Home for Christmas

Yorktide, Maine #6

by Holly Chamberlin

In a charming Maine seaside town, a single mother longs to create a memorable Christmas for her two daughters—and receives a chance to make her own wishes come true . . .
 
At first glance, Nell King’s cozy home in Yorktide seems a step down from the impeccably decorated Boston house she shared with her husband. But in the six years since he abruptly left to marry another woman, Nell and her almost-grown daughters have found real happiness here. Now, faced with what may be their last Christmas together, Nell feels anxious. She gave up her own ambitions when she married. With the daily obligations of motherhood coming to an end, what role is left for her to fill?
 
Twenty-one-year-old Molly worries about sacrificing her independence the way her mother did. Should she stay in Maine with her dependable boyfriend, or move to the city and prove herself? Felicity, meanwhile, is torn between loyalty to Nell and wanting to spend time with her glamorous stepmother. Nell is eager to make this holiday picture-perfect. But there’s a complication—and an opportunity . . .
 
Nell’s first love, now a successful novelist, is in town for a book signing. As the two rekindle their friendship, Nell confronts the choices she once made in the name of stability. And as the days unfold with revelations and unexpected gifts, this Christmas promises to herald a bright new beginning.
 

Praise for Holly Chamberlin and The Season of Us
 
“Fans of Elin Hilderbrand will adore this genuine exploration of family bonds, personal growth, and acceptance.” — Booklist
 
“Chamberlin successfully portrays a family at their best and worst as they struggle through their first holiday without a beloved husband and father and have to redefine their relationships.” — Library Journal

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Audiobook, Fiction, Holiday, Chick Lit, Family

256 pages, Paperback

Published September 25, 2018

About the author

Holly Chamberlin is a native New Yorker, but she now lives in Portland, Maine - the aftermath of stumbling across Mr. Right at the one moment she wasn't watching the terrain. She's been writing and editing - poetry, children's fantasies, a romance novel or two, among many other genres and projects - her entire life. She has two cats, Betty and Cyrus, and when she's not writing her hobbies include reading, shopping, and cocktails at six.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Home For Christmas

Holly Chamberlin



HOME FOR CHRISTMAS is the second book I've read by Holly Chamberlin. She has a way of grabbing her readers and she never lets us go and now I'm kicking myself for not making time to read all of her books! Nell is spending Christmas with her two daughters, Molly and Felicity. Molly is planning on moving to Boston and Felicity will be going away to college soon as she is a senior in high school. Nell is determined to show them how great Christmas can be at home with her since she knows this will probably be the last one they might all spend together. Since she became a mom, Nell has lived her life for her girls and now she is freaking out knowing that soon she will be faced with an empty nest. She feels as if she has lived a low key life and now wonders what she is going to do with herself to feel useful.


Molly is going through some tough times and all of a sudden she breaks up with her longtime boyfriend who she has always planned to marry and help him with his farm. Molly is afraid she won't ever know what her true potential will be if she marries Mick. Mick is so sweet and treats her like a queen and it's killing her not to be honest with him. She wanted to wait until after Christmas to let him know how she felt but feels the noose tightening as everyone thinks he is going to ask her to marry him on Christmas. HOME FOR CHRISTMAS has Nell reconnecting with her college boyfriend, Eric, who was the boy she broke up with to start dating her ex husband. She broke his heart and never really gave him the truth as to why she didn't love him anymore.


HOME FOR CHRISTMAS is filled with twists and turns and had me staying up way too late one night to finish! I had to know where Holly Chamberlin was taking us and what would happen to Nell. There is so much heart in Holly's writing that I was left with a huge smile on my face and my heart very happy. All of the characters are very interesting and believable, so much so that I felt as if I've known them for a long time. Even though this is the 7th book in the Yorktide, Maine series, you can totally read it as a stand alone as I did. Now I need to figure out how to fit more of Holly's books into my reading plans! I can totally see HOME FOR CHRISTMAS becoming a Hallmark movie that I would love to watch.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Deanne Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really lovely and heartwarming Christmas tale. Faced with spending their Christmas without their husband and father, mother Nell and her daughters Molly and Felicity are struggling. Memories of her daughter's past picture perfect Christmases flash through her head as Nell reminisces. With her oldest daughter a senior in college and her youngest a senior in high school she is already feeling the empty nest syndrome and doubting her usefulness anymore. She over compensates by going way overboard with her shopping,holiday baking and decorating. Her oldest daughter wants to break her relationship off with her long time boyfriend because she feels she won't be her own person once they marry. Small-town Yorktide, Maine is beautiful this time of year an the homes so cozy.
When Nell sees her first love at a book signing feelings resurface she thought she had left behind back in college. Will Nell and Molly get a beautiful Christmas miracle of true love. A beautifully told story of the importance of family not only during the holiday's but all year long!
Pub Date 31 Oct 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay Christmas romance novel. Predictable which is typical of he genre and relaxing. I felt the dialogue was a bit too trite. Nice holiday read but not especially noteworthy.

[Ann Baxter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this. And I am not unsympathetic to a mother being insecure about the future and her role in it. Yet Nell’s incessant whining was matched only by her daughter’s. Felicity had the depth of a puddle. I had no sympathy for her at all. The audio production was poorly edited. Many chapters ended mid-sentence if not mid-word.

[Devi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christmas spirit is ok but when the story is to much forced upon, it feels fake. Excess of love, excessive lack of self worth, suddenly falling in love - it all felt like a make belief story for Christmas. Yes the story is fiction but it didn't have to feel that way.

[Deanna Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good book, I enjoyed it very much..

It's all about having a family together over Christmas and that's the most important thing is to being with the family that loves the most.

[Christine (Tina) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It wraps up nicely as they all do, with utter predictability. However, this has been the most personally relatable Christmas story I've ever read. Whereas I'm not completely a "Nell", I get her completely. Sweet, sentimental, just really wholesomely good!

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the seventh book in the Yorktide, Maine series but I loved this Christmas story as a stand alone. Holly Chamberlin has written a sweet, gentle Christmas story with a bit of romance and family dynamics. It is a reminder of what is really important in life, especially around the holidays.

Nell and her two daughters live in a small Maine seaside town. Nell is divorced and her husband has remarried. Nell is worried that this might be her last Christmas with her girls. Molly is a senior in college who has been seriously dating Mick with the expectation of marrying him. Felicity is a senior in high school and has just announced that she is spending next Christmas abroad with her father and his wife. When Molly announces that she is moving to Boston and breaks of her relationship with Mick, Nell doesn't know what to do to help her. When Nell's college boyfriend, Erik comes to town for a book tour, she is worried about what will happen when they meet up. She made a decision to break up with him after her parents convinced her he was not good enough for her. When they reconnect, she begins to wonder what her life would have been like if she had been stronger and made different decisions.

As with any family at Christmas, everyone is busy and it seems that Nell's plans to make this the best Christmas her girls have ever has, is not working. Felicity seems to be star struck by her step-mother, not realizing how much she is hurting her mother. I wasn't sure if I liked Felicity at first, she seemed self-centered and a bit selfish, but she comes around later in the story. Molly is running scared from the possible engagement and life on a farm. Of course, the best story line is the reconnecting of Nell and Erik. It seems natural and flows easily. The romance is sweet, slow and of course, successful. There is nothing sexual in this story, but the romance is evident. Of course there is a happy ending for all concerned, which is my expectation when reading these cozy Christmas Romances. I would definitely recommend this one to any who enjoy a sweet Christmas Romance.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was a sweet Christmas story about a mom and her two daughters. My first book by this author. Look forward to reading more by Holly Chamberlin.

[Four Houses Review · Rating 2 out of 5]

Four Friends, Four Opinions, One Blog

Average Rating: 1.83

Lydia : 2.5 / 5

This book was a very quick read and it was just like the Christmas Hallmark movies – if you are a fan of condensed storylines, cheesy/cozy vibes and Christmas then you will likely appreciate this book.

There were a few problematic things that I noted throughout the novel, one being that Nell is a complete pushover regarding her ex-husband. I would personally not be so cordial to someone who had cheated on me. I was expecting the ex-husband/mistress story line to play a bigger part but it was really just background noise. I also didn’t like how fast the characters’ problems were resolved. Specifically Molly – she was complaining the entire book length about wanting to leave the small town and move and break up with her small town boyfriend but then suddenly everything changes.

I did like the relationship that developed between Nell and her ex beau-turned-book writer and that was a storyline I wish the author had expanded more on.

Megan: 1/5

I will apologize now for my Grinch review, but I did not like this book at all. I couldn’t find any detail that I enjoyed. Nothing happened in this story. Maybe if I was a mother I could empathize better with the main character, Nell. But I’m not and everything about her came off as a helicopter-mom or a woman sticking her head in the sand to ignore the fact that her daughters were growing up. The story being set at Christmas time only served to make her obsessive compulsiveness more cutesy because it meant she over-decorated and baked way too many sweet treats. Change is hard, but nothing in this book showed healthy ways of dealing with that change. The plot (if you can call it that) was all tied up and presented as a Christmas miracle at the end.

I found the characters to be quite flat. Since Molly was specifically mentioned on the back of the book, I was hoping that we’d get to read about some of the events through her POV, but we didn’t. That may have improved the story for me. Felicity didn’t seem real. It felt like she was written to be the ideal daughter and there was nothing she could do wrong. The only half decent character was Erik, but even he seemed to be too good to be true.

If this book was going for charming and cheesy, it missed the mark. It was boring and cringy. I haven’t read any of Chamberlin’s other novels, so maybe this was an off one, but there are better Christmas novels out there. I wouldn’t recommend spending time with this one.

Sharaya : 2/5

If you’re looking for a Hallmark-movie type of book, then you’ll probably enjoy this read. It’s cute, fast, and full of Christmas cheer. It definitely has some cheesy moments, but thankfully those are mostly reserved for the end of the story. I will say that the main character and her inner monologue is a bit tiresome at times. The self deprecating mother who isn’t worthy of consideration was a little monotonous after a while. And her over-decorating, baking, and Christmas crafting were over-the-top.

I typically don’t enjoy shorter novels because it means that the character arc is usually 95% struggle and then BOOM suddenly resolved in a neat little bow. It’s a little too swift and tidy for me. However, there were a few dynamic and fun characters, and Nell’s love interest isn’t what I was expecting, which was very refreshing. I was, however, expecting there to be more development of Felicity and Molly’s storylines and instead they felt a little muddled and cut off from the reader. Plus, Felicity’s arc was in regards to next Christmas, so why was it being dealt with now??

Again, this wasn’t really my thing, but if you want something Christmassy, light and fluffy, that you can read in a single evening, then you might want to pick up Home for Christmas. But there are probably better Christmas books out there.

Check out our full review here: http://fourhousesreview.ca/2022/12/19...

[Julie Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Home for Christmas by Holly Chamberlin
Have read other works by this author and have found the books enjoyable as I know this one will be.
Nell is decorating for the holidays-love hearing everything that is involved as we would do that at our family house every year as well.
Loved hearing of all the memories of the ornaments.
She thinks this could be the last Christmas holiday she and the girls spend together in Yorktide, Maine. Molly is about to be married and Felicity will be traveling with her father and step mother to England countries.
Her ex Joel had younger female interests. She had once was going to be a poet and marry Eric but she broke it off in college.
She wants to make this year the best the girls ever experienced in Maine and might go to Eric's reading at the store...
Lots of twists and turns for all. Liked all the baking as that's what I do starting in Nov so I can mail them out in time.
Loved hearing of Nell's knitting and other hand made crafts and ornaments for the girls. Love that she will give them each something of importance. I do similar when we visit my daughter and granddaughter. They get a piece of jewelry I am wearing as it will then belong to them. Why hold it til you die and then others may fight over it.
After extensive talks with one another about the important things, doorbell ringing all day, outcome is phenomenal.
Received this review copy via Kensington Books via Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Holly Chamberlin. This read is how Nell a single Mother of two daughters has to accept that her daughters will soon be leaving home and how she will cope without them.
I look forward to reading more of Holly's books!

[Readsandeats · Rating 4 out of 5]

Home for Christmas by Holly Chamberlin.
Nell is a Mum to two teenage daughters, she is divorced from her husband and has moved to a small town called Yorktide. They are all happy and settled or so she thought. As Christmas approaches Nell thinks that this could be last Christmas her two daughters will want to spend with her, so she goes all out to make it the best Christmas ever.
Her daughter Molly is struggling with University and her relationship, while her other daughter Felicity is excited about going on a skiing holiday the following year with her father and his new family.
Nell is persuaded to go to a poetry reading by her friend. The author happens to be an old boyfriend, they reconnect and part of this story is their story.
This novel is well constructed and the characters are believable. You really cared about the characters and what was happening to them.
A great read that makes you want to curl up with a cuppa, a cookie while the fire crackles and the tree lights twinkle.

[Joann M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to read about Christmas this one focuses on family and the changes of a single mother of 2 adult girls who are either going to college and or are getting married. I liked Nell and how her relationship with her daughters changed over Christmas she was so focused on being alone she forgot to enjoy what was right in front of her a new life with Eric and her girls that will always be there ..the true answer is you always have home..to go too.


My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After the fact I found out this is #7 in series.... I didn't even notice This totally could be a standalone!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started and finished Home for Christmas yesterday. I haven’t read any of the other books in the series, but I don’t think that made too much of a difference. It was a sweet story about a mother who tries to make Christmas extra special because she is worried her daughters won’t be home next Christmas. I’d add it to your list for next year if you enjoy Christmas stories about love, forgiveness, and second chances. I’ve really read some great Christmas books this year.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I must confess it’s the first of the series I have read so, I may feel differently once I read the beginning novels, and I will. It was not necessarily a page turner, nonetheless, was a lovely and sweet story of a changing family. A woman struggling with her children growing up and away, facing the empty nest. The struggle of a woman trying to find herself, her place, as her family shifts all while mixed with loves old and new.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the general descriptive terms apply — heartwarming - interesting - emotional - and well worth reading or audiobooking. Well narrated by Karen White. Clean and well plotted.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwarming Christmas story that has all the aspects one would expect from a Christmas story. All the characters show growth through self-realization and transform to better, happier versions of themselves. A definite read if you want a feel-good story with a hot cup of chocolate in hand and in front of a fireplace for a perfect Yuletide night.

[Lyds Madill · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

There were some parts of this book that I simply adored (in a cute Hallmark movie type of way) but I couldn’t get over the writing and the extremely fast plot line.

Firstly - I could never be that cordial to an ex husband so Chris go to Nell for that.
Secondly - the love story between Eric and Nell was sweet but also felt like it came out of nowhere and was on hyper speed
Finally - the girls (Fliss and Molly) were written decently but their story lines got lost and jumbled together.

Even for a Christmas book, this one is not really up to par. It was cute but I don’t know that I’d recommend it.

[Alexia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I could give negative stars...this book was awful. It was boring and the main character was the most useless, self-pitying, doormat ever. The whole story and every character (except Jill) were just terrible.

[Shelly Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is apparently part of a series or connects to others that are all connected to the town of Yorktide, Maine but I had no idea so I’m not entirely sure. I’ve been doing a bang up job of reading a lot of Christmas books that are smack dab in the middle of series this year. Bad me for not doing my research! However, I had no idea about this one until just now when I had a quick look at the Amazon page and there it was “A Yorktide, Maine Novel”. Thing is, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything here while I was reading it and I completely and thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had a blast with it and am probably going to add it to a yearly rotation. It just made me happy.
I’m not sure what I can say about it because I don’t know what happens in the books before this one so I don’t know what could be a spoiler for those books. I intend to eventually go back and start at the beginning with this book but haven’t done that just yet so I’ll just have to try to be as careful as possible and not give away more than you’d get from the synopsis I suppose.
In this book, Nell is feeling extremely anxious. Six years ago, her husband left her rather abruptly for another woman so she packed herself and her two girls up and moved to Maine from Boston. She and her daughters adjusted very well and are all happy. However, this year things are a bit different. Her 21 year old daughter, Molly, is worried that she is settling and giving up her life by staying in Maine with her ultra dependable boyfriend whose life is all planned. She’s afraid she’ll be giving up her dreams and herself. Her other daughter, 17 year old Felicity, is really impressed by her father’s wife, the glamorous and wealthy ex something or another (I can’t remember, I’m so sorry!!) and she’s worried about her loyalty to her mom whom she loves dearly and her desires to, well, be a teen.
Nell is absolutely determined to make this the perfect Christmas no matter what. So much so, she may just be overdoing it a little bit. Then, her first love comes back into the picture and her world is turned just a bit upside down.
This book is just a really cute and fun holiday read. It’s a quick one but it’s the perfect book to curl up with and read when you just want a bit of that holiday feel in your reading. I had a blast with it and finished it very quickly. I’d recommend it.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Home for Christmas is a true Christmas romance and holiday story. In this book, Nell is at home in Yorktide, Maine, where she and her daughters have lived since her divorce several years ago, trying to make this the best holiday ever. Nell worries things will never be the same as her two daughters prepare to leave the “nest”, and thus wants to have one last Christmas to remember. One daughter is off to college. The other is supposed to marry her long-time love, but is having second thoughts, wanting to experience life before settling down. All this has Nell worried and concerned, as any mother would be. One day, Nell discovers her one, true love from years ago, Eric Manville, now a famous author, is in town for a book reading and signing at the local book store. Though confused and racked with doubts, Nell goes to the event, where Eric asks her to have lunch with him the next day. Now, Nell must decide where her heart lies--meeting Eric and finding out if her ever forgave her for her rash actions years ago while figuring out, with Eric, if there is any future for them, and making the holiday the best ever for her and her daughters.

This is a true romance for the holidays. There is no real mystery or thriller action involved. I personally would have preferred a little bit of anxiety and drama, but that was not meant to be, not in this book, anyway. This book definitely will put the reader in the holiday spirit and provide some good respite from the daily activities and preparation that tend to consume us, especially at this time of the year. I found the two main characters, Nell and Eric, enjoyable and realistic in many ways. Still, things flowed just a bit too pat and perfectly for me to really get into the book’s story. I have read many books by Holly Chamberlin. I enjoyed this one, though it will never be one of my favorites. Nevertheless, the book will appeal to readers looking for and enjoying a good holiday romance or an escape from the hustle bustle around us all or who enjoy her books. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely read for Christmas time! A contemporary story about a woman coping with the imminence of an empty nest as her daughters reach adulthood and start making their own plans for Christmas. Divorced mom Nell has gone overboard with Christmas this year, seeing it as the last one she will have with her daughters before Molly sets up her own home with her longtime boyfriend and Felicity opts to spend the next one with her dad and his glamorous famous wife skiing in Switzerland. Underlying feelings of panic and fear are driving Nell to bake enough Christmas cookies to feed the whole town and buying out the local craft store. All is in service to Nell's goal of creating the most perfect Christmas ever for her daughters.

Of course there is family drama to be resolved, tears to be dried, but also the renewing of an important past relationship. Through it all, Nell gradually comes to terms with the changes that are inevitable and takes the first steps to becoming an individual again, not just a mom. By Christmas Day, the prospect of an empty nest isn't quite so daunting given the promise clearly evident in her family's future.

This is marketed as a romance novel but there really is only tangential romance. This is in truth a contemporary novel addressing family traditions as the transition is made from a family with young children to one of adults. I enjoyed this a whole lot.

[Rumeur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t normally read “romance” books, but at this time of year, I mainly read holiday themed books & romance is easier to handle for me then

Nell is making her “last Christmas” a special one. I say “last” because her 2 daughters will be out of the house next year. Nell ( mom & main character) had moved her & her daughters from Boston to Maine, 6 yrs earlier, when her husband cheated on her & decided to end the marriage One daughter wants to go to Switzerland with her Dad & step-mother next year, & the other daughter wants to move out, spend time with her boyfriend next year. Nell is already feeling the empty nest syndrome so she wants to go all out for this Christmas
Just so happens, Nell’s first & greatest love is in town for a book signing. Can Nell strike up a friendship it’s her past true love? Could it lead to something more?
This book was quite light on the romance part which made it more palatable for me to read. This was not hard core romance or anything sleazy, just a nice amount in a holiday read

I’d recommend this for anyone who enjoys reading holiday themed books, romance, just about anyone would like this book. It was enjoyable!
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. Many thanks to the author for providing my first holiday book of the year, & Kensington books. In return I’ve written an honest review

[Angela (Kentuckybooklover) Brocato-Skaggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holly Chamberlin is fast becoming one of my authors I turn to when I want some feel good family love. Home for Christmas is the second Christmas novel I have read of hers and it was a warm, cuddly read.

It is the Christmas season in Yorktide, Maine and Nell is trying to make a season her two daughters won't forget. Nell fears this is the last Christmas she will have her daughters before life takes them away. She turns to crafting and cooking to help her make it beautiful and fulfilling. One day while reading the local paper she sees an ad for a book reading and signing for Eric Manville, a famous writer who happens to be her one true love. Nell now needs to decide if she should see him and see if he has forgiven her or hide behind her Christmas quest of making it the best yet for her daughters.

If you love books that make your heart melt and are full of all things Christmassy then Home for Christmas is the book for you. Grab a warm blanket, a cup of tea and settle in for a winter's read you won't soon forget.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review in my own words.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I liked this book. Nell is a single mother that is anticipating soon having an empty nest, and she is going overboard trying to make the "last Christmas" at home before her girls move on to other things in life as memorable as possible. She spends a lot of time doing special crafts, baking, and doing other things that seem to be lost on her daughters. As a mother, I definitely identify with Nell - how many times have I stayed up late before a holiday or a big day to try to make things "perfect" - yet the efforts are barely, if at all, noticed by your child.

Throughout the story, while Nell is desperately trying to hold on to her daughters and her identity as a mother, she is also working toward finding herself again. As her oldest daughter struggles in a relationship, she looks back at the choices she made when she was younger, and who she was before she was a mother.

Of course, a good Christmas read should be positive, fun, and have some surprises - this book delivers on all fronts!

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through most of the book it just felt like a nice, pleasant three star read, though one that I only personally relate to in periphery. I decided to give it an extra half a star at the end when some of the implied advice took a more balanced turn in the way the story wrapped up. (For instance, I don't think learning to embrace a new stage of life and grow your own talents has to mean forcing yourself to go to a concert by yourself when you could invite a friend, but by the end the story does also portray community and family as important.)

There's hardly any content to speak of, as I wouldn't count the few brief kisses as actual content. I might avoid handing this book to a very young advanced reader just because it's dealing a lot with the concepts of divorce, infidelity, and weighty issues of relationship and life decisions. I definitely see no problems with it for any reader mid-teens and up who might be interested though.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Home for Christmas by Holly Chamberlin is a Christmas story involving a mother and her daughters. Having nearly grown children, Nell is trying to make the best Christmas ever. There is the drama of the ex-husband and his new wife, as well as the daughters coming of age dilemmas. Change is often difficult even when it’s inevitable, as this story shows with grace and humor, as well as seriousness and family drama.

If you are old enough to be facing Nell’s struggles of a future empty nest, you will identify with her as I did. Even if you are much younger, this story is food for thought. Like Seashell Season, Home for Christmas is a sensitive, heart pulling story that is smartly written with unforgettable characters.

4.5 Stars
An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley.

[Kaitlyn Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this, loved this, swooned the whole time.

This book takes place on the Southern coast of Maine (it reminds me of York beach, though it could be Ogunquit) during the Christmas season. Nell is a divorced mother of two who is trying to make Christmas extra special for her daughters this year as she fears this is the last year they'll be home for the holidays. Additionally, she reconnects with her college boyfriend who she never quite forgot, now a famous novelist, after he does a reading in the village.

I flied through this one and greatly enjoyed the experience, it was comforting to read before bed each night. I would recommend if you are looking for a Christmas book that still has holiday themes but not explicitly religious and is comforting while not being overly corny.

This book was great and I look forward to reading more from Holly Chamberlin.

[Margaret Fraleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful story of love, trust and family. Nell and her daughters, Molly and Felicity
are preparing for Christmas. Nell being divorced and knowing that her daughters will soon be
moving on - one possibly marrying and the other going off to University. Each of them is
struggling with where they are going - Nell - empty nest syndrome and being alone , Molly unsure of marriage and Felicity declaring that she is going with her father and his new wife to Paris next Christmas.
Miracles do happen. Nell reunites with her college boyfriend, Molly finally forgives her father
and realizes that she in love with Mick and Felicity realizes that she does not want to go to Paris.
Beautiful story.