this is a short sweet story. I enjoyed reading it. she is a widow she inherits a cottage and her and her son arrive to fix it up and sell it, but the son wants to stay. this is a lovely Christmas story, but fits in any time of year.

I have loved every book I have read by Melody Carlson, and this is no exception. I love that it took place in Maine, as that’s where I’m from. It’s interesting to see the pull that responsibility has on Wendy as she believes the responsible thing is to fix up her grandpas cottage and sell it. As a single mom she knows it will help her pay off bills. Her son Jackson is equally pulled by a sense of adventure and trying to convince his mom they should stay. They both feel the pull of the sea and the less stressful lifestyle. This is a must read!!

Christmas by The Sea was a cute Christmas book. I enjoyed the book from beginning to end. The book gave me hope for miracles and true love. Maine is a beautiful state. I would love to visit around the holidays.

This a feel good book with strong characters and a good story . Easy and simple ,lighthearted book. Good holiday book. Recommend to all my friends

The review will be posted in November/December as a part of blogmas.

A Christmas by the Sea is a book about a mother and son who have gone back to a place where the mom summered with her grandparents and has now inherited after the death of her grandfather.
Wendy and her son Jackson are going from Ohio to Maine in order to get to the cottage and fix it up for it to be sold, or at least that's what Wendy has planned. Jackson, on the other hand, wants this to become their new home and for them to have a fresh start after everything that happened.

Overall enjoyed this book. As soon as I saw the cover of this book I immediately wanted to read it. I really enjoyed the mom and son relationship in this book as it's not something we get to see a lot, especially where they are close. Wendy and Jackson are two characters that I absolutely loved, Jackson was so full of hope and energy and it was infectious after a while. Wendy while being stuck in a hard place for most of the book with financial responsibilities really started to enjoy what Jackson was doing and saying and started to realize that maybe things weren't so hopeless which I really liked. It was nice to see a kid change the opinion of a parent in a positive way about something.
The side characters I really enjoyed as well and for this being such a short book we do get to know some of them fairly well.

The last 2 pages though absolutely ruined the whole book for me in a way. I could have done without that personally. I am also starting to feel like Carlson doesn't know how to end certain books without two people rushing into something that's extremely serious.

Christmas By the Sea by Melody Carlson was such a treat to read! It was just the right "pick me up" during a stressful week. The bond between widowed young mom Wendy and her son Jackson is clearly a very close and loving one, and I was so touched by how kindly and respectfully 12 year old Jackson looks after his mom. You don't see that too often in 12 year old boys. Jackson is also extremely persuasive as are most children this age, and he exercises his skills of persuasion to work on Wendy to stay in Seaside permanently. He does not wish for her to sell her grandparents summer home which she inherited. Jackson immediately fell in love with the older home, and with the beach, the sea and the town. Wendy, too, enjoys being back in Seaside and is pleasantly surprised by how the town has grown in the years since her last visit, yet at the same time, maintained its' charm. She is reluctant to leave but feels its' the responsible thing to do. When she and Jackson meet local furniture artisan Caleb, a firm and special friendship develops. Will this friendship develop into something deeper? To find out, I recommend for fellow readers and book lovers to read Christmas by the Sea.

Great, fast Christmas read by Melody Carlson. A widowed mom, Wendy and her son return to a small, coast town in Maine where Wendy just inherited a beachside cottage. Wendy and her son quickly become a part of the community and fall in love with the people and the community. Romance, a dog, and good friends are all part of this delightful story. Enjoy!

A Christmas by the Sea by Melody Carlson is a sweet holiday story about renewing ones faith and hope.
Wendy Harper, a young widow and mother of preteen Jackson, inherits her beloved family cottage in Maine. She thinks that it is the answer to her financial troubles if she can just do come home improvements and get it sold.
I really enjoyed this short story set in Seaside, Maine. Jackson is so full of faith and hope that they can make a life for themselves in Seaside, that it really reminds the reader that we should all put our trust in God and let him have control over our life.
I received a copy of this novel from netgalley.com and Revell in return for my honest review.

What a perfect holiday story! Part of me wishes that I would have saved this to read around the holidays. The story was so well crafted. I will definitely go back and read this authors previous books. Loved it!!

Probably my favorite Melody Carlson holiday book that I have read and I think I have read them all! Wendy Harper inherits a family beach cottage at just the right moment in her life when she and her son need it the most. Right before the holidays they move to this cottage to reinvent it and sell it and go back to their lives, but plans don't always go as they may.

Melody Carlson is a Christian fiction author and this book was the best combination of keeping the values of the faith in there, but also including a great plot that readers can enjoy. Wendy Harper was the best character to follow as you saw her struggles, but you also saw her ready for a change. With the recent loss of a spouse to cancer she knows that now is the time for a life change and this cottage could be the catalyst for all of it.

I loved the setting. I read this during the summer months and I wanted to crank up my AC and curl up under a blanket with this one. The cold and the holiday season were just right for this book. It even added to the plot of the story.

At the novella length, this book would be perfect to curl up with during an afternoon break from the holidays. Take a break from wrapping presents and all of the baking and cooking and slip into this story.

A Christmas by the Sea is a pretty good read. I would give it 4 stars and recommend it to add to any readers Holiday reading.

I love Christmas books. And I liove Melody’s Christmas books! This is a wonderful and engaging story of hope, faith, fate, optimism and a little Christmas magic.
Wendy and her son Jackson inherit a cottage by the sea which they need to renovate to sell on. And this book tells us, with kindness, compassion and warmth, the characters they meet whilst they undertake this task

It’s just lovely

I received a advanced readers copy of "A Christmas By the Sea" from NetGallery. Thank you to NetGallery, the publisher and Melody Carlson for allowing me to read this delightful book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I enjoyed getting to know Wendy and her son, Jackson, the main characters in the book. Wendy is a widow trying to support herself and her son. Wendy is surprised when she inherits a small beach house in Seaside, Maine and decides she will fix it up and sell it. Jackson has other ideas.
Caleb Colton lives in Seaside and he is the first person Wendy interacts with and the evolution of their relationship is very sweet.
I found this book to be a light, fun, heartwarming read and look forward to reading more books by Melody Carlson.

This is my first story by Melody Carlson and it won't be my last. This was perfect to read in an afternoon and I loved that it was a relatively short story that was well written and just lovely for the holiday season!

Melody Carlson never fails with her short Christmas stories! This year's takes us to the Maine coast, where a lady (who has experienced more than her fair share of hard luck lately) is trying to sell her recent inheritance and move forward with her life. God has other plans though... Enter a local resident, a jealous co-worker, a dog named Oliver, and well-meaning family, and you've got the recipe for a happy (and bee-lined) ending. The only thing I would have changed about this book is making it on a more realistic timeline, but maybe there are folks who move that quickly in real life, too. The setting is beautifully-described, the characters are realistic and lovable, and I would really love to see a DIY on those cute little seashell ornaments!

A Christmas by the Sea is everything I look for in a Christmas story!

I was totally charmed by Carlson's characters single mom Wendy and her son Jackson. As the pair made their way to the idyllic and picturesque small town Of Seaside Maine, I felt like I was on the grand adventure with them. I loved that they were on their way to fix up the family beach cottage and really enjoyed the play by play of their home improvement efforts. Their beachcombing for shell treasures and later Wendy's turning them into works of art added to the overall satisfaction I was already experiencing on every page. Add in the handsome and mysterious artist craftsman Caleb and the story moves up a notch with the attraction between he and Wendy.
The Christmas season made all the other wonderful parts of the book that much better. I highly recommend A Christmas by the Sea to anyone who loves beach cottages and small town settings, has an interest in handmade treasures and fixer uppers, complete with a touching love story and all the joy and miracles of Christmas!
Many thanks to Revell for making a copy of A Christmas by the Sea for making a copy available for review. Also my thanks to Melody Carlson for getting my Christmas season off to a wonderful start!

A wonderful story packed with hope, faith and love! A single mom struggling to make ends meet inherits a seaside cottage that could be the answer to her prayers for help. A long road trip for the holidays brings her to a tough decision: to sell or stay.

“You and Dad used to tell me God will provide what we need....So maybe we just need to trust him more."

I thoroughly enjoyed this tender story, with characters struggling with real life problems like financial difficulties, single parenting, seeking security, and a renewing of faith after loss. I loved Jackson and his enthusiasm as he tried so hard to help and convince his mom to keep the house. His reminder to trust God was like a word from above to her heart. Wendy struggles to be present while dealing with the stress of everything, wanting to do what is best for her son; something most parents can relate to. The fixer upper details of working on the house were perfect, as anyone who owns a home can attest to! I enjoyed the descriptions of the lovely small town by the sea. I hope there may be more stories set there, so I can visit there again.

Recommend for readers who enjoy an inspirational tale with a little bit of romance tucked in.

This was a nice afternoon read. I love books where the characters are going through the remodeling process as that is something that I also enjoy. It was fun to read about Wendy fixing up her newly inherited cabin all while she is reinventing her life and the life of her son. A great book!

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher and am voluntarily reviewing it.

Each year I eagerly look forward to Melody Carlson's annual Christmas book. I'm never disappointed, either.
This one was absolutely delightful. The reader goes along with Wendy and her son Jackson on a trip to a small coastal town in Maine, where her grandfather has left her his cabin which she visited with them every summer. Her plans are to sell the cottage to help pay off the medical bills when her husband died and to give herself and her 12 year old son some financial security. But circumstances transpire to change her mind. An absolutely delightful read.

I enjoy reading Melody Carlson's novels. I found “A Christmas by the Sea” to be a sweet, quick read. I finished it in one afternoon. It's a great story about small town USA. It takes place in Seaside, Maine. Melody does a great job of taking you down main street, describing the different stores, the town square, as well as walking along the coastal beach. You can almost feel the breeze and smell the salt water as the mist splashes your face.

Wendy Harper has inherited her grandparents cottage. After a long three days drive across country with her 12 year old son Jackson, they arrive. Wendy plans to renovate the cottage and sell it as quickly as possible. She only has three weeks vacation, then she is expected back to Cincinnati for Christmas. She never expected to have such strong feelings about this summer home. She has not been back here for almost 20 years.

The first scene between Wendy and Caleb Colton, I found to be hilarious. There is such a natural chemistry between Caleb, Jackson and his mom Wendy. It's as if they are meant to be together. You will fall in love with Jackson. He is such a smart, caring a likable guy. He is much older than his age, due to the fact of losing his dad so early. He has to be the man of the family now.

The story wasn't totally about Christmas, it takes place during the three weeks prior, starting with Thanksgiving and leading up to Christmas. I would recommend this book by Melody Carlson. I enjoyed it very much.
I received a copy of Christmas by The Sea from Revell Publishing through NetGalleys. The opinions expressed in this review are totally my own.