This is a cute book to get you in the Christmas spirit. Ivy, recently divorced, moves into a farmhouse in the country and finds an old Santa suit left behind. In the suit is a letter from a young girl asking Santa to bring her daddy home from the war. Ivy sleet curious about the girl and what happened with her family.

Overall I liked this book and all the different characters Ivy meets. It was a quick, uplifting, enjoyable read.

I love this Christmas story full of hope. After a divorce, Ivy Perkins decides to start over and moves from Atlanta to an old farmhouse in a small town in North Carolina. Since Ivy bought the house sight unseen, it doesn't live up to all her dreams. The porch sags and the former owner's furniture is still in the house. The realtor Ezra Wheeler, who sold the property to her, helps her start to clear the house. When Ivy finds an old Santa suit with a letter to Santa from a young girl, Ivy decides to find out what happened to the girl. I don't want to spoil the story by describing it further. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. I read this book almost in one setting. I love the romance, the search for answers, and the small town setting. For me, it's a perfect story for Christmas.

The Santa Suit is an adult contemporary women’s fiction and romance about a divorcée who buys a farmhouse in a small town and discovers a beautiful Santa suit left behind by the previous owner.
Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen in a small town after a tough divorce. During her short time at The Four Roses she unexpectedly finds a lot of future home repairs, a huge collection of Christmas related items and possible romance with her real estate agent. She also finds herself intrigued by a mysterious letter found in the pocket of a vintage Santa suit and sets out to find out what happened to the child that wrote it.
This was an oddly paced and short book. There are a lot of threads that are resolved quickly and easily and the romance was completely rushed. I found the entire plot too fluffy and low stakes for my taste. Some of the conversations felt a little stilted and the interactions between practical strangers unrealistic. This might be an enjoyable relaxing holiday novel for some readers but I didn’t connect to the main character or plot.

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you’re a fan of a certain channel's Christmas movies, you’ll love Andrews’ The Santa Suit. Filled with likable characters and a plot that unfolds as easily as a holiday card, you’ll come away from this book with feelings of warmth and hope. A definite read to get you in the Christmas spirit.

Ivy has recently been divorced from her husband ... he had fallen in love with her best friend so she needs a change. She buys an old farmhouse across the country she finds online and she and her dog pack up move into it. It hasn't been lived in for a while and is in worse shape than Ivy had thought (she bought it without visiting it). She has to clean and fix the house plus get rid of the furniture, trunks, boxes, etc. that were left behind.

She comes across an old Santa suit in a box in the closet ... the former owner was the local Santa many years earlier. Inside the pocket, she finds a letter written by a child named Carlette asking Santa to bring her daddy home safely from the war. Ivy is curious to find out who Carlette is and what happened to the family.

This is how she meets a grandfather who hasn't seen or heard from his granddaughter in many years, a woman who is excited to marry a man she's never met, a local shop owner who needs marketing help to keep her business alive and many more. Plus there's the very helpful real estate agent who sold her the house who is very helpful and handy in fixing things around her house.

This was a quick read. It's a cute story written in third person perspective with happy Christmasy endings for all.

Well, I guess was the official break up between MKA & me, I’m sad to say.... have been with her since the beginning, enjoying KHT mysteries but have been on the fence the past several books. This one I couldn’t even finish so I guess this sees me bidding her a melancholy “fare thee well”.
To elaborate a smidge: Waaaay too much detail about the author’s obvious love of junking, antiques, shabby chic, etc & the uninteresting narrative drags, is just. soooo. SLOOOW. Lastly, as I mentioned in my last review of hers, for the love of God, please have someone make her stop writing from a much younger person’s view..... because it doesn’t hit that mark & just falls embarrassingly flat.

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews is everything I would want in a Christmas story! It was heartwarming, nostalgic with a small town atmosphere. I loved every minute of this book. I never reread books. I feel like there are too many good books out there to spend time rereading one. I have to tell you, I might pull this one out and give it a spin again next year.

The characters had background but, were caring people. I loved the nostalgia of the old house that was a character in itself. I have always loved a small town atmosphere. Everyone knows each other and their business. You always know who to call when you need help. Of course, the warmth of the people came shining through during the Christmas preparations and the gathering in the town square.

There is nothing I didn't like about this book other than I could have lived with it a lot longer. I would have read many more pages. I was sad to see it end. I would love to see a sequel but, that is probably a pipe dream.

If you love a feel good story at Christmas time, I highly recommend this book to you. I think it would make a great gift or stocking stuffer. I'd be happy to see it in my stocking!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from #StMartinsPress and #Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A sweet, holiday read by Mary Kay Andrews. Ivy is ready to start over and finds herself in a run-down yet charming farmhouse. As she starts to clear out the former owner's things, she finds a beautiful Santa suit with some clues that someone tried to make Christmas a magical time for the community. Ivy investigates and finds her new town is delightful, friendly and her neighbor Ezra is just an added bonus.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel.

With THE SANTA SUIT, Mary Kay Andrews delivers a heartwarming story about recently divorced (and still aching) Ivy. Impulsively buying a charming old farmhouse sight unseen, Ivy arrives in a small town where she is swiftly drawn into friendship, romance, and fresh start for her business against all her expectations of getting away from everything. From the moment she discovers a child's letter to Santa tucked in an old Santa Claus costume worn by the previous owner and a matching Mrs. Claus costume worn by his wife, Ivy is drawn into a decades-old mystery while she battles old house disasters and woes. An ultimate cozy Christmas read. I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

A perfect Christmas book. It has all the things that a cozy, uplifting and enjoyable read needs.

Ivy purchases an old farmhouse that was previously owned by the "Christmas Spirit" of the little town. Mr. Bob played Santa and his wife was Mrs. Santa. They decorated their house with all the lights and sparkles of Christmas. But when Ivy finds Bob's Santa suit along with many other items she finds out just how much love and spirit Bob had.

I really enjoyed this book. The small town atmosphere, the friendly country people with that touch of kindness and generosity that touches your heart.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for gifting me a digital copy of the latest seasonal offering by Mary Kay Andrews - 4 charming stars!

After her divorce, Ivy buys a farmhouse in the mountains of North Carolina sight unseen. When she arrives, while beautiful, the house needs much more attention that she anticipated. The previous owners left all their furnishings and belongings in place, including a beautiful Santa suit and mysterious note in the pocket left at the top of a closet. Trying to discover the author leads Ivy to become part of the community when she thought she really wanted to be left alone.

So it's the first day of fall - never too early to read such a charming Christmas story! This will definitely put you in the mood for all things Christmas - including all the magic it brings. This is a quick read and perfect kick-off to the holidays - definitely put it on your Christmas list!

Ivy Perkins buys a farm house she saw on the internet, but never actually looked at the house before she buys it and she is disappointed that the house does not match the pictures on line, but when her sexy real estate agent is there on hand to greet her with the keys, she sees the potential for what the house could look like with a lot of renovations and money she doesn’t have.

Everything changes for Ivy when she finds a Santa Suit in a closet and a letter from a little girl and it intrigues Ivy to find out who the little girl is and if she got her Christmas wish from Santa.

As Ivy slowly meets some of the residents of this small southern town, she starts to feel the spirit of the town and most importantly the Christmas spirit she found again all because of The Santa Suit

I loved the spirit of this story and what we find in the magic of Christmas. Mary Kay Andrews pulls us into the story with Ivy, divorced and starting over in a town she knows nothing about and when a series of events happen to her, she rolls with the punches and finds herself again. From the man who lost touch with his family, to the young girl she helps see that she is worthy of being who she is and not the profile she put on line to attract a man and the shop owner who may have to close down her business because she does not have the right advertising. Ivy helps all of these people and at the same time she finds a man, Ezra who helps her find herself and that she is right where she is meant to be. It’s a feel-good story that will have you wishing you could find the magic of a Santa Suit in your closet.

Thank you to Mary Kay and her publisher and Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this wonderful holiday book.

Ivy, recently divorced and looking to start over, purchases a farm house in a small town in North Carolina. While sorting through all of the items left by the previous owners she finds a beautiful Santa suit. The ‘magical’ suit and a mysterious note found in its pocket leads her to meet several kind townspeople. Ivy also rediscovers her love of the holiday season.

MKA does it again! This short and sweet novel was hard to put down. It just made me happy! Reminded me of a holiday movie with a happy ending, of course. I look forward to gifting this one. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital arc of this book.

A cozy, fun, and uplifting holiday read. Grab that cocoa and snuggle in…

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56693416

Ivy Perkins finds herself divorced and has to start over, and as a child she always loved going to see her grandmother who had chickens that would eat out of her hands. So she decided to buy a farm, raise chickens and next year plant a garden. She bought a farm, which turned out, it needed some repairs, but it also had many amazing surprises.
The movers lost her furniture, so she got the furniture back that she had given to the thrift store, and once it was back in there, it just seemed to be, meant to be. When she moved to the farm she had expectations, but as she was fixing up the farm and meeting some people in the community, the things she thought she wanted, wasn't what she wanted after all.
Things started to fall into place, and she just felt like this was home. When she finds the Santa suit, she finds a note from a child, and she wants to find the child, even though she doesn't have anything but the letter to go by.
This is an uplifting story, that even when things wasn't working out for Ivy, she knew this was where she was supposed to be. She found the person she was supposed to become, and the life she didn't know she needed until she found it at the farm. She embraced the life she had, and she embraced the people she met, and together they inspired each other.
I received an ARC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.

I really, really enjoyed this book. This is one of those books that you find yourself quickly emersed in the story line and lose all track of time in the real world. The characters were well developed. The story line was interesting with a lot of gorgeous build up. My only frustration was how quickly everything wrapped up at the end. So quickly, I felt sort of cheated. I would have loved to see the ending have as much detail and attention as the lead in. However, despite the quick wrap up, the story itself is truly enjoyable and one I would recommend. Overall, an excellent holiday read.

“The Santa Suit” by Mary Kay Andrews
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: 9/28
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

This was super cute. I really enjoy Mary Kay Andrews books. I was very excited when I got this approved by Netgalley!
If you love a small town Holiday read this is for you!

Ivy Perkins decided the best way to move on from her divorce is to buy a fixer upper Farmhouse in a small town. Ivy knew buying a house sight unseen would be risk, but she wasn’t expecting the house to be such a fixer upper. While she was cleaning out all the old junk left at the top of the closet she finds an old Santa Suit. In the pocket there is a note from a little girl named Carlette wanting her daddy to come home from the war. The note left her with so many questions that she decided to ask about town about Carlette.
Meanwhile her realtor Ezra keeps popping up helping her around the Farmhouse. She’s beginning to see what it’s like living in a small town. Ivy has banned herself from falling in love again, but date may decide otherwise.
A woman discovering herself after divorce, a mystery, romance, and Christmas!

Sweet, easy read that makes me want to put up my Christmas tree! Thank you to NetGalley for an enjoyable read.

Mary Kay Andrews' new novel, "The Santa Suit", is a wonderful Christmas read. This book will transport the reader to a small town filled with warm and endearing characters, and to an old farmhouse with a bit of mystery. A tale of second chances, and a touch of Christmas magic that will appeal to a variety of readers, including fans of Mary Kay Andrews, and those who can't resist the pull of a good holiday read. An engaging story with just the right amount of pages for reading during the busy holiday season. Curl up with a warm drink and enjoy!

Thank you to Mary Kay Andrews, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader's copy.

Mary Kay Andrews has always been the queen of the Southern beach reads as far as I'm concerned, but it turns out that she rules in the Southern Christmas reads department too! I picked up The Santa Suit to read the other day when I needed a heartwarming, humorous story that I knew would let me escape from life while I was lost in the pages--my air conditioner was out that day in the still NC 90 degree September heat, so I figured what better way of trying to stay "cool" than think Christmas magic, snowfalls, Santa, and all the other joys of the holiday season while sitting in front of a fan! It worked (for a while)!

I'm not really a Hallmark movie kinda gal--my favorite Christmas movie is Die Hard, but I do love to read anything that makes you feel the magic of Christmas, and The Santa Suit does just that. Ivy Perkins is recently divorced and needs a fresh start. She buys an old farmhouse, sight unseen, in a small NC mountain town but when she gets the keys from her real estate agent, Ezra, she realizes that the house needs a lot more work than she thought and is a bit overwhelmed. While going through items left in the house by the previous owners, Ivy finds a Santa suit with a letter to Santa from a child in it. Ivy is touched by the letter and can't stop wondering if the little girl got her wish. This leads Ivy on a search to find out what happened to the little girl. Her search leads her on a journey that allows her to make wonderful friends in the community while solving the mystery of what happened to Carlette, the little girl, and her family. There's also a sweet romance and the resolution of the mystery was quite wonderful!

All in all, this was wonderful! It is such a feel-good story that you definitely don't want to miss it. If you love Christmas stories or movies, then The Santa Suit is the perfect story to make you feel festive and merry!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

-Review posted to NetGalley, Goodreads, and Twitter on 9/21/21 and will be posted to Amazon on publication day