Only For the Holidays is the perfect start to the festive season, combining all your favourite things about YA rom-coms. The book’s diverse characters are easy to relate to and easy to care about, communicating through authentic dialogue and real-world experiences. A story that moves between the city and the countryside means getting to enjoy the hallmarks of a sweeping Christmassy setting on both ends of the spectrum. A fast-paced and engaging plot propels the narrative forward and keeps readers turning pages in hopes that Ta and Quincy will finally see sense and admit that they’re perfect for each other. If you’re searching for a merry book this holiday season, Only For the Holidays should be up next on your TBR! 🎁

Only for the Holidays by @abiolabello is the perfect read festive read. You have your Christmas holiday, everything is going wrong, fake dating and throw in multiple families, and you have it all.

Tia is such a devoted and sweet girl with all good intentions, but you want to give her a good shake at times. Quincy is your typical country boy and is having relationship drama himself. You should think they would immediately get a long, hmmm! It's an interesting mix for a while with bickering and misunderstandings. I adored the whole plot and especially loved the ending. It's a mini Hallmark movie in a book.

After reading this, I picked @abiolabello
first book at YALC, and I can't wait to delve into that one, too.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this holiday romance and there were some great elements of it. I did enjoy this authors writing, however, some of it felt a little too YA for me, especially the drama. Because of this, I was a little unsure about the characters - at times, they could become quite irritating because of the drama.

I am interested in more works by this author, though.

🎄🌶📚 Only For The Holidays 📚🌶🎄

@abiolabello is back with another CRACKER of a book this HOLLYday season 🤭👀 Following the success of Love In Winter Wonderland last Christmas, I have been eagerly anticipating Only For The Holiday since it's announcement, and Bello absolutely snapped with this one.

Following her very unclear break/break-up with her boyfriend Mike, Tia is less than impressed when her mum surprises her & her sisters with a Christmas trip to Saiyan Hedge Farm. With little to no phone service, and miles and miles between her & Mike, Tia's plans to get her man back are well and truly thwarted.

Over at Saiyan Lodge, Quincy is battling his own relationship blues, hiding the truth of his break up from the village, and his family, Tia's arrival is a surprisingly welcomed distraction. With the Winter Ball looming, Quincy decides to ask Tia to be his surprise date, but will a fake romance lead to love?

I absolutely loved this book! The chapters were pacey, without compromising the clarity of the characters & the plot. There were so many times that I found myself cracking up whilst reading 🤭 It was definitely more grown that LIWW - Bad Gyal Tia ya know 🤭👀🌶

Something that Abiola captured really well in this story, were the family relationships. It was so refreshing to read a book where the parents & siblings were loving & supportive 🙌🏾

If you are on the hunt for a festive read, let it be Only For The Holidays!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I loved this book, but I definitely think Tia & Quincy deserved an epilogue to round off their story.

I hope everyone who has this in their reading stack enjoys this beauty of book!

Gifted-AD

I think this is a wonderful book for teenagers. As a 25 year old it was a bit too much teenage drama for me. I liked the idea of this story but the execution was very boring.
Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

In 2022 I tried to read Love in a Winter Wonderland and I just couldn't bring myself to finish it. My critique then was that the teenagers didn't feel like real teenagers and that it made me feel too old for YA, a rare feeling for me. I finished this one. It did still make me feel a little too old but the characters felt better fleshed out, more human. But it still just didn't work for me. It felt like they were plodding along the classic romcom storyline tropes because that was the direction they were given, not for any real reason.

Definitely an improvement, but I don't think I'll be requesting any more. Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for a fair review.

Only For The Holidays by Abiola Bell0

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children's UK and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

City girl Tia Solanké is dreading the festive period. She’s on a break with her boyfriend and the last thing she wants to do is spend Christmas away from London. Arriving at Saiyan Hedge Farm, Tia takes an instant disliking to it. She falls in horse manure, is chased by sheep and the Wi-Fi sucks. How is she meant to stalk her ex now and concoct a foolproof plan to win him back?

Country boy Quincy Parker and his family run the farm, and this year they’ve been selected to host the biggest event in the town's calendar – the Winter Ball. Preparations are underway, and Quincy is working around the clock to make it a success. The only problem is, he’s told everyone he has a date to the ball, when in reality that couldn’t be further from the truth.

At first, Tia and Quincy don’t see eye to eye, until they realise they both have something to gain by pretending to be a couple. But when a snowstorm threatens to cancel the Winter Ball, their fake relationship is put to the test. Will Tia and Quincy be able to keep up the pretence and save the day, or will real feelings get in the way?

My Opinion

This was a nice, uplifting YA romance complete with fake dating and some great characters. When I started this book I wasn't sure what to make of it but it very quickly grew on me. Told through two different perspectives, this was one of those books that I just couldn't put down. A great festive read!

Rating 4/5

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely ADORED this book!

It was the perfect wintery YA with relatable characters that felt authentic and likeable.

I loved that the issues surrounding the fake dating were very YA and enjoyable to read! Also I love how there was a massive focus on family too.

The dual POV really helped get into the inner dilemmas of the MCs and I felt all the side characters had their own strong personalities and were equally as entertaining.

Can't wait for next year's Christmas book!

I really wanted to like this book but just couldn't really. I didn't gel with either of the main characters and I just thought the whole thing felt really American but transplanted to rural England for some reason. I didn't like it

I enjoyed this YA Christmas romance set in the UK, but it isn't a stand out in the genre for me.

City girl Tia is horrified when her mum reveals that they will be spending the holidays miles away in the middle of nowhere, especially as she wants to work on winning back her (ex?) boyfriend. But her mind may be changed when she meets the boy who lives on the farm where she's staying, Quincy, who is dealing with the aftermath of his own relationship breaking down. But with the help of some fake dating and festive magic, the pair find themselves drawn together more and more as the big day approaches.

A really strong point of this. book for me was the family relationships, both Tia and Quincy have well developed families who they are close to and I think this added to the festive feel of the story. I also liked the countryside setting, 'small town' feeling which felt very realistic and not too over the top which also made the book feel extra christmassy. I think the story was well plotted and stuck to this which made it easy to follow in contrast to a lot of similar stories which, in my experience, can often lose the plot a little bit. I did like the romance, it felt realistic and I thought the characters were good for each other.
Unfortunately I wasn't a big fan of Tia's character, I just found her very whiney and annoying and this definitely took me out of the story at times. I would have liked to have seen more of some of the other characters as well, as I really liked them but it sometimes felt like they were only there to support Tia and/or Quincy's storyline.

Overall, this book wasn't a favourite for me, but it was a nice read for the festive period and I'd recommend giving it a try if it appeals to you.

If you are on the hunt for a book to read in the days before Christmas, or if you are looking for a wintery rom-com, then you need to look no further than Only for the Holidays. It is the perfect light-hearted YA contemporary and I would highly recommend it.

City girl Tia is dreading the festive period. She is on a break from her boyfriend and doesn’t want to spend Christmas away from London. Country boy Quincy and his family run the farm Tia and her family are staying at. His family is hosting this year’s big Winter Ball and Quincy needs a date. Tia and Quincy don’t see eye-to-eye until they realise they both have something to gain by pretending to be a couple.

I love that this book features dual POVs so we get to see Tia and Quincy’s personalities first-hand. Tia is so caring to those around her, feisty when she needs to be and knows what she wants. But, we get to see the more vulnerable sides of her at times too. Quincy is adorable. He is so gentle and patient with everyone around him and he is just an extremely endearing character.

The side characters are all excellent too. I loved both the main character’s families. Sometimes side characters are easily forgettable but these weren’t at all. Each of them had their unique personalities from Quincy’s brother to Tia’s younger sister and everyone in between.

The relationship between Quincy and Tia is adorable. It has a natural progression and I appreciated that a lot. They care for each other, embrace each others imperfections and help each other to be better people. Plus, the fake dating element was cute and excellently done.

Abiola Bello is an author I think deserves more hype. Both books I’ve read by her now, including this one, have been amazing. This one is an easy, fast-paced read that kept my attention the entire time. You can easily visual the setting of the book, the characters and what is happening. She is certainly an author I’ll read more books by.

Overall, Only for the Holidays is an adorable Christmas romance which explores friendship and family dynamics. Plus, an unexpected romance. If you are looking for just that you will love this book!

A delightful and warm Christmas romance with a small town vibe. This was the cosiest and sweetest read. I was hooked and devoured it in a day!

While overall this was an okay book, I did have some issues with it. Both characters did things in a strange manner at times which I didn't particularly care for. The way they got together didn't really feel great either. There was also a part where the povs changed quite a lot, which was a little confusing. I did think the story was fun, and I really loved the setting though! Would love to spend christmas there myself.

Halloween has come and gone, and I’ve donned my cosy, chunky knitwear. Scarves are making their appearance, and we’re fully immersed in the hot chocolate season.

Christmas markets are peeking over the horizon, accompanied by the delightful aroma of mulled wine and crackling open fires. But you know what would make this picture even more perfect? Snuggling up with a heartwarming Christmas book!

What I love most about this time of year is the ability to switch up my reading habits and dive headfirst into the world of Christmas and winter romance. To kick things off, my first winter romance read will be this one!

Tia Solanké, a city dweller, is dreading the upcoming holiday season. On a break with her boyfriend, she’s reluctant to spend Christmas away from London. Her destination, Saiyan Hedge Farm, doesn’t earn her initial favour, with unfortunate encounters like falling into horse manure, being chased by sheep, and suffering from abysmal Wi-Fi. How can she effectively execute her plan to win back her ex without stalking him from the city?

On the other hand, Quincy Parker, a country boy, and his family are diligently running the farm. This year, they’ve been chosen to host the town’s most prominent event, the Winter Ball. Quincy has excitedly told everyone that he has a date for the ball, but the reality is quite the opposite.

After not really clicking with the author's previous book, Love in Winter Wonderland, I wanted to give this book a chance, but didn't know what to expect. But I ended up really enjoying it! This book is messy in a way that's so fitting for YA, with characters who are figuring things out but are still loveable. There are cute and funny moments and lots of winter vibes!

Oh I could have finished this in one sitting if I didn't have to adult! This was a gorgeous Christmas read, perfect to get cosy with. It had all the Hallmark feels, a stunning setting and characters who I adored. Tia and Quincy's story was beautiful and fun. I wouldn't complain if we was able to return to these characters some time in the future!

A super cute holiday romance, Tia and Quincy devise a plan that suits both their needs; to make Quincy's ex jealous and to get Tia to her (awful) boyfriend's birthday party... slightly predictable in the way more romance YA novels are, but even then I couldn't put it down.

Thought the characterisation was very strong in this, but I found it took ages for me to read - something about the pacing was off I think.

Sadly I feel unable to finish this book. I found the writing style very stunted and the chapter breaks make the storyline difficult to follow.

So far I have little interest in how the story is progressing and I am struggling to stay focused enough to finish.

A cute holiday romance. It took me a while to get into this and the pace dragged at times, but I enjoyed the fake-dating trope and the family dynamics.