It’s the most wonderful time of the year– and also the busiest! The vast selection of new Christmas books can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. I’ve read nine so far and shared only the seven I’d recommend to a friend below. You’ll find a festive mix of holiday mysteries and romances to satisfy your unique wishes this December. Find the perfect new read to add to your Christmas bucket list.
Best New Christmas Books
- Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson: best for fans of the author
- Kiss Me at Christmas by Jenny Bayliss: best for fans of second chance romances
- The Merry Matchmaker by Sheila Roberts: best for fans of second chance romances with friends to lovers
- The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose: best for fans of the author
- The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year: best for fans of romantic thrillers
- A Winter Wish by Emily Stone: best for fans of workplace rivals
- You Better Watch Out by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth: best for fans of psychological thrillers
Reviews of My Favorite New Holiday Books of 2024
Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson
Plot: In Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret, Ernest is back to help his ex-wife solve a murder. This leads him backstage at the show of a famous magician, the victim’s benefactor. There, everyone is a suspect, from the magician to the assistant, hypnotist, and more. They’re all skilled in illusion, and Ernest has but a few clues.
Review: This is a fun little caper for fans of this author. The story unfolds as an advent calendar, so while it’s brief, you can choose to read it in even smaller bits throughout advent. A Secret Santa exchange also keeps the plot intriguing in a festive way. You don’t “need” to have read this author before, but you will certainly enjoy it most if you have.
Kiss Me at Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
Plot: In Kiss Me at Christmas, Harriet is a single, 40-something mom who’s upset that her daughter is away during the holiday season when she has a one-night stand with James.
She returns to her daily life as a teacher and finds herself covering for a group of misfit teens who sneak into an old theater. To avoid prosecution, the elderly owner tasked her with putting on one final Christmas show. The catch? James is her lawyer.
An unlikely group comes together, and Harriet gets a second chance at romance with some surprises along the way.
Review: Why didn’t anyone write a holiday romance about a Christmas play anytime sooner?! It’s everything a holiday novel should be: festive, charming, quirky, heartwarming, and even slightly spicy.
The Merry Matchmaker by Sheila Roberts
Plot: In The Merry Matchmaker, Frankie is a middle-aged meddler who owns the local Christmas store. She’s all too pleased to get involved in the lives of her family and friends, especially when it comes to love. In her own love life, the question is whether she’ll ever open herself to her friend, Mitch.
Review: A modern interpretation of Jane Austen’s Emma, this book hits all the marks right. It’s festive, quirky, and charming, and it offers us a more mature protagonist who desperately needs a second chance at love. The cast of characters is loveable, and the theme of grief throughout makes it all the more meaningful at Christmastime. It’s an absolute hit!
Reading Tip: If you’re looking for a new release for your Christmas book club, this is my pick. It offers a variety of relationships and imperfect characters to discuss, along with comparisons to Emma.
The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose
Plot: In the short novella The Mistletoe Mystery, Molly celebrates the season with Juan Manuel, but the Hotel’s Secret Santa exchange makes her suspicious of him.
Review: The Mistletoe Mystery is a holiday treat for fans of the Molly the Maid book series. It can be read in about an hour, making it a good choice to read on Christmas Eve for the Jolabokaflod tradition. It also maintains a festive tone while moving the overarching plot of the series along.
Note that there’s no big Hotel mystery to solve here, but it’s still a delight. Fans of Molly will love the ending!
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
Plot: In The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, rival authors Maggie and Ethan find themselves at a Christmas house party hosted by Eleanor Ashley, the famous author known as the “Duchess of Death.”
Eleanor mysteriously disappears from a locked room, and tensions begin to rise. When a snowstorm traps them in her mansion, Maggie and Ethan must cast aside their rivalry to find Eleanor. In their search for the truth, their unexpected alliance grows deeper.
Review: This book is described as Knives Out mixed with a romantic comedy, and I couldn’t agree more! The story unfolds like a game of Clue, and the blend of holiday romance and cozy mystery is just right. It’s Christmas theme is never too cheesy or too dark. It’s not super spicy, and there’s also some suspense to keep you turning the pages on a blustery night.
A Winter Wish by Emily Stone
Plot: In A Winter Wish, Lexie inherits half of her father’s thriving holiday travel company. The other half goes to Theo, a charming but grumpy executive required to co-manage the business for a year.
Although Lexie plans to leave after that, she becomes drawn to the company’s mission– and Theo.
Review: All of Emily Stone’s Christmas-themed novels are good, but this particular one is a bit lighter in tone, making the romance feel more festive. The travel themes, cultural celebrations, and Christmas in July party also make it uniquely fun.
You Better Watch Out by Benjamin Stevenson
Plot: You Better Watch Out begins days before Christmas, when a group of strangers are kidnapped and left in a fake town eerily decked out for the holidays. They soon realize they share criminal pasts. There are traps, and they begin to die one by one. So, as the Christmas song goes, they “better watch out.”
Review: This was such a great holiday murder mystery! The killer and motives offer a major twist you won’t see coming, and the vibes are eerie, spooky, and ominous throughout. This is a “fun” horror story that doesn’t take itself too seriously and carries the aesthetic of fall into the holiday season for fans of slashers.
Recap
The best way to choose one or more of these new Christmas books is based on the genres and/or tropes that interest you most. You can’t go wrong — it’s all about what you want to read from this great new selection of festive reads.
Related Christmas Book Posts
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
