My first time reading anything from this author, and it definitely won’t be my last.

The book made me laugh out loud, and yes, I even teared up a little. Normally, I’m not a fan of kids in books, but these kids were hilarious, I couldn't help but love them! I’m also not usually drawn to Hallmark-style holiday romcoms, but this one completely won me over.

Cooper and Madeline were so wholesome. Their chemistry and banter were off the charts—seriously swoon-worthy. Cooper might just be my new favorite book boyfriend, and I loved how strong and well-rounded Madeline’s character was.

This book also touches on deeper themes like grief, insecurities, and realistic family dynamics, which made it all the more impactful.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this eARC. Snowed Under releases on November 23rd and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a holiday romcom with heart. I can’t wait to read more from Juliana Smith! 💟❄️⛷️🚡

4.5 🌟

🚡Single aunt
🚡Dual pov
🚡Closed door romance
🚡Fake dating
🚡Holiday romcom
🚡NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP!! (TY JULIANA)

Ok, Madeleine and Cooper are absolutely adorable. I loved this book and raced through it. Their relationship has some realistic up and downs, especially with coming to terms with being a guardian to your brother’s children.

There were some pacing issues and the order of the plot got a little confused toward the end, probably because of the dual point of views. Overall, a great book and I think it would be enjoyable for almost anyone.

I was so thankful to have the ARC of Snowed Under because I could not wait to read Cooper’s story after meeting him in Baggage Claim.

Cooper is the epitome of the Golden Retriever MMC trope and I just loved his silly but loving personality. He was so well written.

Madeline was also a great character. Her struggles with parenthood with Mini Coop and Half Pint were so spot on - even though she’s the kids’ aunt.

I loved how sweet and cozy this book was. Again, no spice here, it’s all closed door, but it didn’t detract at all. It still was a very binge-worthy holiday romance and I do hope we see more from this series!

Loved this book so so much!! It was a perfect read to get in to all of the wintery feels and the romance was so sweet

Another fantastic read! The characters make a great pair, and you’ll find yourself rooting for them throughout the entire book. Watching Coop fall in love not once, but three times, will truly tug at your heartstrings.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Victory Editing and Juliana Smith for sending me an ARC of Snowed Under!

This is the second instalment in Juliana Smith's Aspen Peaks series, in which we follow Cooper Graves and Madeline Sage as they go on not-dates and learn everything about each other, after Cooper agreed to do an interview for the ski lodge with his wife. He doesn't have a wife. But he'd do anything to have Madeline agree to pretend to be his wife.

Cooper Graves is a ski instructor at his family's ski lodge in Aspen, after losing his grandfather he has decided to become a better version of himself, someone his grandfather and mum would be proud of. He's changed his habits and lifestyle and is now focusing on the kids he teaches and skiing. That is of course until he sees Madeline Sage and all plans of avoiding women go out the window. After being asked to do an interview with his wife he knows the only person he wants to play pretend with is Madeline.

Madeline Sage is a part time housekeeper at the ski lodge and does online nursing school, all while looking after her 2 year old niece and 9 year old nephew, who her brother and best friend left her in their will. All she wants to do is give them the best life possible. So when she is picking up little Charlie from ski school and Cooper tries to flirt with her pretending that Charlie is his son she can't help forming a friendship with him. What she doesn't expect is to catch feelings for him after agreeing to be his fake wife for a magazine article.

I loved this. It was so cute seeing Cooper and Charlie bonding on the slopes, and Cooper trying to bribe Piper with Slim Jims. I'm so proud of Madeline for doing what she did, taking in her niece and nephew and giving them all the love they deserved. This book had me laughing out loud, kicking my feet and giggling, swoon and tear up a few times, it was such a cute and wholesome story. There were so many times throughout where both main characters needed some hugs, I am so happy they found each other. I absolutely loved the meet cute where Cooper had no idea that Charlie was Madeline's nephew and he pretended to be his dad, made me fall in love with him so quickly.

Even though I have never been in a situation like Madeline myself, I feel that Juliana did a perfect job of capturing what is would be like to grieve your brother and best friend then have to take in their children all on your own. Madeline is so much stronger than I am, I would've definitely crumbled, I love how much she loved those kids and treated them as her own. I loved her. Then to see Cooper come in and not at all be phased by her situation or scared off by the kids, especially Piper, but to show them so much love and affection, just ah made me love him so much more.

The support from Dr Lora, as well as Finn and Olive, was so cute, I love side characters like them. I really fell in love with this story and already miss the characters and their not-dates. If you are looking for a sweet, single guardian, fake dating romance get this book asap it was just amazing.

KEY TROPES:
- fake dating
- holiday romance
- skiing
- single guardian aunt
- black cat gf x golden retriever bf
- adorable kids
- workplace romance
- no third act breakup
- opposites attract
- perfect meet cute
- strangers to friends to lovers

juliana does it again!! another swoonworthy romcom that is perfect for your winter reading. lovely characters and plot, i just love this theme so much

This is my first book by this author, I probably should have read Baggage Claim first but I didn’t realise it was the second in the series. Either way this book was a standalone and it made me feel all of the feels 🥹 it was such a heartwarming and wholesome book filled with emotions. Piper and Charlie were such amazing characters and the relationships in this book were just perfection. I’d give this 6 stars if I could 🙈

this was super cute!! Cooper and Madeline’s relationship was so real and I loved how Cooper helped her figure out who she is🤍

Madeline has taken guardianship of her niece and nephew after her brother and sister-in-law pass away unexpectedly. With a 9 and 2 year old, her life is hectic. She’s also full time in school and works part time. Juggling everything is not easy and she doesn’t rely on many people to help.

When Cooper needs a wife and kids to help save the Ski Lodge, he tries to convince Madeline to help. And while they’re faking it to help the ski lodge… do either of them stand a chance at not falling for each other?

These two were so sweet and I loved Cooper’s relationship with the kids!

There was so much to love in Snowed Under, a perfectly wintery romance!

Cooper is a ski instructor at his family’s lodge, and he accidentally signs up for an interview to publicize the lodge that will feature him and his nonexistent wife. Enter Madeline, the aunt who has custody of one of the kids Cooper teaches at the lodge. The pair agree to a fake dating style situation that quickly becomes much more real.

I adored the way this pair got to know one another, through “not dates” and little games of listing off things they liked and disliked, their dreams and fears. Their dates were cute and the connection felt like it was growing at a perfect pace. Cooper and the two kids that Madeline is raising were also adorable together, and I loved how the side characters of his mother and their friends Finn and Olive were incorporated in the story.

Madeline comes with plenty of baggage- a strained relationship with her parents, grief over the loss of her brother and sister in law, and just plain exhaustion of single motherhood while attending nursing school. I loved how she used positive affirmations to remind herself that her brother wanted her raising these babies, and loved seeing her character growth,

I did note several plot inconsistencies and some chapters that felt out of order in the ARC, and hopefully that will be fixed before publication!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC copy. While I really enjoyed Juliana Smith’s previous book, Baggage Claim, I didn’t love this one nearly as much. I found some of the dialogue extra cringe even for a romance book, and was expecting more of a Christmas vibe. I’m really glad I got to read it but it just wasn’t for me!

*4.5
I have to be honest: during the first 15-20% of the book, I wasn’t sure about the male lead. He felt a bit off to me, but then he quickly grew on me. He transformed from self-centered to someone truly swoon-worthy.
This story feels unique for a single-parent romance. Instead of the parent having it all together, Madeline’s struggles felt real and relatable, showing how easy it is to lose yourself in caring for others. I loved how strong she was, even when things were hard.
Cooper, with his reformed bad-boy vibe, was a joy to read. He came off as pushy at first, but as the story unfolded, he revealed a heart of gold that had me smiling.
Their relationship started as a friendship, building naturally and evolving into something more—a perfect slow burn

I have no idea what Ms. Juliana Smith has imbued into Snowed Under to make it the cutest, kicking my feet, giggling, cutesy, BUT also heart-string pulling rom-com that will make you feel a WILD rollercoaster of emotions! This book had the PERFECT balance of some grief and stress in the back story (and current story) BUT it also had so much joy and brightness that the overall effect is a bright powerful story that is a rom-com but also a story about personal growth (with a glorious dash of fake dating)!👀
Baggage Claim was my first Juliana Smith book (and ARC) and I absolutely ADORED it so being able to come back to Aspen Peaks and catch up with the characters I knew and loved BUT also get to meet and grow to love so many new characters was amazing! And speaking of new characters, this book has SO many of them and it's great because it gives you so many amazing characters to fall in love with! All of the side-ish characters (almost main but not quite) like Charlie (Madeline's kid), Piper (also Madeline's kid (but also a gremlin of sorts), and Lola (Cooper's mom) are amazing characters that will have you laughing when you need to and crying too! This book had me feeling SO many emotions and I absolutely adored it! AND the ending had me tearing up too just because it was pure sweetness!
I can't wait for everyone to fall in love with this book and feel snowed under with adoration for Snowed Under! Thank you so much to Juliana Smith for an early copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review! I have never met one of your books that I haven't liked! 🫶

Madeline & Cooper are so cute ah! Snowed Under is a ski rom com type book that I loved! I myself am a skier and haven't found a ton of books that include the sport but I loved how Cooper (the MMC) is a ski instructor and Madeline (FMC) works at the ski lodge. The two meet thanks to Madeline's lovely nephew Charlie and this book is just amazing for the winter season. Madeline is strong, funny, and a little scare of getting hurt. Cooper has never felt like anyone truly know him. Watching these two characters fall in love was the best and I really enjoyed the interview 10 years later at the end!

I adored Baggage Claim & found this one to be just as great! It’s a perfect wintery romance. The characters are lovable & the plot kept me entertained!! There are definitely some flaws but nothing kept me from wanting to keep reading. Definitely recommend for your winter TBR!

Snowed Under releases on Nov 23!!

A cute and highly lovable holiday rom com! Cooper and Madeline were the sweetest. The kiddos; Charlie and Piper were hilarious and adorable. If you love watching hallmark movies around Christmas time, this book is for you. It’s an easy, quick, and fluffy read that is perfect for a cozy night in with some hot chocolate and a warm blanket. :)

Cooper was so easy to fall in love with, he was witty and had the best golden-retriever-energy! I loved how obsessed he was with Madeline from the start and how he worked to gain the kids’ trust. Madeline was hard-working and strong, but I did find that I disagreed with how she went about some things. I really enjoyed the tension between these two! It's honestly what kept me into this book.

There was lots of fun banter in this one while also being emotional and heartfelt. Although the banter was sometimes really good, sometimes they would be talking about stuff that was really weird and random. The book seemed very obviously indie which is not something I usually find in Juliana’s books.

I wished there was more of a confrontation between Madeline and her parents. I really wish she had proved them wrong a bit more—or there was a follow-up conversation after their fight. On the other hand, while her parents were extremely selfish and inconsiderate with Madeline and her future, I do kind of see their point with the kids. Madeline has somewhat of a hard time getting by with the kids, school, and work. When she gained custody of them, why wouldn’t she have let the kids go to their grandparents if they were going to give them a better life and be more financially stable? At least until Madeline finished school or she was more ready for all the work that goes into taking care of two kids.

I will say, the ARC version had some formatting/editing issues so I don’t know if they will make the final cut but there were some things that didn’t make sense. For example, the description of some characters wasn’t consistent. Cooper had green then brown eyes, and I wasn’t actually certain what colour his hair was meant to be. Madeline’s brother had blond then black hair. There were also a couple chapters that were out of place which got kinda confusing but I’m hoping that was only an issue for the ARC readers!

Overall, I give Snowed Under 3.5 stars!

Things I Loved:
- Single guardian
- Golden retriever mmc
- Holiday rom com
- Fake relationship
- Boy obsessed
- Opposites attract
- Banter

Thank you so much to Juliana Smith and NetGalley for the ARC! Congrats on the upcoming release. 🥰

YES YES YES... this girl is crying happy tears. cooper cooper COOPER..
this book was so so so so good. Juliana Smith can do no wrong. i want to cry. the emotional rollercoaster this book had on me..... single aunt with two kids and a HOT ski-instructor. Fake Dating, lets get to know each other... she is studying to be a nurse. Mini Coop and Half - Pint. is there any thing I can ask for. also cameos from Finnland and Olive Branch. I can't 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

This book was so cute! Loved, loved, loved!

I loved the story and the romance, plus the characters were amazing. The romance was done so beautifully. I enjoyed the build-up and their chemistry a lot. Plus this book delivers on the cozy, winter vibes.

Would recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher and Juliana Smith for providing me with an advanced reader copy for review purposes!

Snowed Under is the second book in the Aspen Peaks series, but don’t worry you can read it even if you didn’t read Baggage Claim! I did and I enjoyed it just fine, and now I want to go back and check out book one so I can get to know Finn better!
The story follows Cooper, a ski instructor for his family lodge, and Madeline, a nursing student who also happens to be the legal guardian of her niece and nephew. It deals with grief, love and family in many beautiful ways. This book was entertaining, enjoyable and heartwarming. I loved seeing all the different characters grow and I loved following them in their own personal journeys. Each one of them, from our main characters to the kids, had little aspects of themselves they needed to work on and it was so nice to see them find the strength and the help they needed in each other. Now I want a Cooper Graves too, where can I find one??
The winter vibes were immaculate, I wouldn’t define this as a holiday read (even though there’s a bit of holiday spirit too!) but it’s definitely perfect for readers that are looking for a seasonal read.

Rating: 4.25 ⭐
Release date: November 23rd, 2024
Found Family
Opposites attract
Closed door romance
Winter/Holiday vibes
Fake dating

My review on instagram and Goodreads will go up on release day!

(3.5)

This was a cute winter read!! I loved the found family and the relationship cooper had with the kids as he became a father figure to them 🥹🫶🏻 I do think the fake dating was unnecessary as that was very much not a main point of the story and didn’t really happen… I think the story would’ve been stronger if there was just a ski instructor trying to go out with his students aunt how it started in the beginning! Overall though, I love the care and adoration these two had for each other as they became their own family unit. This book was filled with humor, heartbreak, and joy!