By Ava Shaffer
It’s that time of year where I procrastinate studying for college finals and instead pour all of my time, effort, and money into preparing for Christmas. Since my parents won’t let me decorate the house until after Thanksgiving, I’ve decided to direct my immense amount of premature holiday cheer into reading. Since I know my brain is going to be fried after finals, I am just going to want to read cheesy easy-to-consume holiday romances. Hence this list of 12 holiday romance books that drew my attention simply because of the covers (and I guess the plots sound interesting too, but I honestly I am here for the Christmas vibes more than the literary integrity of these books).
Wrapped Up In You by Talia Hibbert
I didn’t even know my queen Talia Hibbert had a Christmas book until I was doing a bit of Google searching about holiday romances! I loved her Brown Sisters trilogy, and I honestly will read anything she writes. So you bet your Christmas bells I will be reading this ebook about the billionaire actor (not to mention the winner of “Sexiest Man Alive”) William Reid trying to win over his little sister’s smart and icy best friend, Abbie Farrell. After the two are stuck in a cabin alone due to a blizzard, William acts on his life-long crush to win over Abbie. I mean come on, doesn’t that sound just delightful? And knowing Talia Hibbert, I’m sure the dialogue will be appropriately witty, the settings appropriately cozy, and the steamy scenes appropriately inappropriate. This one is at the very top of my holiday TBR!
Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey
I’ve never read anything by Tessa Bailey but her name rings around the romance book community quite often, so I am going to assume she’s got some credibility. Set in Manhatten (which by the way, New York is the best place for any Christmas romance to take place in), this romance is about department store owner Aiden and his new spunky, sarcastic employee Stella. The grumpy/sunshine opposites attract trope will definitely be in play throughout this, but this time our heroine is the grumpy one who dresses in all black, and our hero is the sunshine one who goes all out for Christmas. I simply adore that. But in all honesty, I mainly just want to read this one because LOOK AT THAT COVER! Also, the grapevine is telling me (the grapevine is GoodReads) that this book was inspired by the tv show Ted Lasso? The very same Ted Lasso I have watched three times over and am obsessed with? Ok, I am sold, give me this book now.
The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese
Behold! The first of many enemies-to-lovers books on this list (which is arguably the best romance trope ever, when done well). Jonathan Frost and Gabriella Di Natale work together at a small independent bookstore together, and they have completely opposing views on the holidays. Gabriella Di Natale absolutely loves the season, and is full of Christmas cheer, whereas Jonathan Frost lives up to his icy last name by hating Christmas and acting like a very modern and sexy Scrooge. This book is also part of the #OwnVoices movement, where authors portray their own underrepresented or minority identities in their books. In this romance, author Chloe Liese writes about a character with autism, drawing upon her own personal identity. And also, may I reiterate, LOOK AT THAT COVER!
Meet Me In London by Georgia Toffolo
London! This book is set in London! Already, it is on my TBR (I guess my standards are pretty low, huh?) Victoria Scott, an aspiring clothes designer (tell me that isn’t the coolest job ever) meets Oliver Russell and instantly sparks fly. In efforts to appease their parents who constantly pester them about having a significant other during the holidays, the two concoct a fake dating scheme. Even better, they concoct a fake engagement. As always in the fake dating trope, the characters start to fall for each other. I’m hoping to root for Victoria and Oliver, while enjoying some holiday cheer in this romance.
Blame It On The Mistletoe by Beth Garrod
This is a two-for-one Black Friday Deal! In this book, you get two romances for the price of one! In other words, this romance starts off with a good ol life swap and follows the lives of both main characters. Social media influencer Elle switches lives with her fan Holly, where they both stumble into romances in their respective locations. Holly is surprised to meet Elle’s handsome brother, and Elle falls for the boy across the street. This romance is full of surprises and twists, which I am 100% willing to fall for.
The Christmas Pact by VI Keeland and Penelope Ward
Need something a little quicker than a full-length book? This novella by New York Times bestselling author duos VI Keeland and Penelope Ward might just be the perfect choice for you. It’s The Hating Game, but make it Christmas. It’s enemies to lovers. It’s fake dating. I mean, can you really ask for anything more? Riley Kennedy hates Kennedy Riley, mainly because their emails keep getting switched up at work. They meet at the office holiday party and somehow end up agreeing to go to a wedding together as a fake couple. Que the real romance sparking between the two, and you’ll just have to read the rest to see what happens.
The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
Speaking as a twin who loved The Parent Trap, this book caught my attention right away. In this romance, identical twins Charlie and Cass switch lives. After an accident that leaves her with no taste or smell, Charlie can longer work as the star of reality tv’s favorite baking show. Cass, on the other hand, is overwhelmed with the amount of work it takes to keep the family baking business afloat. So the twins switch lives, Cass moving to LA to star on the baking show, and Charlie moving back to their quaint hometown to keep up the family bakery. When rugged firefighter Jake Greenman and attractive physician’s assistant Miguel Rodriguez enter the story, romance sparks for each of the twins. Already I know this romance will be about secret-keeping, budding romances, and probably some scrumptious descriptions of baked goods. Which is to say, I am buying it right away.
In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren
I have seen this book cover all over BookTook and Bookstagram, so it has been on my TBR for quite some time. In this romance written by author duo Christina Lauren, Mae Jones gets in a car crash that leaves her reliving the same day over and over again, Groundhogs Day style. Stuck in a strange time loop, Mae must find her way back to reality while searching for her true love under the mistletoe. This romance seems so different from every other holiday romance, so I’m curious to see if I enjoy that originality or if it distracts from the romance for me.
Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler
Let me just describe this meet-cute to you: rich socialite Lana Montgomery accidentally knocks out Rick Harding, a man who has been in love with her for years, with a tranquilizer dart while she is hunting the infamous Santa Moose that likes to ruin Christmas for the small town of Moose Springs. Do I even need to say anything more about this book? Personally, that right there is enough for me to walk across snow piles and black ice to get to Barnes and Noble and pick this romance up right away.
The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
Can I just say that I have not read nearly enough friends to lovers, so this book is inching its way to the top of my TBR. Set in England, Kate Turner lets her best friend convince her to try out a different date from a dating app for every day of December. Disastrous date after disastrous date, Kate starts to realize love comes when you least expect it. Equal parts hilarious and uplifting, this feels like the perfect feel-good holiday romance to read. The tagline of this book reads, “One woman. Twelve Mr. Rights. What could go wrong?” I’m guessing, a lot. Which is why I am so excited to read this!
One Day In December by Josie Silver
Similar to In A Holidaze, I have seen this book cover everywhere online in the book community. One December day, Laurie sees a man through the snowy window of her bus and it’s love at first sight. She spends a year trying to find him again, but to no avail. They finally meet, and friendship, love, heartbreak, laughter, and more ensue. I love the trope of love at first sight, as well as the exploration of roads not taken or opportunities missed, so I know this one will pull at my easy-to-control little heartstrings.
Nick and Noel's Christmas Playlist by Codi Hall
The final book on this list seems to be inspired by the fantastic book Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, which has a movie adaptation starring none other than the incredibly romantic, attractive, and swoon-worthy Michael Cera. (That is a joke, by the way.) This is another friends-to-lovers, with a heavy music influence throughout. Nick and Noel have been friends for years, always attending each other’s family Christmases and working together at the tree farm. After some impulsive kisses and cheating exes, Nick and Noelle might just realize love can come from very familiar places, and very familiar people.
Making this holiday romance TBR has gotten me in such a crazy holiday mood. Maybe I will start decorating early, so our house can be covered in tinsel and garland during Thanksgiving Dinner. So far, I think the books I definitely want to get to this holiday season are Wrapped Up In You, Window Shopping, The Mistletoe Motive, and Mistletoe & Mr. Right. Check back in for my December Wrap Up to see if I actually read these books! I also learned that a lot of the books on this list are only available in ebook format, so hopefully, I can successfully steal my sister’s Kindle to read them.
While writing this, I was listening to my holiday Spotify playlist (complete with Christmas Tree Farm by Taylor Swift of course, as well as some of that good ol Biebster, Ariana Grande, Joe Bros, and some of the classics as well). Here’s the link to my playlist :)
Peep the Harry Potter Great Hall picture, I feel like Hogwarts OWNS the entire holiday season.
*Covers courtesy of Goodreads