If you’re into reading you’re probably looking for some good holiday books to read for this season of joy. If you are very picky with your holiday reads, never fear, I am too, so I won’t let you down with these book recs. Cozy up near the fireplace and enjoy this list of December reads you might want to take a look at before this winter season comes to an end.
“Holiday Romance” by Catherine Walsh
This is the epitome of all a holiday romance should be. It has the perfect touch of humor, romance, and most importantly-Christmas! “Holiday romance” follows the story of Molly and Andrew, two friends who are just trying to make it home to Ireland for the holidays, when a crazy Chicago snowstorm stops them from making their flight. Andrew is a full-on fanatic for the Christmas season and Molly knows how much getting back to Dublin means to him. So, instead of doing the same thing and just celebrating the holidays together in Chicago, she does the stupid thing-the irrational thing-and promises to get him home. Not only that but she promises to get him home in time for his mom’s famous Christmas dinner. What she doesn’t know is that as the snow falls over the city of Chicago and over the heads of two friends who are sure they’re not meant to be together, but, the universe might just have a plan of its own.
“The Christmas You Found Me” by Sarah Morgenthaler
This novel tells of a marriage of convenience between a recently divorced female ranch owner named Sienna. As a joke, her best friend placed an ad in the local newspaper saying that Sienna was looking for a husband, and a single dad who desperately needs health insurance for his very sick little daughter, Emma, answers the ad. There is a lot of heartwarming emotion that goes into the book, but yet, there’s still a bittersweet happy ending that will leave you sated.
“One Day in December” by Josie Silver
“One Day in December” follows the story of Laurie James as she makes her way through her 20s while living in London. Laurie lives in an apartment with her best friend Sarah, constantly worrying about many things in her life, such as the distance between her and her family, if she’s ever going to find love, and struggles with trying to leave her temporary hotel receptionist job for her long-term dream job in a magazine publishing company. One cold December evening, Laurie spots a handsome man inside her local city bus. Once their eyes meet, and they have an instant connection–“love at first sight” even. The bus drives away, and Laurie spends the greater part of a whole year obsessed with finding this “mystery man”. Laurie and her best friend, Sarah, hunt for him to no avail. Until one night at a party they meet again but it doesn’t go the way you’d expect.
“The Christmas Bookshop” by Jenny Colgan
This is the perfect, cozy Christmas read. The story follows two sisters–one has her life together; she’s married, went to college, has kids and one on the way, and the other is a little more free spirited. One sister, Carmen, loses her job and moves in with the other sister, Sofia. Sofia has a client who has a bookshop that is going under. He needs a retail assistant for his shop, so Sofia suggests that Carmen goes to work for him and tries to rebuild the shop for him. There is some sister rivalry in the text, which is a great read. The kids in the novel are so funny and bring this book so much life and joy–it is just an entertaining book in general. It is perfect for the holidays and is a heartwarming Christmas novel.
“Favorites” by Layne Fargo (January 16, 2025)
If you’re not familiar with Layne Fargo books she’s the author of psychological thrillers “They Never Learn” and “Temper”, as well as co-author on the bestselling “Young Rich Widows” series. “The Favorites” is Layne’s first coming-of-age novel, inspired by Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights”. This is a romance about two Olympic ice skaters, Katrina and Heath, and the scandal hat unfolds between them. The couple transitions from childhood sweethearts to chamption ice skaters and, says, Amazon, they “captivat[e] the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and roller-coaster relationship.”
“A Very Irish Christmas” Debbie Johnson
“A Very Irish Christ-mas” is full of holiday spirit and festive cheer. It centers on a girl named Cassie and, let’s say-she goes through it. Years prior Cassie was left at the altar and she has not been able to move on; it has affected her life in every way possible. She decides that this is the last year she is going to spend feeling sorry for herself; Cassie decides to use the money her sassy Irish nana, Nora, left in her will to book a month-long trip in a quiet country village in England. She’s expecting a cozy cottage with plenty of Christmas cheer to keep her distracted. Instead, according to Amazon, “she gets a draughty disaster covered in dust, a temperamental stray dog and two incredibly charming and equally handsome men vying for her attention”. If you’re wanting an easy, witty, laugh-out-loud rom-com novel to read, this is a book you might want to look into.
“Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros (January 21, 2025)
This is a highly anticipated read for fans who loved “Forth Wing”.. “Onyx Storm” is the third book in the “Empyrean” series. I highly recommend reading this series in chronological order and that is “Forth Wing”, “Iron Flame”, and “Onyx Storm”, which releases mid-January. “Onyx Storm” is a nonstop-thrilling fantasy adventure set in “the brutal and competitive world of a military college for dragon riders”, Basgiath War College (www. rebecca yaros.com). The text can be intense and covers several violent and graphic topics such as war, battle, hand-to-hand combat, blood, injuries, death, poisoning, and some graphic language. In this new book, Violet must journey beyond her comfort zone to seek allies from unfamiliar lands. The trip will test every part of her, physically and intellectually, but she she will do anything to save everything around her that she loves, despite the odds.
“Say You’ll Remember Me” by Abby Jimenez (April 1, 2025)
This title is indeed a reference to Taylor Swift’s song “Wildest Dreams”. The story follows Samantha and Xavier, an unlikely match, through their buddug relationship Xavier is a veterinarian, and Samantha saves a cat and brings it to Xavier for treatment. He’s known to be a very attractive man on the outside, but anytime he opens his mouth he always finds some way to end up being the jerk. At first, Samantha is not impressed, but they end up figuring things out and going on their first date, which turns out to be really good. Unfortunately, Samantha is going through difficult family trauma so she has to move across the country to take care of her grandmother. She tells Xavier to forget about her and to just remember the “perfect night” they had together, but that’s not what happens. This seems like it is going to be a very emotional book and will be quite a rollercoaster.
“Great Big Beautiful Life” by Emily Henry (April 22, 2025)
First things first, I would suggest reading Emily Henry’s books in publication order. That goes “Beach Read”, “People We Meet on Vacation”, “Book Lovers”, then “Happy Place”, and lastly,“Funny Story”. This is because Emily Henry likes to leave small Easter eggs in her books and it just makes her books ten times funnier reading them knowing that all her books are in some way connected. Even if you don’t read them in publication order, I would still suggest you start with “Beach Read” because it was Henry’s debut novel and it will give you a better sense of what kind of author she is and how she likes to write her novels. “Great Big Beautiful Life” is about two rival authors fighting for the position to write the biography of a former tabloid princess in a very scandalous family. Emily Henry says this book corresponds to Taylor Swift’s song “The Last Great American Dynasty” from her “Folklore” album. So for any “Folklore” or Taylor Swift fans this may be “The 1” for you.
There you have it; some for now and some for later, but this list has lots of great options to keep you with your nose deep in a book!