Review: The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy
Thank you Penguin Group Putnam for my copy! All thoughts are my own.
I feel like it’s a personal mission of mine every year to read and enjoy as many holiday romances as possible. I just love them and my holiday reading guide is one of my favorite things to put together year after year. I’ve read books by this author before, and I think this one was cute. It definitely was the one that held most of my interest and I enjoyed dipping into the audiobook when I couldn’t eyeball read it. It was relatively light hearted and festive, perfect if you like your Christmassy books on the Hallmark side of things.
Also, I was totally caught off guard by Buffalo and the Buffalo Sabres being mentioned so much. I mean, they’re not even good this year!
Synopsis:
“All Callie wants for Christmas is to hibernate. She's still reeling from being dumped by her childhood sweetheart, and under no circumstances will she go home for the holidays considering her ex will be right next door with his new, perfect partner. Callie is officially in grinch mode, but her meddling sister, Anita, won’t let her give up on life, love, and Christmas quite so easily.
Anita stages a Christmas intervention for Callie with a homemade Advent calendar challenge—cheerful tasks to push Callie out of her comfort zone and into the holiday spirit, inspired by a childhood tradition. Callie reluctantly plays along, but when she comes face-to-face with a charming baker who just might be the spoonful of sugar she needs, her strict rules on love and the holidays are tested. As they strike a deal to do the activities together, could the twenty four little doors on Callie’s Advent calendar not only open up one, but two closed-off hearts?” —NetGalley
What I Liked:
The idea of the Challenge—I love the premise of a grumpy person who isn’t feeling the holiday magic having to do something festive every day. It’s something I like to challenge myself to do! And I liked the balance between treats and activities.
The Romance—I really liked Marco! I thought their chemistry was natural and I liked how they were able to help each other with their trust and worth issues.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
Overall, a little cheesy for me and oddly, I felt like there should have been a bit more meddling from the people around them!
Character Authenticity: 3/5 Spice Rating: 0/5 Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Content Warnings:
gaslighting, infidelity, misogyny, emotional abuse