I really enjoyed this sweet novella. This is the first book that I have read by this author, but I now look forward to reading others by her. I enjoyed A Merry Little Christmas, even though it was my first time meeting these characters.
I really felt for both Mandy and Leo. Mandy was struggling emotionally and did not feel any joy at the upcoming Christmas season. Although Leo could tell that something was wrong, he didn’t know how to help and was also feeling overwhelmed with work and life.
I liked that this story showed that a wife and mother could truly love her life, but hit a season where things were overwhelming and where there was a struggle to find the joy in the events that were normally uplifting.
I also appreciated that there was not an easy fix to help Mandy feel better. Rather, there were many people, including her husband, who looked for ways to unburden and lift Mandy up in order to give her the love and support she needed.
Although there were struggles in this story, I found it to be an uplifting tale and a good reminder of the simple joys of Christmas.
(4 stars)
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Mandy Romano feels like Christmas is one long checklist she wishes she could avoid. She usually loves the holiday season, but this ear she just can’t get into the Christmas spirit. And when her husband’s ex-fiancée shows up in town, Mandy begins to think she really does need a Christmas miracle to save this holiday. Is there any way for her family to have the sweet, simple holiday her heart longs for?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brandy Bruce is the award-winning author of The Last Summer, as well as the novels After the Rain, Looks Like Love, and the Romano Family Collection series. She’s also the co-author of the YA fantasy novel Chosen, with her sister Sara Hanson. Brandy has worked in book publishing for more than a decade–editing, writing, reading, and making good use of online dictionaries. She’s a graduate of Liberty University and currently works as a freelance book editor. She and her husband make their home in Virginia with their three children. When Brandy isn’t editing manuscripts or writing novels, she loves spending time with her family, baking any kind of cheesecake, watching movies based on Jane Austen novels, or curling up with a favorite book.
