An ok read and for me just an average festive read with romance sprinkled in. Great to get you in the festive mood .

I always love finding a new author and I've a feeling that in Lizzie Huxley-Jones, I've found one to follow. If you're worried or conflicted in anyway by this being described on Amazon as 'The queer Christmas rom-com I've been waiting for' then please don't. That this is a lesbian romance is by the by, this is a wonderful Christmas romance, end of story. In Haf (look up your Welsh pronunciations, and Kit, we have two atypical heroines and if this is an example of this writer's books, then I can't wait for more!

This story was super festive, and I particularly loved the depiciton of the Christmas fete. It's always so lovely to see a family at Christmas, especially when someone new enters the frey and you learn about other people's Christmas traditions.

However, the romance between Haf and Kit was obviously, and rather disappointingly, a back seat to this entire book. While it was so heavily lauded on the back cover and as part of the premise, it sadly took far too long to develop for me. This is to be expected, of course, given that Kit believes Haf is dating her (Kit's) brothr Christoper, but it did mean the romance I was searching for just wasn't there.

The writing is great though, and I loved the inclusivity throughout this book. It never felt "shoehorned in" for effect, but more natural and just part of everyday life.

This was a cute festive read which I got through in one sitting. It's definitely an easy festive read if that's what you're looking for. At times I wanted more substance... the romance felt a bit weak. But having said that it does kinda do what it says on the tin - deliver a nice festive story.
#MakeYouMineThisChristmas #NetGalley

🎄Festive & fun cast of characters (and Cupid, too!)

4.5🌟 stars
I had a lot of fun reading this romance that actually contains a good deal of situation comedy, including a hilarious mishap at the local Christmas fete. The characters are well drawn and Haf, the fake date guest at Christopher's family mansion, is a delight, getting herself into one scrape after another because she couldn't bear the thought of a lonely Christmas for one. From lack of coordination to failed gingerbread house making to lack of attention to detail when she dons her roommate's Christmas gift for her, Haf stumbles her way through a deception she regrets heartily thanks to fake boyfriend Christopher's intriguingly attractive older sister Kit. And I loved the man in the quiet train carriage and how he turns up when least expected! I also really appreciated that Lauren, who on first introduction just seems Christopher's posh ex society girl, reveals her true colors as the story evolves.

And this is not just fun and games, flannel pjs and romance (with one heated scene). Major work decisions come up for several key characters as this Christmas season seems destined to be the moment to either opt for the path already mapped out for them or set their sights on their perfect career.

Unlike many Christmas-titled novels, this one is truly steeped in the holiday and the seasonal traditions, rites and decorations, right down to supplying a sufficient diet for some of Santa's reindeer (😄).

I'd recommend this entertaining novel to any, no matter what their orientation, because it's just fun, festive and heartwarming.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

This review is being posted as part of the Make You Mine This Christmas blog tour organised by Hodder & Stoughton.
Make You Mine This Christmas is the latest heartwarming novel from author Lizzie Huxley-Jones and the must-read queer rom-com of this festive season.
The plot is packed full of all of your favourite romance tropes set against the backdrop of a snowy UK Christmas. Although a fake dating plot is at the forefront of the story, we also have a fantastic queer meet cute in a bookshop and the forbidden love trope is explored through Haf’s attraction to her fake boyfriend’s sister Kit. Lizzie Huxley-Jones has a really engaging writing style which you can just sink into like a big hug and I read the entire book in one sitting. I just couldn’t get enough!
I loved how much representation we had within the story and this is really something which I think sets Make You Mine This Christmas apart from other books. This includes neurodivergent, disability and chronic pain rep, a curvy and body-positive FMC and a range of LGBTQIA+ representation including characters who were non-binary, bisexual and lesbian.
This book is perfect if you want a really Christmas-heavy read packed full of festive cheer to cosy up with this holiday season. It really gave off Hallmark-movie vibes with everything from questionable Christmas jumpers and handmade decorations to kisses under the mistletoe and a cosy community Christmas fair with real (albeit unpredictable) reindeer.
One of the things which stood out within the story was how loveable and relatable all of the characters were. Haf was a truly fantastic protagonist and, as someone who was diagnosed as autistic in adulthood, I loved that she was written as an autistic character whose autism had been missed but probably explained a lot of the aspects of her character. This representation is so important and really made me feel seen so I want to thank Lizzie Huxley-Jones for including this in the story. Haf’s fake-boyfriend Christopher was a total sweetheart and, whilst being mindful of avoiding spoilers where possible, I loved the journey his character went on towards starting to advocate more for his wants and dreams rather than feeling like he has to confirm to the expectations set of him. I honestly don’t know where to begin with talking about how much I loved Kit’s character. I fell in love with her the minute we met her in the bookshop and this love only grew the more we got to know her. Her relationship with her brother felt like a really authentic sibling relationship and, as I’ve already said, I thought her disability and linked chronic pain were really well portrayed and some of the best disabled representation I’ve seen in any book. The romantic and sexual tension between Haf and Kit was well-written, as were the (spoiler alert) romantic and spicier scenes when we got to them.
We also have a fantastic cast of supporting characters and I loved every single one of them, from Laurel the fake boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend to the queer meet-cute obsessed bookseller and the ever-present Bryn. Ambrose, Haf’s flatmate and best friend, had to be my favourite though and they made me laugh out loud almost every chapter with their witty remarks and hilarious use of twitter polls.
Overall, Make You Mine This Christmas is a charming festive sapphic romance packed full of Christmas spirit, witty characters, laugh-out-loud moments, cute romantic scenes and truly incredible disabled and LGBTQIA+ representation. It’s a must-read this Christmas.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I have posted an extended review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk and the post is linked.

I enjoyed the premise of this sapphic Christmas read but I found the book overtly descriptive. I prefer dialog over description so this book was not for me.

I think this book is perfect for readers who love festive descriptions intermingled with a sapphic love story.

Not at all what I expected but I really enjoyed this book. Lashings of Christmas, cute characters and a great story

I loved this book with all my heart - I hadn’t read anything by the author previously, but Make You Mine This Christmas has made me a lifelong Lizzie Huxley-Jones fan!

The book starts off with the fake boyfriend romcom trope but it develops into themes around connection, community and loyalty. I loved how Huxley-Jones gave each character a backstory (I adored Bryn), giving everyone agency.

I’d recommend this novel for a great Christmas read but also for a really well written queer romp of a book. Absolutely joyous.

Wasn’t really sure about this book. Felt it was drawn out a lot and not enough about the characters.However it was an easy read.

Haf is a bit of a disaster. But she doesn’t want her parents to think she’s a disaster, so when they tell her that they’re going away just the two of them for Christmas, she has to come up with a lie so that they don’t worry about her. And, after she meets Christopher gate-crashing his friends party, and his ex-girlfriend accidentally tells his family group chat that Haf is Chris’ new girlfriend, they come to a mutually beneficial arrangement.
She’ll go home to his family for Christmas, thus convincing both their families that they’re successful adults who’ve overcome their prior relationship baggage.
Haf was counting on a fun Christmas with a free Christmas dinner and a whole lot of wine. What she wasn’t counting on was the stranger she egregiously flirted with over a copy of Carol in the train station bookshop to turn out to be Christopher’s sister, Kit.

I will admit, I didn’t love this book at the very beginning. The writing felt a little clumsy (although the vibes did fit with Haf’s character), the jokes fell a little flat and seemed to rely too much on pop culture references and millennial humour, and it all felt very formulaic - especially as I’ve read a book with an almost identical premise before.

However, once it settled in and the premise was delivered, I had an excellent time. There was some great romantic tension between Haf and Kit, the friendship between Haf and Chris was really lovely, the disability representation felt authentic in a way that I’ve rarely read – and especially not in rom-coms – and I grew to love the pop culture references and Haf’s unique voice. The ending did feel a little too perfect, with everything being very neatly resolved, and there were a lot of reminders that Haf and Kit had apparently fallen very deeply in love over the course of five days which felt a little jarring. However, overall, this was a perfectly nice contribution to the queer rom-com landscape. The characters felt really nuanced and unique, and the thoughtful disability representation was a wonderful surprise.

I cannot gush about this book enough. I stayed up until 4am on a work night to finish this, it was cozy perfection.

Haf agrees to fake date Christopher for Christmas after being mistaken for his new girlfriend by his ex-girlfriend. On the journey down she has the meet cute to end all meet cutes at the book store over sapphic fiction. It's just a shame that when she gets to Christopher's house the beautiful book shop woman is her fake boyfriend's sister.

Haf was deeply relatable to me, I could understand why she reacted in certain situations and get her insecurities from her last relationship, the little author's note at the end made me laugh because of course I related as a late diagnosed autistic, she is an incredible bi and plus size representation and more books could do with characters exactly like Haf.. Kit was sassy and fun and absolutely great disabled rep, as someone with my own disabilities I really appreciated a queer character that is open about her needs and accommodations, there is a bit where she's ranting about presenteeism in the office environment that nearly made me cry. I immediately highlighted it.

All of the additional side characters added to the depth and warmth of the book and plot. Yes it was cheese at times but what's Christmas without a full cheese board? This book was a big bear hug and a warm cup of tea, I would absolutely read more from Lizzie Huxley-Jones.

This was a quick, fun read. Nothing unexpected there, and neither was I looking for it! This is a perfect, cozy read with fake dating and sapphic interests and winter holidays!

This was a really enjoyable sapphic Christmassy read which I’d absolute recommend if you want something light hearted to get into the Christmas spirit.

It is very cliche and tropey but I don’t say that as a bad thing, it’s got plenty of good moments in it and I had fun reading it.

This was a very enjoyable read, perfect to get into the Christmas mood! I read through it in no time, because the writing style was very easy to get into. The plot was also very enjoyable, although it was nothing special. However, all in all I definitely enjoyed this!

Cute story, I enjoyed this book but didn't think it had much details about the characters and I couldn't identify with them. Easy to read so a great holiday read. The story is just a bit classic, read this before with other authors.

This was such a great festive read. I loved the concept, and really enjoyed the representation in this. If you pick up any festive book this year, it should definitely be this one!

What a lovely, lovely story! This book really got me in a Christmas mood. I really enjoyed it. Highly recommended by me!

What a rollercoaster of emotion; I laughed heartily, I cried a fair amount and I even gasped a few times, in shock. I really, truly enjoyed this book and I would hands down recommend it to others. I think it's a story that's going to stay with me for a long time.

What a lovely story! With some well known tropes such as fake dating, rich girl/poor girl, this story warmed my heart so much. It took me a little while to warm to Haf but that didn't stop me from enjoying the story. With plenty of representation and diversity this book will leave you laughing and grinning from ear to ear.