I've previously read a book by this author that I really liked, so this is doubly disappointing.

It starts off with the main character Davis Hart getting drunk and outing her closeted costar, which is super not a great look to begin with, but then Davis thinks it's super unfair that her character is killed off the show as a result of it. So she moves back to her hometown called Christmas on the East Coast, supposedly to help her mom after a major surgery, but she's really trying to escape the fallout. Enter Asia du Muir, a producer and playwright who is heading up the Christmas community play, and Davis is instantly smitten.

Okay, so Davis is not super likeable. She's egotistical, tries to lie to everyone, takes zero accountability for a lot of the book, and constantly pushes her luck with Asia. This book really suffers from not being dual POV because Asia is super against the idea of getting involved with Davis, then suddenly they're sleeping together, then suddenly it's too much for her and there's almost no explanation as to why she freaked out so much.

Worst of all, there's a plot point in which <SPOILER> Davis is drugged because her drink is spiked, and Asia acts like it's Davis's fault because of her "party girl ways"! AND THEN NOTHING HAPPENED TO THE GUYS WHO DRUGGED HER!

The writing (minus a couple of proofreading issues) is good, which made this book easy to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

This took a while for me to get into. There wasn't enough about the characters to actually care about them. Neither Davis or Asia were portrayed as likeable at the beginning. Davis grew on me as the story unfolded as we were experiencing it from her point of view. Asia did not grow on me, perhaps she was just never really there in the story - just on the edge. Strange really.
The story had promise - a mishap derailed Davis' acting career and sent her home to Christmas (yes the festive themed town where she grew up - published just in time for Christmas). The community theatre has a new young playwright (Asia) who has a grant to put on a production - Davis wants to help out. Asia does not want her to.
To be honest all the other characters work quite well, Davis' mum and the neighbour, Tommy and his husband. Davis fleshed out as the story progressed. Asia not so much.
There is of course an epilogue.
6 months after the story ends they are working together and still together.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!!

A quick, fun read. Asia’s stubbornness grated me at times, as well as Davis’s immaturity so it took a little to get into but a decent read in the end.

This was a great read. It was nice to see the slow maturity of Davis. Lots of angst, but lots of nice romantic moments as well. This is the third book I’ve read by this author, and I enjoy her style of storytelling. I enjoyed the secondary characters as well. I will continue reading this author’s work.

This was a fun Christmas read. Davis was such a do not care about anything fuckboy in the beginning, but is forced to rethink her whole life after being fired from her TV shop after her drunken mess up. It was great to see her grow and realize what she loves to work with and that family, friends and a love interest is what actually make you happy. A lot of nice Christmas vibes add and extra layer of enjoyment.

This is an interesting take on a Christmas novel in that Christmas is the name of the town in which the novel takes place. Hitting both celebrity and small town romance tropes, as well as a touch of one-sided enemies to lovers, there was no shortage of drama in this novel. It took me a while to get into this story and become emotionally invested in both main characters, but once I hit about the halfway point, I basically stayed up all night to finish it.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

It took me a wee while to get into this story but I persevered as I like this author's books. It was funny at times and sometimes a bit sad but overall I did enjoy it. The two MCs had their moments when I didn't like either of them but not to give away any details they came good in the end.