The holidays can be stressful for many, especially with exams being within the same timeframe and having high stress levels. However, the best way to wind down after a long, stressful day this December is to cozy up with a warm blanket, a cup of hot chocolate and a nice holiday book. Here are some holiday book recommendations to assist in keeping the holiday spirit alive this season.
In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren
This book follows Maelyn Jones whose life is going downhill in both her work life and love life. Not only this, but this is her last year at her Christmas family cabin, her favourite place in the world. While departing her cabin for the last time, Mae suddenly crashes. When she awakes, her entire holiday has started over. Again and again, Mae repeats the same holiday over and over, attempting to break the chain she has become stuck in. This romantic comedy is a must-read this holiday season, with its light-heartedness and cute storyline.
The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
In a crazy turn of events, chef Charlie Goodwin loses her sense of smell and taste right before the holidays. At the same time, her identical twin Cass is struggling back at home to run the family bakery and juggling her messy love life. With Charlie’s reality baking show set to begin, she asks her sister to swap places with her in order to maintain her role as a judge. Cass agrees and the sisters swap places, attempting to fix each other’s problems while pretending to be each other. With their messy love lives and work issues, this book is filled with conflict and intrigue combined with the perfect amount of holiday cheer.
Faking Under the Mistletoe by Ashley Shepherd
Following Olivia Langley, the most cheerful and Christmas-spirit-filled girl around, this book involves an unexpected turn of events at the company Christmas party. Olivia finds herself kissing her boss in front of his ex-girlfriend. Not only that, but her boss is the biggest grinch and grumpiest man around. This leads to a scheme by the two, involving a fake relationship. However, Olivia’s real feelings come through and she realizes she might feel more for him than she ever knew. This book has the grumpy-sunshine and fake-dating tropes at Christmas time, which is the perfect combination to get you glued to the pages.
The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
The struggle of dating is real to Katie Turner, who puts work above all and is too busy to search for a relationship in her small town. However, after her best friend signs her up for a dating agency that promises to secure her a date by Christmas, Katie finds herself on 12 dates with 12 men, counting down to Christmas. What could go wrong? Except each date is worse than the last, and Katie must keep her spirits up that this dating agency will keep its promise to find her a date for Christmas. With a multitude of outgoing characters, this novel is sure to keep you on your toes wondering what will happen next.
Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Becky Brandon is a girl who loves tradition, especially holiday tradition. After moving to a village to work alongside her best friend, she believes life is finally as it should be. However, her parents announce they’re moving to a rich, uptown neighbourhood and they request Becky to be there to host Christmas this year. She finds herself catering to snooty, untraditional individuals who have forgotten the Christmas spirit. The disasters keep piling up, and Becky needs to figure out how to bring back the traditional Christmas spirit in her family before the holiday season is up. This book will bring back the childhood joys of old Christmases and help remind you of the simplicity of the holiday season.
We Met in December by Rosie Curtis
Jess’s dream is to move to London and that is exactly what she does this December. It ends up not being all she had hoped, living in a small house with four strangers. The good part is the connection she builds with her neighbour, Alex, one night. After returning from her two-week holiday vacation, she finds Alex already shackled up with his new girlfriend Emma. Being in such close quarters with her crush and his new girlfriend is torture for Jess. This book will frustrate you in the best of ways and make you root for the holiday romance that should come of the main characters.
One Day in December by Josie Silver
Laurie experiences love at first sight one day on a snowy December day through the window of a bus. She is sure it’s fate and they’ll be destined to meet. She spends an entire year in search of the mystery man and fails to find him until a year later at a Christmas party when her best friend Sarah introduces him as her new boyfriend Jack. Over the next 10 years, there are a series of events that follow each December, as this long journey unfolds. This book will grab you at your heartstrings and show you love around the holidays can be magical.
Even if you can’t experience your own fate-filled holiday romance this December, you can do as I will and live vicariously through each one of these characters along their holiday romance extravaganzas. Alongside a pair of slippers and comfy Christmas pajamas, these books will make excellent reads this holiday season.