Dear Julianna Keyes,

I saw this on NetGalley and thought it was out on 1 December 2024. It was actually released last December as it happens so DA readers can enjoy it straight away.

I have enjoyed Julianna Keyes books before and felt like a Christmas novella would be a bit of fun. And it was.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas is a Hallmark movie in a novella. It would actually make a fun romcom. It’s not very deep or very long but it’s fun and funny and it was a very entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.

Will Fowler and Eve Sherwood both write for the Live Laugh Travel blog. There is a senior writer role up for grabs and both are hoping to win the job. Their boss sends them on a weeklong trip to Noelville, a Christmas-themed town in the week before/of Christmas to write an article. The “winner” will get the senior writer job. Neither of them are all that into Christmas so this assignment is going to stretch both of them.

There are plenty of overt nods to Hallmark movies and romcoms. It’s loving and friendly but also self-aware. Will and Eve know how the story is supposed to go and talk openly about it.

Noelville is a town which hosts only 100 guests at a time (which seems unrealistic but, okay) and Christmas week is the most coveted time of year to attend. There are all manner of festive-themed events and activities. In Noelville it’s all Christmas all the time.

Neither Will or Eve have much of what you’d call Christmas spirit and neither of them are feeling particularly inspired to write the article which could take their respective careers to the next level. They’re not inspired – yet. But they are fiercely determined. First though, they have to survive being surrounded by everyone else in the town (other guests and staff, aka “elves”) who are all completely into Christmas.

As it happens, both bump into people they went to high school with – Harry, who runs the Fig & Holly gift shop as well as being the town handyman and Shawna who runs An Apple A Day and makes excellent cider. Harry is sweet but Eve is not really into him and Will finds himself watching Eve while he spends a little time with Shawna.

Eve and Will bond over their shared not-love of the festive season. It’s almost a self-defence mechanism after listening to Harry wax poetic about the history of nutcrackers. I enjoyed Eve and Will’s banter so much. It’s what made the novella. It really would translate well into a movie script.

“So, of all the cider joints in all the world, you just happened to walk into Shawna’s? Did you know she was here?”

Will put his hand on his heart. “No idea. Just a happy coincidence.”

“Did you ever date?”

“Nah. She was prom queen. I was yearbook editor. And head writer. And principal photographer.”

“And the actual yearbook itself.”

“Just that one time for Halloween. Kids can be cruel, Eve. Don’t dress up as a leatherbound tome for any holiday unless you’re prepared to be called Leather Daddy for the rest of high school.”

Eve and Will have both different experiences of Christmas. Eve’s parents were both in the Navy and so they moved around a lot, never really bothering to put up decorations or celebrate the season. Will’s parents participated in the whole extravaganza but it was more about how it looked to everyone rather than as a result of any true feeling.

“What’s the best gift you’ve ever gotten, then?”

He was quiet. “If we define ‘best’ by what you see on TV or the ‘most popular gifts for boys under 12’ lists or what the neighbors envied most, probably the horse I got for my eleventh birthday.”

“You had a horse?”

He nodded. “Apparently. It lived at a stable three hours away and I never got to see it. Or ride it. I never even took riding lessons. I didn’t know anyone who did. My parents just wanted to say they owned a horse, I guess.”

“Wow. Did that sleigh ride bring up some dark memories?”

“You know, now that I’m thinking about it, I’m not sure we owned a horse. Maybe they just said they bought one.”

“I can’t decide if that’s evil or genius.”

He smiled as he picked up a small carved mouse holding out a shiny gold coin to a magpie and studied its craftsmanship.

“Your turn,” he said. “Your best gift.”

Eve thought. “Well, one year my electric toothbrush died, so I got a replacement.”

“Stop trying to be better than my horse, Eve.”

“And it came with two extra heads, and—”

“Don’t say it.”

“—a travel case.”

“Must you make everything a competition?”


But as Eve and Will spend time in Noelville, visiting the Nutcracker Museum, (competitively) decorating sugar cookies, having sleigh rides, going sledding and snowshoeing, something about the season and the town gets to them after all.

I really like Christmas but I can’t imagine wanting to spend a lot of time in a Nutcracker museum – although I would happily visit Miss Maple’s Pie & Cake Shoppe – so I related to Eve and Will’s cynicism. I laughed at the pair’s (separate) various attempts to start their articles.

The scents of cinnamon and clove, vanilla and cardamom hang in the air like Christmas lights on a string. The inside of An Apple A Day lives up to its name, with tall barrels brimming with apples lining the wall, and a small bar inviting guests to settle in and get warm and cozy while shop owner Shawna prepares them a special treat. Her secret ingredient? Love.

Eve sighed and deleted the last line.

Her secret ingredient? Christmas.

Delete.

Her secret ingredient? Magic.

Delete.

Her secret ingredient? Apples. It’s obviously the apples. How much can you freaking say about cider?

(Eve)

Noelville is snowy. The town square is busy. The shops sell soap. The cookies taste good. There are many trees.

(Will)

I chuckled quite a bit reading It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas. And if the ending was a bit cheesy and schmaltzy well, isn’t that exactly what a Hallmark movie is supposed to be?

Grade: B

Regards,
Kaetrin

I think I am officially in my ‘holiday romance era’ and I am here for it!

If you are looking for something quick, cute and cozy, this is the book for you. Just like the synopsis said, it makes you feel as though this is just like a Hallmark movie, but with a little bit of snark included. This book has a romance element to it, but it’s a clean romance - which is a change from my normal dark romances. I think it was just the change I needed. It was very refreshing.

I really wish that Noelville really existed, I would be moving there in a heartbeat with no questions asked.

Thank you to NetGalley, Julianna Keyes and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for allowing me the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication.

I really liked the atomsphere and the plotline of the book! However, it did feel a little falt for me and I felt like I didn'y connect with the characters a lot. But, i still enjoyed reading it!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you're looking for a cozy, quick read that will put you right in the holiday spirit, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas is the perfect choice. This delightful novella delivers everything you'd expect from a holiday rom-com—cheer, snark, and a touch of magic.

The story follows Eve and Will, two travel writers sent to the Christmas wonderland of Noelville, where they are tasked with covering the holiday festivities. There's just one problem—they can't stand each other. As rivals competing for the same promotion, they're forced to work together, and the sparks that fly between them are pure holiday magic.

This book checks all the boxes for a sweet, enemies-to-lovers romance. The banter between the two leads is hilarious, and the slow burn romance is a lot of fun. While the pacing can feel a little rushed at times, particularly in the romance, the charm of the setting and the characters' growing chemistry makes it easy to overlook. Plus, if you're a fan of Hallmark movies, this one’s basically a book version with a little more sass.

What truly makes this book special is the town of Noelville itself. It's an utterly charming Christmas village that feels like a dream come true. The descriptions of the snowy streets, festive decorations, and delightful holiday traditions transported me straight into a winter wonderland. I also loved the frequent references to delicious holiday treats, which had me craving cookies and hot cocoa.

Overall, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas is a heartwarming read that will fill you with holiday cheer. Whether you're looking for a light, quick escape or just need something to jumpstart your festive mood, this novella is an easy win. Highly recommend for fans of cozy Christmas romances and anyone who loves a good enemies-to-lovers story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I. Was not. Expecting. This. At. All.

Let me introduce myself. I am on the furthest end of the spectrum away from "cynical" and is very excited about Christmas. For some reasons, even while trying to life my spirits up so that I'd be festive, I really wasn't feeling it this year. Who knew all I wanted for Christmas is this book? (Far fetched pun intended)

So, a little about this book. This book is literally what you would expect a sweet Christmas romcom to be. Two cynics, magic of Christmas, a bit of forced proximity, you've got it. I think a lot of the success of romance books relies not on the originality of the story, but it's delivery. The dialogues should be swoony but not too cheesy. The banter should be funny but not "try hard

Guess what? That's exactly what the book delivered. Throughout the whole book, I felt warm, fuzzy and excited and found myself chuckling here and there like Santa himself. This novella, while just being over a 100 pages, completely won me over and I'm so happy for this unexpected fun.

One more thing. This made me very. Hungry. The constant mentions of all those baked goods literally made my mouth water. Guess who's baking in the weekends?

Overall I enjoyed this greatly and recommend it to anyone looking for a quick Christmas read!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy for an honest review.

This a really cute short read to get in the holiday spirit. As the synopsis says it does feel like a Hallmark movie with snark. This is a clean romance which is a change from my normal reads but I really enjoyed it.

This novella is a perfect Christmas read. It hits the spot if you enjoy work rivals to lovers and Hallmark Christmas movie vibes. The setting of a remote and exclusive tourist town that celebrates Christmas year round makes for a unique twist for adding all the holiday atmosphere. I loved it.

Follows Eve and Will who have both been sent to Noelville, a wintery Christmasy wonderland. They are coworkers who are competing for the same promotion, and who ever writes the best story will be give the job. The only thing is they can’t stand each other at all!

I kind wished we got to experience them when they finally got together more. In the end with the sexual comments just felt weird and out of no where. Almost too hallmarky for me but enjoyed it overall. Cute CLEAN Cozy Christmas vibes that in the end didn’t do much for me, was a little bit bored for most of it.

*Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**

The book equivalent of a Hallmark movie. Cute and enjoyable. Perfect if you are looking for a quick read to get you into the holiday feeling.

2.5 ⭐️
This book felt like watching a Hallmark movie (which is not a bad thing) and even though the characters kept poking fun at the typical holiday romance clichés, it felt exactly like that. Still not sure how I feel about it.
Eve and Will are supposed to be these rivals who can’t stand each other, forced to cover a story on Noelville. But honestly? Their "romnce" felt super rushed, and I didn’t feel their chemistry at all.
I really hoped this would snap me out of my reading slump since it’s short, but unfortunately it didn’t help. The pacing dragged in some parts, and I found it more boring than entertaining. Overall, it was a cute, quick read, but it just didn’t do much for me.

This is my favorite holiday read of the season! The characters were written phenomenally... And that ending... 🤌🏽. The only thing I disliked about this book is that it wasn't longer.

Plot:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice:🫑
Humor: 😄😄

This was such a cute and short read! I usually veer away from the Christmas romances because they can be quite cliche and it was a bit, but it was a super easy read and has made me realised how much I love Christmas romance 🤣 the characters were cute, the plot was nice and simple, easy to follow, and the setting in this one inside a Christmas themed village was super adorable.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this short story!

This was a lush Christmas read. Eve and Will are rival travel bloggers working for the same company, sent to Noelville to write about the village that is Christmas personified all year. They are very self aware that this plot is straight out for a holiday movie and don't shy away from all the tropes you'd expect from one
Really cute, easy to read, thoroughly enjoyed it!

Such a cute and quick read to get you in the holiday spirit! As advertised, this book felt like reading a Hallmark Christmas movie - and I really enjoyed it!

If there is a place like Noelville, I’d love to visit! What a fun idea for a whole town. The characters were snarky and relatable; I really liked the banter throughout the whole book. It was a nice slow burn with no spice, but definitely some enemies to lovers/forced proximity situations that kept things interesting.

The ending had a good little twist I didn’t see coming. It was a great book to start off my holiday season!

Thanks for NetGalley for this short novella.❤️🎄A magical Christmas novella giving Hallmark movies vibes. Two writers that gives grumpy Grinchy vibes/ sunshine vibes. Eve hates Christmas time and Will is polar opposite and loves it.

📚ARC Review 📚

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Eve works for Live, Laugh Travel as a writer and when a promotion is up for grabs, she’s going for it. When her boss gets tickets to Noelville, a small Christmas town, she thinks this will be the perfect opportunity to show her what she’s worth. However, when she gets to her seat on the train, she sees her work place nemesis, Will, there. After learning that their boss set this up, they are both out to write the best article ever. This will be a challenge since neither one of them likes the holiday. While there, Christmas isn’t the only thing they fall in love with.

This was such a cute novella. I enjoyed the town of Noelville and how the setting was described, sounds like a perfect Christmas town. I also liked the enemies to lovers trope and their banter. It is definitely “Hallmark with Snark" as described.

This book will publish on December 1, 2023. This will be a perfect short book to get you into the Christmas spirit. Be sure to add to your TBR list! Thank you to NetGalley and Victoria Editing NetGalley Co-op for my advanced readers copy. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for making this book available!

This a really cute and festive short read.
I enjoyed the Noelville, such a perfect Christmas village.
I love enemies to lovers trope and enjoyed all the banter, but I felt like the romance part was a little rushed.

The tagline for this book is "Hallmark with Snark" and it is the most accurate description - giving you all the fluff and happily ever after with a smidge of sass.

Rivals/enemies to lovers is my favorite trope and this Christmas novella was executed perfectly. The town of Noelville is such a silly concept but kept me thoroughly entertained and laughing. Also, the banter was bantering.

3.5 ☆
This is like reading a Hallmark movie. A great feel good romance to get into the holiday spirit. It is a novella so the transition from rivals to lovers feels a little rushed at parts. Overall it's still a solid romance

I give It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas a solid 3 stars. This is a light, quick read with the familiar enemies-to-lovers trope, set against a holiday backdrop. The premise is fun: two characters who both despise Christmas are sent by their boss to write about the Christmas festivities in the town of Neolville. As they are forced to spend time together, sparks fly, and their growing attraction adds a nice layer to the plot.

While the enemies-to-lovers dynamic can be charming, I found the chemistry between the leads a bit rushed, and the pacing felt a little uneven at times. The holiday setting provided a cozy atmosphere, but I would have liked to see more development in both the characters’ backstories and their evolution from enemies to lovers.

Overall, this is a pleasant enough read for those who enjoy lighthearted romantic comedies with a festive twist, but it doesn't quite go beyond the basics. It's a good choice for a quick, holiday-themed escape, but not necessarily a standout in the genre.