Every December I carve out some time for a few Christmas reads and this December was no exception.

I was lucky enough to snag a copy of this heartwarming story awhile back, but saved it for the holiday season all the same. It’s the latest release from the immensely popular, Mary Kay Andrews whose books I have shelved, but never read before. Crazy, I know.

This sweet story follows new farmhouse owner, Ivy Perkins. Fresh off a messy divorce and craving a change, Ivy purchases the locally iconic farm known as The Four Roses, site unseen. As a result, Ivy quickly realizes the farm needs a lot of TLC, (tender loving cash, that is), in order to turn it around. Remaining optimistic, Ivy is further encouraged by the new friends she’s made and the infectious spirit of her new home.

In the midst of organizing, Ivy finds a Santa Suit with an old note containing a cliffhanger on its pocket. Before long, Ivy sets out to find more about the writer of the note. Christmas miracles happen all the time, but is believing in the magic enough to make it happen?

The Santa Suit isn’t about twists and turns or page turning tension. I mean really, what Christmas reads are? Instead, it’s exactly what it should be-the perfect story for readers looking for a light, seasonal escape.

I read this as a buddy read and am so glad! This has been a slower reading season for me, so I’ve been selective about what I am trying to read. I need books that are happy and grab me from the get-go. This did both and it’s novella length made it perfect.

Ivy bought an old farmhouse in a small town- having never seen the farmhouse or visited the town. She’s recovering from a divorce and needed a change. The farmhouse was packed to the brim, and as she’s clearing stuff out I, she found a beautiful Santa suit. It turns out she bought the town ‘Christmas’ house. It’s the house that everyone would drive to see because the decorations were gorgeous. Which is fine, except Ivy’s not that into Christmas…. She’s more interested in creating a livable space. Fortunately her attractive real estate agent I there to help her. She starts making other connections in the town and the Santa suit might just have some magic in it…

This was charming and a lovely seasonal read. Christmas magic and joy was in full display and I was happy to sink right into it! Enjoy!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

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

The Santa Suit was the perfect read to dip my toes back into reading. First, it is a quick read. Second - the plot lines were easy to follow and were enjoyable. We had Ivy trying to find herself after her divorce, the mystery of the Santa note, a possible romance, a career shift, and a B-plot storyline of her friend's online dating saga. It sounds like a lot, but they tied together nicely. And third - who doesn't love a small town during Christmas time!

While I enjoyed it for all the holiday fun, the only thing that upset me was that it wasn't long enough. We jumped straight into storylines or their conclusions pretty quickly, and storylines would progress much much faster than they would if this had 100 more pages to flesh things out a bit more.

Besides that, I enjoyed The Santa Suit for giving me some holiday warm feelings. This is now the second story I have read of this author, and I have noticed that the subject of being a "newcomer" into town and whether or not you're welcomed in has been a running theme. I wonder if this is in any of her other novels?

I received a free digital copy for review from the publishers via NetGalley. I then bought it because I was enjoying it and wanted to read the hardcover version. All opinions are my own!

I was sent a copy of The Santa Suit from Mary Kay Andrews by St. Martins Press and I was so excited! I have read a MKA book the past few December’s so it was perfect.

This book got 5 stars from me for a few reasons. I enjoyed the characters and their backgrounds, the dialogue was done well, the chemistry was sizzling, and the whole thing was wrapped up perfectly where I smiled and maybe had a tear 😢in the best way ❤️

This gave major Hallmark vibes but I absolutely love that type of thing!!

Enjoy the holidays with a new book by Mary Kay Andrews - The Santa Suit will put you in the holiday spirit. Happy Reading!

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher ~ Thank you ~ !! This is my honest and personal review.

This was such a cute cozy read. It was hard to put down. A great novel perfect for the winter holidays. Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the review copy.

What a darling Christmas story! This was a quick and enjoyable read about a woman starting over after a divorce. The main character, Ivy, is charming, full of heart and determination. The romance is sweet. This feels like a Hallmark movie in a fun, cozy way.

If you like Hallmark Christmas movies (or other holiday movies of that ilk) then you will like The Santa Suit. Big city divorcee moves to a farmhouse in a small town right before Christmas. She makes new friends and isn't looking for love, but maybe she will find it with the cute, single real estate agent. It is an easy and quick read, so if you'd like a little dose of holiday cheer and romance (closed door) then check this one out.

This was my first book by Mary Kay Andrews and I really enjoyed it!! This was such a sweet mystery romance that will keep you turning the pages!!! I look forward to reading more books from this author. Read and enjoy!!!

Everything about this Christmas novella is heartwarming and perfect for the season! Mary Kay Andrews knows just how to make you laugh, cry, and enjoy every moment with her characters. Loved it!

“It’s a Santa suit,” Ivy whispered.

Ivy's newly divorced after her husband left her for one of their marketing clients. With their house sold and her ex-husband buying out her half of the business, Ivy decides it's time for a change. She decides to buy an old farmhouse in a small city in North Carolina, leaving the big city of Atlanta. There an old Santa suit and mystery if a little girl got her wish, help Ivy rediscover the spirit of the holidays.

Who was Carlette, she wondered, and her daddy? And had Santa brought him safely home?

This was novella and I think the shorter page count worked to keep the pace up in what turned out to be Ivy's story of moving to a small town and gaining a foothold in life and rediscovering who she is. I've never read a Mary Kay Andrews before, so I was a little thrown by some of the little madcap additives she puts into her stories. They're small and if you blink, you could miss them but I'm someone who has weird focus on things like that. There's Ivy buying her 106 yr old farmhouse sight unseen (because she wanted chickens?? and then painting a room the color of said chickens eggs), a bestfriend marrying the wife of his fallen comrade (possible cheating), and a plumber who does jobs on the down low to hide from his wife the child support he pays his girlfriend. These little add-ins created a slightly kooky tone that paired with Ivy's acerbic tones to give the story a slightly off-kilter feel.

For Ivy, being in love meant being vulnerable to pain and betrayal.

When I pick up a holiday book, I anticipate some holiday cheer and warm, sweet atmosphere, this kind of threw me for loop with Ivy having the tone of a Scrooge but doing kind actions. When Ivy finds the letter to Santa from a little girl from the 1970s, asking Santa to please bring her dad home safe, she wants to find out if the little girl got her wish. This brings her in to interacting with the townspeople and we get our secondary characters. Phoebe overhears Ivy asking questions and says her mom might know the little girl “Carlette”. Ivy and Phoebe becomes friends and we get too much of a butt-in with Phoebe's online romance and catfishing shenanigans. Ivy also finds the grandpa to Carlette and we find out a big chunk of the answers Ivy was looking for. My favorite relationship was between Ivy and the grandpa Lawrence, they seemed to share the most and have a relationship that felt warm and believable.

Being a novella, the romance definitely felt the absence of shorter page count. Ivy's realtor, Ezra, had a personality that did not endear me to him, he comes off dismissive to Ivy with showing up whenever he wants and because we don't really know anything about him, he's a blank slate that doesn't help me to see the desirable in him as a partner for Ivy. This is more along the lines of women's fiction, the bedroom door is shut but the story leaves with them being together. There was a surprise revelation at the end but I wish I had known the character and son more to really enjoy it. This felt like a wild ride with some of the additive choices but if you're a frequent reader of Andrews, you might not even notice them. Even though this takes place in North Carolina and you won't get any snowy scenes, there was still plenty of holiday activities and scenery to enjoy if you're a seasonal reader.

The Santa Suit is delightful and the perfect story to get you in the holiday spirit. Mary Kay Andrews has spoiled us this year with 2 MKA novels (The Newcomer and the Santa Suit). We are so used to the summer beginning with MKA and now the holidays begin with MKA and I couldn't be happier! Ivy Perkins buys Four Roses farm sight unseen and finds a vintage Santa Suit with a letter from a young girl named Carlette asking Santa to bring her father home from the war. The letter touched Ivy and she wants to find out what happened. Did Carlette's father make it home? This sets Ivy on a search for the truth with new friendships, family, love and some holiday cheer along the way. The Santa Suit is filled with rich characters, MKA's signature wit and gives you all the feels for the holidays. This book will become an annual tradition for many and would make a fabulous movie. I loved it!

The Santa Suit was fine. Though a bit formulaic. It’s like Mary Kay Andrews made a list of Christmas things and then just checked them off.

Candy? Check
Dog? Check
Cute neighbor? Check
Small town? Check
A fixer upper? Check
A mystery to solve? Check
Christmas cheer? Check

Not particularly inspiring. It like all the pieces were here but she just didn’t manage to fit them together.
But it was a fast read at least?

Cute, lighthearted story of a newly divorced young woman starting over in a small town. Plenty of good cheer and holiday magic. It's a quick and fun read.

I don’t read a lot of Christmas books, but I’m so glad that I picked up The Santa Suit, because it gave me a much needed dose of Christmas spirit Mary Kay Andrews reminded me about the magic of a Santa suit, about believing in something bigger than myself, and the importance of being kind. In other words, the magic of Christmas. I have a few other holiday books that I would like to get to before the 25th, but I’m so happy I started with this one.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review. Link to review post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXJxfF6LWwU/

Super cute easy holiday read! I enjoyed the festiveness (is that a word?) of this book and the story. I'd call it a novella, as it is about 200 pages, but just enough to wrap the story up at the end with a nice little bow!

+Andrews, Mary Kay, The Santa Suit, After Ivy’s divorce, she decides to leave the city and buys a rural farmhouse online. It’s a mess and she has to clean it out so she can make needed repairs. She finds a Santa suit and a note in the pocket that forces her to leave her cocoon and meet her fellow townspeople. This charming, short novel is packed with Christmas cheer. It isn’t easy to make a feel-good book realistic, but Andrews makes it work.

Ivy just got divorced and is looking to start over. When she purchases a farmhouse off the internet, she wasn't aware of exactly what she was getting into. When she moves in, little did she know she would be inheriting all of the previous owner's personal items, especially a very special Santa suit. The suit has a child's letter to Santa in the pocket and this set Ivy off on a pursuit to solve the mystery of the little girl and her family. Along the way, Ivy meets and befriends several of the town's people and gets struck by the Christmas bug, no matter how much she is trying to avoid Christmas this year. This was a really fun Christmas story with a little bit of everything in it. Of course, there was a bit of romance because what Christmas story doesn't. 4 stars for a cute, fun, quick Christmas read. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC.

This is a delightful book that will fill you with warm feelings and have you smiling as you travel through the pages. I loved the characters. Their individual stories are emotionally charged. The relationships that develop, the magic of the Santa suit and the history of how the previous owner touched so many lives, and how it encourages Ivy to discover a new focus for her life. There are some sweet ah-ha moments that will have tears glistening in your eyes. This has all the ingredients for a perfect Christmas read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This is the perfect book to get you in the spirit of the Holiday's!

To see my full review, please go to FreshFiction.com.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this delightful novella in exchange for my review!