If you love Hallmark Christmas Movies I think you will love books that read like a Hallmark Christmas movie.
Who doesn’t love a good Hallmark Christmas movie?
Yes, I know not everyone loves Christmas movies, but I do. Or at least I enjoy watching a few of them every year around Christmas. But since we love books, we actually love Christmas books better than Christmas movies!
Did you know that many of the Hallmark Christmas movies are actually based on books?
Quite a few of them are based on books. So today we are talking about books that read like Hallmark Christmas Movies. Not all of these books have been made into Christmas movies, but several of them have.
Many Hallmark movies are a bit cheesy and predictable. When I read a book I like a little more depth to it, for my Christmas books that read like Hallmark movies list I tried to pick books that have a little bit more story and character development.
Yes, most of them are still predictable romance type books, but reading a book allows more time for the character to grow and tell their story.
Today we are just sharing our thoughts on the books, but we plan to do some book vs movie posts about several of these books soon. If you love Christmas movies and Christmas books, stay tuned for that later this month.
Do you have a favorite Christmas book that is not on my list that you think I need to read? Leave a comment letting me know what Christmas books you enjoy.
Books That Read Like a Hallmark Christmas Movie
If you love books that read like a Hallmark Christmas Movie this is the list for you!
Click on the title of the book for a full review of the book and more information on content warnings. All of these books read like a Hallmark Christmas movie, but a few of them are a little more PG than a Hallmark movie.
Last Christmas In Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
This is a Christmas book but it is about so much more. It is a love story during WWI. This is one of my all time favorite Christmas books. It is kind of predictable.
At times, I wished it went a little more in-depth about the characters and the war, but overall it was a great Christmas book.
Faking Christmas by Kerry Winfrey
I picked up Faking Christmas to read after I learned that it was inspired by the movie Christmas in Connecticut. This book is not exactly like the movie, but it was a fun read.
The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury
Books, bookstores, Christmas, and a love story make for a great Christmas read. This is the first Karen Kingsbury book that I have read. I enjoyed this book for an easy and fun Christmas read. This one has been made into a Christmas movie.
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Susan Wiggs
A Christmas-hating single woman gets talked into driving to New York to deliver a group of dogs that are being adopted. She meets Adam who is adopting one of the dogs.
Is this book unrealistic and a bit cheesy? Yes. But it is also a fun light-hearted Christmas romance read.
Christmas at Harrington’s by Melody Carlson
I read this one a few years ago. It is very Hallmark movie like, but that is what makes these types of reads fun. A great book for reading in a cozy chair next to the Christmas tree.
The Noel Diary by Richard Paul Evans
I recently heard Richard Paual Evans called Mr. Christmas. I think that title fits him well, or at least it fits his books well. I like Richard Paul Evans books because they contain a little deeper story than most Christmas books.
A Royal Christmas by Melody Carlson
A Royal Christmas is definitely a Hallmark Movie in book form. Or maybe more like the movie Princess Diaries in book form. It is more of a novella than a regular book, so it is a quick fun read.
Adelaide is finishing up her final year of law school when she receives a letter about her father. It turns out he was a prince who is now a king. A Royal Christmas has romance, humor, and of course Christmas.
The Christmas Swap by Melody Carlson
When I saw The Christmas Swap on Kindle Unlimited last week I knew that I wanted to read it. I needed a light fun read and this was exactly that. Two families swap houses for Christmas vacation so that one family can escape the cold and the other family can enjoy the snow. And of course, there is a cute guy and a cute girl who meet and fall in love. This is a predictable but fun and clean read. It is a classic Hallmark movie type of book. In fact, it could totally be made into a Hallmark movie.
The Christmas Cottage by Samantha Chase
This is one of the rare occasions that I watched the Hallmark movie and then realized that there was a book that the movie was based on. The setting is a cottage in the snow at Christmas. You can’t get much more Hallmark movie than that. This one is a bit PG-13. The Hallmark movie version isn’t, but the book has a few scenes that I think could have easily been left out.
Christmas Train by David Baldacci
This is another book that has been made into a movie. The ending totally surprised me, in a good way. I never would have guessed that it was going to end that way. This will be a book I reread at Christmas time.
Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber
Josie, a chef from Seattle takes a job in Alaska for the summer. At the end of summer, Josie has to go back to Seattle, but that means leaving Palmer and Alaska behind.
This book starts during the summer but ends at Christmas time so it is definitely a Christmas read. This one is unrealistic and totally predictable, but cute.
The Mistletoe Promise by Richard Paul Evans
Another Richard Paul Evan book. This is actually the first book by him that I read. I instantly knew that I would read more of his books.
The Mistletoe Inn by Richard Paul Evans
The Mistletoes Inn and The Mistletoe Promise are part of a three book series, but they can totally be read on their own. They are stand alone books. And yes this is another one by Richard Paul Evans that I enjoyed. I pretty much read one of his books a year.
A Bramble House Christmas by CJ Carmichael
When I read this one I didn’t realize that it is part of a series. It totally works as a stand alone, but now I want to go back and read the rest in the series. I will say that this one is a little PG or PG-13 in a couple of spots.
Christmas at Carnton by Tamera Alexander
This one is a little bit different but good. It is about a wounded soldier and a widow at Christmas time. This is a Christian book and is a clean read.
A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg
This is the first book my Fannie Flagg that I have read and I can see why she is a much loved author. I liked this one because it was a little different than your normal Christmas books.
Christmas Bells by Jennifer Chiaverini
If you like Jennifer Chiaverini’s other books this is a good one. It is based on the story of the poem ” I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”. It left me wanting to know more about the real story of “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” which is always a sign of a good historical fiction read for me.
Snow Angel Cove by RaeAnne Thayne
This is the first RaeAnne Thayne book that I have read and I really enjoyed it because the plot is a little different than most Christmas books. Yes, it is still predictable, but it has more depth than many Christmas books do.
The Walnut Tree by Charles Todd
Set in WWI during Christmas time this is a great book for those that like Downton Abbey type of books.
Christmas At Holiday House
A widow and her son find happiness and love at Christmastime in an unexpected place. I read this one recently and really enjoyed it. It is a little PG-13, but still a good read.
The Noel Diary
I know that I have several of his books already on this list, but this is one that I read this year and loved. An author who hasn’t been home in years returns to clean out his mother’s house. In the process, he finds out things about his family that he never knew. And of course, it involves love at Christmastime.
The Noel Stranger
Another Richard Paul Evans book. He is known as the King of Christmas after all. This one is a little bit cheesy, okay maybe a lot, because a woman falls in love with the guy running the Christmas tree lot. However, I did not guess the ending until well over half way through. It was a fun fairly mindless Christmas read.
The Christmas Promise
The Christmas Promise is probably one of my least favorite Richard Paul Evans books, but I still enjoyed it enough that I wanted to put it on the list. It is one of his more recent books so I know a lot of people may not have read this one. This book is about two identical twin sisters, who have totally different personalities. It was a good Christmas book with a good story and meaning, but I found it a little to unrealistic for me. However, if you love Richard Paul Evans books I think you will find it worth reading.
What is your favorite Christmas book? Please leave a comment letting us know!
Why are all Christmas stories written for snowy locations? There are a lot of people who’ve never seen snow: in our southern states, in Australia, etc. Just wondering.
I have wondered that too. They need to make some Hallmark Christmas movies that are in places that are not necessarily cold. I think most people in the U.S. just think of winter when they think of Christmas, but even a good portion of the U.S. rarely have a white Christmas.
I read The Christmas Train several years ago from the library. I read it aloud in the evenings to my husband and we loved it. I really should buy a copy. Thank you for compiling this list. We love having seasonal read alouds.
The Christmas Train would make a great read aloud. I love that idea. I hope you found a new Christmas book to enjoy.
Thank you for the recommendations. I’ve just requested several of these from my local library.
I have read books that you have recommended and have never been disappointed. Thank you for sharing. I’m adding the ones I haven’t read to my list now.
I just purchased The Locket by Richard Paul Evans at a library sale this morning. They had a few more of his Christmas ones. Maybe I should go back to buy the others!
If you like Christmas fiction, his are really good. I love library book sales because you never know what you will find!