Author: Poppy Alexander
Narrator: Helen Keeley
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: October 2019
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: In this heartwarming, feel-good holiday novel, one woman needs to find a little inspiration in the 25 days leading up to Christmas to help her remember the magic of the season and the magic of falling in love—perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan and Josie Silver.
Kate Potter used to love Christmas. A few years ago, she would have been wrapping her presents in September and baking mince pies on Halloween, counting down the days and hours to Christmas. But that was before Kate’s husband left for the army and never came home. Now she can hardly stand December at all.
Kate can’t deny she’s lonely, yet she doesn’t think she’s ready for romance. She knows that her son, Jack, needs a Christmas to remember—just like Kate needs a miracle to help her finally move forward with her life. So she’s decided if there isn’t a miracle on its way, she’ll just have to make her own.
As Kate’s advent countdown to the best Christmas ever begins, she soon realizes that even with the best laid plans, you can’t plan for the unexpected. For when the path of the loneliest woman in town crosses with that of the loneliest man, these two destined hearts might find a way to save the holiday for both of them.
My Thoughts: I really liked this story, but if your Christmas themed reading preferences run toward the fun, whimsical side of Christmas, this may not be the book you should grab first. Despite the cover leading me to believe this is a fun and cute story, there are a lot of heavy soul-crushing tropes within the pages that might trigger some readers.
At the center of the story is Kate. A young widow trying to give her six year old son a Christmas to remember. Romance really isn’t at the center of the story as the story centers more on this woman coping with the death of her husband and trying to make ends meet working for a department store and assigned to sell Christmas trees while wearing a skimpy elf costume. I have a good idea how depressing and miserable this job is for Kate as it was depressing to me seeing her putting on her happy face while enduring rude customers and a creep of a boss.
Meanwhile, her son is struggling in school and the powers that be want to expel him from the public school and send him to a remedial school, which appears to be nothing short of a detention center for juvenile delinquents. Kate cannot afford the private school he would thrive at and the town council doesn’t appear inclined to make an exception for Jack and waive the fees. I felt so bad for Kate. Her son is not a troublemaker but having lost his father, he would benefit from quality one on one attention from a teacher that actually cares.
She meets Dan while selling trees, though they don’t know each other’s name. He refers to her as the Christmas Tree Girl. He’s struggling with his own losses, mourning the deaths of his parents and sister all in a two year period. He tries to stay busy and volunteers his free time at a crisis call center hoping to be the lifeline of compassion and empathy for those struggling. Kate and Dan could both use a magical Christmas.
I got pulled into this story despite the sadness and loneliness both of these characters struggle with because I just had to know how it would all turn out, believing that Christmas is the time for miracles and the good guys don’t always finish last.
This was my first experience reading this author and I hope to read more of her work. I paired the reading of this book with the audiobook narrated by Helen Keeley. Her performance accurately conveyed the emotions of these characters which gave me more understanding of their individual situations.
My Final Verdict: Would I have chosen this book if I had not assumed this book was a light and fun read based on the cover? I don’t know, but I am glad I did. This book is a great reminder that not everyone is full of Christmas Spirt and cheer. Many people struggle during the holidays and seeing a Christmas miracle at work in the lives of Kate, Jack and Dan was very heartwarming.
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