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nickieandremus's review against another edition
2.0
*** I received an e-copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review
I am normally a big fan of this author's books, but I was disappointed in this one. The characters and their storylines were all so negative, the entire book except for the very end was just depressing. Not at all what I would expect from a Christmas-themed book.
I am normally a big fan of this author's books, but I was disappointed in this one. The characters and their storylines were all so negative, the entire book except for the very end was just depressing. Not at all what I would expect from a Christmas-themed book.
booksinthemountains's review against another edition
4.0
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.
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.
serendipitysbooks's review
3.0
This was a feel-good Christmas story. Nell is afraid this might be the last Christmas both her daughters are at home so she goes all out to make it especially memorable. Then her first and only love appears in town. My main frustration was Nell’s reaction to her looming empty nest, which bordered on irritating. She was too focussed on keeping things the same, rather than embracing the changes that come as children grow and mature. It’s true that much of the plot was predicatable. But that’s what Christmas books are all about isn’t it - everything tied up neatly and happy endings? Overall this was a perfectly fine read so long as you are not after any real depth or complexity.
silver_valkyrie_reads's review
4.0
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.
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.
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