Christmas is All Around | Martha Waters

"she never, ever wanted to seem like she needed attention, extra care. she’d spent her childhood trying to ignore the drama of the family that surrounded her, and maintained her status as the most low-maintenance friend to everyone she knew."

    Charlotte hates Christmas. This is partially because her parents didn't make good memories during the holiday and in part because of her brief stint as an actress.

    She is a successful illustrator, but also a former child actress and there's no escaping the one film she starred in: Christmas, Truly, a Love Actually-type holiday movie. When a news article reveals that she is refusing to appear in a reboot, and the fans are out for blood, she flees to London to spend an extended holiday season with her sister and her family. As you can imagine, she's not pleased when she winds up on a family excursion to the stately home where the movie was filmed.

    But that's where she meets Graham, whose famous ancestor owned the home and who is trying to figure out a way to keep it going. Graham hires Charlotte to paint Christmas movie themed estates for them to sell in the house as souvenirs. In order to draws them, she needs to actually see these house, o naturally Graham steps up to the task. They spend a lot of time together and something seems to be sparking along the way and maybe Charlotte might stop hating Christmas due to it.

    It is worth noting that Charlotte’s parents who have always worked in the entertainment industry and have a volatile relationship, don’t understand her choices. It is inconceivable to them that she would not want to act, and her career seems so insignificant to them. The way they raised her left her pretty jaded on both the romance and the holiday front.

    The London setting and all the seasonal details were delightful and the banter was fun! I also appreciated the unique storyline. This is a cute romance with real adult characters. I thought the couple lacked chemistry, but on the other hand, they were mature, kind, and had fun together, which are actually better foundations for a long term relationship anyway. I was also pleasantly surprised that both leads were childfree and categorically did not want any children. These kinds of romances usually end with a marriage and a gaggle of kids, which I tolerate because – well, you do you. But it is refreshing to see something different.