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Falling in Mistletoe #1

10 Things I Hate About Mistletoe

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A misunderstanding sparks an enemies-to-lovers romance between an outdoorsman and an aspiring writer in this funny and festive Christmas-themed novel.

So far, no man in Mistletoe, Idaho, has measured up to the literary heroes in Delilah Gill’s favorite books. Anthony Russo is no exception. She’s not sure why the steamy smooch they once shared suddenly turned frosty, and she’s tried to keep her distance ever since. But she’s had enough of being serially single, and she decides it’s the perfect time to put herself out there.

Anthony isn’t interested in playing games and he doesn’t like being used—especially not to make his own best friend jealous. Still, a bruised ego doesn’t stop him from imagining kissing Delilah again when she shows up to the local watering hole looking like a million bucks and the other single men in town start to notice her considerable charms.

As December approaches and the Christmas festivities ramp up, both Delilah and Anthony find themselves roped into Mistletoe’s seasonal happenings. It won’t be long now before proximity turns loathing into interest and ultimately a romance that could lead to a very happy holiday indeed . . .

281 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2024

179 people are currently reading
1603 people want to read

About the author

Codi Hall

7 books816 followers

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5 stars
270 (13%)
4 stars
794 (38%)
3 stars
749 (36%)
2 stars
194 (9%)
1 star
43 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews
Profile Image for Kim Novak (The Reading Rx).
1,118 reviews28 followers
December 14, 2024
This book was not for me. I liked the plus sized FMC and Idaho setting. But these 30-something characters talked and acted like they were in junior high. For a character who has written 12 books, you would think she’d have a better vocabulary. Then again, she wrote 12 books she hadn’t published or even pursued some editing… who does that? Who invests all that time before getting some feedback?

I really didn’t care for the weird sexy talk. I can only handle so many references to 😽😽 and 🕵🏻‍♂️🕵🏻‍♂️. It didn’t feel authentic to me.

And if you’re going to title a book 10 Things You Hate About Mistletoe, I’m expecting the story to address 10 things the character hates. Maybe there were 2 or things mentioned, and they weren’t even central to the story. I kept waiting for the tie in to happen, and it just didn’t.
Profile Image for Drop of Jupiter ⊙°˚*✧.
65 reviews5 followers
December 9, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 3.5 stars


I picked this up hoping for a cute, festive rom-com… and ended up nearly chopping off a finger during a spicy scene while cutting potatoes. Honestly, that was the most suspenseful moment of the whole book. 😂

This story is cheesy—full Christmas fondue cheesy—and embraces every classic trope imaginable:
• early miscommunication (because why not),
• jealousy sprinkled in,
• a MMC who insists on “waiting until love” before sleeping with the FMC,
• and of course, the frisky scenes in her parents’ basement, which felt straight out of teenage flashbacks.

And then there’s the scene that truly deserves its own award:
Anthony showing up drunk with his buddies to serenade Delilah with the “Delilah” song… only for him to get sick and throw up on her.
Peak cringe. Peak comedy. Peak Christmas chaos. 🎤🤢🎄

BUT! I genuinely appreciated that Delilah is a chubbier FMC who loves her body, and that alone kept me invested. She deserves the world — and a man who treats her well.

By the end, I was rooting for them… even if I was also rolling my eyes so hard I should’ve burned extra calories.

Verdict: Cute, festive, predictable, and perfect if you want something cozy and low-stress — as long as you’re not holding a sharp knife during the spicy chapters. 🎄😂
Profile Image for Jessica Paige (Exercise_Read_Repeat).
1,824 reviews264 followers
October 1, 2024
This was a delightful and charming small town holiday themed romance. It is not overly Christmasy, making it perfect for an early fall read. The conversations between Delilah and Anthony were real and honest but also full of playful banter, making you want more of them together. And Hall did such a great job making me feel like I was right there alongside them, especially during all of the winter themed festivities. I am SO excited that there are two more books in this series taking place in the Mistletoe world as the close knit friend group now feels like my own friends! The audiobook, narrated by CJ Bloom and Lee Samuels was immersive and made the story fly by!

Read if you like:
-Holiday books
-Small town romances
-Body positivity
-Close-knit friend groups
-Steamy stories

Thank you Podium for the gifted audiobook.
Profile Image for Lily.
100 reviews1 follower
November 27, 2024
Is this a good book? I don’t know.
Did I like this book? Kind of.
Did I stay up until 2:30a so I could finish it in one sitting? Yes. Yes I did.

Parts of this book were SO. DAMN. CRINGEY. The overuse of bro and bestie made me gag. Pike being a ladies man “despite his average height and red hair” ??? Does this author have something against redheads?? This was not the first time his red hair was mentioned as a negative, and it happened a few more times after that. So fucking weird!! Also, Pike says something about using expensive hand cream and how he loses “manly points” for it. 🙄 The word “snarktastic” had me rolling my eyes so hard I got a migraine. Anthony is supposed to be 31 but sometimes he acts like he’s 25. And I’m assuming Delilah is around 27? But she acts like a fucking teenager sometimes. She’s also incredibly unlikable at times. And way too insecure. She is constantly putting words in Anthony’s mouth, and misconstruing everything he says. It was exhausting!! And then she’s blow up and runs away without even letting him explain. Ridiculous. And the fight between Anthony and Pike was so weird for 30 men to have. I am not a 30 year old man, I don’t know many of them, so can I really say that this isn’t realistic? No, I can’t. But it felt real weird.

Look. I almost DNFed after the first 40ish pages because it was so fucking cringey and the misunderstanding that caused this drama between them was so fucking dumb. If it wasn’t mentioned that it was for a bachelorette/bachelor party I would’ve assumed it happened in high school, MAYBE college.

Also, a warning for anyone who was expecting a cozy ✨Christmas✨ romance, this ain’t it. Sure, they live in a town called Mistletoe, and yes this does take place around Christmas time and there are “Christmas” activities (bachelor auction is not my first thought when I think of Christmas activities), it’s not actually Christmas until the last three pages.

All that being said. I didn’t HATE it. Once I pushed through the almost DNF point, I actually started to enjoy it (for the most part). When Delilah wasn’t being an insecure baby, she wasn’t that bad. At times I actually really liked her. Anthony was fine, when he wasn’t punching people and acting like a possessive turd. I thought they did have good chemistry! And I enjoyed seeing their relationship progress. I genuinely liked them together.

I didn’t realize that there was another Mistletoe series before this. Will I go back and read those? Probs not. But will I read the next in this series? I might!

OH!! And one more thing!!! Delilah trying to cross the line and push boundaries on Anthony’s celibacy is NOT ok. That irritated the piss out of me!!! So gross.

TLDR; this book was fine 🤷🏻‍♀️
Profile Image for LAJordan Leigh Ann .
840 reviews50 followers
October 1, 2024
Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (0-5)
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall: 4.75/5
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (0-5) I bump up for public-ish places/outdoor spaces. But, there’s only a few scenes for friends who rate steam that way. The steam is detailed, intimate, and so hot!

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 My initial response after finishing the book: I highly recommend this book/audiobook for your holiday or winter TBR! It’s not too Christmasy, but it has small town, friends & family at the winter holiday times.
🤩 CJ Bloom is my all-time favorite narrator and she does an amazing job as Delilah, magnifying her personality and all the feels. Lee Samuels is fabulous as bossy and possessive Anthony Russo.
🤩 The book blurb and that need to know feeling about the plot.
🤩 A Fireball encouraged kiss—a year ago.
🤩 The plot is captivating and interesting.
🤩 Holiday bachelor auction and Mistletoe, Idaho winter games.
🤩 I love a small-town bar scene and Anthony’s protectiveness totally won me over.
🤩 Curvy FMC and the MMC loves her curves.
🤩 When Anthony carries Delilah to her door, despite her protesting.
🤩 A very well written love triangle that I actually enjoyed.
🤩 I’m a sucker for a steamy scene at a childhood home. And honest family interactions.
🤩 Great friends.
🤩 Laugh-out-loud moment mixed in—steamy holiday romcom is life!

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 A little therapy might help. I’m just not sure if I totally believe in the HEA when the FMC has to ask, “Are you sure?” at the MMC’s declaration of love. (But by the end, for sure.)
💫 I’m greedy and would have loved a little holiday steamy celebration in the trailer or her new place!!
💫 I’m looking forward to Pike’s HEA in Mistletoe Mischief and Sam’s HEA in The Mistletoe Mix-up.
Profile Image for Keelia Brynn.
221 reviews1 follower
December 5, 2025
So I definitely read this series out of order (I read the second one first) but honestly it worked out well because both books take place during the exact same timelines with even some of the scenes being the same. Honestly, I think it was a good thing I read Pike’s book first, because he was lowkey really annoying in this one.

Once again I must say I am biased because I loved all the nods to Idaho culture and places. It’s such a fun experience when your hometown is mentioned or the places you visit in the summer. I generally liked this book more than Pike’s book, and that’s because there was an actual emotional connection and growth between Anthony and Delilah. This book was definitely less christmassy, more so just winter themed.
Profile Image for Karsyn.
572 reviews29 followers
December 21, 2024
I really like the characters in Mistletoe 🥰 I loved the plus size representation too. This was kinda lengthy, and almost slow burn in some areas. But enjoyable for the holiday season!
Profile Image for Lanie J..
362 reviews15 followers
January 20, 2026
This should’ve been a DNF…I just hated it, I couldn’t get into it. I’m so sorry!!
Profile Image for Claire.
18 reviews1 follower
November 27, 2025
This was SOOOOO DISAPPOINTING. I have enjoyed 3 other Codi Hall books, they’re corny and cute, but this one was bad. There were actually concerning issues with consent. The FMC did NOT respect the MMC’s “no” multiple times. That’s not “quirky.” That’s wrong. And the pacing of the story was off too. I had 25 minutes left and it was still being told like we were in the middle. There were miraculous character arcs to wrap things up. Just an all around flop. PS “globes” is the worst way ever to describe a butt. And it happened no less than 5 times…
Profile Image for Rori.c.
216 reviews1 follower
December 26, 2025
Yearning to Be Chosen First and Showing Up to Allow Trust

10 Things I Hate About Misletoe by Cody Hall was a very cute, heartfelt story about a plus size woman who just wants to be chosen first and who struggles with insecurity and trusting that the person standing in front of her truly has good intentions. It made me feel as if I were reading my own insecurities or life stories with men in the pages of the book. Delilah and Anthony’s story felt genuine and heartfelt, like something that has actually happened to me in real life. That many people have probably experienced, which is always something I appreciate in romance book when it’s actually written in a purposeful manner that makes it relatable.

What really worked for me was how much heart this story had. It looks directly at insecurity, self doubt, and that internal battle of wanting love but being afraid to fully believe in it or open your life up to it. Disrupting the normal or chancing your peace is something all singles struggle with when dating. Delilah’s fears felt real, because I’ve been in her shoes. It was not exaggerated or made to be overtly dramatic, and Anthony’s patience with her and need to want to show her consistency made their connection make me feel all the feels. Also, I like how intimacy was paused rather than rushed into. I enjoy stories that focus on the emotional core of who characters are, and this one absolutely did that.

The balance between spice and story was also really well done. The audiobook paired well with the story too. I dislike books that are ninety five percent smut and five percent prose, and this was not that. Also when you’re an immersive reader it truly makes you uncomfortable to be listening to a book that is nothing but that. I would put this book at about a twenty percent spice, eighty percent story ratio, which allowed the plot to find its legs and it to feel uncomfortable in immersive reading. The intimate moments truly enhanced the story and that made reading this book a lot easier.

There were so many cute moments throughout of the Anthony and Delilah dynamic in the book, as the couple slowly navigated their way toward the ending, and those interactions really added to the charm of why we as readers want to root for them. By the time I finished, I was genuinely interested in continuing the series and seeing how the rest of the story arcs and characters stories unfold. Good holiday season read, but it would also work beautifully as a winter read in January or February. I’m really glad I found it, and I’m looking forward to reading more from this series.
Profile Image for Thais • tata.lifepages •.
633 reviews1,062 followers
October 13, 2024
This heartwarming romance is the first in a brand new series, Falling in Mistletoe! it was an adorably cozy and swoony read!😍

When he’s the best friend of the guy you’ve had a crush on for years… and after one fireball-encouraged kiss, things suddenly turn frosty, what’s a girl to do? In this festive romance, Delilah is tired of being single, while Anthony isn’t interested in being used to make anyone jealous. But as Christmas in Mistletoe, Idaho, heats up, so does their undeniable chemistry. Can an enemies-to-lovers twist turn into the holiday romance of her dreams? I absolutely love that she’s also a bookish gal like me! 🥰

What you can expect:
❄️plus size FMC
❄️hate to love
❄️festive charm
❄️found family
❄️cozy vibes
❄️protective and caring MMC
Profile Image for Melissa.
1,496 reviews80 followers
December 8, 2024
This was fine, but when I grab a book with Mistletoe in the title I'm expecting a holiday romance. I'm willing to experience a subpar story as long as there is a nice little hokey romance full of Christmas spirit and atmosphere. But when it's just a run-of-the-mill romance? Well, it needs to have something that grabs me. Unfortunately, despite the Christmas-y title of this story, there isn't much Christmas in the story. Instead, this is basically the story of a guy and a girl falling in love despite .... well, I guess despite the fact that Anthony's best friend kinda sorta likes Delilah (for like half a second). It's the dumbest plot ever. I simply didn't care about whatever it was that was preventing these two from becoming a couple. I liked both Anthony and Delilah well enough. I am happy that they found a way to begin their HEA together. But I wasn't super interested in their journey. It was just a generic story about two people who sort of dislike each other for five minutes until they realize that they kiss really well. Suddenly, they see beauty everywhere. Five minutes later, they are in love. That's it. That's the story. And without any Christmas vibes, I wasn't feeling it. Two stars. It was okay.
Profile Image for Kellie Forney.
157 reviews1 follower
Read
November 6, 2025
Okay audio books for my work commute are the thing right now. I haven’t had time to put up my tree so I’m getting in the holiday spirit by reading holiday romance books! I read Cori’s first holiday series many years ago. (Well 2 of the 3 books). It was nice to revisit the Winters family and the town of Mistletoe. Also Anthony was down SOOOOO BAD! It had me screaming ANNNNNNFRREEKNNNEEEE like in my Bridgerton days. I really wanted the epilogue to be a little further in the future. Maybe the next two books will take us there?
Profile Image for Caitlin.
1,852 reviews55 followers
December 17, 2024
I feel like Codi Hall was trying to give the Christmas Notch series a run for its money. It had a vibe similar to those books more so than her first series.

I didn't love this one. No matter how hard I tried, I just did not enjoy the FMC. She was so quick to judge other people and the conclusions she jumped to all the time were eyeroll worthy.

I will read the second one only because I bought the first two during the recent audible sale. But I don't know if I'll get the third. We shall see.
Profile Image for The Grim Reader.
2 reviews
December 14, 2025
It was not exactly bad, it just seems like the author is very young or have a limited vocabulary as the language was a bit flat and didn’t match the characters age. Also too many unnecessary references to TV-shows and movies. And labia and pussy lips is not exactly the most enticing way to describe sex scenes in my opinion.
Profile Image for Deb Conover.
696 reviews3 followers
December 8, 2024
romantic mistletoe

So Mistletoe is a place. The trope is probably second chance romance. The spice was ok. I liked this story and will read more from this author.
Profile Image for Karen Bauer.
305 reviews2 followers
December 11, 2024
Another great book by Codi Hall. Great banter, amazing 🌶🌶🌶 scenes and great way to tie the story line to book two (I accidentally read them out of order)
Profile Image for Rochelle.
92 reviews
November 19, 2025
Very cute, sometimes cheesy, sometimes steamy romcom! 3.5 ⭐️
Profile Image for Ang Hoehner.
527 reviews1 follower
December 8, 2025
Cute story where the chubby girl gets the guy at Christmas time. Not a lot else to say other than I want to know more about the other characters.
Profile Image for Amber Stapleton.
250 reviews1 follower
December 21, 2025
I loved this! Dual narration and both narrators were awesome. They did fall in love super quick but it worked.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kelly.
52 reviews
December 27, 2025
I absolutely ate this book up. Loved the story, the characters, everything! I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
Profile Image for Crystal .
9 reviews1 follower
December 23, 2025
This book kinda of dragged on for me at the end. I couldn't really connect to the characters and the storyline wasn't my favorite.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews

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