3.5

I really liked the premise of the book with a travel writer and a photographer who used to be together, travelling the world with a couple.

I enjoyed getting to know Mia and Hunter and was looking forward to visit several places around the world. The story was quite entertaining and I really liked visiting the different places with the characters. Although at some places I missed some more activities and sightseeing in that place. Sometimes it felt like I was rushed through some of the destinations while others were quite long.

Mia and Hunter used to be a couple and you can feel some tension between them but even though the two are forced to spend more and more time together, for me it lacked in the romance part and I couldn't really feel the sparks between them.

Still the book was an entertaining read, especially in the first half.

I thought this book was fun, and I loved that the main character was a travel writer! It was a good romance that makes a fun beach read!

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

Mia Walker is offered a travel journalist's job of a lifetime, she can't believe her fortune. Of course, in life many things are never as they seem. She's found out that she's travelling with a photographer, who just happens to be her ex-fiance, Hunter Scott. It's the opportunity of a lifetime and she's not going to let it pass her by just because he's accompanying her.

This is a hilarious, light hearted read with the slow rekindling of Hunter and Mia's friendship. It's immediately obvious that they still have unfinished business in their relationship and not everything is being shared. Hunter is certainly keeping things from Mia. It's plain to see early on in the book that there's still a spark between Hunter and Mia and that the pair have plenty of chemistry between them.

I absolutely love all of the fabulous destinations the trip takes them to. The story takes you around the world to the delightful places they visit like Malaysia and India. They get to take in some awe-inspiring sights such as the Taj Mahal and stay in luxurious accommodation.

A thoroughly enjoyable romance with a hint of a Christmassy theme. I absolutely loved reading this and couldn't recommend it enough.

If you were given the opportunity to visit your dream gorgeous locations, most people would jump at the chance. However, if the one catch meant travelling with someone you hadn't planned on seeing ever again, would you still go?

Mia Walker is an aspiring travel writer; what could be better than writing about beautiful locations and getting paid for it? So when she has the fortuity to write a piece on romantic travel - encompassing sparkling seas, picture perfect beaches and a Scottish fairytale wedding, she knows her dream job has just fallen into her lap. When she then discovers her ex fiance - whom she ended things with five years previously - will be the accompanying photographer, she has a quandary...Either to go, but with Hunter who she never wanted to see again, or stay and miss out on her dream job.

Around the World with my Ex was such a fun read! Almost like going on holiday, without having to pack your suitcase and battle airport queues.
I got lost in the book and found it great to unwind with and am looking forward to reading more from this author.

This would be the absolute perfect summer holiday read! But, don't let that stop you from reading it any other time because it's a great read. I do feel totally jealous of the heroine, I want to travel to all of these places with the sexy photographer! But, I don't want to do it with my ex! I loved the premise of the two being thrown together after some time passing, the idea of the way their lives were different but that they still had the feelings that had been there before. Really loved the book, Will be adding to my recommends shelf in the shop!

This is my first read by this author so i didn't know what to expect. readers are treated to join Liv and Sandy on their pre-wedding holiday around the world for a couple of months accompanied by their friend, photographer Hunter Scott, and a journalist - and Hunter’s ex - Mia Walker. Mia is working on the weddings section of the newspaper, wanting to be considered for the job as a travel journalist soon. When her boss offers her the opportunity to spend two months travelling the world with his daughter and her husband-to-be, chronicling events for them and writing articles on places they visit, Mia jumps at the chance. Soon she discovers the photographer accompanying them will be Hunter. It is almost five years ago since their engagement ended and Hunter has made a name for himself and can choose which jobs to take on and he also makes it very clear he’d rather a different journalist joined the journey than his ex. After a turbulent start, will there be any chance of rekindling their romance or is it now almost five years too late?

This book is a fun read with a little romance thrown in for good measure. There are secrets to be revealed, the past to be revisited and some fantastic locations around the world to be explored - as well as the romance. it is a very enjoyable page turner to get you ready for more festive reads to come! Most of the events in the story are pre-Christmas and it has certainly ensured I’ll be looking out for more from this author.

Thank you to net galley

What a great read this was.. This is the first book by Maxine Morrey that I have read and it did not disappoint. I laughed, I cried, and wanted to fall In love like Mia . I love how the book didn’t follow traditional Christmas books but still had that holiday feel. Perfect way to escape the cold and fall in love with some characters.

Imagine getting your dream assignment. And then finding out that you’ll be partnering with your ex. The ex whose heart you broke years ago. That’s what happens to Mia, a journalist, when she’s tasked to write about her boss’s daughter’s pre-wedding trip around the world—while her ex, Hunter, photographs the whole thing.

While billed as a Christmas romance, this felt more like a travel romance. Christmas does occur during the book, as well as Thanksgiving, but most of the story is spent with the characters traveling the world.

I loved Mia. She was sweet and funny and easy to like. Hunter was a little more difficult to like because he came off very Alpha male-like in the beginning. As the story went on, and I learned what had happened to him between his breakup with Mia and the books events, I warmed up to him. Despite his alpha-qualities he was charismatic.

The supporting characters were also great, I really enjoyed Liv (who was a nicely developed sub character) and even Sandeep (though he wasn’t as developed, mostly because the story is told through Mia’s POV and she never spent alone time with him.)

Really, the only negative I can say is that this didn’t feel like a holiday romance… which isn’t a negative unless you really had your heart set on a holiday romance. But it was a very enjoyable romance and I had a lot of fun traveling the world through these characters.

I haven't read Maxine Morrey before and I thought this book sounded interesting I'd give it a go. I'm afraid I'm going to give a contradictive review. On one hand I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down! I loved the characters and their relationships. Liv seemed like a right laugh and Hunter and Mia's flirty relationship you knew they'd end up together again but it kept you wanting to know if they did until the very end.
On the other hand, Hunter's and Mia's constant bickering annoyed me, I don't mind argumentative flirting but it went on and on and repeating the same thing over and over, how Hunter tried to get Mia off the project 'because she wasn't good enough' she wouldn't let it go for 3/4 of the book. I also thought there were gaps in the story, one minute you were reading them in Florida and the next page they were running up a hill in LA, you didn't know they had changed locations. I think more on the journeys between each county was needed. I also didn't fully understand the point of the 'holidays' with a photographer and a writer, it wasn't fully explained at the beginning and this part of the storyline seemed strange.
I'm glad Mia and Hunter gave it another go and I did enjoy the book. I would look out for Maxine Morrey again, thank you for letting me read and review this book.

I voluntarily reviewed an Reader Copy of this book which I received through Netgalley.
It was a really nice story.

This is a unique romantic comedy.

The dynamic of Mia and Hunter’s former relationship was quite funny at times. They bickered like an old married couple, though they don’t want to get back together. We also don’t learn about what ended their engagement for a long time, which keeps their relationship intriguing.

The way that Mia and Hunter go on a trip with Olivia and her fiancé around the world was unusual but entertaining. I didn’t really get why they had to document the trip in that way. It was a nice way to showcase different parts of the world in the story, but I didn’t see it as a realistic trip.

Some parts were glossed over when they should have been described in detail. For example, Mia gets injured on one of their excursions but it isn’t described. Yet, other activities where nothing exciting happens are told in the story. There should have been more action in the scenes where they did activities and travelled.

I think the story could have been given a better name. Olivia and Sandeep are having a Christmas themed wedding, but that’s the only Christmas thing about the book. It takes place in the winter, but since Christmas doesn’t play an important role throughout the whole story, I don’t think it should be in the title.

Overall, this is a cute and funny story.

Maxine Morrey is a new author for me as I haven't read anything of hers before. The Christmas Holiday is a charming lighthearted easy romance read. I enjoyed this book - perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon snuggled up on the sofa with some biscuits and a cuppa!

Likeable characters, interesting and varied locations, lots of fun. A story of romance, travel and second chances.

Not strictly an overly Christmassy story so could be enjoyed at any time of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book with it being the Christmas season and all; however, the highlight was that it was an easy read just not an enjoyable one. The characters felt flat and I had very little interest in what they were doing much alone why they were doing it. A little too predictable that I found myself skimming sections just to get to the end.

With Christmas just around the corner, it's the perfect time for a festive read or two! I fell for the cover of Maxine Morrey's new novel The Christmas Holiday as soon as I saw it, so it was instantly on my to-read list.

Journalist Mia Walker is stuck covering the weddings section, but she dreams of becoming a travel writer, jetting off to sunny locations around the world. However, every writer at her publication dreams of landing the coveted travel spot! But when her boss asks her to cover an assignment - a round-the-world trip to cover his daughter's lavish wedding - Mia jumps at the opportunity.

But there's a downside. The photographer is sent to accompany her on the trip is none other than super-successful adventurer Hunter Scott, who's also incredibly attractive. Oh, and he's also Mia's ex.

Even though Mia called off the engagement years previously, seeing Hunter again is no doubt going to be awkward. Especially as they're going to be working closely together on the wedding story. Soon Mia's questioning her previous decisions. Writing a good article may result in her winning the job of her dreams, so she'll have to stay professional, despite the mixture of feelings for Hunter. Can she put her feelings aside as she travels from country to country with her ex-boyfriend?

The Christmas Holiday is a light, fun, romantic read. It's different from a lot of current Christmas releases as it's less of a cosy fireside read and focuses on a round-the-world adventure, which I enjoyed. But there's definitely some Christmas magic.

Granted, it was a bit predictable, and I did find Mia quite hard to like at first, mainly due to the constant arguing with Hunter at the beginning. It just felt quite forced, and a little confusing as it wasn't specified why Mia had broken up with Hunter until later on in the novel. That said, it's still a fab read for Christmas, wherever you might be spending it!

As well as The Christmas Holiday, Maxine is also the author of The Christmas Project, Winter's Fairytale and The Best Little Christmas Shop, so do check out her other novels if you're looking for a romantic festive fix!

Rating: 4/5

I dream of traveling the world and trying to capture it's magic in the written word, and in this book Mia gets to do just that when her boss sends her to document his daughter's two month adventure with her fiance leading up to their wedding. This book was captivating, the characters were all lovely, the adventures they had added to my wanderlust, and I was swept into their world!

As with my other reads this month, this would make a precious Hallmark Christmas movie, which is the style of book I've been loving lately!

Despite the title and the time of year of the secondary characters' wedding, this story didn't feel in the least bit festive to me, but that wasn't a problem once I'd started reading. I did keep putting off turning that first page for a while, simply because title, premise and cover didn't seem to gel. But it didn't take me long to get lost in the story once I got started. In fact, I had some trouble putting it down because the chemistry between Mai and Hunter is just too darned good!

The best part for me, about this novel, is the emotion between the two main characters, and that's where I think the author excelled. The tension between them was well-handled and built to a satisfying pitch, and Mia's voice was both amusing and tongue-in-cheek - I liked her right from the off. 

This is a lovely read, full of emotional and weepy bits (but in a good way).

I was looking for something light to read and I’m always partial to a romance with sparring romantic interests. It’s for this reason that ‘The Christmas Holiday’ caught my eye.

Mia is a feature wedding reporter who has always dreamed of being a travel writer. So when her boss offers her the chance to follow his daughter and fiancé on a pre wedding world adventure and documenting it all, she jumps at the chance. Unbeknown to her, the photographer they have chosen to come on the trip is her ex fiancé Hunter Scott, who just happens to be a good friend of the bride and groom to be.

I must admit that I wasn’t really taken with Mia. From the moment she met Hunter again I felt Mia was rude and defensive and I thought this was over the top, especially as Mia was the one to end the relationship five years ago. Yet Hunter took that all in his stride. I was hoping that we would get more of a feel of the places that the group travelled to but I never felt immersed in the settings. I was also very interested in why the relationship between Mia and Hunter faltered all those years ago but the explanation was a long time coming and not very detailed. I may have been more sympathetic to Mia if this had gone into more detail and earlier in the story.

All in all, a predictable read but that is totally what I was expecting and why I picked it up. I can see it appealing to many people but it didn’t have enough depth for me to love it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy to read and review.

This novel is absolutely adorable (although I must say that it isn't very festive - or at least not enough for my Christmas-obsessed self). I really liked the places that are visited by the characters, because they truly add something more to the story. The characters are all complex, realistic and interesting, which made the story even more real to me. The relationship between Mia and Hunter is also realistic and pretty cute, to be honest. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a cute and travel-themed read!