Another 5 Star Christmas book from Lindsey Kelk! Effortlessly funny, filled with lots of romance tropes (one bed, fake dating, epic & naked meet cute) great main and side characters and beautiful Scottish setting.

I may have read this in a July heatwave, but it is truly Christmas in my heart. Honestly such a crazy concept, it sounds unbelievable but best believe I got sucked in and was panicking hoping Laura and Callum didn't get caught out.
The cosy Scottish Highlands setting was dreamy- how I'd love to be snuggled up with a cold drink (and a hot Scottish man) in The Clach, and their journey on the sleeper train was so much fun.
Whilst a rom-com, as always Lindsey touched on some serious topics too - from Callum's struggles with his family and choosing his own future, to Laura's grief and her relationship with her dad. I was so glad to see Laura release some of her anger towards the end of the book, as well as moments of standing up for what's right, throughout the story.
I obviously have to mention Desi and Joel- in every Lindsey book there are an array of wonderful characters, and every time I find myself falling for the friends just as much as the love interest. There were some both hilarious and heartwarming moments thanks to this pair.
I had the most fun with Christmas Fling and will be recommending far and wide during the festive season.
(Also adored the bookish references - particularly ACOTAR! 🫶🏻)

4.75✨
Thank you NetGalley, Lindsey Kelk and Harper Collins for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review - Christmas Fling publishes October 9th.

I’ve read a lot of Lindsey Kelk’s books over the years (the I heart series were my teen years!) and I rated her last book a 5⭐️, so I was really excited to pick up this one! Lindsey did not disappoint with Christmas Fling.

I have to say it did feel a little strange picking up a Christmas book during the UK heatwave but I was fully immersed and now I’m feeling festive! Lindsey always delivers with making her characters genuinely funny and sarcastic (without the cringe factor)

You’re thrown straight into this hilarious story when Laura moves into her new flat and walks in to find her new landlord Callum naked, quickly followed by his parents arriving and believing they’re a couple. (This whole scene had me laughing out loud!)

Laura and Callum agree to fake date and spend Christmas with his (crazy) family in Scotland where you can quite quickly see they’re made for each other.

Desi and Joel are a hilarious duo, they had me laughing out loud as they wound Laura up a treat in Scotland, and they got funnier as the book went on (see M&S simply food!)

My only downside was I found myself a little less invested between the 30-50% mark where not as much happened, but things picked back up for the rest of the book!

Favourite quotes:
‘Won’t be much fun for our Cal if you’re at work, playing with your balls’
‘Delulu is the solulu’
‘It was like being locked inside a Zara changing room with Big Bird’s hot Scottish cousin’
‘All we have to do now is keep up the pretence that you’re a vegan Swedish masseuse, Desi is the adopted love child of Kate and Leo, and I’m straight. What could possibly go wrong?’
‘If anyone tried to take an Extremely Chocolatey biscuit out your hand, you’d surgically detach the offending appendage’
‘Desi Kaplan, we do not raise our voices in M&S Simply Food on the Lord’s birthday’

Overall I’d really recommend this as a hilarious, lighthearted cosy winter read. It’s set at Christmas time but isn’t in your face Christmas so would be perfect as we head into the winter months. I can’t wait to pick up Lindsey’s next book!

I absolutely love Lindsay Kelk and look forward to her books like mad every year! I was so exciting she has a cute cozy Christmas read in store! I highly enjoyed it. I thought the romance was great, the scenery was beautiful, and it had a great storyline that kept me hooked! I’m already anxiously awaiting her next one!

If Lindsey Kelk writes it, I'm happy to read it! I love her turn of phrase, warmth and obsession with M&S. Her previous Christmas book "The Christmas Wish" is one of my favourite festive reads.
"Christmas Fling" didn't disappoint. Laura is a doctor, who has been forced to take time off over Christmas (probably the most unrealistic aspect of the story!), when she stumbles into her new landlord, Cal. There is fake dating, assumed identities and feisty family dynamics. Laura ans Cal are easy to root for, as individuals and as a couple.

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.