Make the Season Bright Review — Is It Worth Reading?

Verdict: A steamy, angsty holiday romance with a premise that splits readers down the middle: five years after Brighton Fairbrook left her at the altar, violinist Charlotte Donovan arrives for Christmas at her quartet-mate’s family home to find her ex there too. Fans call it cute, angsty and hot; many others could not forgive Brighton or believe in the reunion.

Best for: Second-chance romance fans who enjoy messy leads, big feelings and a queer found family at Christmas.

Heat level: L5 · Very explicit (5/5)

Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.5/5 — a 3.58 Goodreads average across 22,510 ratings, 3.61 on StoryGraph from 10,404 reviews, and 4.2 stars across 1,776 Amazon ratings)

Tropes: Second chance, exes to lovers, forced proximity, fake strangers, Christmas, found family.

Make the Season Bright is Ashley Herring Blake’s 2024 second-chance lesbian romance from Berkley, about 344 pages. Charlotte is doing more than okay: she has her strings ensemble, the Rosalind Quartet, and a New York life she loves, even if her mother never checks in.

It holds a 3.58 average across 22,510 Goodreads ratings, with 55% of them four or five stars, 3.61 on StoryGraph from 10,404 reviews, and 4.2 stars across 1,776 Amazon ratings. On StoryGraph, 73% of reviewers tagged it emotional and 62% lighthearted.

What Is Make the Season Bright About?

Sloane persuades the quartet to spend Christmas with her family for extra practice before a tour. But Sloane’s sister Adele has brought a friend home too, and that friend is Brighton, freshly kicked out of her band and hoping for the jolliest possible Christmas.

The exes agree to pretend they are strangers, which gets harder when Sloane and Adele’s mother signs everyone up for a series of Christmas dating events.

What Works in This Book

Tension: The first reunion after five years crackles, readers say.
Heat: Blake’s sex scenes are a highlight even for critics.
Found family: Fans love the side characters and the queer joy.
Audiobook: Kristen DiMercurio’s narration earns praise.

Book Synopsis

A bride left at the altar. The woman who left her.

One house, one Christmas, and a lot of pretending.

My Review

Blake writes feelings at full volume, and her fans got what they came for: witty banter, rom-com set pieces, chemistry and a joyful cast. One reader calls it possibly their favourite of her books, and another describes the couple as so inevitable it filled their heart. Readers who enjoy morally grey leads will find plenty to chew on here.

The problem is the premise. A large share of reviews say Brighton’s reason for leaving, never communicating that she was not ready, was not enough, and some felt she spent the book casting herself as the victim rather than apologising. Others found Charlotte frustrating, the pair incompatible, or the book lacking the magic of Bright Falls. Several readers were actively rooting against the reunion.

My honest note: Hot and heartfelt, but test your tolerance for the premise first.

Element	In Make the Season Bright
Central relationship	Charlotte Donovan (violinist) & Brighton Fairbrook (musician, her ex-fiancée)
Core tropes	Second chance, exes to lovers, forced proximity
Setting	Sloane’s family home at Christmas
Heat level	L5 · Very explicit (5/5)
Length	About 344 pages
Series	Standalone
Content notes	Abandonment at the altar, parental neglect

How Spicy Is Make the Season Bright?

High. Readers call it hot as hell, and even critics praise how Blake writes sex scenes.

Readers list abandonment at the altar and parental neglect as content warnings.

Who Should Read This Book?

You’ll likely love it if: you love second chances, big emotions and holiday heat. It is on our cozy lesbian romance list.

You may want to skip it if: you could never forgive being left at the altar.

In short: Last Christmas, with the ex.

What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)

On Goodreads the split is 17% five stars, 38% four, 33% three, 10% two and 2% one.

Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Heat first. Second, tension. Third, the found family. Fourth, the feelings.

What readers argue about and complain about: Brighton leaving Charlotte at the altar, above everything. Second, poor communication. Third, comparisons with Bright Falls.

The comparison worth making first: Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail, Blake’s Bright Falls romance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Make the Season Bright so divisive?

Brighton left Charlotte at the altar five years ago, and many readers could not forgive her or root for a reunion. Others loved the feelings and the inevitability of the pair.

Does it have a happy ending?

Yes. Even readers who disliked the premise acknowledge Charlotte and Brighton get their happily ever after.

How spicy is it?

Very. Readers call it hot as hell; one asked for fewer uses of one particular phrase in the sex scenes.

Is it part of Bright Falls?

No, it is a standalone holiday romance, though many readers compare it with the Bright Falls books.

Is Make the Season Bright on Kindle Unlimited?

Not when we checked; the Kindle edition was listed at $9.99.

If You Loved Make the Season Bright, Read These Next

Try Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail or Where the Heart Is. Browse our cozy lesbian romance list or the full Book Reviews archive.

The Bottom Line

Make the Season Bright sets out to be a steamy second-chance Christmas romance, and its heat and feelings deliver for fans. What holds it back is a betrayal many readers cannot get past. Worth it if exes to lovers is your thing. Check Make the Season Bright on Amazon →