Holly Cassidy / Hannah Mary McKinnon has absolutely become my favourite author over this past year.
Her ability to paint vivid pictures of scenery in your mind is like no other. Whether it be an eerie thriller or a wonderful cozy Christmas romance.
Her characters are filled with so much heart and soul that you can't help to fall in love with them. (Even when they are on the murderous side of things.)
Callie and Marco were no exception. I absolutely adored them and could not get enough of their love story.
I felt every emotion possible while reading A Christmas Countdown, including devastation when it came to an end.
I'm so sad to be finished their story, but can't wait to read what she writes next.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

I did not realize that this would not be available on Kindle, so when I went to read it the book had already expired. I’m really, really sad because I really wanted to read this one and my library has a very very long wait 👎🏻 I’m sorry

The Christmas Countdown (out today!) gripped me immediately because I loved the idea of an activity/gift advent calendar put together by a sister. We do this in our house! It was a great concept and really tied the book together because it went day by day :)

Some other aspects I really enjoyed:

Callie's relationship with her sister
The character growth and movement into new career paths throughout the book
The setting and fun Christmas activities
The cute love story and its progression

This one was worth the read so I definitely recommend checking it out this holiday season if it's your type of book (though I'll understand if you wait until November or December lol).

If there was ever a book I believed was written for me it was this one...

I love EVERYTHING Christmas. The ambiance, the smell, the music, the movies and ohhhhhh alll the books!!!

Christmas is a total vibe and this girl lives for Christmas spirit all year round.

The Christmas Countdown

Holly Cassidy (Hannah Mary McKinnon), is a showoff when it comes to bringing us back to back AMAZING romcoms . The Christmas Wager was my FAVORITE holiday read in 2023 but I have been completely swooned and flustered right on off my seat with The Christmas Countdown.

What's funny is, I would have never even started reading holiday books had it not been for Cassidy/McKinnon. I was a huge fan of this author and had been reading her thrillers for years, when I heard she was writing a Christmas RomCom, I knew if anyone could do it, it was she. So, in truth, this sassy little ball of love and glitter is the reason why I now add Christmas reading to my long list of holiday traditions!

The Christmas Countdown, isn't "just a romcom", this book also showcases the fun dynamic and bond between sisters. I fell in love with Anita!

FIVE BILLION STARS, IM JUST THROWING STARS AND SNOWBALLS OVER HERE.

This book needs to be on everyone's wish list this year!

Check out this teaser:

She’s given up on love and Christmas…but fate has other plans.

All Callie wants for Christmas is to hibernate. She's still reeling from being dumped by her childhood sweetheart, and under no circumstances will she go home for the holidays considering her ex will be right next door with his new, perfect partner. Callie is officially in grinch mode, but her meddling sister, Anita, won’t let her give up on life, love, and Christmas quite so easily.

Anita stages a Christmas intervention for Callie with a homemade Advent calendar challenge—cheerful tasks to push Callie out of her comfort zone and into the holiday spirit, inspired by a childhood tradition. Callie reluctantly plays along, but when she comes face-to-face with a charming baker who just might be the spoonful of sugar she needs, her strict rules on love and the holidays are tested. As they strike a deal to do the activities together, could the twenty four little doors on Callie’s Advent calendar not only open up one, but two closed-off hearts?

Thank you netgally and Viking for the earc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I really like the tone and setting of Holly Cassidy books. I like how she's able to write a great story and not have 400+ pages. When authors can write multiple genresbit impresses me. Excited for what she does next.

I’m normally a ‘wait till Halloween is over’ kind of girl, but this book had me itching to start getting in the festive mood. This book is chalked full of holiday spirit! There should be a sticker on the cover: WARNING - Upon reading this book you will be filled with holiday cheer and want to decorate your entire house for Christmas post haste!

The main characters were so cute! I love that neither one of them wanted to jump into a relationship right away. They became friends first and let it grow naturally. They could be themselves around each other and decided early on that honest was key. I also loved their love of puns and all things corny. In fact I have my new favourite say thanks to this book ‘Peachy-keen Jellybean’! (I’d never heard that one before.)

All the fun Christmas references and activities almost had me wishing for snow… almost! My son and I did crank up the Christmas tunes last night though and I watched How The Grinch Stole Christmas whilst the kiddos were at school.

Like all romances there are ups and downs, but this book is 99.9% heart warming goodness that you’re not going to want to put down. Do yourself a favour, buy yourself an early Christmas present and pick this book up! You won’t regret it.

I received an eARC in return for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to PRHAudio for the ALC and Holly Cassidy and GP Putnam and Sons for the ARC! We are super excited at The Buzz for our first Christmas novel!!

Callie is far from being in the Christmas spirit this year. She is still heartbroken from her childhood sweetheart, Oliver, dumping her and the last thing she wants is to spend Christmas at home with both of their families. So when her sister tasks her with an advent calendar filled with treats and fun activities, she is hesitant but really has nothing to lose. Her meeting a charming baker is just icing on the cake.

This story was just what I needed! I could relate so much to Callie, in how she was learning to stand up for herself. Like Callie, it took me some time to realize my own worth and to stand up to people who don’t value you. I wanted to cheer for her by the end, because she had grown so much and figured out she was deserving of true happiness. Overall, this was the perfect holiday read! A sweet small town, a beautiful relationship between sisters and a little romance too. If you enjoy feel good holiday stories, don’t miss this one!

“The Christmas Countdown” is out now! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@book_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

3.5 stars.

Callie has just been dumped by her childhood sweetheart. She is officially in grinch mode, but her meddling sister, Anita, won’t let her give up on life, love, and Christmas quite so easily. Anita stages a Christmas intervention for Callie with a homemade Advent calendar challenge. Callie reluctantly plays along, but when she comes face-to-face with a charming baker who just might be the spoonful of sugar she needs, her strict rules on love and the holidays are tested.

So I read this book back in August. Christmas stories in August? Yes, please! This was as fun as I had expected. Funny, lighthearted, and made me wish Christmas could come a bit sooner.

Some of the challenges were obviously being included for no reason other than to craft certain cute moments, but I wasn’t too bothered by it. The plot was also quite straightforward throughout, but it gave me the perfect vibe of a Hallmark Christmas movie.

I’d recommend this book to anyone wanting a fluffy, heartwarming holiday read escape. And yes, read it during any season. Why not?!

This was a sweet little Christmas rom com with lots of fun elements.

Callie, our female MC is still trying to get over her breakup from 6 months ago and is in a bit of a funk. Her sister makes an advent calender with alternating festive tasks and treats to try and cheer her up and get her back into the holiday spirit. While completing these tasks she meets Marco, a handsome chef. There is definitely a spark, but she is not ready for a relationship (or so she says).

This is a sweet treat for Christmas rom com lovers. A Hallmark like book that had me smiling from ear to ear, and definitely got me into holiday spirit!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Canada for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review.

Rae Reviews: The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy.

Last year I read the Christmas Wager by Holly Cassidy and I absolutely loved it. So when Amy saw this book on NetGalley, she applied for me and I was so excited when we were approved.

This book is everything you want for a Holiday Romance with Hallmark vibes. It takes place in the most charming small town. The story is well paced, and has so many interesting elements going on along side the main plot. I was so very invested in the main character Callie, and I so enjoyed her journey in this book.

Read if you like:
❄️ So many puns
❄️ Christmas challenges
❄️ Closed door spice with incredible tension and banter
❄️Cinnamon roll MMC
❄️Nostalgia

The local bookstore in this book is named after a real life bookstore from my home town! I thought “what a coincidence!” Until I read the author’s note. I love this detail.

This story gave me all the holiday feels in the best possible way! I remember we had our Advent Calendar at home when we grew up and loved counting down the days until Christmas. If you are looking for some delightful, heartwarming and cozy holiday book, you need to pick up this one. I loved every page.

Beware… puns ahead… 😆⁣
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I am so happy to share this adoraBELL new grinchy and sweet, charming and punny holiday read that released this week! I am sMITTEN. 😍⁣
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Callie is saying SNOW THANKS to all the festivities this year since being dumped, but OH DEER her sister Anita is up to SNOW GOOD and has other plans. She makes a HOLLYDAY advent calendar of fun tasks and sweet treats to get her into the spirit. But SLEIGH it ain’t SNOW - Anita is called away for work - so Callie must do the challenges alone… until spoonful of sugar Marco steps in and has Callie PINE-ing.⁣
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I can totally relate to Callie’s TREE-mendous grinchiness as I feel this every year. By time the holiday spirit arrives for me and I start feeling SANTA-mental it’s usually time to ring in the new year so I am BRANCHING out and staring the holiday reads early this year to soak up the holiday feels and get rid of my resting GRINCH face. THIS is the most adorable read and I just adored every minute of it, FIR sure!⁣
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If your looking for something to get you out of grinch mode, a big lover of all the puns, or just love Christmas... this book totally SLEIGHS!

3.5 stars
Christmas is just around the corner but Callie is feeling anything but festive. She's still reeling from being dumped by her childhood sweetheart after moving with him from Virginia to Upstate New York and plans to skip her family's Christmas celebration back home because he'll be next door with his glamorous new girlfriend. Her meddlesome sister, Anita, however, has a plan to get Callie out of her comfort zone and into the holiday spirit which involves a life size advent calendar of wrapped presents containing treats and challenges to be opened each day from December 1-24. Callie reluctantly agrees to play along and soon finds she's enjoying herself - particularly after she meets a charming baker who agrees to complete the challenges with her.

A sweet closed door romance with cozy Hallmark movie vibes, The Christmas Countdown is a very festive read that is sure to get you in the holiday mood as Callie counts down to Christmas with holiday season activities like cookie making, tobogganing, caroling, sipping hot chocolate, toy drives, ugly Christmas sweaters and more!

The author lives in my Oakville, Ontario hometown and I loved all the fun little references that she included to local places even though the book was set in New York state. I particularly enjoyed reading about Callie's outing to Lion's Valley Park on the same day that I had been hiking there!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @penguinrandomhousecanada & @hollycassidy (@hannahmarymckinnon) for my gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Christmas Countdown is a super fun and adorable holiday read that is perfect to get you in the right spirits. I thoroughly enjoyed it, the advent calendar countdown was seriously so much fun. The storyline was just so cute and cozy, an absolute joy, I couldn't help but smile through it all.

Callie, Marco & Anita were such great characters that I fell in love with instantaneously. They were so easy to get attached to, I loved their interactions, the setting just added the perfect warmth and imagery to the book. Anita was a little pushy with Callie but it was easy to see she had her best intentions at heart. Marco & Callie were just so cute together. This is definitely Hallmark movie material.

An absolutely charming holiday rom-com that definitely needs to be added to your TBR. It'll make you want to curl up with your favorite blanket, a cup of hot cocoa and just immerse yourself in this delightful read.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. A fun and festive holiday reads with a definite Hallmark holiday movie vibe. Callie is going through a rough patch and her older sister is hoping to get her cheered up and in the holiday spirit by making her a fun advent calendar filled with treats and tasks. Each day is filled with every typical holiday experience like sledding and hot chocolate or cookie baking and eggnog. It is definitely filled with lots of holiday spirit but reads a little cheesy at times which again is very Hallmark movie. The romance between Callie and Marco seems to move quite quickly despite her noted hesitations and seemed out of character to me. Also the heavy handed way her mother and sister were meddling and pushing her outside her comfort zone honestly made me a little uncomfortable. I felt like there were ways it could have come across more supportive and loving than it was written and that would have made me enjoy the story more. If you are looking for a fun holiday read with closed door romance and lots of holly, jolly activities, this will definitely fit the bill. Appreciated the epilogue as well...always something I love in a book because we always want to know how it worked out over time.

I was provided with an digital advanced reader copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Recently dumped Callie wants to ignore Christmas this year but her sister won't let her. She arranges a series of Christmas countdown challenges and treats and implores Callie to find someone to help her with them when she can't do it herself. Enter baker Marco who enthusiastically volunteers to help Callie with the challenges. The more time they spend together, the closer Callie and Marco get learning to take a chance on love again together. A cozy, Hallmark Holiday movie style romcom with a bit of closed door spice and lots of charm. Highly recommended for fans of authors like Jenny Bayliss. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

This is a fun, flirty and festive rom-com!

Callie recently moved to a new city when her long-term boyfriend Oliver got a new job. But when Oliver suddenly dumps Callie right before the holidays, she isn't in a festive mood and decides she doesn't want to celebrate Christmas this year. Her sister Anita has other plans and creates an advent calendar filled with wee gifts and holiday challenges that Callie agrees to do (if only to get her sister off her back about going home for Christmas). It also doesn't hurt that swoony Marco, a local pastry chef, offers to help Callie complete her daily advent tasks.

Holly Cassidy (aka Hannah Mary McKinnon) blends a sweet romance with a story full of delightful Christmas pastimes, treats and other festive elements giving it a strong Hallmark Christmas movie vibe. It has cute banter and if you enjoy puns, this is the book for you.

This was a charming closed-door romance that was as comfy and satisfying as a peppermint hot chocolate on a wintery day. Treat yourself to an early gift and kickstart your holiday cheer by ordering this book when it hits stores October 22, 2024!

Note: Southwestern Ontario readers - you may recognize a few Oakville references, and I particularly loved the nod to Burlington's A Different Drummer bookshop.

Disclaimer: Thanks to the publisher for the complimentary digital copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

I love everything Christmas and this book absolutely hit the mark for me. I can’t wait to read more from this author. What a great story

After reading and loving The Christmas Wager I was so excited when I heard Holly Cassidy (aka Hannah Mary Mckinnon) had another holiday romance coming out!

As children Callie and Anita used to do advent calendars that alternate between treat and task days. Anita is now reviving that tradition in attempts to get Callie out of her funk and into the holiday spirit. When I saw that synopsis, I was completely sold. The idea is just so cute and watching it play out was so fun. So much so I’ll be stealing the idea to do with my little one! Plus as a sister I loved seeing the sibling/sisters dynamics, I could definitely relate to a lot of it!

Like most romance lovers I’m all for a meet cute but I am especially a sucker for when a meet cute is more a meet funny/awkward mess 😂 Callie and Marco were so stinking cute together from their chance encounter to a growing friendship that turned into a perfect match was perfect.

Full of puns, holiday fun, a fluffy cat, sibling love, and a sweet romance there is something for everyone. This book is a warm cozy hug that’ll get you in the holiday feels!

Read if you love:
❤️ Chance encounters
😆 Puns
🍪 Baking
🎄 Christmas
🗓️ Advent calendars

Thank you Hannah, Penguin House, and Netgalley for my review copy!

So here's the thing: If you love a cozy Christmas romance with a dash of respectful spice, I highly recommend you pick up The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy this holiday season.

If you're expecting anything more profound than a Hallmark movie, you need to move along.

If you're still reading, let's get into it...

This book will not change your life but will get you into the holiday spirit. And really, isn't that the point? For that reason, I'm giving this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ because it does exactly what it's supposed to do. Having read this in September, I'm now geared up to put up a tree, hang some lights, and nestle by the fire with a hot cup of cocoa.

Our MFC, Callie, has decided to forgo Christmas this year. She's had a tough go. She moved to the city with her high school sweetheart, got dumped, still has to work with him, and he's moved on to someone new. Additionally, he lives next door to her parents, so she had decided a family Christmas at home isn't in the cards for this holiday season. Of course, she has a sister who wants to remind her about her love for Christmas and creates an advent calendar filled with treats and tricks to bring back the Christmas spirit. In enters a single, attractive pastry chef to help her complete the tasks.

If you think you know this story, you're probably right. It proceeds to be everything you are currently imagining. It's like knowing what your present will be but still liking to see it wrapped with a shiny bow, sitting under the tree.

This story is light, fun and cozy.

Merry Christmas to all!!
🎄🎄🎄