I love pretty much everything Camilla Isley writes, so I had high expectations when I started This is Not a Holiday Romance and I was not disappointed.

Tristan is Nina's brother's long time best friend and the bane of her existence. He made fun of her ears when they were teens and she's never forgiven or forgotten this.

Now in her late twenties, she still doesn't like Tristan and is forced to spend the holidays with him when her brother brings him to their parents house due to snowstorm that has grounded all of the flights. Forced to be together she tells him how much she dislikes him and then continues to hold that grudge - until she doesn't.

They have a really fast I hate you/I can't get enough of you segue and while I get that can happen, Nina did act like a bratty child for a bit during the book. She held onto that big ear grudge for a LONG time.

As with all of Ms. Isley's books the banter between the characters was terrific, she writes a great love story, and even better secondary characters. (Will they get stories? Sure do hope so!)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in consideration of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thoroughly enjoyed and adored this one! It's a fun light hearted romcom that you won't be able to stop reading and the best part it's a Christmas romance.
Who doesn't love a good enemies to lovers romance with brother's best friend trope.
Tristan and Nina have a feud going on since years and it's getting more intense and worse but everything changes when they are stranded for a week with Nina's family for Christmas.
Tristan sees Nina in new light and can't stop thinking about her. I gobbled up all that closed proximity and heated chemistry and loved every second of it.
A must read !!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc! It was NOT a holiday romance lol just kidding. Anything by Camilla Isley is always a banger so I definitely enjoyed this and it had me already in a Christmas mood. I refuse to be held back by a calendar so merry christmas 🎄 It was a quick and cute read, ready for the next book from this author!!

Nina is Dylan's brother. Tristan is his best friend. The two of them have been circling each other, tormenting each other, for years. There is a lot of banter, well-developed from their history together. The most unbelieveable part of this book is the speed from which they go from enemies to lovers...as though someone switched a light on. Granted, it's probably done for the sake of speeding the book along, so if you can suspend reality for that little bit, it's easy to flow and keep relating to the characters. Overall, this book is a great, quick, and light read, perfect for fans of enemies to lovers or even slow burn (it took years!).

This book was a fun and quick read, I really enjoyed the banter between Nina and Tristan! I love the enemies-to-lovers theme, so I was really looking forward to reading this book. The banter and mutual annoyance of the main characters for the enemies-part was well done, but the change into being lovers was too quick for me. What they thought of each other or felt for each other changed so quickly that I could’nt really find their thoughts and feelings believable. Nonetheless, I would recommend "This Is Not a Holiday Romance" to anyone looking for an entertaining enemies-to-lovers story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bollywood Books for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Cute but a little boring at times. I wish it was more Christmasy or had a little more substance. This was the first thing I’ve read from this author and I was underwhelmed.

Someone give Hallmark a call and tell them they have their next movie in the books!

Okay, maybe this is a Netflix holiday film, but still, you get the point.

Enemies to lovers ✔️
Close and forced proximity ✔️
Touch her and you die vibes (MMC) ✔️
Brother's bestfriend/Best friend's little sister ✔️

Oh and it all happens over Christmas. ✔️✔️✔️✔️

Such a light, fun read. Great holiday rom-com and amazing banter between all the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books Publishing for my E-ARC!

Reading this before Christmas oh yea. Can’t wait for Christmas and if you can wait either this Christmas romcom will give you all the feels. Enemies to lovers, brothers best friend. Lots of banter between Tristen and Nina just you wait.

Algo que me gusta de Camilla es que todas sus protagonistas son exitosas en sus trabajos.





Nina y Tristan no se llevan bien. La primera vez que ella intentó acercarse, él se burlo de sus orejas llamándola Gremlin y desde entonces ella hace todo lo posible para molestarlo.

Durante años él pensó que sus peleas eran juegos y bromas, pero en realidad ella intenta no mostrar como la está lastimando. Cuando se da cuenta del daño que causó se siente mal y para sus juegos.

Me cayó mal la familia de Nina, Tristan la molestó por años y ellos lo reciben con los brazos abiertos. Pero la grosera según ellos era Nina.




Entiendo porque eligió al amigo y no a Nina, pero a pesar de tener razones por la que que hizo, debió arrastrarse por mucho, mucho tiempo por su perdón.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a very fun read that kept me focused for the 2 hours I spent reading it . I loved the witty banter between the 2 mc , the enemies to lovers were portrayed perfectly with the pranks and teasing surrounding the 2 mcs . It was like reading something straight out of romcom !

I liked how we were given more context on Tristan and Dylan relationship as friends and how that affected Tristan decision in the book . Although I do think that we should also be given more context on our fm mc like telling us how she was teased for her ears or like a specific situation that made her so insecure of herself. In conclusion , I would totally recommend this book to my friends if they wanted a light read .

Umm, I’m not sure where to start. Should I start with the closet scene, yes, I should definitely start with the closet scene! It was written so well my skin was literally burning alongside Nina’s. I could feel Tristan’s touch, his gaze on me…

Or should I start with the towel scene? Yep, I felt that slap too…

Maybe I’ll start with the bedroom scene, the tension of being pressed against the door not to be discovered… oh my oh my … what this book did to me … it’s a relatively sweet romance but did it get me all hot and bothered, yes, sir.

I could not put it down.

The banter, the sizzling chemistry, the sneaking around… and the pranks…

I laughed and I swooned … when Camilla Isley goes in with prank wars over Christmas she’s unstoppable… I thought Home For Christmas was unsurpassable, but this new story might’ve done the trick!

10 stars!!!

Book Review
Book Title-> This Is Not a Holiday Romance
Author-> Camilla Isley
Tropes-> Holiday romance, Enemies to lovers, Brother's best friend, Forced Proximity vibes
Honestly, this is my first ever holiday romance I've ever read and i enjoyed it very much.
The story revolves around Nina Thompson who can't stand the presence of Tristan, her brother Dylan's best friend. They've known each other for almost 15 years but all they do when they meet is pull pranks on each other. Nina who has a crush on Thristan in the past will go to any lengths to irritate him.
But when she has no choice but spend the holidays with Tristan in her parent's home due to whether conditions she is upset like never before. They both continue to plot revenges against each other until they notice the undeniable attraction stuffed between their banters and prank wars.
They try to avoid each other until the tension between them becomes too much to keep their hands to themselves.
What happens when they finally give in to their feelings for each other?
What happens when Dylan finds about his best friend and little sisters secret?
Read the book to find out...
The best thing about this book is it doesn't take much time to get in to the story.
Their banters, sneaky touches and kisses made the book interesting.
You could feel the holiday atmosphere back drop throughout the book except for first few chapters.
Dear Author,
You have written this book in such a way that anyone reading this book can imagine all the scenes. The detailing is amazing. And the way you handled the transition from their banters to sneaky romance is so good. This book is my first read of yours but I'm sure I'll read more of your work after this.
If you're looking for a good holiday romance then this book is perfect for you to pick and start reading.
Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the Arc
#ThisIsNotAHolidayRomance #thisisnotaholidayromance

This is one of my quickest, most entertaining reads and an instant five-star rating without hesitation! Why do I ever reconsider my ratings? I am obsessed with the enemies-to-lovers trope, and the well-constructed heat, volatile chemistry between the main characters, increased by the tension of forced proximity and witty banter. In this book, the holiday spirit, best friend’s little sister, smart and hilarious pranks involving glitter, and several Casio watches make it irresistible! I laughed so much and enjoyed the immature yet perfectly hot encounters between Tristan and Nina! I truly loved it and couldn’t put this book down, turning it into my guilty pleasure (it’s worth skipping daily errands to bury my head in the pages).

The story revolves around Nina Thompson, who is planning to spend a peaceful Christmas with her family, reading her book, munching on her favorite snacks, and drinking gallons of hot chocolate. But when she finds out her bane of existence, the "Prince of Darkness" as she saved his name in her phone, her brother Dylan’s best friend and roommate Tristan, is invited to spend the holiday with her family due to weather conditions that caused his flight to San Diego to be canceled, things take a turn.

Tristan and Nina have known each other for nearly 15 years, and their tumultuous relationship involves too many insults, revenge plots, and nonstop pranks that rekindle their hatred and annoyance. Nina hates him calling her "Gremlin" since her childhood, and Tristan has no idea how his words impact her or how his actions are judged by Nina from a negative perspective.

As soon as he reaches the house, the nonstop pranks start—the game is on! But when their screaming contest starts to threaten the family’s peace, Tristan realizes he has never gotten Nina out of his head since the day she dared to drop the towel around her body in front of him. Nina also notices her childhood crush, who has turned into her arch-nemesis, giving signals that confuse her mind. Their hatred starts turning into hyperventilating attraction, which means they have to get each other out of their systems. Could one night together solve the problem at the risk of getting caught at a family gathering? But what if one night is not enough and their attraction is more than sexual, something more concrete that they cannot deny anymore?

Overall, this book is hot as hell, an easy, very entertaining, humorous read with a well-executed version of my favorite tropes! I had an amazing time, and yes, I wholeheartedly recommend it! Grab your margaritas, daiquiris, or any of your favorite refreshments as you lie on your couch, sipping them while you flip through the pages! Enjoy the full experience!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bollywood Books for sharing this very entertaining romance’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I am a huge sucker for any holiday romance. Christmas time? ✅
Cheesy romance? ✅✅
This book had me laughing out loud pretty much immediately with the fun nicknames Nina and her roommates have assigned to Nina’s brother’s best friend/roommate/Nina’s nemesis. Although very much born out of loathing, Tristan and Nina’s prank war was actually pretty fun and harmless; they seemed to be more about confusing and inconveniencing each other rather than actively trying to hurt one another. Tristan’s challenge to Nina that changed everything in the beginning of the book is full of tension and is such a fun moment and you can clearly see how things progress.
I did find Nina to be pretty childish in the beginning for someone who was supposed to be 28, especially when Tristan first shows up at the house and she’s screaming at her brother over it. There was also a dynamic between Nina and her mother that I felt wasn’t really explored, but seemed set up like it would be. Dylan being an over protective big brother wasn’t surprising, but I still wasn’t a fan of a certain behavior... There were a few things that took me out of the story- Dylan and Nina calling each other ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ in a non-sarcastic manner felt odd and more like something written by someone who doesn’t have siblings and thinks that’s how they interact, and there were a few moments where things were referred to in words that would be more common in other countries, not as people from CT & CA living in NYC (see: Tristan calling his suitcase a ‘trolley’). Overall I’d give this 3.5 ⭐️, it was a fun holiday read.

I want to start off by saying I was stalking NetGalley for this book every couple hours until I could get my hands on this book. Isley’s novels are always a win for me, and they are a great cure for book hangovers and book slumps.

So, diving into this book I didn’t expect to finish it within 10 hours of receiving an ARC. Yet somehow I was completely transported into Tristan and Nina’s story and I couldn’t stop. Ok, I stopped for dinner and a nap but that is it.

The trusty enemies to lovers trope always draws me in. It’s probably my favorite trope. I loved how Isley threw in the older brother’s best friend, but it wasn’t too cliche. The dynamic with the prank wars was fun.

The only downside with this is the first 30% of the novel I found Nina to be a bit childish. Her and I are both 28, and I can’t see myself behaving this way. Well, maybe if I had a hot nemesis, but alas I do not. I will say this greatly improves after the famous vase scene.

I loved Tristan. He is such a great guy and is funny. I know he is supposed to have black hair, but I can’t be the only one who pictured Tristan from Gilmore Girls.

Nina was a fun character who actually has a voice. I could connect with her because I grew up hearing negative things about my appearance and became very self conscious about it too. I appreciated how she spoke her mind and was her own person.

Side characters Dylan, Hunter, and Rowena were amazing!!!! I can already see these characters were their own books. Isley sets us up with their plots at the end of this novel, and I for one cannot wait. Thank goodness Isley is a fast writer!

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me an ARC of this novel. As always, my reviews are 100% genuine. Trust me, I don’t lie on Goodreads.

If you want a novel that has Christmas vibes and will keep you reading this is the one for you!