Read An Excerpt From 'Not Another Christmas Movie' by Ashley Cowan

Perfect for fans of A Merry Little Meet Cute, this holiday rom-com will enchant readers who have a love-hate relationship with Christmas movies.

Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Not Another Christmas Movie by Ashley Cowan, which releases on October 6th 2026.

But first, here’s an introduction from the author:

“Devoted fan or dedicated hate-watcher, if you’ve seen even a single made-for-TV Christmas movie, you already know the formula by heart: Big-city career woman, failing family business, perfectly timed kiss under the mistletoe. The blizzard is never in the forecast, the stakes are always cookie-related, and somehow nobody has a job that interferes with double-fisting hot chocolates at the tree lighting festival. It’s an escape, and a comfort, to spend two hours somewhere a happy ending is within reach, falling right on cue with the CGI snow.

Enter Not Another Christmas Movie, where thirty-something Annie, nursing a fizzled situationship with a box of rosé, wakes up in her worst nightmare: one of these very movies, set in her own hometown of Simsbury, Connecticut. Her noncommittal ex is now a hunky widower and owner of a tree farm. But Annie isn’t trapped alone. Her dorky childhood neighbor, Nick, is here too. Only, he’s not quite as dorky as she remembers, and she begins to wonder if the real magic of Christmas, and love, is much closer to home.

I hope you enjoy Not Another Christmas Movie, where every trope gets top billing and true love is only ever a commercial break away.”

Synopsis

When Annie Meyers wakes up in a made-for-TV Christmas movie starring her ex-situationship and a now not-so-dorky childhood neighbor, her plans to swear off love—and Christmas—begin to unravel.

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Thirtysomething Annie Meyers is having a rough year. Her situationship with the noncommittal Chris fizzled out, and her best friend’s impending engagement is the final crunch of the candy cane. Her solution: to spend the holiday slugging boxed rosé and ignoring the rest of the world.

That is, until she falls asleep and wakes up in her worst nightmare: a made-for-TV Christmas movie version of her quaint hometown. To make matters worse, Chris is now the town’s hunky widower and owner of a Christmas tree farm. But Annie isn’t trapped alone: Her dorky childhood neighbor, Nick, is here too. Only, he’s not quite as dorky as she remembers.

After some mild panic, Annie and Nick realize their escape hinges on playing into classic rom-com tropes. The plan is simple: Annie will woo Chris—the now “perfect boyfriend”—and Nick, his childhood sweetheart, Bailey.

But after holiday hoedowns, ice-skating dates, and cookie-baking montages, Annie begins to wonder if the real magic of Christmas—and love—is much closer to home.