Abigail Smith loves Christmas so much she made it her business. Whether it's simple gift wrapping or arranging a sit-down feast, clients of A Convenient Christmas can count on Abby to meet all of their holiday needs. When her oldest and dearest client hires her to add a little cheer to her son's life, Abby is up for the challenge.
Until he fires her.
Finn Edenbury is too busy trying to get through the holiday season to enjoy it. The divorced dad is not looking forward to spending this year alone since his daughter, Melody, will be with his ex. Which might be why he overreacted when he found a beautiful, tree trimming woman in his living room.
An unexpected change of plans mean Finn will spend the holidays with his little girl after all. Finn turns to Abby with an apology and a request: help him make Melody's Christmas magic.
The Queen of Christmas can hardly say no even if she still thinks he's a bit of a Scrooge. That is, until they spend time together. These two opposites end up wanting something for Christmas that neither of them expected: each other.
“Gorgeous, amazing single dad, one-time Grinch, reforms and comes to love Christmas.”
Abby & Finn. He’s Scrooge and she’s a bubblier version of Mrs. Clause. This has holiday movie written all over it! I triple snowflake promise you’ll adore this story! If you a fan of Hallmark (like me) then you’ll be smitten with A Convenient Christmas! Get it on your shelf asap!
“I want more. I want to see where this can go. You make me want to believe in magic, Abby. I think you are magic.”
🎄THINGS AND STUFF 🎄 -sweet as candy canes romance -Star Wars light saber meet cute -small town -single dad (GQ casual dad) -grumpy x sunshine -hope x magic x miracles x happiness -snow angels x cookies -holly jolly punch -🐧: they close their eyes when they kiss, like humans -#IsThisAKissingBook: closed door. “Can I kiss you under the mistletoe, Abigail?” She nodded, her breath easing out as she went up on tiptoe. “Yes, please.”
Single Dad Romance? Yes, please!! Ich mochte Abby und Finn ganz gerne. Grumpy/sunshine? Immer gerne! Es ging dann alles recht schnell und ich konnte noch damit leben. Melody war super süss und ich fand‘s schön, dass es aktive Momente zwischen den drei gab.
JETZT KOMMEN SPOILER!!!!
Aber dann kam das Drama. Er war sauer und hat die Beziehung, die sie nach nur wenigen Tagen kennen begonnen hatten wieder beendet, weil Abby einen anderen Termin hatte, an dem Tag an dem Melody eine Tanzaufführung hatte. Fand ich schon übertrieben die Reaktion.
Und dann kam das Ende. Ich möchte nochmals betonen, dass die sich nur sehr kurz kennen und die Beziehung offiziell überhaupt nur über Tage ging, bis er es beendet hat. Dann Funkstille. Und dann ist Weihnachten, das Abby mit Finn und seiner Familie verbringt. Und er macht ihr einen Antrag. The fuck??? Nein. Nein. Nein. Nein. Ich bin ja so schon kein Fan, wenn 99% der New Adult Bücher mit Kind und Ring enden. Muss das echt immer sein?!? Kann es nur dann ein happy end sei ?? Aber der Mann macht ihr echt innerhalb von Tagen einen Antrag??? Die kennen sich nicht. Kein Sex in dem Buch - und natürlich gibt‘s Leute die mit dem Sex bis nach der Ehe warten aber come on!!! Ich find‘s einfach sehr unrealistisch, dass die nach gefühlten 3 Tagen Beziehung schon verlobt sind.
Das Ende hat mir jeglichen Spaß den ich beim lesen hatte genommen. So wären es vermutlich 3 Sterne geworden, aber mit dem Ende war es ein klarer Sterneverlust. Ich hasse dieses Ende. Hasse es!!! Sooo sehr.
Umm.. can I please live in this adorable Hallmark Christmas movie rom com … like right now?? Honestly this is the sweetest little Christmas story and Hallmark better scoop this one up right away because I can already picture the movie!
First of all can I please have Abby’s job? I want to decorate homes and restaurants for Christmas and create Christmas Cards! What a fun job. I love that she built her own business and created a robust client base. I love the trust and respect she has with Finn’s family before. While it’s kind of surprising they hadn’t met before the meet cute, it was so perfect you had to just lean into it.
I am not typically one for a single parent romance but honestly they are really growing on me. These single dad (divorced dad) romances are really hitting the spot though. Maybe it is where I am at in my personal life but the beautiful way that Finn parents Melody, how he puts her first in every situation and is creating a life for her even when he hasn’t always done it in the past was so heart warming and definitely attractive.
So here is my recommendation this season for an adorable sweet Christmas romance. You will get all the holiday feels as the leads are shopping for gifts, decorating the tree and kissing under the mistletoe. Some serious Christmas love goals going on with this one!
Thank you so much @Jody for a copy of your wonderful book!
This was heading towards a strong three star. I wouldn’t say memorable, but I was enjoying the holiday spirit, the single Dad romance was pretty cute and I’m always here for a sunshine/grump trope.
Enter in, the dreaded conflict. We all know they arise each romance read, and sometimes they work out great, other times I turn into a rage monster over the ridiculousness nature of it all. This one was the latter. If a 5 year-old has to tell her Dad he’s being silly because he blew up at the heroine without a good enough reason, something is wrong with that picture. It was laughable and extended the book unnecessarily. Really wish it just had skipped over the conflict and went to the sappy ending.
I liked that the Abby owned her own event business. It was fun to see a different angle to holiday romances with this. Abby and Finn got along together well and I love a cute kid to boot. There’s some goodness here overall, even if things weren’t clicking for me.
Overall audience notes: - Contemporary Romance - Language: none - Romance: closed door - Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a grandparent (prior to book, but discussed often), divorce
This book was gifted to me through a giveaway; all these thoughts are my own honest opinion.
This book is very insta-love and it reads like a hallmark movie, but not in an unpleasant way. Every so often you need a light read and this is definitely an enjoyable book for that. I genuinely liked the main characters; I didn't find them annoying or irritating. And up until the end, they all made rational and realistic decisions and thoughts. Finn and Abigail had a lot of chemistry together which I think made me more accepting of the ending. That being said, the ending was a little surprising and unrealistic, it was one of the sole things that I disliked about the novel. There were a couple of formatting issues and inconsistencies in the book but I think the level of literacy for which this book was written excused that. In conclusion, I think this book was a pleasant, fun and a quick read.
Tropes in this book: - single dad - insta love - grumpy x sunshine (male grump) - Christmas romance - hallmark vibes - closed door
You know when someone days "it's like a Hallmark movie, but in a book"? Sometimes that means cheesy and predictable. But in A Convenient Christmas, it means atmospheric, comforting and magical.
This grumpy/sunshine story of an event planner who makes Christmas happen for families and businesses and a newly single dad who is not Christmas-ing this year is fun and sweet the whole way through. Finn is determined to Grinch is way through the holidays, but when plans change and he gets to have his 5 year old daughter for Christmas - Abby helps make Christmas magic for both of them. As they create memories for Melody, they also find love.
Sweet books either work for me or they don't. This works so well. If you are a Sarah Adams fan or love the good Hallmark movies, you NEED this in your life.
Apparently the only real Grinch here is me. I went into this with low expectations, and really, I got what I paid for. The plot and story of this very much follows your typical Hallmark Channel romance. She loves Christmas and makes a living out of doing Christmas parties, decorations, etc. He's a grump who have no holiday spirit until he meets "tHe OnE," You know the story. We all know the story.
In general, I felt like the plot was very lazy. In particular, the third act conflict made me roll my eyes so hard I thought they may pop out of my head. They were "dating" (were they even though?) for about a few weeks, and he goes absolutely crazy that she can't make it to his daughter's pageant. But, again it's HIS daughter, not hers. They aren't in a serious relationship by any means. His anger and tantrum over her not being able to go because 1. she had a work thing, and 2. he didn't give her a date were just really appalling and took me right out of the story. One quote that really stuck out to me was when he said "maybe they were both to blame-- he and Abby-- but the fact that she didn't even consider reworking her schedule to put Melody first bothered him." HUH? This man really thinks he's the main character, and guess what, I will not even remember his name tomorrow. Get him into therapy because he won't stop projecting the issues he has with his ex-wife onto his new girlfriend.
Moral of the story: These Christmas romance men ain't shit!
“Some people might enjoy Christmas. Some might love it. Abby Smith lived and breathed it.”
Abby lives and breathes Christmas, as a holiday planner it’s kind of in her job description. When her longtime client Mrs. E hires her to bring a little Christmas spirit to her Grinchy son Finn’s house, things don’t go according to plan. In fact, Finn scares Abby so much she almost falls off a ladder and demands she take her holiday decor and leave. Finn is the single dad to give year old Melody who is heart broken he won’t be spending time with her this year. When Melodys supermodel mother Jennifer suddenly has more important things to do (a career building fashion gig in the city), Finn jumps at the chance to have his daughter for the holidays. Remorseful Finn reaches back out to Abby to help him get things festive for the holidays, and as he does so his heart quickly grows three sizes bigger. He soon realizes how amazing Abby is, and how much she loves his daughter Melody. Can Abby, Santa’s little helper light up more than just a tree this holiday season?
This is a cute cozy holiday romance, that leaves you with a warm cozy feeling. Total Hallmark movie vibes. I could totally resonate with Abby in her tree decorating, my mom decorates Christmas trees for other people during the holidays and i get to help her with some of them (scroll through for some of her creations). This is your typical grumpy and sunshine troupe, but the grumpiness melted away a little too quick in my opinion. That being said, I really adored each of the characters and how they interacted with each other. I especially loved how Abby wore a princess tiara to the mall in December to appease Melody.
When Abby, founder of A Convenient Christmas, is hired to decorate Mr. Grinch, single parent, and business tycoon, Finn’s house for the holidays, the undeniable connection between the two speak volumes when Finn’s five year-old daughter Melody enters the picture. Abby works her magic, which is entirely just being herself, in helping Finn get ready for Christmas. For Melody. For him. For them?
What a feel-good holiday romance! Nothing beats getting you in the mood for Christmas than the spirit, magic, and upbeat nuance of this sweet story about family, traditions, and believing. I adored a few one-liners—about seeing change as progress and the best makeup anyone can wear is kindness—and, I couldn’t help but fall for Melody. My heart swelled and my eyes teared.
If you are a fan of the single dad trope, definitely add this one to your TBR!
“I want more. I want to see where this can go. You make me want to believe in magic, Abby. I think you are magic.”
Abby and Finn. She’s a Christmas lover and he’s a Scrooge. When Finn’s mother hires Abby’s company to decorate his house for the holiday season, he instantly fires her. But when he finds out that his daughter is spending Christmas with him instead of with his ex-wife, he goes to Abby for help to bring in the magic.
🎄READ IF YOU LIKE🎄: - dual POV - grumpy (grinch/scrooge) x sunshine - single dad - opposites attract - witty banter - event planner/holiday decorator - fake dating - hot chocolate with peppermint - star wars - an adorable 5 year old - small town - Hallmark movie vibes - found family
cw: divorced, negligent parents, death of loved one
This was such a sweet Christmas story!! It was fast paced and super entertaining. I adored both main characters and the story overall was adorable. My only complaint is that the story wrapped up too fast and there were a few things during the final chapter that I didn’t like, but overall, I really enjoyed this book it was a good Christmas read…
The beginning was really good but the misunderstanding was totally unnecessary, it made the hero come out as a jerk and I didn't like how easily he dismissed the heroine. She forgave him way too easy, she wasn't even mad, howvould that be, it wasn't her fault.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I really enjoyed this book but it was just a little to insta-love for me. Definitely a great holiday read to help get you in the spirit! Our Indie book club enjoyed the Hallmark movie feel.
This was leaning toward a 3 star rating until the last minute conflict at the end. I thought the guy was kind of a jerk about it, and his mother was way too interfering in their relationship.
She poked him in the belly to lighten the mood, but when her finger encountered the hard surface, she regretted the decision. He did not get to be rich, funny, a good dad, and have a six pack. Leave a little for the other men, Finn.
“The best kind of makeup you can wear is kindness and a smile.”
Abigail Smith loves Christmas so much she made it her business. Whether it’s simple gift wrapping or arranging a sit-down feast, clients of A Convenient Christmas can count on Abby to meet all of their holiday needs. When her oldest and dearest client hires her to add a little cheer to her son’s life. Abby is up for the challenge. Until he fires her. Finn Edenbury is too busy trying to get through the holiday season to enjoy it. The divorced dad is not looking forward to spending this year alone since his daughter, Melody, will be with his ex. Which might be why he overreacted when he found a beautiful, tree trimming woman in his living room. An unexpected change of plans mean Finn will spend the holidays with his little girl after all. Finn turns to Abby with an apology and a request: help him make Melody’s Christmas magic. The Queen of Christmas can hardly say no even if she still thinks he’s a bit of a Scrooge. That is, until they spend time together. These two opposites end up wanting something for Christmas that neither of them expected: Each other.
Okay, so I bought this book last year and was planning on reading it, but obviously I didn’t. Moving onto this year, I picked it up a few weeks ago and read the back and it didn’t sound so interesting to me anymore. I was going to get rid of it, but I ended up keeping it. Moving forward to now, I decided to give it a try. And thank goodness I did, because I freaking loved it!! Finn, the jaded single dad grinch, Abby the bubbly, kind Christmas event planner, Finn’s daughter, Melody who is silly and adorable. What a cute family. You’ve got grumpy/sunshine trope, single dad trope, family, friendship, a trip to the mall, baking cookies, hope, magic, miracles, happiness, romance, love. 5 stars.
A Convenient Christmas was really cute and entertaining! If any Hallmark movie was a book, it would be this one. So if you like Hallmark movies, this is definitely the book for you!
- Abby, the main character, is literally me. She LOVES Christmas, decorating, and planning events. This was the first dual POV book that I was more interested in the girl’s chapters because I loved hearing about her event business. It brought me so much comfort and happiness since we are so similar! - I loved Finn— after the grumpy layer was peeled away he turned out to be so sweet and caring. I’m starting to love the single dad trope a lot more because of this book! - The plot was really enjoyable and the characters are all extremely likable, which is something I’ve been struggling to find in books recently. So it’s safe to say this one impressed me with both of those aspects! I did take off 1.5 stars though because a lot of the writing was repetitive and I felt like it wasn’t proofread. - The chapter titles are all so perfect! Some of my favorites were “do not deck my halls”, “god rest ye hyper five-year-old”, and “it’s the most annoying time of the year” - This book has no spice whatsoever— I would say it’s definitely geared more towards a younger audience. Which I don’t mind at all, but if you are looking for more steamy romances.. this one is not it. I love the heartwarming and cheesy components of it though!
It gave Hallmark vibes in the best way. Read for a short but sweet holiday romance- but be wary of the ending.
Throughout the book, I liked the pacing, I liked how despite it being basically insta-love there were still some hesitancies and realism to it. I liked the main characters (and Melody) and most of the side characters. It was a cute book to read over the holidays, just like watching one of the classic Hallmark movies when you want a pick-me-up.
However, the ending was on a completely different spectrum of realism in comparison to the rest of the book. Not only did the ml blow up at the fml for a small reason when he did not have the entire picture - and even his five-year-old was telling him he was wrong - but the final Christmas gift was... extremely unrealistic. It was completely jarring from the rest of the storyline- I don't need all of that to make the book have a HEA, so don't rush things. It was unrealistic for both the storyline and how lives work and for the characters themselves.
❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️ A grumpy grinch to a grand guy. A Christmas party planner meets a grumpy grinch client, and sparks fly. Not the good kind. But things change, and a grand and loving adventure begins. Abby and Finn meet when his CEO mother hires event planner Abby to decorate the home of her divorced executive son and 5-year old granddaughter. Finn is not pleased with his Mom's meddling, but he soon falls under the magic that is an Abby-filled Christmas. As a bonus, his daughter falls for Abby too. When I started December planning to read Christmas novels, I expected I might get weary at some point, but honestly, it’s been a blast, and I’m not entirely done yet. Another sweet story, and I’m drunk on cider and love. #Christmasromance #romcom #aconvenientchristmas #magic #love #happiness @jody_holford ❄️ #christmasreading #books #bookstagram #book #bookish #lindaleereads2021 #reader #peace #love #joy #readinglife #winterreading #December ❄️ #ChristmasBook16
If you are looking for a sweet, Hallmarkish Christmas read, then this is for you! Sweet, sappy, and an over-the-top conflict. ✅ Unfortunately I’m a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to this book, however. 😬
This book started off really cute. I loved the grumpy vs sunshine banter between the two main characters, Abby and Finn. It went away too quickly for my taste, though. I needed grumpy to stick around longer to add some substance to this book.
The author really lost me with the juvenile conflict towards the end of the book from Finn. I no longer cared for Finn after that, and it seemed very unrealistic. And I hate to say it, but there were soooo many mistakes in this book. It’s almost as if no one proofread it. 🤦🏻♀️ That is so distracting as a reader, so I definitely removed half a star for that alone.
So yes, this definitely didn’t rank high for me for Christmas books, unfortunately.
This was a very sweet holiday romance! I loved Abby and Finn’s meet cute! Abby is hired by Finn’s mother to decorate his house without him knowing. Finn is not in the festive mood and wants nothing to do with Christmas and cheer so he fires her on the spot! When he finds out that his 5 year old daughter will be staying with him for the holidays he asks and hires Abby back. I love how slowly Finn loses his grumpy face and starts becoming this sweet cinnamon roll hero. I love what a good dad he is to Melody, his daughter. It was really cute how Abby and Melody interacted with each other. My only complaint would be that I didn’t like how fast the couple went from the third act breakup to getting back together. It was a little too unrealistic for me.
Read if you like: 3rd person dual POVs Grumpy hero Grinch hero Single dad romance Holiday romance Cinnamon roll hero Kisses only romance
Tropes: single dad • workplace-ish • Christmas themed
My thoughts: Why do I feel like in every book I’ve read this Holiday season, there’s always an over enthusiasm as the Christmas female character ?
This was a sweet story, with a slow burn feels to it. The blurb screams Grumpy/sunshine, but that ends after the first 3 or 4 chapters.
And I might have shed a tear or two near the end. And that’s something I try to avoid at all cost, I freaking hate crying. Don’t know if it was because I was tired or because this book just hit differently, but it was goooood.
(after writing this, I realized that people are annoyed at the bit that made me cry, so I might’ve cried because I was trying to keep my eyes open)
Would recommend ? Not the best, but still really festive and enjoyable 🎅🏼
This is probably my favorite holiday book I’ve read this season! I really really enjoyed this book!
Single-parent romances are some of my favorites, and this one, set around the holidays with a single dad who hates the holidays and a sunshine business woman who shows him the magic of the season again was so dang fun!
I loved Finn and Abby, and I ADORED Melody. Their dynamic was super cute, and I was rooting for them the whole time! The side characters were wonderful, and the resolution was so sweet! This book is definitely on the fluffy side, which is exactly what I wanted!
If you’re still looking for a festive Christmas story to read this season, I highly recommend A Convenient Christmas!
Aaaah! So many feels and happy sighs. Finn had a deep wall of hurt around his heart after his divorce. Christmas was just going to be another day, until he met Ms. Christmas and promptly fired her. Abby tried so hard to make Christmas magical for everyone else (she even made a business out of it), but her own Christmas wishes were unfulfilled. Then a little Melody came into her life. I’m giving this a 4.5 star rating. I loved everything about it except a little bit of religious cursing. There was some closed door intimacy but it was handled well.
I liked the middle part of this book, but the beginning and the ending were not great for me.
Even considering that the MMC had a whole bunch of issues and self-doubts from his previous marriage, I felt that he was way too much of a jerk to the FMC. The FMC's default reaction was no-conflict so she pretty much peacefully backed off every time (which I do understand, usually), but I hated that he was just a jerk to her whenever he was down, but the situation was always resolved with some grovelling and some money throwing from the MMC's side. The FMC deserved so much better, someone who actually respected and cherished her.
Abby's A Convenient Christmas business is a brilliant idea! Quick and easy set up for those who don't want to or don't have time to do it, like the single dad son of Abby's favourite client. Finn made plenty of mistakes in this book but he was at least always trying to make decisions that were best for his daughter. There were a lot of really cute and really funny moments (Finn's mom, sister and Evie were the best) that made the Christmas spirit come to life. The friendship between Abby and Evie plus the surrogate family between Abby and Finn's mom were super sweet. And Melody is such a little cutie! Abby stood no chance!
I love Abby, loved Finn, and loved his daughter. It was very much a Hallmark-esque Christmas read, but it was very enjoyable and just what I needed.
Two things I loved. First, his ex-wife wasn’t an over the top villain (hate when it’s just too much). This felt realistic to me. The second is that his daughter was written like a 5 year old!!! It was AMAZING to finally read an age-appropriate representation of a child in a book. She didn’t sound too mature and she wasn’t infantilized. Big kudos on this!
Definitely recommend this!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I've read Jody's work before so I knew this would be on the lighter and fluffier side of things. This one, however, didn't work for me. It was too easy, to cheesy, and WAY too fast. All of the Christmas magic I believe Abby is capable of curating fell by the wayside because you're tripping over yourself to keep up with the plot and the emotions that seem to sprout out of nowhere. Finn's a jerk. Melody is adorable but seems old for her age.
There are better Christmas-themed mental sorbet stories out there.