Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have to first admire the cover, I think that it captures the spirit of the book well! I' 'm a fan of Blake, so I knew that I had to dive into this novel when given the opportunity and it did not disappoint. I'm not often a fan of second-chance romance but I couldn't put this book down. As always, Blake does a great job of creating lovable characters that aren't perfect, which is necessary for romance. I believe this book is another success for the author, and I can't wait to read what she releases next. I will be recommending this book to anyone looking for a holiday romance to dive into.

Make the Season Bright is a fantastic sapphic holiday romance! I love everything I have read from Ashley Herring Blake and this book is no exception.

Make the Season Bright is a second chance romance, which is not my favorite trope, but it was really well done. Charlotte and Brighton are exes that haven’t seen each other in years and end up spending the holidays together when they both tag along to Christmas with a friend. Those friends end up being sisters.

I loved the main characters and the side characters were fun and interesting. A great holiday read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Ashley Herring Blake’s sapphic romances so I couldn’t resist her latest, Make the Season Bright, which is not only a second chance romance, one of my favorite tropes, but it’s also a holiday romance.

Five years ago, Charlotte Donovan was left at the altar by the woman she loved. Although that broke her heart, she’s doing okay these days, living in NYC and playing in her beloved strings ensemble. When we meet Charlotte, her ensemble mate, Sloane, has just invited the ensemble to come home to Colorado and spend Christmas with her family, Sloane is all for it. That is, until she gets there and realizes that Sloane’s sister has also brought a friend home for the holidays and it’s none other than Charlotte’s ex, Brighton Fairbrook.

Brighton is reeling from being kicked out of her band and just wants to have fun and stress-free holiday with her friend, but all of that goes out the window when she finds herself face to face with Charlotte.

I’m a big fan of the forced proximity trope and love how it was used here to get Charlotte and Brighton to remember how they felt about one another and to finally have a much needed real conversation about what happened five years earlier. I also loved that these conversations are set against the backdrop of fun holiday activities like decorating cookies and playing in the snow. It made for a great balance between angsty romantic drama and festive holiday goodness.

I always love how Ashley Herring Blake writes her characters. Charlotte and Brighton are both flawed and a bit messy and come across as very authentic.

This was a quick and entertaining read!

This was cute but not a stand out Christmas read. I really couldn’t get into charlottes character which made the entire romance difficult to enjoy. Good but not great

Second-chance romances like this are often hit or miss for me, but I appreciated this atmospheric holiday romance between two former best friends turned lovers turned exes. I also really loved the found family components and the constant presence of music anchoring the story. I think folks will grow easily frustrated with the conflict and lack of communication, though; but this does make me want to pick up more Ashley Herring Blake! I'm surprised I haven't.

I often find holiday romances a bit grating, but I've been on the search for the one for me for years now, and this might just have done it. Charming, funny, and heartfelt, this was such a great way to get into the holiday spirit!

Thank you so much for an ARC of this book! I absolutely loveeeed every minute of it. I loved every character involved! Endless stars!

This is second chance holiday perfection.

This will be a yearly re-read for me. Ashley just really outdid herself with this one!

I liked it, but didn't love it. Charlotte was actually so unlikeable and definitely my biggest barrier to really getting into it. I liked all of the Christmasy vibes, but the romance could've gave a little more.

This may be my favorite holiday romance of 2024! The main characters were well developed, the setting was magical, and the supporting cast was a delight. If you're looking for the perfect holiday happy ever after, this is it!

overall, I liked this! the setting and events felt very hallmark holiday movie to me, in a good way. the pacing was great and I felt like something interesting was always happening and keeping me engaged.

I did enjoy the friend relationships more than the main relationship. For me this fell a little flat as far as second chance romances go because I didn't feel like there was enough growth to want them to get back together. Instead of banter, it felt like there was a lot of bitterness that wasn't the funnest to read.

Every time I pick up an Ashley Herring Blake book I know it'll be a hit. This is no exception, Wildly endearing and a great heart. I do wish there was an additional 50 pages ish, because the characters had so much to work through, and there were moments where it felt like sex was used as a resolution instead of hard conversations. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this Christmas romcom! The entire friend group was lovely, and I do cry every time someone explicitly uses the word aromantic.

the best christmas book of 2024! I have already hand sold so many copies! The journey the characters go on together from age 12 to know feels so real. I laughed, I cried, and I loved the ending.

I really enjoyed Ashley Herring Blake's previous books, so was excited to see a Christmas based story. When Brighton and Charlotte are thrown back together over Christmas at mutual friends' in Colorado their second chance at romance seems like a non-starter. Will the town's Turtledoves Holidates and their group of amazing friends be able to convince them they belong together?

Thus book was so messy. I loved the character growth even though I hated Brighton. I liked it wasn’t overly Christmas

Hmm. I think this is probably a 2.5 rounded up and, trust me, no one is as sad as I am to give it that low a rating.

First of all, I love Blake's Bright Falls series. Like, a lot. I think I had a hard time with this one because there's second chance romance- which I love- and then there's second chance after being left at the literal altar romance. I feel like that's a miscommunication I probably couldn't come back from. And yes, Charlotte knew how Brighton was feeling about New York, but to be left at the altar? Friggin brutal. And I think there was just not enough getting to know each other again and talking through what happened for me.

I did, however, LOVE the side characters, especially Sloane and Adele. And I really enjoyed the musical aspect of the book- both on Charlotte's and Brigthon's ends. (Also, as someone with the name Katie, the Katies deserved way more shit from Brighton than they got for what they did to her.)

Why Did I Listen To Make The Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake?
Well, it turns out that November has me feeling the holiday vibes. Plus I needed a little bit of a pick me up after the election news and what better than a sapphic Christmas romance. Make The Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake came into my life at the right time. Also, audiobook meant I could get to it much faster than planned – thank goodness!

What’s The Story Here?
Five years ago Charlotte was left at the altar. She has moved on and now she is in a string quartet called The Rosalind Quartet. She has new plans for her holidays. Charlotte will be going home with one of the members of the quartet to spend the holidays in Colorado. Only when she gets there it turns out that Sloane, the person whose home she goes to, has a sister, Adele. That sister has also brought a guest, none other than Charlotte’s ex-fiance, Brighton. It is about to get real awkward real quick. Brighton and Adele get signed up for a series of holiday events and it turns out that the past comes rushing in.

How Did I Like Make The Season Bright?
I found that I greatly enjoyed Make The Season Bright. I love that it depicts queer joy — an act of resistance these days, am I right? It has a compelling storyline. Brighton and Charlotte are interesting. Brighton has this special song she wrote basically stolen from her by this band that she is kicked out of and the band hits it big. That is a whole other layer. We have second chance romance as a trope. We have there is only one bed. And! Fake dating! I loved it. I will be checking out more books by this author. Oh and the narration is wonderful too. Kristen DiMercurio is the narrator and has an easy to listen to voice – no notes on what could be improved. It is 10 hours and 26 minutes long.

On A Scale Of One To Buddy The Elf, How Much Holiday Spirit Does Make The Season Bright Have?
There are dating competition related events – from horseback riding to baking. We also have cabins and a snow storm. This book has all the charm and all the holiday spirit. I would certainly recommend to all who enjoy that sort of thing – ie people with similar taste in books to me.

This was really cute and got me in a festive mood! Miscommunication and lack of communication do tend to frustrate me, so this book definitely had me tearing my hair out at points, but it was fun overall.

This was my first Ashley Herring Blake book and I was hoping to start the holi-gays right...but I DNF'd around the 30% mark. I didn't like or connect with any of the characters and I just didn't care about what was happening.
Rating 3 stars here, won't be rating on Goodreads.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I have enjoyed Ashley Herring Blake's other books, and was hoping one of these protagonists would be related to the others in her previous books. I liked the premise overall, and the setup. It felt more believable than some other queer romances I've read, and who can resist a cute holiday love story?