Mary Kay Andrews knows how to layer a great book, and this one checks all the boxes. From intrigue to a search to second chances and healing from heartbreak, a great setting and characters who just work and make sense. This is the literary equivalent of a great pie. There's something great in every bite. I read this one quickly and delightedly, feeling like I just replenished myself with the magic that Andrews writes. Well done, and a must-read, especially right now.

This was a sweet holiday romance. I was a little annoyed that there were so many things wrong with the house and that Ivy didn't seem to have a proper inspection of her house before buying it. This is not something many people skip especially without ever seeing a house. It was a necessary part of the plot though because it gave her realtor/neighbor Ezra a reason to always be around and help her fix things that wrong. This was a little bit of insta-love, but it was a novella so I guess that's to be expected.
I did really like the note that Ivy found in the Santa suit and the lengths she went to track the story down. She made such an impact in the little town in such a short amount of time. I also really enjoyed her dog Punkin. I liked how the story ended. Overall I'd recommend this for something looking for a sweet holiday novella.

This was such a cute book! I loved Ivys character, the city girl in the small town. All the people she meets in the town are so kind and endearing- it reminded me of a Hallmark movie. The book is short - less than 200 pages- so at times I wish there had been more. Overall, if you love sweet holiday books and Mary Kay Andrews, I would highly recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing company, St. Martin's Press, and the author, Mary Kay Andrews for an early read of this book for my honest review.

Christmas, love, hope, emotion, beauty, magic; this book has it all. This is such a feel good read, and when you throw in Christmas, this book becomes amazing.

As always, Mary Kay Andrews can have you laughing and crying within the same page of the book. As always, highly recommended, and can't wait for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.
This was such a light hearted and fun read. I really enjoyed this story.
I have always enjoyed Mary Kay Andrews' books.

The more I read Mary Kay Andrews the more I love her and the stories she writes. Usually her books signal summertime, but I think she needs to write more holiday inspired stories.

I adored this quick read from Andrews. The Santa Suit is wonderful for many reasons. I loved how it showed how someone's kindness, determination, and curiosity can change so many people's lives for the better and the second chances that come along with that. I enjoyed the romance between Ivy and Ezra. The pace was perfect.

I would really like to see more books with some of these characters. I feel there are so many more stories to be told. At first, I did have a hard time with how many different characters there were but that sorted itself out pretty quickly. I have recommended it to quite a few people already, and I hope you will enjoy with with a nice cup of cocoa and a snuggly blanket.

I received an eARC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

I really enjoyed this story! I'm a huge fan of Mary Kay Andrews and I had high hopes for this one! Being a shorter read, this was different than her typical reads in that aspect, but the book was still full of MKA charm! I loved the characters, perfectly flawed in every way. I enjoyed the aspect of our main character buying a fixer upper sight unseen after an unfortunate turn of events. If you're looking for a short, sweet read for Christmas...then look no further!

Mary Kay Andrews’ The Santa Suit is a delightful and uplifting story about Ivy Perkins, a newly divorced woman looking for a fresh start. Ivy purchases an antique farmhouse in a small town without ever seeing it in person. While sorting through years of junk left behind by the previous owners, Ivy discover an old Santa suit complete with a child’s letter to Santa in the pocket.

This was such an enjoyable and uplifting novel! A perfect read for the holiday season.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this novel.

So, it turns out that Mary Kay Andrews writing really resonates with me. The Santa Suit was such a pleasure to read. I tore right through it. And now I have this whole backlist to check out — particularly with holiday themed reads. Love that for me.

The Santa Suit follows Ivy Perkins who is a divorcee from Atlanta. She’s bought an old farmhouse sight unseen with the intention of rehabilitating and living in it. She wants to create a new life and move past her divorce. However, it turns out that the farmhouse isn’t quite in the condition she expects. So, Ivy receives help from her realtor, Ezra, in getting The Four Roses – the name of the farmhouse – in order. While going through items the previous family left behind, she comes across a beautiful vintage Santa suit.

Within the suit is a note from a little girl named Carlotte, asking for the return of her father who is oversees fighting in the Vietnam War. Ivy becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Carlotte. Also, she finds this project is helping her to integrate into the small North Carolina town that she’s moved to.

Overall, I thought that The Santa Suit was such a cute story. I found myself rooting for Ivy and Ezra. Also, I liked that unlike a Hallmark movie, Ivy and Ezra did actually hook up. However, that bit was closed door, but you knew it was happening. The side characters were wonderful too — particularly an old man that Ivy befriends and Phoebe who meets a man on the internet.

ON A SCALE OF ONE TO BUDDY THE ELF, HOW MUCH CHRISTMAS SPIRIT DOES THE SANTA SUIT BY MARY KAY ANDREWS HAVE?
Mary Kay Andrews’ The Santa Suit exudes Christmas spirit. There’s a holiday lights display. Also included is a town wide holiday shopping event. Oh and Hanukkah is included in this book as well. I found myself feeling buoyed and jolly after reading this book. I’d love to see this turned into a Netflix film — as you are not allowed to allude to spice in a Hallmark movie.

This was my second holiday book of the season and it was a sweet read. I enjoyed the small town feel and the caring characters. Of course this book had insta-love, what Christmas book doesn’t?! I read through this one quickly as it comes in at 224 pages. I was very into the story and went to turn the page to find that the story was over.

I gave this book 4 crowns because of the abrupt ending.

Thank you @smpromance and @netgalley for a copy of The Santa Suit. This was a fun holiday read that feels like a Hallmark movie. I felt this was more women’s fiction and very light on romance. I enjoyed seeing Ivy getting to know the town and the history of the previous owners of her new home. I really liked how the Santa suit brought everything together.

Absolutely wonderful Christmas story! Made my heart feel good. The spirit of Christmas, new beginnings, and love all rolled into one amazing story that you will not put down once you pick it up. Easy, quick read.

Received an ebook ARC from Netgalley but I read the hardback book. This is my voluntary, honest review.

Mary Kay Andrew's newest Christmas book was published at the end of September, and I was able to receive early access thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press.

This is a delightful Christmas novel from start to finish! I am rating it 5 stars for a fun story about new beginnings and second chances.

Mary Kay Andrews introduces us to characters that we can relate to in addition to getting us into the holiday spirit. Ivy Perkins, newly divorced, is making big changes in her life. She decides to buy an old farmhouse in North Carolina, without seeing it before the purchase. She is quick to not want anything to do with the former residents' (the Roses) furniture and belongings, having it all taken out. One box that she finds in the closet changes it all for her, a discovery of a Santa suit. As the book is titled, the Santa suit gives her the motivation to make new friends, help her new community, and gives her a chance to start over.

As circumstances arise, she views things differently: the Roses' old belongings🎄, peppermint candy🍬, and accepting help❤️. It makes you think about taking chances for the future, making new friends, remembering the past, and embracing tradition.

Let The Santa Suit take you on a festive journey to help you get into the Christmas spirit! 🎅🤶

When Ivy buys an old farmhouse sight unseen after her divorce, she is surprised when she gets there and finds out it's a little more work than she thought it would be.

The farmhouse hadn't been cleared out and as she was going through everything to see what could be taken away, she found a box containing a Santa suit. There was a letter in the pocket. Ivy is inspired to find out what happened to the little girl who wrote the letter.

This is a sweet story about how Ivy finds and connects that people from the letter while getting used to her new community and becoming a part of it.

Like all of Mary Kay Andrews books, I loved it!

This was the perfect short, quick read to get me in the Christmas spirit without overwhelming me in September! I love the fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving and I like to cherish these few months before diving into the Christmas spirit and The Santa Suit gave me a glimpse of Christmas without stealing the thunder from fall ;)
Ivy Perkins is newly divorced and she decides to buy an old farm house and move to a town she knows nothing about, except that she can keep her chickens there. That's important to her! I wouldn't say she's a scrooge in the beginning but she's definitely not all for the Christmas spirit but who could blame her! When she finds a santa suit from the previous owners in the closet there's a message from a little girl from back in the day. Ivy decides to try and solve the mystery of who the little girl Carlette really is. She finds herself in the process, gets back into her marketing work and meets friends and love along the way. I loved Mary Kay Andrews' writing style and how she developed all of the sides of Ivy's character throughout the book. The Santa Suit is a heartwarming story and I 100% recommend it!

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy, all opinions are my own.

Did I find true love wrapped up in a sweet little package called The Santa Suit? Absolutely, I did. This novella packed quite the emotional punch. This title also had the key players for a five star read (for me).

Charming small town
NC mountain town
Quirky characters
A protagonist starting over in a small town
Christmas setting

I’m so glad I picked this one up.

If you are looking for some quick Christmas spirit….grab The Santa Suit!

Trust me.

This is exactly what I want in a holiday book - I am so excited I got a chance to read it! I loved the strong female protagonist, and the way that things came together was just perfect. Absolutely delightful.

Very cute read. Loved the characters and the whole storyline. Just had a feel-good way about it. This was my first Christmas read of this year and I highly recommend.

I just loved this and I'm usually not a big fan of novellas, but I'm getting to be a big fan of Mary Kay Andrews. There was good character development, especially for a novella and the story was really cute. A great book to get you in the holiday mood.

I usually read books for NetGalley as an educator, but requested this one for a totally different purpose… I have a contingency of friends who, unlike me, are fans of romance novels and I was thinking that if I could find a new novel that would appeal to them, I would have a chunk of my holiday shopping done and dusted well ahead of my usual last-minute dash. When I saw this, not long after reading my first book by this author (The Newcomer), I figured I had a good shot… Mission accomplished! While this isn’t my usual cup of tea, it was filled with the romantic, feel-good, meet-cute charm that I was looking for. This is the perfect beach read for winter.