A charming holiday rom com about a young, recently heartbroken woman who is tasked by her sister to complete Advent calendar challenges in the lead up to Christmas to reignite her belief in herself, the holidays, and love again.

She’s given up on love and Christmas…but fate has other plans.

All Callie wants for Christmas is to hibernate. She’s just been dumped by her childhood sweetheart, and under no circumstances will she go home for the holidays considering her ex will be right next door with his new, perfect partner. Callie is officially in grinch mode, but her meddling sister, Anita, won’t let her give up on life, love, and Christmas quite so easily.

Anita stages a Christmas intervention for Callie with a homemade Advent calendar challenge—cheerful tasks to push Callie out of her comfort zone and into the holiday spirit, inspired by a childhood tradition. Callie reluctantly plays along, but when she comes face-to-face with a charming baker who just might be the spoonful of sugar she needs, her strict rules on love and the holidays are tested. As they strike a deal to do the activities together, could the twenty four little doors on Callie’s Advent calendar not only open up one, but two closed-off hearts?

Holly Cassidy's profile page

HOLLY CASSIDY is the pen name for internationally bestselling author Hannah Mary McKinnon. Her suspense novels include The Revenge List, The Neighbors, Her Secret Son, Sister Dear, You Will Remember Me, and Never Coming Home. McKinnon was born in England, grew up in Switzerland, and now lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and three sons. The Christmas Wager was her first novel writing as Holly Cassidy.

“The Christmas Countdown is everything I want in a holiday book. Sparkling with sisterly hijinks, a sizzling sexy baker and a generous sprinkling of self-discovery; I loved it all! A must read for the festive season.”
—Jenny Bayliss, author of The Twelve Dates of Christmas

“You’ll fall in love with the holiday season all over again in Holly Cassidy’s latest romance. Heartwarming, festive, and sparkling with charm, The Christmas Countdown is pure holiday magic.”
—Sonya Lalli, author of A Holly Jolly Diwali

“The perfect holiday recipe: fun, joyful, and nostalgic. Snuggle under a blanket and devour Holly Cassidy’s latest charmer. The Christmas Countdown will bake your spirits bright!”
—Lillie Vale, author of Wrapped with a Beau

“Unbox the magic of Christmas with Holly Cassidy’s heartwarming romance, The Christmas Countdown. Join Callie as she goes from down in the dumps to decking the halls, finding laughter, love and the true spirit of the season—one Advent calendar challenge at a time.”
—Chantel Guertin, author of It Happened One Christmas

“Full of eggnog, holiday puns, sledding, and, of course, tacky sweaters, this Christmas read has all of the comforts of a nostalgic holiday back home. . . . Christmas romance readers will rejoice with this latest from Cassidy . . . it will have readers feeling that Christmas spirit, no matter the season.”
—Library Journal (starred review)