The Santa Suit is a charming Mary Kay Andrews novella. Newly divorced Ivy Perkins makes a change in her life by moving from Atlanta to a farm house in North Caroline. Upon arriving at her new home she is met there by her adorable realtor, Ezra. In addition to being single and handsome, Ezra is also handy. Ivy quickly makes a friend and starts to feel comfortable in her new home. She finds an old Santa Suit in her house and discovers a heart wrenching Dear Santa letter in the pocket. This mystery leads Ivy down a road that will change many lives in a delightful way.

When newly divorced Ivy Perkins buys Four Roses Farm in the mountains of North Carolina, she doesn’t know what she’s getting into. I mean, she really doesn’t know because Ivy bought the house sight unseen. She wanted to leave her city life behind in Atlanta. So, she packed up her car, her dog, Punkin, and four baby chicks, and they headed to the mountains.

Ezra Wheeler, her real estate agent, warns her when he first sees her, but she’s ready for country life. She might not be ready for doors that need to be forced open with a shoulder, windows that let in the cold, and hot water heaters that give out. But, Ezra is ready to help, even when Ivy’s furniture is lost in an accident with the moving van.

Ivy is also unprepared for the reaction of everyone in the small community of Tarburton when they learn she bought Four Roses Farm. She just wants time to adjust to her new single life, fix up her house, and tend her chickens. But, it seems as if all 1,500 residents want to know if she’s going to put up all of the Christmas lights that Bob and Betty Rae Rose used to light the house. It was always important to the people of the town.

Ivy isn’t too interested in Christmas trees or lights or what the Roses did until she finds Bob’s beautiful, tailored Santa suit. There’s a note in the pocket from a young girl, asking Santa to bring her father home from the war. Ivy becomes obsessed with finding the letter writer, Carlette. She wants to know what happened to her. Did her father ever come home?

Step-by-step, Ivy tracks Carlette. By the time she loses the trail, she’s found a few new friends, a ninety-six-year-old man, a courthouse clerk desperate to marry her military pen pal, the owner of a candy shop that’s about to close. There’s really no magic in Ivy’s search for answers. But, there might have been a little push in the pocket of The Santa Suit.

While the ending and several relationships seem a little rushed, Ivy Perkins is a charming character. Friendship goes a long way, and Ivy isn’t the only one who finds her life changed. Mary Kay Andrews, as always, sets the reader up for a comforting read.

I absolutely LOVED The Santa Suit!
This author outdid herself.
This is a lovely holiday coming home again story with fantastic characters and a wonderful plot.
Such a joyful read. I love the small town setting and the perfectly placed story line.

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book. What an enjoyable holiday read. It had all of the things you are looking for in a HEA holiday read!! I loved the main character. She is a strong independent woman, although slightly damaged from her recent divorce who takes matters in her own hands to start over. I enjoyed the "magic" and mystery that surrounds the Santa Suit and the note that was in the pocket. I loved the way the author draws all parties together in a very surprising way. All and all it was a very quick enjoyable read and has everything readers will be looking for in a holiday read.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

This was unfortunately not to my taste and I didn't enoy it. It was waaaaaay too slow for me and I didn't have the patience to finish it.

I've long been a fan of MKA. Her books bring to mind a southern breeze and I always enjoy them. I especially have always loved her Christmas themed books and "The Santa Suit" was no exception. I love all the holiday vignettes she creates that appeal to all the senses. Her books are sweet without being overly so and she finds artful ways to weave in current issues (online dating, war, family dysfunction, divorce) without weighing the story down. I so appreciate the opportunity to read an advance copy of "The Santa Suit." Long live Mary Kay Andrews and the amazing stories she creates!

What a fun book. I read it in one day while sitting on the beach in Key West. It is a light, happy Christmas themed story about starting over and finding yourself. City gal Ivy meets rural farm life complete with chickens and brings back the magic of Christmas to the Four Roses Farm. “The Santa Suit” is a light women’s fiction novel.

Thank you @NetGalley, @StMartin’sPress and @MaryKayAndrews for the advance readers copy for my honest review.

The Santa Suit combined so many of my favorite things: a home improvement project, a small town, a hunky handyman, some amazing friendships, and of course Christmas! It was the perfect short read to get me excited for the holiday season--I know it’s early, but I have a handful of Christmas ARCs to read in the coming weeks.

Tarburton seems like an adorable town, and certainly was a great setting for this book. The town loves Christmas, and the house Ivy bought happened to be the former home of the town’s beloved Mr. and Mrs. Claus. She’s a little bah humbug in the beginning, but quickly falls in love with Tarburton’s charms and the magic of Christmas.

There’s a little mystery that comes up when Ivy finds a letter to Santa from another time. She’s determined to figure out who it belonged to and whether she got her Christmas wish. The ending comes together in the sweetest way imaginable, and I wished this was a full-length novel instead of just a novella!

I just reviewed The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews. #NetGalley
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What a sweet Christmas story! The main character reminded me of my daughter. Divorced city girl buying a farm and getting chickens. I love small town romances.

This story brought a smile to my face and joy to my heart. A great way to start the holiday season this book is a warm story about be;Irving in yourself, family, love, and the miracles of Christmas. This is a must read for every holiday book lover.

Mary Kay Andrews is at her best with The Santa Suit. It is Christmas magic and light hearted fun, all tied up with a big bow! Ivy Perkins buys a house, sight unseen, except for photos online. She arrives to find it full of the possessions of the previous owners. In her rummaging, she finds things from that family's past that has her looking for answers. It is a sweet holiday adventure that will warm your heart! I loved this book and so will you! Special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was so excited to start reading Christmas books and Mary Kay Andrew’s did not disappoint. I love that this story had more than just a girl meets boy in December and they are married by Christmas. There was a little mystery, depth of characters, and a strong woman.
A feel good Christmas story to get you in the holiday spirit!

My first holiday book of the year. I love Christmas books because they are always such feel good stories. This one is definitely a feel good story. It takes place in a small town like all good Christmas stories do. Sadly I didn’t love it. It mostly bored me and I really didn’t get where it was going. It seemed to need more build up and details. The romantic storyline was a hard sale. I did like the way it wrapped up in the end but overall it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

This was such a cute and charming book! If you are looking for a sweet easy Christmas read this is your book!

The Santa Suit is a Christmas novella. I would categorize it as women's fiction with some romance.

The narrator is Ivy (3rd person POV). She shows up in a small town in North Carolina.

I really liked Ivy. I loved her friendships with the townspeople. I loved all of the fun things that she discovered at the farmhouse. I liked the romance. And I really liked the magic of the "santa suit".

This is my first Christmas book of the year. This book was such a quick and enjoyable read!

Due to a family illness, and unexpected events, I am very far behind in writing my reviews.I found my self reading one book after another without writing the review -- that was a big mistake. I really enjoyed this book, and I happily gave it 4 stars. It is another one I plan to include in an article or blog post about books related to Christmas.

3.75 rounded up.

I love a good Christmas story, but so many of them are cloying or insipid. A friend recommended this one to me, and she wasn’t wrong. My thanks go to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the review copy.

Ivy is newly divorced, and she comes away from it with bruised feelings, but also money. Since she works from home, she has the choice to go anywhere, so she buys a farmhouse in a tiny town in North Carolina. She pays for it without ever seeing it in person, and it comes “as is.” At this point, I say, Welp, you’re in for it now, hon. And she is, sort of.

The realtor, Ezra, known locally as “The House Hunk,” has taken a shine to Ivy. He helps her with the heat; when she discovers that the old furniture is still there in the house, he and a friend cart it off for her, and when there’s a problem with her own furniture, he helps bring it all back in. And initially, she regards his attention as a nuisance, maybe even a stalker; but between the fine reputation he enjoys locally, and the number of times he helps her out of difficult situations, she gradually warms to him.

Ivy is a likable protagonist. She’s self-sufficient, but she isn’t cold. She sets about making friends right away. Her new bud, Phoebe, is in a state because she’s fallen in love with someone she met online, and has used a picture of someone else. Now the man Is coming to see her, and she’s panic-stricken. Other new friends include a local business person for whom she does some free, and very good, advertising, and a 96 year old man. Her dog, Punkin, goes everywhere with her, and she talks to him all the time, the way that some of us also do. When she needs assistance it’s because she doesn’t know the area, or because a job requires an extra set of hands, not because she is some helpless airhead. An engaging character indeed.

My rating reflects a couple of sloppy bits that the author and editor should have caught and dealt with immediately. They’re small, but they interrupt the magic, because they cause me to think about the two slackers rather than the story and characters. The first is when she offers Ezra coffee, but warns him that all she has is instant. Two paragraphs later, she is brewing the coffee. Oh, come on! Clean it up. A bit later, after Ezra and a friend have schlepped furniture in from the truck, he asks if she’s been out to play in the snow, and she tells him she doesn’t want to spoil its beauty. “It’s so beautiful, all that clean, untouched white.” And so I wonder: did they teleport the furniture indoors? Because otherwise, surely that snow would have been touched in a whole lot of places.

There are a couple of other inconsistencies, albeit smaller ones, and I am using a fair amount of ink to discuss problems that may seem trivial, but this is no debut author, this is a successful writer with a host of books in her repertoire, and she should know better.

The plot, on the other hand, is excellent. There was one development that I thought was obvious, but when I finished my eyeroll, I was surprised to see that she didn’t take it where I expected, and instead did something much better. I particularly like the way the romance unfolds, and the way that Ivy helps Phoebe out of her dilemma. There are other threads—involving a Santa suit, of course—that are equally delightful.

So, in spite of my complaints, I do recommend this charming, fluffy tale to you. It’s a mood elevator, and we can all use some of that. It’s for sale now.

I usually love Mary Kay Andrews so much, but this one fell short for me. There has been an annual publishing of Christmas novellas published by our favorite Beach Read authors, however they typically are rushed and are lackluster. I say this, just to note, that this is not the only book of this genre I feel this way about.

Ivy Perkins has just gotten divorced and she purchases a house, by just looking at pictures. When she gets there, she realizes this house needs a lot of love. The house is still furnished with a ton of junk. When she sets out to start cleaning it out she finds a beautiful Santa Suit and hidden inside a letter.

This sets up the premise of the story. Ivy is out to discover more about who wrote this letter and the man who wore the suit. Ivy meets the people of this small North Carolina town and learns valuable lessons of friendship and love.

The issue with this story is that ultimately it felt rushed and when it ended I was like, this is it. I am not panning this at all, but I wanted a little more substance. This will be a good back to read during the holiday craziness, when you do not have to put that much effort into a book.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great book to kick off all the holiday reads for the season. You get the cozy, joyful, Christmas vibes along with an endearing story. Now I need a movie!

I loved this book. I am ready for it to be a Hallmark movie this Christmas. It has relatable, caring characters, each with a memorable story to tell. The storyline is engaging, full of feel good moments, and just heart pleasing moments. This book is a feel good, wishing for Christmas to come soon, story. I highly recommend it to everyone.

I fell in love with the main character.
This book was an easy read, and a pallet cleanser.
It is the typical MKA book. Comfy & Cozy.