Welcome to a bookish celebration of the Christmas season! For 12 days in December, I’m highlighting a book a day that puts the holiday season front and center of the narrative. You’ll find romances, women’s fiction, and even a cookbook! For day seven, I’m sharing a romantic comedy for holiday movie lovers.

Ivy loves Christmas. As the owner of Christmas Every Day, the year-round festive store, you'd expect nothing less!

The only thing missing in Ivy's life is a dash of romance – something her twin sister Holly will not let her forget…

When her mother passed away, Ivy vowed to take over the running of her mother’s store and keep the Christmas spirit alive in the idyllic seaside town of Marram Bay.

But all this changes when an enigmatic businessman moves to the town, threatening to bulldoze her beloved shop to make way for a holiday complex.

Can Ivy save her shop before Christmas? Could there be a different side to the newest resident of Marram Bay that would make all her Christmas wishes come true?

Love and Lies at the Village Christmas Shop is a Hallmark movie on the page, and for those who love the sweet romantic comedies that play on that channel around this season it’s perfect to scratch that itch or play a rom com drinking game with!

Ivy is the owner of the local year-round Christmas shop (drink) who inherited it from her beloved mother (drink). The hero is a city slicker developer (drink) who has rolled into town because he’s buying up the lot on which the Christmas shop sits from Ivy’s landlord (drink). There are quirky characters, a bit of misunderstanding, and some holiday lessons for all (drink, drink, drink!).

For me, these comfortably familiar stories need to deliver something unusual in the form of side characters in order to stand out. As I’m writing this review, the only character whose name I can remember without looking it up is Gaz. He’s a rough-around-the-edges mall Santa who comes to work for Ivy in her shop. He’s charming—if in need of a lot of character growth and perhaps some reminders of workplace appropriate behavior—and he helps ground the story.

Check back tomorrow for the next edition of the 12 Days of Christmas Reads. If you want to see all of the 12 Days of Christmas Reads recommendations in one place, you can check out this handy landing page or sign up for my newsletter.