A review by jess_bythebook
Snow Place Like Home by Lacey Baker

hopeful lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a super clean, Christian romance that’s so stinking cute it’ll melt all the grinchy hearts. With all the makings of a Hallmark Christmas movie, this story delves deep into learning to let go of the past in order to open your arms for what the future holds. However, even with forced proximity and a slight enemies to lovers trope, I wish the pacing was just a little bit faster. 

“Did you break his heart or did he break yours?”
“I like to think of it as a lesson,” she said. “Not a heartbreak.”
“And what lesson did you learn?”
“Never fall in love again.”

Ella lost her job, her fiancé, and now has nowhere to go. Going back to her aunt’s house for Christmas, she finds herself helping on the local committee to raise funds for a good cause. But being back in the town she grew up in means she now has to confront all the feelings she’s pushed aside for so long. Plus, reuniting with some old faces again brings up new feelings she’s not quite ready for yet. 

Seth is on the committee in honor of his late wife. If it wasn’t for her and the dedication she had to this town, he probably wouldn’t even be here. But a promise is a promise. However, when his old high school crush comes back into town, he finds himself suddenly being the first to volunteer.

“We don’t get to pick the time and the place that our prayers or our whispers are answered. And sometimes, Ella, sometimes the answer to our prayers is no.”

I actually loved the message this story sent. The aunt is the unsung hero for sure! And if this isn’t turned into a Hallmark or Netflix movie, they’re seriously missing out. I think if it was shortened, it’d be just about perfect. I love that it’s written and narrated both by black women. It brings a life to it in a way that not many Christmas books have done in the past. Plus it has a dog!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.