Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Holiday Fiction
Length: 413 pages
Author: Jenny Bayliss
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Release Date: September 26th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Three bickering half sisters.

One unique antiques shop.

The coziest holiday season of their lives.

Wildly different half sisters Maggie, Simone, and Star have hardly seen one another since their sprightly summers at Rowan Thorp, their eccentric father Augustus’s home. Known for his bustling approach to the knick-knack shop he ran, Augustus was loved by all and known by none, not even his daughters.

Now, years later, the three estranged women are called upon for the reading of Augustus’s will and quickly realize he’s orchestrated a series of hoops through which they must jump to unlock their inheritance—the last thing any of them want to do. But Maggie and Star desperately need the money. And who would Simone be to resist? 

Through hilarious goose chases, small-town mishaps, and one heart-warming winter solstice celebration, love is in the air, if only the three sisters can let themselves grasp it.

PLEASANTLY SURPRISED.

Y’all know I rarely read anything that doesn’t have some kind of heavier romantic plot, and I picked this up on a whim thinking it did. While it did NOT (there was still a little romance here and there) it was an absolutely charming holiday read and I would easily recommend it to those looking for something less romantic but full of siblings, holiday shenanigans and reconnection.

I loved how different each sister was and getting to see their changes throughout. There’s ups and downs and that messy middle where you know you love your sibling, but also, WHY ARE YOU ACTING THIS WAY. I loved that authentic nature and how real everything felt. I was emotionally invested in Maggie, Simone and Star working things out and finding that place where they could be the sisters they wanted to be again.

Each separate POV was easy to distinguish and I liked how seamlessly the larger plot wove into each sister’s dynamic. An enjoyable audiobook and a great heartfelt read.

Overall audience notes:

• Contemporary Holiday Fiction
• Language: light
• Romance: closed door
• Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a parent, loss of a spouse (recounted), discussions of infertility and miscarriages, abortion (recounted)

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph