A sweet small town novella romance. Ivy needed a change and moved from Atlanta to a small community up north into a farmhouse that needed much repair. She finds a Santa suit that was left behind which brings about the magic of Christmas with love, kindness, and community. Ivy claimed she was a bit of a Scrooge but she kept inserting herself into other people's business and getting to know her neighbors. This one ended up being just ok for me - there was one plot point that really didn't make sense to me but other than that - a fun holiday novella.

Thanks so much NetGalley for the arc!!! I can not say enough good things about this book. It had all the good feels and just made me so happy. The characters were real and the holiday spirit was so alive, I felt like I was there, This book is exactly what everyone needs for the holiday season.

I was more interested in the budding relationship between Ivy and Ezra and the mystery surrounding Phoebe's mystery man than I was in the story behind the Santa Suit and the letters. I found myself bored in those chapters, and wanted to get to the relationship parts.

What a sweet holiday story! It was just as good as your favorite Hallmark movie! As a matter of fact, I have already cast the lead roles, so I’ll just wait for the call from the company!!

Such a sweet novella set around Christmas! This book is full of hope, magic and a small town.

Newly divorced Ivy has started over in a small town and just bought a farm, site unseen. When she arrives the fantasy she had of fixing up and restoring her new home is met with many obstacles. However, the previous owners were well known in the town and played Santa and Mrs. Claus yearly.

Ivy find a Santa suit while rummaging through a closet and a note inside. It sparks a journey on finding out what happened and more about the little girl who wrote this note to Santa. Along the way she grows closer to her real estate agent and new friends in the town.

Determined for answers, Ivy sets out on a mission to figure out the mystery of the note in Santa's suit. Along they way, she finds healing, new friends and hope for a new future.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Ivy Perkins is starting over and has a lot to do in her new home. When she discovers the Santa Suit in her new closet, it gives her a new purpose after her divorce. She goes a long way and ends up delivering great Christmas surprises for multiple people in her new life. She helps out a failing candy company, she gets closer to her realtor friend, makes a new friend in the older gentleman in her new town and once she gets going she brings everyone together and makes their final Christmas wishes come true.

What a cute and magical Christmas novella with a little twist thrown in at the end. My favorite time of year for sure getting cozy and reading a holiday book. The perfect length as this time of year as the hustle and bustle begins. Ivy was a woman who began a new life in a small town. MKA does a good job in describing Tarburton, North Carolina and the farmhouse Ivy purchases, The Four Roses sight unseen. From the festivities to the fixing up of her new place to the romance and the mystery surrounding the Santa Suit you will close the book and smile. As new friendships form and love begins to bloom Ivy and Ezra will capture your heart. Thank you #NetGalley #TheSantaSuit for the ARC , all opinions are my own.

THE SANTA SUIT is a magical read for the holidays. Curl up on the couch with some hot cocoa and enjoy this novella about Ivy Perkins. She recently went through a divorce and moved to a small town. She bought a farmhouse in the town known as The Four Roses. Ivy quickly meets all the neighbors and learns about the history of the town and the house that she has just bought.

Ivy's real estate agent, Ezra, turns up to help her get the house in working order. While cleaning out the attic, Ivy finds a Mr. and Mrs. Claus suit with a special note inside. Ivy embarks on a mission to find the meaning of the note. The journey helps Ivy learn the importance of happiness and the spirit of Christmas!

This is an adorable little Christmas novella! At 224 pages it won’t take you long to read and if you enjoy Hallmark Christmas movies, you will love this book.

The story is charming and heartwarming. You will experience a small-town setting with friendly people and you will even have a tiny mystery to solve. It is super sweet.

I love Ivy (the main character). She was strong, resourceful, kind, and possibly a tad over her head with her new endeavor to fix up an old farmhouse by herself. She was an incredibly amiable character… very no-nonsense and I liked her.

The romance aspect of the book happened fast. I don’t usually enjoy the immediate love connection trope, but in this story it didn’t bother me much. It is a Christmas miracle after all, right? 😊

As expected, all of the mysteries and conflicts wrap up nicely, everyone is happy, and everyone’s Christmas is merry all-around! This is an endearing, quick read. I recommend it 100% if you enjoy holiday stories or light romance novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an electronic ARC, which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

If you’re a Hallmark movie junkie and live for the Christmas movies like me, then you need to read this book!

The Santa Suit was a sweet tale about a divorcee new to a small town where the hunky realtor is also the handyman. There is town traditions, holiday magic, and a little bit of mystery. It’s fun and flirty and the perfect amount of romance.

Overall, I recommend this book.

4 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Just in time for the holidays comes a delightful, sweet, feel-good novel to give you a lift. Author Mary Kay Andrews does not disappoint with her latest book, The Santa Suit.

Ivy Perkins has just gone through a bitter divorce that included her losing the PR company that she helped to build. She and her rescue dog Punkin leave the big city for a small town in the North Carolina mountains. Ivy feels drawn to an old farmhouse called, The Four Roses, and buys it sight unseen. When she arrives it’s not quite as quaint as what she had envisioned. She is ready for a new start but is this it?

She’s not overly fond of Christmas and this new home and community embrace Christmas like no other. When she finds an old Santa suit with a note inside from a young girl who years ago asked Santa if her dad would come back from the war, Ivy sets off on a quest that will change her life.

The characters in this novel will draw you in. If you are like me, the pages will practically turn themselves to see how the story unfolds. If you like hope, romance, humor, challenges overcome, and a few twists and turns, I believe you will thoroughly enjoy this book. And, let’s not forget the magic of Christmas. This book reminds us that sometimes at Christmas love and giving are most present.

I am still smiling and I think you will too if you read this book.

*A special thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

I love to start picking up Christmas books this time of year, and Mary Kay Andrews is usually a solid read for me. I really enjoyed this one about Ivy moving to a new town in a house that she bought site unseen. The way the Santa Suit was tied into the story was so cute, and I loved that there were touches of Christmas without being over the top or cheesy. If you love Christmas Hallmark movies, you definitely want to read this!

Bottom Line: Read it!

**I received a copy of The Santa Suit from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
A total delight sure to get one in the Christmas spirit.
Mindless, frivolous, light read about love and holiday joy. Loveable characters
and a happy ending. Celebrate the joy of the holiday..

I enjoy everything written by Ms. Andrews and I loved this one! She has a talent of writing a book that draws me in from the first page. The characters seem so real and likeable. I also liked that this mystery didn't involve a murder.

Christmas magic and new relationships make a great Holiday read!

4.5/5 stars
The Christmas sparkle is huge in this story and I loved every page of it. The frosty weather is described in just enough detail to make the reader want to share in the next round of hot drinks. The decorations around the town are charming but not as delightful as the descriptions of the vintage decor and festive lights of the old farmhouse. And of course, we do have the story of that elusive Christmas miracle!

Our main character is the sweet-hearted Ivy who starts her life over, after a messy divorce, in a home once occupied by a family with the biggest Christmas spirit.

Ivy plans to have a quiet Christmas all alone except for her trusty Punkin and the girls (her brood of baby chicks). Fate has very different ideas for this lady and certain people make their presence felt in her life.

The relationships Ivy forms are one of my favourite parts of this story. There’s a possible new best friend (who has her own cute romance story going), a charming but lonely older gentleman, a business associate and, of course, a love interest. The connections between several of these people are revealed as we delve into the story.

As for that letter found in the Santa suit? Well, we’re not kept in suspense for too long but how the present day aspect unfolds is quite lovely.

Honestly, The Santa Suit is rich in Christmasy joy. I absolutely enjoyed it and strongly recommend it for those who who love a feel-good seasonal tale.

The Santa Suit was a light and easy read. Although it is a novella, it still seemed to end abruptly. I was expecting a bit more story and surprised that I had reached the end of the book. If you enjoy reading Mary Kay Andrews' books, you won't be disappointed. However, it was not my favorite book of hers. Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC

Ivy Perkins needs a fresh start. After getting a divorce and leaving the business she and her ex-husband built, she wants to go to a place where no one knows her and she can nurse her wounds. Enter Four Rose Farm, a place in a small North Carolina Town, which she purchased after seeing it on the internet. Getting there brings some unwelcome surprises, like the house being left with all the previous owners possessions inside it. What starts as a hindrance becomes a blessing, which leads to more unforeseen blessings for Ivy. Her realtor, Ezra Wheeler, also turns out to be a helpful handyman, which is huge as she begins to discover all of the things that need to be fixed on the farm. At the top of her closet, Ivy finds an old Santa Suit, which the previous owner wore every Christmas for years, and in the pocket, a note - a Christmas wish written by a little girl, years ago. Why was this particular wish held on to for so long? Ivy's curiosity gets the best of her, and while she went to the farm for quiet and introversion, this wish gets her out of the house and into the community and the hearts of some of its residents. Who knows what else this piece of paper might change for Ivy?

This Novella certainly brings with it some Christmas joy. It is short and sweet, which made this reader a bit sad, as I would have liked it to go on longer than it did. The ending felt a bit too... all wrapped up with a big red bow.... but I guess thats what a happy Christmas story is supposed to do. It certainly brought a smile to my face and an enjoyable read. While I have not read other books by Mary Kay Andrews, I see reading more of them in my future. If you enjoy books from Jennifer Weiner and Joshilyn Jackson, you will enjoy The Santa Suit.

Sweet little novella from beloved Mary Kay Andrews. Definitely a fun and short read for this time of year if you like your books to match the season.

Ivy and her dog Punkin move to a small town after her divorce and end up finding everything they didn't know they were missing.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

A woman finds an heirloom from the family that used to own her home. A mysterious note sets her on a course to discover more about the family and the child who wrote the message. In the process, she learns about the resourcefulness of small-town living. Author Mary Kay Andrews gives readers a sweet holiday treat in the cozy novel The Santa Suit.

Ivy Perkins is all ready for her new life. Her car is packed, her setter, Punkin’, is with her, and she has a new house. Never mind that her new house is actually old; an old farmhouse, to be exact. And she didn’t tour it before putting down an offer on the place. And that she’s trying to outrun her broken heart. Nope, none of those things matter. She’s on her way from Atlanta to Tarburton, North Carolina, ready to be a small-town girl.

When she pulls into the driveway of the Four Roses Farm, though, the farmhouse looks completely different from what she was expecting. The pictures on the realtor website showed a charming, well-loved home taken care of by its previous owners. The real thing looks like it needs a total makeover.

Still, Ivy ignores the sagging front porch with as much enthusiasm as she can muster. The real estate agent, Ezra, meets her with her keys and offers to help with some of the home improvement projects. Even with her divorce still fresh on her mind, Ivy can’t ignore the fact that Ezra is a hunk. But, no. She’s here in Tarburton to figure out her next life move, and that move doesn’t include getting her heart broken again.

The Rose family left all their old furniture and clothing, though, so moving in for Ivy also becomes a process of moving out their old stuff. As she works through the contents, she runs across an old Santa suit. A casual mention to Ezra and her new friend, Phoebe, reveals that Bob and Betty Rae Rose, the former owners, spent every Christmas for decades as the town’s Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

Ivy finds a short note in the pocket of the suit from a little girl asking Santa to bring her father home from the war. No one in town knows anything about the note at first, but Ivy can’t get it out of her head. What happened to the little girl? Where is she now? Did her father ever come home? And why did Bob Rose hang onto the note in the first place?

As Ivy investigates, she spends more time with the people of the charming town. She gets to know its residents and finds her place among them. With the holidays coming soon, there’s no denying that there’s a little bit of Christmas magic in the air with the joy of new friends and the possibility of new love.

Author Mary Kay Andrews offers readers a sweet albeit idyllic look at small-town USA. The picture she paints of Tarburton is perfect for the holiday season. Unlike other books with similar themes, the town’s residents all genuinely want to help Ivy. They don’t ostracize her for being a newcomer; instead, they welcome her ideas and questions like she’s one of them.

While the developing romance between Ivy and Ezra feels a little rushed and forced at times, Ivy’s friendship with Phoebe is touching. She also becomes good friends with an elderly gentleman in town, showing the power and importance of multi-generational relationships. A little more character development could have helped round out the book, but Andrews throws in a clever twist that excuses many of the story’s minor flaws.

Readers who enjoy Hallmark movies and holiday stories will finish this in a single day.

If you love feel good hallmark movies, especially with a strong female lead,then this book is for you! Such a sweet, light read that I binged in one sitting. It is a shorter book (224 pages) and was such a great book to get me into the holiday spirit. Happy tears were shed. This book needs to be a movie asap!