#BookReview The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy @PenguinRandomCA #TheChristmasCountdown #HollyCassidy #PenguinReads Title: The Christmas Countdown

Author: Holly Cassidy

Published by: Penguin Canada on Oct. 8, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 320

Format: Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 8/10

From the author of The Christmas Wager comes a charming holiday rom-com about a young, recently heartbroken woman who is tasked by her sister to complete Advent calendar challenges in the lead up to Christmas to reignite her belief in herself, the holidays, and love again.

She’s given up on love and Christmas…but fate has other plans.

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?


Review:

Amusing, sweet, and delightfully festive!

The Christmas Countdown is a cosy, heartwarming holiday read that takes you into the life of Callie, an intelligent young woman whose sister is determined to help her get out of her funk of being dumped by creating an advent calendar extraordinaire that’s bursting with nostalgia, special tasks and lots of interesting challenges for her to complete.

The prose is warm and light. The characters are lonely, friendly, and thoughtful. And the plot is a cute, engaging tale full of friendship, family, romance, workplace drama, tender moments, self-discovery, merry preparations, and love.

Overall, The Christmas Countdown is a fun, uplifting, adorable wintery treat by Cassidy that  left me yearning for snowflakes, decorated trees, twinkling lights, and scrumptious treats.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Holly Cassidy

Holly Cassidy is the pen name for internationally bestselling author Hannah Mary McKinnon. Her suspense novels include The Neighbors, Her Secret Son, Sister Dear, You Will Remember Me, Never Coming Home, The Revenge List, and Only One Survives (coming July 2024). McKinnon was born in England, grew up in Switzerland, and now lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and three sons. The Christmas Wager was her first novel writing as Holly Cassidy.

Photo by Robert McKinnon