When Ivy Met Mr. Holiday

By: Jennifer Peel

Narrated by: Stephanie Rose, Neill Thorne

Friends don’t let friends fake date alone.

Oscar Wilde once said, “Between men and women there is no friendship possible. There is passion, enmity, worship, love, but no friendship.” Ha! Wrong. Dead wrong. And I can totally prove it.

For the last seven years, I’ve been just friends with Jack Holiday—yes, that Jack Holiday. The swoon-worthy, ridiculously famous, self-proclaimed king of the silver screen. Passion? Love? Worship? Please. Unless you count how much Jack worships himself. Take that, Oscar!

Okay, have I thought about being more than friends with Jack? Sure. I mean, the man waters my plants, never forgets my birthday, and knows exactly which ice cream to bring me—whether for PMS or heartbreak. But when our unlikely friendship began, I swore we’d never cross that line—even if Jack, like Oscar, doesn’t believe men and women can really be just friends.

Then Jack drops a bombshell: he wants to come home with me for the holidays. The guy who’s never cared about Christmas suddenly wants to play Mr. Holly Jolly. Worse, he needs me to pretend to be his fake girlfriend to save him from his ex. If that wasn’t bad enough, he’s laughing with my nieces and nephews, charming my family, and being . . . utterly, infuriatingly adorable.

And maybe—just maybe—we had to kiss.

Oh. Wow. So. So. So. Good.

So amazing, it’s making me want to swallow my pride and beg Oscar for forgiveness. But once you leave the friend zone, there’s no going back. There’s no safety net. Now, I have to ask myself, is risking our friendship worth the fall? And will Jack still be there to catch me?

USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Peel presents the merriest friends-to-lovers story bursting with holiday magic and charm.

©2025 Jennifer Peel (P)2025 Jennifer Peel

Perfect Holiday Read

The perfect cozy holiday read! Packed with festive cheer, sweet family moments, and all the classic holiday activities, this story delivers warmth and charm. The friends-to-romance trope is beautifully done, making Ivy and Jack’s journey both heartwarming and swoon-worthy. Loved every minute of it.

So so so good!

I loved this book! The writing was great, tension and romance perfect, and the narration was spot on! Will definitely be listening again!

Perfect Holiday Romance!

Holiday festivities wrapped up in a big blanket of swoon? Yes, PLEASE!! Jack and Ivy are everything you would want in a couple. Best friends for a long time. He is secretly obsessed with her. She can’t risk the friendship, but gets promoted to fake girlfriend when she opens her mouth when she didn’t mean to. Excellent combination if you ask me. Seriously, Jack’s shenanigans to get her to realize how good they would be together? Amazing. The over the top holiday festivities that Ivy’s family does and Jack loathes the holiday? Perfection. Just SO 👏 GOOD 👏

Loved it

Loved the cute and clean Christmas story. The leads were well rounded and I took in the whole book while losing a lot of sleep in one sitting.

Perfect Holiday Rom-Com! Full Of Heart & Joy!!!

Stephanie Rose and Neill Thorne were fantastic as the narrators for this delightfully fun and swoony Christmas story!!! I loved being back in this story while listening to the audiobook. These two narrators are a great duo that I love listening to! I always love when Stephanie Rose voices the characters of Jennifer Peel's books!!!

My thought during and after reading/listening to Ivy and Jack's story was that I would be very happy and content for it to be Christmas all year long!!! Especially if it means that we can relive the magic of Jack discovering the beauty and importance of Christmas, family and love. Well, he already knows about love, because he is completely smitten with Ivy. She is his world and he's determined to help her finally see that and he's not going to this Christmas season pass by without her knowing he's all in!

Jack's love for Ivy makes me think of the Jane Austen quote, "If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more." I loved having both his Ivy's POVs during this book. I loved knowing what he was thinking, seeing more fully into his thoughts and his whys. Seriously, you're going to fall in love with Jack, and his love for Ivy. I'm sitting here thinking about several specific scenes and the things he does or says and I just can't help but grinning. And wishing that everyone had a love in their lives like the love that Jack has for Ivy. It's not perfect. It's not always easy. But he's trying and open to admitting that he's a mess but he's better for having her in his life. *Happy Sigh*

"Believe me, this is no stunt. I love Ivy." *Smirks* Oh yeah! He's 1000% smitten.

And guess what? So is Ivy!!!
"'Ivy,' Jack whispered against my lips. My name, so tender on his lips, snapped me out of the trance his kiss had lulled me into."

Oh how I loved this book! It's one that I would be happy to experience reading it for the first time over and over again! But the magic of it all will make it feel that way every time I return to it. And it's definitely one that I want to listen to the audiobook of! It's going to be sooooooo good!!!! *Happy Dance*

Another big aspect of this book that I just adored is Ivy's family. They are wonderful. They felt like a big hug! They're loud and messy but fun and inviting and loving! Definitely a big hug! And they're funny! Especially her mom! And the grinch hat! *Giggling* You're going to love it all!!!

Clear your schedule and wrap yourself up in your comfiest blanket, grab a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows and nutella, and immerse yourself in this beautifully magical story of found family, love, friendship and the joy of Christmas.

Content: Some kisses but nothing further. The characters do share a room but nothing happens between them besides snuggling. Some mild swear words scattered throughout. Some mild innuendos.

I received a copy from the author but have also purchased my own copy. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Listening!!!