The Christmas Memory

by Barbara Winkes

Her wish comes true for Christmas, but not the way she intended…Avery, a photographer and a barista at The Ground Floor, is falling for one of her most loyal customers, Clare, who works in the same building and comes in for a sweet treat and a kind word most mornings.When Clare slips and falls on a patch of ice one day, Avery rushes to help her, only to realize that after the fall and a concussion, Clare has gaps in her memory and acts like she and Avery are a couple.Does that mean she has always felt the same? Avery knows she needs to tell her the truth eventually, but Clare seems adamant about rejecting every attempt to clear up the misunderstanding. And then there are her own, long-held feelings for Clare…Can they still create the perfect Christmas memory, or will reality catch up to them?

Genres: Romance, Christmas, Lesbian, Holiday, Contemporary, LGBT, Adult

129 pages, ebook

Published November 2, 2023

About the author

Barbara Winkes writes suspense and romance with lesbian characters at the center. She has always loved stories in which women persevere and lift each other up. Expect high drama and happy endings.

Discover a variety of genres, serial and standalone. Women loving women always take the lead.

Reviews

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, rushed ending, pleasant read.

[Menestrella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story. 3.5 stars for me.
I liked the idea of it, I hoped for more funnier parts.

[Jo reece · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt rushed towards the end, and abut too short for me, but still a fun read.

3.5 out of 5

[Carol Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sweet!

Avery is falling for Clare, who is a regular customer in the coffee shop within the building they both work in. A freak accident with a patch of ice leaves Clare concussed and Avery just happened to be the one there when she came around. They act like a couple, so the gap in Clare’s memory leads her to believe they are, and things start spiralling out of control for Avery, who worries the longer she leaves telling Clare the truth the worse it’ll be.

Everything about this was just perfect for the holiday season. I really felt for Avery, it was so easy for her and Clare to end up in this situation, and she really wanted to do the right thing but her heart didn’t want to hurt Clare either. They had great chemistry the seconds they interacted and you just knew they were meant to be together. The fact they found themselves in a situation that meant they were but not really made for a really great story with cuteness and drama to make a great story.

Clare was just making assumptions because of her injury and you could tell how much Avery really cared for her by the deliberating and worrying she did. It wasn’t as if she didn’t try to explain, and she certainly kept her distance to start, feeling out the situation and what would be best. Nothing she did was for her own gain, and when Clare found out the truth, my heart broke for them both at what this might mean for them, especially when choices had to be made about the future.

I really enjoyed every second of it and was so happy they got this opportunity, even if it was with the odd bump along the way.

[Aunt Missa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no idea why I’m still reading Christmas novellas in January. This is a low spice, medium angst little story. It was cute with piles of pining.

[Twyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute romance story!

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barista and aspiring photographer Avery stumbles into a holiday predicament that is equal parts fantasy and nightmare when Clare, her favorite coffee shop customer and secret crush sustains a head injury that leads to her believing she and Avery are girlfriends. The resulting “relationship” is magical but unsustainable…or is it?

The Christmas Memory is a cute and heartwarming sapphic romance from start to finish. Avery and Clare are endearing, if hapless, characters who make it impossible not to cheer for their happy ending. The surprising and occasionally funny predicament that brings them together is the stuff great holiday romcoms are made of, yet it still manages to feel authentic and fresh. A romantic and festive big city setting and vivid side characters round out the story, making it engaging and fun.

If you’re in the mood for a sweet and sigh-inducing romance to read for the holidays, The Christmas Memory will live up to its name and prove a truly memorable choice.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice twist on Christmas!

This is a heartwarming story about an aspiring photographer/barista Avery and Clare, her favourite coffee customer. Each has fallen for the other, but no one has made a move. When Clare suddenly fell on the ice and hit her head, her head injury brings on amnesia which led her to believe they are already girlfriends. And Avery goes along with that!

Author Barbara put a little magic spell on this book for the holidays. Both of these young women are adorable and made me root for their HEA. The secondary characters added lots of fun and great support. I very much enjoyed this clean Christmas romance!

[Doug Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

In The Christmas Memory a slip and fall induced amnesia brings Avery and Clare together as girlfriends. Since the women have secret crushes on each other, this is not an entirely crazy premise. However, the mistaken belief on Clare’s part continues uncorrected for a long time. Consequently, the story arc descends from angst into melodrama towards the end. Had Clare known the truth sooner, the women would have had more time to develop their relationship and provided the reader with greater insights into their respective personalities. That concern aside, this is a quick holiday read with the expected happy ending.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book by Barbara is a sweet story about literally falling in love. Clare takes a tumble and wakes up to see the love of her life hovering over her, but are things really as they seem. Avery has been crushing on the beautiful woman that is a customer at the coffee shop she works at. When the opportunity for her dreams to come true falls into her life, will she take the chance to follow her heart or will she come clean with the truth.
A wonderful book that is a change from the usual mysteries Barbara writes. She doesn’t disappoint with this story about a Christmas wish coming true.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. Amnesia, Christmas, friends to lovers romance. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really liked the characters Avery and Clare. They’re both likable characters and I liked their chemistry. Clare falls and suffers a head injury and some memory loss. She thinks that she and Avery are dating when they’re not and Avery goes along with it as to not stress her out. It’s a very sweet story though I do think Avery kept the truth from Clare for a little bit too long but that didn’t hinder my enjoyment. This is a light and fluffy read and I had a good time with it.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Romance

This Christmas story is such an interesting romance, I've not read one before that involved medical amnesia. Very interesting. It's definitely worth a nice quick read.
The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is because the ending seemed hurried. The problem a little too drawn out and the solution quite quick. But it's still a good story!

[Lorraine Rusnack · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet holiday romance. Clare is interested in asking Avery the barista when she slips and hits her head. She wakes up to see Avery and thinks they are a couple. Avery is nervous, but wants to be there for Clare whom she has adored from afar. It is an interesting journey to see how the story plays out. I really enjoyed the book.

[Michelle Schuler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Christmas Memory

This was my first book by Barbara Winkes. I loved the sweet Christmas story. Although excellent chemistry, it felt faced paced for the relationship. It had good Christmas activities that I appreciated.

[Joanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was fine, nothing to write home about but I have no big complaints. Mostly i think there wasn’t enough character development to really make me care about them as a couple and be gagged by the amnesia drama.

[Donna Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a difficult read because of the hurt and pain. Dealing with a concussion can be complicated but thinking you have someone special in your life when it was a crush is even more difficult. Barbara Winkes writes these dramas so well

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Never again would she keep something from the people she loved because of assumptions she’d made, because of her own lack of confidence. Chances were she could make things so much better by telling the truth"
Me cautivó al inicio, pero el final fue abrupto y demasiado obvio.

[Sandy Souder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice new twist on Christmas

Love Barb Winkes' books. This is q nice change from her suspense books. Cute twist on the chip love story.

[☀️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 stars - cute short wlw Christmas story. Definitely could have been longer with a bit more details, but good nonetheless and great for this time of year!

[PJ Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read

Chose this as a Christmas read. Wasn't disappointed , very entertained , and more titles to chose from. Characters full of insight.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing style and story were on the simplistic side (it is what it is) but the vibes were cute and it did tug at my emotions so... 🤷‍♀️

[Serina’s Stories wolfganghollows · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet little romance, totally predictable and cheesy as hell but hits you in the feels.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

i unfortunately cannot suspend my disbelief when the main character is making stupid decisions

[Rebecca Gaddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little disappointing because there is little substance to the story.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read December 2024
3,5 stars

[Bren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the characters and their interactions were really sweet. However, there was very little real conflict and everything fell into place much too easily/quickly for me.

[Cat5 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I read it 4x this holiday season. The plot is fun, and the characters are likeable. I also like hpw the characters are already in love, but nervous to take that step forward until an unexpected event allows them to do so. It will probably be an annual read, perhaps even for Christmas in July.