This is a feel good lesbian book with a Christmas theme. Annika is from Germany and has an opportunity to work in the US. Evangeline meets Annika when Annika moves in next door. Annika is missing her parents and Christmas is quickly approaching and she misses the German traditions. Evangeline is not close with her family and does not like to celebrate Christmas. Annika and Evangeline start spending time with each other and realize there is something other than friendship happening. They also realize that the other may help them get through this holiday season with more than bargained for.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mashing Christmas traditions to create a whole new version of the holiday, it’s as cute as it sounds! Take a lonely heiress with family issues, throw in a charming German expat and add some delectable spice. Stir to combine well and you have yourself a Merry Weihnachten!

I received an advance copy from Netgalley for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Evie, Evangeline, Phillips is a renowned graphic novelist. She is also the heir of a famous, multi billion dollar Boston high society family. Her mom never accepted her being gay. Since her sister Heather died, Evie excluded herself from the traditional family life. She is close to her niece and brother in law, but except some business dealings Evie does not communicate with her parents. Her life is led mostly within the confines of her luxury Boston appartement, creating her art and new stories. All totally fine by her. Until one day the gorgeous new neighbor lady catches her eye.

Annika Mayer left her hometown Munich, Germany for Boston right before the holidays. A year working at her company’s American office might be just what she needs, even though that also means she will be spending Christmas alone for the first time in her life. Annika’s mom tries to convince her she needs to celebrate a traditional German Merry Christmas, a Frohe Weihnachten. Something that Annika feels can only exacerbate her homesickness. But what if she can convince her very charming new neighbor Evie-Evangeline to help her celebrate. They can mash their traditions into a Merry Weihnachten! And Annika spending a lot more time with Evie can only be a bonus, right?

It took me a while to really get into the story despite the characteristic Noyes humor, but once I was invested the story flowed easily.

It is what you expect of a holiday romance. It’s sweet and regales about all the homey holiday traditions that make you feel warm and fuzzy. The (for me) unfamiliar German traditions put an extra layer of fun into the story.

Evie’s emotional issues regarding her family create some difficulties between the two because for Annika family is everything. There isn’t a lot of angst about how they’re dealing with it, it all feels very mature and loving even if there is a fight. Is it a highly romanticized version of life? Probably. Does it matter in a holiday romance? Nope.

I’m a fan of E.J. Noyes books and this one feels like a little fluffy side project. Especially after thrilling stories like the Halcyon books or the raw and epic Ask, Tell series. That being said, the ultimate question is: Is Merry Weihnachten a fun holiday read? Absolutely, yes.

Some of my favourite books ever were written by EJ Noyes. When I started this one I actually didn't expect much more than a well written romantic holiday comedy. The book pleasantly surprised me. The story was way more interesting and deeper than I ever expected. I loved the characters, especially Evie. Well written, charming and just what I needed over Christmas break. I should have known that EJ will never disappoint and I'm sorry I doubted for even a second.

A lovely story from EJ. Noyes. While this wasn’t the usual fast paced action this author usually writes it made this book no less enjoyable. My life has been busy at the moment but I shall write a longer review and post it on my review socials. But know I loved this and we definitely be rereading.

A very heart warming romantic tale with great characters. I really enjoyed the blend of the American and German holiday traditions. It was fun learning about some of the German customs performed around Christmastime. The main characters were written very well, and the secondary characters were well developed to help move this Christmas tale along. I would definitely recommend this story to my friends and family, and I look forward to what's next from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Merry Weihnachten is a charming holiday romance that brings together American and German traditions in a way that feels fresh and unique. The cultural elements, like learning about German Christmas customs and the significance of the Christmas tree, were a standout feature and added a lot of heart to the story.

While the dual POV format was a good choice, I found the execution a bit lacking. Both Evangeline and Annika's voices felt too similar, with rambling inner monologues and identical tones that made it hard to distinguish between them at times. This lack of differentiation made the story feel a bit repetitive.

The romance itself didn’t quite land for me. The pacing felt off, with the relationship moving too quickly to feel believable, especially given the supposed tension of their time together being limited. While the book had a promising start and some witty internal dialogue, the middle dragged, and the overall plot felt thin. Despite this, I thought it was a very sweet holiday romance.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bella Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Another winner by Noyes. This combined the love and not love for the holidays, blended into a wonderful, funny romance.

Evie Phillips is a not a Christmas fan and never has been even before everything happened with her family. She focuses on her niece and her brother in law and that's all until a new neighbor moves in next door. It has her reconsidering the holiday and maybe finding love along with it.

Annika is in Boston for a year from Germany as part of the new program they are trying to get started with her company. She has sworn off relationships after her douche ex and intends to spend Christmas alone for the first time. She meets Evie her first day when she's moving in and sparks fly.

Chemistry was showed right away, but this is a slower burn, where they go from neighbors, to friends, to more. It has great backstories and the characters were well developed and the writing was phenomenal.

I would highly recommend this book even if it's after Christmas. You can't go wrong with a book by Noyes.

A heart warming romantic tale with great characters. I enjoyed the blend of the American and German holiday traditions. It was a joy learning some of the German customs.

Thank you Bella Books and NetGalley for this ARC copy.

This is a heartwarming and romantic tale that will captivate readers who adore festive holiday stories, LGBTQIA+ romance, and the joy of finding love in the most unexpected ways, making it a perfect fit for fans of feel-good, seasonal romance.

E.J. Noyes is an auto read for me so I was thrilled to read her new holiday romance. Annika Mayer is coming from Munich to Boston to work as a project manager for an international app developer. She meets her neighbor when she moves into her apartment in the Beacon Hill area. They are the only two on the floor and of course will run into each other often. Evangeline (Evie) Phillips is a a writer and illustrator for over twenty published graphic novels. She works from home which gives her flexibility with her schedule. She cares for her niece Chloe after her school hours till her father can pick her up. She’s been doing that for the last six years since her beloved sister died.

Evie welcomes Annika with snacks to her floor and kicks off the beginning of a friendship. For Annika, Evie agrees to celebrate Christmas combining German and American traditions. I love that they do it planning minimal budgets and with effort put into creative gifting. They are adorable as they hesitantly try and figure out if they want to try and be more than be neighbors.

The book gets more wonky with the conflicts in the story. Annika’s ex says she is afraid to be on her own so she is concerned that is a reason she is jumping into something new. Evie’s issues are more complex. She was rejected by her parents after coming out. But Annika has issues that she doesn’t value family as much as she does. I was flummoxed that Evie apologizes for not reaching out to parents who have never apologized or sought her out in over a decade, including after her sister died. This lost a star in my ratings. There was some repetitiveness as the issues were restated several times to each other and friends and family.

I liked the story and characters but I have high expectations for Noyes. I also missed the niece being more a part of the second half of the book. Maybe it just didn’t take turns I expected. I will of course look forward to the next book by the author. (3.5 Stars)

The story concept was interesting and written by this author was the pull. I can appreciate comments about the blending of holidays and the language. It was different and sometimes, that is a good thing ans sometimes, not so much. I too made up the German pronunciations in my head or if I was really interested, Googled. What kept me engaged was the interaction between Evie-Evangeline Phillips and Annika Mayer as they supported each other. I was also intrigued by the family dynamics which an take on many forms during the holiday season. This read also provided the opportunity to learn which in my opinion is a good thing.

Merry Weihnachten is the epitome of two worlds colliding, and with E.J. Noyes behind the reins it’s impossible not to get excited. I hate stumbling over words, so the first thing I did was Google Weihnachten, which made my entire reading experience fluid.  

Sparks fly when Annika and Evie meet in their apartment stairwell. Cute, and just a bit awkward, Evie is enthralled by the gorgeous, confident German who has moved in across the hall.

In Boston, for a year to oversee a project, Annika is excited for the opportunity yet devastated to be spending Christmas away from her family. After learning Evie doesn’t celebrate the holiday, Annika suggests creating their own take on the day, merging traditions, and making new memories.

This is how Merry Weihnachten is created, and over wine and dinners, choosing the perfect tree and gifts, Evie and Annika fall in love. Both take it slowly, realising a year will never be enough, but with some difficulties and honest communication, they make a decision to take a chance.

I’ve yet to dislike an E.J. Noyes book. Her writing ranges from soft and sweet to intense and deeply personal, and her spice levels are always ideal for the genre she has chosen. Merry Weihnachten is a slow burn romance, and she has kept it light, even with the slight introduction Evie’s troubled past with her parents. Don’t wait for next Christmas to check this one out. It will be enjoyable all year round.

Merry Weihnachten is a sweet and lovely holiday romance that somehow treads a fine line between slow-burn and insta-love. I really enjoyed the German and American holiday traditions, and the English-as-a-second-language humor was cute ("little wodkas"!) Annika’s grammar worsened when she was emotional, too, which was a surprisingly effective grace note—it helped some of the novel’s key scenes jump off the page.

One of the leads, Evie, was very wealthy, and the part of her arc that dealt with intergenerational wealth left me cold. It didn’t ruin things, but it didn’t add much either. I’m certainly not averse to reading about the problems of the very wealthy (one of world literature’s leading themes); the problem, for me, was that it wasn’t remotely decadent enough to be really delicious, and so somehow ended up a little depressing instead. That was the only real off note for me, though. I really enjoyed the romance, the chemistry between the leads, and how maturely they both handled the various minor challenges they faced. Things were kept just interesting enough to hold my interest; the only thing here that’s going to raise anyone’s heart rate are the suitably steamy-cozy sex scenes.

Most of the holiday romances I’ve read this season have involved some combination of angst, immaturity, and winter hijinks. And truly, I enjoy all those things. But Merry Weihnachten brings something else to the holiday table: a warm and comfortable escape into the lives of two mostly more-or-less ordinary women falling in love in Boston, celebrating the kinds of Christmas traditions any family might celebrate—baking cookies, decorating the tree, lighting candles, and that most American of holiday traditions, trying to show someone who truly wants for nothing material just how much you care about them by way of a 20 dollar gift.

I wanted nothing more than to love this book as I adore every E.J. Noyes book I’ve read. With that said, I was very disappointed (almost) from the start.

I couldn’t tell the two main characters apart. The writing “voice” was indistinguishable and generally unejoyable to try and keep up with.

The German traditions were a lovely addition but not enough to keep me engaged throughout the book or romance.

It’s a nice, feel-good love story around christmas time, but maybe a little bit dragged.

”Not only hot with a low, mellow voice, but also German. The accent wasn’t thick, but it was definitely there. And it was definitely sexy.“

I really wanted to love this book, because I love the author and I loved that there’s a german main character. I was really curious how accurate it would be and I have to say - well done! The things told about german christmas traditions were quite right. The author did some good research, even though I hated the german pet name “Schnucki”, I don’t think it’s a common pet name for mid thirty women.

This was also something I really loved about the book - the age of the MCs. Both women were in their thirties and this made me so happy! This is an age that’s often underrepresented.

”It made me fall just a little bit in love with her. Early, shallow love, just a fraction past attraction.“

Sadly I have to say, there isn’t much happening in the story, it’s all about the “Adventszeit”, they fall in love but it takes ages for them to act on it and that kinda annoyed me. There was no third act break up or something like this, it was just a very nice love story without much excitement.

A cute, heartfelt holiday story that blends American and German traditions. I enjoyed learning the German customs and found the Christmas tree part fascinating. The German words throughout were a cool touch in my opinion, and was thankful for Noyes’ translating them back to English. I liked both MCs, and although it wasn’t a rich-poor trope, that wealthy factor added another layer. Also, pretty low-angst which is ideal to me for a holiday romance.

PS- I saw what you did there with the Lee Winters nod and had a good chuckle.

'm really upset that I didn't like this book. I'm a big E. J. Noyes' fan and whenever I see one of her books coming up, it is automatically put higher on my TBR list, but this one didn't even feel like her usual writing for me.

She is SO GOOD with adding dramatic bits to her stories - Ask, Tell has to be one of ny favorite series of all time. And I understand this was supposed to be a light Christmas romance, but if felt very lacking to me.

Way too many pages for a drama that didn't really feel like it needed to be happening. Evie doesn't have a good relationship with her family because of her sexuality - I get that! But also she's like crazy rich and very successful, so I was not convinced she would have so many relationship issues...

And Annika... Honestly, I did not feel like that was something truly holding her back from living in the US at all.

And for the same reasons I felt like the slow burn was very forced - they both wanted it each other and the "don't want to be in a relationship" felt unconvincing to me and honestly ruined a little of their chemistry.

Finally, I'm someone who has English as a second language, and I felt like Annika was too stereotyped. I don't feel like anyway who is as fluent as she was would mix so many German words in between sentences. Even all the "Ya" and "Halo" felt too forced and unnatural to me.

And I know for a fact Noyes can write uncomplicated romance as I loved "If the shoe fits", so I'm not sure what happened with this one.

She still very high on my favorite author's list and I'll be looking forward for her next book.

Thank you NetGalley and Bella Books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest review

Annika is amused when she runs into Evie while moving in to her new suite. She has moved to Boston from Germany, sadly away from friends and family. And thankfully away from her ex.
Evie, a graphic artist, is almost instantly taken with Annika, and makes a bit of a fool of herself. Thankfully that just amused the other woman.
I like Evie's niece, Chloe. She's funny. And is picking up Evie's swearing. Oops.
Because they will both be somewhat alone over the holidays, Annika suggests they spend them together, carrying out both their families Christmas traditions.
After a lot of hinting Annika just tells Evie she likes her. Evie is very hesitant, for various reasons.
Drunk Annika is hilarious.
When Evie's Dad has a heart attack, Annika is angry that she's not reacting. Annika, I think your heart is in the right place, but Evie's situation isn't yours to judge.
Evie mends bridges a bit with her family, and Annika tells hers that she's staying in Boston.

E.J. Noyes is one of the few authors whose books are an auto read for me. She never fails to write engaging stories with wonderful characters. This book is no exception. It was a wonderful holiday read.
Annika takes a yearlong work transfer from Munich, Germany to Boston, after a breakup. She has instant chemistry with her new neighbor, Evie, but neither want to act on the attraction. They decide to try friendship and share traditions from each other's countries as they prepare for the holidays. Of course, the chemistry evidently can't be ignored.
I adored this book. And I even found myself learning something about the traditions that take place in Germany. As with every book from this author, I highly recommend.

An ARC was provided by Bella Books via NetGalley for an honest review.