Christmas in Winter Hill

by Melody Carlson

My review:

“God allows the rain to fall on the just and unjust. We’ve all had our troubles.”

Krista decided to relocate with her 8-year-old daughter, Emily, to Winter Hill, Washington. She’s taking on a new job as city manager and hoping for a new start. Winter Hill seems like a sweet little town, but Krista soon learns that along with this small town comes a huge annual Christmas festival, and as city manager she’s going to have to get involved. The issue is that Krista really doesn’t like Christmas. Growing up in foster homes, Christmas was never her favorite time of year and only brings back memories or her past. The town seems welcoming at first, but once Krista starts making changes at her new job everything becomes quite a mess, and it seems like moving to Winter Hill may have been a huge mistake.

“Christmas is a time for miracles. Maybe it’s time for yours.”

Christmas in Winter Hill is a feel-good, clean, holiday read that’s Christmassy enough to get you pumped for the holiday season. The small town setting of Winter Hill was charming, and  the main characters were admirable, but the story itself fell just a little flat for me. The issue was just too much business going on in the story with Krista’s job. It’s obviously necessary for the plot but wasn’t very interesting to me. There’s certainly enough going on: a city hall scrooge, a little romance, and of course Emily’s adjustments to her new school to name a few, but overall this turned out to be just okay for me. A happy ending is always nice, which in this case was a little far-fetched, but it’s sweet, and makes this a good escape read.

Not only did I read the physical hardcover, I also listened to this on Audible. The narrator did a nice job with all the characters. You can listen for free through Audible Escape which is a monthly subscription similar to Kindle Unlimited with tons of titles–mainly romance. It’s hard for me to consider this a romance because there’s so little, but there is a blooming relationship within the story.

Melody Carlson has become a family favorite author in our home. My daughter loves all her Christian YA books and rereads them consistently, which is what turned me on to this author in the first place. While this book is also Christian, it isn’t over the top and anyone can enjoy it. A Christmas by the Sea is one I enjoyed last year and I’ll likely move on to read her other Christmas stories.

3.5***

Find this book on Goodreads and Amazon:

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Revell (September 3, 2019)
• Genre: Contemporary Christian, Holiday Romance
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800736109
• ISBN-13: 978-0800736101

Blurb:

Krista Galloway is not a fan of Christmas. After her rough childhood in multiple foster homes, the holiday season just brings too many bad memories to the surface. But when she accepts a job as a city manager in the mountain town of Winter Hill, Washington, Christmas is part of the deal. The small town is famous for its Christmasville celebration, something that the city manager . . . well, manages.

As she tries to make her tiny new apartment feel like home for her and her eight-year-old daughter, Emily, Krista begins to wonder if this move was a mistake. She doesn’t always feel welcomed in the close-knit town, and Emily continually wonders, “Where’s the snow?” Can a friendly stranger and his family help restore Krista’s Christmas spirit before the big day?

Bestselling author Melody Carlson invites you to spend this holiday season in a town you’ll never forget–and never want to leave.

This is book #3 for the 20 Books For Christmas Reading Challenge. You can see my progress by clicking the image below:

Thanks for reading my review! What Christmas books are on your list? Are you doing any challenges? You can share below if you’d like.

♥️ Mischenko