A Christmas Inn, Maine

by Aaron Kyte

A sparkling queer holiday rom-com about a former book editor determined to save his family’s failing inn… and the infuriatingly charming contractor he can’t seem to cut from the narrative.

Freshly dumped and jobless, Adam Wheatley has a list of personal failures as long as his arm. Forced to move back to his sleepy Maine hometown, he feels completely without purpose… until he learns that his aunt Rose has been keeping a secret: her beloved inn is failing, and she’s just weeks away from losing her home and her livelihood.

Adam has a brilliant idea to save the business: he’ll take charge of renovating the inn, and organize a grand re-opening on Christmas Eve. Then, victorious, he’ll move back to the city to rebuild his life and his career in publishing.

But when the renovation proves more “flop” than “flip,” Adam realizes it will take a Christmas miracle to turn things around. Enter Graham—the maddeningly competent, ridiculously attractive contractor who offers to help… in exchange for a place to stay. He’s talented, patient, kind, and far too easy to like, which is inconvenient, because Adam has sworn off romance. Permanently.

As the inn’s future becomes even more uncertain, and his feelings for Graham grow more confusing, Adam finds himself rewriting more than just his to-do lists. Because the future he thought he wanted—and the one he’s starting to build with Graham—might not be the same story at all.

And this time, there’s no easy edit.

Genres: Holiday, Romance, Christmas, M M Romance, LGBT, Contemporary, Queer

368 pages, Paperback

Published October 13, 2026

About the author

Aaron Kyte grew up on the East Coast of Canada and graduated from The University of New Brunswick. He then moved to Toronto where he went to theatre school, worked as an actor, did terrible temp jobs, planned weddings, hosted television, and starred in way too many Swiss Chalet Commercials.

He currently lives in a small town in Ontario with his partner and their rescue dog. A Christmas Inn, Maine is his first novel.

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book from a new author. I love Maine, so when I saw the title and read the plot, I was eager to read it. Definitely worth the time and it helped get me ready for the holiday season. Romance. Restoration of an old inn. Hollywood dramatics. Families reconnecting. Unexpected love. A few spicier moments to keep the heat on when needed. Slow burn romance turned a little wilder. Good to just immerse yourself in the story, forget the realities of this not really being able to happen, and then you can fall in love with the story and characters.

[Lance · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

4.25 stars. Wholesome, atmospheric, and having the exact kind of protagonist I find impossibly relatable, A Christmas Inn, Maine is the exact kind of wintry escape that I was craving.

[≪ ◦•◦ cait ◦•◦ ≫ · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

❄️🎄A Christmas Inn, Maine Could Be a Candidate For a New Holiday Rom-Com Movie🎄❄️

⋆⁺₊❅.☃︎⋆⁺₊❅.❅*⋆⍋**⍋⋆*❅⋆⁺₊❅.☃︎⋆⁺₊❅.

3.5 ✨

It has all the makings of a perfect cutesy holiday movie. i was picturing it the whole time i was reading.

⋆⁺₊❅.☃︎⋆⁺₊❅.❅*⋆⍋**⍋⋆*❅⋆⁺₊❅.☃︎⋆⁺₊❅.

Adam's notes were a very cute touch and honestly, relatable-y detailed.
i genuinely have many many notes from work that look like several of them.

i would say romance almost takes the back seat in this - i think around 60% it becomes a bigger focus?
the story really revolves around the main mc - it's solo pov - Adam Wheatly, his back story (mostly, we do get a little bit of Graham's), his character development, his friends & family etc.
And around the Inn.

This is a fade-to-black, with only two moments where it leads up to the fade; one a little more intense than the other.

There are strong side characters - mostly women - who actually spend more time on page than our other mc Graham.

⋆⁺₊❅.☃︎⋆⁺₊❅.❅*⋆⍋**⍋⋆*❅⋆⁺₊❅.☃︎⋆⁺₊❅.

My main problem: literally nobody told anybody anything.
Okay, sure they had their reasons but it was making everyone miserable and uncomfortable to be around and insufferable.
It's one of my least favorite plot lines/ ways to cause conflict.
Especially in this book because I like our other MC and frankly think he's way to good for Adam.

⋆⁺₊❅.☃︎⋆⁺₊❅.❅*⋆⍋**⍋⋆*❅⋆⁺₊❅.☃︎⋆⁺₊❅.

Don't go into this only for romance & definitely not anything spicy.
Do go looking for overall wholesome holiday story with a splash of romance mixed in.

⋆⁺₊❅.☃︎⋆⁺₊❅.❅*⋆⍋**⍋⋆*❅⋆⁺₊❅.☃︎⋆⁺₊❅.

Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced reader copy. Rating and review are voluntary - opinions given are always my own.

[phoenix *ੈ✩‧₊˚]

This is a dnf at about 75%. I just didn't enjoy this. Adam as a main character is fine, but he's also insufferable sometimes. I didn't feel any chemistry between him and Graham. None at all. The plot itself wasn't interesting enough for me to keep reading.

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Christmas Inn, Maine is an absolutely delightful queer holiday romance. It has shades of small town Hallmark Christmas movies while also having more serious moments and some lightly steamy elements. I loved learning about Adam as a character and seeing how he eventually makes changes to his life after losing his job and his boyfriend in one day. Biting off more than he can chew in trying to renovate his aunt's inn before Christmas was an entertaining (messy) story to watch. And of course it gets to bring in Graham, the very charming and very handsome contractor.

The wintery, holiday atmosphere was excellent throughout the book. And there was a great collection of side characters who play important roles in Adam's development. At times he can be a frustrating character because he just won't ask for help. But then that makes him feel extremely real. This is a single POV story, so at times I was left feeling like I didn't know as much about Graham as I wanted to. Also, while there are some steamy moments between the characters I was a bit let down that the actual sex scenes happened off page. It felt like a missed opportunity to show their emotions when they finally get together.

But overall this was a wonderful holiday read. I loved the connection between Adam and Graham, the descriptions of the Christmas traditions at the inn, and the ways that they characters learned and grew throughout the story. Overall I'd definitely recommend this one if you're in the mood for a queer holiday romance.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a new favorite holiday romance! A Christmas Inn, Maine is so beautiful! It makes you want to curl up next to a fireplace and soak in all the love. It reminded me of that saying, “home is where the heart is” because there is so much heart, so much love, in this work, you can’t help but feel right at home.

This is a cozy winter holiday M/M romance about starting fresh, and with that comes learning to let go of heavy burdens and reaching out to helping hands. And it works, it all works so well! This is a true 5 star read and, as much as I enjoy holiday romances, I tend not to have many 5 stars! When asked, “what is your favorite holiday romance?” my answer is always easy because there’s only ever been one that takes that top spot. Until now. Now I will be answering with A Christmas Inn, Maine too! I was just a bit over half way done when I set my Kindle down and went to preorder a physical copy. It’s both a need and a want to place this gorgeous story on top of my most favored shelves!

A Christmas Inn, Maine you are a prized jewel!

When it comes to the romance, this story is heavy on the miscommunication. But don’t let that scare you away! Usually that’s something that scares me off but I absolutely promise, PROMISE, it works here! I frankly ate it up because it did serve a bit of angst and that’s stuff I just love. That bit of angst that leads to the most delicious of resolutions! So I firmly believe the trope works for the romance, not against it.

It’s a narrative device that also amplifies something our leading man Adam very much needs to work on. I deeply felt his constant anxiety and panic, right down to my soul. I also firmly understood his deep resistance to asking for help. He wants to solve it all but he’s drowning! He could step up and ask for help (or clarify a potential misunderstanding), but he’s reluctant. It’s a character flaw I know so many, myself included, possess. And it’s dealt so real in this work. I really felt the impact of the tumultuous anxiety and insecurity and doubt that seeps through Adam. Why he might choose to run away rather than to face things. I get it, I get!!! And that’s why I felt all the more proud for the work he puts into better himself. It’s an uphill battle, and at times he certainly takes more steps back than forward, but he keeps climbing. Regardless of the obstacles and setbacks, Adam learns to climb. And he learns to embrace the incredible support system he has. He’s not alone, he might feel it at times, but he’s not. And I loved so much how he comes to not only realize this but embrace it so readily.

And that includes embracing the gorgeous feelings blossoming between him and Graham. Baaah! Swoooons! I was kicking my feet when it all got started! Like poor Adam originally assumes Graham is straight so the obvious flirting we as readers witness goes over Adam’s head, until he doesnt…but he still stays unsure! Is Graham flirting? Was that an almost kiss or just some bro-ing out?! This is why I loved the miscommunication trope here! Yes, it keeps Adam on his toes, but it also just kept my feet kicking because the chemistry stayed a buildin’! The signals were clear, and it was all just waiting with bated breath for Adam to catch on! It built excitement! That’s what it did for me! I was antsy in the most excited of ways. Then of course once that misunderstanding is cleared we get more, and of the angsty-variety but still…I ate it up! For me, it kept the plot pushing forward. I love a good obstacle for a romance because it allows the resolution to feel the more earned and anticipated, and that’s how I felt when the romance finally got rolling with Adam and Graham. And I do believe the miscommunication is something that helped Adam’s own inner-workings, it steered him towards personal evolution. I literally loved every narrative choice here!

If you need a perfect, cozy read for the holidays, look no further than A Christmas Inn, Maine. Everything about this work is exceptional!

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for this complimentary eARC, I leave this honest review voluntarily.


______

full review soon but some quick thoughts:

LOVED it.
Heavy on miscommunication, which is usually a trope I don't favor but I actually thought it fit very nicely here. I ate it up frankly!
So heartwarming and encouraging and motivating and hopeful.
Felt Adam's anxiety and panic right to my soul.
Also understood deeply the resistance to ask for help.
For whatever reason, I tend not to give Christmas/winter holiday romances 5 stars. I *think* Good Spirits is the only (or one of the very few) 5 star holiday romance I've read..until now!
Immediately preordered when I was like 60% through and very glad I did once finished!

[Eli Dhios · Rating 4 out of 5]

QUÉ PRECIOSURA. Amo el amor, e historias cozy de navidad que también tienen profundidad. Amo que Adam sea un huérfano de +30 que está aprendiendo a ser amado y a pedir ayuda. Me encantó la relación con Graham, con su tía Rose, sus amigos y sobre todo el auto descubrimiento de Adam, a veces pensamos que hay x edad en la que ya tenemos todo resuelto, pero todo el tiempo seguimos creciendo, buscando, conociendo y encontrando quiénes somos.

[Bargain Counter Argument · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

A Christmas Inn, Maine is a delightful debut. It has themes of family (biological and found), coming to realize that what people want when they're teenagers are dreams, not contracts, all in a wonderful small-town setting. Even the third-act breakup (not a plot development I usually welcome) was handled deftly, making sense for the story and the characters.

I'm really looking forward to reading more from Aaron Kyte; the only downside of this debut is that he doesn't yet have a back-catalog for me to explore.

Thanks to HarperCollins for the ARC (via NetGalley)

[Demetri Papadimitropoulos · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Drafts Suck, Christmas Inns Leak, and Apparently Love Has Editorial Notes
Aaron Kyte’s “A Christmas Inn, Maine” gives a compulsive editor a broken career, a struggling family inn, a gorgeous contractor, and the deeply inconvenient discovery that life cannot be copyedited into submission.
By Demetris Papadimitropoulos | October 4th, 2026

Drafts are dangerous things in Aaron Kyte’s “A Christmas Inn, Maine.” Before Adam Wheatley loses his job, his boyfriend, and most of his faith in the future, Kyte gives us the life Adam wrote for himself as a teenager: New York, a publishing office high in a glass tower, wealth, a brownstone, an impressive spouse, friends enough to fill most nights, shoes that click importantly on the floor. The list is funny because of its confidence, but its verbs do the sharper work. Get. Move. Be. Have. Adam has mistaken adulthood for a sequence of completed directives. The rest of the novel is what happens when reality starts returning the document with comments.

Everything in the opening collapse strikes at that outline. At Gravenhurst Publishing, Adam is told he is excellent at his job but not executive-editor material, then asked to train Teddy Gravenhurst, the owner’s spectacularly unqualified grandson, to rise past him. His competence becomes the instrument of his own displacement. The insult is sharper because Gravenhurst depends on precisely the labor it refuses to recognize: Adam can manage authors, shape books, absorb crises, and keep the machinery quiet enough that executives can mistake smoothness for inevitability. Adam quits. Hours later, Trevor, the doctor boyfriend whose beauty, career, and brownstone have been functioning as proof that Adam is doing adulthood correctly, tells him the house is his alone and the relationship is over. Two boxes disappear in a day. Worse, Adam discovers that boxes can stay checked long after the life inside them has gone bad.

Maine offers the kind of apparatus holiday romance can assemble almost by muscle memory: the beloved family inn in trouble, the wounded city man coming home, the Christmas deadline, the suspiciously competent contractor, the old crush under several layers of flannel. Adam discovers that Aunt Rose’s Silver Falls Inn is tired, underbooked, and in financial danger, so he appoints himself rescuer. He will renovate it, relaunch it on Christmas Eve, save Rose from selling, and then return to New York with his usefulness restored. Graham Taylor, Adam’s former schoolboy fixation and now a contractor, complicates both the schedule and the exit plan. The ingredients are familiar. Renovation, work, and romance nevertheless keep landing Adam in the same predicament: deciding what needs repair and what he has been too eager to replace.

Even Graham’s first serious design advice carries that idea. Faced with Adam’s expensive urge to modernize everything, he recommends strategic updates that preserve the inn’s history, “balancing modern with classic.” Kyte does not reform Adam by stripping away ambition, order, taste, lists, or his attachment to books. He is not sentenced to becoming a barefoot apostle of spontaneity who wakes one morning liberated from deadlines. What changes is the authority he gives those habits. The successful renovation keeps the old wood and fixes the bad plumbing; Adam’s better future works by roughly the same principle.

The prose gets there before Adam does. Kyte writes in a close third person steeped in Adam’s editorial habits, so narration often feels like thought caught mid-revision. A feeling arrives; Adam qualifies it. The qualification attracts a counterargument. The counterargument requires a better word, then several better words, because one adjective might pin him to an emotion before he has finished negotiating with it. He “thesauruses” when nervous. Attraction becomes a case brief. Panic becomes a taxonomy. Adam does not merely edit books for a living. He tries to line-edit uncertainty while it is happening.

Repetition is the cost of that fidelity. Once Adam’s mental route becomes familiar – feeling, denial, synonym cluster, joke, second denial, reluctant admission – a few later spirals arrive after the reader has already reached the destination. Kyte also likes to make sure an insight has safely landed. A scene establishes the difference between privacy and secrecy, then Adam reflects on it; Rose mirrors his inability to ask for help, then the parallel is named; Wren diagnoses his habit of accepting less than he wants after the plot has already shown it. The result is emotionally accessible but occasionally over-captioned. The privacy-versus-secrecy material is especially revealing: Rose, Graham, Trevor, and Adam have already shown four different motives for withholding information before Adam pauses to sort the distinction explicitly. None of this is unintelligent. The book’s motifs can carry more than Kyte always lets them.

If any page proves that, it is Chapter 25. Greg has just offered Adam the embarrassingly obvious solution to his confusion about whether Graham might like men, or like him: ask. Then comes a chapter heading, a single sentence – “Adam does not ask him.” – and white space. The sentence itself is funny. The page is funnier. A hero who can produce paragraphs of language in order not to arrive anywhere is suddenly denied his usual verbal cover. The blankness around the line becomes the conversation he refuses to have.

Planning, though, is never convicted wholesale. Adam’s lists organize renovation work, steady his nerves, improve the inn’s operations, and make other people laugh. A habit can be both defense mechanism and skill. That is why the lists change function instead of disappearing. The opening “Perfect Life” list behaves like an instruction sheet: get the job, live in the brownstone, be rich, acquire the partner. Later lists fray. They repeat themselves, contradict themselves, admit panic, invite marginal commentary. What begins as a command to the future turns into a record of negotiation with it. Even the visual logic changes: early lists look like instructions waiting to be completed, while later ones acquire second thoughts, jokes, corrections, and other people’s handwriting. Control gives way not to chaos but to annotation.

As the lists loosen, Adam starts editing the editor. In the late “Not-So-Perfect Life” list, he mocks the teenager who imagined an adult social calendar packed with plans, wonders why clicky shoes ever looked like a serious aspiration, and replaces wealth with the desire to do work that makes him proud. “Who wrote this list?” he asks. The joke lands because the answer is both Adam and not-Adam: an earlier self whose preferences have survived as instructions long after they stopped fitting. The page is no longer a specification. It has become an argument in the margins.

Part of Adam’s difficulty is less tidy than perfectionism. He has spent years trying to turn usefulness into proof of lovability. Gravenhurst exploits his skill while denying him advancement. Trevor benefits from a partner trained to keep inconvenient emotion compressed. Back in Maine, Adam throws himself at the inn because rescuing Rose gives him a function at the exact moment his other functions have disappeared. When Graham proves far better at the physical renovation, Adam’s embarrassment quickly becomes a fear of redundancy. Usefulness is not merely his love language. It is his insurance policy against being dispensable.

Aunt Rose carries the same habit in a quieter register. She hides the scale of the inn’s financial trouble because asking for help would require her to inhabit need rather than dispense care. Adam is furious when he discovers what she withheld, only to repeat the pattern after Gravenhurst calls with an offer he is not ready to discuss. Their eventual conversation works because neither one gets to occupy the morally cleaner position. Rose admits she did not want to look helpless; Adam admits that helping feels good and that he still has trouble saying when he needs help himself. Caring for people is good. Liking to be needed is human. Neither guarantees that one knows how to receive care. Rose’s old maxim, “Love keeps no secrets,” is therefore useful partly because the book cannot quite leave it uncomplicated. Privacy still exists; time to think still matters. What becomes dangerous is withholding that quietly removes another person’s ability to respond to the truth.

Death gives that habit a history. Adam lost his parents young, then lost Uncle Henry, the man who helped raise him, to a heart attack while Henry was watching him toboggan. Afterward, Christmas and sledding became “careful,” and the Winter Carnival disappeared because Adam and Rose each assumed reviving it would hurt the other. A 2024 systematic review in the journal “Death Studies” uses the term “continuing bonds” for the ways bereaved people maintain altered relationships with the dead. Kyte reaches something similar without turning Henry into a lesson: the Carnival matters because pleasure can return to a ritual that still carries him.

In the sledding sequence, Graham’s restraint does more romantic work than his competence. Once he learns why the hill hurts, he apologizes and offers to leave. Later, when Adam admits fear on a steeper run, Graham does not make bravery a test of masculinity or desire; he accepts the boundary and finds another slope. The scene runs on small permissions. Stay if you want. Stop if you want. Try this instead. Adam’s history has taught him to make grief unobtrusive for other people. Graham gives him room to decide what he can bear without turning the decision into a referendum on courage.

Maine’s nosiness also changes category without becoming innocent. Adam remembers Silver Falls as a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business, an intimacy that once felt claustrophobic. After he flees to New York and learns that Rose already knows from the local taxi driver that he went to the airport, the old complaint returns: there is always someone in your business. Then comes the fragment, “Because they care.” It is almost comically small beside the meaning it reverses. Pearl will later invent a cat problem to maneuver Graham into the inn, so interference never becomes synonymous with love. Adam simply acquires another possible reading of attention: irritating, invasive, and sustaining at once.

If those patterns make the novel sound more intricate than it always is, Graham provides the correction. He receives an abandonment history, a fear that Adam will leave, and one consequential mistake when he keeps Rose’s renewed conversation with the developer from Adam. He also accumulates an alarming résumé of romantic virtues: handsome, handy, patient, sexually attentive, good with children, emotionally perceptive, supportive of Adam’s career, competent with coffee, respectful of boundaries, and apparently able to renovate a loft into a declaration of intent while finishing an inn by Christmas Eve. Adam gets contradiction as a habitat. Graham gets it more as an accessory.

Trevor is simplified in the other direction. Adam’s late realization about him is excellent: he had spent so long wondering whether he deserved Trevor that he never asked whether Trevor deserved him. But by the time Trevor reappears, he embodies the wrong life with such efficiency – status, beauty, infidelity, control, the brownstone, the old checklist – that refusing him costs less than the novel occasionally wants the refusal to mean. Gravenhurst gives Adam a harder test. Corinne finally offers him the executive-editor position he once believed would complete him. Only because the old dream becomes available again can “But what if I want something else now?” register as choice rather than consolation.

Resolution strains when the external world becomes almost embarrassingly cooperative once Adam changes. Rose’s mortgage trouble, back taxes, poor occupancy, and deteriorating property are material problems. Then Wren Starkey, Adam’s wealthy socialite author, mentions the inn to her enormous online audience; influencers arrive; the booking calendar fills for months; wedding inquiries pile up. Skift Research has documented social platforms’ growing role in travel discovery, so the mechanism is plausible enough. The magnitude is the fantasy. Wren’s own late reveal – she really wrote her memoir, has an MBA, and has engineered her frivolous public persona as part of a longer plan – is funny, thematically relevant, and suspiciously obedient to the novel’s argument. The pairing also loops back to the opening publishing satire. Adam has expertise without public visibility; Wren has visibility powerful enough to move books, people, and eventually hotel bookings. Sometimes Kyte’s world does not merely support the theme. It queues politely to validate it.

One reason to grant that generosity some latitude is that Kyte chose this fantasy deliberately. In an August 2025 QueryTracker interview, he said “A Christmas Inn, Maine” began as a screenplay written in late 2020 while he was thinking about the abundance of Hallmark Christmas stories and the relative scarcity of queer ones. That matters less as a defense than as a clue to the project. The snowy hometown, endangered inn, meddling neighbors, attractive local man, Christmas deadline, and guaranteed romantic future are pleasures the book means to claim, not conventions it accidentally failed to escape.

Precisely because Kyte wants access to that old holiday apparatus, he does not make queerness itself the catastrophe. Adam and Graham’s obstacles are bad communication, old injuries, geography, vocation, dependence, and the possibility that one man will stay while the other leaves. Silver Falls is not evidence that rural queer life is easy, nor does the novel ask it to be. Its fantasy is narrower: two men get to occupy the sentimental center of a Christmas romance without spending the book applying for permission to be there.

One contradiction is harder to decorate away. Adam supposedly learns that he does not have to become indispensable in order to deserve affection, yet the plot surrounds him with evidence that he is magnificently consequential. The inn improves because of him. Gravenhurst wants him back. Rose needs and loves him. His friends miss him. Wren responds when he asks. Graham wants a future with him. That does not invalidate the arc; people do want to matter to one another. But the book never fully separates reciprocal usefulness from Adam’s old hunger to prove he deserves his place. The distinction is less clean in experience than the vocabulary the novel sometimes gives it, and the story is better for not quite resolving it. A romance can promise unconditional love; a life still asks people to do things for one another.

Under pressure, Chapter 48 finally lets syntax do what several earlier scenes explained twice. Adam is trying to tell Graham what he wants after fleeing, returning, and making an impressive mess of honesty. He apologizes that “First drafts suck,” then imagines the improved version: write the speech, leave it, come back with fresh eyes, smooth it, make it more poetic, choose better words, spend weeks getting it right. The sentence keeps lengthening because revision is another way not to risk the sentence that matters. Then the prose snaps short: he does not want perfection. He wants Graham. For a character who has spent the book adding language until feelings become manageable, plainness is exposure.

Look at what Graham offers in return and the scale changes again. He shows Adam the carriage-house loft he has finished, including an office beneath an arched window because he had begun imagining an editor working there remotely. But the detail that does the most work is a toothbrush holder with two spaces. Adam’s first list required a brownstone, wealth, status, and a dazzling partner. Graham’s fantasy of permanence requires room beside the sink. It is not a rejection of ambition so much as a change in its unit of measurement.

On the final pages, the book completes its formal joke without curing Adam of himself. He still makes lists. Graham now writes on them. On Adam’s New Year’s Eve list, Graham adds requests for tiny oranges and crackers, notes that he has already picked up the dry cleaning and repaired the French doors, and leaves Adam the small pleasure of crossing those tasks off. Only after the errands does he add that he wants to spend the rest of his life with him, followed by “Marry me?” The proposal arrives inside the paperwork. More importantly, Graham does not seize the page. He adds to it.

So: 84/100, or 4/5 Goodreads stars. “A Christmas Inn, Maine” is conventional in outline, sometimes too eager to explain the work its scenes have already done, and so determined to reassure that several late difficulties melt faster than the snow ought to. But its form keeps returning to one useful idea: revision is not the same thing as failure. Adam does not have to become less ambitious, less organized, less bookish, or less himself. He has to stop treating the future as a document only one version of him was authorized to write. By the end, the list is still there, with chores, groceries, crossed-off repairs, and a marriage proposal crowded into the margins. The page remains unfinished. This time, Adam has left room.

[aribooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book won me over so so much….this is the perfect book for winter and Christmas period !!!! (I know we’re far from it right now hahahah but this was really really good). I literally devoured this book in few hours, and damn Graham and Adam? Forever in my heart.

I loved Adam, maybe because I could relate a lot to him and I think I lot of people can too, but he was a really REAL character, and I loved how he developed through the story, how he went from this insecure person to someone more confident about himself but also about his future.
And Graham ? Such a green flag please !!!! A whole green garden HAHAHA, I loved him so much and how he treated Adam, always so patient, but he also was very real with him and reminded him that his actions also impacts people around him…They were so so perfect for each other!!!

There was banter, small town vibes, Christmas setting (I’m a goner for that), but also some emotional scene, romance…this was ABSOLUTELY perfect.

Also I saw that this is the author first novel and let me tell you for a first novel this was really really good!! I’m definitely tun in for more !!!

thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc !

[Bethany Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Avon for the digital copy to review!! My immediate thoughts when finishing this book: Super freaking adorable. That ending!!!!!!! We love a man who loves a list.

My other thoughts? This was such a cute, cozy, and sweet holiday romance between Adam and Graham. The scene where Adam is heading to the bathroom and Graham is renovating the shower made me laugh out loud so hard I read it twice.

Adam is such a sweet character who had been burned by love so he's determined to not fall in love. Well... Graham made that impossible. And they were so genuinely sweet and loving with each other. The patience, dedication, thoughtfulness, and vulnerability were top notch.

Also, I absolutely loved the banter between them, the desire, the sexiness of their time together. They really had me in my feelings. All in all - a SUPER cute story with the most adorable ending. Totally recommend reading!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cute and cozy holiday read! It was perfect for Christmas in July and definitely made me jealous for a cold December instead of the hot summer I’m currently in 😂😭

Adam was so real and life just feels like beating him up for some reason!! He gets passed over for a promotion and he gets broken up with in the same day 😭😭 I was feeling so bad for my man! I loved how he progressed as the story went on. He was able to get so confident in himself!

Graham is such a big sweetie! He’s so patient and kind! I loved that he didn’t make Adam feel bad about any of his renovation attempts. They were so cute and perfect together!

Definitely recommend this if you’re wanting a fun Christmas-y vibe!

Read if you like
Small town
Christmas/winter vibe
Gay representation!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Tyler Hancsak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love loved this! What a relationship full of heart, sweetness and chemistry! The inn, the staff, and the dynamic between Adam and his aunt was so sweet.

The setting was one of the best parts! I could imagine running around the town and to the coffee shop or even at the inn. What a stellar read.

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adam quit his dream job, got dumped, moved home, volunteered to renovate an entire failing inn, and still somehow thought asking for help was the most unreasonable option on the table. I spent an alarming amount of this book wanting to hand this man a cup of cocoa, a weighted blanket, and the phone number of literally anyone willing to tell him, "You know you don't actually have to carry all of this by yourself, right?" Adam makes lists the way other people breathe. If a problem exists, he immediately starts making bullet points instead of admitting he's overwhelmed. As someone who has absolutely written "make less lists" on a list before... I saw myself more than I was emotionally prepared for.

Then there's Graham, who wanders into this absolute renovation disaster looking like every attractive contractor in a Christmas movie, except somehow even more patient. This man keeps offering help, practical solutions, emotional support, and occasional flirting, while Adam keeps responding with the emotional equivalent of, "No thank you, I'd actually rather have a quiet panic attack by myself."

The inn itself honestly felt like another character. Every room seemed to come with another expensive surprise, every project immediately created two more projects, and Aunt Rose had clearly mastered the family tradition of saying, "Everything's fine," while standing in the middle of something that is very much not fine. Apparently communication is not hereditary in this family. Anxiety is. Communication isn't.

I also loved how publishing brain never actually leaves Adam alone. Even while his life is actively falling apart, he's mentally editing conversations, obsessing over word choices, and trying to rewrite his future like it's a manuscript with one more round of revisions left. Meanwhile real life keeps reminding him that people are deeply inconvenient because they don't come with Track Changes.

Graham deserves some sort of seasonal medal for patience. Not because he's perfect, he isn't, but because he keeps meeting Adam where he is instead of demanding he magically become someone else. Every time Adam started spiraling into, "Obviously everyone would be better off without me," Graham had the exact energy of someone saying, "I'm going to let you finish catastrophizing, and then we're going to have a real conversation."

The part that hit me wasn't even the romance. It was watching Adam slowly realize that tying your entire self-worth to being useful is a really lonely way to live. If you've convinced yourself you only deserve love after you've fixed everything, finished every project, and stopped being a burden... you're going to be waiting forever. Oof. Anyway... back to Christmas lights before I accidentally have feelings.

I will admit there were a couple moments where I wanted to lovingly shake Adam by the shoulders and yell, "JUST TELL PEOPLE WHAT IS HAPPENING." Then I remembered how many adults, myself included, have absolutely convinced ourselves that silently struggling is somehow less awkward than asking for help. Unfortunately... the man was making points.

This was 3.5 stars for me. I got a cozy Maine inn, Christmas chaos, enough renovation disasters to bankrupt a reality TV show, one gloriously anxious former editor, and a contractor who somehow remained both charming and emotionally available through all of it. Honestly, Graham earned a vacation.

Merry Mayhem Prize: For Proving That the Biggest Renovation Project Was Never the Inn, It Was Adam's Ability to Accept Help

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the ARC. I arrived expecting festive inn renovations and left emotionally invested in one anxious man learning that Google Sheets cannot solve every personal crisis.

[Herbibliomaniac · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 🌟

Such a fun and cozy holiday romance. It was light and hopeful with small town holiday Hallmark vibes.

After walking out of his job and losing his boyfriend, Adam finds himself at his family's Inn only to learn it needs help. He is in over his head but determined to fix up the Inn. In walks a contractor who can actually do the work to help even though Adam wants to be the one to do it.

~♡ What I loved ♡~

The banter!!! I'm such a sucker for fun banter between characters. Especially when it's in a group chat.

The chemistry between Adam and Graham was adorable. Adam starts off spiraling from all the changes in his life and takes on more than he can handle. Graham is the epitome of a green flag and so patient while Adam is growing as a person.

I absolutely loved the side characters, they really helped make this book in their own way. This town really comes together to help out.

Adam's lists had me cackling. I'm a list person, so that was a solid win for me in this book.

~♡ What I didn't love ♡~

Truly not much, I really liked this. However, miscommunication trope is over done and not my personal preference. It was at least written well in this book.

~♡ The Audio itself ♡~

The narrator did such a great job bringing this story to life. The voice change between multiple characters as well as thoughts vs. speaking made it really easy to listen to. Even at the highest speed I had no problem keeping up with the story.

It looks like this is a debut author, I will definitely being watching for what else they write!

Thanks to HarperAudio Adult / Avon, Aaron Kyte, and NetGalley for sending for me an Alc to review.
Narrated by Cooper North

[heather 📚✨ · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

I was pulled into this audiobook from the first sentence! I loved it!

This was such a cute, fun, queer, seasonal romance that screamed Lifetime holiday movie. Think Hallmark movie with a little more edginess. The main character, Adam, is having a rough time and moves back home to his small home town in Maine with his aunt at the inn she owns and runs. The inn is not doing so well and he decides he wants to help get the business going again

The writing is absolutely hilarious. Adam’s inner thoughts had me laughing the whole way through the book. The storyline was exactly what I expected it to be in a good way. There is a recipe that works for holiday romances and they work for a reason! The writing style really set this one apart for me. I loved the side characters and their interactions with Adam. I loved the romance and the way it developed over time. Adam felt so relatable

The audiobook was fantastic. The narrator was perfect. He brought the story to life. I think I would recommend listening to this one over reading it physically!

I would have loved even more Christmas elements and references. There were some but they felt like they took a backseat to everything else

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for the ALC!

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pub Date 13 October 2026

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Like any good Christmas story, this leans into the cheesiness, which was such a joy! I read this while my AC was broken and my condo was consistently far too hot during a heatwave, so the winter vibes were a wonderful escape.

I liked that despite some animosity, this wasn’t enemies-to-lovers. But it also wasn’t insta-love, which I appreciated. I also liked that none of the drama was dragged out. Things happened, people talked, and we moved on, a refreshing change from the endless miscommunication that can sometimes take over romances.

I think the only reason this wasn’t a full 5 stars for me is that, while I liked all of the characters, there weren’t any that I loved. I would, however, love to read more from these characters in future books.

My one real wish is that this had been set in Canada (or at least a fictional town within no specific country). I understand why, from a marketing perspective, it wasn’t (and why books are often set in the US), but given everything happening right now, an MM romance by a Canadian author, and importantly set in Canada, would be wonderful to see.

[Une_brune_envie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute, cozy, and sweet holiday romance between Adam and Graham. They were honestly so adorable together, and I loved watching their relationship develop. They were just so cute and perfect together! It had all the things I love in a romance: green flags, thoughtfulness, vulnerability, sweetness, and a relationship that felt realistic. Their love story was funny, adorable, and just so warm and comforting. Definitely the kind of romance I like!

I read this outside of the holiday season, so I wasn’t completely able to get into the Christmas vibes as much as I probably would have during December. But I might reread this during the Christmas period because I feel like the cozy holiday atmosphere would hit so much better then.

This is definitely one to keep in mind for the upcoming holiday season if you’re looking for a warm, sweet, and cozy Christmas romance. Adam and Graham were such a lovely couple, and I really enjoyed their story.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with an ARC.

[Joseandbooks · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 4.5/5


This was such a cute, cozy holiday read! 🎄❤️ It had ALL the Christmas feels and honestly made me wish I was somewhere cold and snowy with a hot drink while reading this. Definitely the kind of book that puts you in the holiday spirit!

I really loved Adam’s journey throughout the story. He goes through it 😭 between getting passed over for a promotion and then getting his heart broken, but I loved watching him slowly find his confidence again and figure out what he actually wants. And Graham?! Such a sweetheart. 🥹 He was patient, kind, and just so supportive of Adam. I loved watching their relationship develop—it was sweet, cozy, and exactly what I wanted from a holiday romance.

The small-town setting, the Christmas atmosphere, the inn, and the overall cozy vibes made this such a fun read. I was completely here for all of it!

Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a feel-good Christmas romance with small-town vibes, holiday coziness, and great gay representation! 🎄🏳️‍🌈

[Jill (readinginpjs) · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was super cute!
small town, holiday romcom vibes
I was just missing a bit of the “rom”

I enjoyed being in Adam’s head, a lot of his thoughts were super relatable. Also SO funny, I found myself chuckling aloud often 😅

I would have liked to have read more of a development in his relationship with Graham, I don’t feel like I got to know him THAT well, and neither did Adam.
Their interactions were cute, but lacked depth for me.

The story is more of Adam’s journey, figuring out his career & path in life, and how he deserves to be treated by a partner.

It felt like the start of something between him and Graham, but for a romance book we didn’t get very far.

🎧 absolutely love Cooper North as a narrator, he really did a great job with Adam’s character!

Thank you to Avon & Harper Audio for the ARC & ALC, all opinions are my own.

📖 A Christmas Inn, Maine by Aaron Kyte
🎄: holiday romance (mm)
🎙 narrated by: Cooper North

*Connect with Me*
🤍 Instagram 🤍 Blog 🤍

[Magically Miranda · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Thank you to Harper Audio Adult, Avon and Harper Voyager and author Aaron Kyte, for providing me with the ALC and eARC of “A Christmas Inn, Maine”.

💭My Thoughts
Here's the thing, if you tell me there is a book that feels like a Hallmark Christmas movie. I will in fact read it every. single. time. I loved every single second of this! It was so good!! I loved how cute Adam and Graham where acting towards each other before they got together. It was just the perfect second chance crush set up.

And who doesn't want to go back to their small town and help fix up their family inn and you know fall in love after getting your heart broken? Yea exactly. Go read this and put it on your Christmas TBR!

❣️Tropes❣️
MM Romance
Small Town
Christmas Time
Hallmark Coded
Second Chance
Death of Family Members (past)

🩵RATING🩵
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice Level: 🌶️
Length: 368 Pages
Publisher: Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon

🎧Single Narration 10h 38m at 2x
🎙️Cooper North
Narration Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publisher: HarperAudio Adult | Avon
Listened via Netgalley

[jay · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

A love letter to every cheesy holiday movie chockful of those heart warming fuzzy cliches, *A Christmas Inn Maine* is a heartfelt and earnest story that underscores the true magic in the giving and receiving during this festive season.

Although the writing comes at with a rather dated millenial voice, I found it quite charming (especially when they weren't dialing up the brand name drops). I really liked that the frantic pace of Adam's headspace was translated into how frazzled his initial chapters were, and that we were actually eased into it the same way he was.

I really liked that each character existed outside of propping up the two leads. That they were given as much agency and had their own moments that made the story more lived in and whole.

Such a cute read and I would honestly love spin offs of the older couple who saved Adam from being stuck in the snow.

Big thanks to Harper360 for providing me this ARC via NetGalley. All quotes are taken from the uncorrected proof. This does not in any shape or form influence my review on this book.

[Kristel (hungryandhappy) · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

This book would make the perfect Hallmark Christmas movie! We need it! It was sweet, the angst was low even with some misunderstandings and some questionable decisions. It was lovely!

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the gifted ARC!

4.5 stars rounded up. This was such a cute and cozy holiday romance! I really loved the whole setup of Adam moving back home and trying to save his aunt’s inn, especially with all the small-town Christmas vibes throughout the story. It gave me exactly the kind of warm, feel-good holiday romance I want.

I really loved Adam and Graham together. Their chemistry and banter were so much fun, but I especially loved how sweet their relationship was. Graham was such a green flag, and I loved how patient and supportive he was with Adam while Adam was trying to figure out what he actually wanted for his life. Watching Adam slowly let his walls down and realize that maybe the life he had planned for himself wasn’t necessarily the life he wanted was probably my favorite part.

I also really enjoyed all of the renovation chaos and the people surrounding the inn. There was something so comforting about watching everyone come together to help save it, and I loved the sense of community throughout the story. There were a few moments where I wished Adam and Graham would just talk to each other instead of keeping things to themselves, but it didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed their story.

This really gave me all the cozy, queer Hallmark Christmas movie vibes, and I absolutely loved it. If you’re looking for a sweet holiday romance with a small-town setting, a cute romance, and plenty of Christmas spirit, definitely add this one to your holiday TBR!

[Jo B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am constantly on the hunt for a cozy, sweet Christmas romance for my best friend who has started a tradition of reading one around the holidays every year.
I think I got about 12 pages in and was texting him that I had found this year’s book.
This was so lovely and heartwarming - it’s like this author mixed all the best parts of a Hallmark movie with an episode of Gilmore Girls, and I was delighted.
These characters were sweet, flawed, and relatable. Adam’s anxious, list making, perfectionist self speared me right through the heart. Graham definitely surpassed the cliche “Hallmark hometown love interest” with layers of depth all his own.
I know some people aren’t a huge fan of miscommunication as a plot point, but I thought this was done really well (or maybe this was lack-of-communication). I feel like those elements work when they’re done in line with the characters’ personalities, and the way almost everyone in this story put off talking about hard things for various reasons felt really in character for all of them.
Overall, just a really lovely story. I’m going to end up rereading this come Christmas.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this eARC!

[Books Spice N Everything Nice · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎧Audiobook
🎤Narrated by: Cooper North

Story: 4⭐️
Narration: 4.5⭐️
Spice: 2🌶️— light open

🍆MM — Romance
📚Standalone
✏️Third person — Single POV
🎙️Single narration
❤️Main tropes: Holiday/Christmas • Small town • Hurt/Comfort

AAAWWW! A Christmas Inn, Maine really is a cute MM romance with all the cozy holiday feels. This book is set in a small town with all the good and early-winter vibes, topped with nosy but supportive friends, family secrets, drama, and a high school crush.

Poor Adam is the unluckiest guy ever: he both loses his job and gets dumped by his long-time boyfriend the same day. When he moves back to his hometown and realizes that his beloved inn, owned by his aunt, where he has so many childhood memories, is at risk of closing, he takes it upon himself to save it before Christmas Eve. But, of course, things don't go the way he wants, and Adam feels like he’s failing at every step. Then comes Graham, his savior, a frustratingly talented contractor who has also just moved back to town and who, of course, happens to be Adam’s first real crush.

I really loved seeing how Adam took the survival of the inn to heart, not just for himself, but for the sake of his aunt, whom he loves so much. Adam is not only mending a bruised ego and a broken heart, he is also grieving his uncle, who passed away not too long before, and whose presence he misses even more now that he is back in his hometown. Add to that his anxiety and insecurities, and Adam becomes the kind of character I just wanted to hug, support, and comfort.

I also really liked Graham’s character. What I loved most was how patient, supportive, and understanding he was, how he treated Adam with love and respect, and how he slowly but steadily helped him recognize his own worth. These two are so good to each other, they really made me melt.

I appreciated that the book was written entirely from Adam’s point of view, as it allowed me to follow him closely throughout his journey of self-discovery and healing. I just wish the book had been written in first person, as I think this connection with him would have felt even deeper.

I thought Cooper North was a fantastic choice for this audiobook. His voice matched how I imagined Adam, and he beautifully captured all of Adam’s vulnerability.

Overall, this was a cute and sweet small-town MM romance full of holiday warmth, with a very emotional MMC whom I couldn't help but root for.

[Emmie Rose · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an eARC of this book.

This Hallmark style Christmasy romance would make a great start to anyone’s holiday reading list. Although a little light on the actual Christmas part of December, there are cute wintery dates and plenty of tobogganing to give readers that holiday feel.

Adam’s (poor) attempts at restoring his aunt’s inn to help him forget about his career and relationship going up in flames (on the same day) result in hilarious disasters. Graham, our knight in shining denim, comes to the rescue in more ways than one. His quiet support and thoughtful gestures are that of a true cinnamon bun character and the kind of guy Adam needs to balance out his anxiety. Graham was such a green flag kind of guy that I really appreciated. He truly cared about people and showed up for them, even when they (ahem, Adam) were a little bit confusing with their hot and cold act.

However, poor communication all around leads to a lot of otherwise avoidable drama. Adam especially felt rather hypocritical for complaining of others keeping things from him when he did the same thing. I thought Adam's character displayed quite a bit of growth throughout the book, but as the book ended I felt like there was still a lot of room left for him to grow. He was fairly self-centered and often neglected to consider those around him. He could be emotionally closed off and did not like asking for help. He also had a tendency to avoid avoid avoid when things got difficult, which drove me nuts. However, I think a lot of his less desirable traits came from his grief (losing his parents when he was young and his uncle when he was in his teens) and made quite a bit of sense for his character. Someone needed to put him in therapy, honestly. Graham should probably suggest that. Adam would make a list about it, but would probably listen. Eventually.

Overall, a very sweet romance with little hints of spice. I did wish that their story was a little spicier to give their slow burn romance a bit more of a pay off, but the closed door nature of the romance did lend to the Hallmark movie feel of the book. The meddling aunt, godmother, and friends were a great addition to the story as well, and Adam and his aunt's grief offered good emotional depth to the story.

[Renee (aredheadwithbedhead) · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

”He takes in the details of Graham’s face. He sees a cluster of freckles high on his right cheek, smile lines at the corners of his eyes, and thick lashes. He sees dark brown irises, flecked with gold. And he sees a future. His future. Their future.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 🌶️(fade to black)

If ever there was a word to describe A Christmas Inn, Maine, it would be charming. Endlessly charming 🥹 Adam and Graham made me laugh, made me tear up with happy tears and gave all the butterflies you look for in a Christmas small town romance!

Adam’s life has essentially imploded months before Christmas – he’s reeling after a breakup from his cheating ex and has quit his job in book editing after being looked over for years. Now he’s found himself back in his small hometown in Maine to help his aunt save her failing inn.

Adam is a city boy out of water, with a penchant for lists and a determined attitude despite his life going off the tracks. Graham is the contractor (eventually) hired to help renovated the inn is so charismatic, a genuine sweetheart with just the right hint of flirty. Their chemistry was obvious from the off and I’ve never looked forward to a first kiss so much in my life! The anticipation was so worth the wait!

Even if the story was less Christmas heavy than I first expected, it had ALL of the warm & cozy vibes you could want leading into the holiday season! This is a perfect small town romance with a full cast of endearing characters that will make you wish you could step into the pages.

One of the most pleasant surprises was how funny this book was!! I chuckled out loud so many times at Adam’s endless lists and his sarcastic internal dialogue. The writing of this story was smart, witty and paired perfectly with the Hallmark-esque good feelings you look for in a holiday romance!

🔨 An Inn that needs saving
🎄 A small town at the holidays
🛏️ City book editor + contractor
💕 Old highschool crush
❄️ Lots of found family vibes

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley; all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the author and the publisher!

The cover got me, okay? It’s adorable and screams winter/Christmas! But this ended up being so freaking cute! I kept saying “I’m not really ready for Christmas romances yet” but that pub date was approaching so I told myself to at least start it.

Cut to me sitting there reading half the book in one sitting 😅

This is such a fun, cute holiday romance. It reminds me of a hallmark movie but in the best ways (and with very light, fade to black spice added in)! You know immediately that poor Adam’s day is going to go from okay to bad to worse. And obviously he’s then going to return to his hometown and stay at the inn his aunt runs in Maine. Of course the handsome man he keeps bumping into is going to be the contractor who can save the day (and hopefully help save the inn with the renovations).

I won’t sit here and tell you it’s not predictable, but that’s kind of the point IMO of a holiday romance. I want cozy holiday vibes (the one time I like coziness outside of mysteries). I want predictable. I want sweet moments of them getting to know each other while fighting to save an [insert family business here]. I want the city boy to realize he actually wants to stay in his town with his family and his friends and the guy he fell in love with. And this delivers on all of that.

I was having such a good time reading this I was genuinely annoyed when I had to put it down to get ready for bed. I loved Adam’s lists throughout the story. I liked that it was single POV. I enjoyed the holiday vibes. I loved the setting being at an old inn. I wanted to curl up next to a fire with a cup of cocoa and play some holiday music while the snow falls out the windows…alas, I live in the desert, I don’t have a fireplace, I’m lactose intolerant, and it’s still 90°+ outside 🤣 but you get it…the vibes were there!

4⭐️

[Moni · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Adam has a ‘perfect life list’ (he actually has a lot of lists you’ll like) which includes working towards a lead position in publishing, and finally moving together with his perfect boyfriend. What the list does not include is an awful day that destroys his perfect future. Losing his job and his boyfriend in one horrendous day sends him packing and moving into his aunt's once-successful inn in a charming Maine town. After a brief time of hiding from the world, Adam finds purpose in trying to save the inn by fixing up its dilapidated parts. Enter Graham, the confident and competent contractor who (after a ridiculously adorable meet-cute) starts helping Adam in more than one way. I loved the description of the building and the work they did on it, the winter traditions that Adam and his friends evoked, and the great side characters who definitely added warmth and charm to this story. However, there were a few times when I got frustrated with the lack of communication between Adam and Graham, and also Adam and his aunt. Adam spends quite some time thinking over his future, not knowing where it’ll take him and what he could (should) be passionate about. Graham was honestly dreamy; I would have liked to spend more time reading his POV, but we only get the one epilogue from him. The story reads like a Hallmark movie with tons of Christmas traditions and a closed-door(ish) romance. Perfect to pick it up for the upcoming holiday season!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the ARC!