I have reviewed this book for New York Journal of Books where it will be posted on their site the evening prior to the release date!


"The Santa Suit" by Mary Kay Andrews
St. Martin’s Press
September 28, 2021
10:1250279313
Women’s Contemporary Fiction
224 pages

Heartbroken over the end of her marriage, Ivy Perkins decides she needs a lifestyle change, so with her share of the business she started with her husband and half of their assets, she buys an old farmhouse sight unseen. She always loved the country, and when she sees The Four Roses listed for sale, she and her beloved English setter rescue pooch, Punkin, leave their Atlanta home and head for the tiny town of Tarburton in the mountains of North Carolina.

Ivy pulls into the driveway noticing a run-down house and overgrown vegetation. A young man with thick butterscotch-colored hair sticking out from a baseball cap is standing by the house. Wondering who he may be, he introduces himself as Ezra Wheeler, her real estate agent. Ivy envisioned a stooped-over elderly gentleman with such an old-fashioned name and is surprised he is young.

Ezra tells her about the property:

". . . the Four Roses is a reference to the owners--well, former owners now—Bob and Betty Rae Rose, and their two daughters, Sandi and Emily Rose. Get it? Four Roses.'"

Ivy is somewhat confused, for the previous owner had been listed as James Heywood, but Ezra explains he was the husband of the late Sandi Rose, who inherited the property from her deceased parents.

Little did Ivy realize the farm has been vacant for some time and needs a lot of renovation, but she's determined to make a go of it. This home is known for being the best-decorated property in the area, and both Bob and Betty Rae played up Christmas to the nines by acting as Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus. How sad for the residents when the Roses' moved the gaily of the holiday season ceased.

Tired and somewhat disillusioned by the condition of her new investment, she is a bit standoffish toward Ezra as he tries to help her move her meager belongings inside. Her mind is a checklist going over all the renovations needed to the old single-story home with a wide front porch and four fireplaces. But she refuses to let this dampen her spirits. She's on a new adventure in her life.

Ivy needs to go through the Roses' left-behind old furniture and boxes of odds and ends. She expects her furniture to arrive in a few days, so she asks Ezra about donating the pieces left behind, and he happily obliges by bringing them to the local thrift shop. Little is she to know that her belongings went to the wrong place, so she'll have to wait longer for them to be delivered; she then learns an accident with the moving truck destroyed her possessions.

Ezra, ever the helpmate, offers to "borrow back" the items from the thrift store, so she could have a place to sleep, sit and eat. Ivy cannot understand why Ezra is so accommodating toward her, but she begins to sense a bit of a spark toward him. Determined not to be burned again, she plays down her feelings, though it is evident they both have chemistry for each other.

As Ivy searches through the discarded belongings, she comes across a beautiful, antique Santa suit, and in the pocket, she discovers a note penned by a child from long ago. On it is her wish from Santa—that her father returns from war. Ivy is intrigued, and because this is such a small, close-knit town, she wants to find out if this child's father ever returned.

Though Ivy moved here with the thought of remaining a loner, she is soon drawn into the community with open arms and makes lasting friends. Her search for the author of the Christmas list brings about several surprises and happiness for her and an elderly recluse grandfather who now has a new lease on life.

A sweet, quick-paced read, "The Santa Suit" is sure to bring a smile no matter what season. The wholesomeness and camaraderie of small towns are well presented, along with a bit of romance and mystery.

This is a wonderful book that takes place in a small town. Ivy doesn’t know what she’s getting into when she buys a rundown farmhouse out in the country. She soon make many new friends and discovers the magic of Christmas. Would definitely recommend this book by the wonderful author Mary Kay Andrews.

This is a charming Christmas story that you will not want to put down. It is a quick read with very likable characters. You will find yourself cheering for their happiness as you feel the snow falling down around you. Another excellent Mary Kay Andrews book!

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of this book.

Ivy has bought an old farmhouse in the mountains of North Carolina. She is starting over after going through a divorce in Atlanta. The realtor, Ezra, turns out to not be an old guy, but a contemporary with an old fashioned name. The family of the deceased previous owners left a ton of stuff in the house and while going through it, Ivy came across a fabulous Santa Suit carefully stored in a box. This find is what drives this wonderful emotional story. I loved it so much that I finished reading it in less than a day.

I received a copy of this book to review from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley and thoroughly enjoyed it.

4/5 ⭐️
Merry Christmas in July!

This book was truly delightful! I absolutely love Hallmark Christmas movies and The Santa Suit was exactly that but wrapped up in a cute, cozy, quick read with a bow on top. I had to fight the urge to light one of my favorite balsam candles while reading. The story was well written, the characters were adorable, and I loved the ending! I devoured this in 2 sittings and I can see a holiday re-read in my future.

What I Liked:
🎅🏻Small town setting
🌲All the Feels
🎅🏻Holiday romance
🌲Punkin 🐶

While you don’t “have” to wait until Christmas to read this one, it will make a great addition to your holiday TBR. Definitely recommend for all of the holiday romance fans that are looking to snuggle up with a good 📚.

Pub Day: 9/28/21 Pre-order your copy now!

Thank you @NetGalley @MaryKayAndrews and @StMartinsPress for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

#TheSantaSuit #MaryKayAndrews #StMartinsPress #HolidayReads #spoilerfree #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #AlisReads #flippin_and_sippin_mn

This was so good. It made me so excited for Christmas time and all the feels. People won’t sleep on this one. I can’t wait to share with everyone.

A truly delightful holiday book! The premise is unique and I loved the characters. This book was brimming with holiday magic! I loved the farmhouse storyline and was cheering for Ivy throughout. The setting was fantastic and brought me all kinds of holiday cheer. A feel good, cheerful, book with a fun cast of characters. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review!

This is another great Mary Kay Andrews book. This a feel good Christmas novella. I really enjoyed the setting and the characters and the mystery added the perfect touch. My only complaint is that I wish it was a longer story

Adorable Christmas Story. Mary Kay Andrew's doesn't disappoint in this story about Christmas, family, love, and friendship. I didn't want it to end. Heart warming, feel good story that will put you in the Christmas mood.

In Mary Kay Andrews’ novella, The Santa Suit, Ivy Perkins is looking for a fresh start after a divorce from a cheating husband…and best friend. In her mind’s eye, she pictures an old, white farmhouse will be the foundation to her new beginning. She buys such after seeing it, The Four Roses, on the Internet. It’s more rundown than the photo indicates, but Ivy is up for the challenge, starting with painting some rooms.

Her friendly neighborhood realtor, Ezra, is always willing to lend a hand with repairs, and before long, he has a crush on Ivy, who does her best to discourage him…for a while.

When clearing out the closet, Ivy discovers an old Santa suit that the previous owner used to don to entertain the children during the small North Carolina town’s Christmas Stroll. Ivy finds a note in a pocket of the old suit from a little girl wanting Santa to bring her father home from Viet Nam for Christmas. Intrigued, Ivy begins to ask around town about the little girl, and while on this mission, she starts making friends.

Just in time for the holidays, The Santa Suit will warm hearts as Ivy warms hers and untangles the mystery of the little girl’s note to Santa.

Mary Kay Andrews, the Queen of Summer Reads, has provided readers with a holiday novella. Andrews, a pseudonym for Kathy Hogan Trocheck, is one of the authors I follow faithfully. A former journalist, she is based in Atlanta with her own hideaway on Tybee Island.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting July 27, 2021.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

A delightful, sweet Christmas romance! Ivy has just gone through a divorce and decides to start a new life in a new town. She buys an old farmhouse called The Four Roses that she's only seen a picture of and moves from Atlanta to a small town in North Carolina. There she finds the farmhouse is in need of some unexpected repairs. Also the previous owners have left all the furniture and other things. Her realtor, who lives nearby, provides assistance with fixing some things and helping her find the people she needs in town to help. In a closet Ivy finds a beautiful, old Santa suit and in one of the pockets she finds a child's Christmas wish - that her father return home from the war. This intrigues Ivy and she becomes embroiled in a search for answers about the child and her father, whether he came home from the war, did the child get her wish, where are they now? Quite a mystery. Ivy makes some friends in the small community and even finds her first new client.

This is not a long book; I read it in a day. I enjoyed the mystery and the characters, as well as the small tight-knit community.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for and advance copy. This book will be published on September 28, 2021.

What a cute, magical story! It ties up neatly at the end with a twist I didn't see coming.
Punkin was my favorite character.
I really like how the flow progresses at a steady pace. The story kept my attention, and I wanted to keep reading.
I'm glad the romance wasn't a priority although it was still more than I like.

A lovely and life-affirming novel describing the beautiful quest a young and lonely woman embarks upon, trying to solve a mystery of a letter to Santa. A great read for the holiday season!

What a cute book - I really enjoyed this one. This is a short story of Ivy, a young divorcée coming out of a six year marriage to a loser who cheated on her with her best friend. Ivy wanted a change in her life - so she bought a farmhouse in NC sight unseen. After moving from Atlanta, she soon realized that the farmhouse wasn’t exactly the same as what she saw online - it looked a little worse for the wear.

Her real estate agent, Ezra, met her at the farmhouse with her key and he ended up helping her with several projects around the house. They form a friendship / bond that was really sweet.

While searching through items the previous owners left behind, Ivy found a Santa Clause and Mrs Clause suits that the previous homeowners wore while secretly playing Santa for the entire town. As Ivy & Ezra wore the suits for the annual Christmas festival, real magic begins to happen that blessed so many people. This really was a sweet book that can easily be read in one day.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated above are mine without biases.

What a great story! I love stories of new beginnings in small towns. This one is perfect with a farmhouse that needs some repair and great characters who become wonderful friends. Then here is the Santa suit and all the mystery and magic it brings to the story. Definitely a heartwarming Christmas story but also just a good story all the way around. I’d love to see MKA do more with these characters. Loved the bits of the story that show the authors self interest like restoring houses and her own dog. Thanks to St Martins Press for offering me the chance to read an early copy.

Newly divorced Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse, and finds an old Santa suit in the closet with a little girl's Christmas wish left in the pocket. She sets on a quest to find out who wrote the note, bringing her into the community during the magic of the holiday season.

If you're a fan of heartwarming Hallmark Christmas movies, this book is for you. I enjoyed following Ivy as she pursues a fresh start and picks herself up following her divorce. I especially had a soft spot as a fellow owner of a fixer upper house, and couldn't help but smirk every time something went wrong with her old neglected house.

While she moved to the small town to get away from city life and keep to herself, she continues to make connections and build friendships with community members, including her handsome and handy realtor. This is a quick and easy read with bits of small town charm, Christmas joy, and romance woven throughout.

If you want to get into the holiday spirit, pick this one up when it publishes September 28. Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my advance copy.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy. I really enjoyed this, and it had a surprising twist I didn’t see coming.

Ivy is recently divorced and wants a fresh new start over. She and her dog, Punkin, decide to leave the hustling and bustling city of Atlanta to a small country town, Tarbuton, in North Carolina to a wonderful farmhouse she instantly fell in love with and purchased it, sight unseen! Discovering it's not exactly what she was expecting and it's needing renovations she gets started on them, herself! Ezra, her real estate agent and neighbor has a bit of guilt and gladly helps her out all he can.

When she goes into town she meets, some friendly people and some don't seem to be fond of her. She does however make a quick friend named Phoebe and connecting with her so quickly she's starting to have hope after all. And she makes a few more pretty quickly.

The previous owners of the home left a ton of stuff behind and while she's going through it she finds a beautiful Santa suit with a Dear Santa sitting in a pocket. The letter is from a girl named Carlette wanting her present to be her dad brought home from the war. With the letters date, Ivy is guessing the Vietnam War and she's curious why it's sitting in there. In researching the letter, she meets a lovely elder gentleman along with a few more people and she starts getting into the Christmas spirit and out the Bah Humbug Grinch spirit she was in.

If you like a good sweet Hallmark Christmas movie, then this book is for you!

I want to thank NetGalley, St. Martins, and Mary Kay Andrews for my copy of it for an honest review.

This is a wonderful story. Ms Andrews has outdone herself. I am a fan of her books.

Ivy is divorced and starting a brand new life. She is leaving Atlanta and moving to tiny town in North Carolina. She has purchased a farm house and a couple of acres, sight unseen.

When she arrives, she finds it is not exactly like the real estate pictures. But, that is alright, she falls in love with it immediately. She and her dog are ready to move right into their new paradise.

Her real estate agent, Ezra, is there to help her get a few things fixed. He offers his help and Ivy is not immediately ready to accept his help. That is until she realizes that she needs quite a bit of that help.

Life does not go perfectly for Ivy. Her furniture truck does not arrive as expected. Her coffee pot is on that truck. The four baby chicks she brought with her must stay in their box. That is because there is no heat in her new home. And after she has Ezra and his friend take away all the furniture that was left in the old house, she now has only one chair, a table and a mattress on the floor. Maybe making that instant decision to get rid of the old furniture was not exactly a great idea.

But, life is filled with surprises. Among those surprises is a beautiful Santa suit with a mysterious note in the pocket. And there is beauty all around her. Her new/old home is surrounded by possibilities. It is winter now, but spring will come and there will be roses and a vegetable patch and who knows what other wonders will appear?

Ezra is a wonderful man who fixes things for Ivy. She meets a young woman who helps her build a chicken coop. She finds an elderly man who becomes a dear friend. And in the midst of all her ups and downs, she even finds a job.

Ms Andrews creates wonderful characters. Ivy is on a journey and rebuilding her self confidence. This small town and the people who live there are welcoming to this new young woman. Ezra is a man who has secrets. But, he is also a man who is willing to do extra for the people around him.

The citizens who live in this tiny town are warm and welcoming. Part of that may be because Ivy has found how to light her home for Christmas. Once again people can come and see the special beauty, just as they did in the past.

The underlying mystery brings Ivy into contact with her new community. And it is a beautiful way for her to get into the Christmas spirit.

This is truly a Christmas story which gives the reader the true sense of magic and love and the chocolate is not bad either.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in the hope that I would write a fair and honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

Ivy Perkins is divorced and ready to begin her new life in a new town in an old house. She’s got a lot of renovation work ahead of her but her attention is sidetracked by a mysterious and sad message found in the Santa suit she found in one of the closets. She is determined to find the writer of the note and, in digging into the past of the community, she finds more than an answer. She finds a new community, new friends, more than a little magic and a new life.

Just enough magic to make the story interesting, but not so much as to defy reason. I loved it. The idea of trying to solve a puzzle and discovering connections that no one else recognized, particularly at Christmas, makes this story such a joy. It’s a book I’ll reread in December, for the reminder of the miracles that happen at Christmas.