Brighten the holidays with this funny, heartfelt rom-com about the stories—and the love—that we never forget.
When mystery author D. B. Ziegler is late delivering her book, Abi Schore steps in to help. Surely she can give her favorite author moral support over the holiday break and get the manuscript to her boss at Tea & Sympathy Publishing in time for the new year.
When Abi shows up on Ms. Ziegler’s doorstep bearing holiday treats, she’s met by the author’s handsome grandson Dov, who reveals a startling plot twist. His grandmother isn’t able to finish the book and Dov promised he’d complete it so fans won’t be disappointed—a task that’s harder than he ever imagined.
As Hanukkah unfolds, Abi and Dov cozy up in his grandmother’s brownstone apartment working their way through his writer’s block and untangling plot threads. Before long, the novel starts taking shape ... and so does their simmering attraction. Will their own story end once the book is written, or is this just the first chapter?
Bestselling, award-winning author Liz Maverick is a novelist, adventurer and odd jobs specialist whose contract assignments have taken her from driving trucks in Antarctica to working behind the scenes on reality TV shows in Hollywood.
Liz is known for writing out-of-the-box romance novels with fast-paced, unique plots and lots of kick-butt action. Her previous works include Cosmopolitan Magazine Book Club Pick What a Girl Wants, PRISM/Daphne finalist The Shadow Runners, Golden Leaf winner Crimson Rogue, and Waldenbooks/B&N bestseller Crimson City, the first book in the multi-author continuity series she created.
Liz and her books have been featured on Fox's Geraldo at Large and in USA Today, Cosmopolitan Magazine, San Francisco Magazine, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Toronto Star, and more.
I’m not going to do a well crafted review for this because no one sees these anymore anyway, so here goes:
I approve eating latkes with applesauce. 👍
Loved that they were both caretakers, loved the meta nature of them working on a cozy mystery/romance, loved that Dov was a golden retriever and Abi met his energy, very sweet, loved the little sprinkle of Hanukkah traditions and Jewish culture.
It got weird at the end when this is really just a meet cute to friends to interest novella, so I think declaring love was a bit of overkill. You can’t go from I am interested in starting a romantic relationship to I love you in the same breath. Felt rushed but that was like the tiniest bit at the end so I can overlook it.
I’m used to these quick, three hour audiobooks now so they don’t seem too short, but it may feel a bit lacking in romance for people used to more long form traditional romcoms. We don’t see them together as a couple except for the epilogue. But that’s just how these tend to go.
There was a weird continuity error in the epilogue where Dov’s grandmother is referred to as ‘my grandmother’ by Abi twice. The woman was dead before the book started so she couldn’t have achieved honorary status. Felt like an error.
Note about the audio: murmur is a weird word to hear out loud.
Liz Maverick is the Audible Original Queen of Chanukah New York City Romance. This one takes us away from our regular crowd of friends to a new couple and possible new group. Young junior editor Abi goes to meet with her favorite esteemed elderly mystery author to finish the final wrap up book in a beloved series. What she finds instead is a grieving grandson trying to finish the book to honor her. Naturally there is a snowstorm, and adorable dog, and our hunk bakes. All of that was predictable. What was not predictable to me were just a few things about the end, and I liked that it added a thing or two I didn't expect. It was sweet and I enjoyed it, 3.5.
Now that the review is finished, "That Girl"really does need to talk about the egregious mess with Jewish words, and words in general. But when the romantic hero's name is Dov, it is not pronounced as "Dove - he dove into the water." Hearing the narrator name his chapters and hearing the other narrator call him this, was a literal assault. Its actually pronounced Dove like the bird of Peace. That is where the name comes from. That was so disjointed. Really Andrew and Eve, you could have just asked. But an even greater crime came from the English language. Did you both just have dialogue when you said amenable, and pronounced it A-Mean-able? Its Amenable, like Amen after the prayers. It means open and willing. Somebody please save me, and my new best friend Liz M, from the madness. Isn't there a director or something? I have no more holiday audios left for 2024. Sounds like this one is a 2025 problem. But please start writing, Liz. That adorable dog needs a new playbuddy.
What's not to live about this one? There are BOOKS and holiday romance. 🎄❤️
When representative from his grandmother's publishing house Abi shows up at her house unexpectedly, Dov panics. His grandmother, the famous author E.B. Ziegler, cozy mystery author, was working on the last book of her 26 book series when she passed away. Unfortunately, nobody knows she's gone yet and Dov promised to finish her beloved series for her fans. Abi volunteers to help out and the two find themselves snowed in. Can they give her readers the conclusion they deserve? And what about the two of them? Will romance be just what Dov needs to help move on?
This was super cute and very short. The characters were well narrated.
The story itself is full of classic tropes like being snowed-in, close proximity, and awkward yet adorable holiday traditions perfect for the hallmark channel. While some plot points may feel predictable, that predictability adds to the comfort of a holiday romance. It’s a perfect listen for fans of cozy, feel-good stories that leave you smiling by the end.
Booked for the Holidays doesn’t overstay its welcome as a short listen. The pacing keeps things moving, and the audiobook format makes it easy to squeeze in a few chapters during commutes, errands and interrupting kids. Even if you miss something it’s easy to pick up what’s happening.
For anyone seeking a lighthearted, romantic audiobook to get into the holiday spirit, Booked for the Holidays is one to add to your list specifically because it’s free to listen through auditable. It’s warm, funny, and filled with festive charm.
Spice level is on brand for a sweet hallmark Christmas movie.
Story 4 stars. Narration 5 stars. This was such a cute story. No smut and a really good romance that I enjoyed. It was a bit longer than most novellas and I was glad of that. To make it even better, it was a Hanukkah story, something I’ve never read. I’m not Jewish so it was interesting to me. Not that there was a lot about that but some. I enjoyed the characters and of course, the dog. The setting of NYC during a blizzard didn’t hurt anything. I’m not going into the story since it was short but it does involve writing a book when the mmc’s author grandmother dies before finishing her last book of a beloved twenty something book series. Recommended to romance readers.
Abi is dense. Dov is a milktoast dweeb. He should have physically thrown her out of his home when she TRESPASSED and HARRASSED him. The narration is odd. I can't say the narrators vibed well in this audiobook, and their speeds were so inconsistent I had to change the speeds every time the narrator switched again.
I actually listened to this back in January, and it was so 'meh' that I couldn't be bothered to write a review. The Dense and The Dweeb. A Musical...naw. Better not.
Kako je ovo uspelo da bude ovoliko slatko sa savrsenom dozom bozicne atmosfere i dvoje zaljubljenih koji su toliko smotani i uplaseni da to priznaju jedno drugom, U JEDNOJ AUDIBLE ORIGINAL audioknjizi, ja evo ne znam ali PRESRECNA SAM
A feel-good, forced proximity Hanukkah romance that has two Jewish singles working together to get a dead author's final, much-anticipated book ready for publication. I thought this was cute and had tons of Hallmark movie vibes. Great on audio narrated by Eva Kaminsky (a fav) and Andrew Eiden. Definitely worth the free download for audible members!
Super cute quick little Hanukkah story that definitely was worth a listen and cheered me up during the holidays! Excellent narration, of course, and I love Oslo the dog!
I liked the cute idea. And even the start of the audiobook was great! Sadly, I didn't find any cute or hilarious scenes you expect from a Holiday romcom further down the lane.
It's almost a new month and I refuse to purchase more credits so I saw this and was like ya okay let's do a cute, Christmas themed romance.
Why did this book make me nauseous.
This was so fucking cutesy that it makes Hallmark movies look like dark romances. I've read young adult books with more spice. This was as bland as a stale piece of unbuttered toast.
Oh no, I got snowed in with a guy that's grieving the loss of his only remaining family member and my priority is making sure we get the book to the publishing house, I'm going to push him to the point where it's blatant insensitivity.
Oh my gosh he let me borrow his sweatshirt and the storm is over, now I'm walking away sobbing because now that we've finished the book I'm obviously never going to see him or hear from him ever again, because what are phones even and asking him to meet up later or out on a date is unheard of!
Gag. If I hadn't just purchased a new phone I would have thrown it across the room.
This was really adorable I LOVED IT !!!! The story is about Abi and Dov, they both form a team to finish the last book in a series written by Dov's grandmother who passed away before Christmas, so the story is set during the week before Christmas until they finish that book .. and enough time for their feelings to blossom
I absolutely loved the house and how warm it felt .. the whole book is like a cup of really warm hot chocolate in a Christmas day .. so adorable and I really loved it, I will check out this author other books because they do feel good specially during this time of the year
Abi, who is a junior editor at a NYC publishing house, is sent to check in on DB Ziegler, whose manuscript is late. It’s the final book is a long running series and the publisher is eager to get their hands on it. When Abi arrives as Ziegler’s brownstone, she finds her somewhat frantic grandson, Dov, instead.
Abi soon discovers that DB has passed away and left Dov to complete her beloved series. Dov, who is a banker and has no idea how to pen a book.
After some back and forth, Abi volunteers her writing/editorial services to Dov in his efforts to honor his grandma’s wishes, in order to get the complete manuscript to her publisher.
With the authentic-feeling backdrop of NYC during snowmageddon 2.0, these two characters get down to the business of completing DB’s legacy while baking her favorite Chanukah treats and mourning her passing over the course of several days.
This novella is really well balanced and so heartfelt. It’s a lovely exploration of grief and the celebration of life and how we honor those we love. Dov is such a relatable and lovable character. I adored him and how worked through his grief by recreating his grandmother’s Chanukah recipes while also struggling to complete her novel. It was clear how much he adored her and how difficult the loss was for him.
I also adored how in tune Abi was with his grieving mayhem. Her tenderness and compassion was really sweet and the gentleness with which she coaxed and prodded him was adorable.
How there are so few glowing reviews of this novella are beyond me. In a sea of holiday crap, this stood out as an absolute gem. I'm not sure I understand how some people rate books. Liz Maverick is really a stellar writing in a forest of subpar authors. I loved this book and cannot recommend it enough.
Booked for the Holidays Author - Liz Maverick Genre - Romance Reading Method - Audible ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Abi Schore steps into help when mystery author D.B. Ziegler is late delivering her book to the publishing company. When Abi arrives at Ms. Zieglers house she is met by her handsome grandson Dov who later reveals quite the plot twist.
Overall, this was a cute romcom story that was great for listening while cleaning the house. I did feel as if the ending was quite rushed, and that the author could’ve expanded on it a bit. The relationship between Abi and Dov was a slow burn, but was worth the wait.
This just hit right! I loved these characters and the story felt like a full fleshed out story and not just a short novella. Great Jewish rep, too. I have now downloaded every single Audible Original holiday story but this author and hope to finish within the next week 😂
Cute and quick listen. It's a novella, so things move quickly and there isn't a ton of character development, but I enjoyed all the book lover references and mentions of food. I definitely wanted to bake something after listening to this one! Andrew Eiden and Eva Kaminsky both gave wonderful performances. Overall, an enjoyable audiobook, but not one that I will likely remember down the road.
Such a cute holiday romance story! Teaming up to complete a beloved last novel. Short & sweet, a little thin. Nice pallet cleanser if you need one in December!
I picked this up because I saw it on Audible (it was free woth Plus) and I thought it would be a cute holiday romance. It was cute and short but I was just unimpressed.
While listening to this, my thoughts would wander off and I would lose focus because this was kind of boring. I think I will be forgetting all about this in a matter of 1.5 business days.