Tessa Bailey’s Wreck the Halls is a contemporary romance novel. The novel was originally published in 2023 by the Avon imprint of HarperCollins. The novel falls under the holiday romance subgenre and is set in the weeks leading up to Christmas Day. Wreck the Halls is written from the third person point of view and abides by a linear narrative structure, beginning in 2009 when the protagonists, Melody Gallard and Beat Dawkins, first meet. Melody and Beat are the children of rock icons Trina Gallard and Octavia Dawkins. Fourteen years after their original meeting, Melody and Beat come together to reunite their mothers’ band, Steel Birds, with the help of Applause Network. The resulting “Wreck the Halls” production live streams the protagonists’ efforts to resolve Trina and Octavia’s differences and convince them to perform a reunion concert on Christmas Eve. Working toward a common goal intensifies Melody and Beat’s romantic feelings for each other and inspires the novel’s thematic explorations of Navigating and Repairing Fraught Familial Relationships, The Complexities of Love Under the Spotlight, and The Journey Toward Self-Discovery and Personal Growth.

This guide refers to the 2023 Avon paperback edition of the novel.

Plot Summary

The novel opens in 2009 when Melody Gallard and Beat Dawkins are 16 years old. Melody and Beat have been connected since their mothers, Trina Gallard and Octavia Dawkins, got pregnant with them at the same time. In the 1990s, Trina and Octavia were performing members of the rock duo Steel Birds. Shortly after Melody’s and Beat’s conceptions, Steel Birds broke up under mysterious circumstances. However, Melody and Beat still live under the spotlight and are forced to give regular interviews and field paparazzi attention. At a television studio in New York, they run into each other and meet in person for the first time. Melody feels awkward around Beat but can’t deny how drawn she is to him. Beat agrees that they share a special bond and tells Melody to contact him if she ever needs a friend.

Fourteen years later, Beat receives yet another call from his blackmailer and biological father, Fletcher Carr, while at his friend’s party in Tribeca. Fletcher is threatening to expose Beat’s paternity to the world if he doesn’t pay him another large sum of money. Beat has given in to Fletcher’s demands over the past four years because he’s afraid of ruining Octavia’s philanthropic reputation and hurting his stepfather, Rudy Dawkins’s, feelings. However, he doesn’t know where he’s going to get the $8,000 Fletcher wants by Christmas. Remembering an offer from Applause Network producer Danielle Doolin, Beat opens his email, hoping to resolve his problem.

Danielle is thrilled to learn that Beat wants to help her network reunite Steel Birds for a reunion concert on Christmas Eve in Rockefeller Center. She contacts Melody about the plan, and Melody agrees to the meeting. In Danielle’s office, Danielle explains that the network will live stream Beat and Melody over the following weeks as they try to bring their mothers together and convince them to perform one last time. Beat fears that the media attention will upset Melody but also needs the promised 1 million dollars to pay off Fletcher. Melody decides that it’s time to break financial ties with Trina and assures Beat that she’s comfortable pursuing the project, newly renamed “Wreck the Halls.”

Beat and Melody attend Octavia’s annual charity gala. During the gala, Octavia is shocked to see Trina’s daughter in attendance. However, Melody charms her, and Octavia agrees to play one song with Trina on Christmas Eve if they can get her to Rockefeller Center. That night, Melody stays at Beat’s apartment, and they kiss and engage in sexual foreplay. When Beat stops the interaction abruptly, Melody feels embarrassed and goes to bed. In the morning, Beat is worried he’s offended Melody. However, he doesn’t know how to tell her about his complicated sexual history and preferences. In the meantime, he dismisses his anxiety to focus on supporting Melody emotionally. They’re traveling to New Hampshire to confront Trina, and Beat knows Melody is nervous about seeing her mom. Melody and Trina only see each other once a year, and Melody never feels like Trina sees or listens to her.

Shortly after arriving in New Hampshire, Melody and Trina are arrested for getting into a scuffle with a band of locals when the cops try to break up Trina’s disruptive drum circle. In the jail cell, Melody confronts Trina about how she’s hurt her and urges her mom to let go of her pain and move forward. After Beat bails them out, they return to Trina’s house for a celebration. Beat and Melody announce their Steel Birds reunion plan and perform a famous Steel Birds song. Afterward, they have sex in Trina’s spare room. Melody enjoys sex with Beat but feels upset afterward. Since he was a teenager, Beat hasn’t let himself orgasm with a woman as punishment for his privileged life. Melody understands but also feels lonely when Beat pushes her away after intercourse. When they fly back to New York, she tells him if he can’t open up to her, they should just be friends.

Beat and Melody spend a few days apart. Melody needs the space to refocus. In the meantime, Beat reflects on his feelings for Melody. He begins to realize how important she is to him and how afraid he is of hurting her. He races out in search of her, desperate to apologize and profess his love. After their reunion, the lovers and their friends stage a snowball fight in Prospect Park. That evening, Beat goes back to Melody’s apartment and opens up to her about his life. He tells her about Fletcher and the blackmail money, too. Melody is glad he confided in her, and they have sex.

Beat and Melody give an interview on the Today show. Beat is shocked when the host welcomes Fletcher onto the stage as a special guest. Afterward, Fletcher pulls Beat aside and threatens to blackmail Melody, too. Beat pulls away from Melody, desperate to protect her from Fletcher. Melody goes home alone, overwhelmed and confused by Beat’s sudden coldness toward her. Shortly thereafter, Trina shows up unannounced at her apartment. They discuss their relationship and make amends for the past. Then Melody tells Trina everything that’s happening with Beat, including Fletcher’s blackmailing. Trina tells Melody they have to meet with Octavia.

Melody, Trina, and Beat end up at Octavia’s house all together. They discuss the situation with Fletcher and decide it’s time to stop him once and for all. Fletcher is the former Steel Birds drummer, and he’s come between Trina and Octavia over the years. The women decide to forgive each other for the past and expose Fletcher’s illicit behavior on stage on Christmas Eve. The reunion concert goes well, but Beat flees the scene prematurely. When Trina and Octavia play a tribute video for Beat and Melody, Melody realizes how much she loves Beat and races out to find him. She and Beat reunite in the park. They make amends and profess their love. Then Beat proposes, and Melody accepts.