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Holly and Ivy: An Uplifting Holiday Novel
In a heartwarming novel of secret wishes and family lost and found, acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels creates a timeless Christmas story to cherish . . .
The flames of memory always seem to glow a little brighter during the holidays. Perhaps that's why this time of year is so difficult for airline heiress Ivy Macintosh, as she faces thoughts of yet another festive season alone. Since the plane crash that claimed the lives of her husband and two children eight years ago, she's been submerged in grief.
When eleven-year-old Holly Greenwood knocks on her door, lost and frightened after a forbidden visit to her singing teacher, Ivy's self-imposed exile is shattered. Holly has an extraordinary voice, and wants nothing more than to perform in an upcoming Christmas musical. Holly's father, Daniel, doesn't allow music in their home, refusing to give a good reason why--just as he refuses to talk about Holly's mother. Ivy has no idea how closely she and Daniel are linked by their tragic pasts, yet she's drawn to the warmth she senses beneath his gruff exterior. And as Christmas nears, their shared concern for Holly begins to draw Ivy back into the world again . . . and toward a family who may need her just as much as she needs them . . .
The flames of memory always seem to glow a little brighter during the holidays. Perhaps that's why this time of year is so difficult for airline heiress Ivy Macintosh, as she faces thoughts of yet another festive season alone. Since the plane crash that claimed the lives of her husband and two children eight years ago, she's been submerged in grief.
When eleven-year-old Holly Greenwood knocks on her door, lost and frightened after a forbidden visit to her singing teacher, Ivy's self-imposed exile is shattered. Holly has an extraordinary voice, and wants nothing more than to perform in an upcoming Christmas musical. Holly's father, Daniel, doesn't allow music in their home, refusing to give a good reason why--just as he refuses to talk about Holly's mother. Ivy has no idea how closely she and Daniel are linked by their tragic pasts, yet she's drawn to the warmth she senses beneath his gruff exterior. And as Christmas nears, their shared concern for Holly begins to draw Ivy back into the world again . . . and toward a family who may need her just as much as she needs them . . .
320 pages, Hardcover
First published September 26, 2017
757 people are currently reading
4988 people want to read
About the author
Fern Michaels
426 books6,523 followersFern Michaels isn’t a person. I’m not sure she’s an entity either since an entity is something with separate existence. Fern Michaels® is what I DO. Me, Mary Ruth Kuczkir. Growing up in Hastings, Pennsylvania, I was called Ruth. I became Mary when I entered the business world where first names were the order of the day. To this day, family and friends call me Dink, a name my father gave me when I was born because according to him I was ‘a dinky little thing’ weighing in at four and a half pounds. However, I answer to Fern since people are more comfortable with a name they can pronounce.
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 351 reviews
November 20, 2021
Holly and Daniel both lost everything in a horrific plane crash that killed their families—Daniel’s wife, and Holly’s husband and children. Eight years later, neither has recovered. Daniel neglects his surviving daughter, Ivy, and Holly lives in a drunken stupor to avoid remembering. But after a chance encounter between Holly and Ivy, will the two families find their way towards healing? This was to be honest, a tough read at times, but well written. Not subject matter for the faint of heart. Holly’s loss, especially is quite visceral. But as things slowly come together, the moments of hope make it worth it.
Trigger Warnings:
Trigger Warnings:
January 1, 2019
It was a good read about how unexpected love can help bring people out of grief. Great for Christmastime! My only complaint was the author’s lack of contraction use, which made the dialogue very stiff and unrealistic.
October 17, 2017
It took me awhile to get into the first half of the book but once I did, it picked up speed and I enjoyed this book. It was a pretty good read, especially with the holidays coming up :).
November 25, 2022
While this is partially labeled a romance, I think it’s important to note that there are some heavy topics and situations. The budding romance between Daniel and Ivy is secondary - they don’t even meet until almost half way through - to the pain that they’re each dealing with after losing their spouses. Additionally, Daniel’s strained relationship with his daughter Holly is painful to witness.
Fern Michael’s portrayal of their loss, grief, and poor coping provides an opportunity for healing for Daniel and Ivy. While I wish that the ending hadn’t felt as rushed as it did, the resolution was satisfyingly sweet. There’s a cute little epilogue.
Narration:
Brittany Pressley is amazing here. I always love her wide range of character voices and emotions. She especially shines when she’s voicing children - Holly sounds young but appropriate for her age. Perfect narration.
CW: (spoilers)
Alcohol abuse, suicidal ideations by an MC, detailed grief, Daniel is at times verbally abusive to Holly
Fern Michael’s portrayal of their loss, grief, and poor coping provides an opportunity for healing for Daniel and Ivy. While I wish that the ending hadn’t felt as rushed as it did, the resolution was satisfyingly sweet. There’s a cute little epilogue.
Narration:
Brittany Pressley is amazing here. I always love her wide range of character voices and emotions. She especially shines when she’s voicing children - Holly sounds young but appropriate for her age. Perfect narration.
CW: (spoilers)
Alcohol abuse, suicidal ideations by an MC, detailed grief, Daniel is at times verbally abusive to Holly
January 2, 2021
This novel is a heartwarming Christmas story. My only problem (and I note that others have said the same thing) is that the dialogue is very stilted, mostly due to a lack of contractions which everyone uses when speaking colloquially, particularly children who play a large part in this book. It distracts from the story so I had to take one star off. Fern Michaels is a very prolific author and this is the first book I've read by her. I'll try another.
September 4, 2020
Too predictable. I read as saw GR friend read. She also gave a 2 😕 but it was available to download to my kkndle from the library and i wanted another Christmas read. I’ve never read this author before. I won’t again. I also didn’t like her non use of contractions. It was awkward.
On a side note i just read the author bio on GR and that was more interesting than the book.
On a side note i just read the author bio on GR and that was more interesting than the book.
December 15, 2022
A book club Christmas read that was just not my cup of tea. It’s a story of a young woman who loses her entire family in a plane crash and becomes a reclusive alcoholic, who is miraculously revived when a lost child knocks on her door one day, looking for help. She wants to sing in the Christmas concert but her father forbids it. Guess who ends up falling in love, and are on their way to happily ever after? I’m sure this type of story has its followers, but it just wasn’t for me.
January 29, 2018
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. First of all, Michaels rarely uses contractions, even in her characters' speech, and it's very disconcerting to have an 11-year-old girl constantly saying "I do not" or I will not." Holly's father was harsh and unreasonable, and then he abruptly did a 180 that was rather unconvincing. Ivy quits drinking heavily with virtually no ill effects. The end of the story wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly for my liking.
There were things I liked, like the depth of Ivy's despair and her relationship with Holly, but there were so many times when I was pulled out of the story by the writing that I just didn't love this book.
There were things I liked, like the depth of Ivy's despair and her relationship with Holly, but there were so many times when I was pulled out of the story by the writing that I just didn't love this book.
December 7, 2018
3/12 books of Christmas ❄️🎄
This was really bizarre because the setup was legit for like, alcoholism and also like, straight up child neglect and then everything was so happy and gay and everyone got along and sung Christmas carols. Like, what. I am not cut out for these types of books.
This was really bizarre because the setup was legit for like, alcoholism and also like, straight up child neglect and then everything was so happy and gay and everyone got along and sung Christmas carols. Like, what. I am not cut out for these types of books.
November 12, 2021
3.5 étoiles pour cette romance. bien qu’on devine rapidement comment l’histoire se terminera, cela n’a rien enlevé au fait que j’ai tout de même apprécié ma lecture. c’est léger et ça se lit tout seul.
October 27, 2019
The good: Ivy is wonderfully sympathetic and, TBH, exactly who I would become if I had lost my entire family overnight but still had a house and fabulous wealth, including the part where upon deciding to finally turn her life around, she immediately latches on to the darling preteen girl who randomly turns up on her doorstep, and more or less becomes her guardian angel. I loved everything she said and did, as well as her father and their relationship.
I loved Holly too, though I thought some of her inner monologues were a bit too old for her (why did she keep catching herself thinking about her college major, instead of what she wanted to do in middle or high school?). I was happy with both of their individual storylines, seeing Ivy reinvigorate her social life and begin to participate in the world again, while Holly acted like a normal/awesome kid, hanging out with her friends and only sneaking out to visit a nice grandmotherly-type vocal coach. I was equally happy watching them bond, finding in each other their respective missing family members.
The bad: Holly's father is so hideous that I found myself repeatedly saying out loud, "This guy is horrible," with a side of "I genuinely think maybe he needs medical intervention for his paranoid delusions about how singing = certain doom." He doesn't even make sense. Who hates music? Why is he so obsessed with the idea that pursuing a music career killed his wife* and therefore he must bar his daughter from making or listening to music all costs?
*It really didn't. She died in a plane crash. On her way to an audition, yes, but there are a million other reasons she could have been on a plane. If his wife had been exploited, seduced and/or murdered by a record producer or something, then maybe he'd have a case.
And even when characters recognized that he might be awful, after spending five minutes with him they'd be simultaneously swooning over his hotness and going "oh never mind, looks like he is Tough But Fair," and the text itself would trip over itself to pop into Michael's head and show him expressing regret that he just can't see any other way to handle things, which sounds completely fake. Mind you, the girl is telling us he regularly shuts himself up in his den all night and doesn't even say good night to his daughter before bed.
So little affection is shown to her that at one point she thinks maybe he isn't even her real father, but a stepdad who "got stuck with her." And that is exactly how he treats her: like an inconvenient pet he has to feed and take care of, which he does, but only by the bare minimum of meeting her physical needs, while getting mad if she isn't perfect. For instance, she's a good student, but having so much trouble with math she's getting a C in it, and his response is "YOU'RE GROUNDED FOREVER UNLESS IT TURNS INTO AN A, AND YOUR LAZY BUTT ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT NEED TUTORING OR HELP FROM ME, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES IT IS OFFERED/SUGGESTED BY YOUR TEACHER."
I actually got so upset on her behalf I started wondering how many months it would take before Holly ran away or turned to self destructive behavior as a coping mechanism. That guy doesn't need a woman to show him the error of his ways, he needs contempt and people to steal his daughter out of that toxic environment as much as possible. To paraphrase some Tumblr meme I don't understand, a family can be a plucky little girl and the unrelated neighbor who surrogate-mothers her.
Long story short, it's incredibly weird when he does an about face about 2/3rds of the way through the book because of Ivy, and I did not buy it for one second. It felt like a very forced "oh wait we gotta somehow make this a fuzzy-feeling Christmas romance; better dial down the jerk-o-hol." I see you trying to set up a "sourpuss born of a broken heart is cured by love from another broken heart," which is a great formula, but the starting point was so far beyond credibility that he became irredeemable. The only positive aspect here is that the romance doesn't even begin to come into play until the latter half of the book and remains incredibly understated throughout, with the focus being on the title characters. It was actually written perfectly in that regard, if only he had been written as a decent human being.
Petty notes on the text: (1) It has bizarrely few contractions, resulting in dialogue that is often so stiff and formal as to be distracting. (2) It repeatedly refers to fifth graders as "11 going on 12," which is one of my biggest pet peeves. In the U.S., you start first grade when you are six. Count up! Even if you don't know this off the top of your head, how does it not occur to you that your wrong method of counting would result in most people being 19 before they graduate high school? And surely you at least know THAT is incorrect.
I loved Holly too, though I thought some of her inner monologues were a bit too old for her (why did she keep catching herself thinking about her college major, instead of what she wanted to do in middle or high school?). I was happy with both of their individual storylines, seeing Ivy reinvigorate her social life and begin to participate in the world again, while Holly acted like a normal/awesome kid, hanging out with her friends and only sneaking out to visit a nice grandmotherly-type vocal coach. I was equally happy watching them bond, finding in each other their respective missing family members.
The bad: Holly's father is so hideous that I found myself repeatedly saying out loud, "This guy is horrible," with a side of "I genuinely think maybe he needs medical intervention for his paranoid delusions about how singing = certain doom." He doesn't even make sense. Who hates music? Why is he so obsessed with the idea that pursuing a music career killed his wife* and therefore he must bar his daughter from making or listening to music all costs?
*It really didn't. She died in a plane crash. On her way to an audition, yes, but there are a million other reasons she could have been on a plane. If his wife had been exploited, seduced and/or murdered by a record producer or something, then maybe he'd have a case.
And even when characters recognized that he might be awful, after spending five minutes with him they'd be simultaneously swooning over his hotness and going "oh never mind, looks like he is Tough But Fair," and the text itself would trip over itself to pop into Michael's head and show him expressing regret that he just can't see any other way to handle things, which sounds completely fake. Mind you, the girl is telling us he regularly shuts himself up in his den all night and doesn't even say good night to his daughter before bed.
So little affection is shown to her that at one point she thinks maybe he isn't even her real father, but a stepdad who "got stuck with her." And that is exactly how he treats her: like an inconvenient pet he has to feed and take care of, which he does, but only by the bare minimum of meeting her physical needs, while getting mad if she isn't perfect. For instance, she's a good student, but having so much trouble with math she's getting a C in it, and his response is "YOU'RE GROUNDED FOREVER UNLESS IT TURNS INTO AN A, AND YOUR LAZY BUTT ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT NEED TUTORING OR HELP FROM ME, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES IT IS OFFERED/SUGGESTED BY YOUR TEACHER."
I actually got so upset on her behalf I started wondering how many months it would take before Holly ran away or turned to self destructive behavior as a coping mechanism. That guy doesn't need a woman to show him the error of his ways, he needs contempt and people to steal his daughter out of that toxic environment as much as possible. To paraphrase some Tumblr meme I don't understand, a family can be a plucky little girl and the unrelated neighbor who surrogate-mothers her.
Long story short, it's incredibly weird when he does an about face about 2/3rds of the way through the book because of Ivy, and I did not buy it for one second. It felt like a very forced "oh wait we gotta somehow make this a fuzzy-feeling Christmas romance; better dial down the jerk-o-hol." I see you trying to set up a "sourpuss born of a broken heart is cured by love from another broken heart," which is a great formula, but the starting point was so far beyond credibility that he became irredeemable. The only positive aspect here is that the romance doesn't even begin to come into play until the latter half of the book and remains incredibly understated throughout, with the focus being on the title characters. It was actually written perfectly in that regard, if only he had been written as a decent human being.
Petty notes on the text: (1) It has bizarrely few contractions, resulting in dialogue that is often so stiff and formal as to be distracting. (2) It repeatedly refers to fifth graders as "11 going on 12," which is one of my biggest pet peeves. In the U.S., you start first grade when you are six. Count up! Even if you don't know this off the top of your head, how does it not occur to you that your wrong method of counting would result in most people being 19 before they graduate high school? And surely you at least know THAT is incorrect.
December 22, 2025
I'm giving this 2 stars cause I'm in the Christmas spirit! In other words- I was disappointed in this Christmas story/book ...
September 27, 2017
Holly and Ivy by Fern Michaels
Starts in Pine City, NC Dec 2008 Ivy and John have twins. Her father owns his plane company so they have no problems with air travel.
She's just learned her family has died in a crash..
2016 we find Holly who's involved in school projects. Daniel is her dad and he hates musicals. Her mother had died when she was very young and she's not to bring it up to her father.
Story alternates between the two and how they cope with their situations. Ivy blames the pilot. She was still on the payroll and had John's money so she drank her life away. She buys everything on line so she won't have to socialize with anybody.
Ivy's father George remained running the company and he knows he has to move into retirement-have her run the company or sell it, along with the house.
Love how the trails bring the woman and girl together.
They all suffer so much pain from one unexplained act of disaster, will they ever heal?
Received a review copy from Netgalley via Kensington Books and this is my honest opinion.
Starts in Pine City, NC Dec 2008 Ivy and John have twins. Her father owns his plane company so they have no problems with air travel.
She's just learned her family has died in a crash..
2016 we find Holly who's involved in school projects. Daniel is her dad and he hates musicals. Her mother had died when she was very young and she's not to bring it up to her father.
Story alternates between the two and how they cope with their situations. Ivy blames the pilot. She was still on the payroll and had John's money so she drank her life away. She buys everything on line so she won't have to socialize with anybody.
Ivy's father George remained running the company and he knows he has to move into retirement-have her run the company or sell it, along with the house.
Love how the trails bring the woman and girl together.
They all suffer so much pain from one unexplained act of disaster, will they ever heal?
Received a review copy from Netgalley via Kensington Books and this is my honest opinion.
October 28, 2017
** I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own**
This was sweet but also a bit sad - it felt just like a hallmark movie. It took me a while to get into, and I felt like there was some suspension of disbelief required to accept the behaviour of some of the characters, but over all I enjoyed the story.
This was sweet but also a bit sad - it felt just like a hallmark movie. It took me a while to get into, and I felt like there was some suspension of disbelief required to accept the behaviour of some of the characters, but over all I enjoyed the story.
December 19, 2025
1.5⭐
Stilted, stale snoozefest. Finished because I'm stubborn/stupid.
Would not recommend
Stilted, stale snoozefest. Finished because I'm stubborn/stupid.
Would not recommend
December 15, 2017
After eight years of grieving, Ivy begins taking steps to come back to life. A young girl, Holly, knocking on her front door starts Ivy’s return to life. Daniel [Holly’s father] and Ivy have a great deal of history in common. When Daniel starts seeing Ivy, Holly sees her father showing a totally different personality. There are an amazing amount of relationship changes in this book which makes it an exciting story.
Quotes I liked from this book: Holly, at breakfast with Ivy and Daniel, says, “So, I finally learn we have the Internet, a MacBook, and Dad sneaks and uses the Internet at night. Right?”
Find Holly and Ivy at the Westminster Public Library.
Quotes I liked from this book: Holly, at breakfast with Ivy and Daniel, says, “So, I finally learn we have the Internet, a MacBook, and Dad sneaks and uses the Internet at night. Right?”
Find Holly and Ivy at the Westminster Public Library.
July 2, 2021
Holly and Ivy was a heart warming Christmas novel written by Fern Michaels.
Ivy's family was going on a trip to Charlotte North Carolina to visit her husband John's sister Piper. Ivy stayed back in Pine City North Carolina. On their way back home their flight crashed due to pilot errors, causing Ivy's husband John and their two twins James and Elizabeth and other passengers on the plane to die. Throughout this novel you will meet Daniel Greenwood and Holly Greenwood, Daniel's wife and Holly's mother Laura were also on the plane, her life was also taken. Holly reminds her dad Daniel so much of her mother which causes him to keep secrets from Holly because Daniel doesn't want Holly to get hurt the same way her mother did.
If you're looking for a Christmas book, I highly recommend reading Holly and Ivy by Fern Michaels. I will say it is a little slow in the beginning but then it does pick up speed and you will NOT want to put this book down.
Ivy's family was going on a trip to Charlotte North Carolina to visit her husband John's sister Piper. Ivy stayed back in Pine City North Carolina. On their way back home their flight crashed due to pilot errors, causing Ivy's husband John and their two twins James and Elizabeth and other passengers on the plane to die. Throughout this novel you will meet Daniel Greenwood and Holly Greenwood, Daniel's wife and Holly's mother Laura were also on the plane, her life was also taken. Holly reminds her dad Daniel so much of her mother which causes him to keep secrets from Holly because Daniel doesn't want Holly to get hurt the same way her mother did.
If you're looking for a Christmas book, I highly recommend reading Holly and Ivy by Fern Michaels. I will say it is a little slow in the beginning but then it does pick up speed and you will NOT want to put this book down.
November 28, 2017
Implausible, illogical, and full of plot holes. None of the three main characters, or most of the secondary characters, seemed like actual real people.
Audiobook, purchased (then returned to get my credit back) via Audible. Brittany Pressley’s performance was good, given the source material.
I read this for The 16 Tasks of the Festive Season, Square 1, November 1st: Book themes for Calan Gaeaf: Read any of your planned Halloween Bingo books that you didn’t end up reading after all, involving witches, hags, or various types of witchcraft –OR– read a book with ivy or roses on the cover, or a character’s name/title of book is/has Rose or Ivy in it. This book has Ivy as a main character and as part of the title.
Audiobook, purchased (then returned to get my credit back) via Audible. Brittany Pressley’s performance was good, given the source material.
I read this for The 16 Tasks of the Festive Season, Square 1, November 1st: Book themes for Calan Gaeaf: Read any of your planned Halloween Bingo books that you didn’t end up reading after all, involving witches, hags, or various types of witchcraft –OR– read a book with ivy or roses on the cover, or a character’s name/title of book is/has Rose or Ivy in it. This book has Ivy as a main character and as part of the title.
February 20, 2018
This was a huge disappointment. The story was slow, and the ending was predictable, which normally doesn't bother me. The characters were horrible. The main characters, Ivy and Daniel, abruptly change completely, which was unbelievable. I did like that this took place at Christmas and in North Carolina.
September 12, 2017
This is one of those books you need tissues for, first for the bad, and then for the good.
Ivy has what she thinks of as a close to perfect life. Until she doesn't. And one minute changed that for her. And now she has a routine but that has made her a recluse except for her trips to the liquor store.
Holly wants to sing and has a beautiful voice, but her father will not allow her to sing or even have a radio. He thinks it's just noise and he doesn't like noise. He also won't tell her anything about her mom. He doesn't let her have sweets. He's mean to her most all the time. She certainly doesn't understand it. She gets good grades and she a good girl. Why does he ignore her?
When Holly shows up at Ivy's house because she is lost things start to change for all of them in a big way.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Ivy has what she thinks of as a close to perfect life. Until she doesn't. And one minute changed that for her. And now she has a routine but that has made her a recluse except for her trips to the liquor store.
Holly wants to sing and has a beautiful voice, but her father will not allow her to sing or even have a radio. He thinks it's just noise and he doesn't like noise. He also won't tell her anything about her mom. He doesn't let her have sweets. He's mean to her most all the time. She certainly doesn't understand it. She gets good grades and she a good girl. Why does he ignore her?
When Holly shows up at Ivy's house because she is lost things start to change for all of them in a big way.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 10, 2019
Every now and then a few paragraphs (or even a couple of pages) show that the author can write well, but for the most part the story is flat ... and about twice as long as it needs to be. Over and over again, the author tells us how the characters feel instead of using situations that indicate how the characters feel. There are too many statements such as, "She is sad." About half way thru the book, the story picks up, but then it follows a very predictable pattern without much depth.
I anticipated better from an author that sells well. I don't need to read anything more by her.
This reminded me of Heather Vogel Frederick's, series for young adults -- Dear Pen Pals (of which I read only part of one book).
I anticipated better from an author that sells well. I don't need to read anything more by her.
This reminded me of Heather Vogel Frederick's, series for young adults -- Dear Pen Pals (of which I read only part of one book).
December 19, 2019
Meh. For a Christmas book, it was a disappointment. The characters are interesting and complex in the first half of the story, and then suddenly they all change for no reason, become dull romance manikins in a department store's Christmas window display. Their depth is flattened. Their inner controversy is speedily fixed, ... because a bland plastic doll can't have complexity, right? All the problems they battle with puff in smoke and vanish into the air. All the heartache is miraculously healed (when? how?). It was as if the author wanted to finish the book quickly, before a deadline, so she dispensed with all the necessary character development and story logic but just added a few kisses for spice and wrote The End.
November 26, 2017
This is a very light and quick read, suitable for the holiday season. A young woman loses her husband and three year old twins in a devastating plane crash, and as a result, she isolates herself from the world, taking refuge in alcohol and isolation. Eight years later, she meets an eleven year old girl with whom she feels an immediate connection. As events unfold, secrets are shared and new relationships are developed, proceeding as the plot in a Hallmark movie. I loved the cover art for this book, and the story was a quick treat during the busy Thanksgiving season.
December 28, 2023
Holly loves to sing, but her father objects, because his wife died trying to audition for her big shot. Ivy lost her family in a plane crash years ago; having no financial worries, she is able to spiral into dark oblivion. But when Holly shows up on her doorstep, things begin to change...
I had hopes that this would be a pleasant holiday romance to diffuse some of the holiday stress, and also an intro to the prolific Fern Michaels. I found it pleasant but dull, without spark or twinkle. Stock characters, very little tension. Not so much ho-ho-ho as ho hum.
I had hopes that this would be a pleasant holiday romance to diffuse some of the holiday stress, and also an intro to the prolific Fern Michaels. I found it pleasant but dull, without spark or twinkle. Stock characters, very little tension. Not so much ho-ho-ho as ho hum.
October 15, 2017
First Fern Michaels book to have read & a Christmas one (#3 of 12 I committed to reading at the start of 2017). Four stars because it isn't an overtly compelling tale but one which begins with tragedy & only becomes a story of rebirth & forgiveness from that point forward. I like that the conflict in the plot line begins at the outset & the rest is resolution. Only four stars, though, because it is neatly wrapped up a bit too quickly. Nonetheless, this is a different type of holiday read.
December 19, 2019
Although this book had many of the elements needed for a good Christmas story, I found it a bit too depressing.The sad situations endured by the characters in the first part of the book were too extreme. Then, after being in long lasting serious depressions, both characters recover in a very short time making the happy part of the book too short in my opinion.
November 23, 2017
A very sad and heartwarming story that gets you thinking about all you are thankful for. The story remains quite depressing for a good part of the story but once the story begins to turn, it really turns into a delightful book! I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
November 18, 2017
"Every time you hang this on the Christmas tree, know I am with you."
December 20, 2017
A quick predictable holiday story.
November 22, 2018
Loved this book! Best Christmas book to read this year.❤️❤️❤️
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