finds herself crossing paths with a friendly and talented baker—a twist Anita is more than happy to encourage.

This lighthearted, PG-rated holiday story captures the coziness of the season, even if the pacing felt a little slow at times. It’s perfect for fans of cheerful, Hallmark-style reads!I'm

The book was good. It was about a girl from the meaning of Christmas again and healing through a Advent calendar that her sister made for her

Loved the advent calendar challenges especially when her sister has to leave and her new chef friend takes her place with the advent calendar fun. I love when someone puts a lot of thought into gifts and month long gift haul is so fun.
It did suck that her bf left her like it was nothing in the beginning of the book which is why her sister did this. Dumbass tried to come back when the challenges were bringing out a better side to her. But she was on to the chef guy, Marco.