I am not normally drawn to sweet and seasonal reads but WE HAVE HAD SOME TRAUMA in the last 18 months so let's embrace all things warm and fuzzy and CHRISTMAS! I enjoyed this book! Sweet feel-good read, with a heavy Christmas season setting, throw in a little romance, a historical mystery, and that would be my description of The Santa Suit! The page length is perfect, and the references to a local candy shop definitely has me wishing for some real life Dark Chocolate Pepperymint Patties! And maybe even a Santa suit for the family!

A quick very enjoyable read for the upcoming holidays. Ivy moves to a new town and everyone she meets somehow intertwines with others in the town all because of a Santa suit. This story will be enjoyed by both young adults and older.

I think I've grown used to Mary Kay Andrews's more recent style to a point it took me three quarters of the book to believe there wasn't some big conspiracy, that one was dead, and no one would be getting killed. This is a heartwarming, romantic Christmas story.

Ivy decided to change her life after her divorce, so she bought a big house in the country as well as a box of chicks she intends to raise there in the farm with her rescue dog. She had no idea the house would come not only with the furniture but a lot of the previous owners' precious possessions, like a Santa suit they used every Christmas to receive all the kids from the region. Not to mention the cute and very helpful realtor, who keeps making her life easier.

3.5, rounded up.

This was surely sweet and hopeful, the right amount of sugar I needed.

Ivy isn't having the best time of her life having lost her husband, her company, and even her best and only client. However, the plot was a little far fetched, just like you'd expect from a Hallmark holiday movie, and it ticked me off a bit. All of a sudden she wants to find out who this girl is out of a million letters to Santa and that leads to a very good new client as well as well directly to the girls grandfather? I think Andrews just wanted to get the story out without worrying abut much and I really feel it's a little bit of therapy reading it, because everything is perfect and nice, as if the world isn't in the middle of a pandemic. For that reason, keep it in mind not to expect much from the book, the plot isn't complex, Ivy is hardworking but has some random moments that I can only see as "I need to advance the plot, no reasons given", which made it hard for me to like her much as a character or even pity her despite it being clear how her life had reached rock bottom.

Anyway, as a non-consequential romance for the holidays, this book excels. It has a few plot twists I hadn't foreseen and that got me laughing/gasping. Also, it's all very lovely. If you need to get away from life for a few days, this is a wonderful choice.

This was such a great way to kick off my holiday reading! The Santa Suit is a sweet and magical story that just brings out my holiday spirit. I adored the main character, Ivy as she is trying to start her new life being newly divorced. The community she lands in is so caring, and I felt like I was in the midst of their Winter Stroll. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a sweet Christmas story.

Santa Suit was a cute holiday read. I enjoyed the characters and really connected with Ivy! Her personality was so loveable. I did feel at times the writing felt a little choppy, but it didn’t stop me from reading. Overall a cute and fun holiday read.

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews is a sweet story that will put you into the spirit of the holidays. This small town Christmas read has an enjoyable cast of characters and a mystery to solve. It is a perfect read for those who enjoy a short story with a Christmas theme.

This book definitely has some Hallmark movie vibes with its small town setting and Christmas theme. When recently divorced Ivy moves into an old farmhouse in a small town, she has a hard time avoiding the holiday season. The house she bought, sight unseen, is actually a well-known house for Christmas cheer. As she is settling in and fixing up the house, she quickly makes lots of friends in town. It is a short read, so the author really jumps into the story quickly, which is typical of many holiday stories.

❀ ENJOYABLE CHARACTERS

Ivy is a fantastic main character and the side characters are really enjoyable as well. Easy-going Ivy forms many friendships and the characters all seem to help one another out through the course of the story. I especially enjoyed reading about Everett, an old man that Ivy befriends when she is trying to uncover the mysteries of the note in the Santa Suit.

❀ NOT A LOT OF ROMANCE

As far as romance goes, Ezra and Ivy do have a few romantic moments, but romance isn’t the main theme of the story. Their interactions are sweet and filled with humour. I would have liked a bit more romance in the book, but with a story that is so short it is hard to pack everything in.

❀ SHORT AND COZY HOLIDAY STORY

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews is an ideal read for anyone who enjoys a short and cozy holiday story. This one has so many great characters and the mystery of the Santa suit is such a fun element. I would love to read a sequel to this story just to get a little bit more time with these characters.

I love this Book. A Story about a woman who moves to a new tön. She finds friends and love and everything has to do with christmas.

Are you looking for a good book to kick off the holiday season?? Then look no further! The Santa Suit is exactly what you need to get into the Christmas spirit! What an absolutely lovely, delightful, and endearing story of starting over, traditions, community, friendship and romance with a little mystery sprinkled in to make it extra sweet. I adore pretty much everything the MKA writes and this book was just perfect. It's a quick read and gives you all the warm and cozy feelings you want not only from a good book for the holiday season. A magical read you're sure to enjoy!

My thanks to Mary Kay Andrews, St. Martin's Press and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book by MKA brings what you love about summer beach romance to the coziest season of the year: Christmas. Our heroine Ivy Perkins is coming off a divorce that also disrupted her career, but she's a fabulously confident and well-crafted woman who is anything but a victim. When she and her dog take on their next chapter, moving into an old farmhouse, sight unseen, life is sure to deliver the candy cane caliber cute.
There was no mystery as to who would be her love interest, since Ezra is the realtor who gives her the keys to her new life. But there were genuine surprises in store for Ivy and the reader as she dives into the history of the town, Unanswered questions, broken hearts, even some catfishing, all part of a satisfying plot that was an engaging read start to finish.
If romance is your genre, and you enjoy Christmas, total win.

The Santa Suit is Mary Kay Andrews doing what she does best: writing great, somewhat quirky characters, who live in the South and who always stumble upon some kind of mystery.

This Christmas story is classified as a novella, but it’s a satisfying 224 pages. Ivy Perkins is newly divorced. Being self-employed, she decides to buy the Four Roses farmhouse, sight unseen, and move to North Carolina with her adorable dog, Punkin. She discovers maybe she bit off more than she can chew, but thanks to real estate agent and handyman, Ezra, she settles in and finds more than she bargained for in her new home.

I really enjoyed this small town Christmas story. It had elements of history, small town community, and the Christmas spirit. Definitely the right book to kick off holiday reading!

Thank you to #netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced e-copy of #thesantasuit .

Thank you so much netgally for this ARC! This was such a cozy heartwarming read! I’m absolutely recommending it to all of my friends and family. I loved the small town feel, the characters, and all of the subplots. I read it all in one sitting, and I don’t do that for many novels! Five stars!

A very cute heartwarming Christmas novella to bring in the start of the holiday season. A woman discovers a Santa suit in the old farmhouse she has purchased, and it starts to change her life and the people around her once she finds an old note in the pocket of the suit. A nice story about finding community and having nostalgia for by-gone days. I wish the story was a little longer so that the characters stories could have been fleshed out more because I really enjoyed spending time with them. A sequel perhaps???

https://mauriceonbooks.wordpress.com/2021/09/27/the-santa-suit-by-mary-kay-andrews/

Not to be missed. Just what we all need now. A breath of fresh air. Not just a rom-com. Smartly written with wit and love. This will get you in the holiday mood quickly. Might even soften up the toughest of scrooges. Bravo for Mary Kay Andrews.

A delightful book to kick off my holiday season reading. A quick, heart-warming story with likeable characters and a few different but well-developed plot lines to follow.
Mary Kay Andrews is always my go to summer read, but this one was a perfect Christmas tale with a cozy setting and fun, cute characters. Really enjoyed it!

Ivy is newly divorced and in need of a change. So she buys a farm house in a small town the needs a lot of love. When the previous family left EVERYTHING, Ivy begins clearing it out One item she found was a Santa suit, with a note in the pocket from years ago. Ivy decides to try to track down that little girl, and in the process meets so many wonderful people in her new town.

I’m stealing a line from the book to describe how precious this one was. It is “…warm and glowy inside, like the human embodiment of a cup of hot cocoa.” If you love sweet Hallmark Christmas movies, this is the book for you. This book is pure Christmas magic and left me feeling so happy. All I want now is a movie version. This book is a new holiday favorite!

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews is just what a Christmas read should be: a heart warming, smile inducing, and feel good story.

Ivy bravely buys a house, site unseen to start anew after a divorce. With her fresh start, she gets more surprises than she bargained for including a house that is hidden with Christmas secrets, a cute relator who also is her neighbor and helpful handy man, and a few other unexpected new friends as well.

This is a quick and easy read that left a smile on my face, and my heart feeling warm. I definitely recommend for anyone looking to get into the holiday spirit! For this type of genre, I give 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mary Kay Andrews, and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! It was like an early Christmas present!

This is definitely a departure from Mary Kay Andrews' more recent books - this is a sweet, cheesy holiday book. It has all the makings of a Hallmark movie: Ivy (Christmas name!) is a recently divorced (read: scorned) woman who moves to a farmhouse in a (Christmas obsessed) small town during the holiday season. There is also a sexy neighbor/realtor insta-love storyline, a mystery surrounding a letter to Santa, a candy shop to save, and (of course) a Christmas miracle!

If you take it at face value, The Santa Suit is quick, festive and fun. If you are expecting a typical Mary Kay Andrews book, you’ll be disappointed. I enjoyed the Christmas miracle of it!

Thanks to @NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC!

This was a cute and enjoyable Christmas book. Despite the shortness the story was well thought out with well developed characters.

This was the perfect read to kick off the holiday season. It had many elements that I love in a ‘feel-good” story.

Ivy Perkins, recently divorced, buys a farmhouse in a small town and moves in with her dog, Punkin. Punkin soon becomes my favorite character. I just love a great dog that enhances the story.

The farmhouse is in need of many repairs and as Ivy attempts to have the repairs made, she becomes close to the realtor in town, who just happens to be single and handsome. She also meets a new friend, Phoebe, who helps her build a chicken coop and befriends a sweet older man who ends up having a special connection to one of the other characters in the story.

As Ivy interacts with people in the community, she learns that her farmhouse was a beacon of Christmas spirit during the holidays and with the help of her new friends, the farmhouse retains it’s Christmas charm.

Christmas spirit, kindness and a budding romance all helped to make this a wonderful tale to read as the Holiday season begins.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review.

Oh my goodness, I just loved this one!! Right from the start, I enjoyed the characters. I loved Ivy, our MC. She's a fast-moving city girl that spontaneously buys a run-down farm house, sight unseen! What?? I loved this! I kept being like, I can't believe you didn't go see the house, and so many characters have the same response. Now, of course, that's an important part of the story, as we get so many surprises...delightful and not so delightful...because of her choice.

I loved discovering the house with Ivy. It felt magical as different aspects came to light. I feel like the home itself was a character in the story, and it had its own little arc!

The people were wonderful as well. Ivy's journey takes her on a path to meet so many people and they were all such a delight! I loved the way the story weaves around all these people, and it made the whole book just a gift to read!

This was a beautiful holiday story that might bring a few tears to your eyes, and it will definitely bring some warmth to your heart!