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Back To December: A Cozy & Heartwarming Holiday Novella
Why is it so difficult to feel happy in December?
One December, Penny made the biggest mistake of her life—walking away from Alex. Now, a year later, she's still haunted by what-ifs. When a Christmas invitation arrives from the man whose smile she can't forget, Penny takes a chance on second chances.
But reconnecting with Alex—and his whip-smart teenage daughter Sabrina—means confronting what tore them their fourteen-year age gap and wildly different life stages. As a blizzard traps the three of them under one roof, old sparks reignite, bringing both warming comfort and the burn of past regrets.
Back to December is a tender, witty holiday romance about finding the courage to return to the heart that's been waiting for you all along.
One December, Penny made the biggest mistake of her life—walking away from Alex. Now, a year later, she's still haunted by what-ifs. When a Christmas invitation arrives from the man whose smile she can't forget, Penny takes a chance on second chances.
But reconnecting with Alex—and his whip-smart teenage daughter Sabrina—means confronting what tore them their fourteen-year age gap and wildly different life stages. As a blizzard traps the three of them under one roof, old sparks reignite, bringing both warming comfort and the burn of past regrets.
Back to December is a tender, witty holiday romance about finding the courage to return to the heart that's been waiting for you all along.
- GenresChristmas
71 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 11, 2025
13 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Laurel Osterkamp
21 books525 followersLaurel Osterkamp is the award-winning author of roughly a dozen novels, such as Favorite Daughters and the #1 Amazon bestseller, Beautiful Little Furies. She is obsessed with writing and doesn't know how to stop. In addition to her novels, she has short fiction published in literary journals all over the web, writes a monthly column for Writer's Fun Zone, and runs her website, laurellit.com, with book reviews, lesson plans, and writing advice.
When she's not writing (which is rare) she's often teaching adult ESL or middle school enrichment classes, going running while listening to audiobooks, or educating her daughter about the OG teen soap opera, Beverly Hills 90210. She lives in Minneapolis with a family who loves to argue, and their cats, who love to hiss at each other. Ramona Quimby is her spirit animal.
Follow her on Instagram @laurel_osterkamp.
When she's not writing (which is rare) she's often teaching adult ESL or middle school enrichment classes, going running while listening to audiobooks, or educating her daughter about the OG teen soap opera, Beverly Hills 90210. She lives in Minneapolis with a family who loves to argue, and their cats, who love to hiss at each other. Ramona Quimby is her spirit animal.
Follow her on Instagram @laurel_osterkamp.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 16, 2025
Cute feel good holiday romance.
December 1, 2025
A sweet holiday novelette that showcases a second chance at love.
Decembers have marked many changes in Penny's life, but there is one December that she really regrets. That's the one in which she walked away from Alex, the love of her life. A year later, she is trying to thrive as a host of her podcast "Penny for Your Thoughts" and keep her mind away from her past life. When she receives an invitation to spend Christmas with Alex's family this year, Penny can't help but accept. Reconnecting with Alex and his daughter Sabrina is more than Penny ever could have wished for. She'll soon find that second chances are meant to be freely given to those that deserve them.
I just finished "My Winter Song to You" so Penny's character is still fresh in my mind. I am really glad that I waited on reading this one until after I read the main novel, because this novelette does reveal a bit of the conflict that occurs in "My Winter Song to You." This short story does do a great job of expanding on Penny's story and the entire town of Sugar Pine in general, so it serves as a great companion to Morgan and Max's tale.
Penny and Alex's relationship is a pretty wholesome one. Penny is also super tight with Sabrina (Alex's daughter) which is another thing that I adored about this novel. The fact that Penny and Alex don't let the age difference between them bother them is also pretty sweet. Another thing that these two bond over is their enjoyment of sociology and the fact that they both like to write nonfiction.
This short story, much like "My Winter Song to You," does a fabulous job of reminding the reader to chase one's dreams no matter how unlikely they seem. Penny desperately wants to write a book and Alex just wants to be an amazing dad. With the right support system, one doesn't have to give up their dreams in order to be with those that matter most to them.
The only thing I struggled with a tad was how the narrative jumped around in time quite a bit. I don't think this would have been that hard to follow, except I read this one on audio, which made my brain have to think fast about which timeline we were currently following in order to keep up with the story.
Overall, "Back to December" is a super quick read and a sweet holiday romance. It features tropes such as second chance romance and age gap. I found it to be a great addition to "My Winter Song to You," though I'm sure it could be read as a stand alone, too. However, just note there are slight spoilers for the main book if you read this one first. I do really enjoy Osterkamp's work, so I will definitely be checking out some of her other books outside of this series eventually.
Audiobook Note: Jama Smith is the narrator of this one. I must say, I was a bit concerned at the start because they spoke so fast. I literally double-checked that I was only on one time speed (I usually listen to books on at least 1.5x) and I was. I feel that Smith eventually slowed down as the story continued, but there is a chance that I just got used to their pacing. Beyond this though, they did a very solid job of bringing Penny's story to life.
Decembers have marked many changes in Penny's life, but there is one December that she really regrets. That's the one in which she walked away from Alex, the love of her life. A year later, she is trying to thrive as a host of her podcast "Penny for Your Thoughts" and keep her mind away from her past life. When she receives an invitation to spend Christmas with Alex's family this year, Penny can't help but accept. Reconnecting with Alex and his daughter Sabrina is more than Penny ever could have wished for. She'll soon find that second chances are meant to be freely given to those that deserve them.
I just finished "My Winter Song to You" so Penny's character is still fresh in my mind. I am really glad that I waited on reading this one until after I read the main novel, because this novelette does reveal a bit of the conflict that occurs in "My Winter Song to You." This short story does do a great job of expanding on Penny's story and the entire town of Sugar Pine in general, so it serves as a great companion to Morgan and Max's tale.
Penny and Alex's relationship is a pretty wholesome one. Penny is also super tight with Sabrina (Alex's daughter) which is another thing that I adored about this novel. The fact that Penny and Alex don't let the age difference between them bother them is also pretty sweet. Another thing that these two bond over is their enjoyment of sociology and the fact that they both like to write nonfiction.
This short story, much like "My Winter Song to You," does a fabulous job of reminding the reader to chase one's dreams no matter how unlikely they seem. Penny desperately wants to write a book and Alex just wants to be an amazing dad. With the right support system, one doesn't have to give up their dreams in order to be with those that matter most to them.
The only thing I struggled with a tad was how the narrative jumped around in time quite a bit. I don't think this would have been that hard to follow, except I read this one on audio, which made my brain have to think fast about which timeline we were currently following in order to keep up with the story.
Overall, "Back to December" is a super quick read and a sweet holiday romance. It features tropes such as second chance romance and age gap. I found it to be a great addition to "My Winter Song to You," though I'm sure it could be read as a stand alone, too. However, just note there are slight spoilers for the main book if you read this one first. I do really enjoy Osterkamp's work, so I will definitely be checking out some of her other books outside of this series eventually.
Audiobook Note: Jama Smith is the narrator of this one. I must say, I was a bit concerned at the start because they spoke so fast. I literally double-checked that I was only on one time speed (I usually listen to books on at least 1.5x) and I was. I feel that Smith eventually slowed down as the story continued, but there is a chance that I just got used to their pacing. Beyond this though, they did a very solid job of bringing Penny's story to life.
November 5, 2025
Back to December melted my heart like hot cocoa on a snowy night ❄️❤️
I absolutely loved Penny and Sabrina’s relationship — it was sweet, real, and full of warmth. And Alex? My heart broke in the best way watching him love Penny enough to let her go so she could pursue her own happiness. 🥺
This story is tender, emotional, and beautifully written — a second-chance romance wrapped in Christmas lights and sprinkled with just the right amount of heartbreak and hope. 🎄✨
I absolutely loved Penny and Sabrina’s relationship — it was sweet, real, and full of warmth. And Alex? My heart broke in the best way watching him love Penny enough to let her go so she could pursue her own happiness. 🥺
This story is tender, emotional, and beautifully written — a second-chance romance wrapped in Christmas lights and sprinkled with just the right amount of heartbreak and hope. 🎄✨
December 3, 2025
They made it back to December
Sweet holiday novella that has you rooting for Penny and Alex…age is but a state of mind but for Penny, she’s scared to take the next step until she “finds” herself when all along, she had everything she needed in Alex. Loved the relationship between her and Sabrina. Penny also didn’t end realize she was the perfect mother figure for Sabrina. I liked that not only does she find herself, she goes viral at the same time.
Sweet holiday novella that has you rooting for Penny and Alex…age is but a state of mind but for Penny, she’s scared to take the next step until she “finds” herself when all along, she had everything she needed in Alex. Loved the relationship between her and Sabrina. Penny also didn’t end realize she was the perfect mother figure for Sabrina. I liked that not only does she find herself, she goes viral at the same time.
December 16, 2025
A short and swoony Christmas romance with warm characters, heartfelt time jumps, and a second-chance storyline that feels surprisingly full for its length. Sweet, cozy, and filled with delightful holiday details that made it feel like a little December movie.
November 8, 2025
Enjoyable read.
Short sweet Christmas story. It will give you a great introduction to the author's writing style as well as put you in the holiday spirit.
Short sweet Christmas story. It will give you a great introduction to the author's writing style as well as put you in the holiday spirit.
November 12, 2025
A sweet story to accompany another of the author’s books, A Winter Tale. I loved this exploration of Penny’s backstory - artfully crafted and highly entertaining.
November 17, 2025
It's actually a 3.5 for me.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews