All By My Elf promises a cozy, festive romance with a unique premise—two university teachers moonlighting for a schnitzel company, stranded overnight in a van during a snowstorm. Unfortunately, the execution falls flat.

The characters, Nina and William, come across as bland and one-dimensional, with a childlike quality that feels out of place for adult protagonists. Their dialogue and interactions lack the charm and depth needed to make their romance believable or engaging. Instead of endearing quirks, their personalities feel underdeveloped, as though written by someone still finding their voice.

While the novella includes some spicy scenes that could have been enjoyable, the choice of language—particularly the word "vulva"—takes away from the intended sensuality, making these moments more awkward than alluring.

The best thing about All By My Elf is its brevity. At least its short length made finishing it bearable, though without the hint of spice, I might not have pushed through. Overall, this is a skippable read, even for die-hard holiday romance fans.

All By My Elf by Olivia Dade is book three of five in the spicy Under The Mistletoe Collection, short stories marketed as "December romances that thrill and tingle all the way!"

Spoilers probably ahead...

A snowstorm leaves two co-workers stranded on the side of the road in a (for all intents and purposes) wiener mobile, making this a right-time-we-have-condoms-type situation. But of course before we get to that point, there has to be some friction and longing and in this case there was an apparent miscommunication between Nina and her best friend... so much so that Nina thought her best friend and William were knocking boots (best friend you say!? Do these two best friends not communicate at all???). But thankfully after Nina and William play a round of Never Have I Ever, Nina finds out the truth, allowing Nina and William to do the deed in the back of the food wagon... which, let me remind you, is stranded on the side of the road in a snowstorm (that giant hotdog strapped to the roof is going to impale someone, but in this case that just doesn't sound like a good time!). Also, Nina is a 37 year old divorced woman, but instead came off like an immature twenty-something.

I wanted more sass and quirk from the audiobook narrator's tone and inflection, which could have made this book intentionally (or ironically) corny, but instead just caused it to deflate!

This series features 60-ish page/1.5 hour-ish long books and they're just the sort of story to slip into when you've got just a bit of spare time!

Thank you NetGalley, Brilliance Publishing and Amazon Original Stories for the complimentary audio copy to read and review.

I honestly love this whole collection because it's such a fun and spicy novella to give ya the feels but also the spice. This had me swooning and just enjoying have a simple holiday read. Can't wait to finish the rest in this collection.

I've been disappointed with other Audible Original stories, but this one was cute and fun and everything wrapped up nicely. I'm excited to read the other stores in the collection.

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance publishing for an ARC of All By My Elf!

This was a cute, spicy, and funny read!

However, for a Christmas short I was expecting more holiday cheer, and there was a weird amount of consent for such a short book. Yes, consent is necessary, but does not need to be brought up 7 or 8 times in a single scene.

This was a super cute holiday stuck in the snow romance. Funny and fast paced, there was so much happens in such a short time. Definitely a great one to kick off the holiday season!

Honestly, not for me. It's a spicy novella but there wasn't enough to get me invested in the characters or plot. Maybe in an anthology with more connection but as a standalone it wasn't worth it for me. Fine, but not great

Cute romance! Despite its short length, the story was complete with character development, longing, humor, and spice. The beginning was a little confusing but once I got into it, I adored the main characters and the setting, particularly the hot dog truck.

All by My Elf is part of the Under the Mistletoe Collection. This story has everything I want in a cute novella — holiday fun and nerdy characters with solid banter. There was a fun game of ‘never have I ever’ while located inside a take on the wiener mobile which brought all the secrets out. I’m impressed with how much Dade packed into this story and how many times I laughed out loud while reading it. The one drawback I have is that it felt like we were dropped into the middle of the story at the beginning which may be a byproduct of being a novella. I read this via audiobook and the narration by Andy Arndt definitely added to my cackling while reading. Arndt was a great choice for the role, and it really showed in the narration. I’d definitely recommend reading this.

All by my Elf by Olivia Dade

This was my first Olivia Dade read and I’m so sad to say this one was unfortunately my least favorite of all of the books in this collection. It’s hard to pinpoint, but I couldn’t find myself being invested in the romance or characters, and the story felt like it lagged a lot at the beginning with minimal humor and I kept wanting for the story to grip me. I guess the characters felt a little cookie cutter for me without having their own unique voice. For how short it was I think maybe the pacing just wasn’t to my liking. I didn’t really feel the odds and again that attributed to me not being very invested. It wasn’t bad, however it just wasn’t gripping for me. Maybe I’ve read too many holiday romances so it felt like it didn’t stand on its own. However for someone looking for a low stakes, easy reading, sweet palate cleansing holiday romance this would be a great pick!

The audio and narration was however great and fit the voice of our FMC and MMC. The narrator brought a lot of emotional tone and timing that really kept the book afloat for me.

Thank you Olivia Dade, Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for this ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts

All by My Elf is a cute pinning for your coworker romance. Caught in a snowstorm in a mince mobile (think like an Oscar Meyer weinermobile) Nina and William must cuddle for warmth. Once hand of Never Have I Ever leads to secret desires voiced and the chemistry ignites. Read for a cute story and wonderfully fun puns. Everything is made better by being narrated by Andi Arndt.

Thank you Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for my ALC in exchange for an honest review.

All by My Elf follows Nina and William who, while working a side job over Christmas, get stuck in a snowstorm overnight.

This short story is cute and wholesome as we follow the two opening up to each other while playing a game of Never Have I Ever. It's the perfect quick read/listen to while snuggled up and it will make you smile.

Thank you to Brilliance Publishing and Netgalley for this audio ARC. I'm looking forward to listening to the other stories in this collection!

Super cute holiday novella. Love the snowy setting in this story making it the snowed in trope. It also brought out a few other favorite tropes like: forced proximity, love at first sight, and coworkers-to-lovers. I loved the banter between Nina and William. He likes Nina but she thinks he likes her friend. Nina's friend is actually trying to get William with Nina. It's a bit of confusion but such a sweet story.

The audio narration was done by Andi Arndt. She always is such a great narrator. I loved the way she narrated the story.

This is a super quick holiday novella with great representation. Olivia Dade had some one-liners and puns in here that made me laugh too. I will admit though that I was definitely confused at the beginning as to what the situation was and the ending, although cute, left me with tons of questions. Overall, I think it’s perfect if you have an hour or so and need a fun audio to listen to.

Thank you so much to Amazon Publishing for my ALC 💜

2.75-3/5⭐️

📖 All By My Elf by Olivia Dade
⭐️: 3/5
🌶️: open door
🎧: Andi Arndt

Hmm I’m back and forth on my rating/review for this one.
I was really confused at first and had to read the first couple of pages a few times.

I love a long time crush/mutual pining story 🥹 I would have liked to feel it a little stronger though, I do know that’s hard in so few pages… I also struggle with that in 3rd person writing.

Nina & William are meant to be 37/35 but they felt younger to me.

I was rooting for them to confess their feelings, and being snowed in in a phallic-shaped vehicle was pretty unique 🙃

🤫 secret crushes/mutual pining
💫 curvy/plus size fmc
💼 coworkers/adjunct university professors
❄️ snowed in (in a phallic shaped vehicle)
💗 single 3rd person pov

Thank you to Amazon original stories, Brilliance Audio + NetGalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This was so cute! I absolutely loved watching two coworkers get snowed in together and be forced to face their mutual pining. It was absolutely adorable and the narrator really brought out the silliness of the predicament of the situation they were in. It can be tricky to pace a short story but since these two were already close there was just enough room for some satisfying romantic admissions and some sexy times. I had a great time with this story and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the stories in the collection as well.

Thank you Brilliance Publishing, Netgalley, and Olivia Dade for my gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.
I've been compiling lists of Holiday reads for the year and was intrigued by the idea of several short Holiday stories written by authors I've read before and others that are new to me. Olivia Dade is a new to me author.

Three adjunct professors desperate for extra cash, accept a holiday job driving a large weenie truck around during the holidays to roll out a new food product. Nina and William take the truck to prepare for a holiday parade the truck is required to be in the next day and end up stuck in a blizzard on the road where they play "Never Have I ever" and confess their feelings for one another.

The characters were likable. William is an introvert and Nina is a confident curvy woman. It's a spicy holiday short story that doesn't have a lot of substance to it. It was ok is the best way I can describe it.

The audiobook is 1.5 hours on a normal speed and the narrator did a great job!

Romance Content: One open-door scene and explicit language

I READ THIS SO FAST!!! I NEED ALL THE OTHER NOVELLAS! All by My Elf is an absolutely delightful Christmas novella that brings together all the best romantic tropes: forced proximity, love at first sight, and coworkers-to-lovers. Olivia Dade infuses the story with plenty of humor, making it a truly charming holiday read. The chemistry between the characters is undeniable, with just the right amount of spice to heat up the festive season. If you’re looking for a funny and heartwarming holiday romance, this novella is a must-read. I can't wait to dive into the rest of the collection!

There is something that just hits different about a man who pines, amiright? William has been pining over Nina for the whole semester, and while she is pining over him too, neither have had the guts to do anything about it. That is, until one night, in a snowstorm, they are stuck together and everything comes out. I thought this was adorable and the perfect holiday treat.
Thanks to Brilliance, Olivia Dade and Netgalley for an ALC.

William and Nina are coworkers in multiple areas, and Nina thinks William likes her friend. In reality, Nina’s friend is helping him figure out how to tell Nina he has a thing for her. They share a heated game of Never Have I Ever and end up sharing more than just the blanket they’re using to keep warm. This novella is sweet and warm and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!! I loved the tension of Nina thinking William was interested in her friend and realizing he’s actually crushing on her. It came together is a really sweet and tender ending, that was actually a beginning.

Olivia Dade is my go to for plus size romance, and this novella is no different. I only like miscommunication when it ends in steamy sex in the back of a wiener mobile.