This book did not live up to its title in the best possible way. It was such a fun holiday romcom and I loved every moment.

‘This Is Not A Holiday Romance’ by Camilla Isley is a funny and heartwarming festive tale that perfectly blends the enemies-to-lovers and brother’s-best-friend tropes! Nina and Tristan have loathed each other and traded insults and pranks for fifteen years, but when her brother Dylan brings Tristan to crash their Connecticut family Christmas, she is determined to end the rivalry for good. But will his presence actually be the Christmas present she didn’t realise she wanted?

I really warmed to Nina as a character, and found her quick sense of humour hilarious. While I was predisposed to dislike Tristan (aka the “Prince Of Darkness”) initially, the dual POV structure gave a glimpse into his thoughts and helped explain his behaviour. It was a treat to read an enemies-to-lovers romance that truly played up the “enemies” element without demonising either character too much.

All in all, this was an entertaining and quick Christmas read that has made me eager to seek out other books by Camilla Isley - a new-to-me author with a large back catalog to dive into! Giving this four stars.

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Boldwood Books via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Camilla is one of the best romance authors I like. And as always, I ogled this book by her. I am obsessed with the enemies-to-lovers , forced proximity tropes and yeah banter. I laughed so much while reading and enjoyed Tristan and Nina’s pranks and encounters.

Nina Thompson plans to spend a peaceful Christmas with her family. But when she finds out her brother’s best friend and roommate Tristan, is invited to spend the holiday with her family due to weather conditions that caused his flight to San Diego to be canceled, things take a turn.

This one here is hot as hell, an easy, entertaining read!

This Is Not a Holiday Romance by Camilla Isley is an easy and light romance read. It is first in the Funny Feelings series.

I liked the main protagonists. I could feel the chemistry and the spice level was good.
There is some good banter and witty lines.
The characters are both likeable and I was rooting for them.
I also appreciated the fact that the third act breakup moment lasted for a short time and didn't take half of the book. I have really started to dislike this part of romance books.
Overall this was a nice holiday read.

Nina Thompson's Christmas wish is to avoid her brother's best friend, Tristan, who has been her prank war rival since they were teenagers. However, when Tristan unexpectedly joins her family's Christmas celebration, Nina's hopes for a peaceful holiday are dashed. Determined to end their rivalry, Nina braces for one last showdown. But as they find themselves snowed in together, their heated exchanges reveal a different kind of chemistry. Despite their growing attraction, they agree that their fling is only temporary and will end with the snow.

"This Is Not a Holiday Romance" by Camilla Isley is a delightful enemies-to-lovers holiday romcom that will warm your heart. Nina and Tristan's prank-filled rivalry is both hilarious and endearing, and their chemistry is undeniable. The forced proximity of being snowed in together adds an extra layer of tension and excitement to their evolving relationship. Isley's witty writing and festive setting make this book a perfect holiday read. Highly recommended for fans of holiday romances and anyone looking for a fun, feel-good story!

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know why I've left this review pending forever, but the story is still fresh in my mind. This isn't for you if the 'brother's best friend' trope makes you uncomfortable. I've read a bunch of books by Isley so far and I enjoy her writing style. This one in particular was interesting because of the various dynamics between characters with them also being stuck together. The POVs are interesting and while I think the backstories don't make complete sense, they're not bad. This is a super quick read and it's fun and engaging, perfect for Christmas vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. While the premise initially drew me in, I struggled to make it past the 45% mark before ultimately deciding to DNF. The story was a quick read, but it lacked a festive vibe, and I couldn’t connect with the characters. Nina and Tristan’s constant bickering often felt more like immature tantrums than conflicts between adults. Their behavior was frustrating, and the sudden shifts from hostility to a loving family dynamic didn’t feel authentic. I skimmed ahead to see what happens, and I’m honestly glad I decided to put it down. I can see this book appealing to some, but it just wasn’t for me.

This Is Not a Holiday Romance, by Camilla Isley, is a fun holiday romp. Tristan Montgomery is both Dylan Thompson’s best friend and his sister Nina’s sworn enemy. Years ago, when Tristan first visited the Thompson home during freshman year in college, his careless chiding was overheard by a young Nina, beginning over a decade of pranks and hard feelings.

When Dylan brings Tristan home for the holidays, Nina is livid and the bad acts upon each other begin. As a result of their misbehavior a family heirloom is broken during a particular prank. As they both attempt to make amends, sparks fly, embers burn, and their clandestine relationship almost burns them down.

This is another fun romp by Ms. Isley with multiple messages and overarchingly lovely tropes to make any romance lover pleased. I did enjoy this story and do recommend it!

Enjoyed this book for sure but seemed at times to drag on. Could have told the same story in a more compact way and still had the same building of characters and story.

This was such a funny read!! I loved it! It was light, cute and heartwarming. The pranks were hilarious and i loved Nina’s personality! Perfect for Christmas 🎄

A classic enemies to lovers story, this was another winner from Isley. Some may find it too predictable, some may find it a bit too slushy, but it was the exact read I needed at this time and I relished in the warmth of the story.

It is definitely a read that can get you in the festive mood, helped by the massive dumpings of snow as Nina spends the holiday season at her parents – with her brother and sworn enemy, Tristan. I loved the banter between the two characters as they absolutely despise one another and their nicknames – Gremlin and the Prince of Darkness – had me chuckling throughout. They are also constantly playing tricks on one another to prove they are top dog. From relentless watch alarms in the middle of the night to even stealing the bathroom first, these enemies are out for revenge. But does it last?

Inevitably, feelings start to develop between Tristan and Nina and I found I was desperate for Isley to speed this coupling up. I was hankering for a happy ever after and thought that Tristan and Nina made for the perfect couple. I loved it when they had to go on a shopping expedition together, giving readers a glimpse of what this couple would be like if they went public with their romance. Of course, they have to keep it hidden for the sake of Nina’s brother and Tristan’s best friend, Dylan, who is incredibly protective of his little sister.

I found the relationship between Nina and Dylan a bit odd, with too much exposed skin! Maybe I am reading a bit too much in to it, but I thought the sibling relationship was too much. I would have preferred a bit more distance between them.

The Epilogue of the story did feel a bit rushed and focused more on Nina’s housemates, rather than Nina and Tristan. It is evident that the writer is setting up the stories for the rest of the series, but I thought that there were too many obvious clues about what is to come. I would have preferred to see what was happening next to the new couple and how their relationship has fared. Whilst I am excited about the next books in the series, I think it would have been more effective if fewer clues were given.

Overall, a lovely romance story that is set at Christmas and features family love, romantic love and a lot of snow. It definitely warmed my heart and I was entertained by the love-hate relationship of Nina and Tristan.

With thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the kind of holiday book I love. Snowed in together, brother’s best friend, found family, it hits all the right notes with its tropes. It was super fun, well paced, and seems to set up two more books in a potential series, which I would absolutely read.

I thought Nina and Tristan were a little TOO mean to each other at the beginning, but I began to see why as the plot played out. Their growing chemistry was really fun to see and felt super natural. Overall, just a fun Christmas read

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for feedback.

I really liked the premise of this book but once I got reading there were a lot of elements that I just didn’t love. Nina and Tristan are pretty awful to each other and in real life I don’t think you’d forgive some of their antics. There were also quite a few times that I had to remind myself these were adults because they acted like spoiled kids but then the next chapter everyone was a “loving family”; it didn’t work for me.

I think with some better character development this would have been a 4 star read for me.

This is the enemy-est enemy-to-lovers book I've ever read. Nina has been plagued by The Prince of Darkness, aka her brother's best friend, since she was thirteen. Tristan's parents are practically non-existent in his successful life. Thankfully, he has his best friend Dylan who has been his family since they were college roommates. Dylan's annoying little sister, aka Gremlin in his book, makes quite the sparring partner. The two of them have mastered the art of hatred. When Tristan comes home with Dylan for Christmas, the way he and Nina are going at each other, one way or another, threatens to ruin the holiday for everyone.

I loved how Camilla played with darkness-related words and themes throughout the book. This book is just a lot of fun. The pranks they play on each other are both painful and hilarious. (Nina is a bit over the top at times.) When their open feud threatens the holiday joy of the entire family, the pranks become more subversive. Which eventually leads to other subversive behavior. This story is hot without being explicit. It's hard to put this one down.

To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of this one. I felt like this book was lacking the build up to their connection, and so in turn the relationship felt forced and I had a hard time feeling their connection. I felt at times that the characters seemed like teenagers and not fully grown adults which also added to my inability to connect with them.
I am usually a sucker for the best friends boyfriend trope but overall, this one just felt a bit cringey. The premise for this was great, but I think it could have benefitted from having some more build up to the hookup, or a bit more back and forth where we see their feelings come through.

Thank you for approving me to read this book. I found it a quick and easy read but it didn't feel very festive, and the main character Nina was so annoyingly immature. I couldn't believe the temper tantrums she seemed to be having every day - especially when it was due to Tristan winding her up and they were both like it with each other. It just felt like I was reading about teenagers and not supposedly fully functioning adults. I'm sure a lot of people would love this book but it just wasn't really for me.

Halloween is over, Christmas reading has begun!! For the first 30% Nina drove me crazy. Her actions seemed very immature. However, around that point, something switched in her and I couldn’t get enough. I didn’t want to put this down. The chemistry between Nina and Tristan was palpable (even when they were fighting). I love all of the books by @camillaisley and this is another great one to add to the list.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and Camilla Isley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore Camilla’s books! While this one was enjoyable, it didn’t have me constantly wanting to read more. I think it needed something less predictable in a brother’s best friend romance. Overall, I still enjoyed it though

This Is Not a Holiday Romance..... or is it?
Fun, heart warming and hilarious, this story really does tick all the boxes. Camilla Isley is wonderful at bringing her characters to life and really allows you as the reader to connect with them on some level. A delightful, cosy read.

This was a quick read for me & I enjoyed it as my first holiday read of the season. The concept of this book was very clever with a little bit of spice. Nina learns that while returning home for Christmas her brother will be bringing his best friend, Tristan. She will be forced to spend the holidays with him, I enjoyed the tension between the two as their story unfolds. The author does a great job of giving details throughout as Nina begins to understand why Tristan acts the way that he does and Tristan begins to realize his previous mistakes.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.