Book Review: The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews

The Santa Suit


by Mary Kay Andrews
Publication Date September 28, 2021
Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group
Purchase Here Buy on Amazon US - Buy on Kobo - Buy on Google - Buy at Barnes and Noble - Buy on Audible - Buy on Amazon UK
Goodreads
Genres: Fiction / Holidays, Fiction / Women
Pages: 224
Format: ARC

From May Kay Andrews, the New York Times bestselling author of Hello, Summer, comes a novella celebrating the magic of Christmas and second chances in The Santa Suit.

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. The previous family left so much furniture and so much junk, that it's a full-time job sorting through all of it.

At the top of a closet, Ivy finds an old Santa suit—beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of a suit she finds a note written in a childish hand: it's from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. This discovery sets Ivy off on a mission. Who wrote the note? Did the man ever come home? What mysteries did the Rose family hold?

Ivy's quest brings her into the community, at a time when all she wanted to do was be left alone and nurse her wounds. But the magic of Christmas makes miracles happen, and Ivy just might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance at love.

My Review:

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews is a delightful, heartwarming story about family, love, loss, and determination. It’s a novella, but it’s packed with great characters, a lovely small town, and a bit of mystery and romance.

Ivy Perkins is determined to start over. After a divorce, and leaving her job, she buys an old farmhouse named the Four Roses sight unseen. When she arrives at the farmhouse she’s dismayed to realize that it’s much more of a fixer-upper than she was lead to believe by the photos. However, also at the farmhouse to greet her is the handsome realtor Ezra.

Ivy finds an old, but, still functional Santa Suit in one of the closets in her new home. She finds out that the previous owners used to play Santa and Mrs. Claus at many events in the town and around. Inside the pocket of the suit, she finds a note, written by a little girl asking if Santa can bring her father home from the war.

This novella has everything you’d expect in a full-length book and I enjoyed it very much. The farmhouse was exquisitely described, and I just want to move into Four Roses despite all the work it needs. Both Ivy and Ezra were well-developed characters, and I loved them both and thought they were perfect for each other. It didn’t take them long to figure that out too, but, it is a novella.

Although a Christmas book, it’s also about connections, and friendships, and love. I didn’t feel like I was hit over the head with Christmas as I have in other Christmas books. This one had just the right amount of Christmas magic in it.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a holiday romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Tweet Email

Share this:

• Facebook
• X

Like this:

Like Loading...