If you adore second chances and the holiday season, this is your cup of seasonal delight with some romance! I loved the second chances with the holiday vibes and family angst. Great setting and this set up for a cute modern day Hallmark movie that I would watch. Thank you so much to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher!

I adored this holiday read. It's a delightful sapphic second chance romance. You can tell that both characters still have strong feelings. Life has thrown them some curveballs. They long for each other. Their love of music also bonded them. It evokes a lot of emotions while reading. And the angst!

This second chance sapphic romance was amazing. The story was sweet and I really felt for both Brighton and Charlotte. I could see how both their personalities led to the original breakup. I’m glad they abs able to try again with this Christmastime novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake! Thoroughly enjoyed this holiday romance!

I really wanted to like this book and had been dying for a good sapphic holiday book, but I went into it knowing a few friends of mine didn’t like it and sadly, I ended up agreeing. I just didn’t care for either character so I didn’t care enough to finish it so they could get their happy ending. Still a fan because I loved her first two, but this was down there with her last one for me. 😔

This book was incredibly disappointing. The gaslighting and the whole "left at the altar" situation felt manipulative and uncomfortable, and the romance dynamic was downright troubling. The way the relationship developed left me feeling uneasy, and I couldn’t get behind it at all. I honestly hope this kind of romance never finds its way into the lives of my loved ones. It just didn’t sit right with me.

Ashley Herring Blake does it every time! She never misses with heartfelt stories and complicated, lovable characters.

A mixed read with both highs and lows. The story follows two exes forced to spend the holidays together after one was left at the altar five years ago. I struggled with the second-chance romance trope, feeling the reconciliation was unconvincing and that one character ultimately settled. However, I enjoyed the side characters, setting, intimate scenes, and themes of rediscovering passion and self-worth. Ultimately, I found it an average read.

This is a fun read for the holiday season. Ashley Herring Blake always writes the swooniest romances and this one was no exception.

The will they/won’t they tension is top tier and the dialogue keeps you turning the pages. Not only is the romance well written, but the picturesque Home for Christmas setting really made it perfect. I highly recommend!

“You get to want whatever you want.”

Oh the classic misunderstanding, how I despise and love you all at the same time. It's heart breaking to not really understand why something cannot work with someone you love so much, but even more so when that someone is your friend first and lover second. Watching these two dance around each other was so difficult at times simply for the fact that they had lost the ability to speak to each other as strangers. They never really learned how to be that to each other.

Cutesy dates, Christmas vibes, and a broken heart can only get you so far when you're just so in love with the person next to you. These two seem to be on the edge of just right and painful!!!! But romance books always show you why the difficult can so often lead to the easy.

3.5⭐️

I look forward to an Ashely Herring Blake release every year. But the last couple haven't hit the same way some of her previous books did. This one is a little tricky to rate for me. On one hand, I had a really good time reading this book. It was fun, festive, had amazing friendships. And the audiobook was fantastically narrated.

But not for one second do I believe that these two should be together or will last as a couple...

And while that isn't necessarily a deal breaker - it was really hard to get invested in them as a couple. So I always felt a little disconnected from the romance aspects, even when the scenes themselves were sweet and romantic.

Overall I thought this was a really fun holiday read. I loved all the holiday events and found family aspects. But the romance itself was just lacking for me.

love AHB and it was beautiful! i'm just not much of a second chance romance girl. very charming cast of characters!

This was a sweet holiday romance. The characters were well developed and the romance was believable. However, I loved Blake's other books so much, that it was hard not compare.

If I’m being very honest I have a very hit or miss relationship with this authors works. Some I love and some I don’t. Make the Season Bright was thankfully one that I loved! This was sweet, funny, deep, angsty all tied up in one. I loved each of our main characters so much and I loved how different they were from each other and how well they still fit together. I will say this book felt the most realistic in terms of the couple’s emotions to me than any of her other books and I loved it! Definitely recommend!

Overall, I did enjoy this one! I think that the second chance romance angst mixed well with the cheerful Christmas backdrop, creating a fun combination. I do think there should have been a more angry conversation where they truly hashed out their feelings, I felt like that moment was missing. I also don't know if the dating events subplot was really necessary for this book, I think it would have been fine if it was just a serious of Christmas related events rather than it being an emphasis on "Two Turledoves"

I get that Charlotte was closed off, but I do also think we were missing a "wtf is going on" moment earlier in the book from one of her friends. I also wished we had more moments of Charlotte and Brighton's friendship when they were kids to really strengthen the angst. Also, I understood the breakup and the WHY of it all, but I still really struggled with Brighton's decision to leave Charlotte at the altar. For me, that just felt really hard to come back from.

this was a cute christmas book, but not one of my favorites. i have loved all of ashley herring blake’s other books though! this one had so many characters and friends groups i couldn’t keep everyone straight 😵‍💫 i also didn’t love the main characters relationship, it needed more substance in my opinion!

Make the Season Bright is the perfect blend of holiday romance and found family. Blake makes it incredibly easy to fall in love with her characters and she has quickly become an autobuy author.

This was tough for me because I don't think I forgave Brighton as easily as Charlotte. But I do think AHB put in the work for them as a couple I just don't knownif it was enough for me to fall in love with them as much as I wanted

I am admittedly not a Christmas girly, but a January blizzard inspired me to finally pick this one up, and I'm so glad I did! The snowy holiday vibes are on point, I loved the full queer cast of characters, and it was so satisfying to see Charlotte and Brighton's character growth, together and apart, that led to a happy ending. And I especially loved the music aspects of the story!

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for a copy of this ebook.

Was this a good book? Yes.
Did it live up to Ashley Herring Blake’s other books? No.

I had a hard time connecting with the main characters and felt like there were more holes in the plot than normal for this author. There was a ton of chemistry though and I love the side characters!