When professional violinist Charlotte finds herself with nowhere to go for the holidays, her friend and fellow quartet member Sloane insists they all join her at her family's home for Christmas. Charlotte wants to say no--December has been a cursed month for her ever since her fiancé left her at the altar five years ago--but her fellow musicians won't let her. Only when they arrive in Colorado, it turns out Sloane's sister, Adele, has also brought a friend with her: Brighton, Charlotte's ex-fiancé. Brighton, meanwhile, is struggling with being kicked out of her band that's now made it big, floundering working at Adele's bar, and regretting leaving Charlotte.

I loved this book. All of Herring Blake's books have been fabulous, particularly her first novel, but I love the holiday cheer and Christmas tropes this one packs in. We get only one bed, snowed in, home for the holidays, drunken confessions, fake dating, holiday games and more. It's a holiday romance lover's paradise with a sapphic spin! This one took a little bit to get going, and the beginning in New York almost felt like a separate story (albeit, a good one), but once we were in Colorado I was IN! I loved how the plot focused just as much on Charlotte's platonic relationships as her romantic ones; it was a nice through thread that logically connected to the romance.

Thanks to Berkley for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

**Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc**

I really enjoyed this Christmassy romance! I was surprised, because usually second-chance romances don't do much for me. There's something about the way the writer is able to make her characters seem complex and flawed but still likeable that made this work for me. I was rooting for them the whole time. Also- the Christmas vibes were on point. I would like to spend a weekend in Colorado with this group, please and thanks. I enjoyed the spice, but I also enjoyed the story outside of romantic scenes, and each of the characters felt very lived in and nuanced, even the side characters!

I was surprised when I looked at this author's other books and realized that she wrote some of my favorite MG novels (especially Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World!). Clearly she's a writer who is able to write well across genres and age groups. I'll definitely be picking up another one of her romances.

Thank you @prhaudio and Berkley for the review copies.
DNF at 15%. I had a hard time getting into the holiday spirit with these two main characters, which may have been more of a "me" issue than the story. If you are a fan of second chance romance, being snowed in together with your ex at the holidays, this would be a perfect read.

This was fine! I don’t easily buy into second chance romances and this one was no exception. But all of the characters were fun to get to know and it was definitely entertaining! I just couldn’t suspend disbelief enough to buy into the happily ever after. I also wasn’t a huge fan of calling her dislike of the holiday season a “December curse.” Like ok girl you just don’t like Christmas. That’s so fair. CURSE is a little wild. But I loved AHB’s writing and still had a good time!

This holiday romance was a lot of fun. I honestly think that if you like this author, you are going to enjoy this holiday romance. I do have to be honest, and maybe the two of them may have been better with other people in the long run, but I still thought this was sweet and fun.

Ashley Herring Blake has become a must-read romance author of mine, and this, her first standalone romance after her Bright Falls trilogy, did not disappoint. One of her biggest strengths as an author has, in my opinion, always been her ability to write complications into her romantic pairings that make sense and are sympathetic even when it doesn’t necessarily make the character likable—and here she does that very well with Charlotte and Brighton, who find themselves accidentally reunited for the first time after Brighton left Charlotte at the altar five years ago. A second chance romance after a betrayal of that caliber is a very hard sell for me, but Blake managed to completely convince me not only of these characters’ complex traumas and relationship difficulties but that the bones of the relationship were worth salvaging.

Also, the Christmas vibes in this book were immaculate—I purposely held off reading this book till right before Christmas and loved the cozy, warm, and bright atmosphere Blake created. The side characters were also great, although if I had one quibble about the book, it’s that the side characters got a bit sidelined. There were just so many of them and I would’ve liked a little more breathing room to get to know them! I’m so excited that Blake has another romance coming out in the spring.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Love is a journey, and sometimes that journey is long and convoluted and involves someone getting left at the alter.

Ashley Herring Blake has a way of writing characters and romance that resonates with me. I adored Delilah Green Doesn't Care and Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail, and Make the Season Bright is full of the same realistically flawed characters and loveable supporting cast that won me over with her other novels. There's something to the way that AHB writes both narration and dialogue that makes her books so enjoyable to read and make the characters and setting feel so real and alive, and I really enjoyed this book for the writing and the magnificent cast of characters, especially the supporting characters! I did realize, however, that second chance romance--or at least this second chance romance--just isn't my thing. While I liked both Charlotte and Brighton despite their flaws, I struggled to root for them as a couple and couldn't help feeling like their initial separation made sense and that they really might not be right for each other. That said, the story was charming and everything was done well, so I wasn't actually upset by anything that happened, and I found myself smiling as the story came to a close. I just prefer meet-cute or rivals-to-lovers romance more than the second chance variety, I think!

If second chance romance is your thing, though, I highly recommend this book to brighten up your holiday season! The holiday vibes were great and had me wanting to hang up Christmas lights and sing some carols in September! I loved the setting and all the background plotlines in this book (I would not be opposed to partaking in Two Turtledoves, just saying), and I would be thrilled if we get another Delilah Green situation and revisit this world and characters in future books!

All in all, while this romance storyline was not a favorite, I really enjoyed this book for the characters, the setting, and Ashley Herring Blake's delightful writing, and it's an excellent festive read for the holiday season!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a lot going for it, but ultimately I was never going to love the "second chance romance after one person is left at the altar" storyline.

I loved the cute Christmas environment. I enjoyed the friend group, though I thought they felt a bit interchangeable other than the respective best friends to Charlotte and Brighton. There were some funny moments and some sexy moments.

I didn't feel the communication issues that led to the first breakup were fully addressed in a way that felt satisfying. It was clear that both people loved each other very much, but it was too much suspension of disbelief that they would be able to come back to a healthy relationship after the previously mentioned being-left-at-the-altar thing.

Santa did read my wish list this year! A second chance queer romance from one of my favorite sapphic authors was definitely a fun surprise. I'm also a sucker for a good pun so making one of the MCs a holiday die hard with the last name Bright was just icing on the cake.

My only gripe is the same as so many romances and it about communication. How are you going to ghost the person you are literally marrying on the day of the wedding and then expect me to believe no one EVER forces a conversation? Come on, now?

I love Ashley Herring Blake and I was so excited to get this ARC! It was a fun holiday second chance romance and I loved how queer the whole story was!

One thing I wish was done was I felt like there needed to be more groveling for all the pain caused! I would have loved to see Charlotte grovel with how her character was.

I loved how the groups worked together. The hodge podge of people spending time together for Christmas was a cool dynamic.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story!

The second-chance romance didn't work for me in this one. I actively didn't want to two main characters to get back together.

3.5⭐️ I’m having mixed feelings about this. There was so much that I enjoyed, but also a fair amount that I just really didn’t. I will say, Ashley Herring Blake’s stories are always messssssy but not in a bad way. Messy in an entertaining way with great spice. Which this absolutely fits that. However, I fear I hold a grudge WAY too hard to fully get on board with this reconciliation 🫣 I need to think on this for my final rating. I may end up changing it.

Highlights:
- Romance: FF
- Holiday romance
- second chance romance
- childhood friends to lovers to…idk a lot happens lol
- Snowed in

3.5 stars! This one was cute, but it was missing a little something for me! This one was a queer version of the new Netflix movie with Lindsey Lohan!

Thank you @prhaudio and @berkleybooks for my gifted ARC and ALC. Make the Season Bright is out now!

This was a sweet second chance romance for Charlotte and Brighton. They were childhood friends that turned romantic, but as they grew older, they realized they wanted different things. There’s definitely a lack of communication and doing things for the other person rather than sharing what’s making them unhappy. One christmas they are reunited when they both go home for the holidays to a friend’s house and spark fly once again.

This was an entertaining book, but it was barely Christmas themed. The two lead characters were very young when they got together and they both needed to live more life before settling down. It got better when they were older and they could advocate their feelings better.

I listened to the audiobook and I really liked the narrator, @kdimerc. She was wonderful!

I just can't help but love this adorable holiday romance. Herring Blake continues to stand out in a widening group of queer romance writers. I love that there are more and more queer romance books out there, but I am often wishing a book was more like a Bright Falls book. Now, this is not a Bright Falls book. It stands entirely on it's own, but it still captures the charm, romance, and spice of that series. The characters are varied, and feel like an actual group of friends. Their flaws are definitely at the forefront of the plot which is not my favourite, but it's a romance novel, so I accept it. I will say this book felt the most trope heave of the books I've read by her, but again, I'm not mad at it because it was fun and sexy. A real holiday delight honestly.

I have really loved the other books in this series but this book was just OK for me. This is a second chance romance and my dislike was was largely due to the fact that a main character does something really awful and I feel unforgivable in their past relationship and it was hard for me to root for her happily ever after after that terrible behavior.

Thanks Berkley for the free book!
Okay so Ashley Herring Blake is a top top top author for me (her Bright Falls series is one of my favorite series!) so l had high hopes for this sapphic Christmas romance.
Having said that, the second chance romance trope leading this story really ruined it for me. I can usually enjoy a second chance romance but this one involves Brighton leaving Charlotte at the altar and then they reconnect five years later with the sparks igniting again. I loved that they were childhood best friends turned lovers, that trope always gets me good, but the failed marriage was so hard to look past. I just can't justify any good reason for you to leave someone at the altar and then be okay with it that you'd wanna date them again.
The romance throughout was really sweet and had me wanting to root for Charlotte and Brighton sooooo badly but I just kept hearing "she left her at the altar!!!" in the back of my head. I loved the Christmas vibes and the side characters were absolutely amazing and the writing itself is top notch. BUT, I can't root for you if you left my girl Charlotte at the altar, I'm sorry I just can't.

Exes get a second chance in this Sapphic Christmas romance. Charlotte and Brighton haven't talked since the day they were supposed to get married. Now, 5 years later, they've both spending the holidays with friends who happen to be sisters-- and instead of explaining their past, they pretend they don't know each other at all. This wasn't my favorite Ashley Herring Blake romance, but I'm glad she's branched out into the world of holiday romance. And I can see a lot of possibilities for more holiday romance stories with this friend group!

This was a sweet holiday romance, and I've been happy to see a wide selection of LGBTQ+ seasonal selections this year. I know the goal with these is cozy vibes, but I would have loved either some higher stakes or more humor. The in-between tone didn't suit my current reading needs.

This was a super sweet and fun holiday romance. Definitely reminiscent of the author's other series, in a good way. I will be happy to recommend this to customers looking for a fluffy yet genuine holiday romance with great lgbtq+ representation!