Fun and fast paced Christmas romance, the story of best friends Ella and Leo. Both single at the same time will they take a chance on each other?

Okay looking at the cover (which I don't particularly like) you would think this is a frou frou book. But it's really not. Ella is so damaged, by her father, her step family, her long term boyfriend (who cheats on her) and his family. The only constant she has is Leo, a lovely charming, utterly nice friend. Except they both want out of friend zone and except they don't want to lose their deep friendship, until one holiday season pushes them to explore beyond being friends. It was explosive, it was sexy, it was passionate and very funny. The Foxbrooke family ofcourse is present and as crazy as ever.

I loved this book!!

Spicy, male female, friends to lovers, contemporary romance. This is the 5th standalone book in the Foxbrooke series. A modern retelling of Cinderella with some angst and lots of heart. I enjoyed the storytelling and humor. A perfect book to read during the holidays.

Recently single and homeless, Ella seeks refuge at best friend Leo’s family manor. Rehearsals for their Christmas pantomime ignite a passionate connection. Can they risk their friendship to embrace a love that’s been years in the making?

This is a funny, steamy friends-to-lovers Cinderella romance. Ella and Leo are wonderful together. The Christmas panto was the perfect showcase for the quirky characters of Foxbrooke.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Two best friends and a Christmas to remember as their mutual secret crush on each other finally comes out. Ella Chamberlain and Leo Foxbrooke have been best friends since forever.... but they have one big secret between each other: they both secretly have a crush on each other. Yet years go by and they never act on it...until this Christmas in which Ella's been recently dumped by her boyfriend and kicked out of her home, so she is going to be staying with Leo and his family. Ella's going to be helping Leo with his Christmas play... and when they both are cast as Cinderella and Prince Charming, all the rehearsal kisses re beginning to feel very real. Yet Ella is afraid to lose Leo as her best friend, especially when she's lost so much already but can she find a way to finally embrace the romance thats been there all along? This was a fine Christmas friends to lover romance. It just felt fine, it didn't wow me or really get me attached but it wasn't bad or terrible, just fine.

Release Date: November 4,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Emlin Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Absolutely loved this book! Solid 5 star
read! If your looking for a Christmas
cheer and best friends to lovers trope
this is the book! Love Leo and Ella
amazing mainly characters and a story so
beautifully written. I read it in 2 days could
not get enough tis the season to fall in
love ! 100% recommend!

Another great addition to the Foxbrooke series, which follows best friends Leo Foxbrooke and Ella Chamberlain. Ella and Leo have known each other forever such that when she is dumped by her boyfriend, Leo and his family embrace Ella and take her into Foxbrooke Manor for Christmas. It is during her time there, sleeping one room away from Leo, that Ella falls in love with Leo. Whilst they are preparing for the Christmas pantomime, Leo also realises that it might be an opportunity for him to show her how he really feels. However, there are other factors at play, pulling them apart.
Whilst I enjoyed the Christmas Panto, I did want more of the romance about Leo and Ella. There were plenty of sparks and chemistry between this couple but their friendship made this all the sweeter. I did so wish for them both to reveal their feelings even though it should have been so apparent to them both. I loved Leo’s family whilst despising Ella’s and each made this story even more entertaining.
This book I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Emlin Press for my ARC copy.

This was such a wholesome, sweet, festive read. I adored the best friends to lovers and really loved Ella and Leo's relationship. I also love all the side characters especially Arthur. I will be recommending this to everyone this year.

I love a good cinderella retelling so this did not disapoint!! With friends to lovers! ( one of my fave tropes🤭) and lots of tension and spice🔥 this story is sure going to keep you hooked the whole way through! I loved Ella and Leo and the beautiful bond they had! This was my first ARC review by Evie but It certainly wont be my last🫶
Thank you to Netgalley and Evie for letting me read this ARC.

A Cinderella Christmas retelling? Yes, please!
This was cozy and heartwarming, with friends to lovers tension and just enough Christmas feeling to keep your in the perfect holiday mood.
It's was very sweet, maybe too sweet, but with spice!

Post on IG One_fairy_tale_at_the_time the 15.nov 2024 ☃️

Christmas Off Script is a sweet and cozy romance that's perfect for the holiday season. More than a little bit of a Cinderella retelling.. It's about two best friends who find the real version of their love while helping each other prepare for a Christmas pantomime and navigate some huge life hurdles The story is full of humor, warmth, and a touch of magic. I'd make Leo my best book boyfriend but he and Ella are just too perfect for each other.

This was another winner in the Foxbrooke series, it had that friends to lovers element that I wanted and was invested in the play element. The characters had that charm that I was looking for from the previous four books. Evie Alexander wrote this perfectly and was glad I got to read this.

Such a wonderful story, almost in time for Christmas, with wonderful characters, beautiful scenery and the magic of love thay captured my heart.

I'm just sad that I came into the series with this one, will have to hunt down the others prior to this.

Thank you Evie Alexander and NetGalley for granting me this ARC.

I love a good Christmas romance, and as someone who grew up with roles in the Nutcracker ballet every year of adolescence, this was EXACTLY what I wanted. Spicy, funny, and great Christmas fun. Now that I realize this is book 5, I've gotta go track down the 4 previous ones!

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

🌈 Friends to Lovers
🌈 Christmas UK
🌈 Small Town Romance

🌶🌶🌶🌶

Leo and Ella are the very best of friends. They each harboured a tendre for each other in the past but there has never been a right time for them. So while they might be in love with each other, they have never acted on their feelings. But when Ella (who has been having a tough time) gets dumped by her boyfriend and evicted very close to Christmas, Leo steps in and asks her to come and stay with him and his madcap family.

Spending more time together stirs up emotions, exacerbated by exes, family and the Cinderella pantomime they are both involved in. Life reflects art as the two of them discover that they both deserve a happy ending.

If you don't know what a Christmas Panto is, read the author's note on this book - it's really important that you understand how these shows work and the festivity they embody at Christmastime in the UK. The script of the panto features heavily in this book and you really have to be able to imagine what's happening on the stage. I've grown up on Christmas pantos but would be interested to hear what people who hadn't seen one think about the way the panto is written in this story. Even with my experience, I'm not sure it worked. Maybe listening on audio book would help.

Leo and Ella's dynamic is lovely - they are both so sweet. When they started to explore their deeper feelings physically I wasn't convinced but by the end I could see they were meant for each other.

While this isn't my favourite of the series, it was still a fun read.

Before I begin, I would like to thank Evie Alexander for allowing me to read a Net Galley Arc of her upcoming book, Christmas Off Script, which is part of her Foxbrooke series and wille be available on Amazon on November 4th, 2024.

Leo Foxbrooke and Ella Chamberlain have been best friends for a long time, and neither of them has confessed to having crushes on each other when they were teenagers. That all changes when Ella is suddenly dumped by her boyfriend and homeless and the Foxbrookes invite her to stay at their manor. Used to painting the set and being a side character for the Christmas pantomime, Ella and Leo respectively find themselves filling in for the roles of Cinderella and Prince Charming. Kissing her best friend during rehearsals should be easy, but neither Ella or Leo predicts themselves falling hard and fast for each other, but both of them are scared to lose their friendship in case of unrequited love. Can Leo and Ella face their fears for a love that they’ve always wanted?

This story was wonderful. You have Ella, a sweet, caring, talented, beautiful young teacher that takes care of her stepmother and is beloved by the Foxbrookes. You have Leo, a handsome, talented, and protective young man that would do anything for Ella and his family. I enjoyed learning about a Christmas pantomime, and this book makes me want to see one myself someday. Ella’s stepfamily was awful, but I absolutely adored the Foxbrooke’s family dynamic. The banter and synchronicity between Ella and Leo were fantastic. I also loved how protective Ella and Leo were of each other and often put each other first instead of their personal desires when it came to their presumably unrequited feelings. There were a few twists that I didn’t expect throughout the story, and I was delighted by all of them. Overall, if you like great family dynamics, fantastic banter, healthy relationships, Christmas pantomimes, humor, and holiday friends-to-lovers with sweet romance and quite a bit of spice, then I would highly recommend this book. Here’s the link for more information: Amazon.com: Christmas off Script: A Friends to Lovers, Steamy Romantic Comedy (Foxbrooke Book 5) eBook : Alexander, Evie: Kindle Store

In “Christmas Off Script,” best friends Leo Foxbrooke and Ella Chamberlain navigate the complexities of their long-standing friendship as they confront their hidden feelings for each other during the festive season. The story unfolds in the charming setting of Foxbrooke Manor, where Ella, recently dumped by her boyfriend, finds solace with Leo and his family.

Ella has always been there for Leo, but after a breakup leaves her feeling lost and alone, she turns to him for support. As she moves into Foxbrooke Manor, staying next to Leo’s room allows them to spend more time together preparing for the Christmas pantomime. Their roles in the play—Ella as Cinderella and Leo as Prince Charming—bring them closer than ever.

This is a standalone romantic comedy filled with festive spirit, laughter, and a fairytale happy ending that promises to charm readers looking for a heartwarming holiday story.

How can one resist a contemporary retelling of Cinderella with that cover?...there is no way.
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Christmas off script is a book full of British customs, traditions and cozy holiday scenes. Despite everything the characters must overcome, mainly Ella, this is a perfect book to get into the spirit of seeing the beauty in every detail and appreciating friendships and found families.
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and without leaving aside the slow burn of an unconditional friendship of years that stretches until one is about to break everything if they don't kiss in the next paragraph.
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Ella and Leo live their story within a town and a family full of curious characters, of which if you have not read the previous books, like me, you will want to do so soon, because you simply need to know more. And let’s not forget the Manor and every perfect cosy scene Evie Alexander creates for them.
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I have to confess that at times She exasperated me, because even though I have a weak spot for cinderella stories, there comes a point where I want to see them get up and fight for what they want.
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She has a sacrificed life, dedicated to a stepmother and two stepsisters who treat her horribly. With her father in prison and her boyfriend far away, she tries to move forward and have faith. But when on the same day she is left homeless, without a boyfriend and with terrible family news, Ella can only break down.
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but luckily Leo is there to support her, as always, her best friend is there to lift her up and help her move forward. But this time is different, because something changed between them and when they have to live under the same roof it is inevitable to start wondering if their feelings are reciprocal, and could be more between them
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This is a book for fans of friends to lovers, slow burn and cozy holidays, with steamy and beautiful heartwarming scenes.
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Thanks to Evie Alexander and her team for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion.

Lots of imagery in Alexander's writing that made this a grand play within a book. I enjoyed it and the setting. It was funny and perfect for holiday time. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was so cute! I loved this and the cover. Great for Christmas time. Definitely the next barbie and the nutcracker.