Five stars no notes. There’s a reason AHB is my go-to sapphic romance author! I highly recommend this story - even in the summertime, this was the perfect unputdownable romance.

Absolutely beautiful.

This book was the most beautiful story of right person wrong time, second chance romance. There is so much emotion, so much love.

This had everything I’ve come to love about Ashely’s writing with a sprinkling of what makes holiday romances great.

I’m a little speechless. This is a must buy, must read. Don’t miss out.

I think I often forget that I'm not crazy about Christmas\holiday-specific romances. So I did knock off half a star because the deeper setting didn't appeal to me.

That said, Ashley Herring Blake knows how to balance the emotional and the spicy (if you've read her Bright Falls series you already know this) and the story between Brighton and Charlotte doesn't disappoint!

If you've liked her previous work, or if you're looking for a fun spicy lesbian romance with emotional depth, this is a good read for you. If you like Christmas romances, too.

I love Ashley Herring Blake so much I didn't even mind reading a Christmas book in the middle of summer. She handles her characters so well, and I swoon pretty much the entire time I read her books. This one was really sweet despite the extra big emotional baggage each character is toting around. There was a little bit of emotional whiplash in the middle, but it didn't super detract from anything. I love AHB ♥

I really liked this one! Not my favorite from her because I’m not a big holiday girlie but the smut was great and I loved the characters.

This book is so heartwarming as you follow Brighton and Charolette. This book is all about healing from past traumas, letting people in, and starting new. The love all the characters have for one another is beautiful and powerful to see. This is so much more than a romance, its a book of acceptance and peace.

I don’t typically love a holiday romance, but I’ll read anything Ashley Herring Blake writes! Make the Season Bright had cute holiday festivities mixed in with an emotional (sometimes angsty) second chance romance that I thoroughly enjoyed. The music aspect was also lovely and done so well!

I'm relatively new to Ashley Herring Blake's writing (I'm genuinely shocked that my ARC for this was approved, with how many of her die-hards are excited to read and evangelize the new book), so I still wasn't entirely sure what to expect here, but this was cute and fun! Lots of sharp angst, lots of fun banter, a fun premise for a romance! I was hooked really quickly, and I ended up plowing through the book a lot faster than I expected. I have quite a few people come through who I know have liked other books by Blake, and I'm excited to tell them how fun this one was.

I've read the three other titles from Ashley Herring Blake and was looking forward to this one, too. I was not disappointed with this one either, I love her writing style and the way she builds her characters. I'll recommend this book once we purchase this title, and look forward to reading Blake's next title. Thanks, Netgalley for the early access.

I will say, this was wonderful to read in June, at the very beginning of Pride month. I always look forward to reading Ashley Herring Blake and Make the Season Bright did not disappoint! My soul tends to crave a little bit of winter when it's hot out, all sunny and bright. Wintery Colorado setting aside, I found myself very quickly taken by Charlotte. The opening scene took me back to an old Christmas film "Mixed Nuts" and I'm not sure if that was intentional or not but I appreciated the trip down memory lane. I'm not a huge fan of any person who stands people up (even in little ways) but despite that, the characterization of Charlotte made me hope for her to reunite with the woman she most wished to love. This will be a great recommendation for anyone looking for a sweet Christmas romance. I do have this issue with more than one story by Ashley Herring Blake, where I wish that one of the protagonists was crushing on a different character. In this book, Charlotte and Sloane have a wealth of untapped chemistry. They even have the same type in men! Either way, thank you for the adorableness, Ashley Herring Blake!

I could not put this book down. I was fascinated by the main characters and their relationship to everyone around them. It had sweet holiday moments without ignoring the reality of what had brought these two friends turned lovers turned enemies to this moment. And yet the ending was still romantically satisfying.

Make the Season Bright is so classic Ashley Herring Blake I stayed up all night and read it in one go. Former childhood best friends turned lovers turned exes — Charlotte and Brighton — find themselves stuck together during Christmas, five years after one of them left the other at the altar. It's sweet and it's sexy and it's heartbreaking and it's full of so much longing I could feel it in my bones. Plus: A praise kink and the body heat to stay alive (warm) trope! Who could ask for more? The thing Blake does so, so, so well is address the traumatized kids inside her grown up characters, and then find ways for her couples to empower each other to be stronger and better and healthier together. I've read a lot of reunited ex romances over the years, and usually they're lacking in the showing department in terms of their previous relationship. I get it. We can't all be Jane Austen's Persuasion. But Blake balances Charlotte and Brighton pasts and their present day story perfectly. Fans of the Bright Falls series (it's me, I'm the fans) are gonna devour this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Ashley Herring Blake, and Berkley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I’m a fan of this author’s work and was excited to see this one pop up on my feed. The cover is STUNNING and the story is really cute and perfect for the holiday season.

This book follows Charlotte Donovan and Brighton Fairbook after they accidentally meet again while staying at the same house for Christmas. They were engaged years ago, but Brighton left Charlotte at the altar, leading to a lot of tension when they meet again.

This one reminded me a lot of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, which has been the only book from this author that I absolutely loved. The other two in the series weren’t really for me, but this one brings back the same feelings I had for the first one. It made me happy, sad, laugh out loud, and more while reading.

The romance is written very well and I truly believed and cared about all the heartache and affection that surround these two characters. The spice is also amazing. **Spoilers** The only thing I didn’t love was the breakup towards the end - I thought it was unnecessary and I think they could have found a solution without it.

Overall, though, I loved this one. It’s sweet and kept me on my toes the whole time. I recommend it! Especially for this Winter - I think it would be the perfect read for those months.

god bless this year’s christmas releases, honestly.

this is my first ashley herring blake, and i now know what the hype is all about—and it’s so decidedly deserved. this one is everything i want in a christmas novel—beautiful representation across genders, the most fun ensemble of characters (i need a manish, sloane, and adele spin-off honestly; and dear god, NINA BERRY WHAT A WOMAN), and of course—our very own christmas grinch, charlotte.

i saw a lot of myself in charlotte, especially in the way she kept her guard and walls up, too terrified of letting anyone in. i also saw myself in her wardrobe, being an avid black turtleneck fan. anyway. i also saw myself in brighton—how much she yearns to find her footing and place when everyone else seems to get ahead of her. i loved the way the two interacted; how Ashley fleshed out on what initially forced the two apart in a way that justified everything else that came after. it’s a lesson on second chances, forgiveness—both of other people and ourselves, and what happens when communication is done properly. this was warm, wintery, fun, AND emotional; the perfect romcom to settle down with. (i don’t care if we’re months away from christmas, i’m going to look for hot chocolate now)

on my way to grab all the other ashley herring blake titles, because this one was a gorgeous read.

(seriously can we please get a backstory on sloane and adele’s mom? i need deets)

Ashley, you have done it again! I love absolutely everything you write and cannot wait to get my hands on the physical copy of this book.

Brighton and Lola's points of view were so well defined. I could clearly and easily tell that there were two sides to their story and history together. I liked how each other's experiences slowly unfolded throughout the story and how they came back together time and time again. The pain these two felt in seeing each other really did me in. Watching them fall back in love with each other and find their way back to each other while still holding true to who they were this time around was beautiful. The undercurrent of music that was woven into this story was stunning.

Thank you for everything that you write!

Ashley Herring Blake has done it again, this time with a stunning sapphic Christmas romance between ex-wives as they reconnect through a small town matchmaking event. Watching Lola and Bright grow individually and rediscover the new versions of each other was such a treat, balanced beautifully against a holiday backdrop, the support of a queer community, and a love of music. This will definitely be among my go-to recommendations during the holidays.

This one really frustrated me because I just did not see how the couple would be able to work themselves out. I think I'm really critical of second chance romances over any other trope because it really needs to sell why these two characters should get back together and this one just wasn't it. Brighton didn't seem to have remorse for leaving Charlotte at the altar and their whole breakup in the first place could have been resolved by a conversation. I know that defeats the premise of the book, but it just felt like a weak setup for a book, so I wasn't as committed going forward. It's Ashley Herring Blake so this is still a 3 star read for me (any other author I think it would have been a 2 star honestly.

I think if anyone but Ashley Herring Blake had written this I wouldn't have loved it, because I didn't fully buy that the main characters SHOULD be together, but I love Blake's writing and I loved the supporting cast of characters.

two childhood best friends who fall in love and then out of love meet each other again after 3 years while spending christmas with a group of friends in colorado. what happened between them did you ask? well charlotte was left in the altar by brighton without a single word or explanation, and they haven’t even talk until now. so of course charlotte’s great idea was to pretend not to know brighton and spend the christmas week trying not to relive the most painful moment of her life while hiding it from her friends.

the thing that stayed with me after reading this book was this: know yourself first before deciding to spend your life with someone else. learn what do you like, what do you want to do with your life, what dreams you have and then find someone who will see you and all your dreams and will say: i’m with you, i have my own dreams but let’s make them true together, whatever comes our way we’ll figure it out together.

never force your own dreams into someone else’s life. that’s not how love works. you can’t expect the other person to leave everything for you, sometimes you also have to leave something behind to make it work. and this story teaches us exactly that, the main thing that would make everything better is: talking. say what you think, what you feel, if you feel comfortable with the other person there’s no reason why you should be scared to hear what they’d say, and if you’re scared do it anyway, the only way is through.

charlotte and brighton will stay with me for a while and i’m really in love with their relationship and how they managed their dreams together. christmas time can’t come any sooner, i need you guys to read this.

thank you netgalley and berkley publishing for providing me with an arc in exchange of an honest review.

This is the first book by Ashley Blake that I’ve read and I am HOOKED. Her writing appears so effortless and natural.
Blake alternates character viewpoints so flawlessly, making it clear which character is narrating with the depth of her character development. Not only were Brighton and Charlotte so well developed, but as we’re all the other characters. Wes, Sloane, Adele etc are clear individuals with opinions and actions that made sense to them.
A definite read this holiday season.
I cannot wait to read more from Blake!