Holiday Themed Reads

This year I feel like there maybe a few more brand new holiday books for our cozy themed upcoming months! I am such a mood reader, which also means that books help me get in the mood for holidays too. I love reading spooky books in late August and all October, and now that it is December it is time…for the HOLIDAY SEASON!!

We are highlighting some brand new releases for this year’s reading (quite a few tbh and thankful since it didn’t seem like there was enough the last few years) as well as some of our favorites just in case you haven’t read them yet! There is a mix of Young Adult, as well as Adult reads, so if you are buying for someone else on your shopping list, be sure to check first!

There are even more books than listed below which we compiled into a handy Bookshop page!

New Books 2021

I'm Dreaming of a Wyatt Christmas

by Tiffany Schmidt
Published by: Harry N. Abrams
on October 26, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
Bookshop
Goodreads

Ballet and babysitting bring two teens together in this very merry holiday rom-com from the author of the acclaimed Bookish Boyfriends series

Noelle Partridge is known for three things: being the best ballet dancer, babysitter, and person with the most Christmas spirit in her small town. But lately she’s bored by the lessons at her dance school, and her friends and father are more bah humbug than Hallmark movie marathon. So when her favorite babysitting clients ask her to accompany them on a ski trip over winter break, she packs her bags for the slopes. It helps that they’re offering double her rate—she’ll need the money for Beacon, an elite ballet academy that’s granted her an audition.

Noelle is ready to “Deck the Halls” and have fa la la la fun, until Wyatt, the older half-brother of her babysitting charges, decides to surprise his family for the holiday. He’s one of the best dancers at Beacon, and makes Noelle’s head spin faster than pirouettes.

Unfortunately, she also manages to step on his toes—spoiling his surprise and complicating his secret plans. After a few missteps, Noelle and Wyatt begin to thaw toward each other and bond over the big decisions looming in each of their lives. With enough Christmas magic, Noelle might just start the New Year with lots of babysitting cash in her pocket and a chance with the pas de deux partner of her dreams.

So, This Is Christmas

by Tracy Andreen
Published by: Viking Books for Young Readers
on October 12, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
Bookshop
Goodreads

Sarah Dessen meets Let It Snow in this new YA Christmas romance!

When Finley Brown returned to her hometown of Christmas, Oklahoma, from boarding school, she expected to find it just as she left it. Christmas hasn't changed much in her sixteen years. But instead she returns to find that her best friend is dating her ex-boyfriend, her parents have separated, and her archnemesis got a job working at her grandmother's inn. And she certainly didn't expect to find the boy she may or may not have tricked into believing that Christmas was an idyllic holiday paradise on her grandmother's doorstep. It's up to Finley to make sure he gets the Christmas he was promised. This is Finley's Christmas. It's about home and family and friends and finding her place, and along the way she also finds the best Christmas present of all: love.

Blame It on the Mistletoe

by Beth Garrod
Published by: Sourcebooks
on November 2, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
Bookshop
Goodreads

Tweet Cute meets the movie The Holiday in this funny holiday rom-com where two very different girls swap lives for a Christmas adventure.

Elle is a social medial star with the #DreamLife...or so it seems. Determined to shake up her content and gain new followers, she's on a mission: can she find a British fan to swap with for Christmas?

Holly loves everything about Christmas. But after a mortifying mistletoe disaster with her ex, her perfect plans unravel like a bad Christmas sweater. Can Holly save the holidays when she switches places with favorite social media influencer?

Elle gets more than she bargained for when she meets the cute boy from across the street. And Holly wasn't expecting Elle to have a handsome twin brother. This holiday is full of surprises.

The Matzah Ball

by Jean Meltzer
Published by: Mira Books
on September 28, 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Bookshop
Goodreads

Oy! to the world
Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is a nice Jewish girl with a shameful secret: she loves Christmas. For a decade she’s hidden her career as a Christmas romance novelist from her family. Her talent has made her a bestseller even as her chronic illness has always kept the kind of love she writes about out of reach.

But when her diversity-conscious publisher insists she write a Hanukkah romance, her well of inspiration suddenly runs dry. Hanukkah’s not magical. It’s not merry. It’s not Christmas. Desperate not to lose her contract, Rachel’s determined to find her muse at the Matzah Ball, a Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah, even if it means working with her summer camp archenemy—Jacob Greenberg.

Though Rachel and Jacob haven’t seen each other since they were kids, their grudge still glows brighter than a menorah. But as they spend more time together, Rachel finds herself drawn to Hanukkah—and Jacob—in a way she never expected. Maybe this holiday of lights will be the spark she needed to set her heart ablaze.

A Holly Jolly Diwali

by Sonya Lalli
Published by: Berkley Books
on October 5, 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Bookshop
Goodreads

One type-A data analyst discovers her free-spirited side on an impulsive journey from bustling Mumbai to the gorgeous beaches of Goa and finds love waiting for her on Christmas morning.

Twenty-nine-year-old Niki Randhawa has always made practical decisions. Despite her love for music and art, she became an analyst for the stability. She's always stuck close to home, in case her family needed her. And she's always dated guys that seem good on paper, rather than the ones who give her butterflies. When she's laid off, Niki realizes that practical hasn't exactly paid off for her. So for the first time ever, she throws caution to the wind and books a last-minute flight for her friend Diya's wedding.

Niki arrives in India just in time to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, where she meets London musician Sameer Mukherji. Maybe it's the splendor of Mumbai or the magic of the holiday season, but Niki is immediately drawn to Sam. At the wedding, the champagne flows and their flirtatious banter makes it clear that the attraction is mutual.

When Niki and Sam join Diya, her husband and their friends on a group honeymoon, their connection grows deeper. Free-spirited Sam helps Niki get in touch with her passionate and creative side, and with her Indian roots. When she gets a new job offer back home, Niki must decide what she wants out of the next chapter of her life--to cling to the straight and narrow like always, or to take a leap of faith and live the kind of bold life the old Niki never would have dreamed of.

Always, in December

by Emily Stone
Published by: Dell
on October 12, 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Bookshop
Goodreads

It started with a letter. It ended with a love story.

Every December, Josie posts a letter from her home in London to the parents she lost on Christmas night many years ago. Each year, she writes the same three words: Missing you, always. But this year, her annual trip to the postbox is knocked off course by a bicycle collision with a handsome stranger--a stranger who will change the course of Josie's life.

Josie always thought she was the only one who avoided the Christmas season, but this year, Max has his own reasons for doing the same--and coincidence leads them to spending the holiday together. Aglow with new love, Josie thinks this might be the start of something special.

Only for Max to disappear without saying goodbye.

Over the course of the next year, Max and Josie will find that fate continues to bring them together in places they'd never expect. New York City. Edinburgh. The quiet English countryside. And it turns out, Max had every reason to leave and every reason to stay. But what does fate hold for Josie and Max as Christmas approaches again?

A devastating, romantic, life-affirming love story, Always, in December will stay with readers long after they've finished the last page.

All I Want For Christmas is the Girl Next Door (All I Want for Christmas #1)

by Chelsea Bobulski
Published by: Wise Wolf Books
on October 28, 2021
Goodreads

It's a Wonderful Life meets Wish Upon A Star in this Christmas-themed young adult contemporary romance.  
Graham Wallace has been in love with the girl next door for a decade. Unfortunately, she's been dating his best friend for the past two years. Out of sheer desperation, Graham makes a wish on a shooting star—all he wants for Christmas is Sarah Clarke.
When Graham wakes up the next morning, everything has changed, and he's the one who's been dating Sarah for the past two years, not his best friend. Graham assumes the wish would have only come true if he and Sarah were meant to be together, but as it becomes clear that he and Sarah bring out the worst in each other, not the best, and as he starts to fall for the new girl in town, Graham wonders if some wishes come true in order to show us what's not meant to be.

The Holiday Swap

by Maggie Knox
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons
on October 5, 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance
Bookshop
Goodreads

The International Bestseller--A feel-good, holiday rom com about identical twins who swap lives twelve days before Christmas--perfect for fans of Christina Lauren's In a Holidaze and Josie Silver's One Day in December

All they want for Christmas is a different life.

When chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the L.A. set of her reality baking show, she loses a lot more than consciousness; she also loses her ability to taste and smell--both critical to her success as show judge. Meanwhile, Charlie's identical twin, Cass, is frantically trying to hold her own life together back in their quaint mountain hometown while running the family's bustling bakery and dealing with her ex, who won't get the memo that they're over.

With only days until Christmas, a desperate Charlie asks Cass to do something they haven't done since they were kids: switch places. Looking for her own escape from reality, Cass agrees. But temporarily trading lives proves more complicated than they imagined, especially when rugged firefighter Jake Greenman and gorgeous physician assistant Miguel Rodriguez are thrown into the mix. Will the twins' identity swap be a recipe for disaster, or does it have all the right ingredients for getting their lives back on track?

The Holiday Switch

by Tif Marcelo
Published by: Underlined
on October 5, 2021
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Bookshop
Goodreads

A paperback original romance about a bookish Filipino-American girl who crosses paths with the innkeeper's aggravating nephew--but when they accidentally switch phones, their newly discovered secrets draw them together.

Lila Castro is ready to take on her last winter break of high school. The snow is plentiful, the mood is full of holiday cheer, and she's earning extra cash working at the cozy local inn. But her perfect holiday plans crash to a halt when her boss's frustratingly cute nephew, Teddy Veracruz, becomes her coworker. When they accidentally switch phones one afternoon, they both realize they've been hiding things from each other. Will their secrets--and a dash of holiday spirit--bring them closer to love?

Underlined is a line of totally addictive romance, thriller, and horror paperback original titles coming to you fast and furious each month. Enjoy everything you want to read the way you want to read it.

Duke, Actually

by Jenny Holiday
Published by: Avon
on November 16, 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Bookshop
Goodreads

USA Today bestselling author Jenny Holiday follows A Princess for Christmas with another delightful contemporary Christmas romance between a playboy baron and a woman who has said goodbye to love.

Maximillian von Hansburg, Baron of Laudon and heir to the Duke of Aquilla, is trapped. Under pressure from his domineering father, he must marry a suitable bride before he inherits a title that feels like a prison sentence. In New York to meet a prospective wife, he ditches his responsibilities and appears on Dani Martinez’s doorstep. He’s been intrigued by the no-nonsense professor since he met her at the Eldovian royal wedding and is determined to befriend her.

Newly single Dani is done with love—she even has a list entitled “Things I Will Never Again Do for a Man”—which is why she hits it off with notorious rake Max. He’s trying to escape relationships, and she’s resolved to avoid them at all costs. All they want from each other is friendship and a distraction from their messy lives.

As their bond begins to deepen, so does their attraction, until they end up in bed together. Falling in love was never part of the plan—Max’s family doesn’t see Dani as a perfect match, even as his heart tells him she’s the one, and Dani isn’t sure she can make it in Max’s world. Can they find the courage to live they life they desire, even if it means risking everything?

Book Recs!!

Christy’s Recs

The Christmas Witch by Aubrey Plaza and Dan Murphy – This is a little audio novella that I picked up right at the beginning of the season. It has all the vibes of storytelling around the fire (Christmas tree?) and a new take on Ol Saint Nick.

the Silent Night series by R.L. Stine – It’s been a bazillion years since I read these and what better time to pick the whole series up than now? Anyone want to join me in reading them?

Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer – This was the perfect Christmas horror story. If you love: cheesy, 80s, office politics around the holidays, and a dash of murder, this is the pick for you.

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Lizzie Shane – This was such a sweet romance and how can you say no to DOGS.

The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand – If the most perfect Christmas book existed, it would be this one.

Bonus: Skip Let it Snow and watch the movie instead (the movie is GREAT).

Kelly’s Recs

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan & Rachel Cohn – is the first book in a series of holiday inspired reads based in NYC and full of bookish cuteness, and it truly is the first backlist YA holiday book you should read, then pick up the rest of the series!

10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston – absolutely pure fun for the holiday YA reader and full of family and love…this book spans the holidays and ends around the New Year and I can’t recommend it enough!

Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao – I absolutely devoured this one, fake dating to lovers, that spans from Thanksgiving to the Lunar New Year, and it was so great to read about the holidays from an Asian American 1st gen perspective. This one should be considered New Adult, or Upper YA, due to the ages of the characters and not the steam content.

We Met in December by Rosie Curtis – this is an adult contemporary that is a slow burn and full of London-isms that I enjoyed on a cold wintery day.

My True Love Gave to Me is a YA anthology with 12 just perfect short stories all focused around the holidays!

.