3 stars
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A cute little Christmas rom-com. I loved the match making and the concept, but it felt a little longer and undeveloped than I wanted.

The idea of this book is adorable. Second chance romance, match making, cute dogs. But it felt a little basic. The events of the Christmas fundraiser were pretty rushed for being the entire plot of the book. I wish the author had spent more time highlighting the events, along with the romance, because they play such a central role in the book. I could have done with less of Mia’s commentary and more Keegan and Sammy. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Mia, but beyond her original matchmaking, her commentary just didn’t feel all that necessary. Cool outside perspective, but I could have done without it in favor of developing Keegan and Sammi more. The book was a little repetitive at parts, too, and there are inconsistencies. It needed a bit of fine tuning.

The romance in this one is cute, but again, kind of basic. The characters have an ill fated night, but stay sort of friends after one date? I don’t know, it was kind of unbelievable. I loved Keegan and Sammy individually. The author does a really good job of bringing them together with these events from what we got, but it was a little quick. That plays into me wanted more drawn out events. Maybe even more of them. This is such a highlight of the book, but doesn’t take up enough of the book. I could have used less post events and more developing their relationship as they occur, like the author seemed to start to do. I didn’t need post Christmas or the year later epilogue.

Pretty basic, but good is my overall consensus. Definitely a quick, fun, festive read, though.

This was such a cute read, I could definitely see myself re-reading it with hot chocolate, fireplace and the Christmas tree up. It was such a cosy read overall.

Keegan and Sammi have been friends for years and neither have done a very good job at hiding the fact that they would like to be so very much more. Except to each other. Oh, and to themselves. They almost got there once, but Keegan’s ensuing panic attack, followed by months of ghosting have lead to where they are now. Occasionally texting, seldom chatting and hanging out even less than that.

Sammi’s grandmother, Mia, is 80 years old, an expert matchmaker (if she does say so herself) and a dedicated volunteer at Junebug Farms animal shelter.

When the shelter’s funding is cut, the staff decides to raise money and awareness by sponsoring the annual Christmas parade, with their float featuring adorable, adoptable pets from the shelter riding with the King and Queen of the parade. In addition to the parade, the royals will participate in several holiday activities, along with some charming shelter pups, leading up to the parade - caroling, delivering presents, baking Christmas themed puppy treats to name a few.

When Mia is asked to tally up the final votes, she realizes that Sammi has the most votes, with Keegan having only two less (and WAY more than the closest male candidate.) Knowing that she can’t look this type of (Christmas) gift in the mouth, and it’s totally believable that Keegan could have accidentally been placed in the King category. I mean Keegan could easily be a male name, right? Plus, how progressive and inclusive would a Queen AND Queen be?

This Christmas is a sweet, forced proximity, friends to lovers, sapphic romance wrapped up with a festive bow. I’m a sucker for a meddling Grams, and Mia ticks all the boxes. The MCs are sweet albeit a little naive. The supporting characters are well developed, even the furry four-legged ones. If you are looking for a cozy, holiday read, you can’t go wrong with This Christmas!

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I really enjoyed this book. It had all the cosy and festive vibes to get me in the Christmas spirit.

This book had the friends to lovers trope which is one of my favourite tropes so when I read what this book was about I knew it was something I would enjoy.

I felt that there wasn't much chemistry between the two characters during the book and it felt a little forced. I still continued to read because I really did love the aspect of the book but when it got to near the end it felt a little rushed.

This book did give the cosy and festive vibes and its also a sapphic romance so if you are looking for a festive read during the holiday season then I recommend This Christmas.

*Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for providing me this Arc in return for an honest review*

must love dogs…puns, a meddling grandma & a holiday match making setting. if you want a cute feel good read during sweater weather “this Christmas” is for you. I enjoyed getting to watch Sammi & Keegan’s relationship grow throughout the book. The story being surrounded by a dog shelter & all the cute side characters made this a quick, easy & enjoyable holiday book for me.

Thanks NetGalley & Bold Stroke Books, Inc for giving me early access!

Such a lovely book, so wholesome. It really hit me in the feelings I cried a few times.

It’s a really cosy book which is perfect for the holiday season, I love dogs and love rescues so love how the story line was done

I don’t have much to say apart from it’s a perfect sapphic cosy Christmas book

A holiday romance and I get to go back and visit Junebug Farms!!! Count me in. This was a fast paced, low angst holiday charmer. Dogs, a meddling grandma and fun holiday events! Yes Please. Georgia Beers is the master of classic romance book and this one fits right in.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book. I am providing an honest review and all opinions are my own.

Well, what a pleasant read This Christmas was. I’ll be honest and say the cover is what drew me to this book. You put dogs on a cover and I am there. Thankfully, I wasn’t scorned by such a beautiful cover and this book was a highly entertaining read.

I read the entirety of This Christmas in one sitting without putting the book down. For something to grab my attention like this is pretty usual at the moment, so that speaks volumes for how much I enjoyed this. Also, it was fairly short which is also a win in my eyes. Nothing felt too rushed and the shorter length made a lot of sense. I think if the events dragged on too long or the author tried to put in more, it would have gotten too repetitive.

I loved absolutely every dog mentioned in this book. Although as a whippet owner, I was very sad there wasn’t a single mention of a sighthound. Everything was a lab mix or a staffy, which is fine because I adore staffies (and all dog breeds).

The banter between Sammy and Keegan was great and you could tell they still liked each other from the get-go. It’s funny that Jules (the woman Keegan is dating to begin with) was written as a huge red flag (she doesn’t like animals), meaning you want Sammy and Keegan to get together even more. The way the author describes Jules is quite comedic as well, you can tell that the author really didn’t want you to like her.

The shelter sounded like such a lovely place and while it is sad that animals do end up at these places sometimes, Junebug was written like a 5 star hotel for dogs, cats, pigs and more. I’d volunteer there in a heartbeat.

Christmas events and the day itself were sprinkled throughout This Christmas so the festive vibes were definitely there. My favourite event was the dog biscuit making. I love the idea of a bakery that only makes treats for animals, so cute.

I’d highly recommend checking out This Christmas if you’re looking for a cute but short read for the festive season.

Rating: 3.5/5

When Junebug sponsors the annual Christmas parade to raise money and awareness for their shelter, the staff have a plan: the king and queen of the parade will spend the holidays filming adorable Christmas vignettes to bring in donations and find forever homes for lovable pups before Santa comes.

What they don’t know is that Mia Sorenson, volunteer dog walker and superior matchmaker, is about to rig the voting so that her granddaughter, Samantha, and Sam’s friend Keegan, win queen and queen of the parade. Sam and Keegan have been dancing around each other for years, and if Mia doesn’t do something, they might never realize they’re meant to be together.

Georgia Beers delivers another fun sapphic romance! Seriously, you can't go wrong when you put your people in an animal shelter. <3 The romantic chemistry wasn't hot sparks (for me), but I still really enjoyed the dance they had with each other. I love sapphic Christmas stories! Pick this one up for a fun read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

I had hopes for this one, but sadly it just wasn’t for me. I was excited to see that we were being brought back to Junebug Farms, but alas, the love story felt a little forced, and I really didn’t feel chemistry between the two main characters. I tend to enjoy the majority of Georgia Beers’ stories, but this one just didn’t seem fully developed. The story began very, very slowly and I struggled to figure out what was going on. I felt a lot of details were left out – and these details seemed very important to the ‘incident,’ – and that’s where the author lost me. I need more of a connection to the characters and their story to who they are to each other. Even though I didn’t have luck with this one, I’m sure I’ll read the author’s next story.

2.5

Sammi, an amazing dentist, is close with her mom Maggie and her badass grandma Mia, who volunteers at the local animal shelter. After a hookup with Keegan, a sweet kindergarten teacher, left her confused last year, she's still into her and finding it hard to move on. The animal shelters' fundraiser is coming up, and Sammi and Keegan find themselves getting to know each other again and may be rekindling their relationship.

I really liked this story! I loved getting to know both Sammi and Keegan. I'd love to visit Junebug Farms! I want to grow up to be like Mia when I'm 80, and I also immediately fell in love with Beckett. This is a great Christmassy read!

Thank you NetGalley & Bold Strokes Books for an ARC of This Christmas!

A queer love story centered around a no-kill shelter? Count me in! When I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I had to request it. I was so happy when I was approved that I started reading it immediately. My first holiday novel of the year! Never too early right?

I immediately fell in love with the story, the town, Sammi, Keegan, Mia, Maggie and all the doggies! The writer made it extremely easy to connect with the characters instantly.

This was the cutest, most charming holiday read and I recommend everyone pick it up immediately!

What a way to get into the Christmas spirit. This Christmas has everything you could ever really dream of having in a Christmas romance. Adorable dog? Check. Friends to lovers? Check. Tones of pining and figuring out feelings in the most adorable of circumstances? Check. I really enjoyed seeing this story play out from the perspectives of both main characters, which only made the story more and more satisfying to read as it progressed.

Thank you to Georgia Beers, NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

What a cute read! Who doesn't love a second chance romance AND a no-kill animal shelter!? I loved seeing so many different point of views and the honesty between the two main characters - They set boundaries, made their voices heard and respected other people views and voices as well - loved!

I would have loved to have seen a LITTLE more christmas-y vibes in the book but the winter vibes it was giving off were fire! This book would make for a great transition from spooky season into the holiday season!

This book was practically freaking perfect. Keegan and Sammi started something a year prior, but, Keegan got super spooked and ran away, friend zoning Sammi. But, it's about to be Christmas, and Sammi's grandmother Mia has a plan to make them spend time together. A fundraiser for Junebug Farms animal rescue to raise money. Where (in this case) two Queens will do Christmas-y stuff with dogs to raise money and awareness. The whole book from start to finish was amazing.

The characters were pitch perfect (oh Mia, Mia). All the dogs were so well written and all different too (now I need to find a Cat centric Christmas lesbian romance too). And, the pace of the book was good too. It was like a really good Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movie (like and Under the Christmas Tree or Season of Love). The Christmas shone through, as did family with a capital F, and the romance was awesome too. All around 5 star novel!

I was a bit confused because I thoughts the mains had been friends for ages, tried more and gone back to friends. They hadn’t. This only became to clear to me about 18% in. This may have accounted for me not quite settling in at the start. However a couple of paragraphs later, I find they were friends for a few years.
All that said, I enjoyed the book. It’s a romance, so of course there is a happy ending and I enjoyed the journey to it. I got a wee bit teary eyed, not at the romance but some of the secondary characters aka doggies.
An enjoyable Christmas romance. Although the tendency to put super in, super often as an extra descriptive word was a wee bit distracting! 3.5 up to 4.

If This Christmas doesn't get you in the holiday spirit, I don't know what will. It has all the feels, plus snow, home-made cookies, lots of adorable dogs and cats and fun holidays activities. There's a sweet grandmother, who you can't help but love and a no-kill animal shelter. I know! It's a lot, but it comes together so nicely in typical Georgia Beers fashion and when she introduces you to the MC's Keegan and Sammi, you are going to love them too. You just can't help yourself. So do yourself a favor and buy the book! Merry Christmas and you are welcome!

3.75 rounded up

If you're looking for a low stakes holiday romance with adorable dogs, this is a good pick. I loved all the shelter fundraising scenes, and that's when Keegan and Sammi were at their best. There are some aspects of this book that fell flat for me, but overall it was a cute romance to get into the holiday spirit.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

This was a good read! I really enjoyed the plot and the characters. The story was well written and engaging. I would definitely recommend!

I found Sammi and Keegan to be so cute together! I just wish it didn’t take them so long to confess their feelings for each other. I also wanted this story to he longer. I love this writing style and I adore this author. It just would have been more fun to explore the relationship going deeper or having more personal experiences between the two gals. Maybe the story could have extended into more seasons where we see how Beckett changes. I am already looking forward to the next GB release and I do recommend this beautiful tale every holiday romance enthusiast!