I couldn’t finish this book. I made an effort to get halfway through, but I didn’t love the thought processes of either character. It gave a screechy rub-me-wrong feeling to my brain as I read, whether due to his fluffy words and assuming arrogance or her flawed communication and lack of self care. I couldn’t finish it.

I won’t post this publicly. Thank you for the digital copy.

This was a decent holiday read. Initially, I was absolutely loving it and definitely did not anticipate giving this only 3 stars.

The middle/end of the story were just not doing it for me. The communication between Noelle and Kol just seemed forced and fake. I am 100% ok with stories not being completely realistic, this is why a lot of us dive into a good book- to escape reality for a bit, but their interactions just pushed it too much for me.

I absolutely disliked the part where Noelle wakes up from a nap and we are under the impression for a few moments, that everything she has been experiencing is just her imagination/dream/alternate reality, etc. I was thankful that the story did not actually take a turn in this direction, or it would likely have been a DNF for me. It just didn't fit.

Thank you, Evie James, Net Galley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in return for my honest review!

🎄Forced Proximity
🎄One Bed
🎄Small Town Romance
🎄He Falls First

2.5-3 starts. Noelle is in some trouble with her travel plans. she has an aunt who recently passed away. she needs to sign some paperwork for the inheritance and her flight has just been cancelled. Overhearing the conversation, insert Kol, the handsome pilot who is off now due to the flight cancellations. Kol offers a helping hand to a very hesitant Noelle, and they have a beautiful holiday, hesitant romance. This one was just fine... It felt like it was dragging on for a long long time. I did like it way more in the beginning, but after the half way point i was pretty much done reading it. If you like cheesy romances that seem to prolong forever, this may be for you. but for me, it was just ok.

Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I want to start by thanking the author and publisher for letting me read an advanced copy of this book. I felt like this book was not bad, but it felt really rushed at times and at others it felt like it dragged on.

(Rounded up from 3.5 stars)

This was a cute and spicy Christmas read. To be honest, Noelle annoyed me a bit at the beginning, and I found it hard to like her. However, as she and Kol set off on their journey, and she slowly shared bits and pieces of herself, I began to understand her defensiveness and over the top dramatics. Kol has the makings of a perfect book boyfriend… reliable, trustworthy and above all, understanding. The way in which he is there for Noelle is swoonworthy. Overall, an enjoyable read for the winter season.

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Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. 2.5 stars. This book was hard to get into. I did struggle to finish . The two main characters were just hard to like. The spice in the book was definitely not missing though.

Ein super süßes Buch mit den perfekten Weihnachtsvibes und genau der richtigen Prise Spice! Allein die weihnachtlichen Namen der Protagonisten – Noelle und Kol Vinter – lassen einen direkt in die festliche Stimmung eintauchen. Noelle, die auf dem Weg nach Hause ist und sich am Flughafen über ihren abgesagten Flug aufregt, trifft dabei auf Kol, den Piloten, der diesen Flug eigentlich fliegen sollte und von ihrem Verhalten alles andere als begeistert ist.

Die gemeinsame Reise der beiden ist wirklich schön erzählt, mit viel Charme, kleinen humorvollen Momenten und einer überraschend tiefgründigen Auseinandersetzung mit dem Thema Trauer, die sehr respektvoll umgesetzt wurde.

Allerdings hat mich eine Sache gestört: Zu Beginn äußert Kol Zweifel daran, eine Frau in seinem Leben haben zu wollen, basierend auf ziemlich klischeehaften Ansichten. Doch diese Haltung verschwindet plötzlich komplett, sobald es um Noelle geht. Seine Entwicklung fühlt sich dadurch etwas zu abrupt an – fast wie ein Sprung von null auf 100, ohne dass es wirklich erklärt wird.

Trotzdem ist Christmas Cancellation eine herzerwärmende Geschichte, die vor allem durch ihre weihnachtliche Atmosphäre und die süße Dynamik zwischen den Charakteren punktet. Perfekt für Fans von Weihnachtsromanzen!

This was a first from this author and I enjoyed it so much. It gives you all the holiday feels and makes you want to curl up and read it. It was a quick read and you really get into the story.

The cover gave me Hallmark Christmas movie vibes but my mistake as this is mainly just smut, and love at first sight smut at that.

I didn't particularly like either of the main characters, Noelle in particular read very childish with her tantrums and was very obviously 8 years younger than the love interest.

If your in the mood for a quick light hearted bit of spice before Christmas then pick this up, but apart from the snow storm there wasn't much Christmassy about it.

Christmas Cancellation by Evie James pub 11/18 read 12/14-12/18
Christmas Cancellation, by Evie James, is the story of distraught Noelle Nichols as she tries to get to Saratoga Springs by close of business on December 23 only to have the last leg of her journey, her flight to Albany, cancelled due to an impending blizzard. Not taking this news very well, especially after a backstabbing ex led to her quitting her job, Noelle calls her best friend Amanda to loudly complain from her seat at the departure gate. After a period of time, a pilot walks up her, schooling her on all the faults in her tirade, leading to her subsequent breakdown after he turns away. When she murmurs a wish to never have been born, pilot Kol Vinter begins to wonder how he can help.

When his trips for the next several days are also canceled, Kol decides to head home to Rotterdam, which isn’t far from the pretty passenger’s destination. Although Noelle is hesitant when Kol makes the offer, it is her only chance to be able to follow through with getting to the attorney’s office in time to sign whatever paperwork is necessary so her aunt’s estate comes to her.

Through their travels, the meeting with the attorney, taking possession during a blackout and a blizzard, and the events that follow, fate takes hold and two lonely people find a wonderful holiday story. I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it!

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial!

DNF @ 15%

Overall: ⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️
Tropes, etc: Road Trip, Forced Proximity
POV: Dual, 1st Person

Brief Summary: After her flight is cancelled due to an incoming snow storm, Noelle loudly vents to her friend on the phone, blaming the flight crew. Pilot Kol Vinter overhears and puts her in her place before taking pity on her and offering a ride to her destination.

The Praise: The premise seemed interesting to me.

The Critique: The conversations between Noelle and Kol were really stilted and unnatural. They just didn’t really sound like how people actually talk. While I wanted to learn specifics about what happened between Noelle and her ex, I just couldn’t continue after an excessively long chapter where Noelle and Kol talk about their favorite musicians. They go into detail about specific artists for so long, and it doesn’t do anything at all to further the plot. And just when I thought I was past it, they struck the conversation back up! Also Kol just came off as snobby and misogynistic.

Final Thoughts: Overall, I just wasn’t enjoying the book and when I thought “well, I have to be pretty far in by now” and checked, only to see I was only 15% in, I decided to throw in the towel.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I found both main characters hard to like. The romance was insta love. The plot was small. This book in the end just wasn’t my type of a book at all.

This book was the book version of a Christmas Hallmark film, and I ate it up in just a couple days. The book follows a super fun meet cute at the airport between passenger and pilot after a cancelled flight before Christmas Eve. The setting and story line was absolutely immaculate. Although I'm all for cheesy and sweet, I found that some instances the conversation between the characters made me cringe a bit, as it felt that the author wanted to put in some typical romantic and inspirational quotes into their dialog but didn't know how to. Some quotes felt forced and rather exaggerated, given that the characters had know each other for less than 24h. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the depth of both characters and their growth. Not only it was a super Christmassy book, but it also talked about navigating grief, new beginnings and inspiration.

2.75 stars rounded up.

I always am a sucker for a good aviation related romance since I'm married to a pilot but this book fell short which was disappointing. Kol was an excellent character and so well written but did have some questionable actions. I really struggled to like Noelle because her tantrum in the first chapter was crazy. I almost put the book down after that scene. She seemed like a spoiled brat and it wasn't even just that incident. There are a lot of spicy scenes in the book and at times I kept thinking, you just met this person and don't even really know them! I also hated that he kept calling her his little elf. The book lagged in some spots but I loved the Christmas theme and the Saratoga Springs setting. Overall, this book had a lot of potential but wasn't executed properly.

In Christmas Cancellation, we met Noelle who just found out her flight to Albany was cancelled. She throws a tantrum at the airport and the pilot, Kol, overheard her. He ends up offering to drive her to Saratoga Springs since he lives close by. She agrees and the two are stuck in the car together driving through a snowstorm. Noelle needed to be at an appointment that day which is why she was in such a hurry to get there. After her appointment Kol drives her to her aunts house she just inherited and they get snowed in. Kol and Noelle seem to be getting along by that point and possibly having feelings more than friendship.

Thank you Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this Christmas book but I don’t think I was in the mood for this sexy steamy story. I am also not a fan of the love at first sight trope but this was done well. The storyline of grieving and the trauma that both main characters shared made it all the more interesting for me. I also adored the setting of Saratoga, which is such a gorgeous place. Now I need to visit there in the winter! I am more curious about Noelle’s next adventures and would have loved an epilogue.

31/2

Sometimes a book leaves you with a bundle of mixed feelings—Christmas Cancellation by Evie James is one of those books. While it has some glimmers of promise, the execution left me frustrated at times. For anyone intrigued by grumpy/sunshine pairings and snowy road adventures, it’s worth exploring, but be prepared for a bumpy ride.

The premise of the novel is set up well. A chance meeting between Noelle Nichols—a woman with a lifetime’s worth of emotional baggage—and Kol Vinter, a broody, scarred pilot, amidst a cancelled flight and snowstorm feels like classic Christmas rom-com fodder. James crafts a festive backdrop with small-town charm and plenty of potential for heartfelt moments. But somewhere along the way, that potential melted like a snowflake on a car windshield.

The biggest obstacle? Noelle herself. I understand what the author was going for—a deeply traumatized heroine whose layers of pain make her both relatable and deserving of a second chance. But her behaviour often came across as grating. Her outbursts felt more toddler-esque than emotionally nuanced, which made it hard to root for her. A particularly eye-roll-inducing moment involved her screaming during a car accident, blurting out, “Oh no, not again! Not like that time four years ago!” This kind of overly deliberate “telling” rather than “showing” felt amateurish and jarred me out of the story.

Kol, on the other hand, fares a little better. He’s the quintessential brooding alpha with a heart of gold—a holiday Hallmark hero dipped in just enough angst to keep things interesting. His competence, protectiveness, and moments of vulnerability almost saved the book for me. But even he fell into the trap of uneven writing, especially during intimate moments. Kol’s tendency to push Noelle’s boundaries without clear communication—particularly when kink is introduced—didn’t sit well with me. Consent is sexy, and it felt like a missed opportunity to deepen their connection in a meaningful way.

The book’s dialogue and inner monologues leaned toward the juvenile, which made some of the emotional beats hard to believe. For instance, Noelle’s flirtation style is a blend of bratty defiance and insecure hesitance that never quite hits the right note. Her accusations toward Kol and repeated references to her high school traumas felt repetitive and, frankly, exhausting.

That said, there are glimpses of charm in the story. James clearly tried to give us a holiday romance filled with hope, healing, and redemption. The snowy roads, warm hearths, and wistful Christmas nostalgia are all there, and fans of festive romances might find something to enjoy. But for me, Christmas Cancellation lacked the polish and maturity it needed to elevate the story.

Would I recommend it? Maybe, if you’re in the mood for something light and can overlook an immature heroine and some clunky writing. But if you’re looking for a steamy, heartwarming romance that hits all the right notes, you might want to leave this one on the shelf.

A Christmas romcom is always a hit in my book! This one had several of my favorite tropes and coming from a girl who has read about 10 holiday books so far this season I would definitely recommend this one!

This had so many things happening at once that it fell a star in rating for me. Kol was fantastic, but I felt like Noelle was a lot. I have my fair share of trauma and issues, but don’t act super bratty in airports or immediate freak out if I can’t find someone in 2 minutes.

This was such a cute holiday read! I loved the returning to your small hometown at Christmas, comfy feels. I didn't love the main characters - they were just okay for me. Being swept up in a romance is sweet, but this moved too fast for me. Some of the spice, and just their general interactions, was a bit too intense for a couple we haven't seen build any trust yet. I went back and forth a bit on how much I enjoyed it

Thank you to Netgalley, Evie James and BooksGoSocial for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars