Book Review - A Little Christmas Rivalry by Sandy Barker

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Title: A Little Christmas Rivalry

Author: Sandy Barker

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Ebook

Publication Date: 25th August 2026 

Rating: 5 Stars

🌟It’s the most wonderful time of the year… to win. 🌟

Sophie Reid is at the top of her game. A brilliant advertising exec and a devoted single mum, she’s this close to landing the biggest campaign of her career – the coveted Christmas ad for Hargreaves, the retail giant.

Her biggest rival? Arrogant lone wolf Drew Parker, who won the campaign last year – and the year before. If only he weren’t so hot, maybe Sophie could get him out of her head.

Drew knows exactly what Sophie thinks of him, but he doesn’t care. He’s here to win.

But when they’re forced to work together on the campaign, the lines between rivalry and attraction begin to blur.

As the festive season draws nearer, work takes them to snow-covered Switzerland – and those guarded, icy walls begin to melt. Could this Christmas be the start of something neither of them saw coming?

A rivals-to-lovers romcom full of humour, heart and a touch of Christmas magic.

What a thoroughly enjoyable book this was.  

Sophie and Drew are rivals at their advertising firm and both are determined to win the coveted Hargreaves Christmas advert account.  When they create their pitches both have utterly killer concepts that I thought were brilliant. 

Ok I preferred Sophie's to Drew's initial idea, but I wasn't thee one awarding the job.  Drew wins it, but due to it being a big campaign, he is being forced to team up with Sophie.  It's just the Sophie seems to hate him and he has no idea why. 

But yet at a company family event, Drew's niece meet's Sophie's daughter and they become friends, and also seem determined to get their adults together. There is definitely matchmaking afoot, and they are being forced to spend more and more time together. 

Sophie although appearing to hate Drew on the outside, has been having rather intimate dreams about him for a few years, and as she gets to know the real man, she wonders if she can see something a bit deeper in him. 

My favourite characters were definitely Maisie and Harlow, two adorable children, one wise beyond her years, the other just adorable and a few years younger, but a firm friendship develops. And the way that Drew and Sophie are going along with their meddling is really sweet too. 

This was just a really enjoyable story, that I devoured.  It's lovely and Christmassy and I loved the way the ad campaign turned out.  Just such a fabulous story, I loved it. 

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed voluntarily and honestly.