Synchronicity or a push from fate? Emma and Fletcher were a couple in their senior year of college, but went their separate ways after graduation to further their careers. Fast forward eleven years and they meet up again in Vermont. Christmas in Vermont is a sweet story of Christmas magic and second chances. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC. The comments and review are my honest opinion.

Emma discovers a watch that she gave a former boyfriend in a pawn shop. Her friend discovers he's spending Christmas in Vermont and books Emma in the same inn. Sparks fly as they reunite, on,y Emma discovers he has a daughter and fiancée. Hughes proffers another sweet holiday read about two people, kept apart by misunderstandings, who get a second chance. The setting could not be more festive in Vermont with the snow and holiday cheer.

I enjoyed this story. Great for starting the holidays. Emma and Fletcher got their second chance by chance and a fairy god friend. Try this you"ll like it.

Anita Hughes always writes with such love and humor, great characters and fun story lines that you want to keep reading.

A delightful seasonal read sprinkled with all the right elements. A sweet Christmas romance in a lovely setting that will make you want to visit Vermont even if you're not a fan of the snow. A great fireside read to cozy up to on a chilly night.

Another lovely read by Anita Hughes! Even though I enjoyed this book in the middle of summer, in a bathing suit, I could honestly feel the Christmas spirit and the gift of second chances.
The story follows Emma and Fletcher, once college sweethearts, who regrettably went their separate ways after college, are reunited after she finds a watch in a pawn shop she bought him years ago. He is tracked down by her best friend, who then buys Emma a getaway at the Snowberry Inn in Vermont- where he is staying with his fiancee (yikes!) and daughter. The story takes you back and forth between their first meeting and falling in love to the present day where they run into one another and find that the chemistry is still going strong-but is that enough?
The beautiful scenic winter wonderland Hughes sets up, along with the charming Inn, captivate the holiday magic leading up to New Years.
This is a Christmas love story at its best and I would recommend it (perhaps with some hot coco and cozy sweater instead of a bathing suit!) Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this wonderful holiday read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have reviewed "Christmas in Vermont" for the New York Journal of Books where it will be posted on the evening before the publication date.

"Christmas in Vermont"

Emma can't seem to make a relationship last. She meets a guy she thinks—as well as hopes—will be "the one," but by the time they’ve been together a year, she dumps them. She recently did this with Scott, her latest beau. He booked a trip for them to spend Christmas in Hawaii, but she broke up with him before they could go.

On Christmas Eve, Emma heads to a Manhattan pawnshop to sell the bracelet she received from Scott. She is surprised when she sees the watch she had given her college boyfriend, Fletcher, 11 years prior. Fletcher was the one she thought she'd be with forever, but after graduation, Emma, who wanted to work in the publishing field attained a lucrative position in the City, while Fletcher, with his heart set on directing plays, received a position as an assistant director in London which he couldn't turn down. This was the end of their future together.

Emma tells her best friend, Bronwyn about finding the watch, and Bronwyn reads the inscription on the back:

“To Fletcher, you have my heart," Bronwyn read and looked up excitedly. "Finding this watch isn’t strange at all. It’s synchronicity."

“What do you mean?" Emma asked.

“I took an undergraduate psych class on synchronicity at NYU," Bronwyn answered. "It means a meaningful coincidence that plays an important role in our lives," she finished triumphantly. "You were meant to find this watch.”

“It was crazy finding it there of all the jewelry stores in the city." Emma nodded. "But that’s what a coincidence is."

“Synchronicity is different, you have to act on it, or you lose the possibility of the greatest occurrence in your life. Synchronicity at Christmas is even more special, it’s the season of miracles."

Emma wondered again why she had the impulse to buy Fletcher’s watch. But she couldn’t let it sit there with all those rejected pieces like the toy soldiers in the Nutcracker ballet.

“We’re going to find Fletcher and get in touch with him," Bronwyn was already walking towards the computer.

Happily married with two little girls, Bronwyn wants the same for Emma. She discovers Fletcher is staying at the Smugglers Inn in Vermont and her Christmas present to Emma is a six-night stay at the same inn where Fletcher is for the holidays. Emma doesn't want to go, but it’s better than being alone, so she acquiesces.

After settling in, Emma goes ice skating and is shocked to see Fletcher. He is accompanied by a young blonde and a preteen girl. She wants to head back to New York, but she agreed to help Betty, the innkeeper with the children's activities as the current director is ill. Little does she know there's only one child in residence, and it is none other than Fletcher's loquacious daughter, Lola. Knowing she cannot compete with Megan, Fletcher’s leggy younger woman, she decides to stay for Betty as she does not back down on her promises.

Emma and Lola meet later while Emma is playing the piano at the inn. Lola coerces Emma into accompanying her while she sings at talent night. She is unable to refuse the enchanting girl even though she knows it is inevitable she will run into Fletcher.

Feeling desperate, she gets in touch with Bronwyn:

"Enough about me, I want to hear about you and Fletcher. Let me guess, you ran into each other last night at dinner, and he asked you to join him. You roasted chestnuts until midnight and talked about everything you missed. Then you stumbled up to his room and made love all night. Now you're going to join him in the outdoor Jacuzzi where you'll sip schnapps and make heart-shaped rings with your breath."

"That's definitely the movie version." Emma nodded. "The real-life version is I went ice skating yesterday and saw Fletcher with some leggy blond and a beautiful little girl. I was too embarrassed to go downstairs to dinner and was determined to leave this morning. Only, it's snowing, so I decided to play the piano." She took a breath.

"Then Fletcher's daughter heard me playing and convinced me to accompany her in tonight's talent show." . . .

. . ."Is his fiancée nice?" Bronwyn asked.

"I don't know! Fletcher hasn't seen me, and I don't know what to do when he does," Emma moaned. "Lola calls her the good witch. Apparently, since she came into the picture, Lola feels ignored." . . .

. . ."Lola is afraid the new fiancée is stealing her father away," Emma explained. "That's why I couldn't say no. She's desperate to perform in the talent show so Fletcher will notice her."

"Don't you see, it's synchronicity all over again." Bronwyn peeled the mud off her cheeks. "You were planning on coming back to New York but then you got snowed in. Of all the people who heard you playing the piano, it was Fletcher's daughter. You're going to perform in the talent show together and it will all work out perfectly."

"You forgot about the blond fiancée with the diamond ring that's as big as a bird's egg," Emma reminded her.

Emma still harbors feelings for Fletcher, though she cannot act on them especially now that he is engaged to Megan; and this engagement happened not long after he and Lola's mom divorced. Emma realizes she's no match for the gorgeous actress, though Lola states she does not like the woman.

Lola overhears Betty confiding she is fearful of losing the inn due to financial reasons, so she and Emma plan a benefit to raise money. Meanwhile, things between Fletcher and Megan appear rocky.

The time span of this novel commences at Christmas with each chapter counting down to New Year’s Day. The reader is introduced to a lot of backstory from both Emma and Fletcher supplying information of their history together. The snow filled countryside of Vermont along with the delightful characters makes this an enchanting holiday read.

"Christmas in Vermont" by Anita Hughes
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The flash-backs were ever so helpful in understanding the 'whys' and 'where-fores' in the story line. A Clean Sweet Contemporary tale.. with a lot of twists and turns twixt beginning and ending. I received an ARC from the publisher and this is my review. If you like mostly happy, clean contemporary romance stories.. I believe YOU will really like this story, too!! Happy Reading !!

I love Christmas stories as much as the next one but this book missed the mark for me. Unfortunately, the writing left much to be desired and was very short, choppy, and rushed, and I felt like we didn't get a chance to know any of the characters, especially our leads. Seems like a lot of other folks really enjoyed this one so I'm likely in the minority when it came to the writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A sweet, romantic story, ideal for the holidays! I'm reading this in 98° weather and totally enjoying it, but it would be a wonderful read for a cold, dreary day by the fire. My only negative comment is that it could have used a good proof reader to catch all the typos.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. 3.5 crabs🦀 out of 5.

This book was so sweet. I’ll be honest, this isn’t my normal genre so I expected a hallmark movie in book form, but it had a lot more depth than that. Lots of flashbacks to college, which were really fun and cute. Also lots of London and theater references, which were really neat and different. And the love story involved a little challenge, so that was fun. All the descriptions and images to the adorable town of Snowberry, Vermont made me feel like I was really there walking the snowy streets.
There were a few things I didn’t care for, though. The heavy dialogue was a bit unrealistic. I know The 9-year-old was supposed to be mature, but her conversations were a little much (though her “Cammi stories” made me laugh out loud). Emma’s friend Bronwyn was funny at first then got a little out-of-hand with her over-the-topness... her lavish lifestyle making me roll my eyes often. And the way everyone got so involved in each other’s lives so easily and quickly was pretty cheesy - definitely fit that “hallmark movie” feel I had expected, though.
Overall, this book was very sweet. If this is your genre, you’ll love it. I feel like I need to plan a trip to Vermont and go see a theater production now. I’d definitely pick up more Anita Hughes books to snuggle down with when the holidays roll around.

Second chances at lost love rule throughout Christmas in Vermont. It is a sweet story of what if’s and of what could be’s…if only he was not engaged already. Fate has other plans that must be carried out.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I would like to thank Net Galley for the ARC of this book. Christmas in Vermont has all the perfect elements of the perfect holiday romance. Having just broken up with yet another boyfriend, Emma takes a bracelet that he gifted her to a pawn shop planning to donate the money to charity. While she is there she discovers a watch that she gave her college sweetheart, Fletcher. She exchanges her bracelet for the watch, and a chain of events that will change her life begins. Without giving too much away, her friend books her in an Inn in Vermont. She arrives to a magical holiday setting including a few feet of snow, a cozy inn, abundant food, festive holiday decorations, but most importantly, Fletcher.. Never mind that he is there with his nine year old daughter and gorgeous fiancé, The story is told through flashbacks to Emma and Fletcher’s college days mixed with the countdown to New Year’s. It is a sweet albeit predictable story, that you will want to keep on reading, not because you wonder what will happen, but HOW it will happen. i enjoyed this book and would recommend it for a great holiday read.

With its gorgeous cover and enticing description, Christmas in Vermont promises to be a fun, touching love story in the dreamy setting of New England. I read the novel in a matter of a few days. It was like watching a fun rom-com with all these flashbacks to the good old days of college. From New York to London and Vermont, the plot embarks the reader on a moving journey where both lead characters are pushed by fate to reminisce and rekindle their past romance. The writing style is nicely flowing, well-paced and very vivid, you can easily picture all the scenes unfolding before your eyes.

I really recommend this feel-good festive book. It delivers on its promise of a delightful magical romance. On top of it, you’ll learn a thing or two about “synchronicity”, a fun add-on that made me think of the NY-based movie Serendipity.

Loved this sweet romance novel, that made me feel as if I were in Vermont at Christmas lol. Holiday stories always catch me.

Christmas in Vermont is a cute love story about a former couple who reunite after eleven years. A lot of strangely coincidental events occur that put the two, Emma and Fletcher, together again at Christmas time at a charming inn in Vermont. The author calls in synchronicity and the concept plays a big role in the book.

I really enjoyed the book and recommend it. It was a terrific romance with attractive characters. I especially liked Fletcher's daughter Lola.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas in Vermont is a love story and it blew me away.

I would love to spend Christmas in Vermont I think initially it tapped into my love for New England.

Emma goes to a pawn shop and notices a watch she had given to a boyfriend 11 years ago. She buys the watch and stay at an inn in Vermont where her ex boyfriend, his fiance and their daughter are staying.

I enjoyed the love story and the descriptive writing. Anita Hughes is an amazing writer.

Thank you to Net galley for the opportunity to review this book. It fit right into my Christmas in July readathon.

The shadow of the one that got away lingers and Emma can't seem to maintain a relationship longer than a year. When her latest relationship disintegrates at Christmas she finds the watch she had given to the one that got away in a pawn shop. She spills the tale to her best friend, Bronwyn, who adds to the magic of Christmas and gifts Emma with a holiday week in Vermont. Fletcher, the one that got away, is at the same inn with his daughter and fiancee. How will Emma face him? But sometimes things aren't what they seem and there just might still be some Christmas magic.

Christmas in Vermont is a delightful and charming love story about the magic of second chances during the most festive time of year..
I would recommend this book.

Christmas in Vermont is a second chance at first love novel. It reads much like a Hallnark movie would read in book form. I loved the descriptions of the fictional Vermont town. If you like Christmas romance, this is a book you will enjoy