First Famous Christmas: An 831 Stories Romance

by Carrie Wittmer

After rocketing to pop stardom practically overnight, all Marceline wants is a calm holiday at home. What she gets is a run-in with her bad-boy high-school crush, Lucas. Could this Ghost of Christmas Past also become her new muse?

When Marceline Freeze went to Juilliard to study violin, she didn’t expect it to lead to a Best New Artist Grammy. Now, after a whirlwind tour and early-onset fame fatigue, she’s looking forward to a normal Christmas in her snowy North Carolina hometown. But all bets are off the second she walks into My Place, the coffee shop that was her refuge growing up. It’s gotten an infuriating Scandi-chic makeover courtesy of its new owner: Lucas North, the rebellious firestarter she worshipped from afar as a teenager.

Genres: Holiday, Romance, Contemporary Romance

240 pages, Paperback

Expected publication November 3, 2026

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute cute cute cute!! This book was so stinking cute!! It’s like the perfect vibe for snuggling up under a fluffy blanket with some cocoa with a fire going!!

The romance is very sweet! It had a fun Hallmark holiday vibe. I also loved the family dynamic. Marceline’s sister being a little jealous of her success was interesting to see. I also loved how she had to navigate being a famous person coming back to her little town.

Overall, I highly recommend this! It’s so cute and cozy and I will definitely be reading again once it’s closer to the holidays!!

Read if you like:
Small town romance
Famous Person x Normal Person
Hallmark vibes
Holiday romance
Banter

Thank you so much to NetGalley and 831 Stories for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

[Taylor]

DNF @ 17% really could not stand the writing. so sardonic! not typical for 831.

[Dayvn Kai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy. I think this story was really cute. I love a like fake celebrity story with a romance plot, but with this one I don’t think I was as connected to the characters. I do think it read really quickly and was just super easy; I just don’t think I cared for the characters as much as I wanted to. I do think that this can be a really good palate cleanser in between books because it was still enjoyable to see what happened. I did guess the twist a little early on, but I rarely think I’m right, so it still caught me off guard. Overall, I did enjoy this book and do recommend it. Thank you again to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy.

[kailin · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

north carolina, c’mon and raise up!
as a carolina girl who has a special place in her heart for western nc, i ate this right up.

the storyline felt very much like a hallmark movie, but where the main characters are actually cool and have excellent taste in music. marceline—once small town girl, now world-famous musician—yearns for simpler times and heads back to her small home town for the holidays. almost immediately, she runs into resident bad boy (literally a convicted arsonist) and her childhood crush, lucas north. it’s a classic story, but with its own unique spin. shout out indie sleaze!

thank you to carrie wittmer, 831 stories and netgalley for this e-arc 🤍

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really did not want First Famous Christmas by Carrie Wittmer to end. I really enjoyed how the romance was set up with the young crush turned to finding one another later in life. A great Christmastime romance that I’ll have to read again for the holidays! Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the ARC!

[NRC]

DNF - sadly unreadable.

[Janill · Rating 1 out of 5]

First Famous Christmas was not for me. I didn’t understand many of the references, and the characters and their relationships never felt believable. There is a child who receives TMZ push notifications and constantly asks strangely adult questions, while the entire family acts awkwardly around her—even though she is supposedly extremely close to her mother.

The relationship between the sisters was equally confusing. We are told that Marceline’s sister always wants to be the center of attention and that they aren’t close, but most of the tension seemed to come from Marceline rather than anything her sister actually did. The idea that one family essentially owns the entire town was also poorly explained. There was simply too much happening for such a short story, and none of it had enough time to develop.

By the 80% mark, Marceline no longer came across as someone understandably overwhelmed by sudden fame. Instead, she seemed paranoid, self-absorbed, and surprisingly entitled. She repeatedly insists that she wants everyone to treat her normally, yet she views ordinary situations through the lens of her glamorous new life and assumes that every awkward interaction must be about her. That contradiction could have created an interesting exploration of how fame changes a person, but it wasn’t developed enough. The supporting characters were similarly one-dimensional, especially her father, whose entire personality seemed to consist of asking trivia questions.

The ending was particularly frustrating because the main conflict felt rushed and poorly handled. Marceline makes an impulsive decision based on very little information, without taking the time to ask questions or understand the full situation. Because the family dynamics, romance, and other subplots were already underdeveloped, the final conflict didn’t feel earned—it seemed manufactured to create a dramatic climax. There were simply too many ideas competing for space in such a short book, and none were explored deeply enough to make the ending satisfying.

[Jenn · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

Thank you 831 Stories for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

https://jenninsf.wordpress.com/2026/1...

Marceline Freeze is heading back to her North Carolina small town hometown for Christmas for the first time since hit the top of charts with her breakout violin/pop album. She just wants everything to be normal for a few weeks, sick of everyone watching her and more importantly, wondering where her next album is. Reconnecting with Lucas North, her high school crush, in her favorite/only hometown coffee shop is just a bonus, right?

This one started off promising with a great flashback from 10 years ago, but then it just kinda petered out. Marceline is SO determined to have “normal” Christmas with her family, even though nothing about her or her family is “normal.” She never really makes an effort with them, just kinda flitting back and forth between her childhood home and My Place, the coffee shop, always happy when her family is doing something “regular” but not participating. Plus she’s mad that My Place is different since Nash died, but since we don’t ever get a good handle on why Nash was so important to her, it just felt like whining.

The third act break up/reveal/make up went way too quickly and felt unearned. Marceline’s relationship with her music could have been explored more and I was more worried that she was about taking her violin around to all these cold places. Stacey deserves better!

[Aysia · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Famous Christmas by Carrie Wittmer was my first holiday read of the season and it was fairly good. It was not my favorite coming out of the 831 Stories backlog, but I still really enjoyed reading it. I think a big reason why this is the case is that I have felt so connected to a lot of the characters across the previously published stories, but I didn't really feel very connected to either main characters.

First Famous Christmas shows Marceline Freeze as she goes home for Christmas after she has taken the world by storm with her debut album and follow-up Christmas album. As she tries to find spaces of normalcy in her now uber famous life, she just keeps getting treated not like the Marceline she was, but the world famous Marceline she currently is. In trying to escape the fame, she ends up reconnecting with her childhood (arsonist) crush, Lucas North. Marceline and Lucas, together, work through whether they can let their pasts define their future and how they want to exist in the crazy world they live in.

I genuinely am not sure that I liked either Marceline or Lucas, to be honest. Marceline basically begged to be seen as a normal person, while constantly sitting in this weird privileged mindset. Lucas read as kind of flat to me, but had the potential to be one of the best book boyfriends. I also think there was a lot of what would be good plot points started and then forgotten about. One example of actually both of these things is that we were told that the rug that Marceline spent so many hours performing on before the makeover of Lucas' coffee shop now lives in his bedroom. We know that, Marceline knows that, but we never got confirmation that it is in his room because he has always been in love with her. There were other similar examples that I just wish would have been more elaborated on, which I know is not easy in so few pages.

All-in-all I had a relatively good time with this novella and it started to edge me into a holiday mood! Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for early access to this novella in exchange for my honest review.

[Pía · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, thank you, NetGalley and 831 Stories, for letting me get an ARC of this book.

4.5/5 — stars
2/5 — spice

I don’t know what type of drug 831 Stories puts in their books, or if it’s just the dopamine I get from being able to quickly get closer to my reading goals, but once I begin one, I can’t stop until I’ve finished it.

This book was so good. It follows Marceline (love the name. I am tired of all the repeated names used in every romance novel) coming home for Christmas after becoming a pop star. Everyone treats her like she’s a superstar, which she is, but she doesn’t want them to treat her as such. Even her own family does. The only one who doesn’t is Lucas, the owner of the cafe she used to love and the bad boy she used to like.

Their banter is so good, they are so fun, and their spice scenes are short but so too good. It would have been a 5/5 if I had read it during Christmas time, that’s for sure.

The only thing is that there are parts that feel a little like a Hallmark movie. For me, I love it. I am the type who watches Hallmark movies all December, but if that is not your case, I think this book may not be your cup of tea.

-Single POV
-Small-town setting
-Famous x commoner (bad boy)

Favorite quote:
“I’ve missed you all my life.”

[Nicole LC · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️3/5

Looking forward to a quiet Christmas back in her home town, newly famous Marceline is met with anything but that. From paparazzi photos to an influx of tourists, Marceline is struggling to come back down to earth, until she is reunited with Lucas. Former bad boy turned pastry chef has also come back home to their small town … and unfortunately completely changed her favorite coffee shop. Can her high school crush turn into something more?

I found Marceline to be unenjoyable. She kept stating she wanted everyone to treat her as she was before she was famous but kept comparing basic things to her new shiny life, I’m sorry anything happening at the Met Gala is not relatable to real life. I just could not connect with this character. Overall, felt like a Hallmark holiday movie. A decent palette cleanser but not something I was heavily invested in.

Bonus points for Clara’s favorite dog breed being a pug, me too Clara. 🐾

Thank you to 831 Stories and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Patience · Rating 2 out of 5]

First Famous Christmas is about a recently famous musician, Marceline Freeze, who returns to her hometown for Christmas and learns to navigate fame in her small town. She reconnects with a high school crush, Lucas North, who is a seemingly safe place to land among the fame and frenzy. She finds refuge baking and working alongside him in his coffee shop. During her Holiday break at home there is a consistent stream of tabloid fodder that is suspiciously specific, causing her to question those closest to her.

I struggled to connect to Marceline and her experience of returning home. There were aspects of the plot that seemed underdeveloped and the pacing of her relationship with Lucas could have been smoother. There was a sweet scene between Marceline and her sister and North Carolina made for a refreshing and cozy setting. The story is giving strong Hallmark vibes.

For those looking for a light Holiday read this book might be for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories Romance of the ARC of this e-book.

[Benedetta · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

Thank You NetGalley and 831 Stories for the advance copy of this book

So, you know I love 831 stories and their romance books, the concept is lovely and fun, but I have to say, this one in particular was disappointing.
The premise was interesting (the whole celebrity/normal person trope) but the story itself felt flat and not engaging enough;
Marceline and Lucas has some kind of history that we know of (hidden feelings) but, sadly, as a reader you're not able to grasp this tension, it feels more like insta love than a sort of second chance romance (I don't know if it can be considered a second chance romance but it feels like the closest one).
I liked the fact that they were communicating through the music, in those moments I could sense the feelings between them.
I also appreciated the relationship between Marceline and her sister Eloise, it felt real in that sisterly way, kinda messy but authentic.

I know it's a novella and because of that it's impossible to be thorough, but the characters lacked of depth.

[Brandy Porter · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 The book starts outside of Ashville with an arson arrest of Lucas North. Then fast forwards to 10 years, we find our FMC, Marceline, a famous violin player back in her hometown of Hope Gap, NC looking for inspiration for her next album. She is a celebrity who hates being famous! Which tracks since she can no longer get groceries without it being a headline - and the headlines cracked me up. While she returns home to North Carolina for the holidays, she runs back into Lucas, her childhood crush who was arrested 10 years earlier on Christmas Eve, at his local coffee shop! Lucas is the first person in a long time that treats her normally, like her old self. I enjoyed watching their reconnection unfold. It’s a small town famous person/normal romance ! As a North Carolina girl, I loved all the nods to NC, like the Caroline reaper, the Biltmore, Duke, & UNC. Even a Raleigh shoutout! A quick easy read!

[Mallory Moureau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley, 831 Stories and Carrie Wittmer for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I felt like I was missing something... or really, several things:
- Details about the family and why they refer to themselves by their last name regularly.
- How she went from the overlooked violin player to a pop star. Does she sing and play violin, I’m confused?
- The chemistry and connection between the characters. It was never realized when they were teens, then she was almost negging him when they saw each other again. It just seemed wild that she would put herself out there when there wasn’t really a true connection before.

The way the family acted was so strange. The sister relationship was awkward and felt fake.

The story held my attention enough but I kept thinking I was missing something. I think there was too much story for this to be a novella.

[randi rush · Rating 2 out of 5]

this unfortunately just did not work for me, for a number of reasons. mainly, i had a really hard time with the writing. it was just so bitter, which obviously made it hard to enjoy, and a lot of things were underdeveloped. marceline also annoyed me as the main character quite a bit, because she was just so negative all the time. i could sometimes see where she was coming from, but other times, she came across as a little entitled.

the dialogue between the main characters also felt odd and unnatural to me, and overall, i thought there was basically zero chemistry between them. plus, why did marceline mention that lucas only had one pair of pants MULTIPLE times. i found that a little strange... this was still a pretty quick read, but i just really didn’t love it.

thank you to netgalley and 832 stories for the arc!

[QuirkyTofurkey · Rating 2 out of 5]

831 Stories has made me a novella girlie. The older I get, the more I appreciate an author’s ability to fit a fully realized story into snack form.

Unfortunately, this one just didn’t click with me the way some of the others have. I think some writing styles naturally work better for me than others, and I found myself feeling a little outside the joke here. There were so many references and little moments that felt like inside jokes, and I kept wishing I was in on them.

Randomly, I think this would really appeal to fans of Gilmore Girls. Some of the references reminded me of the way Rory and Lorelai would talk to each other. And, as the FMC mentions multiple times, it definitely has that Hallmark Christmas movie feel. I hope this book finds its people.

Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the advance reader copy. This review is voluntary, and all opinions are my own.

[anj (acozyday) · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, I love 831. Never Lasting is one of the recent books that was a full five stars for me.
That said, this book did not work. The writing was honestly not at the standard as some of my other 831 favorites. Some sentences actually just felt like a first draft of something that has the makings of something great, but isn't quite great yet.

Again, I hate to be harsh! But I do think the quality of 831 books feel like they should all be the same but aren't. Novellas are hard! And 831 has achieved some amazing ones, but I think perhaps the ones that don't work feel a bit rushed and not written in a way that feels as good as it can be - as though it goes first draft to print.

Thank you NetGalley and 831 for advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Desi · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when you lose your mojo you lose your creativity you lose your passion…. You end up running home where everything began, where the coffee shop owner showed you how to find yourself in the music. But everything changes even then everyone you know treats you like that celebrity you are but all you crave is to be treated like a normal person even her own family eating in the diner in their dining room on the fine china walks on eggshells her mom had the only store in town closed so she can have private shopping….she doesn’t want any of that. The only pesos who treats her normal is the bad boy turned new coffee shop owner pastry chef, high school crash Lucas, until he doesn’t…..

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amidst an August heat wave, I decided it was time for a holiday romance. And y'all, I'm so glad I did because First Famous Christmas is a delight. Marceline has found (unexpected) fame as a pop star. Now she's headed back to her hometown. There she finds out Lucas, her teenage crush, now runs her favorite coffee shop. And as romances do, things go from there. I loved the layers of the characters in this one and how the plot took some really great (and unexpected) twists. It kept me reading and gave me some solid holiday vibes. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the look at this November 2026 release.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! I liked the glimpses of Marceline and Lucas in the past and seeing them in the present together, rebuilding their friendship/relatshipship. I also did like the complicated relationship between Marceline and her sister/family. I did see the twist coming and it was a little predictable, but that goes for most holiday romances. This would've been fun to read during the holiday season!

3.5⭐️

[Cathelijne Lamboo · Rating 1.25 out of 5]

1.25 stars

Her being a prodigy at the violin didn’t add anything to the story since she became a singer instead (who also plays the violin, which in my opinion doesn’t make much sense). The “connection” with Lukas, which originated from a teenage obsession from 10 years ago, felt rushed. The intimate scenes didn’t add anything to the story and where honestly not very well written in my opinion. This one from 831 was unfortunately a miss

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Famous Christmas is a cute holiday romance about a woman trying to cope with fame and success who returns home for the holidays and finds herself in the same orbit as her childhood crush. I thought this was a cute, fun small town holiday romance with a very cozy vibe and love that 831 is getting into holiday romances.

[grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Special thanks to 831 Stories for sharing this reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions!

A classic Hallmark-style celebrity/small town/Christmas romance, full of heart and humor that will keep readers engaged. Carrie Witmer's voice felt so unique in this book, and I felt like I was reading about real people and a real place. I hope to visit this universe again in future 831 novellas!

[Siobhangrant · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and 831 for an ARC.

I adored this one. As a NC native, I could perfectly see the scene in my head this book captured WNC at Christmas so well. The tension between the characters was great. Fun side characters as well. I hope this author writes another one set in Hope Gap.

One of my favorite 831 Stories!

[Charlotte]

**Thanks to NetGalley for an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

DNF @ 10% - I'm all for unlikeable MCs but when the MC, verbatim, has a scene where she yells at her mother for trying to be considerate to her now-famous daughter by closing the grocery store so she can shop for 10 minutes in uninterrupted silence, im done

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sets up like a traditional Hallmark movie. Really wasn’t a fan of the FMC so I had difficulty buying into the storyline. I also felt the author was sitting with a thesaurus looking for the longest most complicated word to use in a sentence.

[Mere · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I have to admit, this one really didn't do it for me. For an 831 Story, I found the premise boring and bland. It just wasn't my cup of tea!!

Thank you to the Author, Netgalley, and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

[Annie Tate Cockrum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ultimately wasn’t rooting for the couple.

[Mackenzie Guiry · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little to gimmicky for me, but pretty cute (ty again Net Galley)