Temperatures have been pretty hot here, and I’m honestly already done with it, haha. I prefer cozier weather to this. So I decided to do a little Christmas in July. Today I want to talk about Christmas Is All Around and tell you what I thought. Let’s take a look.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing me with an eARC to read and review. This doesn’t affect my opinion in any way.

A former child star learns that holiday magic can come from a change in perspective in this charming and hilarious holiday rom-com.

Charlotte hates the holidays. As a former child actress, she starred in a modern classic of a holiday movie, and its fans won’t let her move on. When a piece revealing that her reluctance nixed plans for a reboot, she flees to London to spend the five-week countdown to the holidays with her sister.

But the ghosts of Christmas past follow her there when she ends up at Eden Priory, a filming location for the movie she has never visited. There, after being recognized by a fan while viewing the extraordinary holiday decorations, she’s accidently left behind, forcing her to accept a ride back to London by Graham, the son of the owners. Their family business—and the funds to keep their historic house running—relies on holiday cheer, and Graham knows a visit from a holiday star would bring in more visitors.

Now an illustrator, Charlotte accepts a commission illustrating iconic holiday movie scenes in London and its environs. Graham offers to help escort her, as long as she’ll commit to an art workshop at Eden Priory. But as Charlotte’s chaotic family holiday goes awry, she begins spending more time scouting locations with Graham. Charlotte may not love Christmas, but is it so bad if you’re also falling in love?

Review

I know it’s nowhere near Christmas, but I was in the mood for a Christmas story, so I had to pick up Christmas Is All Around, and I’m so glad that I did. Martha Waters created a heartwarming story and I wished I could visit the house that this fictional movie took place in. I could picture myself curled up by a fireplace while reading a book.

Our main character, Charlotte, has kind of lost her holiday spirit and reluctantly goes to London to spend Christmas with her sister. Charlotte was a child star in a holiday movie and people recognizing her isn’t something that always goes over well. This is until she meets Graham, who hires her to paint some holiday themed pieces for them to sell the next year. Graham’s family actually owns the estate she filmed that movie in and she ends up helping him try to save their family estate.

Charlotte was an interesting character. I can never understand why someone doesn’t love Christmas, but Charlotte’s story makes me understand. I did love seeing Charlotte start thinking about her past and even the holiday. This all starts as she opens up her heart to the town, holiday, and even Graham. Christmas Is All Around is filled with fun banter, but also some emotional times. The side characters added extra fun to this story, especially Charlotte’s niece.

All in al, this was such a great holiday romance and it got me in the holiday spirit. I do wish we would’ve have had Graham’s POV throughout this story. Dual POVs always tend to work just a bit better for me personally when it comes to romance. I really hope that Martha Walters gives us more holiday themed stories.

So that’s my first Christmas in July review! How about you? Do you prefer the hotter weather? Or are you like me and enjoy the cooler/cozier weather more? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!