Get wrapped up in magical new beginnings, glistening snow on an old farmhouse, and friendly small-town connections in MKA’s Christmas novella, The Santa Suit. Ivy Perkin’s world has turned upside down and she’s “cashed in all her chips” to buy an old farm away from the city lights and traffic of Atlanta. As Ivy unpacks, she finds a box with a Santa suit and a special letter tucked into the pocket; “Please bring my father home safely from the war.” Ivy begins a search to find out the “rest of the story” and in the process begins to soften and trust new acquaintances, Ezra the realtor and Phoebe from the county courthouse. The charming townspeople and their outgoing, helpful ways share bits of wisdom and readers learn the value of opening your heart and home, trusting your instincts and being true to yourself. Sorting through photos of children on Santa’s lap and vintage Shiny Brite glass ornaments, Ivy’s hurt feelings, and fears get tangled in the strings of bubble lights and garland, as she prepares her “new” old farmhouse for Christmas. So many lose ends: The Langley Sweet shop survival, Phoebe’s cyber fiancé, and the Santa letter! As the whole town and surrounding communities pack the streets for the annual Christmas Stroll, readers will receive a gift from MKA wrapped in love and topped with a satisfying big red bow. Ivy’s neighbor reminds readers, “You’re never too old to have a new friend.” Accept The Santa Suit by MKA as the perfect uplifting holiday read.

The Santa Suit
A Novel
by Mary Kay Andrews


When newly-divorced Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen, she is definitely looking for a change in her life. The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is called, is a labor of love—but Ivy didn't bargain on just how much labor. The previous family left so much furniture and so much junk, that it's a full-time job sorting through all of it.

At the top of a closet, Ivy finds an old Santa suit—beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of a suit, she finds a note written in a childish hand: it's from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. This discovery sets Ivy off on a mission. Who wrote the note? Did the man ever come home? What mysteries did the Rose family hold?

Ivy's quest brings her into the community, at a time when all she wanted to do was be left alone and nurse her wounds. But the magic of Christmas makes miracles happen, and Ivy just might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance at love.

I LOVED this book. Just a wonderful , sweet book. In the heat of summer It touched my heart, I needed a feel good read ... we all do in the midst of this saddened times. Perfect, well written.

Ivy Perkins, stung by her recent divorce, buys a rundown farmhouse sight unseen. When she travels from Atlanta to the mountains of NC she finds not only a farmhouse but also a stockpile of old Christmas photos and decorations. Andrews creates a charming community with a love interest for Ivy, a business opportunity, a new bestie, and an elderly curmudgeon. This is a quick, cozy read that provides a delightful respite from all the bad news of late.

What a light-hearted and gentle Christmas read to be enjoyed year-round.

Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen after a bad divorce. The work-in-progress place needs a lot of TLC, including boxes and boxes from the previous owners.

Ivy finds a vintage Santa suit in one closet. In the pocket of a suit, she finds a note written to Santa. This has Ivy on a quest to find out more about that child and the Santa who wore the suit.

Ivy didn’t expect how much the note and Santa suit would bring nostalgia from other people in town.

How many Christmas Miracles can happen in one place?

Fun Christmas romance with a mystery thrown in. Christmas magic, small town magic, small town friendships and small town gossip.
I really enjoyed this quick read.

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andews was a great cozy mystery I could not put down until the very end!!

Here we find newly divorced Ivy Perkins buying an old farmhouse known as The Four Roses. Ivy did not expect so much stuff left behind so as she starts sorting through the items she finds in one of the closets an old Santa Suit. As Ivy searches the suit she finds a note in one of the pockets. It's a wish from a little girl asking Santa to bring back her father from the war.

This intrigues Ivy and she begins her search into the whole story. And, so it begins.

This book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Well, I can tell you this is a must read. Great story, great characters, and a great mystery solved.

Ivy is recently divorced and decides to start over in a new town where she buys a rundown farmhouse in need of some love and care. Inside she discovers the personal belongings of the previous owners including a santa suit along with letters and pictures from kids throughout the years. The magic of the santa suit allows Ivy to make new connections.

This one was very Hallmark Christmas-y. It was fun and cute. If you are looking for a light Christmas read, pick this one up! Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for my review.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. This book had me hooked. Most love stories have the woman so dependent on men. This one the girl is going through a divorce and is going out in her own - ready to do everything on her own. She is aware of what she needs help with but isn’t helpless. It is totally a hallmark Christmas movie but I loved every second. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I so wanted to read this book and it did not disappoint at all. I love when I can read a book and without an excess of description, I can see the story. I was able to picture exactly how the old farmhouse looked that Ivy purchased on the internet...without actually seeing the house. I understood her feelings of betrayal following her divorce and her need to move somewhere totally new and unexpected. Her move from Atlanta to North Carolina kept her in the south but allowed her the charm of a sweet mountain town where everyone knew each other. Ivey was known immediately for buying the Rose Farm.

This story reminds readers of the magic of Christmas, the power of believing or positive thinking, and how good it feels to do good things. The Santa suit itself was an accidental find in a closet of the house Ivy bought but it led her to meeting new people and her experiences in a short time brought her full circle in a warm glow of Christmas.

Because I am a retired teacher, I am asked many times about if or how I might use a book in school. At first, I said no because there is some more adult "activity" in the book; I taught elementary school. Then I thought how easily some of this book could be used with high school students as a good way to show setting and story development. It is also a good one to show how a story can also be something to show how people can do good things for others, even people they do not know well, and how nice the results can be. And yes, I have the feeling I could have used some of the descriptive language for my elementary students. I would love to have read the first chapters when the house was described.....how it looked but also how the porch felt walking across it....and asked my students to draw what they heard.

Another winner, short and sweet, from Mary Kay Andrews. This would be a nice holiday gift for friends since it is such a happy little book.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #St.Martin'sPress for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews

Newly divorced Ivy buys a farm in a small NC town, and real estate agent Ezra helps her get settled. Ivy discovers a Santa suit along with a note from a little girl, and she connects with her new community as she solves the mystery.

Fans of MKA won’t be disappointed in this easy Christmas read! I enjoyed turning the pages and was entertained along the way.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Another winner from Mary Kay Andrews, a lovely Christmas novella. She writes about small towns and gives them strong personalities, I always want to visit the places she writes about! Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse called The Four Roses, sight unseen, after her divorce. When she gets to the house, it definitely needs more work than she bargained for. The former owners left all their furniture etc., and she finds a gorgeous old Santa suit with a curious note fruit a child to Santa in the pocket. With the help of realtor/handyman, she gets the house livable and starts investigating the note. Ivy discovers much more than the solution to her mystery.

I love stories about the magic of Christmas, and The Santa Suit really delivers. 5 stars!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ivy Perkins needs a new start after a divorce and also losing her job. She buys an old farmhouse in North Carolina and soon finds out the house has a history with the people of the town. The former owners were very into Christmas. Despite wanting to be alone to lick her wounds, Ivy soon finds herself sucked into the town and its residents. She helps a candy store owner with fresh marketing to save her business. She befriends an old man and helps him find his granddaughter. She helps a young woman meet the man she met on the internet. And she falls in love again with her neighbor and realtor Ezra. All of this is wrapped around a Santa suit and holiday decorations she finds in the house.

I enjoy the author and that was why I picked up the book. I am not a big fan of sappy holiday romances (ala Lifetime movies) which is what this book basically is. If that is what you like, this is the book for you.

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrew’s is a cute story of finding oneself amid the setbacks of life. Ivy has lost her business along with her husband in a divorce. She decides to start over by moving from Atlanta to the small North Carolina town of Tarburton and buying a somewhat run down farmhouse that has been in the Rose family for years. The current owners are not sentimental and leave many items behind. One is a letter for Santa that Ivy finds in the pocket of Bob’s Santa suit. The child wants her father home from the war for Christmas. This sets off inquiries of trying to find out what happened and leads to making many new friends along the way.
This is a wonderful and inspiring Christmas story to put all of us in the mood to celebrate. Fun, quirky characters add to the celebration leaving the reader feeling satisfied and fulfilled at the end.
I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGallery I was able to read the Santa Suit. Which was written in true Mary Kay Andrews charming, Humorous style. It’s a good feel holiday book that you can’t put down.

What an absolutely enchanting story! A story of change, rediscovery, and the magic of Christmas! As always Mary Kay Andrews does a stellar job of weaving together a can’t put down story!

The miracle of Christmas. Ivy was looking for a fresh start. She found Punkin at a rescue shelter. She bought a farm sight unseen. What she didn't realize that this town loved to celebrate Christmas. She was a bah-humbug type. Slowly the house with all its old treasures were changing her. The old Santa suit that Bob wore and later the Mrs. Claus suit that Betty wore. Little by little the lights were lite, Ezra, her real estate agent, brought a tree and Phoebe, her new friend brought a Charlie Brown tree. It was the letter that was in the Santa Suit that drove her. The fates were smiling down on her. The miracle of Christmas is that love found its way home.

This was a cute quick book about a girl who moved to a whole new city and state to start over after her divorce. She bought an old farmhouse online and I could totally see me doing this. The old farmhouse, the quaint little town, the cute real estate guy .. yep I would do it! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. My first Christmas book of the season! A feel good book! To be published September 2021.

What a fun novella from Mary Kay Andrews, just in time for the holiday season. I always love a good fixer upper story and this one had lots of that...with a formerly loved farm house and various relationships through the characters in the book. MKA definitely did not disappoint!

The Santa Suit is a “feel good”, light and magical book. It’s just the right length to read in one sitting. With the world today, and all its chaos and many problems, curl up with characters of substance, who are cheerful, hard working and just plain likable! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

Ivy is newly divorced and looking to start over. She buys a farmhouse in a small town and discovers a Santa suit in the attic. Actually, two suits, one for Santa and one for the missus. She makes friends, applies her marketing skills to helping a local chocolatier, finds romance with the realtor who sold her the house, updates her drafty but charming home, and helps pretty much everyone she runs into find a happy ending. This is a joyful, fast read without a lot of depth but just the right touch for lifting your spirits in these difficult times. Well-paced and entertaining, it kept my interest throughout.