Happy Friday Friends :)
I pray today finds you all doing well, and I'm so thankful you chose to stop on by The Preppy Book Princess for another book review.
I'm Kirby, and I'm exited you're here.
As a book blogger, I've gotten pretty used to reading Christmas books in the summer or early fall in order to have them read and reviewed before the release date, and that's the reason you're going to be getting another Christmas themed review from me today.
I personally love Christmas though, so reading Christmas books throughout the year is definitely not something that bothers me.
I hope you'll all join me down below for today's review from a new to me author.
Snow Place Like Home by Lacey Baker:
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: October 10th, 2023
Genre: Christian Fiction/Contemporary/Christmas Read
Synopsis:
On a rare trip home for the holidays, Ella may have finally uncovered the secret to a joy-filled future by getting lost in her past. Ella Wilson has avoided home and the holidays for nearly a decade. For her, the season is plagued by a jinx that’s brought nothing but painful her mother’s death nearly two decades ago, her fiancé’s abandonment last year, and now the loss of her job as an art curator. But without work to occupy her, home is exactly where Ella has ended up. And somehow, she’s also been roped into planning the town’s Christmas tree auction—side by side with her first love. Seth Hamil knows that home is where the heart is, and for him, it’s always been the sleepy community of Bellepoint, Pennsylvania . . . and for a while in high school that included Ella Wilson. Since then, he’s been married and widowed and has spent the year throwing himself into his career as a music teacher and trying to keep his wife’s memory alive, starting with the church fundraiser she launched to support local kids. So, despite their history, Seth isn’t about to let his wife’s vision for the event be easily dismissed by Ella’s temporary presence and big-city ideas. To find a way to work together, the two strike a Ella can incorporate her splashy ideas into the auction if she will allow Seth to show her why Christmas is about more than decorations. Soon both begin to wonder whether fate has brought them together for a fresh start—and if Christmas wishes really can come true.
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
I'm always on the lookout for sweet and heartwarming Christmas reads, and I was looking forward to this contemporary from a new to me author. The cover is downright gorgeous, the synopsis sounded adorable, and I couldn't wait to dive right in.
While I did end up appreciating how heartwarming and clean this story is, unfortunately it didn't end up being quite what I was expecting. While it's full of many of the fun elements that usually contribute to a wonderful Christmas story, the slow paced writing style had me struggling to truly engage with the story. Likewise, I felt for the characters and the grief they were both trying their best to put behind them, but I had a hard time connecting to either of them as they were written in a way that came across almost as standoffish to the reader.
Overall, the romance is cute, the setting is adorable, there's at least a small faith element included which I always appreciate, but the story as a whole just felt like it was missing something. I spent the majority of the story waiting for something to happen, and I felt like it never actually did in the end.
A cute Christmas story, but it's probably not one I'd ever find myself wanting to reread.
Final Rating: 3/5.
I'd recommend this one to anyone looking for a clean and heartwarming Christmas read this holiday season.
Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to advance read and review this title!
I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.
Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your weekend :)
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