I received this book as a Netgalley ARC this past July and was so excited to start reading it closer to the holiday season. This was a very sweet holiday rom-com that had all the typical holiday cliches that any hallmark loving girl/gays/theys would enjoy (me). Did I think this was the most amazing romance I have ever read? No. But it is my favorite holiday romance for sure. I felt like Charlotte's hatred of the holiday season was a little dramatic. I get not wanting to be known for something you did as a child, but that level of anger toward a holiday based on your childhood movie was a bit excessive. Graham was a dream and even though there was a third-act break-up, I'm glad they were both open and honest with each other (I'm tired of the miscommunication trope.) This is not the first Martha Waters' book that I've read (some I bought on my own some were sent to me) but it is the first contemporary romance. I will say she's getting better and better with each book I've read.

Keep this book in-mind for your next holiday read!

no one ever said a third act breakup is required, y'know? especially one that feels forced into the plot? much like love actually, it's okay to write a cozy christmas romance where the stakes are just kind of low and the protagonist's job is geographically flexible! i think this was a solid entry into contemporary romance by martha waters, but it paradoxically loses steam (and pacing) as it arrives at this unnecessary third act conflict.

Martha Waters does it again! But make it Christmas! Christmas Is All Around was a wonderful homage to Christmas classic movies but with a scrooge-like FMC. Charlotte was a child actor who starred in a famous Christmas classic: Christmas, Truly. Charlotte escapes the States and takes refuge with her sister just before the holidays. What she doesn't expect is to meet the handsome owner of Eden Priory, Graham, where Christmas, Truly was filmed, and embark on a journey to create artwork of all the famous Christmas movie locations nearby.

As always, Waters takes us on a journey with the characters and develops wonderful scenery in which to imagine them. I especially loved the cozy inn scene. I also really loved the tongue-in-cheek way the author incorporates a character who does not love Christmas but continually refers to being caught up in her own Christmas Rom-Com. Incredibly well written, Martha Waters can do no wrong in my book. I'm so grateful she decided to go out on a limb and write this!

I highly recommend for anyone looking to get into the Christmas spirit or if you just want to cozy up with a solid romance.

I thought this was such a cute and fun holiday read! It had a great, original plot and I really was rooting for the main characters. I look forward to reading more from this author.

We really enjoyed Martha Waters Regency Vows series. If you’ve read anything by her you know she has a way of weaving humour, romance, family and friends into a fun escape from the everyday. And this being a contemporary romance, we knew we had to give it a read.

Hating Christmas is not a feeling we have. But Charlotte sure does and she has her reasons. Mainly just one reason and it is Christmas, Truly, the holiday movie she starred in as a child, and when there are rumblings of a potential reboot happening, she escapes to London. So of course she ends up at the estate where part of the movie was filmed! There she meets Graham, a bespeckled brit looking for a way to save his family’s historic estate. Charlotte, welcome to your holiday romance!

Charlotte and Graham were perfect together. She’s so grumpy and cynical and he’s British. 😂 They matched wit and banter and their budding relationship was fun to follow. Their friends and family brought the right amount of chaos and fun.

What we really enjoyed is that Charlotte is forced to reckon with her feelings about Christmas and why she feels this way. It’s not the usual holiday romcom but you get everything you want from one. It definitely got us into the holiday spirit. You can be a Grinch at Christmas but still find some magic during the holidays.

Read if you like:
▪️Christmas romcoms (or don’t like them)
▪️Forced proximity
▪️Set in London
▪️Meddling Family
▪️Grand Gestures

I am a huge Martha Waters stan. I've read every single one of her books and have loved every single one of them. Christmas Is All Around is no exception.

Like Martha's other books, the premise of this book is chef's kiss. Charlotte hates the holidays, probably because of her role in a holiday movie when she was a child actress. As an adult, Charlotte has made a life for herself away from Hollywood. But when a piece reveals her reluctance to participate in a reboot of the movie, she flees to London to spend the holidays with her sister. But even in London, Charlotte can't escape her past. When she ends up at one of the movie's filming locations for a holiday decorating event, Charlotte is accidentally left behind by her sister. With no other way to get back home, Graham, the owner's son, offers her a ride back to London. Looking for ways to bring in more money for his family's business -- hosting events at their historic family home, Graham offers Charlotte a job illustrating iconic holiday movie scenes. Thrilled with the opportunity to miss holiday outings with her family, Charlotte agrees. Charlotte and Graham spend time together scouting locations for her illustrations. Charlotte hates Christmas, but maybe it's not so bad when you're falling in love.

This book is so charming and fun. The banter is off the charts, and I seriously laughed out loud several times. Between the shenanigans with Charlotte's family, including her infant niece, the setting, and Charlotte and Graham's love story, this book will put you in the holiday spirit.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Christmas Is All Around was a very cute and super charming holiday read. I enjoyed reading about Charlotte and Graham and their adventures while conducting business—and solely business—no falling in love at all *wink*.
The side characters were loveable, the growth of our MCs was inspiring, and the Christmas vibes were vibey. If you need me, I will be listening to Christmas music solely from now to January 2nd.

I liked how Charlotte wasn't the typical holiday rom-com heroine and how strong her personality was. Graham was swoon-worthy and won my heart pretty fast. I loved Ava and Kit and Simone and John and Eloise and Lizzie and heck Mama Calloway too. Their holiday spirit was bright. Also, the endingggg. Ughhhhh. So cuteeeeee.

“Did someone force you into that reindeer suit at gunpoint?” she asked. “Is this a hostage situation?”
Christmas Is All Around by Martha Waters is a brand new contemporary romance debut by an author who has cut her teeth in the literary world by writing delightful historical romances. Set in London and the surrounding countryside, Christmas Is All Around features a former childstar, Charlotte, as she helps an owner of an estate attempt to save his childhood home which also happens to be the filming location of the movie she was in as a child.


love actually gif via tenor
Part of the charm of Christmas Is All Around and why I liked Charlotte’s character arc so much is that Charlotte is so authentically Grinch-like, especially in such a whimsy-filled place such as London during the holidays. Charlotte’s meet cute with Graham and resulting partnership that leads to a situationship was a slow burn until opportunity (ahem only one room) gave both Graham and Charlotte a way to level up their relationship. There’s no question that Graham falls first. With Charlotte’s agreement to help Graham and his family by painting a series of locations that have importance in beloved holiday movies, Graham’s not-so-subtle way of keeping Charlotte busy and included in his own holiday activities could make even the most grinchy girl swoon.

“You know, it’s funny because it is both a holiday romance, because that’s what you call a vacation, and also a literal holiday romance, because it’s three days before Christmas and my life appears to be sponsored by the Hallmark Channel now.”
With Charlotte’s own distaste discoloring her holiday experiences, she finds herself drawn to Graham in a way that she’s never experienced before. The trust and companionship that she builds with Graham allows Charlotte to come to terms with her dislike of her childhood acting and even start to repair her tenuous relationship with her own parents.


Christmas Drinking via giphy
Through zany moments (I did include a holiday drinking gif for a reason), quippy conversations, and effervescent characters, Martha Waters brings a new spin to holiday rom coms. Charlotte and Graham deal with family issues in their own way and yet they reconcile in a way that would do any holiday romance justice. Christmas Is All Around is a charming and delightful new contemporary romance from an author who is just as memorable as her characters.

Christmas Is All Around is available everywhere, and should not be missed for any holiday romance or movie lover!

Thank you #NetGalley for the advanced copy of #ChristmasIsAllAround by Martha Waters in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to seeing Ms. Waters write a contemporary romance after enjoying her historical romances but I was let down by the heroine in this story. She was whiney throughout the book regarding how much she hated Christmas which is fine, hate it all you want, but don't go visit family during that time and then complain about everyone else celebrating it. I really got tired of her complaining and the 3rd act breakup felt forced. Charlotte did a complete turn around and immediately believed the worst in Graham after all he did for her up to that point. Graham was great though and truly he deserved better.

This book was chaming and Christmas-filled, despite the FMC hating Christmas (like even more than the Grinch). Charlotte's hatred of Christmas was the most exhausting part of the book. Her reactions to anything Christmas-y were so childishly over dramatic I had a hard time really liking her. The MMC, Graham, on the other hand was absolutely delightful and even though he had some hangups around his home and losing his dad, he admitted his faults. It took until the last 20 pages for Charlotte to go "oh... I'm being ridiculous" about her 3rd act split reason. I know it had to happen, but it was just silly.

Overall, if you want a sweet, steamy, Christmas story, I do recommend this one, but with a grain of salt.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I loved this story. It's the perfect blend of everything cozy to put you in the holiday spirit!

This was my first contemporary Martha Waters and I really enjoyed it! Waters has such a friendly, familiar feel to all her romances--I felt like I was reading about my friends falling in love. Thank you so much for the copy!

Christmas Is All Around is the perfect book for someone looking for a spin on Christmas movies/Hallmark Christmas movies. Charlotte was in the Christmas movie “Christmas, Truly” (it sounds a little like Love, Actually) when she was 9 and hated the fame and being an actress. Twenty years later when they wanted to do a reprisal she said no- and received a lot of backlash. She escapes to England to spend six weeks with her sister and finds love with the owner of the house from “Christmas, Truly”. I love visiting England in books during Christmas and this was no exception. My only compliant is that the book just ended. No follow up or what the future may have in store – just ended. Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

I was so excited to read this book after devouring all of Martha Waters's "Regency Vows" series, and it did not disappoint. Charlotte is a former one-off child star who can't shake her former role, even though all she wants to be known for is her art. She escapes NYC for a Christmas in London, and ends up helping the owners of an expensive historical home raise money for its' upkeep. She goes on a tour of many a holiday movie location to paint scenes to sell, and gets close to Graham along the way. I loved that this book fully embraced all of the holiday movie tropes in a tongue-in-cheek way, and having read "regency vows" I enjoyed all the references to historical romances and those who read them. This is a great book to get into the holiday spirit, especially if you love holiday rom-coms. I am grateful to the opportunity to read this book as an ARC via Netgalley.

Christmas Is All Around reminded me so much of a Hallmark movie in book form, and definitely put me in the holiday spirit with it's cute and cozy vibes!

QUICK GLANCE-
My format- eARC and 🎧Audio (8 hours and 56 minutes)
Other Formats- 📖Physical (302 pages)
Narrator Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️(for closed-door modifications, skip Ch 13)
Language: 🤐🤐moderate

MY THOUGHTS:
This book was just okay for me. I think it's mainly because the FMC was not very likable. She hates Christmas, romance, babies, her parents, and being recognized for being an actress, so she just gave me major grumpy vibes. I did, however, love Charlotte and Graham together. They were witty, sassy, and a little nerdy (glasses :0). All that said, I think people looking for a fun holiday read will enjoy this one and I definitely recommend the audiobook. Narrator Nikki Massoud does a great job with the text and her accents for the English characters really helped bring the setting alive.

-All the Hallmark vibes
-Grand Gestures
-Movie quotes and references
-A family affair
-Christmas sweaters and holiday shenanigans

I want to thank @atriabooks and @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Martha Waters will forever be one of my romance author go-tos! If you've ever wanted a Meet Cute with one of the love interests dressed in a reindeer costume, this is the book for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Years ago Charlotte was a child actor in one Christmas movie, which (unfortunately for her) is beloved and shown annually. She has moved on, the rest of the world has not! When news of her rejection of an offer to reprise her role in a sequel gets out, Charlotte hightails it to England to visit her sister (and her family) for the holidays. This is the beginning of a hilarious story where Charlotte is forced to confront her dislike of all things Christmas by enduring all things Christmas.

I love this book! the characters are endearing, the ironic nod to all romance tropes, so fun, and the HEA is well deserved by the main characters. I read all Martha Waters regency novels and throughly enjoyed them, but don't sleep on this contemporary novel, it is so worth your time!

Thanks to Atria Books and Simon & Schuster Audio for my copy of Christmas Is All Around by Martha Waters. This was a cute holiday rom-com and I loved the narrator in the audiobook!

Charlotte was a child star in a Christmas movie but she hates the holidays as an adult. When talks of a reboot came up and she was against it there was some social media backlash, so she goes to London to spend the holiday season with her sister. Of course, she ends up at the country manor where scenes from the movie were filmed and meets Graham. He is trying to keep the estate running and when Charlotte accepts a commission to illustrate iconic holiday movie scenes around London, he agrees to help her out. As they work together things get chaotic and they experience the magic of falling in love at the holidays. 

This was such a fun book. It was unique and I laughed a lot reading this. I recommend reading Christmas Is All Around as part of your holiday reading!

Martha Waters' Christmas All Around is a delightful holiday romance that's sure to put you in the festive spirit.

Charlotte, a former child star who's not exactly a fan of Christmas, is forced to spend the holidays in London. There, she meets the charming Graham, who's trying to save his family's estate.

As they navigate the holiday season together, sparks fly and feelings deepen. It's a classic enemies-to-lovers trope, but with a festive twist.

Waters' writing is witty and charming, and the setting is simply magical. It's the perfect blend of holiday cheer and romantic tension.

If you're looking for a cozy, heartwarming read, Christmas All Around is a must-read. It's the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.