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Just Like Christmas
There’s nothing Niall Davis hates more than Christmas—except maybe his ex-best friend, Samuel Valentini. At least, that’s what he keeps telling himself.
Since the traumatic death of his father, Niall has turned into a Scrooge-like grump. When Sam pretends they are dating to get his meddling mother off his back, Niall sees an opportunity to avoid spending Christmas with his family and grudgingly goes along with it.
Their scheme leads them to getting stuck together in a secluded cabin, where Niall is forced to take a good look at himself and face all his past, present, and future ghosts.
Will he find a way to let go of his pain and love Christmas again? Or will he remain trapped in his bitterness forever?
Since the traumatic death of his father, Niall has turned into a Scrooge-like grump. When Sam pretends they are dating to get his meddling mother off his back, Niall sees an opportunity to avoid spending Christmas with his family and grudgingly goes along with it.
Their scheme leads them to getting stuck together in a secluded cabin, where Niall is forced to take a good look at himself and face all his past, present, and future ghosts.
Will he find a way to let go of his pain and love Christmas again? Or will he remain trapped in his bitterness forever?
216 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 15, 2024
9 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
About the author
Annabel den Dekker
6 books44 followersAnnabel den Dekker is a queer author from the Netherlands. When she’s not writing, she can be found strolling through nature, daydreaming about her favorite characters or conjuring up new stories. She’s also an avid admirer of books, music and TV series, and delights in sharing them with others.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
December 3, 2024
2,75 stars.
I loved the very diverse cast of characters. A bisexual vegan MC? A non binary secondary character? A (maybe?) vegetarian italian/spanish MC? Awesome. There were no lectures and no finger pointing about the different personalities, they simply were who they were.. it was refreshing.
While this wasn't exactly a modern retelling of A Christmas Carol, the MC Niall had definitely many Scrooge-like character traits. His animosity and meanness were a bit much sometimes. The fact that both MCs were only 20 years old felt right, though.
The plot had many, many improbable and convenient instances, many stilted and cheesy dialogues (mostly with family members), but if you could look past that, the story itself was all right.
I loved the very diverse cast of characters. A bisexual vegan MC? A non binary secondary character? A (maybe?) vegetarian italian/spanish MC? Awesome. There were no lectures and no finger pointing about the different personalities, they simply were who they were.. it was refreshing.
While this wasn't exactly a modern retelling of A Christmas Carol, the MC Niall had definitely many Scrooge-like character traits. His animosity and meanness were a bit much sometimes. The fact that both MCs were only 20 years old felt right, though.
The plot had many, many improbable and convenient instances, many stilted and cheesy dialogues (mostly with family members), but if you could look past that, the story itself was all right.
October 25, 2024
My love for Christmas knows no bounds, thanks to my schooling. I am all about the Christmas spirit which was the foremost reason for me to pick up this book. As soon as I saw the author's request for ARC readers, I jumped in the bandwagon. And here we are.
The prologue was going great. Best friends, their blooming love and the onset of Christmas festivities along with the beautiful dance by Samuel had such a pretty picture painted in my mind. I was enjoying myself until the sudden death of a parent left a bitter taste in my mouth. This made me angry at the author and the only reason why I continued reading the story was because I hoped that the author wouldn't ruin bookish Christmas for me, but not before taking a much needed break.
The story is narrated from Niall's POV and I loved getting a glimpse of his thoughts. I liked Samuel from the very start and as the story progressed, I only liked him more. Their first kiss was so perfect, my brain didn't take a second to visualise it (I have hyperphantasia but the visualisation was fast even for me). It was a happy ending even though the start was heartbreaking. It's hard to choose a favourite character because everyone was special in their own way - Samuel, Niall, Sophie, Elijah...
Niall is bisexual but the first time he addresses this in the book, he wishes he wasn't. That worried me because this meant that there was something troubling him. This does get sorted towards the end of the story but so much time has passed that the first thought I had was "God, we wasted so many days" (reference: Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman).
Yay for more bisexual main characters. The indie author community has really upped their game in the past couple of years to bring forth more sexualities to readers than the traditionally published community ever did. Most of Annabel's characters, both main and secondary, belong to different sexual minority communities. Go check out her books.
The prologue was going great. Best friends, their blooming love and the onset of Christmas festivities along with the beautiful dance by Samuel had such a pretty picture painted in my mind. I was enjoying myself until the sudden death of a parent left a bitter taste in my mouth. This made me angry at the author and the only reason why I continued reading the story was because I hoped that the author wouldn't ruin bookish Christmas for me, but not before taking a much needed break.
The story is narrated from Niall's POV and I loved getting a glimpse of his thoughts. I liked Samuel from the very start and as the story progressed, I only liked him more. Their first kiss was so perfect, my brain didn't take a second to visualise it (I have hyperphantasia but the visualisation was fast even for me). It was a happy ending even though the start was heartbreaking. It's hard to choose a favourite character because everyone was special in their own way - Samuel, Niall, Sophie, Elijah...
Niall is bisexual but the first time he addresses this in the book, he wishes he wasn't. That worried me because this meant that there was something troubling him. This does get sorted towards the end of the story but so much time has passed that the first thought I had was "God, we wasted so many days" (reference: Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman).
Yay for more bisexual main characters. The indie author community has really upped their game in the past couple of years to bring forth more sexualities to readers than the traditionally published community ever did. Most of Annabel's characters, both main and secondary, belong to different sexual minority communities. Go check out her books.
November 14, 2024
“𝒟𝒾𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓈𝑒𝒹 𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝑜𝓃.”
I loved Sam and Niall’s story it is a beautiful Christmas tale of friendship, loss, reconnection, and really finding yourself after a loss.
Niall is a typical scrooge he hates all things Christmas it wasn’t always that way but when the holiday is mixed with the worse loss of his life he feels guilty for even wanting to celebrate the holiday. Sam is sunshine and absolutely loves all things Christmas.
Growing up Sam and Niall were inseparable and after an incident in their teens the friendship ended on Niall’s side. Even as horrible as Niall was to Sam he never left his side and always worked to repair what he didn’t break. So when Sam needs a fake boyfriend he automatically enlist grumpy Niall and when they become stranded it helps bring so much to light.
I loved this story and I loved how we had to work for that HEA but it was worth it.
~~What to Expect~~
❄️Christmas
❄️MM
❄️Fake Dating
❄️Ex-Best Friends to Lovers
❄️Forced Proximity
❄️Small Town
❄️One Bed
❄️Grumpy X Sunshine
❄️Slow Burn
❄️Single 3rd Person POV
~~Quote~~
🎄It’s never senseless to tell someone you love them, especially when it’s the truth.
🎄You can be infuriating and you know exactly how to get on my nerves, but at the same time, you’ve always been the only person who can comfort me and make me laugh.
🎄I would even go through the pain of watching him be with someone else if it means I get to spend my life around him
I loved Sam and Niall’s story it is a beautiful Christmas tale of friendship, loss, reconnection, and really finding yourself after a loss.
Niall is a typical scrooge he hates all things Christmas it wasn’t always that way but when the holiday is mixed with the worse loss of his life he feels guilty for even wanting to celebrate the holiday. Sam is sunshine and absolutely loves all things Christmas.
Growing up Sam and Niall were inseparable and after an incident in their teens the friendship ended on Niall’s side. Even as horrible as Niall was to Sam he never left his side and always worked to repair what he didn’t break. So when Sam needs a fake boyfriend he automatically enlist grumpy Niall and when they become stranded it helps bring so much to light.
I loved this story and I loved how we had to work for that HEA but it was worth it.
~~What to Expect~~
❄️Christmas
❄️MM
❄️Fake Dating
❄️Ex-Best Friends to Lovers
❄️Forced Proximity
❄️Small Town
❄️One Bed
❄️Grumpy X Sunshine
❄️Slow Burn
❄️Single 3rd Person POV
~~Quote~~
🎄It’s never senseless to tell someone you love them, especially when it’s the truth.
🎄You can be infuriating and you know exactly how to get on my nerves, but at the same time, you’ve always been the only person who can comfort me and make me laugh.
🎄I would even go through the pain of watching him be with someone else if it means I get to spend my life around him
November 29, 2024
4 stars
Absolutely adorable 😍
Absolutely adorable 😍
December 2, 2024
chronically wattpad and the author doesn’t know how to write dialogue
December 8, 2025
*I received an ARC in exchange for a review*
If you're into Hallmark Christmas movies, then you'll probably like this book. There are a lot of references to A Christmas Carol in this book. You have Niall, who hates Christmas because of a traumatic event that happened during his childhood. There is also Samuel, who is super lovable and full of personality. This book is from Nialls point of view, and I enjoyed his character development throughout the story.
This was an easy book to get through and I like all of the representation throughout the story as well. It touches on bisexuality, homosexuality, and there's even a nonbinary character as well. An issue I had was the dialogue between the main characters and their families felt very stiff? I'm not sure if that's the right word, but it didn't feel like it was genuine, more of a basic prompt that needed more real-world feelings added in.
Overall, the book is cute. Niall is ridiculously mean, but it's worth it to stick around to get to the end of the book.
If you're into Hallmark Christmas movies, then you'll probably like this book. There are a lot of references to A Christmas Carol in this book. You have Niall, who hates Christmas because of a traumatic event that happened during his childhood. There is also Samuel, who is super lovable and full of personality. This book is from Nialls point of view, and I enjoyed his character development throughout the story.
This was an easy book to get through and I like all of the representation throughout the story as well. It touches on bisexuality, homosexuality, and there's even a nonbinary character as well. An issue I had was the dialogue between the main characters and their families felt very stiff? I'm not sure if that's the right word, but it didn't feel like it was genuine, more of a basic prompt that needed more real-world feelings added in.
Overall, the book is cute. Niall is ridiculously mean, but it's worth it to stick around to get to the end of the book.
November 15, 2024
Beautiful book, I definitely needed this and I loved Niall and Sam’s relationship. Niall’s grief left me feeling so much, I have been there in his shoes and i understood him. Now that christmas is approaching This is a cozy but also, meaningful story that I will get back to. Im glad I got the opportunity of reading the arc of this wonderful story.
dnfs
November 25, 2024DNF @ 49%. I really don’t like the kids.
December 7, 2024
3.5
The concept is great, but I wish the storytelling was better.
The concept is great, but I wish the storytelling was better.
October 23, 2024
Sam and Niall's story is such a sweet story that will really tug on your heartstrings! Best friends as kids and estranged as young adults, these two are thrown back together over winter break. They're not ready for the chaos that's about to hit them, but they will soon realize that the only way to get through it is to, well, go through it.
November 15, 2024
4/5 Stars – A Fun Holiday Romance
This book is a cute and cozy holiday read with just the right mix of romance, humor, and emotional depth. Niall Davis is your classic Christmas Grinch, and it’s easy to feel for him as he struggles with the loss of his dad. His fake dating scheme with ex-best friend Samuel Valentini is both hilarious and sweet, especially when they end up stuck together in a cozy cabin.
The mockery between Niall and Sam keeps things light, but there’s also a deeper, more emotional side to the story as Niall learns to face his grief and open up again. Watching him slowly let go of his pain and reconnect with Christmas makes for a heartwarming journey. Sam is the perfect balance to Niall’s grouchiness, and their chemistry is really enjoyable to watch unfold.
Some parts feel a bit slow, but overall, this book is the perfect feel-good read for the holiday season. If you love festive romances with some depth, this one’s definitely worth checking out!
This book is a cute and cozy holiday read with just the right mix of romance, humor, and emotional depth. Niall Davis is your classic Christmas Grinch, and it’s easy to feel for him as he struggles with the loss of his dad. His fake dating scheme with ex-best friend Samuel Valentini is both hilarious and sweet, especially when they end up stuck together in a cozy cabin.
The mockery between Niall and Sam keeps things light, but there’s also a deeper, more emotional side to the story as Niall learns to face his grief and open up again. Watching him slowly let go of his pain and reconnect with Christmas makes for a heartwarming journey. Sam is the perfect balance to Niall’s grouchiness, and their chemistry is really enjoyable to watch unfold.
Some parts feel a bit slow, but overall, this book is the perfect feel-good read for the holiday season. If you love festive romances with some depth, this one’s definitely worth checking out!
November 27, 2024
This was a really cute book. I didn’t always get the angst of Niall, but I did like the story. The character development was really good and it was just very touching and very appropriate for Christmas.
January 1, 2025
Annabel creates such cute characters, they are loveable and genuine. This is one of those love stories where everyone can see they are meant to be together but for one reason or another, they put it off. Niall's story is an emotional one, relating to his father, who he idolised growing up.
Set over Christmas, Sam has always been there for Niall but outside factors made it hard for the two boys to interact for a long time. They have been lifelong friends but things happened and I feel for them knowing they missed out on certain years of friendship. Niall used to love Christmas but now he resents it, Sam wants to make it special again for him but he has his work cut out. A sledging accident brings the two boys closer together and it's a story worth reading!
I really like how Annabel tells the story, her vision is strong, her love for the characters shine bright and I'm so happy with the ending!
Set over Christmas, Sam has always been there for Niall but outside factors made it hard for the two boys to interact for a long time. They have been lifelong friends but things happened and I feel for them knowing they missed out on certain years of friendship. Niall used to love Christmas but now he resents it, Sam wants to make it special again for him but he has his work cut out. A sledging accident brings the two boys closer together and it's a story worth reading!
I really like how Annabel tells the story, her vision is strong, her love for the characters shine bright and I'm so happy with the ending!
November 15, 2024
“Five Star All the Way.”
‘Just Like Christmas’ completely gripped me from the first page. Annabel den Dekkers’ words painted a vivid picture in my mind, as if I were actually there. As soon as I started reading, the sights were and sounds of the story enveloped me, immersing me in the innocent friendship between Niall and Sam. The author’s ability to capture the essence of their emotions brought the story to life. But then, as I read about the heartbreaking loss of Niall’s father, I shed a tear.
The author possesses an incredible talent for leading the reader on a captivating voyage of exploration. Fast-forwarding 10 years, my curiosity compelled me to uncover the fate of Niall and Sam. Did their friendship endure? This is a wonderfully layered the story. It made me smile at how a little lie they both told quickly escalated into something much bigger. I was willing for everything to run smoothly between them, but as we all know, life often has different plans!
The author skilfully depicts Niall’s internal turmoil as he grapples with the loss of his beloved father. Through poignant events and flashbacks, we gain insight into the tragic incident and Niall’s deep-seated fear of losing those he holds dear. It becomes clearthat Niall’s survival strategy is to distance himself from others, pushing them away. My heart bled for him when I learned he believed his father would have struggled with his sexuality. However, nothing could have been further from the truth. Interestingly, there were moments when Niall would amusingly think about what he wanted to say and how he should express it. However, more often than not, he ended up saying the complete opposite or remaining silent, which often left Sam and his family feeling sad and hurt.
I absolutely loved the scene where Niall felt compelled to assist Sofia in grooming Nero, the horse. It beautifully portrayed the sincere and straightforward nature of young children. Additionally, Niall’s relationship with Charlie, Sam’s dog, was incredibly adorable and highly amusing. That is something that was very relatable to us all..
I discovered I was falling in love in the very town where Sam and Niall had spent their childhood. It was a place filled with charming spots like Vic’s Diner, where they would often go for hot chocolate. It was a tight-knit community, where everyone seemed to know each other, including the nosy neighbours. And then there was Sam’s mother, who had a habit of meddling in people’s affairs. But despite her interference, she had a kind heart. ‘Just Like Christmas’ is a beautiful story of finding connection, hope and love. But make no mistake, it’s definitely a great read all year round. In this exquisitely written tale, the author provided everything I required for a ‘five star all the way’ review.
‘Just Like Christmas’ completely gripped me from the first page. Annabel den Dekkers’ words painted a vivid picture in my mind, as if I were actually there. As soon as I started reading, the sights were and sounds of the story enveloped me, immersing me in the innocent friendship between Niall and Sam. The author’s ability to capture the essence of their emotions brought the story to life. But then, as I read about the heartbreaking loss of Niall’s father, I shed a tear.
The author possesses an incredible talent for leading the reader on a captivating voyage of exploration. Fast-forwarding 10 years, my curiosity compelled me to uncover the fate of Niall and Sam. Did their friendship endure? This is a wonderfully layered the story. It made me smile at how a little lie they both told quickly escalated into something much bigger. I was willing for everything to run smoothly between them, but as we all know, life often has different plans!
The author skilfully depicts Niall’s internal turmoil as he grapples with the loss of his beloved father. Through poignant events and flashbacks, we gain insight into the tragic incident and Niall’s deep-seated fear of losing those he holds dear. It becomes clearthat Niall’s survival strategy is to distance himself from others, pushing them away. My heart bled for him when I learned he believed his father would have struggled with his sexuality. However, nothing could have been further from the truth. Interestingly, there were moments when Niall would amusingly think about what he wanted to say and how he should express it. However, more often than not, he ended up saying the complete opposite or remaining silent, which often left Sam and his family feeling sad and hurt.
I absolutely loved the scene where Niall felt compelled to assist Sofia in grooming Nero, the horse. It beautifully portrayed the sincere and straightforward nature of young children. Additionally, Niall’s relationship with Charlie, Sam’s dog, was incredibly adorable and highly amusing. That is something that was very relatable to us all..
I discovered I was falling in love in the very town where Sam and Niall had spent their childhood. It was a place filled with charming spots like Vic’s Diner, where they would often go for hot chocolate. It was a tight-knit community, where everyone seemed to know each other, including the nosy neighbours. And then there was Sam’s mother, who had a habit of meddling in people’s affairs. But despite her interference, she had a kind heart. ‘Just Like Christmas’ is a beautiful story of finding connection, hope and love. But make no mistake, it’s definitely a great read all year round. In this exquisitely written tale, the author provided everything I required for a ‘five star all the way’ review.
November 15, 2024
Some Christmas love to start the season.
This book takes a different twist to the trope of one of the couple not liking Christmas. Instead of the character just not liking Christmas for more asocial reasons this time there is a deep layer of trauma causing the distress. Niall as a main character doesn't start off as an easily lovable character because of it, but it left us with a lot of potential for growth at the start of the book. He is grumpy and rude but as he is the main character we quickly get insight to what is the cause of all of it. I enjoyed it that we had this deeper perspective than it being the love interest with all the turmoil. To see him grow and become healthier in his mental health was a lovely journey to follow and made me smile a whole lot towards the end of the book.
As a contrast Sam is such an happy lovely guy that is totally into Christmas as an polar opposite. Niall and Sam clash a lot, have clashed for even longer before the book starts. There is so much history between these two guys that makes you feel the pain from the start. Sam is clearly hurting from this situation but refuses to let go of Niall. This determination of his is such a joy to see and makes you root for him all through the book. Sam was a joy to have and I couldn't get enough of him.
When the book gets to the part that they're at the cabin the real magic starts. It was so much fun to see these two have some quality time. Niall slowly opening up was magical to see and made me feel so proud of him. When the time in the cabin came to an end I was sad to see them move out of their safe bubble, but the real growth started there for Niall. He now had to carry through his change with the people he usually clashes against. Him working through all that lead to an adorable ending of the book.
Concluding I really enjoyed this Christmas book that gave me fluff with big character growth.
I received an eARC and this was my honest review.
This book takes a different twist to the trope of one of the couple not liking Christmas. Instead of the character just not liking Christmas for more asocial reasons this time there is a deep layer of trauma causing the distress. Niall as a main character doesn't start off as an easily lovable character because of it, but it left us with a lot of potential for growth at the start of the book. He is grumpy and rude but as he is the main character we quickly get insight to what is the cause of all of it. I enjoyed it that we had this deeper perspective than it being the love interest with all the turmoil. To see him grow and become healthier in his mental health was a lovely journey to follow and made me smile a whole lot towards the end of the book.
As a contrast Sam is such an happy lovely guy that is totally into Christmas as an polar opposite. Niall and Sam clash a lot, have clashed for even longer before the book starts. There is so much history between these two guys that makes you feel the pain from the start. Sam is clearly hurting from this situation but refuses to let go of Niall. This determination of his is such a joy to see and makes you root for him all through the book. Sam was a joy to have and I couldn't get enough of him.
When the book gets to the part that they're at the cabin the real magic starts. It was so much fun to see these two have some quality time. Niall slowly opening up was magical to see and made me feel so proud of him. When the time in the cabin came to an end I was sad to see them move out of their safe bubble, but the real growth started there for Niall. He now had to carry through his change with the people he usually clashes against. Him working through all that lead to an adorable ending of the book.
Concluding I really enjoyed this Christmas book that gave me fluff with big character growth.
I received an eARC and this was my honest review.
November 10, 2024
My heart is really warm right now, what a great way to start Christmas season and get into the Christmas Spirit
This book was so fun and so heartwarming... It showed so much about friendship and overcome challenges. That being hurt and feel broken doesn't mean you are not worthy of love and affection - you are not less then anyone cause you are going through something hard and difficult and that people around you might be going through something similar and you can help each other.
It shows how important communication and trust are and that you should never be afraid to speak or live your life with passion and fully enjoy it, instead of looking back and see the time lost you could have had.
I loved it all the set up the characters and specially Sam's little familiar Charlie 😍 It's so to see such good friendships and i always love the siblings bonds and in this book there was plenty and i was so so happy to read all of it.
I liked how the story kept growing and evolving but I will always love the cabin the most, I think it shows so much about Niall and Sam friendship and their characters and personality and the fact Charlie is there makes it all better.
Bella creats this worlds and the bounds between characters it makes her book have this special side to it and I live it.
This book was so fun and so heartwarming... It showed so much about friendship and overcome challenges. That being hurt and feel broken doesn't mean you are not worthy of love and affection - you are not less then anyone cause you are going through something hard and difficult and that people around you might be going through something similar and you can help each other.
It shows how important communication and trust are and that you should never be afraid to speak or live your life with passion and fully enjoy it, instead of looking back and see the time lost you could have had.
I loved it all the set up the characters and specially Sam's little familiar Charlie 😍 It's so to see such good friendships and i always love the siblings bonds and in this book there was plenty and i was so so happy to read all of it.
I liked how the story kept growing and evolving but I will always love the cabin the most, I think it shows so much about Niall and Sam friendship and their characters and personality and the fact Charlie is there makes it all better.
Bella creats this worlds and the bounds between characters it makes her book have this special side to it and I live it.
December 25, 2024
For fans of Hallmark Christmas movies and cute tropey goodness served with a cup of holiday cheer!
“Just Like Christmas” follows the story of Niall and Sam, childhood friends now drifted apart, but brought back together through fake-dating hijinx! While we’re all familiar with the idea of “enemies to lovers”, this story explores the delightfully fun “frienemies to lovers”, which was a really fun type of relationship to explore! Suffice it to say, if you’re the kind of person who likes a tale that makes you kick your feet and say “Squee!” you’ll be delighted with the many festive-flavored misadventures that befall our protagonists.
Beyond the squee-worthy romance, we enjoyed that this love story is supported by well drawn and interesting secondary characters. From the protagonist's siblings, who offer us insight into the depth to which the boys value their family, to Vic- the diner owner who watches the boys grow up, grow apart, and grow back together over waffles and hot chocolate- to Charlie the dog, this rich cast of characters creates a believable world in which readers can easily get immersed.
And of course, we love to see another LGBTQ+ addition to the Christmas romance family!!!!
With references to “A Christmas Carol” drawing a central line through the story, gingerbread making, and festive happily ever afters, “Just Like Christmas” is the perfect feel-good holiday read.
“Just Like Christmas” follows the story of Niall and Sam, childhood friends now drifted apart, but brought back together through fake-dating hijinx! While we’re all familiar with the idea of “enemies to lovers”, this story explores the delightfully fun “frienemies to lovers”, which was a really fun type of relationship to explore! Suffice it to say, if you’re the kind of person who likes a tale that makes you kick your feet and say “Squee!” you’ll be delighted with the many festive-flavored misadventures that befall our protagonists.
Beyond the squee-worthy romance, we enjoyed that this love story is supported by well drawn and interesting secondary characters. From the protagonist's siblings, who offer us insight into the depth to which the boys value their family, to Vic- the diner owner who watches the boys grow up, grow apart, and grow back together over waffles and hot chocolate- to Charlie the dog, this rich cast of characters creates a believable world in which readers can easily get immersed.
And of course, we love to see another LGBTQ+ addition to the Christmas romance family!!!!
With references to “A Christmas Carol” drawing a central line through the story, gingerbread making, and festive happily ever afters, “Just Like Christmas” is the perfect feel-good holiday read.
December 31, 2024
In a word: Beautiful. The book made me so happy and sad. Yes, I cried reading it and that makes it even more beautiful.
I really liked the author's writing, the book flowed so easily and I was totally engrossed in the story.
While the book mainly focuses on romance, it brings out so much more, grief on losing a parent, unable to deal with the grief, the pressure to conform to the societal norms and making your parents proud.
I liked the characters and how Sam was just always there because sometimes that is what a person needs. I was also glad that the book was not explicit. Most of the M/M romance just ends being too explicit for me to read, so I liked that there was focus on intimacy and emotions.
And I loved (even though my heart was breaking) when Niall cried, it's so rare for an author to make a male character cry and I really appreciate it.
Looking forward to the next book 🤍
I really liked the author's writing, the book flowed so easily and I was totally engrossed in the story.
While the book mainly focuses on romance, it brings out so much more, grief on losing a parent, unable to deal with the grief, the pressure to conform to the societal norms and making your parents proud.
I liked the characters and how Sam was just always there because sometimes that is what a person needs. I was also glad that the book was not explicit. Most of the M/M romance just ends being too explicit for me to read, so I liked that there was focus on intimacy and emotions.
And I loved (even though my heart was breaking) when Niall cried, it's so rare for an author to make a male character cry and I really appreciate it.
Looking forward to the next book 🤍
December 9, 2025
4.5⭐️
Just like Christmas was a beautifully written story that explores friendship, grief, family relationships and so much more.
Set in the small-town of Pinegrove Ridge it follows Niall and Samuel's journey from childhood best friends through the breakdown of their relationship and finally through acceptance and self-awareness towards a future together.
There were lots of cozy feelgood moments especially the forced proximity/one bed scenes in the cabin.
I especially loved how Niall's grief, Sam's perseverance, and the family dynamics were explored.
This was so much more than a festive MM book, and I loved the message of hope.
Just like Christmas was a beautifully written story that explores friendship, grief, family relationships and so much more.
Set in the small-town of Pinegrove Ridge it follows Niall and Samuel's journey from childhood best friends through the breakdown of their relationship and finally through acceptance and self-awareness towards a future together.
There were lots of cozy feelgood moments especially the forced proximity/one bed scenes in the cabin.
I especially loved how Niall's grief, Sam's perseverance, and the family dynamics were explored.
This was so much more than a festive MM book, and I loved the message of hope.
November 15, 2024
ADORE. THIS. BOOK!
I honestly love anytime I can find a great queer holiday book. I was approached to help with the cover reveal and review of this book and it’s honestly one of my favorite partner ships I’ve done this year!
Sam and Niall have such great evolutions of their friendship and each phase is so fantastic to read. Niall’s character development was well executed as you can truly understand why he does the things he does. At the same time you 100% understand the emotions of the other characters with how they are treated by him.
Such a great friends to enemies to lovers book!!
I honestly love anytime I can find a great queer holiday book. I was approached to help with the cover reveal and review of this book and it’s honestly one of my favorite partner ships I’ve done this year!
Sam and Niall have such great evolutions of their friendship and each phase is so fantastic to read. Niall’s character development was well executed as you can truly understand why he does the things he does. At the same time you 100% understand the emotions of the other characters with how they are treated by him.
Such a great friends to enemies to lovers book!!
December 8, 2025
Loved it !
I do have to admit that Niall was annoyingly stubborn for the first part of the book but Sam is just too sweet and their dynamics actually were super interesting so I couldn't put the book down until I finished it 🙌
I really liked the Christmas touch and timing of the storyline ; the important subject of grief being a main plot line was really nicely done too.
Will DEFINITLY check out other books by Annabel den Dekker ASAP ^^
I do have to admit that Niall was annoyingly stubborn for the first part of the book but Sam is just too sweet and their dynamics actually were super interesting so I couldn't put the book down until I finished it 🙌
I really liked the Christmas touch and timing of the storyline ; the important subject of grief being a main plot line was really nicely done too.
Will DEFINITLY check out other books by Annabel den Dekker ASAP ^^
November 17, 2024
I cried, and they were happy tears.
dnf
December 13, 2024dnf at 23 %, not a fan of how the plot is moving and the writing needed a big round of editing.
December 18, 2024
Just Like Christmas is a short, queer Christmas romance from Annabel den Dekker. Niall and Sam are childhood friends, who have drifted apart over the years. Despite Niall claiming to ‘hate’ Sam now (although he does seem to tolerate him a lot), Sam decides to pretend that Niall is his boyfriend, to get his mother off his back about his love life. Niall reluctantly agrees, but still tries to distance himself from Sam. Too bad they’re about to get snowed in, in a cabin together…
As you can tell from the above, JLC has a lot of classic Christmas romance tropes! (It even throws it another right before the end which made me laugh out loud on the bus.) I’m a massive sucker for Hallmark movies, so I enjoyed all the Christmas cheese. (Plus, there is a very cute border collie <3). The characters are what you’d expect from this story: grumpy person who hates Christmas, and chipper to the point of annoying rival. What is interesting behind the romance are the family dynamics, and the way the two main characters interact with their family members. Both sets of families are dealing with their own issues and the parents are navigating their relationships with their now adult sons. It would have been good if Sam’s family had the same attention as Niall’s, however, this is a very short read.
JLC is a short, sweet Christmas read. It’s a fun story, with a lot of Christmas Carol references (including acknowledging the genius Muppets version)!
As you can tell from the above, JLC has a lot of classic Christmas romance tropes! (It even throws it another right before the end which made me laugh out loud on the bus.) I’m a massive sucker for Hallmark movies, so I enjoyed all the Christmas cheese. (Plus, there is a very cute border collie <3). The characters are what you’d expect from this story: grumpy person who hates Christmas, and chipper to the point of annoying rival. What is interesting behind the romance are the family dynamics, and the way the two main characters interact with their family members. Both sets of families are dealing with their own issues and the parents are navigating their relationships with their now adult sons. It would have been good if Sam’s family had the same attention as Niall’s, however, this is a very short read.
JLC is a short, sweet Christmas read. It’s a fun story, with a lot of Christmas Carol references (including acknowledging the genius Muppets version)!
December 26, 2024
Trigger warnings for Just Like Christmas include: death of a parent, grief and internalised homophobia.
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It's taken me a while to get to this book, but I loved it. I don't read a whole lot of Christmas/holiday romances, but the ones I have were enjoyable.
~
I liked the writing style, and I really liked the way the relationship developed between the main characters. The whole fake dating trope is something I generally don't like very much, but I appreciate it more when it's in queer fiction, and particularly when the relationship doesn't remain fake for long.
~
I liked the relationship between the main characters and their families too. And the way Sam and Charlie were able to help Niall with his grief and working through everything, or begin to anyway.
•
Thank you to author Annabel den Dekker for sending me an ARC copy of this book.
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It's taken me a while to get to this book, but I loved it. I don't read a whole lot of Christmas/holiday romances, but the ones I have were enjoyable.
~
I liked the writing style, and I really liked the way the relationship developed between the main characters. The whole fake dating trope is something I generally don't like very much, but I appreciate it more when it's in queer fiction, and particularly when the relationship doesn't remain fake for long.
~
I liked the relationship between the main characters and their families too. And the way Sam and Charlie were able to help Niall with his grief and working through everything, or begin to anyway.
•
Thank you to author Annabel den Dekker for sending me an ARC copy of this book.
December 29, 2024
I love Annabel's other books and this one is no different. It's the perfect gay holiday romance to read when you're snuggled up on the couch with a hot chocolate on the side.
If you love enemies to lovers, cute pets and beautiful covers I definitely recommend this.
If you love enemies to lovers, cute pets and beautiful covers I definitely recommend this.
December 17, 2024
A small-town Christmas romance complete with snow, horses, a dog and being trapped in a little cozy Cabin in the mid le of the woods.
It took me a while to get into the story because there were quite large jumps in mood in the beginning that did not make sense at the time. When rereading it I might skip the prologue for that reason because with that and the frequent breaks in the internal monologue that showed the narrator to be less grumpy than he pretends to be I struggled to believe the enemy thing a little.
Towards the middle it does get very sweet and Christmassy, with snow, a warm fireplace, peace and quiet in the woods and the context of the grumpiness makes more sense and is fitting and complementing the sunshine character.
The grump even warms up to the cheerful dog and there is of course a HEA.
It took me a while to get into the story because there were quite large jumps in mood in the beginning that did not make sense at the time. When rereading it I might skip the prologue for that reason because with that and the frequent breaks in the internal monologue that showed the narrator to be less grumpy than he pretends to be I struggled to believe the enemy thing a little.
Towards the middle it does get very sweet and Christmassy, with snow, a warm fireplace, peace and quiet in the woods and the context of the grumpiness makes more sense and is fitting and complementing the sunshine character.
The grump even warms up to the cheerful dog and there is of course a HEA.
December 21, 2024
Cozy read. I like this friends to nothing to friends to lovers who always had feeling for each other trope. I liked how Niall get over some traumas and opens himself again, and how Sam was always patient and never left his side.
“It was filled with posters of… “Is that Charles Leclerc?” Sam’s eyes lit up at the mention. “Yes! He’s so dreamy, isn’t he?””. YES HE IS.
“It was filled with posters of… “Is that Charles Leclerc?” Sam’s eyes lit up at the mention. “Yes! He’s so dreamy, isn’t he?””. YES HE IS.
November 2, 2024
RTC 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
December 7, 2024
“We’re going to butcher this date, aren’t we?”
“Probably.”
“But we’ll still go for a second date, won’t we?”
“Most likely.”
“And if it doesn’t work out, we’ll still be best friends, right? That’s my only condition.”
Cute but at the same time so heavy. Christmas romance mixed with grief that spanned 10 years and two ex best friends who no longer enjoy each other's company.
There is so much to explore in Just Like Christmas and I think Annabel Den Dekker has done a good job with the themes and did justice to the love story.
Niall's character was harder to love especially with his unnecessary rudeness and mean behaviour but at the end of the day he realised his mistakes and flaws and worked on it and I think that's what matters especially when reading a holiday romance.
“Probably.”
“But we’ll still go for a second date, won’t we?”
“Most likely.”
“And if it doesn’t work out, we’ll still be best friends, right? That’s my only condition.”
Cute but at the same time so heavy. Christmas romance mixed with grief that spanned 10 years and two ex best friends who no longer enjoy each other's company.
There is so much to explore in Just Like Christmas and I think Annabel Den Dekker has done a good job with the themes and did justice to the love story.
Niall's character was harder to love especially with his unnecessary rudeness and mean behaviour but at the end of the day he realised his mistakes and flaws and worked on it and I think that's what matters especially when reading a holiday romance.
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