Just like many of her others, this was mostly a lovely novel. I would say that the shutdown Jay had was abrupt and didn't give enough details. And for someone that he just met a few days prior (who he supposedly "loves" enough to marry) it was quite petulant to have him just hang up on her. Communication anyone? Unfortunately to then have Hailey decide to rush off in search of his Seattle address so she can drive there the next day and profess her feelings for him in hopes of persuading him to stick around after his little temper tantrum- makes her look like a desperate person who accepts and puts up with poor treatment. And surprise surprise, when she gets there she finds out that he somehow managed to return from his tantrum at his Mommy's request but hadn't bothered to tell her. I'm sorry but that's not love. 🤷‍♀️

This felt slightly different than Debbie Macomber's usual works. The pop culture references threw me off a bit. I loved the story idea though. I found the mom to be completely infuriating. Hailey needed some work in setting healthy boundaries. I will recommend it to my audience, but it wasn't my favorite Macomber novel.

A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber is the perfect book to read the week before Christmas! I was laughing so hard at times that the book put me in a better mood than I was when I started it. The holidays can be a bit overwhelming, but this book helped me put things in perspective! Hailey is a band teacher at a high school in Portland, Oregon. She and her best teacher friend are celebrating having 2 weeks off for the holidays. Her friend mentions that her grandmother's cabin is empty if Hailey would like to use it over the break. Hailey tells her she's going to her parents for Christmas and thanks her for the offer. That evening when Hailey speaks to her mom she finds out that Zach, her ex of 3 years, is coming to her parents to celebrate Christmas with them! Why? Hailey and Zach are over, way over! She wants nothing to do with Zach after he dumped her and told her that her music was a hobby for children and if she had talent she would've been signed already! Zach broke her heart and didn't look back until now. He started texting Hailey 3 years after they broke up. Her mom loves Zach and thinks he's perfect for Hailey, so she invited him for Christmas when he called her.

The cabin her friend offered is looking better and better. Hailey decides to call her friend and see if the cabin is still available? It is and Hailey tells her she wants to stay there for the next 2 weeks. Hailey has never not gone home for Christmas, has never been alone for Christmas, but is looking forward to being on her own and focusing on her music. Hailey has written songs since she was a little girl and has a melody in her mind for a new song. All of a sudden Christmas break is looking promising and exciting! The cabin is in Podunk, Washington and is in a very remote area. She has to count mailboxes to know when to turn down a gravel road as there are no signs. When Hailey gets to the cabin she can't wait to go in and relax. She opens the door, but the light switch, hasn't turned the lights on like she was told it would. She uses her cellphone to find her way in when she hears hissing and sees eyes staring back at her! Animal eyes! She screams and runs for the door. Once back in her car, she drives to the general store in town. She was told this is the place for anything you might need.

Hailey tells the owner, Teresa, that she was almost attacked by a raccoon in the cabin! She needs help getting it out of there! Teresa is laughing so hard she can't speak, but then tells her she'll send her son Jethro when he returns from a delivery. As Hailey waits for Jethro in her car at the cabin, she finally sees headlights about an hour later. Jethro does not look like she thought a Jethro would. He's muscular, good looking, and very nice. He tells her to never call him Jethro as he goes by Jay! Only his mom calls him that as he's named after his grandfather and great grandfather. As he goes in the house he gets the electricity to work, gets the raccoon out of the house, blocks the hole where the raccoon got in, helps Hailey start a fire, and helps her unload her car! Jay is the best thing to ever happen to Hailey and that's before she finds out he was in a major band that toured the country for years. She plays her new song for Jay when he sees her guitar and asks her to play. Jay is now a music producer and owns his own company in Seattle. Jay tells Hailey he loves her song, how talented she is, and the spark between them is undeniable!

When Hailey's mom finds out she's not coming home she lays on the guilt and she lays it on heavy! Zach will now be there, but Hailey won't! Hailey's sister, Daisy, isn't going home either. Will Hailey cave and go to her parents for Christmas? Will her mom listen to her and send Zach home? Will Zach listen to her and realize she never wants to get back together? When Daisy shows up at the cabin uninvited will she ruin Hailey's peace and music paradise? Will Jay not visit as much if Daisy is there? This is a fun book and I rate it 5 stars. I really don't like Hailey's mother at all which almost made me rate it lower, but I loved everyone else in the book. Do yourself a favor and read this book as a gift to yourself this holiday season! I'd like to thank NetGalley and Ransom House Publishing Group for an advanced copy of A Christmas Duet in exchange for a fair review. #AChristmasDuet

I loved this book so much! I haven’t shut up about it since finishing it. A real joy to read during the holiday season.

Sweet holiday romance that I enjoyed while reading, but didn't stay with me much after I finished. (Could be how crazy the time of year is or just the plot of the story). 3.5 stars

This was a delightful story about relationships in a beautiful Christmas setting. The main character decides to take a break from her family and escape her ex to go focus on herself and writing music. Thoroughly enjoyed this fun, clean romance.

Thank you to the publishers, author, & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

A very sweet story. You definitely feel the Christmas vibe throughout the story. The romance is very clean. Personally I like a little more spice with my Christmas romances.

This was the hallmark movie book I wanted this Christmas. I’ve never read one of Debbie’s books and now I can see why they are so popular! I loved that Hayley had a good experience after learning to choose herself first. This was a sweet, cozy easy Christmas read. The small town vibes were very endearing. Definitely a great read for music lovers as well ❤️

When Hailey gets an offer from a friend about spending Christmas in their families empty cabin, she jumps at the chance of avoiding her mother's questions about her love life. But when she arrives, wild animals have also been staying in the cabin. She calls upon the local town store for help. When Jay, a former musician and aspiring music producer comes to the rescue, sparks fly along with musical notes. But then, family descends on Hailey and Jay gets called away. Will they be able to get back to starting a new relationship?

This is a fun and easy read with great characters and an interesting plot. Another great story from Ms. Macomber.

A Christmas Duet was such a cute holiday read! I really enjoyed the quirky family dynamic, although mom and ex boyfriend were definitely on the naughty list in my mind from page one. The music aspect was so fun and interesting - it's not something I'm familiar with but I love Christmas songs so it really worked for me!

Thank you so much for allowing me to review this wonderful Christmas novel! It’s not Christmas without Debbie Macomber! She always writes the best Christmas books. This was such a great one! I highly recommend this to anyone who loves Christmas, sweet/emotional stories, and romance.

A Christmas Duet is the new novel by Debbie Macomber. I found it very thoroughly written and enjoyable.

I used to love Debbie Macomber, especially her Christmas books. Either my reading has become more picky or this author has gone downhill. Or maybe this one was an outlier.

I found the characters to be unlikable, one-dimensional, and selfish. The storyline was completely unrealistic. I’m all for suspending disbelief in stories, but it was hard to do that here with every plot line being so far-fetched. The writing was also cringey. I felt like I was reading a book constructed by a third grader. Repetitive and no depth to the characters whatsoever.

The only (if I had to find one) redeeming part of this story was the small town feel. The town definitely felt like your typical Hallmark town, which I’m a sucker for.

After this, I’ll be reluctant to pick up another DM book.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This was a cute Christmas story. If you love a Hallmark movie, then this is the book for you.

Hailey Morgan works as an assistant high school band teacher in Portland, Oregon but her passion is to compose her own songs. Hailey dreads the annual tradition of Christmas with her family especially her meddling mother. Hailey’s friend offers her family’s secluded empty cabin for Christmas week which she accepts. She sees it as an opportunity to work on her music. She arrives to find critters but Jay, whose mother is the mayor and store owner, comes to the rescue. Jay was in a band and now a music producer.

I’ve always found books by Debbie Macomber to be like Hallmark movies. The stories are clean romances, heartwarming and cozy.

A Christmas Duet involves family, taking chances, acceptance of yourself, believing in yourself and others and making your dreams come true.

Thank you #netgalley and #ballantinebooks

#a Christmas Duet

When Hailey learns her mother invited her ex-fiance to their family’s Christmas celebration, she decides to change her plans. Instead of going home to be with her family, she opts to spend Christmas alone at her friend’s secluded cabin hoping to find inspiration to write some music. In this small town she meets Jay, the mayor’s son and a former musician himself. The two decide to collaborate on music and in the process fall in love.
Debbie Macomber is the queen of the sweet Hallmark-style Christmas romances and I look forward to reading what she comes up with every year. This book gives all of the cozy, small-town vibes and had the perfect secluded setting for Hailey and Jay to create music and magic. I loved Hailey and Jay together and thought they made the sweetest couple. If you are looking for cute heart-warming Christmas vibes, this is a book you’ll want to read.
Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Netgalley for the advance copy.

I would like to start by thanking Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Debbie Macomber for a digital copy of A Christmas Duet in return for an honest review. Everything that I write here is completely my own thoughts and opinions. I should start off by saying that I think Debbie Macomber is the Queen of Christmas Stories, and I always run out to get her newest one for each Christmas season. I can not begin to tell you, Reader, how excited I was to be gifted with this book. Debbie Macomber did not disappoint in this year's Christmas story. I absolutely loved it and all the cozy vibes it gave me.

In this story, we follow Hailey Morgan, a high school music teacher who dreams of writing and selling her own music someday. Hailey has loved music since she was a girl and would often make up little songs to sing and perform. Her love of music grew over the years, along with her writing abilities. However, life has gotten in the way of Hailey's dreams and beat down her confidence when it comes to writing music. Needless to say, Hailey is stuck in a rut. She is also dreading spending Christmas with her meddling mom, so when her friend offers her the family cabin over Christmas, Hailey jumps at the chance to go.

It is important to know that Hailey is a city girl, so when she arrives at this little cabin in the middle of nowhere, she is surprised at what she finds. Her nerves get the best of her, and she heads into the small town to find the general store, which is where her friend told her to go if she needs help. The store owner, who also happens to be the Mayor, sends Hailey back to the cabin with the promise of sending her son Jethro along soon to help Hailey. Needless to say, Jethro is not at all what Hailey was expecting when he pulled into her yard. Not only is he swoon-worthy, but he also shares a love of music, and as the story goes on, you learn just how much he loves music. Reader watching these two characters connect over their love of music was just so sweet. Hailey's last-minute decision to head to the cabin over Christmas may have been one of her best decisions yet. Until, of course, unexpected visitors arrive, putting a damper on her time with Jethro. Will Hailey find her way back to her passion for writing music? Does she get the courage to stand up for herself and take back her power?

If you love a good Hallmark-type Christmas story, then I say pick this book up. Debbie Macomber does not disappoint when it comes to cozy Christmas stories set in small towns, with lovable characters and sweet romances. For those of you who love a clean romance, this is the book for you. She also manages to describe the setting perfectly, really transporting you to the scene. The small-town cozy Christmas vibes were strong in this book, and I was there for it. I really enjoyed this story and would love to see it hit the screen. As for trigger warnings, I can not think of any to be aware of, but maybe check it out just in case.

I love reading Debbie Macomber books, and her Christmas ones are especially delightful! The story of Hailey is sweet. She is a music teacher who had dreamed of being a songwriter, but has lost the drive. She decides to spend Christmas alone in a friend's family cabin, where she meets Jay.
There is nothing like a Christmas love story to get you ready for the holidays!

Hailey Morgan’s life is music - she teaches music at the local high school, but really wants to spend time writing songs. When an old boyfriend resurfaces at Christmas and invites himself to the celebration at her parents’ house, a friend offers Hailey her grandparents’ cabin a few hours away in the remote town of Podunk, Oregon. Hailey leaps at the chance, thinking the solitude will be what she needs to focus on her craft and let her creative juices flow.

Once in Podunk, she begins to be charmed by the small town, as well as by Jay, one of the former residents, home for the holidays. Jay was a member of a fairly successful band, and now produces music. Hearing her “Christmas ditty” she wrote, he encourages her to keep reaching for her dreams. And of course, no story is complete without conflict, courtesy of her overbearing mother, who dreams of her and Zach getting back together, even though Hailey has emphatically stated that she has moved on. But even her family showing up unexpectedly can’t dampen Hailey’s Christmas spirit.

Full of Christmas spirit and cheer, this is a cute, albeit predictable, quick read. Overall, I enjoyed it.

"A Christmas Duet" by Debbie Macomber is a Christmas themed rom-com. I enjoyed it and highly recommend it!

Hailey Morgan is about 27 and a music teacher in Portland, Oregon, but what she really wants to do is write music. When her pushy mother invites Hailey's long past ex-boyfriend to spend Christmas with them, she can't deal with that. She accepts her friend's invitation to stay alone in a family cabin off the beaten track five miles away from the very small town of Podunk, Washington. She intends to rest and write music. She meets Jay, a fellow musician, and they hit it off.

Yes, it's a simple plot, but it's very well written. The dialogue is realistic. The character who is too extreme is the mother. The main characters are likable.

Characters - 4/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 3/5
Pacing - 3/5
Unputdownability - 3/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Cover - 4/5
Overall - 25/7 = 3 4/7 rounded up to 4 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing/ Ballantine, and Debbie Macomber for providing this e-book in exchange for my honest review.