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.

This book contains some of my favourite tropes: enemies to lovers and forced proximity.

However, I can’t say I particularly enjoyed it. It lacked the witty banter that I expect between enemies to lovers. I also didn't feel the chemistry between the two MCs. The two MCs themselves were hard to like, and more irritating than interesting.

The writing overall was good, but this book overall was a miss for me…

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

Nina was the absolute worst. She’s supposed to be a 20 something adult, living on her own etc., but she acts like a 5 year old. Her temper tantrums when things don’t go her way, her ability to give but cannot take a joke. It irked me to no end. Tristan had the vibe of joking around with a secret crush, whereas Nina was a big baby. I couldn’t stand her and she made the story absolutely unbearable.

3.5 stars

As a big fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, This Is Not a Holiday Romance was a fun, quick read that hit all the right notes. While the story follows a somewhat predictable path, it combines familiar themes like enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and romance with the brother's best friend to create an enjoyable and lighthearted romance.

The story revolves around Nina Thompson, who has despised her brother's best friend, Tristan, ever since he humiliated her as a teenager. Their relationship has been fueled by a long-standing prank war that shows no signs of stopping. However, things take an interesting turn when Tristan has nowhere to spend Christmas, and Nina's family invites him to their home for the holidays. Determined to get the last laugh, Nina plans one final all-out prank war to end their rivalry for good while avoiding Tristan as much as possible.

However, as a prank goes wrong and they are forced together, the jokes and snarky remarks take on a new dynamic. Beneath the teasing and sarcasm, there's undeniable chemistry building between them. What started as a feud transforms into something neither of them saw coming. Could a secret holiday fling really hurt?

While the plot is familiar, the charming interactions between Nina and Tristan keep the story engaging, and the holiday setting adds a layer of coziness. The playful banter and gradual build-up of romance make this an entertaining and heartwarming read for fans of holiday romances.

Thank you, Netgalley and Boldwood Books, for gifting me an e-book version of "This Is Not a Holiday Romance" in exchange for my honest review.

This is Not a Holiday Romance was a fun, quick read. This was a somewhat predictable story with an enemies to lovers trope, forced proximity, and romance with brother's best friend. Nina Thompson has despised her brother's best friend, Tristan, since he humiliated her as a teenager. They have had a prank war going on ever since. When he has nowhere to go for Christmas, their family invites him to their house for the Christmas holidays. Nina plans one final all out prank war to end this for good, as well as avoiding him as much as possible. When they are forced together due to a snow storm, their pranks and snarky comments take on another feel, suddenly there is a chemistry underneath it all. This can't be happening. A secret holiday fling can't hurt, can it?

Although they are sworn enemies when the story starts, Nina had a crush on Tristan when she was younger, and he remembers her dropping her towel when she was too young for him to think about. Those memories mixed with Christmas cheer and activities begin to add some sizzle to their relationship. The story is told from both Nina's and Tristan's POV. I enjoyed the humour of their pranks and sarcasm. For this reader, I could see that they were changing toward each other, and was waiting for something to happen. Trying to keep their relationship secret by hiding in closets made me giggle. This is a fun holiday romance with some open door romance. I enjoyed the festive activities and the humour. If you enjoy a rom-com set at Christmas, then you will enjoy This is Not a Holiday Romance.

I'm a big fan of enemies to lovers done well! This was an interesting and entertaining read.

The main characters really didn't get along to start. He is her brother's best friend, and they started off on a very bad foot in their relationship. He calls her Gremlin, and she calls him The Prince of Darkness, to give you an idea.

I also enjoyed the family holiday setting. It was nice to see a family who loves each other gathering together and doing simple activities to celebrate the holidays.

I didn't love that the male main character realized he was attracted to her only after he saw her naked body. I also felt like the characters overall felt much younger than they were meant to be (late 20s, early 30s). I also realize I'm not a big fan of the falling in love with your brother's friend trope. Overall I just didn't believe their love story as much as I wanted to.

The epilogue sets up a couple more stories with her best friends, which should be interesting (one sounds like marriage of convenience with a rich husband, the other sounds like roommates to lovers).

It's a quick read! I can see it being a great book for some. It just isn't my favorite style!