What a disappointment. This book started out really strong- There was fun banter, a man dressed in a penguin suit trying to rescue a kitten, lots of snacks and two scrooges bonding over a hatred of christmas....This lasts for only a few chapters and then a whole lot of nothing at all happens. Nothing.

I'm always on the hunt for a Christmas book that's, oh I don't know, actually christmas-y? This one was yet another let down on that front, and in general really. The Christmas bit only lasts a few chapters in the beginning and then the story painfully slowly moves on to reveal that literally all the men in this book are cheaters? There was no chemistry between Felicity and either of the men, and honestly they both threw up about a million red flags. And her friend wasn't much better.

This book was so slow, like molasses slow. I'm surprised I even finished it. This was just very much not for me.

3.75 stars

Getting into the holiday spirit by reading about someone who hates Christmas 😂 Felicity’s not a complete curmudgeon. She’s spending Christmas working at the animal shelter when a guy in a penguin suit shows up with a stranded kitten in dire need of help. She and Penguin Man aka James also set out into the cold, inclement weather to find and rescue the mom.

What an odd and perfect meet cute! And then it veers into complicated territory featuring exes turning up unexpectedly, trauma from childhood, friendship troubles … Not the super cozy holiday read I was expecting. Instead it’s a touching story about Felicity facing her past from which stem her trust issues, and gaining her self-confidence.

Highlights:
🐧 Holiday romance , bizarre meet cute
🐧 Cute animals
🐧 Die Hard
🐧 Mild spice, closed door

Be aware of: cheating, secrets revealed, relationship drama, trust issues

I did wish Felicity wasn’t such a doormat sometimes. I didn’t like seeing people take advantage of her genuine kindness. Thank goodness for James whose patience and understanding are comforting though he also has his own relationship drama. That’s something they’ve to muddle through. The narration was a bit hit or miss for me. I think she captured Felicity’s gentle nature perfectly. I just wasn’t into the delivery at times. I still liked this sweet holiday romance, and it’s equally sweet HEA.

Thanks @dreamscapemedia & @netgalley for my ALC in exchange for an honest review. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 is out now!

I would round up to a 3.5 if I could. A super lovable holiday/anti holiday rom com. It was an easy listen and definitely met the ask to get me in the Christmas season.

I feel Felicity in my soul. rather spend Christmas with animals then people
When the man in a penguin suit shows up with a sick cat could it be that everything is going to change for her?
I love a good Christmas hallmark audiobook around this time of year, there were a couple of unexpected things that i really enjoyed but such a fantastic winter cozy read!

Felicity works at an animal rescue center and hates Christmas. When a handsome stranger in a penguin costume shows up one night with a stray kitten in his arms, sparks fly between two Christmas scrooges. Bonding over their mutual love of animals and disliking Christmas, a will they- won’t they romance ensues.

I feel I may not have been the target audience for this one. Unfortunately it was too slow paced for me, and I feel like the ex showing up , overstayed his welcome and thus over powered the romance plot between Felicity and James that I was looking forward to experiencing. I was expecting a warm holiday read with a third act breakup, but it felt more like reading healing past trauma to me. While I too love animals and the holiday vibes had a good set up for romance, overall the story felt too long and heavy in emotional processing for me. The writing itself was very well done, and the plot was there with an engaging ending, but if this had been a shorter read, with less of the exes presence, I would have enjoyed it more.

The Night Before Christmas is a charming debut that captures a festive spirit with a grinchy twist. Felicity’s disdain for Christmas is rooted in family issues, and her world takes a turn when she meets a fellow holiday skeptic while rescuing cats. Both characters come with unresolved pasts that complicate what could be a budding romance. The book offers all the holiday romance vibes, with some truly sweet animal rescue moments and solid character growth from Felicity. The narrator enhances the story beautifully, adding just the right cadence and tone.

While the chemistry between the leads adds a nice tension, the “will they or won’t they” element lingers a bit longer than necessary, and some supporting characters, especially Bex, are difficult to warm up to at first. That said, this holiday romance is heartfelt, with moments of humor and healing, making it an enjoyable seasonal read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The Night Before Christmas
by Nicola Knight
narrated by Hannah Curtis

<s>Three</s> TWO ***WTF did I just listen to*** Stars

First of all if cheating is a turn off or trigger just put this back and find something else. If backstabbing best friends is a turn off or trigger just put this back and find something else. If utter stupidity is a turn off...again just put this back and find something else.

Felicity hates Christmas because her dad took off in the middle of dinner. Turns out he was a cheat but guess what, so was her mom. So then she finds a text on her boyfriend's phone and accuses him of cheating and they break up. He swears he didn't cheat but damage is done and they don't get back together. Now she spends her life thinking she is overreacting and predisposed to be a terrible partner. Finally she meets someone new but he's kinda sketchy too and her ex shows up with a ring on NYE and the new guy sees and gets scared off. A bunch of nonsense happens where she finds out about her mom and dad and also remembers some repressed things. Now she's back and she wants the new guy but guess what? Turns out he wasn't exactly available when they kissed the first time. All that isn't bad enough because her best friend hooked up with her ex right after they broke up the first time...and later confesses that she hooked up with him lots since then and now they're engaged. THEN it doesn't stop because she gets with new guy and then HIS ex shows up, after walking out on him years before which is the reason HE hates Christmas. She acts like a twat to Felicity, who responds catty and then HE gets mad at HER because she's "normally so nice". ALL of these people can F**K ALL THE WAY OFF.

Seriously, it's all a lot of W. T. F. during this book and I didn't actually like it. The end was okay, I guess you'd call it a HEA.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this story.

#TheNightBeforeChristmas #NicolaKnight
#HannahCurtisNarrator #NetGalley
#DreamscapeMedia #Cheating #ALCReview
#ChristmasStoryIGuess #NoSmut

The cover is absolutely adorable. I had high hopes in the beginning, but it just wasn't what I was expecting for a holiday read. I wanted something less heavy and this touches on some very heavy things, it just didn't feel right to me for a holiday read. I wanted some cheer. I wanted more Christmas fun!

What a cute holiday read. If you're looking for a reading romantic escape for the holidays - this is it. It's not spicy, but it's super sweet and heart warming. When a man dressed in a penguin suit shows up with a bedraggled ball of fur on Christmas Eve to the shelter Felicity works at - she first suspects he's a murder luring her to her demise until false pretenses. However! It turns out that penguin man braved an icy ditch to rescue the little ball of kitten. After securing the kitten, they both bravely set about to find its mother and maybe more kittens in stormy conditions. Once the mother is located and trapped, they settle into the shelter to eat snacks and watch Die Hard while obsessively checking on the rescued duo. If that wasn't a meet cute - I don't know what is! The story gets all twisty and turny from there with some super cringy exs popping up and some super twisty characters, but in the end.... the cats are safe and that's all the matters. Will Penguin Man and Crazy Cat Lady get their happily ever Christmas? Read on to find out!

What I loved most: the insecurity of the main character - I found her relatable in most aspects, a new medical fact I didn't know existed - people can literally die because of a broken heart (it's super rare though!, and the animal rescue. There are days I miss working at the animal shelter and all the animal cuddles that Felicity sneaks in all the time is the part I miss most!

The Night Before Christmas by Nicola Knight and narrated by Hanna Curtis is a great debut romance. Felicity is expecting to spend Christmas night alone when a man dressed as a penguin knocks on the door and has a bedraggled kitten in his hands. This is how she meets Ryan who spends Christmas Eve with her where she works at the animal rescue. They spend the night eating snacks and discussing their dislike for the Christmas season. Further on we realize it’s really boxing day they dislike for different reasons. When he arrives again the next day felicity is an unhappy about it at all but then her ex also shows up with the ring and full of remorse. But this is just the beginning of his take me back campaign and he isn’t the only one from the past that’s going to rear their ugly head. The more “non-dates“ they go on the more Felicity likes him and when he starts volunteering that just gives them more time to spend together at least infelicities mine. She tries to talk to her friends and her boss, who I absolutely love by the way but the advice they give about what she should do is mixed she even seeks therapy but in the end it will be up to Felicity to choose which man she wants to be with. I really enjoyed this book I do think the time spent on all the unnecessary could’ve been left out and made the book shorter like everything with her ex… Well not everything but a lot of it I thought Felicity seemed like such a nice person although a bit awkward but I found that just made the story that much better. I thought Hannah Curtis had great narration and a lovely voice that I could listen to probably read anything and it all made for an awesome listening experience. #NetGalley, #DreamscapeMedia,#NicolaKnight, #HannahCurtis, #theNightBeforeChristmas,

Was a very cute book. Not quite what I was expecting for a holiday romance there is some heavy topics being highlighted in the book but was a cute read.

This book started off well. I loved the Grinchy attitude towards Christmas. Then the meet cute between Felicity and James at the animal shelter, getting to hear about the animals' personalities, and saving the cats on Christmas Eve was pretty much perfect.
But then everything went downhill.
Enter nonstop ex drama along with childhood trauma. The entire rest of the book was just unnecessarily riddled with angst and drama and nonsense encounters with exes. I honestly didn't know who Felicity would end up with because it felt like Adam got more page time than James whether in person or in her thoughts. And she constantly talked about her connection with both men, even though I felt no chemistry between her and either of them. Her relationship with James was lacking all the way around. Also, why did everyone in the book have to cheat? It was just a lot.
The cover is the best thing about this book.
Would not recommend as a Christmas book.
2.5/5 stars rounded up.

Felicity Brooks works at an animal rescue caring for cats and dogs. She lovingly provides kindness and care to them each year over he holidays because she despises Christmas and everything about it. As she is doing her rounds on Christmas Eve, she is interrupted by a man dressed as a penguin with a tiny kitten. They work together to find the kitten’s mother and nurse them both back to health.
Felicity and James (the penguin) find themselves attracted to each other, but it is complicated by her ex-boyfriend returning and expressing his love. Who will she choose in this sweet Christmas themed book? You will find your heart thawing along with Felicity’s and James’s. The Christmas spirit abounds in this book excellently narrated by Hannah Curtis.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

**The Night Before Christmas**
by Nicola Knight
Narrated by Hannah Curtis

In the charming holiday tale *The Night Before Christmas*, we follow the unexpected romance between Felicity Brooks and James McClaine. Their quirky first meeting occurs at the animal rescue centre where Felicity works. On Christmas Eve, James shows up dressed as a penguin, bringing with him a sickly baby kitten in need of care. This amusing and unconventional introduction immediately sparks a connection between them, as they bond over their shared disdain for the holiday season—except when it comes to watching *Die Hard*, which both of them secretly adore.

The next day, James makes a point to return to the rescue centre, eager to check on the kitten and, more importantly, on Felicity. His frequent visits soon become a delightful routine, and their chemistry blossoms into something special. Despite their growing affection for each other, challenges loom on the horizon. Like any compelling story of romance, their journey isn’t without obstacles. Both Felicity and James are carrying their own emotional baggage, which complicates their relationship. Nonetheless, they exhibit admirable resilience, always striving to support one another through thick and thin.

Just as their relationship begins to flourish, Felicity's past comes rushing back in the form of her ex-boyfriend, Adam. He unexpectedly reenters her life during the festive New Year’s celebrations, stirring up mixed emotions for Felicity. Now, she finds herself at a crossroads—torn between her deepening feelings for James and the unresolved issues that linger with Adam.

As Felicity navigates this emotional turmoil, readers are treated to a heartwarming narrative filled with humour, warmth, and animal rescue charm. If you find joy in stories about love, second chances, and furry companions, this audiobook is sure to resonate with you. With its delightful blend of festive spirit and lightheartedness, *The Night Before Christmas* is a captivating debut novel that is both well-written and thoughtfully crafted, guaranteed to leave you feeling uplifted and smiling as you turn the last page.

Based on the cover, I expected to read a cozy holiday rom-com. Instead, I feel like this book focused on Felicity, the FMC, facing past trauma in various relationships throughout her life. Is there romance? Yes, but it is spread out through the novel and, for that reason, felt more realistic than the typical insta-love stories.

I enjoyed the story and the narrator, despite being less romantic than I was expecting. Because of the “realness” vibe I got, I’m giving it 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy of the audiobook.

I loved how the book opened up with the Penguin guy and then included Penguins toward the end. So fun! I enjoyed the aspect of 2 men and not knowing which she would choose. Overall, I thought the book was a fun read and that the narration was awesome. Thanks to the author and publisher for the ARC of this audio!

What a wonderfully well-written and narrated book. This is the story of James and Felicity, two individuals who disdain Christmas. It begins on a freezing Christmas Eve and continues to evolve, with the story ending on another Christmas Eve. It is incredibly well crafted, taking us on a journey through the past where truths are uncovered that slowly reshape the present and future. The relationship's development is well constructed and natural. The peripheral characters add so much and are well developed as well.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1CU00WZMR2IDH/ref=pe_123899240_1043597390_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6988474541
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2773024051?source=link_share

The book was beautifully written. The author made careful word choices that were very impactful. Overall, the book was well written and I did really enjoy it.

The plot is even thinner than most holiday books and the narration is absolutely awful. I do not recommend.

I wanted a fun Christmas romantic story and unfortunately was bored while reading this. A slow burn romance that could not hold my interest. Felicity, who has trust issues and hates Christmas, runs into a guy in a penguin suit at the animal shelter on Christmas Eve. The whole story I was thinking, are they going to get together or not? It happens way too late. I was not wooed by the MMC. After the meet cute, it was all downhill. The story didn’t seem to go anywhere, and I never fully connected with any of the characters. There was no spark between the two MCs and no connection there.