Review - - Have Yourself a Merry Little Meltdown

Have Yourself a Merry Little Meltdown

by Sheila Roberts

Publisher: MIRA

Release Date: October 13, 2026

Reviewed by PJ

Jordan Frost had to do it. Her family was simply too perfectly eccentric not to put in a novel. She was thrilled when she got an agent and then a publishing deal. For two books. Two! Then reality set in. The book about an oddball family's holiday adventures is coming out in November. Just in time for her trip home to Holly Bay, Washington, from the big city. Jordan is desperately hoping she can keep her pseudonym a secret so she can stay in her family's good graces. She wrote the book under a pen name and when it was time for an author picture, she wore a wig and glasses. No one will know it was her, right?

Wrong. Charles Pine, her high school friend who always hoped for more, recognizes the woman he's never gotten over as soon as he unpacks her book to shelve at the bookstore where he works. He knows this is the perfect opportunity to get Jordan to see him in a new light and he makes sure to run into her when she arrives home. She never thought of him as anything more than a shoulder to cry on back then, but he's determined to make her see him as boyfriend material. Can he be her hero and help her get through the season with her secret intact? Or at least save her from a holiday meltdown?

When a series of minor family emergencies threatens to add even more chaos to Jordan's already hectic life, Charles tries to help her find the true meaning of the holiday. Maybe coming home wasn't a bad idea after all...

PJ's Thoughts:

Jordan had always read that people should write what they know and, honestly, did she know anyone better than the quirky members of her own family? So, that's what she wrote. Oh, not them exactly. She changed names, exaggerated events based on things they actually did. Surely, nobody would ever recognize the actual people who inspired the characters. At least that's what she convinced herself...until she read the finished book as it headed into publication. Who was she kidding? Her entire family, and their small hometown, would know exactly who this book was about. There was only one escape route available: get home to Holly Bay and make sure nobody has a chance to get their hands on a copy of that book! And, only one person to help her accomplish that task: Charles, the nerdy boy she best-friend zoned early and never saw as anything more, currently the owner of her hometown bookstore, and the man who has always wanted her heart. What could go wrong? As it turns out, plenty and all to humorous, heartfelt effect. 

What an absolute delight this book is. If nobody has come calling to turn it into a movie yet, they absolutely should. It played out in full color across my mind as I gobbled it up, checking all my happy holiday reader boxes. I laughed, I cringed, I fell in love with these characters in all their hopeful, quirky, sometimes awkward glory. Roberts has a gift for creating characters, and situations, that feel real and relatable. I frequently found myself wondering if she had spies gathering intel from my own family during our growing up years. I could easily envision us in some of those situations. 

The relationships within the book are the shining star of the story. I loved how she threaded the relationships within the family together, realistically stretching the bonds while maintaining the core of love that holds strong. Then there's the sweet romance between Charles and Jordan. Roberts takes her time with these two, giving us a gradual, organic transition from friendship to love. I was right there on every page, cheering them on through reunion, forgiveness, hijinks, and more.  

If you're looking for a fun, fast-paced, family-centric, holiday romcom with laughter, heart, a sweet friends-to-lovers romance at the center, and, of course, a happy ending, I recommend picking up a copy of Have Yourself a Merry Little Meltdown by Sheila Roberts. I enjoyed it so much I think I'm going to read it again!