This book is such a lovely Christmas book to read and get you in the festive mood. I lay on the sofa with the Christmas tree lights on reading this in one night! would definitely recommend.

This book was such a fun read! It had me chuckling all the way through, with the rivalry between Eve and Will making for some really entertaining moments. I loved how their skepticism toward Christmas gradually melted away in such a charming, unexpected way. The setting of Noelville felt like the perfect cozy holiday backdrop, and I couldn't help but root for these two as they went from rivals to something much more. It's a heartwarming reminder that sometimes, the best Christmas magic happens when you least expect it. Definitely a great pick if you're looking for a lighthearted, festive romance!

What a cute, fun Christmas romance! The setting was adorable, and I want to visit Noelville myself! The “penemies” to lovers trope was a fun setup!

This was a short read and I was thankful for that, as I usually love Christmas type books like this but for some reason, I just couldn't get into it
The characters were not great for me, they just both hated Christmas and were so blah in my opinion.
The cheesy holiday (Hallmark style) was just not a win for this book, usually, it works great but not in this book
I am a mood reader so that could be an issue for my opinions on this book, the only thing i suggest is to read the book yourself f you think you might like it because we are all so different and so many like what others don't.
I am so sorry that my review could not be better but it was just so hard to get through this book, I started it early in the month and had to stop and come back to it multiple times to try to read it. :(

That was just delightful! Eve and Will are both writers for a travel website and are competing for a coveted spot as senior editor. This has them on a train to Noelville for a week long holiday experience. Its a town only reachable by train that is 100% Christmas.
Not so surprisingly, neither have much holiday spirit going into this week, but as they spend time together, they realize there is more than just an annoying coworker vibe.
The banter was fantastic and I chuckled throughout the story. Romance was very light, only eluded to, which fit the story well.
Thank you fit the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas by Julianna Keyes is a cute Hallmarkesque Christmas book.

A Christmas Train to a Christmas Town with two competing writers who don't like Christmas. If you like Hallmark movies this may be a book for you.
Personally there was just too many different romantic tropes (although the writer did reference this in a way through her characters) for me.

I love stories similar to holiday Hallmark movies, so this was a very enjoyable read over my holiday break. The two characters have great chemistry and would even go great together on screen!

I was surprised that Keyes had written a clean romance. It felt lacking in areas, almost like a writing exercise for the author rather than a passion project.

3.5 ⭐️

The perfect little Christmas novella during the holiday season! I loved getting to fall into the world of Will & Eve as they went from rival writers who both hate Christmas to lovers with great banter! If you love enemies to lovers, all the holiday activities & a short but sweet read, you will love Its Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am giving this book two stars because I decided that I won't DNF-it, despite wanting to do so after the half-way point of the book. Overall, the book felt like I am watching two puppets go through a Christmas-themed resort that I can only hear about but never quite see, or feel, or sense, and the puppeteer is rushing through the story. With all of my respect to everyone involved in this book, I think the story may have worked in a different format, simply not as a novella, although some parts of it were not quite my cup of teа. The book is supposed to be enemies-to-lovers, I couldn't quite understand why they are enemies though. Rivals, sure, enemies, though? Why they disliked each other, I truly do not know. To sum everything up, this book was too rushed for me to enjoy it and I don't think I would recommend it to anyone because of that.

Really cute holiday romance with cozy vibes and no spice. A little predictable, as all romances are, but that did not make it any less enjoyable. Perfect for anyone who loves Hallmark Christmas movies. This review was posted on Goodreads and Amazon as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this book.

4/5 ⭐️

This was a very cute Christmas novella. It follows two colleagues who are duped into a trip to a Christmas themed town together for a travel writing job in order to compete for a promotion. This enemies to lovers romantic comedy has forced proximity and tons of Christmas cheer.

It starts off a bit slow and almost feels like the MCs are checking off boxes on a list while they’re in the town…which maybe they are I guess if they’re trying to hit the hot spots in the town? Their boss wants them to get the classic Christmas movie experience and it seems like they might when they run into people from their pasts. My only complaints are the pacing issues I’d mentioned and that I wish there was some resolution with them.

This was a very cute story. Sticky sweet, dripping with fluff. Just so much will they…won’t they? It’s not spicy at all, but you’re not missing it. I rarely say that.

Thank you to Julianna Keyes, the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was EXACTLY what I've been looking for in a Christmas story! From page one Keyes transports the reader to a cozy, MAGICAL (iykyk ;)) little Christmas village that is dripping in childhood nostalgia and vibes. Keyes has a way of making every setting come to life that gives you all the warm fuzzies when reading this quick novella. I wish it were a full length book! Looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!

🎄 workplace rivals to lovers
🎄 small town vibes
🎄oozing in christmas nostalgia and magic
🎄quick read (just over 100 pages)

3.5 stars
“It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” served as a nice, quick and fun novella to read to get into more of a Christmas spirit this year.

I think the dual POV worked well for the tone of the book and allowed things to stay more lighthearted and fluffy, and the characters were likable enough. Despite that, they were all very, very similar and it didn’t really feel like there was any distinction between them.

The plot was entirely predictable but I feel the story leant into that and utilised it well. I understand that this was definitely intended to be more of an atmospheric, cozy read rather than one with plot twists and unexpected developments, conflicts, etc.

I’d definitely recommend this, you could probably read it in one sitting quite easily as it is really quite short and very easy to read and digest.

Though, I do wonder about the cover art, why Eve has brown hair in that but throughout the book it’s referenced repeatedly that she has red hair. I mean, not just once or twice. Like it was a feature of most chapters, it felt like, so that kind of feels like a funny oversight but has zero impact on the story.

The classic hallmark christmas story but a little different.

I love hallmark christmas movies, as basic and predictable as they are.
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas uses the classic christmas romance tropes to their full advantages while also changing them enough to not be stale or boring.
This was the perfect novella for the festive season. It's got the cozy and warm christmas vibes, the festive cheer, the rivals to lovers story and the happy ending.

The story felt rushed with the main characters Eve and Will lacking depth.

I know this was a Novella but I was hoping for so much more.

There are far better Christmas stories out waiting to give you that extra Christmas cheer.

I enjoyed this rivals to lovers story. It gives sweet Hallmark movie vibes with sarcasm and witty banter. I had a hard time getting into it at first but the 2nd half was great.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Victory Editing Co-op for early access to this title which was re-released this month. This novella is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit - two frenemy (or penemy as one tries to argue writing competitors could be called, to the chagrin of his friends) travel writers are thrust by their editor into a Christmas wonderland in Vermont for the week of Christmas. Both have to come to terms with their experiences growing up with the holidays, and their growing attraction for each other. This is a short, sweet novella that does a nice job poking fun at the tropes of made for tv holiday movies while also reminding the reader why those movies exist. I recommend this enemies-to-lovers fun for readers looking for a quick holiday escape. You just may want to book your own ticket to Noelville!

4-

A cute, clean, Christmas romance novella in which two rival travel writers are sent to the Christmas resort of Noelville to write up a story about the place.

It's a very chill story, and basically nothing happens, but it's cute and fun and full of festive cheer with a hint of ironic distance which keeps it from getting too cloying or sentimental.

There are no great obstacles to overcome or misunderstandings to resolve, no high drama, just two people who aren't overly fond of Christmas succumbing to some holiday magic.

I particularly enjoyed how Will got into the sledding, and it reminded me of childhood winters in Norway and how exhilarating it is to go down a steep hill at breakneck speeds. It's absolutely not only for children (say the adult who still delights in water slides). And now I'm once again sad that The Netherlands is so flat. And that it's again shaping up to be a grey and rainy - rather than white - Christmas.

If you love cheesy holiday movies but are also aware of how corny they are, this book is for you.