Ivy is trying to start over after her divorce. She has purchased a rundown farm house. Well, more rundown than she thought. She only looked at pictures of it on the internet. As she is cleaning up, she comes across an old Santa suit. Inside one of the pockets is an letter from a young girl. This starts Ivy on a quest to find out what happened to this girl and if she ever got her wish from Santa.

Ivy is a strong woman…even if she is a bit stubborn. Enter Ezra…yep…Ezra. Ezra is her young, real estate agent. These two do not actually hit it off! It was quite a rocky beginning. But in true Christmas Magic form…well, you get the drift!

If you follow my blog at all, you know I am a HUGE fan of MKA. She has the best characters and some wonderful one liners which make you laugh out loud. This novella hits all those marks.

Need a good, uplifting Christmas story! THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Now if this book doesn't get you into the Christmas spirit then I don't know what will. Might be a bit early to be talking Christmas but with all that's going on in the world, I needed this feel-good, bring good cheer story. This book was mainly about Ivy Perkins who buys a house sight unseen after her divorce. It's a reawakening of herself as a person, her worth, and her inquisitiveness about the treasures she found in the home she now owns. This story will renew your faith in people helping people and spreading warmth and good cheer. Ivy was like the glue that brought everyone and everything together during a topsy-turvy season of her life. The author has massive talent in writing these heartwarming stories that bring joy to those who read them.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request via Netgalley and voluntarily left this review.

A delightfully quick read. A little romance, a little mystery, a little holiday spirit. Not a Christmas person but so glad that didn't stop me from reading this story. It was engaging from beginning to end.

The Santa Suit is a great read to get into the spirit of Christmas, one of hope and surprises. But all Ivy Perkins wants is a new beginning, a place to heal after a painful divorce. So, Ivy, her sweet pup, Punkin, and her baby chicks head out of Atlanta to the mountains of North Carolina to the sight unseen (in person) purchase of Four Roses Farm, a white farmhouse on a small acreage, formerly owned by the Rose family. First thing that she notices is the farm is a little more rundown than the photos showed but her real estate agent Ezra steps in to help with emergency fixes, as a neighbor would do.
She soon discovers the Rose family was into Christmas with Bob playing Santa and Betty Rae, Mrs. Claus. They lit up the farm with Christmas lights that drew people to see the wonder of the season. Ivy doesn't even want to put up a tree. When going through the Roses' things she discovers a Santa suit and inside a pocket a letter to Santa that touched her...that of a little girl who wants her daddy to come home from the war. Phoebe, a new friend she met at the courthouse is helpful in getting a lead on the little girl and widens her circle of acquaintances. It was heartwarming to watch Ivy unwound, settle in, makes some friends, and get into the Christmas spirit, helping others. This is a quick read that has a sweet story with a surprise or two, including a little romance. Some surprises that tie things together but you need to read to find out.
I received a complimentary ARC from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

I received an ARC of The Santa Suit in exchange for an honest review. This is the second book I have read by Mary Kay Andrews. If you are looking for a light and easy book to read this is the book for you. You are able to relax and read without having to concentrate and keep track of a bunch of characters. In my review of the other book I read by Mary Kay Andrews I said it was the perfect beach read. Even though it's a book with a Christmas theme, I read it while at the beach and it was perfect!

Sweet Christmas novella that has Hallmark movie written all over it. There’s no angst, no explicit sex scene (only a couple of kisses), a charming small town all decked out for the holidays, and a magical Santa suit that seems to perform some miracles. New lovers, long lost families reunited, neighbors helping neighbors, and a charming old farmhouse, full of precious memories and in the process of being restored to its former glory.

There isn’t much character development and the relationship between Ivy and Ezra seems rushed and lacking in chemistry. Regardless, this serendipitous story is a fun way to spend a few hours getting into the Christmas spirit.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

This is a super cute Christmas novella! Like sooo cute with Santa suit, adorable old man, lost letter, lost grandchild, dog, candy maker, hot realtor-- I mean its just a hallmark movie waiting to happen. This is one of the best holiday books I have read in a while!

5 snowflakes!
3 steam

If you are in the mood for a sweetly romantic Christmas story but Lifetime hasn’t started their holiday movie month yet, pick up The Santa Suit. You won’t be sorry.

Ivy has just gone through a painful divorce. Her answer is to buy an old farmhouse in rural North Carolina sight unseen. Luckily, her real estate agent is handy. He also knows many local craft people that can help Ivy repair the house’s faults. When Ivy finds a well-preserved Santa suit in the closet, she also finds a letter to Santa. Carlette, a young girl, just wants her father to return from Vietnam. Ivy is intrigued. She decides to try and find Carlette.

The Santa Suit has all the pros and cons of most Lifetime holiday movies. All the characters are nice. There are no villains here. However, that does make the plot very predictable. Literally nothing in this book will surprise you. But it is a comforting holiday read that is sure to get you thinking of Christmas. 4 stars!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this one! This was only the second book by Mary Kay Andrews and it was a hit for me. I was hoping for something lighter and this definitely fit the bill. I was hooked by the story right away and couldn’t wait to see how things would work out for Ivy and the rest of the characters. I found this to be a delightful and entertaining read.

Ivy is starting over after a divorce. She is moving to a new town into the home that she purchased sight unseen. The house needs a bit more work than she thought it would but she is determined to make it work for her, her dog, and her chickens. When she is cleaning out some of the things that the previous owner left, she finds a Santa suit with a child’s note in the pocket. She decides to see if she can find out more about the little girl who left the note which brings her to meet and connect with some pretty wonderful local people.

I really liked Ivy and the rest of the key characters. I loved how genuine the relationships between the characters were and I liked the way that Ivy just seemed to fit into the little town as if she had always been there. There was just enough romance to keep things interesting but the mystery behind the note to Santa really moved the story along. I found the story to be really charming and I was happy with how things worked out in the end.

I would recommend this book to others. This was a really cute story with just enough Christmas cheer to be perfect for the holiday season. I definitely plan to read more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews follows Ivy Perkins who is restarting her life after a divorce. She buys an old farmhouse, sight unseen, and moves to a new town. She finds a Santa Suit in the house with a note to Santa in the pocket. This note leads her on a journey to connect with her new community and find herself after divorce.

Ivy has left her old life behind. She is recently divorced and decides it is time to move from Atlanta to a small North Carolina town. She buys a farmhouse based solely on the real estate pictures, just because she has a feeling that this will be the right place for her. When she arrives, the house is less and more than she imagined. It needs some repairs and it is still full of the prior owners' furniture, clothes, and mementos. She does meet some kind-hearted neighbors, including Ezra, her real estate agent, and he is not the older gentleman she pictured.
When Ivy finds a letter in a Santa suit that belonged to the last owner, she finds a mystery and more than a little bit of Christmas magic. Her house, The Four Roses was affectionately known as the Christmas House, and even though everyone expects her to take over the tradition, Ivy just isn't interested. Fate seems to have other ideas though and soon it seems like everything that went wrong in her old life brought her to this place.
A quick read (224 pages) full of all the feels. The characters were endearing and there might just be more than one happily ever after ending this year. It's the kind of community that just feels like home.

What a very cute, endearing holiday story!! I really enjoyed this book a lot! With the weather starting to change, it was the perfect book to start getting me in the mood for the holidays!!

I am a sucker for stories that take place in a small town, and this one was just perfect. I loved the journey Ivy went on in trying to solve the mystery of whether the little girl's father ever made it home from the war.

This story just packed a whole lot of feel good punches, with a little Christmas magic thrown in, a little bit of mystery, and Ivy's road to self discovery. I loved the friendships she formed, and the little twists kept me guessing.

This was my first read by Mary Kay Andrews, and it definitely won't be my last! Highly enjoyable!

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

This was the sweetest Christmas book I have ever read. Immediately, I thought to myself, Hallmark Christmas Movie. But actually I think this was better than any movie that may or may not come across cheesy! It brought the kind of Christmas magic that made me want to continue my streak of Christmas books indefinitely!

Ivy Perkins moves to Tarburton, North Carolina for a fresh start after her divorce. She buys an old white farmhouse online before seeing it in person. Once she gets there, she realizes what a money pit it will be.
Her realtor, Ezra comes to her rescue in more ways than one. Not only does he help her get the abandoned furniture out of her new home but he provides manual labor to help fix things up. It also helps that he’s easy on the eyes and they have a spark.

Ivy finds an old Santa suit in one of the closets of her new home. The previous owners were the town Santa and Mrs. Claus. Inside the pocket she finds a letter from a young child asking that Santa bring her daddy back from the war (Vietnam). Ivy’s curiosity gets the best of her and she sets out to find Carlette.

By searching for Carlette it brings so many other wonderful people into Ivy’s life. She meets Phoebe who has a disastrous love life, but is always willing to lend a hand to fix the farmhouse. The search also brings Lawrence into her life who becomes a grandfather figure in Ivy’s life.

After losing her own parents so close to Christmas, Ivy has never been big on celebrating the holiday. The people of Traburton, show Ivy the magic of Christmas and the gift of community that lasts all year long.

I couldn’t put this book down! It was so cute, I was shedding tears one minute and laughing the next. It also struck a chord with me because the city of Traburton is near Ft. Bragg. My son-in-law is stationed there and part of the 82nd airborne which is also mentioned. I will be reading more Mary K. Andrews to see what I have been missing!

Some people are still drinking margaritas, others are sipping pumpkin spice lattes, and I have gone straight into hot chocolate season. After the past eighteen months, I’m of the belief that we could all use some magic in our lives. If you’re looking for a holiday escape that is filled with hope, friendship, and meaningful connections, The Santa Suit is for you.

After her recent divorce, Ivy Perkins is carving out a new beginning and taking chances. After buying an old farmhouse sight unseen, moving to a different state, and trying to maneuver through her new life, Ivy certainly has her work cut out for her. The beloved farmhouse may have a ton of charm, but it is also in need of some renovations. With the discovery of a child’s letter in an old Santa suit, asking Santa to bring her father back from the war, Ivy’s curiosity is piqued. She begins to question what could have happened to this child and her father.

The setting for The Santa Suit was ideal for this holiday novella. The community was one that I could picture vividly as the story played out. What began as Ivy on her own, quickly transformed into her making some wonderful friendships within the community. It’s these connections that make for a cozy, heartwarming read.

With a mystery, a touch of romance, and a couple of twists, The Santa Suit brings out all of the warm fuzzy moments that you would expect from a holiday novella.

* 4 Stars

Fun and light read to lift you out of the blahs for sure! There is hope, always. And the Christmas spirit can work its charm like nothing else in the world. Even if you have been hurt and want to hide, it draws you out of yourself to give to others. Mary Kay Andrews always lifts me up and this book was no exception. I think it would be a great book club read complete with a discussion over Christmas cookies!

This is a winner! Could not put it down. Just the thing when you need a feel-good, warm-hearted story with a touch of mystery and romance. A holiday tale for anytime of the year. We need more books like this. This author is consistently outstanding. I have read all her books. Thanks to #NetGalley and TheSantaSuit for an advanced digital copy.

The Santa Suit is a charming holiday story to make you warm and fuzzy just in time for the holidays! It was short and sweet to give the perfect touch of Christmas spirit.

I loved the small town setting and the characters. Everyone is nice to each other and helps each other out. The storyline had a bit of mystery in there and everything flowed throughout the book so smoothly!

If you love Christmas stories to spark the Christmas spirit, this one is for you!

Thank you to @Netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Santa Suit is a sweet holiday novella about a Santa suit, of course, and a letter hidden in the pocket for years.
Ivy is a newcomer to a small town in the Norh Carolina mountains. She finds the letter and is intrigued by it. Who wrote the letter? Did she get her wish?
Many thanks to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for letting me read this novella.

“If you have love, you don’t need a whole lot else.”

Ivy Perkins arrives in Tarburton, North Carolina scorned and ready for a fresh start. After buying the run down Four Roses farm sight unseen, she quickly realizes she may have bitten off more than she can chew. That is, until her hot real estate agent Ezra turns out to be a neighbor, a handy man, very generous, and an all around great guy. While cleaning out a closet in the old farmhouse, Ivy finds a Santa suit with a child’s letter inside. She is intrigued by the very special Christmas wish. Can her quest to find the writer of this letter reopen Ivy’s heart?

Well if this wasn’t just the most precious story I have read in recent memory. From page 1 I was quickly transported to this quaint Christmas town and I immediately fell in love with Ivy, Punkin, Ezra and Phoebe. There is hope and love and chocolate and snow and family, the perfect ingredients for a warm Christmas tale.

“Nothing else smells as good as a fresh-cut Christmas tree.” ⬅️ This is an absolute fact. 🎄

My only con is that it isn’t longer. I did not get enough of these characters or this setting. I want 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮. So Mary Kay Andrews, do you mind writing another? Please and thank you. 🥰 🎅🏼

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews is a holiday novella that touches the heart. The main character has left everything she knows to move to a small southern town buying an old farmhouse with the goal of starting over again. Ivy’s journey to claiming back her life and finding her new path is sweet and poignant. The fact that this happens over the holiday of Christmas with the finding of a Santa Suit, just makes the book better. I love how it wrapped up so perfectly, Mary Kay Andrews continues to be a go to author whenever she has a new book out, even if it is a novella. The Santa Suit is a good read.