It's a fun Christmas romance, very cute and cheesy. It's has the rivals to lovers trope but has no toxicity. I could picture myself in Noelville and now I can't wait for Christmas to arrive!
Thank you Netgalley and Julianna Keyes for the arc!

- Christmas vibes
- work rivals
- traveling

This should've just been an epilogue to a book not a novella by itself 🤦🏻‍♀️

I loved this short story. It brings out the Christmas spirit. I ended up searching Christmas markets and Christmas villages online. I loved the writing pace and the subtle romance in the book. A bit more spark in the romance section would have been preferred.

Is the magic of Christmas in Noelville strong enough to melt the hearts of two rival travel writers who just so happen to have their own reasons to dislike the holidays, and each other?

Tricked into staying in neighboring cabins, these two are competing for the same job and try as they might not to, they are bound to run into each other in the small village. Their boss might have watched too many Hallmark movies, and she is counting on the inspiration only the employees at Noelville can provide to teach the two how to step out of their boxes and give love, and Christmas, a chance.

This was an absolutely delightful short romance. Sweet and clean, but packed full of longing. I would say a slow burn, but really it was only a week, so, a speedy fall it is. The banter was wonderful, these two are so keen on hating each other that they don't see just how much the other makes them better. The descriptions of Noelville were delightful, each shop or snow covered valley being painted in such detail you almost feel like you could join in and enjoy the sights and smells. I've never wanted to go make sugar cookies so much in my life! Maybe its time for a cookie decorating class of my own, I have no doubt I would need it.

If you have an evening and want to step into an enchanting world, charming characters, humor and the wonder of the holiday season, I highly recommend staying right here. After all, Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Two grinches are send on the ultimate Christmas experience and might even convert to Christmas-hood!

Eve and Will both write for a travel blog and are both competing for a promotion. Without their knowledge, their boss sends both of them to Noelville, where the Christmas magic is more magical than anywhere else.

Along the way they make new friends, save Christmas and maybe even fall in love?

I loved their banter, from the very beginning you could feel the tension and even though they declared themselves enemies you could feel the sexual tension.

This is, to me, what Christmas is about. Would so recommend!!

Two travel writers and penemies, Eve Sherwood and Will Fowler are sent on a special writing assignment to Noelville to have the ultimate Christmas experience by their boss to compete for the head writer position at Live Laugh Travel. Who will win the promotion?

Eve and Will have the best laugh out loud banter and conversations. I loved the winter wonderland village of Noelville and the characters Eve and Will meet along the way.

If you are fan of Hallmark movies and winter wonderlands then this story is for you. This is a clean rom com to get you into the holiday spirit.

If you’re a sucker for Hallmark holiday vibes but with a snarky twist, this novella is the perfect seasonal read. Two cynical travel writers, Eve Sherwood and Will Fowler, are forced to embrace the charm of Noelville—a magical, snow-covered town straight out of a Christmas dream—as they compete to craft the most heartwarming holiday article. 🎄✨

What I loved most? The banter! Eve and Will’s sharp wit practically jumps off the page, making their rivalry-turned-romance incredibly entertaining. Though the plot leans into classic holiday clichés (gingerbread, sleigh rides, and “saving Christmas”), it feels self-aware and wonderfully fun.

At only 122 pages, this story is a light, fast read that wraps you up in festive cheer without overstaying its welcome. Think: the coziness of Christmas, minus the cheesy heat—a win for clean romance fans!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Perfect for: Anyone craving laughter, love, and a touch of holiday magic in a novella-sized package. 📚✨

It was a perfect short story to get me into the Christmas spirit with good laughs as I saw this as a romcom!

This was so cute! I love it when the main character is a writer, and here we have TWO, and they write about travel. It's a great short Christmas rom-com, that'll put you in the holiday spirit <3 Also, thanks for being clean and spice-free!

A cute holiday read about two writers vying for a promotion challenged to writing the best piece on a holiday town in Vermont. They must participate in holiday adventures and I laughed out loud at one point (are you collecting random branches and trash 🤣). I would reread this one for sure.

It’s the perfect book to get you into the holiday mood.
A story full of banter and set in such a beautiful place, it’s definitely…magical

If you love Christmas Hallmark movies, you will LOVE this book. It's a novella, so a pretty short read. We have a rivals-to-lovers plot where both characters have their reasons for not liking Christmas. They are both journalists sent to the all-year Christmas town of "Noelville" and are both vying for the position of Lead writer. Gave it a 4 star just because the word "snowperson" was written a few too many times. Other than that a very cute read.

This enemies to lovers novella follows Eve and Will as they each try to capture the elusive “magic” of the holidays in an article that could earn one of them the coveted senior writer spot. If you enjoy reading contemporary romance novels, then I recommend this book to you!

Special thanks to the Publisher, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and Net Galley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.7⭐️ i’m sorry, but enemies to lovers, they’re both authors and Christmas cynics sent to Noelville to write about the magic of Christmas???? Yesyesyes. I loved their banter, the way they knew each other so well, and their lowkey jealousness. Everything was just so nicely done for a novella! Adored it

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exhange for an honest review.

I did not think I'd enjoy this as much as I did. I like Christmas but much like the FMC & MMC, I have similar thoughts!

I genuinely had fun reading this and thoroughly enjoyed the banter between the FMC & MMC. It was ridiculously witty and actually made me laugh. I didn't realize it would be a no-spice, completely closed door romance which I usually don't go for but I loved the writing. The whole story was just wonderful and I did love it.

A cozy Christmas-y book, perfect to get into the spirit of Christmas.
Easy, short read.
Could have used more character development but at less than 200 pages, its to be expected!

--
Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have been in a Christmas book mood lately and this one was so adorable! This was my first read by Julianna Keyes and I can't wait to read more. Would highly recommend for anyone looking to get in the holiday mood.

I thought this was a super cute Christmas romance with enemies-to-lovers!

Will and Eve write for the same editing service, and they are competing to be the head journalists. Unbeknownst to them, they are being sent to Noelville together to write separate pieces on the Christmas town, and whoever's article is the best will get the promotion. Neither are very fond of Christmas or of each other! After a few days together they realize that the Christmas town has brought them together and has made them fall in love. Who got the promotion? You will have to read to find out!

For what this was and for being a Christmas novella, I really enjoyed it. Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this story.

Dear Julianna Keyes,

I saw this on NetGalley and thought it was out on 1 December 2024. It was actually released last December as it happens so DA readers can enjoy it straight away.

I have enjoyed Julianna Keyes books before and felt like a Christmas novella would be a bit of fun. And it was.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas is a Hallmark movie in a novella. It would actually make a fun romcom. It’s not very deep or very long but it’s fun and funny and it was a very entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.

Will Fowler and Eve Sherwood both write for the Live Laugh Travel blog. There is a senior writer role up for grabs and both are hoping to win the job. Their boss sends them on a weeklong trip to Noelville, a Christmas-themed town in the week before/of Christmas to write an article. The “winner” will get the senior writer job. Neither of them are all that into Christmas so this assignment is going to stretch both of them.

There are plenty of overt nods to Hallmark movies and romcoms. It’s loving and friendly but also self-aware. Will and Eve know how the story is supposed to go and talk openly about it.

Noelville is a town which hosts only 100 guests at a time (which seems unrealistic but, okay) and Christmas week is the most coveted time of year to attend. There are all manner of festive-themed events and activities. In Noelville it’s all Christmas all the time.

Neither Will or Eve have much of what you’d call Christmas spirit and neither of them are feeling particularly inspired to write the article which could take their respective careers to the next level. They’re not inspired – yet. But they are fiercely determined. First though, they have to survive being surrounded by everyone else in the town (other guests and staff, aka “elves”) who are all completely into Christmas.

As it happens, both bump into people they went to high school with – Harry, who runs the Fig & Holly gift shop as well as being the town handyman and Shawna who runs An Apple A Day and makes excellent cider. Harry is sweet but Eve is not really into him and Will finds himself watching Eve while he spends a little time with Shawna.

Eve and Will bond over their shared not-love of the festive season. It’s almost a self-defence mechanism after listening to Harry wax poetic about the history of nutcrackers. I enjoyed Eve and Will’s banter so much. It’s what made the novella. It really would translate well into a movie script.

“So, of all the cider joints in all the world, you just happened to walk into Shawna’s? Did you know she was here?”

Will put his hand on his heart. “No idea. Just a happy coincidence.”

“Did you ever date?”

“Nah. She was prom queen. I was yearbook editor. And head writer. And principal photographer.”

“And the actual yearbook itself.”

“Just that one time for Halloween. Kids can be cruel, Eve. Don’t dress up as a leatherbound tome for any holiday unless you’re prepared to be called Leather Daddy for the rest of high school.”

Eve and Will have both different experiences of Christmas. Eve’s parents were both in the Navy and so they moved around a lot, never really bothering to put up decorations or celebrate the season. Will’s parents participated in the whole extravaganza but it was more about how it looked to everyone rather than as a result of any true feeling.

“What’s the best gift you’ve ever gotten, then?”

He was quiet. “If we define ‘best’ by what you see on TV or the ‘most popular gifts for boys under 12’ lists or what the neighbors envied most, probably the horse I got for my eleventh birthday.”

“You had a horse?”

He nodded. “Apparently. It lived at a stable three hours away and I never got to see it. Or ride it. I never even took riding lessons. I didn’t know anyone who did. My parents just wanted to say they owned a horse, I guess.”

“Wow. Did that sleigh ride bring up some dark memories?”

“You know, now that I’m thinking about it, I’m not sure we owned a horse. Maybe they just said they bought one.”

“I can’t decide if that’s evil or genius.”

He smiled as he picked up a small carved mouse holding out a shiny gold coin to a magpie and studied its craftsmanship.

“Your turn,” he said. “Your best gift.”

Eve thought. “Well, one year my electric toothbrush died, so I got a replacement.”

“Stop trying to be better than my horse, Eve.”

“And it came with two extra heads, and—”

“Don’t say it.”

“—a travel case.”

“Must you make everything a competition?”


But as Eve and Will spend time in Noelville, visiting the Nutcracker Museum, (competitively) decorating sugar cookies, having sleigh rides, going sledding and snowshoeing, something about the season and the town gets to them after all.

I really like Christmas but I can’t imagine wanting to spend a lot of time in a Nutcracker museum – although I would happily visit Miss Maple’s Pie & Cake Shoppe – so I related to Eve and Will’s cynicism. I laughed at the pair’s (separate) various attempts to start their articles.

The scents of cinnamon and clove, vanilla and cardamom hang in the air like Christmas lights on a string. The inside of An Apple A Day lives up to its name, with tall barrels brimming with apples lining the wall, and a small bar inviting guests to settle in and get warm and cozy while shop owner Shawna prepares them a special treat. Her secret ingredient? Love.

Eve sighed and deleted the last line.

Her secret ingredient? Christmas.

Delete.

Her secret ingredient? Magic.

Delete.

Her secret ingredient? Apples. It’s obviously the apples. How much can you freaking say about cider?

(Eve)

Noelville is snowy. The town square is busy. The shops sell soap. The cookies taste good. There are many trees.

(Will)

I chuckled quite a bit reading It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas. And if the ending was a bit cheesy and schmaltzy well, isn’t that exactly what a Hallmark movie is supposed to be?

Grade: B

Regards,
Kaetrin

I think I am officially in my ‘holiday romance era’ and I am here for it!

If you are looking for something quick, cute and cozy, this is the book for you. Just like the synopsis said, it makes you feel as though this is just like a Hallmark movie, but with a little bit of snark included. This book has a romance element to it, but it’s a clean romance - which is a change from my normal dark romances. I think it was just the change I needed. It was very refreshing.

I really wish that Noelville really existed, I would be moving there in a heartbeat with no questions asked.

Thank you to NetGalley, Julianna Keyes and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for allowing me the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication.