the setup… Julia Devine is the manager of Sunny Street Cinema in London and the job perfectly suits her. She’s unconventional with her love of vintage the setup… Julia Devine is the manager of Sunny Street Cinema in London and the job perfectly suits her. She’s unconventional with her love of vintage clothes and classic films. She’s busy preparing the holiday movie line up and sitting through a showing when she sees her favorite star Hugo Turner leaving her aisle. But when he’s approached by a fan, he admits he’s his doppelgänger and is really Sam Hunter. When she later rescues him from another fan at a restaurant, they strike up a conversation that leads to a wonderful friendship. Julia is also dreading her upcoming trip home to Cumbria for the family Christmas lunch, even considering skipping it because of her awful stepsister Becca who is bragging about bringing her new pilot boyfriend. But Sam encourages her to use him…as her date, Hugo Turner!
the heart of the story… Julia is a wonderful character who is quirky, talented, bright and resourceful. But she’s grown up with the awful Becca who is enabled by her stepfather and even Julia’s own mother Sylvia. The Christmas ruse has all of the expected fun and drama but her relationship with Sam is complicating matters as her feelings for him are beginning to grow and how is she to later explain her “breakup” with the famous Hugo?
the narration… This is all about the storytelling and Tidd delivered a fine performance. I particularly loved her voice for the evil stepsister Becca.
the bottom line… While this story isn’t the most original, the crafting of it and the characterizations were pretty special. I couldn’t help liking Julia and Sam who appreciated all her qualities and talents and had a wicked sense of humor. Their romance was a slow, lovely burn and the holiday setting gave it a lift. The Christmas charade brought lots of fun moments along with some serious themes related to family relationships. It’s a gem in this season of holiday stories. 4.5 stars
the setup… Madeline Martin is the owner of a successful business in upstate New York called The Next Chapter Bookshop. She leads a quiet life, caring fthe setup… Madeline Martin is the owner of a successful business in upstate New York called The Next Chapter Bookshop. She leads a quiet life, caring for her father who is still recovering from a stroke and enjoying her role in the community. That is until Harley Granger walks into her bookstore a few days before Christmas and threatens to upset her equilibrium. He’s a true crime podcaster and has his sights set on Evan Handy as his next subject. Ten years ago, Handy was convicted of murdering Madeline’s best friend Steph, suspected to have something to do with the disappearance of two sisters who were also her friends and ER own attempted murder. Madeline barely escaped with her life.
the heart of the story… I was looking for something different in a Christmas story and found that in this one. While Madeline wants no part of Granger’s podcast, his probing stirs up painful and uncomfortable memories she’d buried in the years since that awful night. It doesn’t help that Handy is denying his guilt, which is what drew Granger to the story since three other women have mysteriously disappeared after he was imprisoned. As Granger forces Madeline to revisit the details, she starts to question some of the things that happened the night she almost died.
the narration… As this is a short story, it’s all about the storytelling and the narrator gets everything right. I’m so glad I held out for the audio version.
the bottom line… There’s lots of mystery and intrigue here as the events from the past are slowly revealed. I honed in on a probable suspect early on and nailed it but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment. Madeline was an interesting woman and her relationship with Handy was “complicated.” She becomes an unwilling amateur sleuth as Granger forces her to reckon with the past. It’s short but certainly had all the elements of a good, full length story and listening to it made it even better.
the setup… Five years ago, Megan O’Sullivan left her fiancé Isaac Quinn waiting at the altar and ran away to Dublin. Now her brother who lives in New Zthe setup… Five years ago, Megan O’Sullivan left her fiancé Isaac Quinn waiting at the altar and ran away to Dublin. Now her brother who lives in New Zealand is coming home for Christmas and her mother wants her there, too. Christian Fitzpatrick is dreading going home for the holidays, too, as his three siblings are all in committed relationships and he doesn’t want to be the only one on his own. When he stumbles into Megan at a Dublin pub, they reconnect as friends as they not only grew up together, he was the only witness to her flight from her wedding. As they share their reluctance to go home, Christian comes up with the bright idea for them to be in a fake relationship. He can support her with her family and vice versa for him. It can’t possibly work, right?
the heart of the story… Megan’s fears about returning home are well founded as her old friends sympathized with Isaac and abandoned her (it didn’t help that she didn’t defend herself). I really liked Christian who has a wicked sense of humor, is smart and successful in his own right. He’s got a great family who loves him, though he seems to believe they don’t expect much from him. The fake dating actually benefitted both of them in ways they never anticipated. Of course, their bond deepened and sometime during the holiday the friendship morphed into a romance.
the narration… I loved that both narrators are Irish as that enhanced the authenticity of the story. And, they were wonderful storytellers who embraced the essence of their respective characters.
the bottom line… It took some time to learn why Megan ran away from her fiancé and I always suspected there was a lot more going on than cold feet. Christian’s issues were a bit more complicated, too. All of that made for a more layered story, adding a bit more depth than I’d anticipated, a very good thing. It was great to be reunited with the Fitzgerald clan, including Andrew and Molly from the first book. Megan and Christian were wonderful characters, individually and as a couple. This holiday story is something special.
the setup… It’s a few days before Christmas in New York and everyone has either left town for the holidays or is making their way out. That is except Kthe setup… It’s a few days before Christmas in New York and everyone has either left town for the holidays or is making their way out. That is except Katherine, a successful and highly ambitious attorney who is the ultimate grinch about the holidays. She’s waiting for “the call” from her law firm’s senior partner, the one he makes around this time to announce the new partner. Katherine leaves work, intending to go home and ignore the holidays, then gets in a taxi that gets broadsided. She wakes in a hospital with a concussion and a wound on her back. She hears a voice that is all too familiar but one she hasn’t heard in almost four years…her ex-husband Tom! Turns out, she hadn’t changed her emergency contact. And, she can’t be left alone with a concussion. Her choice…stay in the hospital or go home with him to Chicago for the holidays with his family.
the heart of the story… Katherine and Tom’s parting of ways was acrimonious to put it mildly. There was a lot of hurt underneath all those barbs they threw at each other. They’re witty, sometimes funny, but always meant to hit the target. From the moment they left the hospital, it was one calamity after another as they tried to get to Chicago, mostly caused by Katherine. Did I also mention a blizzard is descending on the city? But throughout their banter, I got a sense of who both of them are, what they really felt about each other and what broke them apart.
the narration… Both narrators did a great job giving voice to their characters and handling all that fast-paced banter. I’m glad I chose to listen to the story as they made it even livelier.
the bottom line… I had a lot of fun listening to this story, even when I wanted to throttle Katherine for her singleminded focus. But once I learned the reasons behind her behavior, my heart ached for her. I loved Tom and his infinite patience with this woman, hoping he’d find a way back to her. This was all I’d hoped it would be.
the setup… Ashley Smith is an American art student from Sacramento who is studying in London. It’s 1989 and a junior year where she’s facing spending tthe setup… Ashley Smith is an American art student from Sacramento who is studying in London. It’s 1989 and a junior year where she’s facing spending the Christmas holiday alone as her mother recently died and there’s no one left behind in California. When she gets a sudden invitation from another student, Emma Chapman, she’s reluctant at first (there’s a good reason for that), but the idea of Christmas in a manor home in the Cotswolds was too appealing to turn down. Once there, it first looks ideal and cozy but soon Ashley starts to feel like maybe she’s in the middle of some gothic mystery. Well, maybe.
the heart of the story… It’s actually the format of the story that’s the thing. It’s delivered from the diary Ashley keeps and she’s quite expansive in her writing (you can actually hear the pages turning). I got a clear picture of Starvewood Hall (the manor home), Emma, her family and a strong sense of foreboding from those pages, despite Ashley shrugging it off. She starts falling for Adam, Emma’s brother, though he doesn’t seem all that engaged. I kept thinking, “run.” The story then takes a sharp turn when it shifts to the present day, thirty years later.
the narration… This was my first time listening to this narrator and I loved her performance. She’s a great storyteller and gave subtle distinctions to the primary characters.
the bottom line… This isn’t your typical Christmas story, an anomaly amongst the fare of sweetness and light. It was a nice change of pace as throughout the reading of Ashley’s diary, there’s this growing sense of something undefinable and eerie amidst the normal of the holiday. The twist that showed up in the present day was quite clever and poetic. It’s a novella so brevity here is a must. Just know that this is a creepy little holiday gem that I definitely enjoyed and is best served up on audio.
the setup… Iris Raven is a culinary chef from London who decides to relocate to New York after the death of her beloved mother and to escape a toxic rethe setup… Iris Raven is a culinary chef from London who decides to relocate to New York after the death of her beloved mother and to escape a toxic relationship. She’s given a job at a noodle shop and a place to stay above it by the wonderful Bobby and his husband Robin. She chose New York because it was the place her mother romanticized and dreamed of returning to but never did. When Bobby takes her to Little Italy for the Feast of Gennaro festival, she spots a gelato shop that looks similar to one in her mother’s photos and soon discovers it’s one and the same. It’s run by Giovanni (Gio) Belotti who is faced with closing it because the gelato recipe they’re renowned for is inaccessible since his uncle fell into a coma. Iris soon discovers after tasting it that it’s the same as her mother’s who swore her to never reveal it, a promise she made to Santo Belotti…Gino’s uncle who gave it to her.
the heart of the story… It doesn’t take long for Iris to figure out that the Belotti family didn’t know about her mother’s romance with Santo, let alone that he broke the family tradition of never sharing that recipe. She’s torn between sharing a secret that is only Santo’s to tell in order to save the business…or not. Iris volunteers to help Gio figure out the recipe, coming closer to him and his wonderful family. I love the Belottis and really liked Iris but thought her deception went on far too long. She also allowed the widowed Gio to believe her “husband” had died and could certainly have cleared that up. It was annoying but that was all eclipsed by everything, especially the bond and spirit of Gio’s family. We get sort of a dual timeline as Iris’s deceased mother Vivien’s point of view took me back in time to when she lived in New York. That was fascinating.
the narration… I liked the narrator’s voice tone and pacing but it was a little difficult distinguishing the storytelling clearly for lack of inflection. It was pleasant but could have had more energy.
the bottom line… Even though Iris’s deception was bothersome, there was so much more to appreciate about this story. She had a lot of baggage and her move to New York, friendship with Bobby and developing relationships with Gio and his family had her come to life. I craved gelato from the onset, too. There are so many special moments that just made this a delightful holiday experience. It’s not all sweetness and light but the difficult events just gave it depth.
the setup… Kerry Tolliver is a graphic artist who recently lost her job after her company was acquired. She returned to her family home in Tarburton, Nthe setup… Kerry Tolliver is a graphic artist who recently lost her job after her company was acquired. She returned to her family home in Tarburton, North Carolina to try and figure out what was next, especially after her relationship also fizzled out. Her family runs a Fraser fir Christmas tree farm and it’s now time for the annual trip to New York’s Greenwich Village to sell the trees. Normally this is done by her father and brother Murphy but her Dad’s health issues prevent him from going. It’s up to Kerry to stand in for him, driving a tiny vintage camper to live in with Murphy and his dog Queenie for the month they’ll be in Manhattan. Oh, joy!
the heart of the story… Many believe New York City to lack the sense of community you’d find in smaller towns but surprisingly, that’s not necessarily true. Kerry soon discovers that the people living and working near the tree stand they’d occupied for years not only knew each other but looked out for one another. She found herself bonding with them, quickly immersing herself in their lives, in particular with Patrick McCaleb and his young son Austin. He’s divorced with a unique living arrangement for the sake of Austin and connects with Kerry after an interesting encounter. I loved how the story presented an alternate sense of community in a city environment. They all knew Murphy and embraced Kerry almost immediately. I also learned a lot about the rigors of raising and selling Christmas trees and it was quite an education.
the narration… McInerney narrates one of my favorite series and I was worried she’d remind me of those characters but that didn’t happen. Her performance was unique to this story and I enjoyed her performance.
the bottom line… This was a heartwarming, sweet story that embodied the spirit of the Christmas season. Kerry’s romance with Patrick was just one element as the secondary characters are equally essential. They are unique, adding substance and color to what happens in this vibrant but tightly knit community within the city. But it’s young Austin who’s the scene stealer with his big heart and loving nature, bringing everyone together to search for an old man who might have been forgotten otherwise. It’s everything you want in a holiday story.
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