Lindsey Kelk is the only author who could get me hooked on a festive romcom in 30°C heat in the UK. I've been a huge fan of her books since the very first "I Heart" book, and this might just be my new favourite! I absolutely adored the Christmas setting in Scotland. Adding in some spicy romance and a generous dose of comedic brilliance, and you've got an absolute gem of a book.

Laura and Callum were fantastic, and I’m really hoping this isn’t the last we see of them in Lindsey’s stories. Maybe a spin-off with Joel and Rory?

My thanks to Lindsey, her publishing team and Netgalley for the chance to read this Arc.

Fantastically cosy just like all of Lindsey Kelk’s books! I have been a fan for a very long time and this book was just a really lovely holiday read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Ooh this was 100% a me book!

Fake Dating - Check! Adore this trope and am always drawn to it.
Christmas - Check! - I'm the biggest sucker for a festive read and can never get enough of them
Lindsey Kelk - Check! - One of my all time favourite authors, and it's a festive fake dating treat of a book - well i was never going to be able to resist.

And thankfully it lived up to all my expectations and more.

This is so so funny, some ridiculously amusing situations, and that meet cute between Laura and Callum - that is definitely highly memorable.

And its from that first meeting and then a case of mistaken identity that Laura offers to become Caroline, to try to ensure that Callum's non existent girl friend is never invited back to the Highlands family home again. Laura's personification of this Caroline persona is en point, and turns her into a really funny and loud mouthed woman, who won't take no rubbish from anyone!

Which is good given Callum's father is chauvinistic, and his sister has a massive chip on her shoulder.

Add in Laura's best friends Desi and Joel who are totally hilarious and there is one stand out scene in a service station Marks and Spencer that comes to mind, not to mention all of Desi's wild theories and you have the mix for a fantastic story set in the Scottish Highlands over Christmas.

This was my first Christmas book of my 2025 festive reading that I have read, during the heatwave (not that it cooled me off, there is definitely some chemistry between our fake daters), what I can say is all the others I read will have a lot to live up to.

Absolutely adored every page of this, just fabulous.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Ah, it was a real joy to read this book when it was over 30 degrees outside! A bit of Christmas, winter in Scotland, perfect for the hottest days this summer. As always it was a brilliant, funny novel, however this time I missed a story behind the plot. Lindsey Kelk can do better, that's for sure - and I don't mean "Christmas Fling" was a bad read, because it wasn't , it had all what I was expecting from this book, nevertheless this time it felt a liitle too forced, too much, too comedy of errors.

But despite my problem with this book, it was of course a real pleasure to read. It had a great synopsis and it delivered what was promised. The characters were larger than life, sometimes too extreme but still likeable, there were plenty cringe situations and it was filled with the best banter and one - liners. I've waited and waited for Callum eventually stand up for himself but actually have only seen him letting the others to walk all over him. Nevertheless, there is this perfect mix of humour and poignant, some moments will really tug at your heartstrings and some moments will have you laughing out loud, just what the doctor ordered. Lindsey Kelk never disappoints.

What a fun and fabulous five-star read. I adore this author, but this one made me smile so big, I just loved it. Caroline was such a crazy character and Laura played it so well, there were so many funny moments, and some pure amazing Scottish slang, that made my inner teenage heart sing, (Scotland was somewhere I spent all of my teenage summers, and the rest of the year wishing I was there again). There are some truly touching moments in this story as well, some that will bring a tear to your eye, but there are also some funny moments that will make you chuckle just as much and bring a tear as well. This is just a great story, no matter the time of year. Pick it up and enjoy, as it is simply delightful Laura and Callum will warm your heart.

Thank you for my earc of this book. I adore all novels, so was very excited to have Christmas in July with her latest!

I loved this book. I absolutely love Laura as a FMC. She is smart, strong, doesn’t suffer fools and is good (more important than “nice” imo)
I loved the premise of the book and thought it was executed so well. The secondary characters really worked well and I particularly loved Graham (and Elsie even when she’s spicy b*tch)

I now want to eat pastries on a gorgeous Scottish getaway!

Felt weird reading a Christmas book during the midst of a heatwave, especially as some of those will they, won’t they, moments had me a little hot under the collar. A romantic tale that made me feel all warm and fuzzy. It is quite funny so had me chuckling a few times. I will be recommending!

I love a good old-fashioned rom-com, especially when I need something lighthearted.

I have read a number of Lindsey Kelk's books, and though I do like a series on occasion, the standalones are, for me, where it's at. I greatly enjoyed the comedic tone of A Christmas Wish, and Christmas Fling didn't disappoint.

Yes, there were moments that were a little more emotionally heavy, such as when Laura was thinking about her mother and talking about her motivations for becoming a neurosurgeon, but the lighthearted moments outweighed these 10-2.

Callum frustrated me a little, and she never did get to taste his sticky toffee pudding...or did she? Could there have been connotations within the reference that I missed?

Overall, a fun read, and a quick one. I got to the end and actually shouted "that can't be it!" Coming on the back of telling my cat goodnight at 7.30am because she meowed and I was busy reading, good distraction technique!

I read this during a June heatwave so I was unsure if I would find myself in the festive mood but sure enough I did! Plus envisaging myself in a cold, wintery Scotland went someway to cooling myself down. As always with Kelk's books, there is love and laughter aplenty. From the very beginning reading this felt like a hug, I felt safe and protected reading this and I immersed myself in this charming, festive plot. The other thing you can rely on with Kelk are the Taylor Swift references and fans will enjoy spotting them throughout the book.
'Christmas Fling' is full of misunderstandings that lead to humorous situations. I belly laughed and fell in love as I read this. The three characters who form the basis of a friendship are very strong and their relationship is very believable. All of the other characters come together to make this book the wonder it is. This is a pure delight to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for an advance copy.

I'm going to say this straight from the start, This is Lindsey Kelks best book ever!

I adored Laura and Callum and the whole mess they got themselves into.

So Laura arrives at her new flat ready to move in only to walk in on Callum, her new landlord completely naked! and with terrible timing Callums parents drop in unannounced, they automatically believe Laura is Callums girlfriend Caroline (who never existed!) and invite them to Christmas in Scotland, Laura plays along and before she knows it she is spending Christmas with his family! Of course when Callum was describing his girlfriend to his family he made her sound awful and so now poor Laura has to play the part.....

I have never laughed so much while reading a book and have to say i have a real soft spot for Joel and Rory, i'm saying no more because i don't want to spoil it but safe to say this is the perfect festive rom com!

Perfect festive fun. It had all the festive feels, cold weather, beautiful scenery, tartan, whisky and a chef who is a hunk.
Laura is a neurosurgeon who doesn’t have time or energy for a relationship so when she goes to view her new flat gets more than she bargained for by finding her new landlord naked after a shower. A mix up has occurred and they work through it. When hunky naked chefs family walk in and add two and two together and make 20 she ends up pretending to be his pretend obnoxious girlfriend Caroline. This is a fun book but has some really sweet tender moments. Its a really lovely book by a great author.
Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’d definitely read a sequel to that 🥹
It was the perfect blend of craziness and cuteness and I’m interested to see how things really turned out since the ending was kind of abrupt.
Plus the rest of the friend group is top tier as well!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the digital ARC!

As a HUGE Lindsey Kelk fan, I literally dropped everything to start reading Christmas Fling, despite it being 32 degrees outside. Within 10 minutes, I'd fund my first Taylor Swift reference and couldn't put it down. Many more Taylor Swift references and a trip to M&S food later, I'd finished Christmas Fling and made everyone I know jealous by telling them so.

Christmas Fling has all my favourite tropes: fake relationships, only one bed, friends to lovers. Not only was it a super cute love story, I was laughing non stop too...everything I've come to expect in a Lindsey Kelk novel.

Huge 5 stars from me!

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I enjoyed this novel by Lindsay Kelk. It’s fun and a completely crazy premise, but it’s an enjoyable read. A girl pretends to be a guy’s girlfriend to placate his parents at Christmas time. They travel to Scotland to the parent’s home and all kinds of outrageous things occur. It’s silly but fun and a satisfying fun read. Thanks to Harperfiction and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel.

This was, as you would expect from Lindsey Kelk, a hilarious read with plenty of wtf moments thrown in. Laura is very serious about her career and a relationship isn’t part of that plan. Callum is avoiding visiting his parents in Scotland since the breakdown of his long term relationship, so much so that he invented a new girlfriend called Caroline which provided him with multiple reasons why he was unable to visit. When Laura goes to visit the flat she’s renting from Callum she’s under the belief he has moved out but that’s very much not the case and when his parents turn up minutes later they understandably see Laura and assume she’s Caroline.

There’s a great vibe between Laura and Callum and I adored Laura’s best friends who were a riot although totally over the top at times. The Scottish location was lovely with a great cast of characters there especially Callum’s siblings who couldn’t be any less alike. I actually felt sorry for Callum as he was very torn between his family and having his own life choices. Laura is a very driven individual but still very likeable and incredibly knowledgable. There’s multitudes of funny moments and outrageous behaviour as well as some more heartfelt moments too in this very enjoyable read whether you choose to read it at Christmas or any time of the year.

Lindsey does it again!

I love Lindsey’s writing and this one held so much promise, after reading the first 3 chapters online. This was more than enough to whet my appetite and I was delighted to be allowed to read this.

Laura meets Callum when she goes to check out the new flat she is due to start subletting - only to find Callum is unexpectedly still there. In the flat. In the flat’s shower, to be precise. So she meets him firstly when he is naked. A big Scottish naked man - not what Laura was expecting. And when Callum’s parents turn up moments later, things turn from weird to bizarre. His parents automatically assume that Laura is Caroline, Callum’s girlfriend who they have not been allowed to meet because Caroline is, to be polite, not a nice person. Of course, “Caroline” doesn’t actually exist as Callum has invented her so he doesn’t have to spend Christmas in Scotland with his family. Except that now, he does. Both he and “Caroline” are expected home for Christmas. In Scotland. With Laura pretending to be the non-existent girlfriend. And so it begins….

I genuinely could not put this book down. I had read it within 36 hours and would have been faster had I not needed sleep at one point. I already can’t wait to read whatever Lindsey writes next and I’ll be reading it at Christmas.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

I think at this point Lindsey could write the phone book and I’d read it. She’s my go to author and I’ve re read her books more times than I’m sure is healthy. That said, this book truly blew me away. I loved that it’s set at Christmas in Scotland, two of my favourite things right there. Add in some spicy romance and a huge amount of comedic genius and you’re on your way to a corker of a book.
I loved Laura & Callum, I’d happily read more of their story. I’m hoping this isn’t the last time they feature in Lindsey’s books….. I understand Desi and where she’s coming from but maybe she’s a little too much for me but Joel was a delight. Surely Joel and Rory win best supporting characters no!??
This book has all bases covered and is exquisite. Whatever you’re looking for you’ll find here.

Lindsey is one of my favourite authors and when she announced she was writing a book set in Scotland, I was beyond excited!!

Books set in Scotland do generally make me nervous because people love a stereotype, but Lindsey is so attuned to this and I was happy when she has the characters say these stereotypes will offend us (very true!). Lindsey also didn't go overboard on the Scottish dialect which I was very grateful for, but I also laughed at some particular phrasings - "you're pure giving me the boak"😂

I know Laura's friends mean well, but I did find Desi, especially, a little too interfering at times and it meant less alone time for Laura and Callum which was a little frustrating😅 I took to Joel more for some reason.

I really liked Laura and Callum, I guess my only thing would be that I would have wanted even more of them!! A little more alone time, a little more certainty of when Callum was seeing Laura instead of Caroline, a little more about how they might work in the long run.. I want them to go the distance together❤️ maybe a little epilogue would be lovely?

There was a scene that really got me that happens between Laura and Callum's mum and it caught me completely off guard, due to their previous interactions, and I had a little cry🙈 I'd have loved to see what the family thought of the real Laura, we do get a brief interaction afterwards but I wanted them to know Laura was not truly that rude or awful!

I'm so grateful that I got to read a copy of this book early, as always Lindsey had me laughing throughout and I will likely re-read when the winter months roll around later this year (when I've got the physical copy in my hands).

Some tropes which I enjoyed in this book:

❤️Fake Dating
❤️One Bed
❤️"F*ck it" moment

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK, Harper Collins Fiction and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.