All I Want for Christmas is the second-holiday book by Maggie Knox. With an anticipated release date of October 4, 2022, by Penguin Random House Canada and Viking, readers are taken to a Nashville-based reality show. Sadie has been working towards her dreams for her entire life, and Max has been working to show the world he’s more than just his father’s son. Forced to work together, can they both achieve their dream?
I want to thank Penguin Random House Canada, Viking, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of All I Want for Christmas. All opinions presented here are solely mine.
CW/TW: sexual harassment, sexual assault
Synopsis from Goodreads
True love wasn’t on their holiday wish list.
When Sadie and Max are selected as contestants on the famed reality singing show Starmaker, each thinks they’ve finally gotten their big Nashville break. But then they’re paired up for duet week and stun the world with their romantic onstage chemistry. With fans going wild for #Saxie, the network demands that they remain a duo on and offstage or exit the competition. Faking a relationship until their final performance in the Starmaker holiday special shouldn’t be too hard, except for one small problem–Sadie and Max can’t stand each other.
But with their dreams just within reach, they agree to the ruse. Will their fake relationship be exposed before they can win? Or will an unexpected trip to Banff spark real feelings by the Christmas finale?
Positives
Engaging characters, I especially liked Sadie’s Gran. Amalia and Bobbi are also interesting characters I would like to know more about.
The book is set over a few weeks at Christmas, but it doesn’t feel rushed. Half of the book is in one year, the second in the next year.
Negatives
Lack of communication between characters!
My Opinions
Fake dating? Check!
Lack of communication? Check!
Steamy scenes? Only one, but it’s not highly graphic or detailed.
What is it with rom-coms and their lack of communication between characters? I know, I know, it helps add drama to the story. But in this case, it could have been dialed back some. Sadie doesn’t like Max because she feels slighted over how he treated her a few years ago. Max doesn’t like Sadie because she seems “cold.” They resolve that issue, but then more miscommunication occurs. Why can’t they listen without arguing?
As a dual POV, the book had the opportunity to be clunky. But that doesn’t happen, as each chapter is told from a different character’s POV, and the chapters are labeled as such. That way, you are not having to go back and forth trying to figure out who’s talking. I wish more writers would do this with dual POV storylines.
The first half of the book occurs with the background of the show Starmaker. We are introduced to the cast of characters as they work towards reaching their dreams. The book’s second half occurs during the following December when the characters reconnect with each other. At the beginning of the second half, you are given a brief history of what happened in the previous months.
All I Want for Christmas is a delightful music-based holiday read. I’m sure you will find yourself cheering for #Saxie along the way.
Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.
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Nice review, Pam. I am waiting for this one to show up at my library.
This sounds good, and my kind of book. It’s weird when I read the blurb and your review, there is no way from the cover that I would think this is about a singing competition.
This seems really cute, but I agree with Wendy—I had no idea this was about a singing competition. I had to study the book cover to notice the microphone sitting on the table.