The festive season is prime for cosying up with a book (stock image) (Image: Getty Images)
Bookshops, libraries and Kindle stores are brimming with Christmas titles.
However, choosing which festive reads deserve your attention can prove challenging.
A disappointing selection might leave you feeling rather Scrooge-like, whilst the perfect cosy novel can provide wonderful seasonal cheer.
That’s precisely why one TikTok user, posting as @lissreads, decided to reveal her top festive picks, with followers dubbing one title “the best Christmas book hands down”.
Check out her 10 suggestions for the best Christmas books to try below…
1. Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss
A Goodreads reviewer describes this as a “feel-good festive holiday romance that revolves around the reunion of a group of college friends as they come together for a week of wedding festivities right around Christmas”. The novel delivers seasonal warmth alongside engaging characters, making it an ideal December escape.
2. Blue Bird Day by Megan Tady
According to Goodreads: “In this hilarious, heartwarming tale, mother-daughter skiing champs face the bumps in their own relationship when an avalanche in a Swiss village forces them together”. This combination of humour and emotion appears perfectly suited for those seeking festive reading material.
3. The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
On Amazon, this novel is billed as a “feel-good, holiday rom com about identical twins who swap lives twelve days before Christmas”. The premise centres on two sisters seeking to “escape reality,” which they successfully do – though matters prove “more complicated than they imagined”.
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4. One Day in December by Josie Silver
Hailed on TikTok as the “best Christmas book hands down,” this title promises a genuine festive delight for newcomers. According to Goodreads: “One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness”. One reader awarded it a “10/10” rating.
5. Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
Goodreads describes this festive tale: “Before the mulled cider is gone, the delightfully dysfunctional Quinn family will survive a love triangle, an unplanned pregnancy, a federal crime, a small house fire, many shots of whiskey, and endless rounds of Christmas carolling, in this heart-warming novel about coming home for the holidays,”. This certainly promises plenty of drama.
6. Snowed In for Christmas by Jaqueline Snowe
On Amazon, the description states: “Fans of Christina Lauren and Maggie Knox will adore this fun and festive romcom featuring a grumpy/sunshine duo who find themselves stuck together over the holidays, where the weather outside is frightful-but inside, things are heating up in this sexy holiday story”.
The forced proximity trope works brilliantly, particularly when combined with a Christmas setting!
7. Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey
Goodreads describes it as: “A sizzling, standalone, feel-good holiday romance,” The synopsis reads: “Two weeks before Christmas and all through Manhattan, shop windows are decorated in red and green satin.
“I’m standing alone in front of the famous Vivant department store, when a charming man named Aiden asks my opinion of the décor.
“It’s a tragedy in tinsel, I say, unable to lie. He asks for a better idea with a twinkle in his eye.
“Did I know he owned the place? No. He put me on the spot.
“Now I’m working for that man, trying to ignore that he’s hot.
“But as a down-on-her-luck girl with a difficult past, I know an opportunity when I see one-and I have to make it last.
“I’ll put my heart and soul into dressing his holiday windows.
“I’ll work without stopping. And when we lose the battle with temptation, I’ll try and remember I’m just window shopping”. Intriguing, isn’t it?!
8. Mistletoe in Juneau by Dahlia Rose
The book’s synopsis states: “Danni’s a social media influencer who’s way out of her element. She sort of broke up with her boyfriend-slash-manager, and she escaped her fast-paced life in New York to spend Christmas with an old friend in Juneau, Alaska. Danni takes in the beauty of the scenery and the warmth of the community…and she’s drawn to the local sheriff.
“Before Declan was an Alaskan state trooper, he was in the Army. An IED explosion cost him his leg…and his fiancée, who couldn’t deal with the injury. He knows Danni’s a city girl, while he loves the Alaskan wilderness. Could two very different people find what their hearts are looking for?”
9. In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren
Goodreads describes it as “Jam-packed with yuletide cheer, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Christina Lauren’s trademark hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays,” and this promises to be an absolute cracker!
10. The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
Amazon notes that “Ally Carter’s The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year masterfully blends a cosy mystery with a festive romance, delivering a delightful holiday read.” Given that cosy mysteries are topping countless wishlists this season, this title could prove an absolute winner for yourself or as the perfect present!
