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Make the Season Bright
Two exes find themselves stuck at the same house for Christmas in this holiday romance by Ashley Herring Blake, USA Today bestselling author of Iris Kelly Doesn't Date.
It's been five years since Charlotte Donovan was ditched at the altar by her ex-fiancée, and she’s doing more than okay. Sure, her single mother never checks in, but she has her strings ensemble, the Rosalind Quartet, and her life in New York is a dream come true. As the holidays draw near, her ensemble mate Sloane persuades Charlotte and the rest of the quartet to spend Christmas with her family in Colorado—it is much cozier and quieter than Manhattan, and it would guarantee more practice time for the quartet’s upcoming tour. But when Charlotte arrives, she discovers that Sloane’s sister Adele also brought a friend home—and that friend is none other than her ex, Brighton. All Brighton Fairbrook wanted was to have the holliest, jolliest Christmas—and try to forget that her band kicked her out. But instead, she’s stuck pretending like she and her ex are strangers—which proves to be difficult when Sloane and Adele’s mom signs them all up for a series of Christmas dating events. Charlotte and Brighton are soon entrenched in horseback riding and cookie decorating, but Charlotte still won’t talk to her. Brighton can hardly blame her after what she did. After a few days, however, things start to slip through. Memories. Music. The way they used to play together—Brighton on guitar, Charlotte on her violin—and it all feels painfully familiar. But it’s all in the past and nothing can melt the ice in their hearts...right?
It's been five years since Charlotte Donovan was ditched at the altar by her ex-fiancée, and she’s doing more than okay. Sure, her single mother never checks in, but she has her strings ensemble, the Rosalind Quartet, and her life in New York is a dream come true. As the holidays draw near, her ensemble mate Sloane persuades Charlotte and the rest of the quartet to spend Christmas with her family in Colorado—it is much cozier and quieter than Manhattan, and it would guarantee more practice time for the quartet’s upcoming tour. But when Charlotte arrives, she discovers that Sloane’s sister Adele also brought a friend home—and that friend is none other than her ex, Brighton. All Brighton Fairbrook wanted was to have the holliest, jolliest Christmas—and try to forget that her band kicked her out. But instead, she’s stuck pretending like she and her ex are strangers—which proves to be difficult when Sloane and Adele’s mom signs them all up for a series of Christmas dating events. Charlotte and Brighton are soon entrenched in horseback riding and cookie decorating, but Charlotte still won’t talk to her. Brighton can hardly blame her after what she did. After a few days, however, things start to slip through. Memories. Music. The way they used to play together—Brighton on guitar, Charlotte on her violin—and it all feels painfully familiar. But it’s all in the past and nothing can melt the ice in their hearts...right?
11 pages, Audiobook
First published October 1, 2024
1665 people are currently reading
43874 people want to read
About the author
Ashley Herring Blake
17 books8,119 followersAshley Herring Blake is a reader, writer, and mom to two boisterous boys. She holds a Master’s degree in teaching and loves coffee, arranging her books by color, and cold weather. She is the author of the young adult novels Suffer Love, How to Make a Wish, and Girl Made of Stars (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), the middle grade novels Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World, The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James, and Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea (Little, Brown), and the adult romance novels Delilah Green Doesn't Care and Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail (Berkley). Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World was a Stonewall Honor Book, as well as a Kirkus, School Library Journal, NYPL, and NPR Best Book of 2018. Her YA novel Girl Made of Stars was a Lambda Literary Award finalist. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @ashleyhblake and on the web at www.ashleyherringblake.com. She lives in Georgia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,942 reviews
January 11, 2025
Reasons I would forgive you if you leave me at the aisle:
1. You get kidnapped
2. You are dying/physically injured and are en route to the hospital
Reasons I will not forgive you if you leave me at the aisle:
1. You “weren’t feeling ready” but never said it directly and expected me to read your mind instead of making excuses of “you should have known”
1. You get kidnapped
2. You are dying/physically injured and are en route to the hospital
Reasons I will not forgive you if you leave me at the aisle:
1. You “weren’t feeling ready” but never said it directly and expected me to read your mind instead of making excuses of “you should have known”
August 4, 2025
the devil herself is in this book and she's a prematurely gray violinist.
possibly it is not the fault of charlotte, one of our two dual-pov second chance romantics, that she sucks so hard. perhaps she has a life-threatening allergy to asking her alleged best friend a single question about her life. maybe she lost all of her non-hair-related characteristics in a tragic accident. there's a chance she was put through a now-debunked invasive psychological experiment that left her heart a la the grinch's at the beginning of the movie. she could have a genetic lineage made up solely of people who ride in sleds and yell at huskies to mush mixed with assistant managers who run fast-casual bowl restaurants like the navy.
but unless the answer is "all of the above, as related in a lengthy and disturbing prequel i somehow missed," she is just the worst without good reason.
she does have A reason, and that reason is the irritatingly named and alarmingly traitless brighton, her ex girlfriend who left her at the altar. sounds bad. but still not really checking all my boxes re: having a personality so bad i fear it's contagious.
this book was painful to get through. i didn't root for these two monsters to get together — far from it. i was hoping one of their wintertime activity fails or hangovers would have a more lasting impact so i could ride out a few pages of silence (or, god forbid, other characters), but no dice. just a who's who of tropes thrown at the wall to see what sticks. fake dating, enemies to lovers, second chance, miscommunication, forced proximity, friends to lovers, rescue romance: i'm sorry. all of you deserved better.
AND SO DID I.
all i wanted was some christmas cheer and instead i nearly lost everything. and by everything i mean "my mind for like 300 pages."
bottom line: to each their own. this book is not my own.
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
-------------------------
tbr review
it's actually never too early to begin christmastime
possibly it is not the fault of charlotte, one of our two dual-pov second chance romantics, that she sucks so hard. perhaps she has a life-threatening allergy to asking her alleged best friend a single question about her life. maybe she lost all of her non-hair-related characteristics in a tragic accident. there's a chance she was put through a now-debunked invasive psychological experiment that left her heart a la the grinch's at the beginning of the movie. she could have a genetic lineage made up solely of people who ride in sleds and yell at huskies to mush mixed with assistant managers who run fast-casual bowl restaurants like the navy.
but unless the answer is "all of the above, as related in a lengthy and disturbing prequel i somehow missed," she is just the worst without good reason.
she does have A reason, and that reason is the irritatingly named and alarmingly traitless brighton, her ex girlfriend who left her at the altar. sounds bad. but still not really checking all my boxes re: having a personality so bad i fear it's contagious.
this book was painful to get through. i didn't root for these two monsters to get together — far from it. i was hoping one of their wintertime activity fails or hangovers would have a more lasting impact so i could ride out a few pages of silence (or, god forbid, other characters), but no dice. just a who's who of tropes thrown at the wall to see what sticks. fake dating, enemies to lovers, second chance, miscommunication, forced proximity, friends to lovers, rescue romance: i'm sorry. all of you deserved better.
AND SO DID I.
all i wanted was some christmas cheer and instead i nearly lost everything. and by everything i mean "my mind for like 300 pages."
bottom line: to each their own. this book is not my own.
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
-------------------------
tbr review
it's actually never too early to begin christmastime
December 18, 2024
⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ '𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮... 𝓲𝓽'𝓼 𝓪 𝓵𝓸𝓽. 𝓘𝓽'𝓼 𝓹𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓾𝓵, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓘'𝓭 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓘 𝓬𝓪𝓶𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓸𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓸𝓻 𝓷𝓸𝓽. 𝓘'𝓭 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓲𝓷 𝓝𝓮𝔀 𝓨𝓸𝓻𝓴, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘'𝓭 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓲𝓷 𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓼, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘'𝓭 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓲𝓷 𝓖𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓗𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓷.' ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆
Alright... I really had to think on this one for most of the day because there's so much that I enjoyed but quite a few things that I didn't like. So, that being said, I think I'm going to setting on:
˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ 3.25 Stars ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗
ˋ°•*⁀➷ 𖢔 𝓠𝓾𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂 ⋆꙳❅*❆
Brighton and Charlotte have known each other since childhood, been in love with each other since they were around 12-15 years old. Grew up together, went to college together. The two were living in New York City together and were about to get married when Brighton walked out on their wedding day. Runaway bride style.
Five years later, Brighton is living in Nashville and Charlotte is still in New York doing her thing. When Christmastime comes around and both ladies are invited by a friend to a Christmas get away in Colorado. As they both show up with their friends, they are caught off guard at seeing each other again, not expecting to run into each other. The first time in five years, the first time since the wedding never happened...𓍯𓂃𓏧♡
ˋ°•*⁀➷ 𖢔 𝓜𝔂 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 ⋆꙳❅*❆
My feelings are still a little conflicted about this one. While on one hand I adored Brighton. She's charismatic, sensitive, outgoing, she's at least pretty decent at communicating. I felt the polar opposite about Charlotte.
Charlotte is and meant to be written as closed off, on the surface seems a little unfeeling, she's pretty self-absorbed. She doesn't communicate well at all. She's the type of friend who will listen and nod but never really offer any advice because she's too busy with herself of course. But at the same time, never really opening up. I'm just going to say it. I loathed her.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ The thing is, I have no real issue that Charlotte is this way. What I do have an issue with is that she wasn't really fleshed out. Aside from a couple sentences near the end, we or well, I have no idea why she is so closed off. What she is so scared of. What happened in her life to make her the way she is.
As far as I could tell, Brighton was caring and attentive, always putting Charlotte first. I have a hard time believing that Charlotte thought that the girl that has loved her almost her whole entire life would bail on her. Except she did. I get it. But after many years of dealing with dear old Charlotte and Charlotte being Charlotte is blind to anything that Charlotte doesn't want to deal with.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ When I tell you this FMC pushed my buttons and ticked me off.
Whew. Now that I got that off my chest. The side characters were amazing. Especially Sloane and Adele shout out to those queens because they are amazing, fiery and tell it like it is type of friends. I especially appreciated Sloane telling Charlotte what a self-absorbed, oblivious to anyone else type of person she was.
The setting was wonderful and vivid and gave me all of the Christmastime feels. From the twinkling lights to all of the fun and festive things they got up to while on their trip. I loved snickerdoodle. ⋆˚🐾˖°
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ The communication or lack thereof annoyed me throughout the story. Even at 95% there wasn't a clear resolution, and it was summed up in the epilogue. It bothered me that instead of talking things out these two just jumped into bed together. I mean, I get it, but it wasn't a resolution to their issues and while I surely never got to see what Brighton even saw in Charlotte - they both deserve to be in a healthy relationship. Even after finishing the book, I don't really like these two together.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ If you're wondering how I came up with 3.25 stars with all this complaining I'm doing. Brighton. Her growth was great, and I just loved her and cheered for her. I got all misty eyed with where she was at by the end of the book.
It was honestly a pretty engaging story and held my attention, the spice was hot, the situation was relatable.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ If Charlotte had her revelation a little sooner, if she had more development and growth that was shown and not told to us the reader - this would have likely been at least a star higher.
Despite my issues, because I did still enjoy it - I can definitely recommend this book.
P.S. I'm going to need the December Light single to be released asap, Ashley. I've had the song in my head for days now and I've never even heard it. 🎤🎶😉💗
ೃ⁀➷🎄Second Chance
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 🌟Childhood Friends to Lovers
ೃ⁀➷🎄Sapphic Romance
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 🌟Christmastime
ೃ⁀➷🎄Only One Cabin
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ☃️Snowed In
ೃ⁀➷🎄Musicians
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 🌟Holiday Romance
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for gifting me with an advanced digital copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own. ❤️✨🎄
Alright... I really had to think on this one for most of the day because there's so much that I enjoyed but quite a few things that I didn't like. So, that being said, I think I'm going to setting on:
˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ 3.25 Stars ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗
ˋ°•*⁀➷ 𖢔 𝓠𝓾𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂 ⋆꙳❅*❆
Brighton and Charlotte have known each other since childhood, been in love with each other since they were around 12-15 years old. Grew up together, went to college together. The two were living in New York City together and were about to get married when Brighton walked out on their wedding day. Runaway bride style.
Five years later, Brighton is living in Nashville and Charlotte is still in New York doing her thing. When Christmastime comes around and both ladies are invited by a friend to a Christmas get away in Colorado. As they both show up with their friends, they are caught off guard at seeing each other again, not expecting to run into each other. The first time in five years, the first time since the wedding never happened...𓍯𓂃𓏧♡
ˋ°•*⁀➷ 𖢔 𝓜𝔂 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 ⋆꙳❅*❆
My feelings are still a little conflicted about this one. While on one hand I adored Brighton. She's charismatic, sensitive, outgoing, she's at least pretty decent at communicating. I felt the polar opposite about Charlotte.
Charlotte is and meant to be written as closed off, on the surface seems a little unfeeling, she's pretty self-absorbed. She doesn't communicate well at all. She's the type of friend who will listen and nod but never really offer any advice because she's too busy with herself of course. But at the same time, never really opening up. I'm just going to say it. I loathed her.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ The thing is, I have no real issue that Charlotte is this way. What I do have an issue with is that she wasn't really fleshed out. Aside from a couple sentences near the end, we or well, I have no idea why she is so closed off. What she is so scared of. What happened in her life to make her the way she is.
As far as I could tell, Brighton was caring and attentive, always putting Charlotte first. I have a hard time believing that Charlotte thought that the girl that has loved her almost her whole entire life would bail on her. Except she did. I get it. But after many years of dealing with dear old Charlotte and Charlotte being Charlotte is blind to anything that Charlotte doesn't want to deal with.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ When I tell you this FMC pushed my buttons and ticked me off.
Whew. Now that I got that off my chest. The side characters were amazing. Especially Sloane and Adele shout out to those queens because they are amazing, fiery and tell it like it is type of friends. I especially appreciated Sloane telling Charlotte what a self-absorbed, oblivious to anyone else type of person she was.
The setting was wonderful and vivid and gave me all of the Christmastime feels. From the twinkling lights to all of the fun and festive things they got up to while on their trip. I loved snickerdoodle. ⋆˚🐾˖°
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ The communication or lack thereof annoyed me throughout the story. Even at 95% there wasn't a clear resolution, and it was summed up in the epilogue. It bothered me that instead of talking things out these two just jumped into bed together. I mean, I get it, but it wasn't a resolution to their issues and while I surely never got to see what Brighton even saw in Charlotte - they both deserve to be in a healthy relationship. Even after finishing the book, I don't really like these two together.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ If you're wondering how I came up with 3.25 stars with all this complaining I'm doing. Brighton. Her growth was great, and I just loved her and cheered for her. I got all misty eyed with where she was at by the end of the book.
It was honestly a pretty engaging story and held my attention, the spice was hot, the situation was relatable.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ If Charlotte had her revelation a little sooner, if she had more development and growth that was shown and not told to us the reader - this would have likely been at least a star higher.
Despite my issues, because I did still enjoy it - I can definitely recommend this book.
P.S. I'm going to need the December Light single to be released asap, Ashley. I've had the song in my head for days now and I've never even heard it. 🎤🎶😉💗
ೃ⁀➷🎄Second Chance
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 🌟Childhood Friends to Lovers
ೃ⁀➷🎄Sapphic Romance
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 🌟Christmastime
ೃ⁀➷🎄Only One Cabin
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ☃️Snowed In
ೃ⁀➷🎄Musicians
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 🌟Holiday Romance
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for gifting me with an advanced digital copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own. ❤️✨🎄
November 26, 2024
May this type of love never find me 💚🙏
October 24, 2024
Have yourself a merry little gaslight 🔥
December 23, 2024
If my fiancée left me at the altar I would never give her another chance, sorry.
Also stop it with “good girl” in every sex scene, I beg of you!!!
Content Warnings: abandonment/being left at the altar, parental neglect
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Also stop it with “good girl” in every sex scene, I beg of you!!!
Content Warnings: abandonment/being left at the altar, parental neglect
You can find me on...
Youtube | Instagram | TikTok
You can join our book club over on Patreon...
PBB Book Club
March 27, 2025
For me, this lacked the magic of the Bright Falls series. In it, ASTRID was my favorite. These two remind me of IRIS, who I severely disliked.
My problem with second chance romance, and I realize this is a very personal problem, is that once I leave you behind, you remain behind. Don't feel bad for these people. They've had more than multiple chances at this point to get their act together, and then don't. And then act shocked when I cut them off. So that is what I truly don't comprehend about this romance genre.
Lola is unlikeable, but in the closed off way that I am also unlikeable, so I liked her a smidgen more than Bright. Bright is very wide-eyed, open, and in my eyes, naïve. I don't have a lot of sympathy for characters like this. While their engagement and subsequent breakup was both of their faults, I think Bright should've spoken up when she was unhappy. On the other side of that, Lola should've seen it coming. She did see it coming. She chose to ignore it.
So while it may have been entertaining for some to watch these two come back together, with some well-placed shenanigans to boot, I just didn't buy it. By the end, I just didn't care. Don't worry. I'm not writing off Ashley's books. This just wasn't the one for me. The cover is really something else, though.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley
My problem with second chance romance, and I realize this is a very personal problem, is that once I leave you behind, you remain behind. Don't feel bad for these people. They've had more than multiple chances at this point to get their act together, and then don't. And then act shocked when I cut them off. So that is what I truly don't comprehend about this romance genre.
Lola is unlikeable, but in the closed off way that I am also unlikeable, so I liked her a smidgen more than Bright. Bright is very wide-eyed, open, and in my eyes, naïve. I don't have a lot of sympathy for characters like this. While their engagement and subsequent breakup was both of their faults, I think Bright should've spoken up when she was unhappy. On the other side of that, Lola should've seen it coming. She did see it coming. She chose to ignore it.
So while it may have been entertaining for some to watch these two come back together, with some well-placed shenanigans to boot, I just didn't buy it. By the end, I just didn't care. Don't worry. I'm not writing off Ashley's books. This just wasn't the one for me. The cover is really something else, though.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley
December 5, 2024
oof, i really did not enjoy this. think i might need to call it quits with this author. she is certainly talented and i do enjoy how she writes sex scenes. but her characters are... really frustrating for me. these two felt incredibly incompatible and didn't seem like they could work long term which is a theme i'm starting to notice :/
November 23, 2024
if exes to lovers has no haters i’ve left this earth …..
just pissing me off she basically was like “i never communicated that i wasn’t ready after i impulsively proposed and yeah i left her on our wedding day but seeing her five years later i can’t believe she’s ignoring me when i miss her again.” GIRL SHUTUP.
for REAL sapphic exes to lovers stream thai gl series “the secret of us” ☝️
just pissing me off she basically was like “i never communicated that i wasn’t ready after i impulsively proposed and yeah i left her on our wedding day but seeing her five years later i can’t believe she’s ignoring me when i miss her again.” GIRL SHUTUP.
for REAL sapphic exes to lovers stream thai gl series “the secret of us” ☝️
November 25, 2024
Unfortunately, I’m going to need a better reason to be left at the altar than “we moved to New York 6 months ago and I didn’t like it and expected you to know that without telling you.”
January 3, 2025
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley
i feel really mixed on this one, because this book had things i really liked and things i really didn’t like. there is also probably a michigan bias, because my family lives about two hours away from grand haven. but this is a story of two exes who unexpectedly are forced to spend the holidays together after one of them left the other at the altar five years ago.
now, this is the problem for me with this story lol. I am a hard sell on second chances romances already, but leaving someone at the altar? and then somehow spinning it to say it is because they don’t communicate well? lord, hear my prayers. i just could never root for the romance, and to add insult to injury upon finishing, i felt like that character completely settled for the one who left them at the altar all those years ago.
i loved the side characters, i loved the colorado setting and michigan flashbacks, i loved the sex in this book if i could force myself to forget how one of the characters treated the other, and i loved the discussion on “allowing” yourself to rediscover your love for things. Also, this might be just because i very recently read and loved private rites, but i also like the reminder to myself that people can be unlovable and still deserve love and being cared for and shown that love - which also makes me feel like maybe i am being too harsh on one of the characters in this fictional story. so, i am just going to give this three stars and say this was a really middle of the road book for me and move on!
author’s note: make the season bright contains consensual sexual scenes, on-page drinking, mentions of parental neglect and abandonment, and one claustrophobic scene. please take care of yourself while reading
additional trigger + content warnings i wrote down while reading: panic attacks, brief mention of homophobic parent (not mcs), and vomit / throwing up
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♡ buddy read with penny
i feel really mixed on this one, because this book had things i really liked and things i really didn’t like. there is also probably a michigan bias, because my family lives about two hours away from grand haven. but this is a story of two exes who unexpectedly are forced to spend the holidays together after one of them left the other at the altar five years ago.
now, this is the problem for me with this story lol. I am a hard sell on second chances romances already, but leaving someone at the altar? and then somehow spinning it to say it is because they don’t communicate well? lord, hear my prayers. i just could never root for the romance, and to add insult to injury upon finishing, i felt like that character completely settled for the one who left them at the altar all those years ago.
i loved the side characters, i loved the colorado setting and michigan flashbacks, i loved the sex in this book if i could force myself to forget how one of the characters treated the other, and i loved the discussion on “allowing” yourself to rediscover your love for things. Also, this might be just because i very recently read and loved private rites, but i also like the reminder to myself that people can be unlovable and still deserve love and being cared for and shown that love - which also makes me feel like maybe i am being too harsh on one of the characters in this fictional story. so, i am just going to give this three stars and say this was a really middle of the road book for me and move on!
author’s note: make the season bright contains consensual sexual scenes, on-page drinking, mentions of parental neglect and abandonment, and one claustrophobic scene. please take care of yourself while reading
additional trigger + content warnings i wrote down while reading: panic attacks, brief mention of homophobic parent (not mcs), and vomit / throwing up
blog | instagram | youtube | wishlist | spotify | amazon
♡ buddy read with penny
July 13, 2025
The issue is that what Brighton did to Charlotte was so out of proportion and borderline unforgivable that when she spent the entire book harassing Charlotte and trying to convince her that Brighton was actually the victim instead of apologizing I could not find it in me to have any positive feelings about their relationship.
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April 27, 2025I feel like a second-chance romance is a hard sell and I just wasn't rooting for these two to get back together. Your mileage may vary, but I think it was for the best that they broke up and have been living different lives. I requested this because I LOVED the Bright Falls series and I generally like a holiday romance. I did not read the description, so part of that is on me.
Charlotte is a professional violinist living in New York and 5 years ago, she was left alone at the alter by her childhood best friend and first love. A member of her quartet convinces her to fly to her home for Christmas, and she unexpectedly encounters another guest of the family- her ex. Brighton has been living in Nashville and her dreams of a music career kind of fell apart, but she thinks she made the right choice not getting married at 22 when she hated New York and wanted her own life. Now they are thrown together during the holidays and have to face the past and the reason neither of them ever really moved on.
For me the success of a romance is whether I want the characters together at the end, and personally I just didn't buy that this was going to work long term. A fling maybe? Sure, but I just didn't feel like they belonged together and their choices were really immature. Yeah they might be pushing 30, but it still doesn't feel like they're ready for a serious relationship. You may have a different experience but while there were elements of this I liked, it ultimately didn't work for me in the way I had hoped. The audio narration is fine though. I received a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own.
Charlotte is a professional violinist living in New York and 5 years ago, she was left alone at the alter by her childhood best friend and first love. A member of her quartet convinces her to fly to her home for Christmas, and she unexpectedly encounters another guest of the family- her ex. Brighton has been living in Nashville and her dreams of a music career kind of fell apart, but she thinks she made the right choice not getting married at 22 when she hated New York and wanted her own life. Now they are thrown together during the holidays and have to face the past and the reason neither of them ever really moved on.
For me the success of a romance is whether I want the characters together at the end, and personally I just didn't buy that this was going to work long term. A fling maybe? Sure, but I just didn't feel like they belonged together and their choices were really immature. Yeah they might be pushing 30, but it still doesn't feel like they're ready for a serious relationship. You may have a different experience but while there were elements of this I liked, it ultimately didn't work for me in the way I had hoped. The audio narration is fine though. I received a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own.
August 7, 2024
happy holiGAYS! Ashley Herring Blake is gifting us the holiday romance of the year. It’s cute, angsty, and hot as hell.
thank you to edelweiss for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.
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thank you to edelweiss for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.
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November 21, 2025
it’s just as conflicting as all the reviews say so i don’t have anything novel to bring to the table, but it’s worth mentioning that this was panty-dropping 🔥🥵
December 9, 2024
what an insufferable pair. you would NOT catch me getting back together with someone who fucked me on the morning of our wedding then left me at the altar
October 13, 2024
This is a difficult one for me to rate as I both enjoyed the book but thought it ridiculous at the same time 😬
It was very easy to read. I breezed through it in a day. And the tension between Charlotte and Brighton when they first see each other again after 5 years was fantastic! I really enjoyed reading those early scenes.
I also enjoyed the musical aspect. Brighton is a singer/songwriter who plays guitar and Charlotte plays violin in a famous quartet. I love music! I can play very basic piano and my wife can sing, play guitar, bass, and some piano and drums.
Ultimately though, the book falls down on its premise. I think second chance romances are difficult to get right, and this one didn't. 5 years before the book starts, Brighton leaves Charlotte at the altar with no explanation. Bear in mind they're childhood sweethearts who've been in love since they were at school. That was going to need one hell of an explanation, and the book just doesn't deliver. Instead, it's a miscommunication that could have been solved with a single conversation. The book tries to say they rushed into it, they were young, Charlotte was flourishing in New York while Brighton was drowning, but they just never had a conversation about any of it. It made me seriously doubt them together as partners.
I also didn't get much romantic/sexual chemistry when they reconnected. It's one of those rare books where I think they should have reconnected, gotten closure, and moved on with their separate lives.
There's also a little subplot involving a song Brighton wrote that the band she was kicked out of stole, and I admittedly don't know all that much about copyright, but the song was a hit and I don't think Brighton got a penny, which she should have? It was resolved really weirdly.
So yeah. I find this authors books really easy to read, but also very average.
It was very easy to read. I breezed through it in a day. And the tension between Charlotte and Brighton when they first see each other again after 5 years was fantastic! I really enjoyed reading those early scenes.
I also enjoyed the musical aspect. Brighton is a singer/songwriter who plays guitar and Charlotte plays violin in a famous quartet. I love music! I can play very basic piano and my wife can sing, play guitar, bass, and some piano and drums.
Ultimately though, the book falls down on its premise. I think second chance romances are difficult to get right, and this one didn't. 5 years before the book starts, Brighton leaves Charlotte at the altar with no explanation. Bear in mind they're childhood sweethearts who've been in love since they were at school. That was going to need one hell of an explanation, and the book just doesn't deliver. Instead, it's a miscommunication that could have been solved with a single conversation. The book tries to say they rushed into it, they were young, Charlotte was flourishing in New York while Brighton was drowning, but they just never had a conversation about any of it. It made me seriously doubt them together as partners.
I also didn't get much romantic/sexual chemistry when they reconnected. It's one of those rare books where I think they should have reconnected, gotten closure, and moved on with their separate lives.
There's also a little subplot involving a song Brighton wrote that the band she was kicked out of stole, and I admittedly don't know all that much about copyright, but the song was a hit and I don't think Brighton got a penny, which she should have? It was resolved really weirdly.
So yeah. I find this authors books really easy to read, but also very average.
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December 26, 2024DNF on page 96.
i hate to say it because i've loved some of AHB's other books but i think this may be my last adult romance i try from her. i find her writing style SO dry and buzzword-y and on page one it info dumps so much that you can basically predict where the book is gonna go.
i knew this was second chance lovers going into it but it felt like it was veering hard toward a miscommunication trope and i didn't like the characters' personalities (esp the "i don't feel emotions and i'm a workaholic" girl)
i tried to stick it out but this book also was setting up that it would have the characters involved in a christmas themed speed dating weird unrealistic town thing where singles all do activities together and it just felt so forced and i hated that the main couple was lying to all their friends that they didn't know each other, it was just awk and annoying
i may just be jaded in general at romances now that there are SO many to choose from but i was not a fan and didn't care to read this just to say i read a holiday romance because i found it so irritating every page rather than cozy
i hate to say it because i've loved some of AHB's other books but i think this may be my last adult romance i try from her. i find her writing style SO dry and buzzword-y and on page one it info dumps so much that you can basically predict where the book is gonna go.
i knew this was second chance lovers going into it but it felt like it was veering hard toward a miscommunication trope and i didn't like the characters' personalities (esp the "i don't feel emotions and i'm a workaholic" girl)
i tried to stick it out but this book also was setting up that it would have the characters involved in a christmas themed speed dating weird unrealistic town thing where singles all do activities together and it just felt so forced and i hated that the main couple was lying to all their friends that they didn't know each other, it was just awk and annoying
i may just be jaded in general at romances now that there are SO many to choose from but i was not a fan and didn't care to read this just to say i read a holiday romance because i found it so irritating every page rather than cozy
December 9, 2024
0 stars, possibly the worst book I read this year, maybe ever. I'm beyond icked out and so glad to be done. I wish I could have thrown this in the trash instead of return the library but at least I didn't waste my money.
TLDR for this deranged rant : Second chance romance where Brighton left Charlotte at the alter (after proposing mind you) because she... didn't like living in New York!?!? And the author forces poor Charlotte to APOLOGIZE TO BRIGHTON for... making her ditch their wedding? And then they get re-engaged at the end!? Literally the stuff second chance romance nightmares are made of.
Ashley Herring Blake is the Colleen Hoover of lesbians.
The whole set up of this book is the most painful cringey thing ever. I despise Brighton. If the author wanted us to NOT despise Brighton then she should have had a far more redeemable reason for leaving Charlotte at the alter, and then for acting like Charlotte owes her anything now.
AND the author makes the situation even more impossibly awkward by having NONE of the people with them now about their past relationship - like from a romance writing perspective, one of them should know to remove the painful cringe from every single scene so far in the book.
Charlotte not telling Sloane about this situation just drives home that she had ZERO close companionship outside of Brighton and Brightons family, which she obviously lost when Brighton DITCHED HER AT THE ALTER, so I literally can only believe that they're going to get back together because Charlotte has like no other healthy attachments in her life. The single most toxic dynamic I've ever encountered in a romance book and I read a book about serial killers falling in love earlier this year. NOT fun toxic, CRINGE toxic. Like toxic on a level where the author must seriously be projecting herself onto Brighton to have Lola this destroyed and empty inside without her toxic girlfriend.
Why was I actually lowkey shipping Charlotte and Wes? If this was an Emily Henry book, they'd be the main couple.
Brighton is literally a super villian. She proposes, leaves her at the alter because of her own poor communication skills, and then makes Charlotte's life miserable just because she's justifiably mad at Brighton later on. Like... Brighton has serious anger issues the number of times in this book that "anger welled up inside her and she resisted the urge to punch the wall" she could have been a fourteen-year-old Andrew Tate viewer on roids. It's seriously not normal to make a romance where one of them is filled with rage when the other "laughs genuinely" just because she wasn't the one making her laugh.
And then she guilt trips her into "falling back in love" ? And we're supposed to root for it!?!?!
This book has crushed any dreams of romance in my heart… I'm romcomed out. I want to read advanced philosophy or something. There were so many horrific scenes, so even if you could get past the initial concept (like I did) it would just crush your spirit to see the life that poor Charlotte is stuck with after this book. Hopefully the sex is worth the toxicity and manipulation.
I could keep giving examples and going on but I just don't want to give this book another second of my life.
TLDR for this deranged rant : Second chance romance where Brighton left Charlotte at the alter (after proposing mind you) because she... didn't like living in New York!?!? And the author forces poor Charlotte to APOLOGIZE TO BRIGHTON for... making her ditch their wedding? And then they get re-engaged at the end!? Literally the stuff second chance romance nightmares are made of.
Ashley Herring Blake is the Colleen Hoover of lesbians.
The whole set up of this book is the most painful cringey thing ever. I despise Brighton. If the author wanted us to NOT despise Brighton then she should have had a far more redeemable reason for leaving Charlotte at the alter, and then for acting like Charlotte owes her anything now.
AND the author makes the situation even more impossibly awkward by having NONE of the people with them now about their past relationship - like from a romance writing perspective, one of them should know to remove the painful cringe from every single scene so far in the book.
Charlotte not telling Sloane about this situation just drives home that she had ZERO close companionship outside of Brighton and Brightons family, which she obviously lost when Brighton DITCHED HER AT THE ALTER, so I literally can only believe that they're going to get back together because Charlotte has like no other healthy attachments in her life. The single most toxic dynamic I've ever encountered in a romance book and I read a book about serial killers falling in love earlier this year. NOT fun toxic, CRINGE toxic. Like toxic on a level where the author must seriously be projecting herself onto Brighton to have Lola this destroyed and empty inside without her toxic girlfriend.
Why was I actually lowkey shipping Charlotte and Wes? If this was an Emily Henry book, they'd be the main couple.
Brighton is literally a super villian. She proposes, leaves her at the alter because of her own poor communication skills, and then makes Charlotte's life miserable just because she's justifiably mad at Brighton later on. Like... Brighton has serious anger issues the number of times in this book that "anger welled up inside her and she resisted the urge to punch the wall" she could have been a fourteen-year-old Andrew Tate viewer on roids. It's seriously not normal to make a romance where one of them is filled with rage when the other "laughs genuinely" just because she wasn't the one making her laugh.
And then she guilt trips her into "falling back in love" ? And we're supposed to root for it!?!?!
This book has crushed any dreams of romance in my heart… I'm romcomed out. I want to read advanced philosophy or something. There were so many horrific scenes, so even if you could get past the initial concept (like I did) it would just crush your spirit to see the life that poor Charlotte is stuck with after this book. Hopefully the sex is worth the toxicity and manipulation.
I could keep giving examples and going on but I just don't want to give this book another second of my life.
December 2, 2024
Ashley Herring Blake is most comfortable, I think, in gray areas shading to black. Back when she specialized in YA, her magnum opus was about a teenage girl whose beloved twin brother got blackout drunk and raped one of their best friends, and although Blake’s adult romances are snarky and steamy and hit all the expected beats, that undercurrent of psychological intensity and moral complexity remains.
Charlotte Donovan was left at the altar five years ago December. And although the novel’s opening scene—featuring a stuck elevator and a December curse—is played with a light touch, as are the many holiday hijinks that follow, the truth remains that Charlotte has been going through life like a deer in headlights ever since, standing in the highway and thinking she’s on stage staring into a spotlight. Whether or not Brighton���s betrayal is “objectively” forgivable is besides the point, because Charlotte is frozen, and so long as she keeps playing the role of “girl people leave” in her own mind, she’s going to stay that way. Unlike some readers, I found Brighton and Charlotte equally sympathetic. They were just kids, literally, playing out an all too common pattern. Charlotte was traumatized by her childhood. Brighton was traumatized by Charlotte. And they loved each other. They loved each other so much.
I loved this up to about the three-quarter mark, but the ending was a bit of a let down. For one thing, I didn’t think the side characters were handled very well—something that didn’t really become apparent until their stories wrapped up by rote. And the sex—look, there’s nothing like a steamy romance novel. Eroticism charged with emotion, with a past, with so much meaning. It really is the glorious antithesis of pornography. And the first few sex scenes in Make the Season Bright are fantastic. Not because they’re so stunningly written, but because they’re so freighted with psychological meaning—and because that psychology isn’t straightforward. Charlotte and Bright are using sex to avoid their feelings and confront their feelings at the same time. They are taking the one thing that feels the most real to them, and using it to escape reality. But using sex to escape reality in the middle of a romance novel is one thing, using it that way at the end of the story another entirely.
The honest truth: as much fun as I had reading this novel, Ashley Herring Blake would have needed at least another hundred pages if she wanted to get these particular women from the place they started at on page one to a happily ever after that felt truly earned.
[Former comment: Just got my signed pre-order in the mail (with bonus stickers!) and I must say, my ironclad no-Christmas-books-before-Thanksgiving rule is being sorely tested... ]
Charlotte Donovan was left at the altar five years ago December. And although the novel’s opening scene—featuring a stuck elevator and a December curse—is played with a light touch, as are the many holiday hijinks that follow, the truth remains that Charlotte has been going through life like a deer in headlights ever since, standing in the highway and thinking she’s on stage staring into a spotlight. Whether or not Brighton���s betrayal is “objectively” forgivable is besides the point, because Charlotte is frozen, and so long as she keeps playing the role of “girl people leave” in her own mind, she’s going to stay that way. Unlike some readers, I found Brighton and Charlotte equally sympathetic. They were just kids, literally, playing out an all too common pattern. Charlotte was traumatized by her childhood. Brighton was traumatized by Charlotte. And they loved each other. They loved each other so much.
I loved this up to about the three-quarter mark, but the ending was a bit of a let down. For one thing, I didn’t think the side characters were handled very well—something that didn’t really become apparent until their stories wrapped up by rote. And the sex—look, there’s nothing like a steamy romance novel. Eroticism charged with emotion, with a past, with so much meaning. It really is the glorious antithesis of pornography. And the first few sex scenes in Make the Season Bright are fantastic. Not because they’re so stunningly written, but because they’re so freighted with psychological meaning—and because that psychology isn’t straightforward. Charlotte and Bright are using sex to avoid their feelings and confront their feelings at the same time. They are taking the one thing that feels the most real to them, and using it to escape reality. But using sex to escape reality in the middle of a romance novel is one thing, using it that way at the end of the story another entirely.
The honest truth: as much fun as I had reading this novel, Ashley Herring Blake would have needed at least another hundred pages if she wanted to get these particular women from the place they started at on page one to a happily ever after that felt truly earned.
[Former comment: Just got my signed pre-order in the mail (with bonus stickers!) and I must say, my ironclad no-Christmas-books-before-Thanksgiving rule is being sorely tested... ]
December 10, 2024
Actively rooting against love while reading this.
October 4, 2024
Well, kids, here we are. I read Make the Season Bright and didn't like it.
I knew going into this book that Charlotte and Brighton's relationship would be a hard sell for me. At the time the story takes place, they're five years removed from their wedding, where Brighton left Charlotte at the altar with no explanation. Second-chance romance is not a trope I generally enjoy, but I wanted to give it a shot because there are exceptions to every rule. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of them. I just didn't want Charlotte and Brighton to get back together. Their chemistry was lacking, and I couldn't move past the feeling that Charlotte deserved better than Brighton's immaturity, inconsideration, and poor communication skills. I understood her fears and insecurities, and Charlotte certainly had flaws of her own, but none of that shook my belief that, as a couple, they just weren't right for one another.
On top of that, I didn't care for the writing. While it's true that ARCs are unedited proofs, unless the editor takes a red pen to a significant portion of this book, I don't foresee the version sent to print being drastically better. So much of this book seemed clunky, clumsy, and rushed. It was overly expository, largely by way of info dumping in the dialogue, and that's a major turn-off for me. The humor didn't land with me, the characters felt flat and one-dimensional, and I just didn't connect with any aspect of this book.
All of that said, I fully anticipate being in the minority on this one. I think a lot of people will love this book, and I hope they do! I wasn't the right reader for it, but if you're looking for a sapphic holiday rom-com, this might be the perfect fit.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I knew going into this book that Charlotte and Brighton's relationship would be a hard sell for me. At the time the story takes place, they're five years removed from their wedding, where Brighton left Charlotte at the altar with no explanation. Second-chance romance is not a trope I generally enjoy, but I wanted to give it a shot because there are exceptions to every rule. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of them. I just didn't want Charlotte and Brighton to get back together. Their chemistry was lacking, and I couldn't move past the feeling that Charlotte deserved better than Brighton's immaturity, inconsideration, and poor communication skills. I understood her fears and insecurities, and Charlotte certainly had flaws of her own, but none of that shook my belief that, as a couple, they just weren't right for one another.
On top of that, I didn't care for the writing. While it's true that ARCs are unedited proofs, unless the editor takes a red pen to a significant portion of this book, I don't foresee the version sent to print being drastically better. So much of this book seemed clunky, clumsy, and rushed. It was overly expository, largely by way of info dumping in the dialogue, and that's a major turn-off for me. The humor didn't land with me, the characters felt flat and one-dimensional, and I just didn't connect with any aspect of this book.
All of that said, I fully anticipate being in the minority on this one. I think a lot of people will love this book, and I hope they do! I wasn't the right reader for it, but if you're looking for a sapphic holiday rom-com, this might be the perfect fit.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
October 24, 2024
I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about this novel. Stay tuned.
Okay, I'm back. Here are my thoughts.
I’ve liked Ashley Herring Blake’s books for years—well before Delilah Green Doesn’t Care came out. But it’s also true that Delilah Green destroyed me (in the best ways) and I’ve been especially high on AHB’s books since. I loved the entire Bright Falls series, even if the subsequent books didn’t reach the same heights as Delilah did. All this to say, I’m always going to be pretty excited about an AHB book release. So when, after the end of Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date, I got to read an excerpt from AHB’s forthcoming novel, I couldn’t read it fast enough. And I was honestly disappointed with what I read. I messaged my friend Toastie and said I wasn’t sure I was going to like this next book. Not liking Make the Season Bright makes so sense. It’s an AHB novel; it’s BFFs-to-lovers and second-chance, two tropes I love! But the truth was I walked away from that excerpt with such a lacklustre response to the novel.
I finally got my hands on the novel a few days ago and read it. And, well, I didn’t love it. I wanted to love it, but I just didn’t. And I really hope that this is just a one-off for me and AHB’s books because her stuff has felt like such an oasis in an often mediocre genre of sapphic romance, but this mostly missed for me.
Okay, so what didn’t work for me?
- I never connected to the main characters. I liked aspects of each of the main characters and I did root for them to get together. Charlotte is cold and closed off, not able to open up even to her friends who are members of the quartet she founded. Brighton is stuck, though not because of what happened between her and Charlotte in the past but more because she was kicked out of a band she started who took off in popularity right after she was booted from the group. I hated how Brighton kept trying to call Charlotte “Lola,” the name she coined for her when they were friends, even after Charlotte kept insisting she call her Charlotte. And I hated that Charlotte refused to tell any of her friends that she and Brighton once knew each other and had planned to spend their lives together. And then when their romance plays out in front of their friends was also strange to me. For people trying to hide their past, they had no issue hiding their present. I don’t know. That last point could be a me thing.
- I didn’t love the side characters. If I had to hear Adele call Brighton “Baby girl” one more time… And, okay, I appreciate diversity, but AHB really tries too hard to make sure her characters identify as one of the letters of the queer umbrella. And I know that’s a weird thing to complain about, but it just doesn’t seem entirely realistic to me. But maybe that’s my experience and other people are only friends with queer people. I wish that was my experience. It just seems a little try-hard, like she’s only including diversity for the sake of including diversity, and so it comes off as inauthentic. But I’m happy to be wrong about this point.
- I hated the Turtledoves events. This idea that people are going to spend their holidays on multi-day dating activities with a bunch of strangers (or people they’ve known their whole lives) rather than spending that precious little time with their friends and families is absurd. It just didn’t work for me at all. And I felt Adele and Sloan’s mom was really inappropriate about it all.
- AHB relies on the very tired romance cliche where characters simply won’t communicate. In fairness to Brighton, she does try and Charlotte wants none of it, but a lot could have been solved if they’d just speak to each other. And I do get why Charlotte doesn’t want to—at first, but once the present-day romance kicks in, I couldn’t handle it anymore.
I didn’t hate it, though. It’s very readable and there are moments that are lovely. I think a lot of people will like this. It just didn’t live up to the standard AHB has set for herself in my mind. And I’m a little scared to read the excerpt for her next novel now.
2.5 stars for me.
Okay, I'm back. Here are my thoughts.
I’ve liked Ashley Herring Blake’s books for years—well before Delilah Green Doesn’t Care came out. But it’s also true that Delilah Green destroyed me (in the best ways) and I’ve been especially high on AHB’s books since. I loved the entire Bright Falls series, even if the subsequent books didn’t reach the same heights as Delilah did. All this to say, I’m always going to be pretty excited about an AHB book release. So when, after the end of Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date, I got to read an excerpt from AHB’s forthcoming novel, I couldn’t read it fast enough. And I was honestly disappointed with what I read. I messaged my friend Toastie and said I wasn’t sure I was going to like this next book. Not liking Make the Season Bright makes so sense. It’s an AHB novel; it’s BFFs-to-lovers and second-chance, two tropes I love! But the truth was I walked away from that excerpt with such a lacklustre response to the novel.
I finally got my hands on the novel a few days ago and read it. And, well, I didn’t love it. I wanted to love it, but I just didn’t. And I really hope that this is just a one-off for me and AHB’s books because her stuff has felt like such an oasis in an often mediocre genre of sapphic romance, but this mostly missed for me.
Okay, so what didn’t work for me?
- I never connected to the main characters. I liked aspects of each of the main characters and I did root for them to get together. Charlotte is cold and closed off, not able to open up even to her friends who are members of the quartet she founded. Brighton is stuck, though not because of what happened between her and Charlotte in the past but more because she was kicked out of a band she started who took off in popularity right after she was booted from the group. I hated how Brighton kept trying to call Charlotte “Lola,” the name she coined for her when they were friends, even after Charlotte kept insisting she call her Charlotte. And I hated that Charlotte refused to tell any of her friends that she and Brighton once knew each other and had planned to spend their lives together. And then when their romance plays out in front of their friends was also strange to me. For people trying to hide their past, they had no issue hiding their present. I don’t know. That last point could be a me thing.
- I didn’t love the side characters. If I had to hear Adele call Brighton “Baby girl” one more time… And, okay, I appreciate diversity, but AHB really tries too hard to make sure her characters identify as one of the letters of the queer umbrella. And I know that’s a weird thing to complain about, but it just doesn’t seem entirely realistic to me. But maybe that’s my experience and other people are only friends with queer people. I wish that was my experience. It just seems a little try-hard, like she’s only including diversity for the sake of including diversity, and so it comes off as inauthentic. But I’m happy to be wrong about this point.
- I hated the Turtledoves events. This idea that people are going to spend their holidays on multi-day dating activities with a bunch of strangers (or people they’ve known their whole lives) rather than spending that precious little time with their friends and families is absurd. It just didn’t work for me at all. And I felt Adele and Sloan’s mom was really inappropriate about it all.
- AHB relies on the very tired romance cliche where characters simply won’t communicate. In fairness to Brighton, she does try and Charlotte wants none of it, but a lot could have been solved if they’d just speak to each other. And I do get why Charlotte doesn’t want to—at first, but once the present-day romance kicks in, I couldn’t handle it anymore.
I didn’t hate it, though. It’s very readable and there are moments that are lovely. I think a lot of people will like this. It just didn’t live up to the standard AHB has set for herself in my mind. And I’m a little scared to read the excerpt for her next novel now.
2.5 stars for me.
December 12, 2024
“it wasn’t ALL brightons fault” but yes it lowkey was. charlotte i’m happy youre happy though
October 20, 2024
UGH I loved this book 😭😭😭. It’s possibly my favorite AHB book to date. I lived for all the *feelings,* and Brighton and Charlotte are so inevitable it makes my heart full. I’m also in love with all the side characters too?? Seriously, there was so much queer joy happening here, and I was eating it UP! Plus I really vibed with the central musical theme, and now I wanna pick up my clarinet again and find some people to jam with. As always, I’m anxiously awaiting AHB’s next book!!
January 15, 2025
I'm happy that Charlotte and Brighton got their happily ever after but there is no way I'm giving someone a second chance after leaving me at the altar. Girl you are dead to me 😤
December 17, 2024
1.5
i don't think i've ever disliked a female protagonist as much as i dislike Brighton. when i tell you that i was YELLING at this book.
imagine someone leaves you at the altar and five years later, you run into them again and you're forced to be near each other. and then imagine that after you decide to not acknowledge the situation bc you're (obviously) still upset, that your ex-fiancée keeps approaching you and blaming you for not acknowledging what happened. and repeatedly calling you by the nickname you explicitly asked them not to use.
that's what this book is.
the book tried to address their issues in a realistic way and while some of that was successful, the damage was already done. Charlotte was a little annoying but Brighton was just awful and i couldn't look past it.
if you want to write a romance between exes where one leaves the other at the altar, you better make sure that they 1. have a good reason (even though there aren't many) and 2. are EXTREMELY apologetic. Neither of those were the case here.
Charlotte's issues and mistakes were also valid, but the problem is that none of them were ever spoken out loud. They were both horrible communicators but especially Brighton. She maybe said one or two sentences that led Charlotte to her great realization of how she was in the wrong too. but even still, none of that justified leaving a person you say you love at the altar. if you really loved them, you would've talked to them.
they didn't work out their issues and while they acknowledge that, i still don't believe in this romance. very disappointed. it's not a bad book and perhaps some of my grievances are more of a personal preference, but it is what it is. the half star is for AHB's writing and their commitment to making everyone in their books queer which are both always a plus.
i don't think i've ever disliked a female protagonist as much as i dislike Brighton. when i tell you that i was YELLING at this book.
imagine someone leaves you at the altar and five years later, you run into them again and you're forced to be near each other. and then imagine that after you decide to not acknowledge the situation bc you're (obviously) still upset, that your ex-fiancée keeps approaching you and blaming you for not acknowledging what happened. and repeatedly calling you by the nickname you explicitly asked them not to use.
that's what this book is.
the book tried to address their issues in a realistic way and while some of that was successful, the damage was already done. Charlotte was a little annoying but Brighton was just awful and i couldn't look past it.
if you want to write a romance between exes where one leaves the other at the altar, you better make sure that they 1. have a good reason (even though there aren't many) and 2. are EXTREMELY apologetic. Neither of those were the case here.
Charlotte's issues and mistakes were also valid, but the problem is that none of them were ever spoken out loud. They were both horrible communicators but especially Brighton. She maybe said one or two sentences that led Charlotte to her great realization of how she was in the wrong too. but even still, none of that justified leaving a person you say you love at the altar. if you really loved them, you would've talked to them.
they didn't work out their issues and while they acknowledge that, i still don't believe in this romance. very disappointed. it's not a bad book and perhaps some of my grievances are more of a personal preference, but it is what it is. the half star is for AHB's writing and their commitment to making everyone in their books queer which are both always a plus.
November 17, 2024
I found in this novel what I liked in the Bright Falls series: key scenes you expect from a rom-com, witty banter, tension, and chemistry. All wrapped up in a Christmas setting and a joyful band of queer friends. It's an easy read and well-written. Kristen DiMercurio does a perfect job in narration.
Now, I've said it already: I LOVEsecond-chance novel. I'm in the minority and sad to say this one didn't work for me. ⚠️ Spoilers: Reason 1, you can mess up all you want, but leaving someone at the altar is a no-return mistake to me, unless you're dying or saving someone. You can say all you want that Charlotte has her share of responsibility, but it's not forgivable.And Brighton had the guts to call Charlotte a heartless b*** for not wanting to talk to her? Sure she is selfish but did she deserve that? NoGirl, you are lucky she didn't slap you. To me, there wasn't enough groveling from Brighton.
Reason 2: Sloane blaming Charlotte for being closed off when the woman has the trauma of being left by people who were supposed to love her. Cut the woman some slack.
Reason 3: I don't feel like they evolved much in the five years they have been apart, except profesionally
Reason 4: As a result, to me, the resolution of the conflict could have been done five years ago if Brighton had the guts to show up and not only called or texted but actually communicated. So I wasn't even rooting for them and even wished for Charlotte to have her closure and move on. The ending was satisfying, but not to me. Overall, I have no doubt this book will be loved by many, but I am the resentful type, so it wasn't for me.
Now, I've said it already: I LOVEsecond-chance novel. I'm in the minority and sad to say this one didn't work for me. ⚠️ Spoilers: Reason 1, you can mess up all you want, but leaving someone at the altar is a no-return mistake to me, unless you're dying or saving someone. You can say all you want that Charlotte has her share of responsibility, but it's not forgivable.And Brighton had the guts to call Charlotte a heartless b*** for not wanting to talk to her? Sure she is selfish but did she deserve that? NoGirl, you are lucky she didn't slap you. To me, there wasn't enough groveling from Brighton.
Reason 2: Sloane blaming Charlotte for being closed off when the woman has the trauma of being left by people who were supposed to love her. Cut the woman some slack.
Reason 3: I don't feel like they evolved much in the five years they have been apart, except profesionally
Reason 4: As a result, to me, the resolution of the conflict could have been done five years ago if Brighton had the guts to show up and not only called or texted but actually communicated. So I wasn't even rooting for them and even wished for Charlotte to have her closure and move on. The ending was satisfying, but not to me. Overall, I have no doubt this book will be loved by many, but I am the resentful type, so it wasn't for me.
January 18, 2025
**Many thanks to Berkley and Ashley Herring Blake for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley!**
"Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye
Tell me, baby, do you recognize me?
Well, it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me..." - Last Christmas, Wham!
It may have been more than a YEAR since Charlotte last saw Brighton, but in some ways, she is eternally grateful. After all, the LAST time they laid eyes on each other was right before what was supposed to be their wedding...until runaway bride Brighton took off with no explanation. Although this betrayal crushed Charlotte's spirit, in the five years since she has blossomed in her life in New York, playing with a professional string ensemble with a group of friends who feel like family. So much so that when her fellow ensemble member Sloane invites her home to chilly, idyllic Colorado for an old fashioned family Christmas, it sounds like the perfect excuse to dip out of the hustle and bustle that is NYC, ignore the fact that Charlotte's OWN family isn't living up to her expectations, and to be surrounded by Sloane's kith and kin. (Clark Griswold would be proud! 😏)
But when she arrives in Colorado, Charlotte discovers that It's truly a Small World After All: Sloane's sister Adele has brought home a friend for the holidays too: none other than the silver haired one that got away, Brighton. Brighton has been dealing with her own pre-holiday strife: despite being a founding member of a popular band with a song that is now wildly popular, her band mates kicked her out and took all the credit. As much as she was looking forward to a respite from all the pain of her past, she now has to not only spend LOTS of time around her ex...but to also pretend she doesn't even know her. To top it off, Sloane and Adele's mom has planned all sorts of nauseatingly adorable Christmas activities, everything from snowy horseback rides to cookie decorating. With such a tangled past and the lure of holiday magic in the air (not to mention their ELECTRIC chemistry that has never gone away) will Charlotte and Brighton fall back into old patterns...and back into one another's arms? Or are they doomed to simply repeat the past...and a steamy romance that ended in ice-cold heartbreak?
I'm always on the hunt for a cute, cozy, and swoon-worthy Christmas romance, and with two musician heroines at its center, I figured a good dose of holiday joy and this sweet (although improbable) premise, plus an ADORABLE cover would deliver all the Christmas goods that I could ever ask Santa for...and then some!
But instead of a warm, soothing sip from the cup of holiday cheer...I felt more like the Grinch listening to a thousand Whos singing slightly off-key.
One pet peeve of mine that emerged almost instantly in this read, which soured my entire reading experience, was the PLETHORA of characters. Not only are there are FAR too many people to keep in the back of your mind, there's also the small fact so MANY of them don't actually matter...at all. Even worse, many of them have sort of uncommon names, and I don't know about you, but when I have LOTS of people to keep track of, it's somewhat easier to connect them to people I either know or know of (a celebrity, even), just to keep them all straight. When I have a bunch of unfamiliar names, it just takes me out of the reading experience even more. I didn't really NEED to know all about Charlotte's ensemble friends, so much about her deadbeat mom, Adele, Sloane...the list went on and on. At the end of the day, this story just didn't need all of the extra fluff, or even the drama. It didn't add ANYTHING to the narrative and just felt like a bunch of filler.
But why didn't we NEED any more drama, you might ask?
Because when I say the depth of toxicity of this relationship (both past and present) could have filled ANOTHER entire book...it's not only NOT an understatement, but serves as a clear indication that perhaps these two should have kept their hormones in check..and kept FAR, FAR away from one another.
When you find out the big reason that this relationship went to pot in the first place, you'll know exactly what I mean. Not only is it a prime example of the miscommunication (or rather, LACK of communication) trope, coincidentally one of my LEAST favorite tropes, but the issues that should have been communicated ARE enough to keep these two apart, and rightfully so. To put it simply with no spoilers, wanting different things out of life is actually a VERY GOOD reason to break up...and considering their perspectives haven't changed THAT much, I had a hard time wishing for the sort of sappy, Love Actually-esque type reunion. It's OKAY for the past to stay in the past, and although it seems strange, I much would have preferred that sort of sentiment rather than the one we received. Call me a Grinch, if you must...but these two made my heart feel more like it had shrunken than grown. 😑
The one bright spot in this one wasn't the Christmas-y activities (surprisingly, even though this should have been a given) but the HOT, HOT, HOT scenes between the two MCs which were spicier than a tuna roll with extra wasabi! 🍣 Although I had trouble rooting for the couple in every way that actually matters to long term happiness and success, boy did their hormones run wild...and I felt like I needed a Victorian fainting couch a time or two. If this is why you read romance books, or if that's what you're looking for...this novel will NOT let you down in that respect. 🥵 I could see WHY these two were drawn to one another and uh, how much they 'missed' each other in that way. But at the same time, since the scenes were a bit TOO spicy for me at times, even this novel's greatest strength still felt like a bit of a weakness...sort of the same way that the build up and lead in to the Christmas season is so magical, but once the season is over, you almost feel WORSE from the letdown of it all.
And although a trip back down nostalgia way and reuniting with your long-lost One True Love at the holiday season SEEMS like it would Make the Season Bright(on), perhaps Charlotte should have listened to the wisdom Wham! had to offer and saved herself from tears by giving her heart to someone special. 🎵
3.5 stars
"Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye
Tell me, baby, do you recognize me?
Well, it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me..." - Last Christmas, Wham!
It may have been more than a YEAR since Charlotte last saw Brighton, but in some ways, she is eternally grateful. After all, the LAST time they laid eyes on each other was right before what was supposed to be their wedding...until runaway bride Brighton took off with no explanation. Although this betrayal crushed Charlotte's spirit, in the five years since she has blossomed in her life in New York, playing with a professional string ensemble with a group of friends who feel like family. So much so that when her fellow ensemble member Sloane invites her home to chilly, idyllic Colorado for an old fashioned family Christmas, it sounds like the perfect excuse to dip out of the hustle and bustle that is NYC, ignore the fact that Charlotte's OWN family isn't living up to her expectations, and to be surrounded by Sloane's kith and kin. (Clark Griswold would be proud! 😏)
But when she arrives in Colorado, Charlotte discovers that It's truly a Small World After All: Sloane's sister Adele has brought home a friend for the holidays too: none other than the silver haired one that got away, Brighton. Brighton has been dealing with her own pre-holiday strife: despite being a founding member of a popular band with a song that is now wildly popular, her band mates kicked her out and took all the credit. As much as she was looking forward to a respite from all the pain of her past, she now has to not only spend LOTS of time around her ex...but to also pretend she doesn't even know her. To top it off, Sloane and Adele's mom has planned all sorts of nauseatingly adorable Christmas activities, everything from snowy horseback rides to cookie decorating. With such a tangled past and the lure of holiday magic in the air (not to mention their ELECTRIC chemistry that has never gone away) will Charlotte and Brighton fall back into old patterns...and back into one another's arms? Or are they doomed to simply repeat the past...and a steamy romance that ended in ice-cold heartbreak?
I'm always on the hunt for a cute, cozy, and swoon-worthy Christmas romance, and with two musician heroines at its center, I figured a good dose of holiday joy and this sweet (although improbable) premise, plus an ADORABLE cover would deliver all the Christmas goods that I could ever ask Santa for...and then some!
But instead of a warm, soothing sip from the cup of holiday cheer...I felt more like the Grinch listening to a thousand Whos singing slightly off-key.
One pet peeve of mine that emerged almost instantly in this read, which soured my entire reading experience, was the PLETHORA of characters. Not only are there are FAR too many people to keep in the back of your mind, there's also the small fact so MANY of them don't actually matter...at all. Even worse, many of them have sort of uncommon names, and I don't know about you, but when I have LOTS of people to keep track of, it's somewhat easier to connect them to people I either know or know of (a celebrity, even), just to keep them all straight. When I have a bunch of unfamiliar names, it just takes me out of the reading experience even more. I didn't really NEED to know all about Charlotte's ensemble friends, so much about her deadbeat mom, Adele, Sloane...the list went on and on. At the end of the day, this story just didn't need all of the extra fluff, or even the drama. It didn't add ANYTHING to the narrative and just felt like a bunch of filler.
But why didn't we NEED any more drama, you might ask?
Because when I say the depth of toxicity of this relationship (both past and present) could have filled ANOTHER entire book...it's not only NOT an understatement, but serves as a clear indication that perhaps these two should have kept their hormones in check..and kept FAR, FAR away from one another.
When you find out the big reason that this relationship went to pot in the first place, you'll know exactly what I mean. Not only is it a prime example of the miscommunication (or rather, LACK of communication) trope, coincidentally one of my LEAST favorite tropes, but the issues that should have been communicated ARE enough to keep these two apart, and rightfully so. To put it simply with no spoilers, wanting different things out of life is actually a VERY GOOD reason to break up...and considering their perspectives haven't changed THAT much, I had a hard time wishing for the sort of sappy, Love Actually-esque type reunion. It's OKAY for the past to stay in the past, and although it seems strange, I much would have preferred that sort of sentiment rather than the one we received. Call me a Grinch, if you must...but these two made my heart feel more like it had shrunken than grown. 😑
The one bright spot in this one wasn't the Christmas-y activities (surprisingly, even though this should have been a given) but the HOT, HOT, HOT scenes between the two MCs which were spicier than a tuna roll with extra wasabi! 🍣 Although I had trouble rooting for the couple in every way that actually matters to long term happiness and success, boy did their hormones run wild...and I felt like I needed a Victorian fainting couch a time or two. If this is why you read romance books, or if that's what you're looking for...this novel will NOT let you down in that respect. 🥵 I could see WHY these two were drawn to one another and uh, how much they 'missed' each other in that way. But at the same time, since the scenes were a bit TOO spicy for me at times, even this novel's greatest strength still felt like a bit of a weakness...sort of the same way that the build up and lead in to the Christmas season is so magical, but once the season is over, you almost feel WORSE from the letdown of it all.
And although a trip back down nostalgia way and reuniting with your long-lost One True Love at the holiday season SEEMS like it would Make the Season Bright(on), perhaps Charlotte should have listened to the wisdom Wham! had to offer and saved herself from tears by giving her heart to someone special. 🎵
3.5 stars
November 24, 2024
My real rate is 7'5/10 but the book is perfect, the problem is me bc I was waiting for the typical rebound and shitty flirting with other people, and I hate those so I was tense the whole time reading. Those didn't happen in the end so they were just stupid worries that didn't let me enjoy the book
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