Cute heartwarming story. Perfect for the holidays! I will be recommending this one to all my friends.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I was up til 4am finishing this story. We can allrelate to the main character, can't we? We all have the one who got away, or the timing wasn't right. I found so many parallels in reading about their past, which is woven into the current story.. Made me miss college a bit. Perfect holiday read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to preview.

Great holiday read. Beautiful Christmas time romance. Love the setting and the characters.
Thanks St. Martains Press & NetGalley for the ARC.

A beautiful Christmas story that warmed by heart and soul as I was sipping hot tea curled up in a fuzzy blanket on the sofa w/ the fireplace on. Five stars!!!

Absolutely full of holiday charm, Christmas in Vermont by Anita Hughes is her latest holiday book to hit shelves. Grab a copy today, "magic of synchronicity and fate set at a quaint Vermont inn during the week after Christmas. "
Emma never stays in a relationship for more than a year and when a Christmas Eve occurrence has her finding a what she thought was a long gone item could it be a coincidence or is it as her best friend calls it, the magic of synchronicity .
The one that got away, of her past relationships there is one that stands out and rediscovering each other again in picturesque snowy Vermont well is it synchronicity or just coincidence?
When she discovers there is more to him than meets the eye is this second chance romance doomed before starts anew or will sparks fly along with the snowflakes in this beautifully charming romance set during the most festive time of the year?

Published October 15th 2019 by St. Martin's Griffin
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

A sweet, charming December story that you know is destined to have a happy ending.

Emma is 33 and hasn't had much luck in finding that perfect mate that she'd want to spend the rest of her life with. After a recent breakup with boyfriend Scott, she finds herself in a NYC pawn shop trying to sell the bracelet her last boyfriend had given to her. She notices a watch that looks very familiar to her and it's engraved. It turns out that it is the watch that Emma had given to Fletcher, the only man she really ever cared about. She hasn't seen him since after college when he left for a job in London and she stayed in back in the states.

When Emma's friend, Bronwyn, who believes in fate, intervenes, she comes up with a plan. She finds out through social media more about Fletcher's whereabouts. It seems that Emma will be spending time at a charming Vermont Inn over Christmas in the hopes that the two might reconnect.

A feel-good Christmas novel about second chances and lost connections.

I love the books that Anita Hughes writes. However, this one was not my favorite. I didn’t enjoy the story as much, I felt like the writing was a slightly different style than her normal, and I didn’t enjoy the characters all that much.

A sweet book for the end of your holiday tbr! Most stories feel similar nowadays but there was something cozy and comforting about this book.

A lovely trip from New York to Vermont with flashback memories of London and Maine. An old flame rekindled. I personally loved reading it because it took place in Vermont. I recognized when they went to Simon Pierce and The Vermont Teddy Bear Factory. They drove down route 100, my all-time favorite scenic route! It was fun to see how the author would fit some real Vermont into her story and I was so pleased that she truly did pull off the spirit of Vermont. Yay!

I love stories about chances, serendipity, synchronicity - call it what you will - the idea that two people are meant to be together and that fate will make it happen. It's naive, I know, but it's wonderful to imagine. Christmas in Vermont is all about second chances and fate.


When Emma goes into a pawn shop on Christmas Eve to sell the bracelet that her ex gave her, she discovers an engraved watch that she once gave to Fletcher, the "one who got away." Sentimentally, Emma purchases the watch for old time's sake. Her friend decides it is a sign that the two, Emma and Fletcher, are meant to be together and she arranges it so that the two of them are at the same place in Vermont at the same time. Of course there a moments of rekindled love, mishaps and miscommunication but in the end will their old feelings be enough to carry this couple into a future together? Well, you have to read Christmas in Vermont to find out! And you will want to read this gem this holiday season! Anita Hughes is a master story-teller in this genre and weaves a marvelous tale here. Definitely all the stars from me!

I really enjoyed this book, and enjoyed that it wasn’t sickeningly sweet with all the common Christmas themes. Of course it was still Christmassy, but not in a overly cloying way. I enjoy serendipity, or synchronicity stories in books that are supposed to feel good! I found it interesting that it took place starting on Christmas and counting down to New Years, I usually find that time being rushed through and I loved that they still considered it Christmas time. One last thing, this book has inspired me to want to go to Vermont and eat all the things and see all the sights!

I decided to read this book purely because it was set in a state I needed for my 5o states reading book challenge. Not only did I get my 49th state, I was rewarded with a pleasurable Christmas romance story which I seem to be addicted to reading during the holiday season. "Christmas in Vermont" begins with Emma visiting a pawn shop in New York in the hopes of selling a bracelet she received from a ex-boyfriend. Much to her surprise, she discovers a watch that she once gave her college sweetheart Fletcher for sale at the pawn shop. When Emma shows the watch to her best friend Bronwyn, her friend says it must be synchronicity. Without Emma's knowledge, Bronwyn, researches Emma's ex-flame and discovers that Fletcher is spending his Christmas holiday at a small Vermont inn. In the hopes of reuniting the long lost lovers, Bronwyn books Emma for a Christmas holiday in the same exact inn. Emma isn't sure she agrees with Bronwyn's plan but reluctantly agrees to go anyway. It doesn't take long for Emma to discover that seeing Fletcher again may be a little bit more complicated than she ever imagined and she wonders if second chances are even possible.

This kind of romance book appeals to me because I like how two people who once loved each other could later be reunited through synchronicity. I like the idea that a change in time or circumstances can allow things to work out differently for the couple the second time around. I enjoyed most parts of this book except I found some of the kid interactions a little unbelievable. I work with 8 or 9 years all year long and none of them sound like Lola (the 9 year old going on 20 year old fountain of wisdom and sophistication) I felt like she could have been toned down a bit. She also lacked proper adult supervision. (I have a child around the same age and would not be leaving him at the inn without first transferring him over to the adult in charge.) I was surprised at the amount of times where Lola was left alone without an adult supervising her.

Overall, Christmas in Vermont was a sweet romance and would love to see other books set in this Vermont town. Thanks to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. It was a fun stress relieving book to read during the holiday season. All thoughts expressed are my honest opinions of the book.

I received a Reviewer Copy of Christmas in Vermont by Anita Hughes from the publisher St. Martin's Press through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Emma, an advertising executive in New York City, cannot make relationships work and always break up with her boyfriend right around the holidays, so when she finds a watch belonging to an ex-boyfriend, she can never forgets, her best friend convinces her its fate and she needs to travel to a small inn in Vermont to see if there can be a future with the ex, she never stopped loving. Unfortunately when he gets there he's with his daughter and new fiance.

What I Loved: I liked the character of Emma and I even was vaguely on board for the premise of light Christmas fluff, especially set in Vermont.

What I didn’t like so much: I live across the bridge from Vermont, so take that what you will, I have become fairly familiar with the landscape. The author doesn't really seemed to have researched much for the plot besides a quick google search and it doesn't really ring true to the beauty of Vermont, when she names places, she gets important details wrong, I'm willing to give a pass on this though because I'm not familiar with every setting that seems magical for Christmas and maybe just m one of few people who would notice. The other thing is that the headings and place changes aren't always correct. The book takes place the week between Christmas and literally has phrases 10 days till Christmas Day and changes which characters are talking part way through. Again, a reviewer copy I can forgive this because it's not a finally draft but it was definitely annoying. What I couldn't get over was how unlikable the main male character was, he was self-righteous and had weird interpretations of things and his actions were contradictory. There's also not really a ton of plot or romance, and you never really see why these two main characters should be in love because the main male character feels a bit mediocre. Additionally, several of the supporting characters are unlikable too, including the main characters best friends. The lack of chemistry between the two characters though I think is what dooms the book.

Who Should Read It: If you love Hallmark movies and don't need much conflict or humor or chemistry, give this a shot. I might also be the wrong viewing audience because of how close to home it is to me.

General Summary: Christmas in Vermont reads like a Hallmark movie you've seen too many times.

Christmas in Vermont by Anita Hughes is a warm, touching Christmas story. It makes you realize that life can change in a moment and love can be found again.

I liked the beginning of this book, but it did lose me for quite a while in the middle. It just got pretty boring. It did pick up at the end, but overall, it wasn't my favorite Christmas read. I did like Emma, Fletcher, and Lola, though.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All the opinions are my own

Emma is a hard working copy editor. She has trouble maintaining a romantic relationship longer than 364 days. When she visits a jewelry store she is surprised to see an e graves watch she bought for her college romantic interest Fletcher. Her friend Bronwynn comes up with the phrase synchronicity encouraging her to head to Vermont where Fletcher is vacationing with daughter Lola and fiancé Megan. Emma decides a relaxing week in Vermont will be a great way to spend the holiday weekend. Will Emma be able to reconnect with Fletcher and his precious daughter. Is a future In store for the Couple?

Christmas in Vermont is a sweet novel brimming with holiday cheer and nostalgia. The story of Emma and Fletcher gave me a lot of vibes of Serendipity the movie. This book was perfect to read for a snowy December afternoon. I did have a couple issues with this book. The pacing of their relationship felt slow in parts. I found myself eager for Fletcher to move on from his current relationship. I did not like the woman he was engaged to at all. I definitely can understand why the writer showed all the details of his current engagement but I would have liked more time to see Emma and Fletcher together. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to the beginnings of the relationship and thought this portion of the story worked well. Christmas in Vermont is low on the steam meter and from my perspective was a clean romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

As a fan of Hallmark Christmas movies, I found I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a satisfying love story that makes you believe in Christmas miracles and second chances.

When you find yourself meandering over to the bookstore's holiday section, you usually know what you're going to be getting. There are no surprises in a holiday novel, but readers love them precisely for their predictability so they can escape from the real world. All that being said, it's important that a holiday book have at least some whimsy and warmth and for any book to keep the reader's attention. Even with a title like Christmas in Vermont, I didn't really find either of these in this book.

Emma is a Manhattan copywriter who visits a pawn shop on Christmas Eve. She finds her ex-boyfriend's engraved watch and wonders whatever became of him. Her best friend, Bronwyn, discovers that Fletcher, the ex-boyfriend, is staying in a snowy Vermont inn and sends Emma there. What Bronwyn doesn't know is that Fletcher has a fiance and a daughter.

Christmas, a Vermont Inn, snow -- sounds magical, right? It is in theory, but while holiday novels do require the reader to suspend disbelief at times, this one had way too may "coincidences" to be believed. Hughes calls it "synchronicity" in the book, but it just came off as annoying. Finding ex-boyfriend's engraved watch in a pawn shop? Check. Best friend sends me to the same middle-of-nowhere inn as my ex-boyfriend? Check. I become close with my ex-boyfriend's ten-year-old daughter? Check. Ex-boyfriend has a fight with his fiance and the fiance leaves? Check. You can only guess how it ends.

There are better holiday books out there.

MY RATING - 2

Looking for a cheesy Christmas romance in the vein of Hallmark or a Netflix original? Well, here you go.

Christmas in Vermont was exactly what I expected it to be. It was cliche and predictable. One of those books where you know the ending from the very first pages. But I think there is a market for those types of book, so if that's what you're looking for, it would be right up your alley.

I personally had a hard time with quite a few things in the story that caused me to rate it lower:
1. A 9 year old girl who felt to be more like 12 or 13 at times.
2. A father that let the 9 year old girl roam around a foreign city with very little supervision or guidance.
3. Lots and lots of grammatical errors (I usually don't comment on grammatical errors when I'm reading ARCs because I recognize they haven't gone through the entire editing process, but in this case the errors were distracting and excessive).
4. I despised the way some of the characters reacted to various situations. Characters who fell in and out of love at the snap of a finger, characters who had no backbone/not an independent bone in their body, etc.
5. An overall need to suspend all reality to believe some of the coincidental events within the story.

I previously read Anita Hughes's Christmas at the Chalet and had similar feelings, albeit maybe not as strong. Perhaps this holiday genre that requires one to fully suspend reality is just not my cup of tea.

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Anita Hughes, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review.-