It’s been years since Allison has attended the annual Chapman-Beaumont Christmas tradition, which typically involves blindfolds, '40s-themed dinner parties, and acting like igloo-building is an Olympic sport. She finally flies home to Vermont to participate in five days of over-the-top festivities with her family and their best friends, the Chapmans – but this year, she’s bringing her boyfriend, and she doesn’t know how they'll all mesh. Jake Chapman (Ally’s closest friend or worst enemy depending on the year) seems especially pissed about it, and Ally can’t help but notice that Jake’s not the same lanky teenager she remembers. The Five Days of Christmas is a new-adult holiday romance by Maria Cassano. This festive-AF novelette isn’t quite as wholesome as a Hallmark movie, but its witty dialogue and rough-around-the-edges characters add some welcome realism to all things merry and bright.