The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews | Book Review

If you’re looking for a Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movie in book form, THIS is it! This book is a warm cup of peppermint hot chocolate in front of a garland draped fireplace. This is the kind of book you can read in one afternoon, cozied up on the couch in your favourite blanket. It’s the PERFECT light hearted Christmas read, and I loved it so much.

plot (from the author’s website)

When newly-divorced Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen, she is definitely looking for a change in her life. The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is called, is a labor of love—but Ivy didn’t bargain on just how much labor.

Among the left possessions Ivy finds a Santa suit—beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of the suit she finds a note: it’s from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. The note sets Ivy off on a mission only to discover she might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance at love.

Discussion

This book had everything a good holiday movie is made of; the good looking lumberjack type well meaning neighbour, the local candy shop about to close that needs a miracle fix to stay open, the small Christmas obsessed town with it’s quirky and lovable residents. It would be a shame if this book isn’t made into a Hallmark movie someday.

The book was fast paced, and left me wanting to know what would happen next. It was a very lighthearted read that left a tear in my eye on more than one page. I love books with fresh starts, and this one was full of them.

I plan on lending this book to my mom and nan to read, but afterwards it will be one that lives on my bookshelf for years to come. This isn’t a read and donate book, this one is a keeper.

rating: 5/5