Sophie Sullivan returns to her signature brand of warmhearted romance with You Make It Feel Like Christmas, a sports romance that proves she understands how to balance emotional depth with holiday magic. This standalone novel delivers more than festive atmosphere—it tackles vulnerability, family pressure, and the courage required to choose happiness over expectation.
The premise hooks immediately: photographer Maisie Smart arrives at a Christmas tree farm expecting a peaceful week with family, only to discover that her unforgettable one-night stand from six months ago is her host’s brother. Nick King, professional hockey player nursing both a knee injury and crippling anxiety, thought he’d escaped to his sister’s farm for quiet recuperation. Instead, he’s confronted with the woman he ghosted—and hasn’t been able to forget.
Character Depth Beyond the Ice Rink
Sullivan crafts protagonists who refuse to be defined by their professions alone. Maisie emerges as genuinely complex: a creative woman constantly measured against her academically accomplished siblings, fighting for validation from parents who view photography as a lesser calling. Her struggle resonates because Sullivan never positions Maisie as self-pitying. Instead, she’s determined, passionate about her work, and gradually learning that seeking approval from those who won’t give it is exhausting and futile.
Nick King could have been another arrogant athlete archetype, but Sullivan subverts expectations beautifully. His anxiety attacks aren’t plot devices but central to understanding who he is—a man who built his identity entirely around hockey and now faces the terrifying prospect of losing that foundation. The author handles his mental health journey with sensitivity, showing panic attacks without romanticizing them, and depicting therapy as necessary rather than shameful.
The supporting cast adds genuine texture. Ellie, Nick’s sister navigating single motherhood post-divorce, provides grounded wisdom without becoming a convenient sounding board. Four-year-old Asher brings authentic child energy—chaotic, endearing, occasionally inconvenient—rather than precocious cuteness. Maisie’s siblings, Jake and Natalie, and their partners create believable family dynamics complete with sibling shorthand, gentle teasing, and the complicated love that comes from shared history.
Where the Narrative Excels
Sullivan demonstrates mastery in several key areas that elevate this beyond standard holiday romance fare. The forced proximity trope works because both characters have legitimate reasons to be at Tickle Tree Farm, and neither can easily leave without raising questions. The tension builds naturally through shared meals, family activities, and stolen moments that feel earned rather than manufactured.
The author excels at small, telling details: Maisie’s camera becoming an extension of how she sees the world, Nick’s fingers flexing when anxiety rises, the way both characters use humor to deflect from deeper emotions. These specifics ground the romance in observable behavior rather than told emotion, allowing readers to witness the connection forming.
Sullivan also deserves credit for addressing the complications of dating someone with mental health struggles without making it the relationship’s defining feature. Maisie’s initial anger at being ghosted is validated, but she also demonstrates the emotional intelligence to understand that Nick’s departure wasn’t about her worth. Their conversations about his anxiety feel genuine—awkward at times, with neither character having perfect words, but showing up anyway.
The Christmas setting enhances rather than overwhelms the story. Merry, Washington, provides festive atmosphere through:
- The tree farm’s twinkling lights and snow-covered paths
- The town’s commitment to holiday spirit without sliding into saccharine excess
- Seasonal activities that serve as natural opportunities for connection
Areas That Could Have Strengthened
Despite its considerable charms, You Make It Feel Like Christmas stumbles in places. The pacing occasionally stalls in the middle section when Nick leaves for California. While understandable for his character arc, the separation creates narrative momentum loss just when the relationship gains traction. Sullivan tries to maintain connection through phone calls and texts, but these scenes lack the crackling energy of their in-person interactions.
Maisie’s mother requires a particularly significant suspension of disbelief. Her dismissive attitude toward Maisie’s accomplished photography career—especially after we learn Maisie has won awards and works on film sets—strains credibility. The eventual reconciliation scene, while emotionally satisfying, arrives somewhat abruptly. The mother’s transformation from constantly critical to suddenly understanding feels rushed, as though Sullivan realized she needed to resolve this thread before the epilogue but hadn’t built sufficient groundwork.
The retirement decision Nick faces could have been explored with greater nuance. While Sullivan establishes his internal conflict about leaving hockey, the actual decision-making process happens largely off-page. Given how central this is to his identity crisis, readers might have benefited from witnessing more of his wrestling with this choice rather than having it presented as fait accompli.
Additionally, while Nick’s anxiety is handled thoughtfully, the resolution sometimes feels too tidy. Therapy helps, Maisie’s support matters, but the book occasionally implies that love and understanding are sufficient treatment, which undersells the ongoing nature of anxiety disorders.
The Romance That Works
Where Sullivan truly succeeds is crafting a romance that feels inevitable without being predictable. Nick and Maisie’s chemistry crackles from their first re-encounter, built on:
- Physical awareness: Sullivan writes attraction without relying on crude descriptions, instead capturing the visceral pull through gesture, breath, and the magnetic draw of bodies seeking proximity.
- Intellectual compatibility: They challenge each other—Maisie pushing Nick to be honest about his struggles, Nick encouraging Maisie to value herself regardless of family approval.
- Shared vulnerability: Both characters risk emotional exposure, and Sullivan ensures those risks feel genuine. When Nick finally explains why he left that morning, the explanation satisfies because it honors both his trauma and her hurt.
The intimate scenes balance heat with emotional resonance. Sullivan writes sex as communication—characters learning each other, revealing themselves through touch. These moments deepen the relationship rather than simply providing obligatory romance novel steam.
Sullivan’s Growing Craft
For readers familiar with Sullivan’s previous work—including Ten Rules for Faking It, How to Love Your Neighbor, and A Guide to Being Just Friends—You Make It Feel Like Christmas demonstrates continued growth in handling weightier themes alongside romance. While maintaining her trademark warmth and humor, she’s increasingly willing to let characters sit with difficult emotions rather than rushing toward resolution.
Her dialogue sparkles throughout, capturing natural speech patterns complete with half-finished thoughts, comfortable silences, and the shorthand that develops between people growing intimate. The banter between Maisie and Nick feels organic, never sacrificing authenticity for cleverness.
For Readers Who Enjoy
If You Make It Feel Like Christmas appeals to you, consider exploring:
- The Pucked Series by Helena Hunting: For readers wanting more hockey romance with emotional depth
- Beach Read by Emily Henry: Similar themes of creative women finding validation
- The Deal by Elle Kennedy: Sports romance balancing vulnerability with steam
- It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey: Second chances and small-town charm
- Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren: Emotional depth and reunion romance
The Final Assessment
You Make It Feel Like Christmas succeeds as both holiday escape and substantive romance. Sullivan delivers the warm fuzzies readers expect from Christmas romance while refusing to soft-pedal the harder truths about family disappointment, mental health struggles, and the courage required to build lives that honor who we actually are rather than who others expect us to be.
The novel isn’t perfect—pacing issues, a somewhat convenient maternal transformation, and occasionally tidy emotional resolution prevent it from reaching five-star territory. However, its considerable strengths—authentic characters, meaningful emotional arcs, genuine chemistry, and thoughtful handling of mental health—make it a solidly satisfying read.
Sullivan proves once again that she understands the romance genre’s potential to explore real struggles while delivering the hopeful endings readers crave. Maisie and Nick’s journey from painful separation to hard-won reunion offers both escapist pleasure and emotional resonance, reminding us that sometimes the best gift is someone who sees us exactly as we are and loves us anyway.
You Make It Feel Like Christmas is romance that warms the heart without insulting the intelligence—exactly what cozy season reading should be.
- Content Notes: Anxiety/panic attacks depicted on page, parental pressure, discussion of death of a parent (past), divorce (off-page), mild sexual content
- Perfect For: Winter reading, fans of sports romance, readers seeking representation of mental health in romance, anyone needing hope that second chances exist
