For lovers of the Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series, this book is like a full-meal of every one of your favorite comfort foods followed by a cup of hot cocoa in front of a cozy fire! It just really couldn't be more perfect! Jennifer Beckstrand was somehow able to take everything we love about Anna and Felty as octogenarians and turn back the clock in the most believable and heart-warming way. It was just everything I could have ever wanted from their backstory. I loved every minute of it, and they couldn't be more real or more beloved to me if they lived next door!

Cute and funny story about how Anna and Felty met. Its there love story and it is a fun book to read. Lots of laughs on Anna's cooking skills.

The story is very unique in the way it starts out in the present and the story is taking place in the past. You definitely need to read the epilogue! I absolutely love how the story develops and the storyline itself is unique and a class act! Clean romantic fiction.

Martha Sue is sent to her Mammi's house for the summer so that her Mammi can help her find a husband. She doesn't want a husband so she goes to tell her Mammi that. The house is full of relatives and then they started asking about how Anna and Felty met.

It was a really cute story that made me laugh at times. Their antics and everything were kinda cute. This is my first visit to Huckleberry Hill and it won't be my last.

After reading all the Huckleberry Hill books Beckstrand ever wrote, I was so happy to dive into Anna and Felty’s story - where it all began. It’s unexpected, unpredictable, charming, and heartwarming. And the pair are as funny and clever in their youth as they are in their old age. Loved it.

I Just want to say i have not read this series. So i Will not give a review. I Just feel It would not give the book the grade or justice It deserves.

Thank you Kensington Books and Jennifer Beckstrand for allowing me to read an ARC of First Christmas on Huckleberry Hill through NetGalley.

I love the Huckleberry Hill series and Jenifer has really tied it together with this addition to the series. I like many of you have loved Anna and Felty from the beginning of the series. And this book Jennifer shares with us their love story. A new grandchild has come to stay with them for a while so that they can help her find a husband that she really doesn’t want. In a family Christmas gathering their love story is shared with the rest of the family. And what a story it is.

Anna Yoder is far from the average Amish girl. She can’t cook, sew or sing, but for some reason, Felty Helmuth understands and loves her.

Felty has returned home from serving in the Korea War, and is pretty much ignored by the community except by Anna. With God’s help, they overcome objections from family and community to become one.

You will enjoy this 5-star addition to the Huckleberry Hill series. Pre-order today.
#FirstChristmasonHuckleberryHill #NetGalley

I've been a huge fan of the Huckleberry Hill series! They're all riotously funny as well as adorable. I'd always wondered about Anna and Felty's story and was thrilled to finally get to read it!

This book seems a bit darker than the rest in the series. It deals pretty frankly with war, faith, bullying, and what can happen when people and communities don't live up to their own standards. That said, the overall tone is very sweet and hopeful. The world is harsh and we'll never be able to spare everything and everyone from pain, but we do what we can, care for each other, and trust our faith. I love both Anna and Felty's simple, innate goodness and support of each other.

This is a lovely addition to the series and I'm sure readers will be thrilled to see how Anna & Felty came to be!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

I enjoyed this book because I got to learn about Anna and Felty’s relationship from when they were younger and the struggles they faced before they got married. Felty always praises Anna no matter how bad her singing or cooking is and that shows true love. The book starts out in their present day life and reflects back on their trials and tribulations when they were younger.

This book was lighthearted and fun and I am glad I got to “know” them as a couple when they were dating.and enjoy them now as they have fun with each other and being matchmakers in their old age.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for my review and honest opinion.

This is the story of Anna Yoder who couldn't cook but was beloved of her father and brothers, whom she had helped raise and her love for Felty Helmuth, a Korean War veteran, who was not highly regarded in their passivist Amish community. It starts out when they are in their 80s and playing matchmaker for their grandchildren but the story goes back to 1952 when they fell in love and got married. It is a very fun Amish tale and I understand it is part of a series called: Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill. You don't want to miss this one!

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion

This is a sweet story that actually takes place more than fifty years ago. Grandparents Anna and Felty tell their children and grandchildren about their love story. Even though they are Amish, Felty has fought in the Korean Wars former friends and community ignore him, except Anna and her brother, Elmer. Felty has been in love with Anna for years already, though she doesn't know it. He begins to win her over, but she is troubled by the attention Felty begins to get from Rosie, the near perfect Amish girl of the community. Felty rescues a little boy, Marvin, who is Rosie's nephew, everybody then accepts him, and welcomes him into the community. Anna feels like he couldn't possibly love her when he has the attention of someone like Rosie. He of course, finally convinces her that she is the only girl for him. It's a great story I enjoyed reading very much!

FIRST. CHRISTMAS ON HUCKLEBERRY HILL
..Jennifer Beckstrand
Having read many times the books in the series was an enjoyment to visit with Anna and Felty in this prequel set in 1952. Anna was an outcast when she didn’t cook, or sew, and felt they didn’t approve of her for their son, or the matchmakers. Anna rather help those that were having trouble. In Felty he return from being a soldier, which was not for the Amish to do. They were a mismatch couple having found peace and strength with one another.
A beautiful heartwarming story of a true love with those that were outcasts from what was expected. Well done, good flowing heartwarming plot. Given ARC for Net Galley and Kensington for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.

3.5 stars.
“First Christmas on Huckleberry Hill”, by Jennifer Beckstrand (Kensington Books/Zebra), is a captivating story, with engaging, lovable characters.
I found the blossoming of romance between Felty and Anna an enchanting one, often making me smile. Felty’s infatuation with Anna is endearing and his blindness about her culinary skills so cute, sometimes even a bit silly, but the author does temper the sweetness with a light humor.
The smitten hero who finds the peculiar, very genuine heroine perfect is enchanting, but sometimes feels a bit forced. But I really loved the very gentle, kind and handsome hero with some troubled war memories.
I also liked that the main characters were and acted differently from the norm.

I have read so many of the Huckleberry Hill series, and one of the best things about them has always been Anna and Felty! The whole series is centered on the fact that Anna is trying to set up all of her great-grandchildren and grandchildren. They are hilarious, head over heels for each other, and completely confident in who they are. That's why it was so interesting to see them insecure and unsure.
First Christmas on Huckleberry Hill is a prequel to the amazing Huckleberry series! It can be read as a stand alone, but I think it's more fun to read it after the other books. Anna Yoder knows exactly what it feels like to be an outcast. She can’t cook, sew, or be anything that a good Amish girl should be. So when Felty Helmuth is ostracized after returning home from the Vietnam War, she can’t stay away. But what happens when she falls for the young soldier she can’t have?
I totally adored this book! Throughout the Huckleberry Hill series, Felty and Anna always know exactly what to say. They still mess up, but they’re both secure in who God has made them. In this book, we’re able to see how hard they had to work to get there though. Anna isn’t a total outcast in the sense that people dislike her, but she’s simply forgotten. Mothers think she’s sweet, but not good enough for their sons, and she’s never fit in with the other girls. Despite all of that, Anna has never lost her sense of joy and compassion towards others. I loved how much she cared about everyone, even those who were cruel to her. And it was so cute how Felty helped build her confidence!
Felty knew that God had called him to fight in the war despite the Amish’s vows of nonviolence. Even though he knew it was the right thing to do, it was still hard to come home to hate. Luckily, the one person whose opinion he cared the most about stuck by him. He has had a crush on Anna for years, and now that he was back he loved her even more. I adored Felty! I loved how rooted he was in his decision to follow God anywhere. He had a lot of deep scars, physically, emotionally, and mentally from the war, but he refused to grow bitter or cold. He even tried his hardest to show kindness to the other Amish.
I think one of my favorite things about this book was the constant theme of the need to be kind. It would have been really easy for Felty and Anna to become angry, but they chose to love others and find joy in life. And that brings up another one of my favorite things, there was still that steady humor in all the Huckleberry books! I adored this clean, romance, and I would recommend it to anyone who liked the other Huckleberry books. Or even anyone who loves a good Amish romance!


I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

I posted my review on Goodreads and Bookbub on 05/24/2021. I posted on Barnes and Nobles on 05/25/2021. I will post on Amazon and Blog closer to release date

Anyone who has read Beckstrand's other books has already fallen in love with Annie Banannie and Felty...and now they get to shine in their own story! Set in the early 1950s, during the Korean War, we have a set of atypical Amish who are the perfect match for each other. It's a sweet story of finding and accepting yourself, giving grace, and learning to be confident in your own skin. Those of us who know and love Anna and Felty will find it difficult to believe where they started...and cheer for them as they make their way toward their happily ever after!