A perfect read on a cozy winter evening - simple, yet entertaining! I look forward to reading more books by this author.

About what I expected from a light-hearted romp toward Christmas. I'd solidly recommend for fans of the genre.

I could read Belinda Missen books until my eyes fell out!
I adore this author. Her books are always clever, uplifting, witty and enjoyable. One Week Til Christmas is no exception.
We have two fascinating lead characters in Tom and Isobel. There’s instant attraction after they literally bump into each other, and fortunately Fate brings them into each other’s company again in slightly less frantic circumstances. But then they discover that they might not be that perfect for each other after all since he’s a celeb, and they’re the sort of people Isobel dislikes, and she’s a journalist, the sort of person Tom hates.
But it’s Christmas in a week, and so there’s hope that festive magic may have time to work its charm and make this pair realise that you shouldn’t be too quick to judge someone. You mustn’t be afraid to seize the day and see what happens.
This is a beautifully festive and polished romcom, as sparkly as a glittery bauble on a Christmas tree.

Just a short review because I'm so ill at the moment, I think it was okay, a nice little book to read at Christmas time, I think if I hadn't read other books similar (ish) to this I would of enjoyed it a lot more, so maybe it's just that I read other books at the same time it didn't stand out as much.

This was super cute! The love story felt real and authentic, and I loved the characters. It was a great read for the week before Christmas :)

Two people. One chance meeting set amidst a London backdrop. Seven days to Christmas.

A gorgeous stranger knocks Isobel off her feet and she ends up in the gutter covered in snow and almost run over by a bus. She finds herself gazing into his blue eyes and feels an instant chemistry. Unfortunately, Tom walks out of her life just as quickly as he fell in.

24 hours later Isobel finds herself in Tom's office to interview him. It must be fate right? Well, Tom is a TV star who hates journalists and Isobel is set to return to Australia in less than a week. Why is fate so cruel?

I found myself rooting for these two wholeheartedly amidst all the holiday bliss of ice skating, mulled wine, dancing to Christmas carols and visiting Santa. A perfect heartwarming, enchanting, leave you smiling holiday read!

Quick, we only have one week and it's Christmas.

Isobel, an Australian travel journalist, is about to spend the week leading up to Christmas in London, and while she's waiting for a bus, a man slips on the ice and falls in her lap. The next day, she gets a last-minute assignment to interview an actor called Tom Bracken, who she knows nothing about, and you guessed it - it's the slippery man (haha). One thing leads to another and they find themselves enjoying pre-Christmas London activities together and getting to know each other before Isobel has to go back to Australia for Christmas.

I liked the atmosphere of London during a festive period but I didn't love the story itself. The characters were ok, although it was a bit annoying to read about how Isobel let her boss treat her (horribly, he was a jerk), but there was some character growth in this aspect during the course of the book.

Tom was maybe a little bit bland and although the point of the book was that they only had a week together so things would be sped up, the development of the relationship didn't feel very natural so I wasn't able to fully root for them and feel satisfied with the ending. It didn't help that the book had only 179 pages - it might have been better to make it a standard-length novel if you already have only one week to develop a connection between two characters.

Overall, it was a cute Christmas romance and a quick read but I probably won't feel like re-reading it in the future.

This is a beautiful holiday novel. It is apt for a light reading during the festive season. I loved the sweet and cute romance between Isobel and Tom.
It all starts when Isobel is on the way to her friends home and is waiting for the number 11 bus when a man quite literally falls into her lap. Snow is falling, Christmas lights are twinkling, and a gorgeous man with dark brown hair has just slipped on ice and is now literally on Isobel. This story is a must read for people who are in complete awe with Christmas. There is snow, Christmas decorations, winter themed market and places, Winter wonderland, mulled wine, presents, Santa and everything that makes us think about Christmas. All in all it was a beautiful experience reading this perfect book at this time of year.
I liked the characters of this book they were quite relatable and well developed.
One quote that I loved from this book:
'There's just a different energy in the house when you know there's someone else there with you. It feels a little empty otherwise.'
Thank you Netgalley for a the advance copy in exchange of an honest review.

One Week Til’ Christmas was a super adorable romance. We follow Isobel through her week before Christmas in London. But this was far from a normal week for her. Right at the start of it, she has a man literally sending her into a gutter. And that’s not the only time she will have to face him…

This is a very light-hearted and funny Christmas book. It completely made me feel all warm and Christmas-y and smile all the time while reading it. It was extremely gripping and I just wanted to know what was gonna happen next. As you probably noticed, chick-lit is not the most unpredictable of reads and I saw where this one was going right from the start. But that didn’t make me enjoy it any less.

The romance between Isobel and Tom was steady and cute. Nothing rushed or crazy. It was freaking adorable and I loved it. As were Isobel’s friendships, they were so sweet and so positively realistic! It’s just impossible not to feel good while reading this.

I generally am not a fan of famous characters in books, mainly because they tend to be hard for me to connect with them, but this was quite different. We were able to see the actual person behind the famous face, in a realistic and adorable way. It also talked about how difficult it is to maintain connections with especially family when you are always traveling for work (or just generally working which happens in many jobs). The strain it causes, the harsh words and sad feelings were all there and it made it quite realistic.

I often cry reading romances and this was no different, it was cute, emotional and I loved the pacing.

I would especially recommend it if you’re into Christmassy or feel-good books!

A cute Christmassy romance. Easy and quick read. While not my favourite, I didn't hate it. A fun read for the festive time of year!

Isobel and Tom have their met cute when they bump into each other not once but twice and what happens after that leads to a week of fun and romance but what happens after their whirled wind week? Will these two realize that there is more to this than just a fling or will they just chalk all this up to just fun?

I liked this novel it was a quick read filled with fun and romance and two characters that were meant to be. When they meet it was supposed to be just a fling but they soon discovered how much they had in common and how much they filled what was missing in their lives. This is a read for anyone who loves a good romance sprinkled with the magic that is Christmas.

What a treat this was! Belinda Missen does a fantastic job of creating palpable chemistry between our two leads, Tom & Isobel. A gorgeous whirlwind romance between two people intrinsically connected. Their connection burns off the page and is so captivating to read. A short but very enjoyable read!

I absolutely adored this holiday novella! Having just finished Josie Silver's One Day in December on Christmas Eve, this book put me right back into the London scene at Christmastime, and I was not sad about it one bit. While this story was only 179 pages, it packed a sweet, romantic punch, and I loved how the story shared similarities with both One Day in December and even the movie, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (one of my favorite romantic comedies!).

When it comes to characters, both Isobel and Tom are very likable. A travel writer who dreams of starting her own website and gaining more control over her career, Isobel is smart, quick, and not afraid to express how she feels. I love both her relationship with Tom and her relationships with the story's supporting characters, including Alfred and Estelle. As a freelance writer myself, I also empathized with her when she realized she had to do a last-minute interview with Tom completely on the fly. I've definitely been there before, and I loved how honest she was with Tom about how she hadn't really interviewed anyone before and wasn't sure what she was doing.

And oh, Tom. While I wasn't wild about him in the very first scene of the novella, I came to really know and admire him through Isobel's eyes. I also loved how Isobel helped him to be more down-to-earth by admitting that she didn't know he was famous, hadn't seen any of the shows he'd been in and wanted to learn about him and his life from him and not through social media, the Internet or tabloids. As he spends more time with Isobel and champions her work and talent, it's hard to not notice his charm.

As much as I adored Isobel and Tom separately, I loved them together even more. While their connection develops quickly, Missen does a great job of still making things realistic. Both of them recognize and address the difficulties of long distance and their work schedules early in their relationship, and even toward the end, when conflict ensues, I was proud that Isobel remained focused on her responsibilities to her family, her life back home, and what she wanted. While I felt like the conflict resolution could have been drawn out a little more, I really liked how things wrapped up and felt like the novella had a really good ending.

For anyone who loves a sweet romance with some Christmas cheer and laughs sprinkled in, One Week 'Til Christmas fits the bill! This quick read was exactly what I needed while both my kids and I were feeling under the weather the last few days, and I can't wait to read more of Belinda Missen's books! Thank you to @belindamissen @netgalley @harpercollins and @hqdigital for an electronic advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book came out Nov. 1, so make sure to read it soon!

This was an adorable Christmas romance.

It was a short and sweet story. The whole story takes place in the week before Christmas. Tom and Isobel meet while she’s on a writing assignment to interview him. They end up having a whirlwind romance that has to come to an end when she leaves for Christmas. The question was, were they going to stay together even if she left to go to Australia for Christmas?

I loved all the references to London in this story. Isobel is originally from Australia but she’s on a holiday in London during the book. London is one of my favourite cities, and it’s so pretty when it’s decorated for the holidays. I loved all the locations mentioned in the book.

I really enjoyed this Christmas story!

Thank you HQ Digital for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book, it was a quick easy Christmas read with an fascinating story line.
Free spirited Isobel is rudely knocked down by a handsome stranger whilst visiting London from her native Australia. When she’s sent to obtain an interview for her pushy boss who does she meet but the mystery man! What follows is a week of romance, torment and fun!
An absolutely fabulous book, loved it!

“The perfect holiday romance this Christmas!”

It looks like this has been changed to “an unforgettable winter romance” but still. Why even do that? You know the old saying about opinions, right? Reading is 100% opinions and reviewers like me are nothing but assholes, so using words like “perfect” right in the dang title are just sure to spurn disappointment. (I’d argue that this one was pretty forgettable too.)

I don’t particularly enjoy the “celebrity falls in love with commoner” trope or the “we can’t be together because we only have seven days” (even though it’s not the dark ages and people can communicate nearly like they are in the same room nowadays thanks to technology) so there was slim to no chance I would enjoy this one. Add in trips to the most cliché of all tourist traps for a week, cardboard cutouts for characters and super cringe worthy dialogue such as . . . .

‘I’d love a bag of pfeffernüsse.’ I smiled. ‘Who’s a goose?’ ‘You’re a goose.’

*barf*

That’s a fail for me. My friends really enjoyed this one, so we’ll just chalk it up to either wrongreading (most likely the case) or that I actually dove into the Christmas romance pool headfirst this year and sadly We Met In December simply couldn’t compete with the others for me.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

My first Belinda Missen book was definitely a treat! The premise is free spirited Isobel, who doesn’t seem to settle in one place for long meeting the handsome and popular act, Tom. On paper, it seems these two could never work out. He’s famous and travels often for work. She’s a travel writer who loves to country hop.

The instant chemistry and banter tell us immediately they are meant to be together. Tom is completely charming and a true gentleman. He’s definitely not the cliche actor portrayed in many books. Watching them struggle to maintain a friendship instead of pushing a romantic relationship and risking broken hearts is actually pretty heartwarming. I dare any female out there not to fall for Tom.

The story is a bit slow to start but overall is paced well. The banter is witty and I adored the ending. I’d definitely recommend! Also, while it does take place around Christmas, I think this can be enjoyed any time of year.

Note: An ARC was given generously in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for letting me review this.

What an excellent end it was to Christmas Eve, reading this wonderful story set during Christmassy England.

Anyway.

Let me tell you how.

The cover - Is pretty cute, nothing special really. But still good enough for my heart to swoon over. Hence the stars.

The summary - "Two people. One chance meeting. Seven days to Christmas.
Isobel Bennett is waiting for the number 11 bus when a man quite literally falls into her lap. Snow is falling, Christmas lights are twinkling, and a gorgeous man with dark brown hair has just slipped on ice and is now pressed against Isobel.

Isobel knows she’s not imagining the chemistry between them. But then his ride arrives and, embarrassed, he beats a hasty retreat, murmuring apologies – and Isobel realises only too late that she didn’t manage to catch his name…

When she runs into him again the next morning, she decides it’s fate.

It’s a second chance for Isobel and Tom – but there’s only one week until she’s leaving London for good. Seven days of enjoying all the festive delights the city has to offer: ice-skating at Somerset House, mulled wine on the Southbank, Christmas shopping at Liberty.

There’s magic in the air and mistletoe in the trees – but what will happen when the week is over?''

Fun summary. Short, sweet, and snappy for sure. A delightful read. Hence the stars.

The characters - Isobel is sweet, funny, smart, and sassy for sure. Tom is the perfect gentleman, fuck he's so perfect, I almost cried when the novel ended, like why can't I have him? And why can't guys be like this around me? Am I always destined for jerks? Maybe. But anyway those two were so adorable. Estelle was the coolest for sure, would have craved having a best friend like her. Overall, they are a marvelous bunch, hence the stars.

The romance -Pretty sweet, mostly slowburn. But yeah I loved how they didn't go and have sex already, they actually learned to use their words to learn more about each other and walked to places to get new experiences, I truly treasured those moments. SO it's really mostly sweet romance, rather than the sexy type. The stars are fully given here.

The problems - Well they do manage to solve the main problem of staying or going, and not without much drama (god knows how much I hate drama...) so yeah loved the problem solving. The ending is nice as well. So pretty good of a novel this was. All 5 stars given here.

Overall, a high, high recommend.

Until the next read,

TMR

A cute, quirky Christmas read! It was a lighthearted fun romance and I enjoyed it. The characters had great banter, and it was a perfect story for the winter.

A meet cute story. Weird. But it still works. Quirky and the perfect amount of Christmas magic. Different than the other Christmas novels I read this season.