55 Best Christmas Novels to Read in 2025

For fans of: A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg

While Christmas fiction isn’t a genre per se, it’s a popular romance subgenre that rom-com readers flock to during the holiday season the way fans of warm-and-fuzzy romances turn on the Hallmark channel for holiday specials. After all, can anyone really resist a cute holiday romance complete with all the fixings? Because Judith Natelli McLaughlin’s 2022 A Kentucky Hug for Christmas has it all—happy-place music, hot chocolate and hot men—and it comes librarian recommended.

“Add a little country twang to your Christmas with A Kentucky Hug for Christmas by Judith Natelli McLaughlin,” says Kerri Wallace, a librarian for Hoboken Public Library who has worked in libraries for more than 20 years. “It’s got music, a juicy breakup and a single hunk that just might be perfect for the lead character—a singer/songwriter who, of course, isn’t looking for love!”