[ARC Review] Nick and Noel's Christmas Playlist by Codi Hall

Nick Winters and Noel Carter have been friends since forever - a very cradle to the grave friendship. But despite the chemistry and heat their friends can all see, Nick and Noel are only friends. But then Nick returns from deployment and is immediately dumped by his long-term girlfriend. And then Noel breaks it off with her casual fling. Suddenly, the stars seem to be aligning for Nick and Noel. But Noel has spent the last decade promising herself she would not lose a boyfriend the way she lost her parents. If Nick is going to find their happily-ever-after as more than just friends, he's going to have to work at a Christmas miracle. With the feel good tidings of a Hallmark movie, this friends to lovers holiday romance is like a hot cocoa in front of the fire on a cold December night. 

Reading Nick and Noel's Christmas Playlist is sort of like being wrapped in a big hug. There was warmth and familiarity between our two main characters, welcoming and belonging from the Winters family, and sarcasm and camaraderie from all their friends. This had everything to make you feel warm and fuzzy for the holidays: small town feels, friends to lovers romance, a welcoming family, a sad backstory (that the main character finally comes to term with), a Grinch-y ex-girlfriend (who finally learns to be a better person), friends who feel like family, and just enough spice to melt the snow outside. 

I loved Nick - he's such an all-around good guy, and it was a really nice surprise when he turned out to be a bit more dominant behind closed doors. But I think the true star of Nick and Noel's Christmas Playlist is Noel. She had lost so much, and it was completely understandable why she would close herself off from friends and the holidays and often come across as brisk. I loved that she was able to open herself up more, especially around Nick and her friends. Noel was able to work past some of her biggest hold-ups; she of course never forgot the tragedies of her past, but with Nick by her side and an open heart Noel was finally able to start healing. 

Of course, Nick and Noel's story would not have been complete without some outstanding support characters. I loved the Winters family; Nick had such supporting parents and the warmest sisters. (I also loved that, with them all being December babies, they had the perfect holiday-themed names.) I loved that Nick's parents were always there for Noel, even when she kept them at a distance. Their friends were also great, and I can't imagine Nick and Noel not having these sarcastic, goofy friends to get them through the day. 

While we did get to see a bit of Noel's professional life as a Labor and Delivery nurse, I wish we could've seen a little more of Nick's new job in programming. I think that's my only grump about the whole book, that we didn't get to see more of Nick being on his own. Noel went off and had time without her friends, but Nick did not get that same treatment. He was always with his friends or family, and I would've liked to see him be more of his own person once in a while. Nick and Noel were perfect together, but if Noel had times without friends, I would've liked to see how Nick responded during his own times of work-induced stress. 

With romance, music, spice, and everything nice, Nick and Noel's Christmas Playlist is a friends-to-lovers holiday romance, perfect for warming any soul this holiday season. 

A huge thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing a review copy of Nick and Noel's Christmas Playlist.

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Release date: 10/5/21
Format: eARC
eARC provided by: Sourcebooks Casablanca