ARC Review: ‘The Christmas Playbook’ by S. Massery & S.J. Sylvis
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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The Christmas Playbook
by S. Massery, S.J. SylvisSeries: Shadow Valley U #2.5
Published by Self-Published on November 7, 2025
SubGenres: New Adult Romance
Format: eArc
Pages: 114
Source: the author
Audience: 18+/Adult
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One cabin. One week. One fake relationship.
Winter break was supposed to be one last trip with my best friends, a little snowboarding, maybe some hot cocoa spiked with something stronger. No drama, no strings.
Then my cabin got double-booked.
Enter Mira Winters—my childhood neighbor and crush. And somehow, the girl managed to get even prettier since the last time I saw her.
She’s got one her family makes mine look like a walk in the park, and she’d rather fake a boyfriend than deal with their constant judgement.
Guess who she asks to step up? Yours truly.
It’s supposed to be for show. Hold her hand. Steal a kiss under the mistletoe. Pretend I’m head over heels for her. Easy. Right?
Except the more we play this game, the more I want it to be real. And suddenly I’m less worried about the score her family is keeping and more about what happens when the week is over—because for the first time in a long time, I’m all in.
This Christmas, I don’t just want to win the game.I want the girl.
This spicy, forced proximity holiday romance is a sweet companion novella to the Shadow Valley U series. It can be enjoyed as a standalone.
The Christmas Playbook is a fast-paced novella that will make you want to go skiing or snowboarding with friends during the holiday season. Rhys Anderson is enjoying a final trip with his friends before they finish school, and some get drafted. The problem is, all his friends are coupled up while he’s single. He can handle that until Mira Winters, his former neighbor, ends up sharing his cabin due to a double booking. With no other cabin available, they deal with the mishap together.
This was a cute, steamy novella that I finished quickly. It featured some favorite tropes: Fake Dating and Forced Proximity, both written well by S. Massery and S.J.Sylvis. I enjoyed getting to know Mira and Rhys, and I felt for Mira due to her family’s treatment. Rhys stands up to her family at the end, making him even more likable. Mira’s family is toxic, and I’m glad she finds someone like Rhys, who values and loves her.
This novella is a great holiday read, and I give it four stars. After finishing, I immediately wanted the next Shadow Valley U novel.
POV: First Person (Dual POV)
Standalone Or Part of Series: It’s part of the Shadow Valley U series, but could be read as a standalone.
Would I recommend this novella? Yes. If you like holiday stories with Fake Dating and Forced Proximity, check out The Christmas Playbook. Also read Sticks and Stones and Heart of Thorns in the series.
What to Expect:
🎄Holiday Romance
🎄Fake Dating/Relationship
🎄Forced Proximity
About S. Massery
S. Massery is a dark romance author who loves injecting a good dose of suspense into her stories. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her dog, Alice.
Before adventuring into the world of writing, she went to college in Boston and held a wide variety of jobs--including working on a dude ranch in Wyoming (a personal highlight). She has a love affair with coffee and chocolate. When S. Massery isn't writing, she can be found devouring books, playing outside with her dog, or trying to make people smile.
About S.J. Sylvis
S.J. Sylvis is an Amazon top 50 and USA Today bestselling author who is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies. She currently resides in North Carolina with her husband, two small kiddos, and dog. She is obsessed with coffee, becomes easily attached to fictional characters, and spends most of her evenings buried in a book.
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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