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.

Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for My ARC copy.

3.5⭐️
This was a really quick sapphic festive book, I really had a good time reading it. I feel like I would have rated it higher but Charlotte irritated me a lot. I absolutely Loved Brighton though. That being said I would still recommend it to any of my friends/family who were looking for a LGBTQ+ Holiday Read.

This book was extremely heartwarming but also so incredibly frustrating at times. I really struggled with what to rate this as a result, but, as I'm feeling ✨festive✨ I've rounded it up to a 4.

Synopsis:
“Make the Season Bright” follows Charlotte, a successful violinist who was left at the altar by her ex-fiancée, Brighton, five years ago. After finding out Charlotte intends to spend Christmas alone, her quartet convince her to fly out and spend Christmas in Colorado. To everyone's surprise, Brighton is also there.

As they navigate a series of Christmas activities together, old memories and feelings begin to resurface. Despite the initial tension, the magic of the season and their shared love for music begin to thaw the ice between them.

Tropes

🎄Sapphic Holiday Romance
🎄Second-chance
🎄Found Family
🎄'Huddle for warmth' because its cold 👉👈
❄️SNOWED IN!

Thoughts

Charlotte’s emotional walls were a significant source of frustration for me throughout the story. Her reluctance to open up and ✨communicate✨ with Brighton created a palpable tension that could at times be exasperating. I do feel as though this did allow us to understand the reasoning behind the 'altar incident' but it was a bit much at times. However, the cozy Colorado holiday setting, complete with snowy landscapes, horseback riding, and cookie decorating, really brought out the magic of the season. The festive activities not only offer a delightful contrast to Charlotte’s emotional struggles but also serve as a catalyst for her eventual character growth.

I also ADORED the use of music in this novel and I really need December Light to be released as a single asap. The author and characters love of music really came through for me in the novel and I was pumping my fist into the air when Brighton stood up for herself against some old bandmates.

Finally, the side characters were a really great part of this story, with banter, a side-love-story and meaningful depiction of adult friendships really fleshed out the narrative, making it the engaging novel it is.

Name Christmas, give me a book that has all the Christmas movie vibes and whether it is summer, autumn or winter I will be there.

Charlotte is a talented violinist who, after being left at the altar, sees December as that 'cursed' time when everything goes wrong. Five years after the tragic accident Charlotte leads a successful music career in New York and lives with the scars of the past still open, anxiety and all the barriers raised even with her closest friends that page after page will fall.

Brighton, on the other hand, is the opposite: she is an open book, she is extroverted and, although it is not easy, she tries to make up in every way for the mistakes in the past that have caused the scars that mark Charlotte.

Charlotte and Brighton were best friends and then betrothed ... until Brighton leaves Charlotte at the altar to find himself spending the Christmas holidays with her five years later. Personally, I'm not a fan of second chances because I for one could never forgive something like that, but I must admit that here I changed my mind: it may have been due to the Christmas atmosphere, but the author, through past and present moments, managed to convey that relationships are often made up of joy, pain, growth, forgiveness and understanding, and that if there is commitment on both sides, you can start afresh.

I finished this book in one afternoon and found it perfect for all those people who, like me, love Christmas and the magical atmosphere!

Ashley Herring Blake is an auto-buy author for me. As soon as I saw this was being released I had to have it. I was not disappointed. This is a tale of second chances and people in love coming back together.

The characters were so well written and you could feel their chemistry from the words on the page. There is also a found family aspect which I’m a huge, huge fan of. All of the characters were written so well.

I was slightly skeptical due to it being an holiday romance (NOT A FAN) but it didn’t take over the whole plot of the book.

"Charlotte Donovan was cursed."

3.5 stars

I feel quite torn about my feelings for this book. There are so many things that I loved about this story, and yet there were a few things that held me back from enjoying it even more.

I liked the premise of the story, I liked the idea of the main couple meeting again after everything that had happened. I was drawn in with finding out what had happened between them the first time. I definitely felt the chemistry between characters at times, it was enjoyable to see the love and care of characters in scenes. I think the wider cast of characters dynamic was truly the most enjoyable. I loved all the interactions between the main and side characters, I loved the dynamics and the humour that the side characters brought to the scenes. I liked the side characters were also able to bring forth the development and movement with the main characters.

I just wanted to feel the love between characters a bit more. I think at times that the flow of the story and the flipping between emotions made it harder to feel connected to the relationship that was happening. I wanted to feel more strongly that their relationship had develop and their character arcs had been truly realised. I also wanted some other parts of the plot to be explored more and give us more glimpses into the characters.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for this eARC, I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I really enjoyed this even with second chances not really being my favourite but this one was adorable and they were so made for each other
I loved the setting it sounded so magical I would love to visit !!
I adored all the characters and am hoping Adele gets her own book !
Bright and Lola broke my heart and mended it
Such a sweet Christmas filled fun story

Unfortunately not for me, I could not connect with the characters or writing style. I would still recommend if you enjoy second chance romances and Ashley Herring Blake.