Member Reviews
The Christmas Sisters is without a doubt the perfect festive read that highlights the magic of the holidays and reminds us to always live life to the fullest and surround ourselves with those we love. It is a fabulously irresistible read that proves once again that when it comes to writing heartfelt, moving stories with characters you can’t help but fall in love with Morgan’s one of the best!
Suzanne is hoping for the perfect Christmas when her three girls return to Scotland for the holiday. Each has to sort through their own personal issues and support each other too. Great setting and vivid details about the holiday.
It took me a minute to get into this but once I did I was completely hooked! Love these sisters and this awesome family!
THE CHRISTMAS SISTERS is only the second book that I’ve ready by Sarah Morgan, but I will definitely be back for more! As the author of both contemporary romance and women’s fiction, Morgan has given me a lot to choose from.
THE CHRISTMAS SISTERS is told by the different female characters, and each chapter is titled with the narrator’s name (though it did get a little confusing at times.) Suzanne and Stewart are the adopted parents of Hannah, Beth, and Posy. Their parents, along with another couple, died in an avalanche in which Suzanne was the only survivor. Fast-forward twenty-five years where the majority of the story takes place–Suzanne still has nightmares and survivor’s guilt.
The death of their parents shape the lives of the three sisters, and when they all go home to Scotland for Christmas, which is supposed to be an annual visit, they get closer than ever. Their lives are dissected and their love interests, along with Beth’s husband and children, are in the forefront of their minds.
As the three sisters are all at different stages in their lives, they learn to deal with their issues and to rely on each other. Their bonds strengthen, and Suzanne finally learns to let things go. Ruby and Melly, Beth and Jason’s daughters, are a nice addition to the story and lend some lightness and levity along with Posy’s animals.
There are a few surprises along the way, and the story flows nicely. The descriptions of Scotland made me feel like I was there. The story is set in Washington state, New York City, and Scotland–a place on my bucket list to visit! There was nice closure, but an epilogue would have been nice to let us know what happens next to each of them. A Christmas novella to meet up with them all again would be nice (hint, hint).
I rated the book 4.5 stars but rounded to 5 stars on this site and others.
After reading or listening to a couple book by Sarah Morgan, and enjoying them very much, I went looking for more to read. Even though it was 85 degrees outside, this Christmas story seemed to be what I was looking for. This is the story about three sisters, their family, their loves and the two people who raised them.
Beth, Hannah and Posy were orphaned young and their mother's best friend, Suzanne, and her husband raised the girls as their own. It is nearing Christmas and all three of the girls have promised to head home in the Highlands of Scotland. Due to situations in their lives, Hannah and Beth both head home earlier than planned. Posy, still lives at home and is shocked that her sisters are arriving early. As they share the reasons they have returned home with Posy, she is sworn to secrecy. Will the three of them finally share their feelings about their parent's death and how that has affected their lives?
I really enjoyed this family drama. The girls were all strong and loving, but had issues in their lives they had to deal with. They had secrets from each other and/or their partners that were holding them back. They had to find out what they really wanted out of life and reach for it, follow their dreams and take a plunge. I really liked all the characters. They were real with real problems and concerns. I do not want to give away the story, but there is a happy ending. The story is the journey they take to figure out their lives and what they want. There is love, both family and romantic, friendship, because sisters and spouses need to be friends, self-reflection, honesty and forgiveness all wrapped up in a delightful and sometimes emotional story. Sarah Morgan does not disappoint.
I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This book was a nice light Christmas read that wasn't too long for the business of the holiday.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
This had all the makings of a Hallmark Christmas movie and I loved it. The relationship dynamics could at times feel a little melodramatic and unnecessarily tense, but I loved getting to know the McBride family and rooted for every member.
I'm a big Sarah Morgan fan, but I'll admit this one wasn't my favorite. Some of the storylines of the sisters felt a little familiar, like stuff she's written before. Still quality writing however, and the characters felt authentic.
*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*
Morgan writes a story about a three sisters coming together for the Holiday at their family home. Set in Scotland, sisters Posy, Beth and Hannah are finally home together for the holidays and dealing with their own issues as well as ones that have kept them apart for the past few years. Their mother is hoping for the perfect Christmas, but with all the issues that plague her daughters, she cannot pretend that everything is perfect. This story is very heartfelt and emotional on many different levels and each issue just as important to the person it is effecting. The sisters have a lot of lost time to make up for and the emotional roller coaster will have you feeling their emotions right along with them. This is such a great feel good holiday story.
“The Christmas Sisters” by Sarah Morgan
Twenty five years ago the lives of three young girls and their mother’s best friend changed forever. It has held them each captive in their own way. Has led to internal beliefs and external behaviors in order to compensate over the tragedy. The one thing they never did: talk about it.
That is until this Christmas. Two of the three daughters arrive earlier than expected from their home in NY to the Scottish Highlands. Their younger sister picks them up and is privy to the different issues each sister is facing.
As they all work toward some form of ease, honesty, and eventually addressing their most important issues, they come to find that they all can find a way to heal, to move forward, and to be closer than they have ever been.
With characters so honest and well written, the reader falls in love with them and feels as if they are present with them. Despite being so very different from one another, there is still a bond the reader can feel from beginning to end. The author sticks to their unique personalities and never strays from them.
The storyline is wonderful, and multi-faceted. Each character is facing some sort of present dilemma, but how they deal with it is, in many ways, is reflective of the issues and fears they have grown up with or internalized, and have to face in order to move forward.
A truly heartwarming read, that is engaging and continually holds the readers attention. You will fall in love with the McBride family, the McBride sisters...the Christmas sisters... from the first page.
Rating: 4.8
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I am currently reading this book in the format I prefer. I am about halfway through with this book. I originally got a PDF version of this book but it did not show up right on my e-reader and I just bought the ebook for my Kobo. Thank you for the chance to let me read this. I am giving it a second chance now. Only leaving a three star rating for now because I am still reading this. Thank you!
AHHHHHH! This was the perfect holiday read. I love Sarah Morgan and this one lived up to it's promise. It was a bit deeper than I expected and I loved that. Highly recommend!
So, I’ve been loving some Sarah Morgan from some time ago- her O’Neill brother series is def a steamy romance with some great characters and covers ( read my reviews: Sleigh Bells in the Snow, Suddenly Last Summer, & Maybe This Christmas.)
The Christmas Sisters has more of a women’s fiction feel (though there is some romance!) and I am IN LOVE (alllllllllllllllllllllll the heart eye emojis!!!!!!!!!!) with this cover AND those boots the gals are wearing. ALL HEART EYED EMOJIS, folks. Totally.
What I liked:
The cover. I mean, do you see the sparkle? The shimmer? The BOOTS?! It’s like Sarah Morgan’s cover people reached into my mind and made the most perfect ever Christmas book cover. Heck, I’m even in love with the fonts!!!!
The sisters. Each is different. Each has their own struggles. Their secret dreams. And I loved them all.
The setting. I’ve never been to Scotland. I may never make it there. But Sarah Morgan’s Scotland has me wanting to go. Desperately.
Bottom line: This book gave me all the holiday feels (not an easy task since it was 99-ish) degree weather in Mississippi when I was reading it. It took severe strength to not pull out the holiday music and the tree. If I re-read this in November, I don’t know if I could be stopped from decorating for the holidays. 😉
*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*
I love Christmas stories with a (heavy) romantic undertone. Just absolutely love them. Curling up by the lit up Christmas tree, fireplace burning, and glass of wine beside me while reading a holiday love story? Sign. Me. Up. I have great news for anyone who feels the same. The Christmas Sisters, Sarah Morgan's latest novel, was holiday perfection in my books.
Here's the synopsis:
In the snowy Highlands of Scotland, Suzanne McBride is dreaming of the perfect cozy Christmas. Her three adopted daughters are coming home for the holidays and she can’t wait to see them. But tensions are running high…
Workaholic Hannah knows she can’t avoid spending the holidays with her family two years in a row. But it’s not the weight of their expectations that’s panicking her—it’s the life-changing secret she’s hiding. Stay-at-home mom Beth is having a personal crisis. All she wants for Christmas is time to decide if she’s ready to return to work—seeing everyone was supposed to help her stress levels, not increase them! Posy isn’t sure she’s living her best life, but with her parents depending on her, making a change seems risky. But not as risky as falling for gorgeous new neighbor Luke…
As Suzanne’s dreams of the perfect McBride Christmas unravel, she must rely on the magic of the season to bring her daughters together. But will this new togetherness teach the sisters that their close-knit bond is strong enough to withstand anything—including a family Christmas?
There are so many things to love about this Christmas story. Honestly. That being said...there was a little something that kept me from giving it 5 stars on Goodreads. (Why haven't they come up with 1/2 stars yet? Or maybe I don't want them too...that'll just give people more to complain about "Why didn't I get that extra half star? They must have hated the book if they only gave it 3 1/2." OK, so that's a rant for another day...) This is such a solid story though that I'm not going to look too closely at why I left off that last star (it's very likely just because I have extremely high standards for 5 stars). I'll just talk about all the lovely things about the book. Sound good? Good.
This book is perfectly Christmassy. It is so rare to read a Christmas story (I'll admit most of my holiday reading are romances because I am a sucker for them) that actually has such a focus on Christmas. There were the traditional and concrete Christmas elements - buying and giving presents, trees and decorations, baking and eating - as well as the feeling and essence of Christmas - family, love, a dash of stress. Those magical Christmas feelings wrapped themselves around me and I almost felt like I was cozied up in front of the fire at Suzanne and Stewart's with the McBride family all around me. Which, I admit, was a really weird feeling to have at the end of September when I read the novel. If I can make one suggestion, it's that you wait until December or, at the very least, after Thanksgiving - Canadian or American, take your pick - to read this one. I think the magic of the season will make the story that much more powerful for you.
I recently read (and reviewed) Sarah Morgan's last book, How to Keep a Secret, which was her first foray into "women's fiction" (instead of true romance). I didn't really think it was too much of a departure from her usual romances because she always has such strong characters and a solid storyline. This one though? Even though there were relationships and lovers all over the place, it felt more contemporary fiction than contemporary romance. (This might be a really hard thing to understand if you're not a romance and contemporary reader but I read a good amount of both so, I guess I'm an expert?) The storyline was a bit heavier (not to say romances must always be light and fluffy) and all the feelings of all the characters were explored, not just the romantic feelings. It was as much a family story as it was a romantic one.
The characters were all, somewhat surprisingly, quite fleshed out. I say surprisingly because there were a lot of them to get to know. The POV cycled through Suzanne, Posy, Beth, and Hannah and Morgan really managed to make each woman shine. Not only that, each of their husbands/love interests (Stewart, Luke, Jason, and Adam, respectively) had strong personalities as well (and I don't necessarily mean Alpha male personalities, just well developed ones). It was so lovely to read such great characters. Even Beth and Jason's daughters were delightful and their little personalities came through the pages as well.
And it takes place in Scotland. I LOVE THAT. I'm a Stewart. Of course I do.
I could likely gush about this heartwarming tale all day so I'll just say this: if you only read one Christmas novel this year, make it Sarah Morgan's The Christmas Sisters. It was such a delight and already has me looking forward to the holiday season.
The Christmas Sisters is definitely worth a read. It was a little bit of an emotional roller coaster. I laughed, I cried, I was frustrated with the characters. I think it had a little bit of everything.
Ok friends, if you read my post about the impossible task, you know I’ve been sitting on some of these reviews for a long time. This is definitely one of those. So forgive my out of season Christmas book review.
I read a few Christmas-y books in December this year, and of them, The Christmas Sisters was my favorite! It is such an adorable story about sisters and family and the struggles we all deal with.
The three sisters in the story could not be more different. Hannah works constantly, leaving no time for a personal life. Her mother longs for her to settle down and start a family, but Hannah couldn’t be bothered. Beth is married and is a stay-at-home mom to two little girls. She looks like she has it all together on the outside, but secretly she wants to return to working full time. Finally, Posy, the youngest sister is the care-free adventurer.
Their family has a tradition of getting together on Christmas as it is a very important holiday to their mother, Suzanne. Hannah missed last Christmas, so this year is going to be extra special. The girls aren’t nearly as close as they used to be, but everything comes out and to a head when they gather in their childhood home in Scotland for the holiday.
I really enjoyed this book. It had the cozy feeling of a holiday book, but also dealt with real life issues and managed to be adorable without being over the top.
If you’re looking for a holiday read, definitely add this one to your list!
Thank you so much to Harlequin Publicity Team for sending along a copy of this book!
I’m not a usual reader of Sarah’s books but the 3 sisters going to the Highlands of Scotland for Christmas grabbed me. A very emotional story as each sister and their stepmother have their own stories and secrets. And a very satisfying ending made me happy.
This novel is THE perfect Christmas read. I love snuggling up on the couch with a good book during the holidays and this novel is exactly what I would want to grab on a cold winter night. The characters were realistic and I felt that their stories were so relatable. I also loved the setting of the novel and I think it played into that Christmas vibe that made you want to curl up next to a fire.
If you are a fan of classic Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movies, you will absolutely love this novel. The setting was gorgeous, the characters were fun, and the story was fast paced. I highly recommend this novel and would definitely read more from Sarah Morgan. Thank you to NetGalley and HQN for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Rating 4/5
A delightful holiday romance. Each lady will discover what makes each one have the perfect Christmas. Each character has a heart warming and art stealing storyline . This contemporary holiday story because it will warm your heart and put you in the mood for the holidays.
So good! I really enjoyed Sarah Morgan's newest title. The story follows three sisters and their parents during Christmas time in Scotland. I liked the story going back and forth between the different view points. Really well written and engaging story. I couldn't stop reading it!