Fulfilling. Always a great transporting with Mary Kay Andrews, and a treat in holiday reads. I found it to be an easy, relaxing read, keeping me hooked and letting time pass before returning to the pages. That's a great escape, and Andrews is a master of writing exquisite characters. It's a book to be enjoyed and studied, if you're a writer as well.

This was such a cute and fun read! Leave it to Mary Kay Andrews for it!

Tilly is needing a temporary stay, and decides to hang at George's uncles home for a couple days until her place is ready, however George shows up, and stays! So what now...?

She winds up getting herself in a bind after bind that I think turned out very cute.

Just a cute and easy read! MKA never disappoints. She knows how to effortlessly blend romance with mystery for the perfect story. This novella was full of wit and banter!

Tilly is not having a joyful holiday season. Divorced, no money, now her car has broken down, and she is squatting in one of the rental properties. Everything is going well as she is talking to her friend until she hears a car drive up and receives a call. It just so happens to be Geroge Holloway the man who owns and is planning on selling the house. Wondering why a car is parked in the driveway amongst other things he lets everything go because he is tired. The next morning he notices things have been moved around and a smell in the house. All the while Tilly is hoping not to get caught. That is until he decides to look at the car and read this fun book with excellent characters to find out what happens.

Thank you, Amazon Original Stories for this copy in exchange for my review.

This was a wonderful holiday novella. It is no surprise with Mary Kay that the characters are warm and sweet and exactly what you want.

This was a cute novella which made for a really quick read, but it didn’t give the holiday vibes that I had expected based on the cover and title of book! That may have been my own bias, but I had really wanted those holiday vibes and just didn’t feel it with this one. 3⭐️

If you're looking for a short and festive holiday story look no further than Holiday Hideaway by Mary Kay Andrews. When property manager Tilly needs a place to stay until her new apartment is ready, squatting seems to make the most sense in a pinch. Squatting at one of the rental properties her company manages? Well, it sounded like a good idea until the late owner's great nephew shows up. As Tilly and her adorable dog try to hide from George (who is wondering whether the food he finds and sounds he hears are the ghosts of Christmas paying a visit) she ends up coming clean-mostly. What ensues is a very charming meet-cute wrapped up in a delightful story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I thought this was such a cute holiday read. I loved all of the characters and a very cute, sweet short story.

May Kay Andrews can do no wrong! Let's just establish that! I loved this book. Short and sweet and so much fun!

3.5 stars rounded up! Tilly was kicked out of her apartment shortly before Christmas and has nowhere to go, so she’s squatting at a vacation rental from the company she works for. George recently inherited said death trap of a rental from his horrible (recently deceased) great-uncle. When he falls off the roof and break his ankle, she comes out from where she’s been hiding in the attic and takes care of him. Turns out, they knew each other in high school, and they end up falling for each other again. This is a quick little holiday story (I read it in about 45 minutes), and it’s in Mary Kay Andrew’s classic “easy reading” style. However, you should beware going in that you need to suspend all disbelief to read this story, because what sane person would realize that there is someone squatting in his attic and do absolutely nothing about it?? And then immediately turn around and dump their fiancée to immediately start dating their old high school crush?? I understand that because it’s a short story, the timeline has to be sped up, but still 😅 But it fit nicely into my reading challenge and gave me fun Christmas vibes, so I still enjoyed it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read this book! ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm typically not a big fan of novellas, but this one I thoroughly enjoyed. MKA was able to write a shorter story but still have a lot of depth to the story and characters. This is full of all the Christmas charm you want in a holiday romance.

I'm sad to say I did not enjoy this short story, at all. The main character is a squatter and then a homewrecker. So it's really hard to be sympathetic toward her at all. Obviously the MMC is just as bad, as he has a girlfriend of many years who's expecting an engagement, just to dump her suddenly for a girl you had a crush on in high school and has been spying on you from the attic. *Justice for Vanessa!* I did like Smoosh the dog.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Short and sweet! I was quickly caught up in the story. The romance happened so soon- there was no build up. I know this is a short story but it didn’t work in this format. I would have loved this in a full length book! Fully fleshing out the characters would have made this book shine.

Another Christmas gem by MKA!! This sweet novella will have you flipping the pages quickly and wanting more. Grab a blanket, cup of hot chocolate and this book and enjoy the next few hours!!

Quick, cute, Christmas short story. Wasn’t my favorite but great for a one day feel good read to get into the holiday spirit. I don’t read short stories often but this made me want to do more in the new year. Tilly and George had a fun little meet cute with a red bow happy ending.

Holiday Hideaway is a quick, easy, warm read. Tilly is so down to earth and George is endearing. Perfect short story to feel good for the holidays!

A cute romantic novella for Christmas break. Thank you NetGalley and Amazon originals for this cozy read from Mary Kay Andrews, the queen of Christmas.

~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~

Is Christmas really Christmas without a MKA Holiday book? I adore her holiday stories and this 2024 novella is no different! This is a fun story about a woman, Tilly, who is down on her luck who is hiding away in a vacant home when the owner, George, unexpectedly comes to visit. This is a fun, quirky, and festive story. Holiday Hideway is the perfect quick read to cuddle up with during Christmastime. I definitely recommend!

George and Tilly were so fun to meet! I wish I had more time with them! I was skeptical about how the story would develop at the beginning, especially when Tilly was being so risky while hiding in the house, but once she started interacting with George it was magic. I would love to see an expanded version of this story, giving more meat to their introductions and then following them further. I want more!!! Such a fun fast holiday read!

This was a cute holiday romance with a charming setting that captured the festive spirit. The premise of Tilly hiding in the attic of a historic home to avoid being caught squatting in George’s house was both ridiculous and oddly endearing. It created some laugh-out-loud moments that added a whimsical touch to the story.

That said, Tilly’s actions often bordered on unbelievable, making it hard to fully connect with her character. The writing itself could have used more polish—there were clunky passages that disrupted the flow and moments that felt underdeveloped.

Despite these flaws, the house’s cozy charm and the holiday vibe made this an enjoyable seasonal read. If you’re looking for a short, lighthearted romance with a touch of holiday magic and don’t mind suspending disbelief, this short story/novella is worth a try!