I love the set up of this book. I'm a sucker for holiday romances and I enjoy Martha Waters' writing - so it's the perfect set up! It's the perfect mix for romance! The romance between Charlotte and Graham is sweet and I love their interactions. I know Charlotte is trying to avoid a holiday movie, but this screams of holiday movie magic!

Six weeks + Christmas in London + swoony English romance? Say no more. Looking for the slowest of burns? You found your book.

A witty story following Graham's desire to save his family estate and Charlotte's escape from her child star past. Right from the meet-cute, the banter between Graham and Charlotte is entertaining and sharp. Charlotte is such a Christmas hater that it seems almost unrealistic, but Graham provides the perfect balance.

This book was a winner for me because of the dialogue, writing, and character development. Both Graham and Charlotte have realistic "come to your senses" epiphanies that make the conflict relatable. The pacing was slightly off; the book moved a little slow. Overall, a solid read.

I do love Christmas time and Christmas romances. I adored Christmas is All Around.

It was so charming and sweet, exactly what I needed right now. If you enjoy a Hallmark movie, this is for you. It just had a little bit of steam, which I enjoyed.

I loved everything about it, from the Christmas movie tie-in to the charming London area location. I fell for all of the characters. Charlotte and Graham are absolutely adorable together, but their family and friends are so sweet and funny as well. (I’d love a sequel… 🤞🏻)

For those Christmas story lovers, for those Hallmark movie watchers, for anyone who wants or needs a little hug for the heart and soul right now - Christmas Is All Around is for you.

Thank you, @atriabooks !

Christmas Is All Around is my first standalone Martha Waters novel after enjoying her Regency Vows series. The story follows a former child star actress turned artist named Charlotte who is haunted by a previous role and is believed to be why the sequel is not happening. She tries to escape to London where she ends up at Eden Priory in London, which has ties to her past movie. Graham’s family owns the house and eventually hires Charlotte to help fix it. The two spend a lot of time together and while this story is told from the POV of Charlotte, the reader gets to learn about both characters.

The movie in question was a Christmas one and made when Charlotte was nine, which was over twenty years ago. I wish that the story took a little more time about building the complexity about Charlotte was running from this movie identity. There was also some repetition with Charlotte’s dislike of children that I did not think was needed. I think this dislike fits her character, but it wasn’t needed what seemed like every other page when you see it a lot. As these two elements made up a lot of Charlotte’s identity, I wish that there was more complexity to them. While other readers may interpret the writing differently, for me, it read very surface level for these two pieces that are needed to set the foundation of Charlotte’s story. Even without the foundation I craved, however, I did love Charlotte’s growth and the forced proximity romance between her and Graham was sweet. It took a long time to develop, but it was enjoyable when it finally happened. Overall, this was a fun holiday story, and I look forward to reading more from waters in the future.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Atria Books, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

For whatever reason this one had a slow start for me leading it to a 3.5 star review, but I ended up really enjoying it. I don't know why I always struggle with books set in England but for some reason I do. I know for most it makes them love it all the more. So take that for a grain of salt.

Christmas Is All Around is cute and the happy "hallmark" read most of us are looking for during the holiday season. While there is the predictability of the "hallmark" ending we can enjoy that this book isn't like all the others. In this case, our main character, Charlotte, actually hates Christmas. In part because her parents didn't make good memories during the holidays and in part because she starred in Christmas movie when she was a child that the fans will never let her forget. She escapes to London on long holiday after her fans discovered she wanted no part in a remake of the movie. While in London she meets Graham who is helping his family save their estate. He hires Charlotte to paint for his family to sell and they end up spending a lot of time together which inevitably goes just the way any Christmas book should. You will enjoy both Charlotte & Graham throughout the book cheering on whatever it is that's going on between them from their purely working relationship to their budding romance.

Can their budding romance turn things around for Charlotte? Will her distaste of Christmas soon be a distant memory?

I love Martha Waters, and Christmas is All Around is a cozy holiday romance that readers will love. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.
I have read all of Martha Waters' works, and I love her Regency Vows series. Her character development is excellent, and she builds up the emotional involvement between the characters so well. Like her previous works, Christmas is All Around has wonderful main characters as well as supporting roles. Charlotte, the narrator and main character of the story, is in London to spend time with family and distance herself from controversy in the U.S. She was a child actor in a famous Christmas movie, but is not willing to participate in a sequel, so she finds herself the target of many unhappy fans. She comes to London in December and stays with her sister and her new family, including her in-laws, who are all a riot. Waters crafts each character's role so specifically as she creates each scene in the book. Even the screaming baby has an important role in Charlotte's story!
At a holiday event at Eden Priory, an estate in Hampshire, Charlotte finds herself in one of the settings from her Christmas movie, and also meets Graham, who quickly becomes her companion. Graham's family hires Charlotte, an artist, to create drawings for notecards for their gift shop, and Graham takes her to each location to sketch it. The two main characters have great banter, and Charlotte's dread of anything related to Christmas provides comic relief in the chaos of a Christmas season in London. Charlotte and Graham have a misunderstanding but end up with a happily ever after at the end.
This book was a perfect cozy holiday read. I loved reading about all of the festivities in London, and the characters were really entertaining and funny in their own way. I loved seeing Charlotte grow and flourish with her relationship with Graham, and also with her family. This was a very satisfying Christmas story, and I really enjoyed it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely adored and loved this holiday romance! Christmas is All Around by Martha Waters was an utter delight and had me laughing out loud as I read about Charlotte and Graham’s love story. Charlotte is a self-proclaimed hater of the Christmas holidays and Graham owns many Christmas sweaters — so of course these two are destined to fall for each other. It made me feel like I was snuggled up in my favorite Christmas pajamas with warm cocoa watching one of the best holiday movies ever. I didn’t want it to end, it was just that good. Definitely recommend reading this wonderful Christmas romance this holiday season — all the stars! 10/10 recommend you pick this up immediately and read!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Martha Waters and Atria Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

This was a fun and cute Christmas romance! I liked Graham, but I got annoyed with Charlotte. I wish we had gotten a little stronger conclusion, and I wish Charlotte decided to like Christmas a little more/come to terms with her role a little quicker.

Charlotte was a child actress who, at age nine, starred in the beloved Christmas movie "Christmas Truely." She has since become an artist with no interest in acting but the fans are not happy about it- especially when a reprise of the film is axed after Charlotte refuses to be a part of it. To escape, she flees to the UK to visit her sister.

When she unknowingly finds herself back at the movie's filming location (Eden Priory) and is accidentally left there, Graham, the son of the owners, gives her a ride back to London. She agrees to take a commission illustrating holiday movie scenes from iconic Christmas movies to stock in the Eden Priory gift shop. As she spends time with Graham going to and from the film locations, Charlotte might find that not everything about Christmas is bad.

This Christmas romance plays on the love people have for Christmas movies as well. I was rooting for Charlotte to find the joy that her sister has found, despite dysfunctional and self-centered parents.

This book is a perfect self-aware romance. Filled with love, laughter and implausible holiday related situations (see carolers taking over the inn where our Christmas-hating heroine happens to need to stay), this book is a perfect homage to the classic Hallmark movies we all (perhaps secretly) love.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the eArc!

I am a sucker for a good holiday romance and this one had it in spades. Martha provided a great romance that made you feel the holiday spirit and gave feel good vibes. I enjoyed the MCs and the way they fell for one another.

A cute Christmas rom-com with heart. I loved the characters and their funny banter. And the slow burn romance was worth the wait! I loved the setting and all of the quirky British slang. It would make a delightful read leading up to Christmas, especially for those who love “Notting Hill” or “The Holiday.”

I was prepared to feel somewhat mixed on this book - I like Martha's writing a lot but don't love Christmas romances - and was blown away by how much I enjoyed it. Charlotte was perfectly prickly! Graham was adorably charming! Their banter had me so giddy!

The set-up of a child star of a popular Christmas movie growing up to find herself at the home some of the scenes with her movie love interest were filmed in may be a tad far-fetched, but so much of this felt realistic to me. The family dynamics were tricky but relatable. The relationship between Charlotte and Graham developed in a way I was so fully bought into.

Christmas Is All Around really cemented that I will read whatever genre of romance Martha wants to write.

This was such a cute read for the Christmas season! I really enjoyed reading this story and seeing Charlotte’s thoughts and feelings evolve on Christmas. She held a lot of resentment since she was a child star in a famous movie, but soon learns to find the true meaning of Christmas.

If you read this title and started singing in your head, there's a good chance that you'd enjoy this book. It's written for those people who love Christmas romances every year and love a low-stakes romance with strong side characters and a cozy plot. If your sense of humor is that type that enjoys snarking on these movies, you might really love this book. There were a lot of things that worked for me. I enjoyed Charlotte and her realistic and valid reasons to reject fame and pursue a career as an artist. I enjoyed the writing style and the zippy conversations. The author did a good job of referencing the tone and plot elements of Christmas movies. It also reminded me of the women's fiction romcoms that were popular 15 years ago, such as Emily Giffin, Sophie Kinsella, and Marian Keyes. Things that didn't really work for me: I found Charlotte's relationship to nepotism annoying, though she gains self-awareness in the end. I didn't enjoy the male main character, Graham, who was set up to be a fun grumpy type but in the end, was a bit boring. There wasn't enough plot to balance the conversation and exploration of relationships, but that is a matter of personal taste. This book was cozy the way Hallmark Christmas movies are so if that's your genre, you might enjoy this (or be offended that the author pokes fun at them. If you're outraged, please don't comment and let me know).

🌶️🌶️🌶️ one explicit sex scene

Christmas is All Around is the first contemporary romance from Martha Waters. I love Waters smart regency romances. I was psyched to read this. It did not disappoint. It has the prickliest heroine, Charlotte. She hates Christmas! Hates her brief stint as a child actor staring in a cult classic film. She accidentally ends up at the house the film was filmed for the UK portion of the story and she meets Graham. Graham's family owns the house and is trying to capitalize on the movie following to get some much needed funds to repair the old house. Graham is the perfect book boyfriend. Also, he's a vegetarian which makes him my personal dream man. Graham asks Charlotte to help him by commissioning illustrations from her. Together they embark on their own Christmas journey. They grow into each other and both learn what they really want out of life and love. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this eARC!

This books got me in allll my holiday feels!!! As a lover of all things Christmas and the festive season this book was right up my street!! Charlotte flys to London (say less) to visit her sister Ava and her partner kitt and their baby for the holidays. As a former child star who was in an iconic Christmas movie charlotte has come to despise all things corny and christmassy. She decides to stay for 5 weeks prior to Xmas and is roped in to do all kinds of festive activities. She soon meets graham and partners with him on a project to save his family’s historic house. It’s filled with so much festive cheer and made me giddy. Highly recommend for your TBR this holiday szn!

Thank you to Atria Books for the advance reader copy and to Simon Audio and LibroFM for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

This is the holiday rom-com that isn't. It's such a funny story.

As a child, Charlotte starred in a Christmas movie. Abd her ongoing association with the movie has made her deplore not just Christmas movies, but all things Christmas. In a bid to escape, she decides to spend the six weeks leading up to Christmas with her sister in England. Only she finds herself unable to escape when she ends up at one of the filming locations from her movie.

Graham is the perfect British book boyfriend, working to maintain his crumbling family estate. And he asks Charlotte to help through her work as a watercolor artist.

This played with so many of the tropes of the genre in a truly delightful way. I laughed out loud more than once as I listened. (And yes, that yielded strange looks at the grocery store.)

Nikki Massoud is a great narrator, who handled the many voices and accents well. If you're looking for a great and unique Christmas romance, I recommend this one.

Christmas is All Around by Martha Waters is the perfect cozy holiday rom-com, blending humor, charm, and a touch of romance to kick off the festive season. Charlotte, a former child star who loathes the holidays due to her iconic holiday movie role, escapes to London to avoid the season’s chaos—only to end up at Eden Priory, a nostalgic filming location tied to her past. Here, she meets Graham, who enlists her help to boost the estate’s holiday events, drawing Charlotte back into the holiday spirit in unexpected ways. As she navigates holiday mishaps, family surprises, and growing feelings for Graham, Charlotte realizes that holiday magic might just come from a new perspective. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Charlotte is an artist who starred in a Christmas movie once as a child and is trying to run away from her past. She’s visiting her sister’s family in England and somehow meets the owners of a house that is featured in the movie she was in. While Charlotte shies away from all things Christmas cheer, the owner of the historic home Graham has commissioned a series of house portraits to sell in his home’s gift shop. They spend more time together, bantering, and flirting, and finally becoming more, but she’s only in England temporarily. There’s also the concern of whether her past fame is being used to promote tourism to the historical family home. I enjoyed all of the banter and flirting, which made me smile so much. It was the perfect amount of sarcastic ribbing that I enjoy. Super fun little Christmas romance.