Wish Upon a Christmas Star

by Karen McQuestion

Get caught up in a special holiday story about the magic of Christmas and a second chance at love.

When Gwen Hayward moves to the quaint town of Poplar Creek, she’s too mired in post-divorce misery to meet the neighbors. That changes when she spots a little girl leave an anonymous wish on the local bookstore’s Christmas tree. Compelled to find the girl and fulfill the wish, Gwen enlists the aid of local business owner, Lucky Gallagher.

With the help of the townspeople, a lost dog, and some holiday magic, Gwen and Lucky may see more than one Christmas wish come true.

Genres: Christmas, Holiday, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Ebooks, Literary Fiction

148 pages, Paperback

Published November 29, 2021

About the author

Karen McQuestion is an Amazon Charts bestselling author whose books have sold over three million copies. Some of her titles include The Moonlight Child, Dovetail, and A Limited Run.

Her publishing story has been covered by the Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, and NPR. Additionally she appeared on ABC's World News Now and America This Morning.

Her website:www.karenmcquestion.com\

Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Karen-M...

Reviews

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish upon a Christmas star.
By Karen McQuestion

If you're looking for a Christmas short story look no more. This is the the one it will pull at your heart strings. Karen McQuestion has a book for everyone... Her stories are always the best. always well written stories each and every book...

Gwen Hayward.
Newly divorced, Husband decided he wanted the secretary Shawna. 32 years of marriage gone... Now Gwen will discover things that will pull at her heart string. The bookstore being one of those.. The young girl putting the star on the Christmas tree.... The star stands out..

Stella,

The child with the wish and the Biggest heart.. A child who wishes for Things like no other. A very giving child. A heart of gold... That's Stella.

This is truly a wonderful story. A very fast read a very short read a very Christmas read I absolutely loved it but I am a big fan of this author thank you Karen McQuestion 🎄🎄

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you believe in Christmas Magic? Do you believe in Santa? This wonderfully written Christmas novella will make a believer out of you! Out of sadness and loneliness, Gwen finds happiness and joy in the small town of Poplar Creek, the town where Christmas Magic lives! The characters in this sweet story are so believable. I grew up in a small town, and I know how close the people can be, especially at Christmas time. If you are looking for the perfect Christmas story, you have found it! Five sparkly Christmas stars! Thanks to the author for an arc, all opinions are my own.

[HeatherH · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot in this one was cute and it definitely had moments that shined through, but I think the writing style was just not for me. Gwen's internal monologue throughout kind of made me dislike her character, which made me want to push through her chapters as quickly as possible instead of savoring the story.

[Sheri P · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a story filled with the spirit of the season, this is the one for you. When recently divorced Gwen happens upon the wish of a special little girl, she is compelled to do something to fulfill the wish. When down on her luck Marina hears her daughter made a wish, her biggest fear is her daughter will be disappointed. As the tale unfolds we meet endearing characters in the charming community of Poplar Creek. This one has all the Christmas magic you could hope for!

[Janet C-B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an uplifting Christmas story, set in small town-America. I enjoyed the characters, the story and the magical element. It is at Christmas, that I am able to “let go” of reality. This novella was a great choice for my holiday reading this year.
4 stars

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Novel received courtesy of Goodreads.com First Reads Giveaways

What a wonderful way to get readers ready for the magic of Christmas! Gwen is a 59-year-old divorced empty nester who just moved to the quaint town of Poplar Creek. While visiting the local bookstore, she watches a little girl place an origami star on the store Christmas tree. When she takes the star off of the tree, she sees the little girl's wish for Christmas--a washer and dryer for her mother. Gwen meets lots of townspeople and experiences her own Christmas magic while trying to find that little girl to fulfill her wish.

[Mackey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short holiday novella that is sure to warm your heart. I do enjoy McQuestion's writing style and especially appreciate how she brings her characters to life. What I most enjoy is that she includes characters of all ages and socio-economic statuses together. This is a book that everyone can relate to.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a sweet Christmas tale it brought tears to my eyes. It's a story of the magic of Christmas, of looking outside yourself and bringing joy to others. It's a heartfelt tale of the love of a little girl for her mother and what it takes to make her Christmas wish come true.

[Tammy Morse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish Upon a Christmas Star!
Author Karen McQuestion!
Karen, you pulled heart strings with this book. I loved this short Christmas story!
Gwen Hayward is just newly divorced by man who cheated on her and told her this on the phone he wanted a divorce when she was at her sisters. He had moved all his stuff out before she returned. He left her the house and she could stay there so she moved out and rented it out for a few months then sold it. She moved to the retirement home in Poplar Creek. She had to put her past behind her to ⁸meet her neighbors to move on and forget her misery. After the mail lady brought her mail to see if she was ok.
Stella is a little girl that wants a wish for her mama, so she puts her wish in a star shaped as an origami.
When Gwen goes out for the day, she meets Besty Hibbert one of the neighbors she asks her in for a drink and just to talk. Then she goes over to the books store and sees this little girl on her tippy toes to put her star on the tree and it is different from all the rest of them. So, then she decided to open it and finds out what the little girls wish is. She meets Ingrid again in the bookstore and asked Gwen if she is going to fulfill the wish. No name no nothing except origami star with a wish in it. Gwen doesn't know what to do without any contact information.
Gwen has thought about who this little girl was and how sweet she is to want full filled.
Gwen tries to find her, but she comes up with nothing.
When Gwen goes to lunch, she is seated with Ben Gallagher. She was told how and who he is because he wears a baseball cap. So, she goes and ask are you Lucky from the laundromat? They talked and then Gwen was on her search to find this little girl who hung the origami star.
So, Gwen is trying to find one owner for the origami she keeps going back and forth to the laundromat until Lucky is there. They try to think about going she is at stopping point. Lucky put up a washer and dryer raffle and has to be the same origami as Gwen has. Then one day going home this dog would not leave her he stayed all the way to Besty house and asked her if she knows the dog owner?

Will Gwen find the little girl in time for Christmas?
Will Gwen be an owner of this dog who keeps following her.
What will happen with search she is on for the owner of the origami star?
Karen, I loved this book as I read it, I found myself in the book going around with Gwen. It was one book I couldn't put down. You made the character fit in just perfectly.
I recommend this book it is a short Christmas story. I found it was just one kind story when I read it, I fell in love with all the characters. Hope you do as well.
Karen your one of my favorite authors and I love being able to read your books and bring other readers to you.

[Phyllis Jones Pisanelli Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish Upon A Christmas Star by Karen McQuestion proves this author can write anything! I have read a few books by her and they are all different genres! I love an author that stretches her wings and always brings a new and wonderful story. 

This book is everything you want in a Christmas story. It really is what Christmas is all about. Gwen is recently divorced and moves into the home she and her ex bought for their retirement in Poplar Creek. She is depressed and it is when she steps outside of herself that she finds a new life with new friends. 

I’ve read a couple of books this year that rate at the top of my Christmas book list and deserve a re-read next year. Wish Upon A Christmas Star is one of those books. Don’t get me wrong, the others I’ve read and given a good rating to are very good. I don’t make a habit of reading a book more than once. There are simply too many good books out there to spend time reading books over again. Just my opinion. 

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

[M.K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story screams Hallmark Christmas movie to me.

I like that Ms. McQuestion uses relatable characters such Gwen Hayward, a fifty-nine year old divorcee who is abandoned by her long time husband for his sexy, young assstant. Gwen finds herself alone and confused in a charming town where they'd plan to retire to. Initially, lost in her pain, she finds redemption in the folks in town. To say more would ruin the fun for potential readers. I should add--there is a dog in the story, too.

This heartwraming tale will have you wiping away a few tears, laughing, and utlimately cheering at the end.

[Cristina Plesu · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a very predictable book, i saw the plot from a mile away but it was a cute little christmas read
i just finished in a holidaze by christina lauren, and there's always going to be something that bugs me about engagemets a year into relationship, and obviously there had to be one in this book too.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas story, absolutely beautiful

This story is such a touching tale at Christmas time! I could easily see it as a movie too.

Stella is a selfless child who has one Christmas wish for her mother to make life a little easier at a time where everything seemed to be going wrong.

I was smiling on and off throughout.

[Lynda Langan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Wonderful Christmas Tale

A bitter divorced woman gets her life turned around when she decides to help an adorable little girls Christmas wish come true. A true Christmas story with innocence, faith and magic. This is a book I want to read Every Christmas!

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun Christmas read and a good way to put you into the holiday mood.

[Elizabeth Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful Little Christmas story

I’m so glad I read this book. Just a simple sweet story. Very uplifting. Main character is a 59 year old woman who is new to a small town and recovering from an unexpected divorce.

[Sue Donner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story

Karen, I absolutely love all of your books! This one tells of the meaning of Christmas! Give expecting nothing in return! Happy Holidays everyone!

[Carol Deegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very heartwarming Christmas story centered around a young girl who asks for something for her mother for Christmas, and the woman who works to make that dream come true. It is one of those Christmas stories you could read every year. Thanks to the author for gifting me this book!

[Dawn M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful!

Wonderful Christmas story with all the key ingredients to make it so. This book has joyous characters and not a scrooge in the bunch.

[Kim Novak (The Reading Rx) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little Hallmark style Christmas story. Sometimes you just need a book full of happy endings.

[Sue :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas Magic

There is always something special about the magic of Christmas. Young Stellas Christmas wish spills out all over the town changing so many lives forever.

[Leigh-Anne Dennison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 48 of 36 (2022 in my Reading Challenge) was "Wish Upon a Christmas Star" by Karen McQuestion. Another seasonal selection, it was a light read intended to help put me in the holiday spirit. (Are you sensing a theme?)

The wish in "Wish Upon a Christmas Star" is a selfless and anonymous one made by an 8-year-old girl, Stella, for her mother Marina. Since I know that Estrella is Spanish for star (also "divine"), I easily surmised that Stella meant star as well; it is, in fact, a derivative of the Latin for star.
This is not the author's only clever naming choice. Obviously, Marina means "harbor," and she is intended as a "safe harbor" for her kind daughter who truly believes that her dreams and Christmas wish will come true. Additionally, our adult female lead, Gwen, meets Lucky (real name Ben), and she rescues a dog she names [spoiler], which I can appreciate.

Gwen has just been divorced by her husband of 32 years. Jared simply decided that he'd fallen out of love with her after more than 3 decades and turned her world upside-down. Having been knocked for the proverbial loop, Gwen finds herself at age 59 living in THEIR dream retirement home in the charming little town of Poplar Creek...where she basically knows no one.

[ASIDE: I appreciate that the author started the book with Gwen communicating the pain of depression, brought on by her life's change in circumstances, in a real way. Sleepless nights, days spent in pajamas, and anxiety about ever leaving the house again.]

The second female lead is young Stella, our wish maker. She and her mom, a young widower whose husband was killed in a car crash, live in Poplar Creek and are struggling to get by on a single salary. One that has recently been reduced when her boss gives some of her hours to a niece who is working through the holidays.

Gwen's and Stella's lives intersect at multiple points, the most important being the point of the Christmas wish written in an origami star and placed on the tree of a local book store. Gwen begins to make friends in Poplar Creek and enlists their help in finding the little girl with dark hair that she saw place the wish on said tree. By working to help someone else, Gwen helps herself, lifts her own spirits, and (possible spoiler) maybe even reforges her own personal identity in the process.

The book is filled with sweet coincidences, attributed by the characters to Christmas magic, including a date with Santa Claus himself, making for a delightful seasonal read.

[Jennifer Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish Upon A Christmas Star by Karen McQuestion is a Christmas novella about the love, hope and magic of the Christmas season. When Gwen Hayward moves to the small town of Poplar Creek, it’s not quite the move she was expecting. Still reeling from an unexpected divorce from her husband of 32 years, she moves to the town that was supposed to be their retirement home. She has been wallowing in misery that she barely knows the town, let alone her neighbors. On a whim, one afternoon, she enters the local bookstore where she spots a little girl leaving an anonymous wish on the store’s Christmas tree. Moved by the selflessness of the wish, Gwen is compelled to fulfill it. But she must find the girl first. Gwen begins by asking around town and eventually enlists the help of local business owner, Ben “Lucky” Gallagher. With holiday magic in the air, perhaps more than one Christmas wish could come true.
Karen McQuestion is one of my favorite go-to authors. Her stories never disappoint to educate, entertain and uplift your spirits with inspirational characters who will warm your heart. Wish Upon A Christmas Star made me cry which most books cannot do. I loved the sense of community about the neighbors and the steadfast belief of the little girl that her wish would come true. She refused to let anything damper her belief that Santa would come through for her. I also loved and identified with her mother’s desire for her to keep a realistic approach to wishes. I loved the budding relationship between Gwen and Lucky and wished they would end up together. I usually don’t read Christmas based stories but I am so glad I read this one. It lifted my spirits when I was feeling down and gave all the warm fuzzies that you would expect from a Christmas story. I highly recommend Wish Upon A Christmas Star.

Wish Upon A Christmas Star is available in paperback and eBook.

[Helene · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect story to warm your heart and give you some Christmas cheer! Gwen, newly divorced , reads a young girl’s Christmas wish written on a star in the local bookstore . Gwen decided that she would like to grant this wish, but has to find out who the girl is. This journey helps Gwen take her mind off her troubles and focus on helping others.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice holiday, short story that shows how a person can lift themselves up, by helping others and fulfilling a child's Christmas wish.

Gwen has just moved into the house that was to be her and her husband's retirement home. Unfortunately, she was blindsided by a divorce, is depressed and grief stricken, living in this lovely cottage alone. Gwen has no idea what to do with herself, and is too upset to want to meet her neighbors or to do anything. It isn't until she forces herself to get out of bed, go for a walk and buy food, that she starts to feel a little better.

Stella is a little girl with a special Christmas wish for her single mom. Stella's Dad passed away and her mom is having a hard time making ends meet. They often go to the Lucky's laundry to wash and dry their clothes. This tasks takes time and money, and Stella wants to help her mother. She puts a wish on the bookstore Christmas tree, hoping Santa will grant her wish.

The special Christmas wish is noticed by Gwen and it's determined that Gwen is now responsible for making the wish come true. The only problem is, she doesn't have any idea what Stella's name is, or where she and her mom live. The crusade to grant this child's wish eventually involves others in the community, gets Gwen out of her depression and brings a new furry friend into her life as well.

[Chad Barrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story that is appropriate 365 days a year! Gwen is going through the throes of a divorce but the small town she has moved to won’t let her stay shut away like she wants to. The caring people make her start to care again and she sees a little girl put a Christmas wish upon a Christmas tree in a bookstore. She is curious and takes it down and is touched by the little girl’s wish but there is no name or address on it. With a couple of helpful hints she meets a man who helps her on the quest. It has a happy ever after for all concerned due to the little girl’s wish.

I loved this story and with the state of our country and the world today I wish there were more people like Stella, Gwen, Ben, Ingrid, Betsy and Marina and the rest who could make a big change in our world today. Perhaps there are but the media doesn’t look for the good stories only the ones that tell how bad things are. It’s really sad.

I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically recommend this book for everyone to read more than once! It’s the kind of feel good book that will touch even the heart of Scrooge!

Read this book and discover the true meaning of Christmas all over again and put a smile on your face and a joy in your heart again!

[Lisa Wetzel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don’t believe in the magic of Christmas after reading Karen McQuestion’s Wish Upon a Christmas Star then nothing will. This is a heartwarming novella everyone should read especially if you are struggling getting that Christmas spirit ignited! I know I was but this sweet story just brought all the warmth back into this Holiday Season!! McQuestion takes all the sadness and loneliness out of a recently divorced woman and brings back the love, caring, kindness and helping your neighbor by sprinkling that Christmas magic that will have you reading this story year after year!! I know this novella has brought the Christmas spirit back for me…..I highly recommend you to read it yourself and reignite that magic for you and yours!

Thank you so much Karen McQuestion and Night Sky Press for an advanced copy of this memorable story in exchange for my honest opinion.
#wishuponachristmasstar #karenmcquestion. #arc
#nightskypress

[Dréya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute story of a lady, Gwen, new to the town of Poplar Creek. What was supposed to be a new home for her and her husband to live out their retired life ends up being just Gwen's home as her now ex-husband is off with a younger woman. Gwen wallows in her pain and eventually ventures out into her newfound community where she meets some of the nicest people and then a bookstore that has a Christmas tree with stars on it. Children come in and request a book for Christmas and the tree is set up like the angel tree program. Gwen notices a young girl place her star, very different from the others, on the back of the tree and she goes to look at it. The star is an origami star with a wish that's not for a book. This star creates an adventure for Gwen as there is no name and no address stated. This star and the plan to fulfill the request is what gets Gwen acclimated to her new city and sets the tone for what will happen next. #GiveItARead

[Big Time Book Junkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the most wonderful Christmas story. The small town of Poplar Creek, WI was such a great setting and the characters were just the sort of people I would love to meet. The overall theme was love, caring, kindness, and offering a hand to your fellow man.

The idea of having a Christmas tree in a bookstore so that children could wish for books for Christmas was awesome! I always feel like children can never have too many books.

Karen McQuestion pulled out all the stops in Wish Upon A Christmas Star and has written a story that is especially comforting in the uncertain times we're living in.

This is a book that could be enjoyed by all ages and will be something I read again next Christmas.

Thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.

[Sandi Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a simple little story really. Christmas Magic at its finest.

Karen McQuestion has three excellent Christmas Stories to read for the Christmas season.  A Time-Travel Christmas, A Switch Before Christmas, and Wish Upon a Star. I would recommend any one of these.  

As I read each one, I thought, oh that's a lovely story and surely this is the best one. I have to say my favorite was Wish Upon a Star.  The simplicity of this Christmas Story and a wish a young girl, Stella, wants for her mother tugs at your heartstrings.   From the very start of this story, Stella has no doubts her Christmas wish will be fulfilled.  The innocence through the eyes of a child is pure Christmas magic.  A quick and delightful story, sure to please those who love the Christmas spirit this time of year.