Santa Maybe (The Holliday Girls, 2) Book Review and Summary
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Emma Thompson - 22 Aug, 2026 07:53
Author: Hazel Henry
Page Count: Unknown
Publication Date: Expected publication 2026-10-06 APL
A Christmas romance that promises to be as warm and fuzzy as a Hallmark movie — how trite. Santa Maybe by Hazel Henry is the latest addition to the Holliday Girls series, a tale of three girls, two weeks, and a whole lot of festive feels. But beneath the sparkly surface, what secrets lie in wait?
The premise is deceptively simple: Daisy, Georgia, and Eden, three sisters navigating love, loss, and self-discovery against the backdrop of a quaint Rhode Island town’s annual Christmas festival. Yet, it’s precisely this simplicity that raises red flags. Where’s the depth? The complexity? The nuance? It’s all a bit too… neat. A bit too… predictable. Like a made-for-TV movie, minus the edginess.
Take Daisy, for instance. She’s pining for Owen, and we’re expected to buy into their will-they-won’t-they dynamic. But what about the emotional labor that goes into maintaining such a relationship? The power struggles, the compromises, the messy, imperfect bits? Do we get any of that? Or is it just a glossy, Instagram-perfect romance?
And then there’s Georgia, ready for a fresh start, but is she brave enough to put herself first? Ah, the age-old conundrum of the female protagonist: to prioritize oneself or to prioritize others. It’s a tired trope, one that’s been done to death by authors like Jenny Han and Elin Hilderbrand. Can Henry bring something new to the table, or will it be more of the same old, same old?
But what truly sets my teeth on edge is the setting: a charming Rhode Island town, straight out of a Hallmark movie. How quaint. How… sanitized. Where’s the grit? The grime? The imperfections that make a place truly come alive? It’s all a bit too… Disney-fied.
And yet, despite my reservations, I’ll admit that there’s something undeniably alluring about Santa Maybe. Perhaps it’s the promise of a feel-good, escapist read, perfect for curling up by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa. Or perhaps it’s the prospect of getting to know the Holliday girls, with all their quirks and flaws. Whatever the reason, I’ll be keeping a watchful eye on this one.
As I sit here, sipping my champagne and adjusting my diamond-encrusted reading glasses, I’m reminded of the infamous Ishtar debacle — a movie so catastrophically bad, it became a cult classic. Will Santa Maybe follow suit, or will it rise above the fray? Only time will tell.
But for now, I have more pressing matters to attend to. I need to approve the final guest list for my publisher’s soirée, and I still have to decide on the perfect canapés to serve. Santa Maybe will have to wait… for now. #ChristmasRomance #HallmarkMovie #HollidayGirls
