Thank you for my earc of this book. I love Ashley’s previous books so was v excited for this release. Unfortunately the pace was too slow and the book itself too long. It felt dragged out to me and I struggled to make myself pick it up again. I gave up at 54%
It’s my first Herring-Blake book I’ve DNF and I hope it’s my last as I usually love her books!

Make the Season Bright is a spicy sapphic holiday romance. It was amazing, as always. After binge-reading the Bright Falls series, I couldn't wait to read more from Ashley Herring Blake. Her writing style is so comforting to me. Her characters were amazing and well-developed. They are not perfect, and we get to see their flaws too. The banter and the spice in this book were on point. It is a perfect read for the holiday season. I love everything about this book and can't wait to read the author's future works. Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Brighton and Charlotte both want a little escape from their life during the holidays but they end up stranded together at the same house for Christmas. Nobody except themselves know about what has happened five years ago between them so it’s safe to say that the tension is palpable. Will the Christmas dating events the town organises be able to melt the ice between Charlotte and Brighton?

I had a hard time getting into the story in the beginning since I am not a second chance trope lover. I’m also not the biggest Christmas fan but anything Ashley Herring Blake writes, I need to read and in the end she delivered! I didn’t understand Brighton’s behaviour and actions in the beginning but when the story unfolded I did get where she was coming from. The tension between them two was also very much present and the smut scenes were chef’s kiss 👩🏼‍🍳💋

A gem of a queery Christmas tale of Charlotte and Brightons second chance romance, set to the December theme with a Christmas romance being rekindled after a very dramatic left at the alter situation.

The book felt a lot shorter than the previous tales in the brightfalls series but the story is a very different theme, Charlotte after having being left high and dry on her wedding day is the grumpy, stoic and rightly so angry character. That honestly was hard not feel angry for her when by chance Brighton is back in her life. Does feel at times communication is the issue which is always a bit frustrating but also the fear that goes with listening to what that communication could bring plus honestly for me is always the key!

I enjoyed the characters and the story however I did struggle with feeling sympathetic for Brighton after her actions. The romance as always was spot on but did feel forgiveness came quick given over by the need to be loved. Lots of themes of found family, acceptable, love and following your heart plus a dogo!!

Great setting and lots of supportive queer friend with musical influences running throughout. Right I’m ready for Christmas now and will likely always be a fixture to re-read each festive season. I will given the opportunity to read as part of an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love Ashley Herring Blake's romance novels and I was so eager to read this one. Let me tell you this book did not disappoint in the slightest. I ended up devouring this book in one sitting and loved every minute of it.

At first I was concerned about the whole ex-fiancée situation but I really feel like it worked really well and once you find out why it happened you become more sympathetic to both sides of the relationship and why both Charlotte and Brighton feel the way they do. I loved their chemistry, even when they were trying to hate one another, also the spice was amazing! I loved watching the two dealing with some of their own person problems while also coming to terms with their feelings.

Make The Season Bright is an amazing, angsty and addictive Christmas romance that I absolutely recommend picking up. Ashley Herring Blake is one of my favourite sapphic romance authors and I cannot wait to read whatever she writes next.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was exactly the cutest sapphic Christmas story I wanted it to be but with even more layers.

It's a second chance romance story but also deals with a lot of self discovery, exploring how people grow apart, coming to terms with plans not working out how you want them to and learning to let people love you. All tied up with great characters, a snowy backdrop and Christmas ribbon.

The book is duel POV so really get to know Lola and Bright, seeing the story of their romance from two sides.

Was the book a little bit predictable? Yes, but it's a Christmas romance so that's going to be the case. I really didn't mind as the details of how it all played out were fun and also a bit heartbreaking.

This was the perfect start to my festive reading and a book I'll reach for each December.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of Make the Season Bright in exchange for an honest review. Ashley Herring Blake is one of my absolute favourite authors by now, so I was very excited to get to read her new book slightly ahead of time!

In this new adult romance novel, the protagonists are childhood best friends and ex's with a past of heartbreak. Brighton left Charlotte at the altar, Charlotte did her best to move on and build herself a stoic, unbreakable facade. For years, she hasn't let anyone in, even her new friends, because she is determined to never get hurt again the way she did when Brighton left. But fate has other plans, because the two women suddenly find themselves spending a festive week together at their respective best friends houses... which happens to be the same place, as the two are sisters. Between trying to pretend they don't know each other, festive dating events and music from the past, Brighton and Charlotte have to figure out what's still going on between them and whether they can well and truly move on.

As always, Ashley Herring Blake's writing is exceptional. Well-paced, witty and the perfect amount of descriptive. I couldn't stop reading, once I got going! The characters are well defined, with layers to peel back chapter after chapter - the MCs, as well as a couple of the supporting characters. Their second-chance romance is well developed, slow burn and angsty enough to feel appropriate for how their first relationship ended (and I'm not often so in favour of second chances). My only issue was with the lack of communication going on between the two MCs for a lot of the book. They could have saved themselves so much heartache with a proper conversation earlier on! That said, it would have spoiled the existence of the story, soooo we can't really complain ;)

I'd definitely recommend Make The Season Bright to anyone who loves a good holiday romance, sapphic love, second chances and strong friendships. I've already ordered my physical copy to proudly add to my AHB collection!

I loved Ashley's previous books and had high hopes for this one - and it did not disappoint! I thought the premise was great, it felt original and fresh and the setting was so cute and cosy. Really connected with both characters - and I loved the personal growth they each went on.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

it had all the elements that you would need... christmas, music and a lost love

charlotte was a survivor.... she had been dumped on her wedding day at the altar and she had rebuit herself in that time... she was an established violinist and they were about to go on a european tour

what she wasnt expecting was to come face to face with her ex at her friends house and that they would be spending the christmas holidays together...

Brighton Fairbrook was the ex.... and even her shock at seeing charlotte was on masked because she had seen charlotte before charlotte had seen her.... what she wasnt expecting was to be ignored ... but ignored she was....

things hadnt been going well for brighton she had been kicked out of her band and she was listless not knowing where or what to do. she also wasnt looking forward to spending christmas without her parents who were in france.... so this invite to spend christmas with her friend was what was needed but not bumping into her ex

an enjoyed read with all the bumps and spice anyone could possibly want.... cant wait to read the next book by this author

Well, this was great.
I flew through this. I could not stop reading. It was very good. I loved the setting, the characters and the romance, the circumstances. I also loved the side characters. I really felt for Sloane. Basically, this had everything and it made me feel everything.
A perfectly layered holiday romance.

3.5 ⭐

This was incredibly sweet and emotional, not too angsty, definitely a wonderful second chance romance.

I loved the humour, the music and passion, the spice was hot too.

But I strongly disliked Charlotte - she didn't seem grumpy to me, she came across as rude and entitled. And whilst it's made clear it's all due to her upbringing, she was unnecessarily cruel to her friends.

Brighton was brilliant, I preferred her as a character and her story made more of an impact on me. I did like them together as a couple, and the snippets of their developing relationship over the years were adorable too.

Overall, it is a very cute festive romance, but it's not on quite the same level as the Bright Falls series.

May the season be merry and queer! It might be October, but I could feel Mariah defrosting with every page turned.

Do I love a second chance romance? In real life, no. But in a romance novel I eat that right up and hunker down using red flags as warm fleecy blankets. And this story is no exception. I really wanted to dislike one of the main characters but once again there’s two sides to every story and in a dual narration novel, we’re going to hear them both. Neither of them are perfect, maybe you’d even go as far as saying they’re perfectly flawed and that honestly feels like any real relationship.

I ended up really routing for this to work out and make all the ups and downs they’ve suffered in their lives really worth it.

There’s second chance love, there’s abandonment issues, there’s perfectly set hallmark movie worthy scenes, and for all of you that like it there’s even some light spice. I will absolutely be buying and gifting this to my festive queers this Christmas.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for gifting this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
This book was just... amazing.
I love Ashley Herring Blake books (Delilah Green is my bookish wife, after all!!) And this was no exception. I love the atmosphere and the found family. I love that the characters weren't perfect but flawed, and that makes them feel real.
I love the friendships (Sloane was my girl!), and the romance was fantastic.
If you want something sweet and sexy to start the season, this is it.

I adore Ashley Herring Blake's writing she is the reason I got back into reading after nearly a decade. I am not huge on second chance romances and I was scared by left at the alter trop but this book did not disappoint. I loved Adele and Brighton's friendship and the angst that was between Charlotte and Brighton. Forced proximity, one bed what was not to enjoy. Seeing each other for who they really are I am so excited to receive my physical of this. Stuck in the same house for Christmas 5 years after being left down the aisle? Since leaving her Bright has lost all of her love for music after being betrayed she hasn't picked up a guitar since. Since Lola was left waiting for Bright her careers taking off but her personal life is lacking the reunion gives them both something they need Bright picks up a guitar and Lola finally allows someone in again and this also helps her other relationships,

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
✰ 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
✰ 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴
✰ 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯
✰ 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺
✰ 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤

The most wonderful time of the year is coming and this book was my first official read in the subgenre.
Needless to say I adored it! This book had it all: and emotional and super angsty second chance with two characters who so clearly still adored each other deeply, pain, hot spice and fun banter, a beautiful found family dynamic... all wrapped up in warm Holidays vibes!

I highly recommend this book this upcoming season. It's truly magical but again Ashley Herring Blake never misses!

*arc kindly provided in exchange of an honest review

4.5 stars

Ashley Herring Blake has officially broken the streak! I have never loved Christmas romances because I find they can be super cliche and ridiculous, but this story was anything but that. It was heartfelt, emotional, tension-filled, and had just the perfect amount of Christmas-y spirit to remind me of the season, without overdoing it. In Make the Season Bright, we're focusing on two women who, let's face it, have been through one of the most embarrassing life experiences a woman can have. The secondhand humiliation was real when I was reading about what happened, and I was just so heartbroken for Lola. I started the story having no idea how Brighton could possibly earn forgiveness and how the two of them could build any kind of trusting relationship. But leave it to Ashley Herring Blake to really give an in-depth exploration of both sides of the situation, that just left me feeling like the entire thing was incredibly misfortunate but truly couldn't solely be blamed on either of them. I'm amazed how Ashley Herring Blake was able to take that situation and not mate me hate either of the characters, instead rooting for each of them to recover. As individual characters, they were so easy to fall in love with. Both Lola and Brighton were incredibly complicated, with a lot of guilt and feeling like they were unloveable on both sides. I loved the character arcs of both of them, as they leaned on each other and the other people in their lives to resolve all that heartbreak, but also how the last step was something they needed to do individually. That's something I've noticed happens in a lot of this author's books, and I absolutely love it because it means the characters come back to each other in a much better emotional state and mental state than before the book even started. As for their relationship, I said before that I did wonder how I could possibly be convinced that these two would be good for each other, but through plenty of tension and attraction and trust-building, Ashley Herring Blake was able to convince me. The second-chance romance was paced perfectly, and this story just reminded me why that is one of my favourite tropes. As for the secondary characters, so much of me wanted this to become a series so I could explore Sloane and Wes, and Dorian and Manish. Those characters were built so well that I could gladly read stories about them, without complaint. Lastly, the setting and the plot of this story was so amazing. I loved how Christmas was injected into the story without being overpowering, and I loved the small-town competition and all the funny moments it created. It was the perfect levity to what could have been a really deep story. I think the only thing that stopped me from giving this book five stars was that there was something happening towards the end of the read that caused my intrigue to dip. I don't know what it was, but I did start to skim over a couple paragraphs. But I honestly think that was such a me thing, so I would 1,000% recommend this to holiday romance lovers and non-lovers alike!

as a huge of fan of her ‘bright falls’ series i was really happy to receive this arc!

i was a little hesitant going in because although i love holiday romances and this author’s writing i’m not the biggest fan of second chance romances or ‘left at the altar’ tropes. i was pleasantly surprised though because it was well executed and a great book to pick up at christmas!

A seasonal second-chance sapphic romance!

Five years after Charlotte was left at the altar, she is invited to spend Christmas with her colleague and friend at her family home. Not a fan of December, she wants to get through the Christmas period as quickly as possible then go on her music tour through Europe. But she realised that Christmas might be a lot harder when she realises another guest has been invited - none other than her ex-fiancée Brighton. The two of them now need to navigate the Christmas holiday, with all their baggage.

This was a really sweet story about second chances - really made me think about sometimes it really is 'right person, wrong time'. I loved hearing about Charlotte and Brighton's relationship through the years (we saw flashbacks to various points in their life, where we go to understand their backstory and what happened between them). I really felt for Charlotte but over the course of the story grew to understand Brighton's point of view and ended up feeling for her too. The dynamic between the two (both in the past and in the present) was handled quite well, and made them feel like well-developed characters with a lot going on.

The sex scenes also felt really natural - not just shoed in to have a sex scene, but rather they flowed with the story. They were also very well-written!

There were times where the story felt a little sitcomy and wacky, especially at the Turtledove events, but overall that didn't distract from my enjoyment. I think for a Christmas story, scenes like that are expected and they weren't as outrageous as they could be.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this - Ashley Herring Blake has not let me down so far and I'm glad that this was another enjoyable story from them!

My rating: 4.5* (rounded up to 5)

A trope-y, comedic Christmas second chance romance with winter-y shenanigans, being snowed in, and a singles competition. With a cast that is almost entirely queer, which is really kind of refreshing.

Brighton and Charlotte have been friends since they were 12, dating since they were 17, and engaged to be married... until Brighton doesn't show up on their wedding day. Five years of silence later, they meet by accident when their respective friends invite them to a Christmas-y getaway.

Here's the thing: it's hard to read a romance book when I have zero sympathy for one of the characters. Sure, Brighton had her own reasons for leaving Charlotte standing at the altar alone, but those reasons didn't really justify the humiliation and heartbreak for me. It didn't help that once they met again, it was Brighton who started out with the passive aggressive comments at dinner in front of everyone. Like, girl, you don't have the moral high ground, you just look like an asshole.

For those reasons it took me at least half the book to really come around to Brighton and root for them to be together. Thankfully there were other factors that saved the book for me - mostly Charlotte's arc to become a better friend, and her fascinating December curse. I also liked Brighton's side-plot with the former members of her music band, and the story of the song she wrote for Charlotte.

In summary, I had some issues with Brighton's behavior, but it was still an enjoyable, comedic and heartfelt wintery read. With a lot of cheery queers.

The most difficult reviews for me to write are always the ones of books i adored and i freaking loved Make the season bright. I have loved every Ashley Herring Blake book i had the pleasure to read so far.
One thing i adore about Holiday romances specifically about queer ones, is that the main characters learn to enjoy the moment they are currently in, and that's something that resonates with me each time. As a 20 something struggling through life, seeing someone start to live their lifes to the fullest makes me feel so hopeful and warm.
I freaking adored Charlotte and Brighton, their struggles and personalities were instantly relatable to me.
Charlotte's first chapter were she talks about December hooked me and i couldn't stop reading it till i looked up 3 hours later sitting in the same place i stopped for a second, but now full of warm and fuzzy feelings.
I do like second chance romance as trope, the angst, the closeness of the person you used to know, getting to know each other for who you are now, and I'm glad to say that Charlotte and Brighton delivered in everything i wanted from I and more. Their friends and friend's family helped to make this romcom full of shenanigans whole.

I honestly can't really bring myself to explain with words why i loved this so much but i absolutely recommend picking up Make the season bright if you are interested this upcoming holiday season.