This delivers a heartwarming dose of fake-dating fun, set against the glitzy backdrop of a reality singing show. Sadie and Max are thrust into the spotlight as a fan-favorite duo, but keeping their fabricated chemistry alive off-camera proves trickier than belting out holiday classics. Can their staged romance withstand the pressure—or will it hit a sour note?

This book was such a delightful blend of charm, angst, and festive vibes. A reality TV show isn’t the most obvious setting for a Christmas story, but it worked surprisingly well. The glimmering lights of the stage paired with cozy, snow-dusted scenes in Canada struck a perfect balance between the glamorous and the heartfelt. The Canadian winter wonderland was my favorite part, wrapping me in all the cozy, festive feels I crave in a holiday read.

That said, the story took an emotional turn I wasn’t expecting, touching on themes that hit close to home. One particular plotline had me reaching for tissues—it was beautifully handled and deeply moving.

The fake-dating trope was a win for me, but Max and Sadie’s lack of communication drove me *insane*. At one point, I wanted to jump into the book and lock them in a room until they sorted things out! Their push-pull dynamic veered from entertaining to exasperating, and while I appreciated their dual POVs, I never fully connected with either character.

And let’s talk about Max. He seriously tested my patience with some of his comments and decisions. By the end, I was still waiting for a proper grovel—he owed Sadie *way* more than what we got.

Despite the frustrations, this was a heartfelt and swoon-worthy read that kept me turning pages. It’s angsty, emotional, and perfectly festive, with moments that had me grinning and others that left me teary-eyed. If you love fake-dating romances with a dash of drama and Christmas magic, this one’s worth adding to your TBR!

I did struggle with this one at first, but it turn out to be a very cute, festive fest, with all the feels. I don’t reread often but I think I would actually like to listen to the audio maybe this Christmas time.

All I want for Christmas by Maggie Knox

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

True love wasn't on their holiday wish list.

When Sadie and Max are selected as contestants on the famed reality singing show Starmaker, each thinks they've finally gotten their big Nashville break. But then they're paired up for duet week and stun the world with their romantic onstage chemistry. With fans going wild for #Saxie the network demands that they remain a duo on and offstage, or exit the competition. Faking a relationship until their final performance in the Starmaker holiday special shouldn't be too hard, except for one small problem--Sadie and Max can't stand each other.

But with their dreams just within reach, they agree to the ruse. Will their fake relationship be exposed before they can win? Or will an unexpected trip to Banff spark real feelings by the Christmas finale?

My Opinion

I have had this book on my want to read list for a very long time, but I am finally giving it a go. I have to say that whilst this was an enjoyable book I didn't love it. I found that it was easy to walk away from, but overall it was a lovely festive read. A nice, easy read.

Rating 4/5

A festive cute romance read - perfect to get you in the Christmas mood. This is a very sweet heartwarming tale, perfect for a comforting binge read with a hot chocolate surrounded by Christmas decor!

I tried with this one but unfortunately not for me, I didn’t particularly like the writing style and found myself struggling to pick it up.

This was an easy-to-read festive book. The concept was fun and there was a degree of cuteness too, but the amount of miscommunication wasn't for me... that's not to say it's a bad book! Just that it's not my favourite trope.
#AllIWantforChristmas #NetGalley

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

"All I Want for Christmas" by Maggie Knox is an exceptional and heartwarming romance that perfectly captures the magic of the holiday season. I was immediately drawn in by the synopsis, and the story certainly did not disappoint. From the very beginning, the chemistry between Sadie and Max is electric and incredibly captivating. The way their relationship develops from reluctant partners in a singing competition to a fake couple with real feelings is absolutely delightful to read, and it left me with a smile on my face.

One of the things that I loved most about this book was the inclusion of a reality singing show, which added an extra layer of excitement and intrigue to the story. I found myself rooting for Sadie and Max every step of the way, and I was completely invested in their journey. Additionally, the Christmas setting was the perfect backdrop for this heartwarming romance, making it the ideal book to curl up with during the holiday season.

Maggie Knox has a talent for crafting pitch-perfect rom-coms, and "All I Want for Christmas" is no exception. Her writing is engaging, witty, and filled with all the warm and fuzzy feelings that one could hope for in a holiday romance. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a feel-good read that will leave them with a warm feeling in their heart. It is an absolute joy to read and a perfect addition to any holiday reading list.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.
Christmas, romance and reality TV, three of my favourite things, and the three main plot points of this book.
Sadie and Max are two singers who are on the same reality TV singing show, with Sadie relieved to finally catch her break, and Max determined to get out of the shadow of his poster father.
When the pair have a moment during duet week, they begin fake dating under the advice of their manager. The pair almost hate each other, and neither appears to enjoy the partnership at the beginning, but will the show bring the pair together?
Will Sadie get the break she’s always wanted, or will the fake relationship be revealed along with her dreams coming crashing down.
This is one holiday romance you should NOT miss.

This was cute, festive and adorable.

The trope in this book is love triangle, which I find can be hit or miss for me.

The main character is in love with Christmas, loves everything Christmassy. There are Christmas references through the whole story, great for the festive season.

Also, that big revelation, I kind of saw it, or should I say, it did cross my mind.
However, I still enjoyed it.

A easy read that I feel relaxed me and I fully enjoyed reading it. With just the right amount of Christmas cheer and magic.

It was very different to any Christmas novel I have read before.

I really enjoyed the story behind this one, two people being cast on a television reality show and I Really enjoyed learning what happens between the two of them and really enjoyed the unfriendly relationship turning romantic.

🎄This was a delightful Christmas read filled with a cute romance. The setting was warm and cosy and definitely warmed up these cold nights we seem to be having.

🎵 The inclusion of country music gave this book a different edge and made it feel more refreshing.

💗The different viewpoints definitely gave us both sides of the story and whilst I knew where it was heading I still enjoyed it.

A quick, easy and delightful Christmas read.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book but sadly the pacing affected my enjoyment somewhat. It felt like every time we would get to a big moment happening on the show we would be at the end of a chapter, ready for something to happen, skip to the start of the next chapter and it’s a week later and we’re just hearing about the fact after it happened. It made it quite hard to connect to the romance because I felt like I was missing a lot of key moments of their relationship building.

This book is a fun read during the holidays. It isn't deep and very predictable. It is just what the pre Christmas chaos needs. A hot drink, a comfy spot and a Hallmark read.

Rounded up from around 3.5 stars ⭐️

All I want for Christmas follows Sadie and Max, both contestants on a reality singing show. However, they are quickly paired together and fans go wild for their chemistry. But can they keep their fake relationship afloat?

This was such a wonderfully fun and unique read. I’ve never read a book based around a reality TV show before, and although I wasn’t completely sold on it as a setting for a Christmas book, I loved how incredibly authentic and vivid it felt. I absolutely loved the scenes set in Canada. They were exactly the kind of cosy, wintery feel that I absolutely love in a Christmas novel! I did have to put the book down for a short while, as one particular plot line hit a bit of a soft spot for me in my personal life. I ended up in tears, but mainly because it was handled so beautifully.

Although the storyline didn’t really surprise me, it made for a nice easy read. I do love the fake dating trope so I really enjoyed that aspect of the romance! However, I did want to jump into the book and force the characters into a room together when they stopped communicating properly! The book flips between Sadie and Max’s points of view. I loved getting into both of their heads but didn’t feel completely connected to either of them. This is exactly the kind of book I love to read in December, a nice and easy to read festive romcom.

I would recommend this to fans of Christmassy romcoms and the fake dating trope! I want to thank Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton, Karma Brown and Marissa Stapley for sending me a copy of this book so I can give my personal thoughts.

What a mess of a book.

Sadie and Max are contestants on a reality singing show. When they're paired up to sing a duet, the whole world becomes convinced they're actually secretly dating, so the show's producers force them to fake a relationship. No problem, were it not for the fact that Sadie and Max can't stand each other. But contracts were signed, so they have to do what the producers ask of them. And while convincing the world their relationship is real, they might be convincing themselves of its realness too.

This started out great! I was completely sold on the premise, I liked the setting and how quickly the producers came into play with the whole forced fake-dating scheme. But then it felt like the authors sort of lost track of where they were going with this story. For every step forward Sadie and Max take, they jump three steps back. They never really talk, all they seem to do is snark, sing, or have sex.

And holy non-communication, Batman! To call this miscommunication would be to imply that there's any communication happening between these two. Max and Sadie both deal with a lot of stuff (although it does feel like Sadie gets a disproportionate amount of issues hefted onto her plate), but they never talk about it with each other and then get mad at the other person for not magically knowing what is going on. And then they break up again. And again. And Max runs away. Again.

On the upside, it was a quick read. So that's something, I suppose.

All I Want for Christmas is a standalone romance that follows two country musicians competing in a televised competition which develops into an enemies-to-lovers fake dating plotline. It was still a heartwarming read but it didn't compare to their first Christmas novel, The Holiday Swap.

Maggie Knox has done it again. This is a great festive fake romance with lots of country music mixed in. Definitely feels like a cozy Christmas Hallmark movie. I was very invested in the characters and hoping they could work through their issues to have the great romance. Definitely a fan of Maggie Knox

This was a brilliant story that was close to getting full marks. I certainly became invested in this storyline. I even found myself telling the characters what to do out loud, lol. You might feel like this book will be predictable, but I certainly couldn't guess what would happen next. It's asked full of unexpected twists and turns. That are likely to thrill you or at least provoke emotions. I like all the characters, especially those you love to hate. There was never a dull moment in this story. I definitely enjoyed every minute of this page turning novel. I certainly recommend reading it, especially if you love talent shows like x factor, etc. I loved the pace of thos novel as there were always things happening. I found this book extremely difficult to put down and read it all in one morning.

So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for creating this interesting and unique story that definitely kept me entertained. I will definitely be looking out for more books by this brilliant author.
The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog yesterday https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/all-i-want-for-christmas-by-maggie-knox-hodder-stoughton-4-stars under my name or ladyreading365

My last festive read of the season!

Sadie & Max are both contestants on Starmaker (country music version of American Idol) & after a chemistry filled duet, the producers proposition them to create a duo (which is trending as #Saxie) and their agents suggest they go one step further and fake a relationship. However, the chemistry filled couple just cannot trust each other and constantly have misunderstandings about how the other really feels; the fake relationship takes it’s toll.

Super cheesy and predictable with the characters being completely frustrating at times. However, I love country music, I love cheesy reality shows, I love romance, I love Christmas and I love the #fakerelationshiptrope so an easy 4 stars from me.

I’m also a little sad festive reads are over for another year but I still have plenty to pick up next December!