I'm never going to watch the evening weather forecast the same way! Can 50 year old Sonny Dunes go home again? That's the question when she loses her job and then her stuff after a robot is hired to do the weather on her Palm Springs station- the place she's been so happy for years. Now back in Michigan with her mom (I love Patty Rose) and the people who knew her as Amber Rose, she's struggling with the snow she's avoided all those years. Luckily, an old classmate - Lisa- hires her to work weather at the local station, where she meets Icicle and, even better, Mason. What happened to Sonny's little sister Joncee? If I have a quibble with this well written novel, it's that Joncee's death is referred to often and the answer doesn't come until pretty far in (even though people tell Sonny- I know about your sister). That said, I found myself caught up in the story, rooting for Sonny, Mason, and Icicle. Oddly, for what's really a rom-com, I learned a lot from this novel not only about weather but also about, of all things, Leland blue, ice caves, and Michigan. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Great storytelling. I really enjoyed this.

The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman is a holiday romance that is sure to sweep you off your feet. The author creates characters that connect with many readers. The Secret of Snow is a lovely read that I did not want to put down.

Well written story of loss, tragedy and it's effects on families. This book proves that you can come home again, face your demons and losses to make life all you want!

Great story of love, redemption and most of all letting yourself love yourself!

The Secret of Snow
author: Viola Shipman
Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House

A sudden career re-location took Meteorologist Sonny Dunes from Palm Springs back to her hometown of Traverse City, Michigan, where she reconnects to roots and sorts out regrets. Author Viola Shipman transports readers to scenes of snow angels and ice sculptures in a world of winter splendor, a sparkling setting for Sonny's story of inner strength and perseverance.
Sonny's intelligence, vulnerability, and humor shine, as she confronts painful memories, faces career challenges, and nurtures relationships with her mother, friends, co-workers, and a love interest. A woman with a passion for the locale and its weather, she truly connects to the history, culture and climate of Northern Michigan. Shipman adds rich insight about regional heritage and landscape into the story, with my favorites being the Leland Blue Stone and ice caves.
The layers of enjoyment in this book are as deep as the Michigan snow that Sonny forecasts. I love that Sonny is a smart, contemporary meteorologist, passionate about her career and its role in keeping people safe. I was enthralled with eloquent details of the snowy setting, in both its beauty and harshness. This reviewer recommends warming up with a steaming bowl of Michigan cook-off chili as you turn the pages. Shipman provides some sweet bonuses at the end, with a personal letter, Reader's Guide and special surprise to enjoy!
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House for the advance reader's copy of this book, and the opportunity to provide my unbiased review. #TheSecretofSnow #NetGalley

I loved this book. It swept me back to memories of growing up in upstate New York at the foot of the Adirondack mountains. I remember all those snowy days and always making snow angels with my siblings. This book spoke to my heart and was a dose of nostalgia for me. Thank you to the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an advanced copy. Now I want to own it in its final published version.

This is a beautifully written novel about coping with loss and regret set against a wintery backdrop of snowy Michigan. I enjoyed learning more about the life of a meteorologist through the heroine's point of view. Her character journey is compelling and kept me reading. There's a bit of humor mixed in with the poignant reflections on grief and loss, as well as an overall message of hope and healing. For me, the heroine's challenges were relatable and helped me reflect on how I'm dealing with grief and loss in my own life.
My only quibble with The Secret of Snow is that the romance is a bit light. The heroine and Mason don't spend much time together, which is a shame, because they have great chemistry and he's a delightful hero. I wish we could've seen more of their journey as a couple.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions shared here are my own.

This is truly a love story to all things Michigan in winter. When Amberrose, or, Sunny Dunes as she's renamed her tv personality as a meteorologist in Palm Springs, becomes obsolete when her clueless boss replaces her with a robot, she is forced to return home to Michigan and work for a startup news station. As her introduction to Traverse City News, she has to tape segments of herself enjoying all the winter festivities Michigan has to offer. All this winter fun and Christmas cheer bring back the guilt and grief of losing her little sister too young and she struggles to overcome her misery. But then a letter from a new friend and love interest, Mason, about his own loss helps her put things in perspective.
The author pointed out that we want our news personalities to seem like real people and I agree. I love all the stories of them enjoying festivals, new restaurants, winter activities, etc because it adds a human touch. I love how by returning home helps Sunny deal with her grief. In the end when she has a big decision to make, she realizes what's really important in her life. Great heartfelt and inspirational story!
I received an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

A heartwarming story by popular author Viola Shipman who does hope and second chances so well.

Sonny is an older television meteorologist who is being replaced by and Artificial Intelligence robot. After a night out of drinking with a colleague to drown her sorrows, she returns to the station and makes some ill advised scenes that go viral. She returns to her hometown of northern Michigan to live with her mother and take a job at a local station working for a former college classmate.

Sonny and her family have faced some sorrows in the past and she has had a hard time moving past them. With help from a wonderful cast of characters and the beauty of nature in northern Michigan, Sonny learns how to let go and move on.

It is a lovely novel with some incredibly wise, warm , poignant and funny moments. The descriptions of nature make one want to move there. Well developed characters, descriptions and a satisfying read. I could not put it down.

The Secret of Snow is a story of past hurts and regrets and learning to forgive and forget and move on. As readers of Viola Shipman well know, this author honors his grandmother by using her name as a pen name. His descriptions of the small towns and cities in Michigan make me want to jump in the car and head to these locations for a visit or a vacation. I want to meet the people that make up these small communities and call them my friends. In this book, the author perfectly captures winter in Michigan and also captured my heart once again in this story about a middle age meteorologist who loses her job in Palm Springs, California and heads to her hometown of Traverse City, Michigan where she learns to not overthink things and to live in the moment.

I read many different genres of books. I am not a big Chick Lit or Romance novel fan, but when I need a change from reading about the tragedies of WWII, or murder mysteries, or family dramas, I know that I can find a feel good, heart warming story in a book by Viola Shipman, just like this one. This book is perfect for fans of Mary Kay Andrews, Debbie Macomber, Kristy Woodson Harvey, and Mary Alice Monroe.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending me a digital ARC of this book to read and review. Publication date: 10/26/21.

Sonny's life was turned upside down and she ended up going home to her mother's house. She was partly to blame for her situation, yet she seemed awfully whiney about it. A few times I wanted to tell her to be grateful for what she did have.

All through the book, Sonny was taken back to her childhood - memories of her sister kept coming to mind. This helped her to face her past, so she could move on. I liked how the author wrote those parts into the story. Her antagonistic relationship with Lisa never made sense to me and I thought they were both immature about it.

The winter setting was wonderful to read about this time of year. It made me feel as if I were there and was wishing for snow for the holidays.

Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. I have never read a Viola Shipman book before, however I can guarantee you it won't be the last book that I read by this author. I was made aware of this author by the Friends and Fiction webcast and I am glad that I listened to their recommendation, what a great story! I loved where the book was set. What a great story about a very down on her luck lady who has made some horrendous errors, many of which are due to a tragedy in her past. It was uplifting to read how she was able to come to terms with her past and move ahead with her life to finally be at peace with herself and find love. This story captured me right from the first page and held my interest until the very end. It encompassed so many wonderful traits in people, love of family, traditions, empathy, and forgiveness. A great read from start to finish!

“Snow angels are winter’s way of saying hello to God.”
My first read by Viola Shipman and it’s wonderful storytelling. It’s a combination of funny and sad, of hope and disappointments, family memories and healing. Love the various characters to love and hate; even the Michigan weather, in my opinion is a character in itself. Woven throughout the novel are traditional winter activities and festivals. A message of healing, being true to oneself, and second chances. As the book states – “But running doesn’t solve anything… it just distances you from the love we deserve.” A highly recommended read.
Comfy Chair Books (October 17, 2021)

This book is a love story to Michigan, in particular, snowy winters in northern Michigan. 50 year old meteorologist, Sonny, comes home after her career ended disasterously in Palm Springs. She moves back in with her mother, and faces the demons she’s been running away from for years. It’s about love, forgiving yourself, second chances and starting over. Sweet story.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I thought this was a good book about family, first and foremost, and forgiveness.

Sonny left Michigan behind as soon as she was old enough to leave. Her younger sister died and it practically broke Sonny. She felt like the only way she could keep going was by getting away from the memories. Everything about winter in Michigan reminds her of her sister. Sonny’s in her 50’s and she’s barely been back since she left for college. Losing her dad was the double whammy. But when she decided to leave and not look back, she left her mom behind and alone. They could have turned to each other, instead Sonny ran. She has been living in California for years. It never snows, it’s hardly ever even cold. Sonny loves her job as a successful tv meteorologist.

Then Sonny gets fired. The station has decided to replace their anchors with AI anchors that never age.
Sonny has an embarrassing confrontation about this on live tv. Unfortunately she goes viral. Now she’s not only lost her job but no one else wants to take a chance on her. Only one station wants her and it’s in Michigan with a woman Sonny wasn’t very nice to in college.

She very reluctantly accepts the job.
The station decides it would be fun to introduce Sonny to their viewers by making her do all the most wintery activities Michigan has to offer.
There’s cardboard sledding, yeti contests, all kinds of things that might be considered fun to someone other than Sonny.

The longer Sonny stays, and the more winter activities she does, the more her memories of her sister sneak up on her.

Sonny finally starts to face the truth: running away from everything familiar to her did not help her heal. Maybe it’s time to deal with the past. Maybe she can really be happy if she does. She has another chance to spend time with her mom and she has met a wonderful man named Mason who wants Sonny to open up to him.

I loved Sonny’s mother most of all. She’s a fantastic character. She’s very lovable and wise and a bit quirky too. The best parts of this story, in my opinion, were of Sonny and her mom.

Icicle is also a sweet character.

I liked that Sonny’s mom and Sonny’s love interest Mason are both teaching Sonny lessons about dealing with grief.
And I love that Sonny is able to teach her coworker Icicle some lessons as well.

Sometimes I found Mason’s conversations to be really wordy and more information than I wanted (not in a TMI situation, more that I care less about Leland blue than he does). If I were to change something, I’d just have Mason’s talks be a bit shorter. But, hey, I’m an introvert, I’m not a talky person myself :)

I somewhat misunderstood that this book would be a bit christmassy. It’s really not. This is not a light Christmas book, this is a rather heavy book set in the winter. But it’s a really good journey. I think you’ll be really happy to see these characters along on their journeys. It’s quite sad at times but every single one of them has the potential to be incredibly happy again and I think that’s pretty fantastic.

I read an early ebook edition from NetGalley, thanks!

I had the privilege of reading this book digitally from NetGalley. I recently discovered Viola Shipman/Wade -- his book the Heirloom Garden is fantastic and now one of my favorites. Very vivid, descriptive, and well researched and inspiring.

The Secret of Snow is another great book by Wade with some meaningful growth and messages. I've once again highlighted a lot of quotes in my kindle to reflect on! It was a lighthearted read, but also filled with some science and insightful research, especially about the weather/meteorology. The book is heavily set in Traverse City, Michigan, and the author really captures the essence of the cold city, the beauty of the season, and the thrill of winter fun. I love this book as a nice read to get into the spirit of winter.

In terms of the characters, I did have a harder time connecting with the main character; she didn't read like she was 50 years old at all, more like 30. I liked Mason and Sonny's mother for characters though.

Overall it was a great holiday read, a sweet story with meaningful messages. The journey of healing was very inspiring. I really love Viola/Wade as an author and look forward to reading more of his books!
4 stars.

Some quotes to note:
"I can’t control the world like I’ve always wanted to do. I can’t run from reality. What did you tell me a while back? Life involves loss, grief and setbacks. How we choose to deal with all of that is living. I woke up, and I choose to just live in the moment today.”"

"“Winter has a way of making us see the world from a different perspective,” Mason says. “In winter’s bare bones fragility, we either see the beauty or we see the harshness. We feel the warmth or the cold. We witness a season of stunning change or experience a season of exhausting repetition.” He gestures to the sculpture behind us, which gleams. “We see a season of light or we see a season of unending darkness.”"

"Winter can change a person. It can show you the delicate structure of the world when everything is stripped clean. It can illuminate your soul when the world is cloaked in darkness. It can warm your heart when everything else is frozen. It can let you hear your own thoughts for the first time when the ​earth finally falls silent."
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"You can see the beauty that has been created in harsh times.

I felt like this had a good premise but while it dwelled on past issues it also seemed to get wrapped up at the end pretty quickly. I also kept forgetting that Sonny wasn't in her 20's or 30's due to her behavior. Mason also felt like an unnecessary prop at times. I can see older readers enjoying this one.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sonny Dunes is a 50 year old meteorologist in Southern California who faces a harsh life transition when her job is outsourced to an AI solution. She doesn't handle the change well, and social media shares that crash with the masses. She retreats back to her hometown of Michigan and lands a position at a small television station. Sonny isn't necessarily greeted with a warm welcome by the employees there, so she has to deal with building those relationships, and also face some of the history there, including her sister's death. Sonny jumps into all of the traditional winter activities in the community and discovers some new things about herself, and finds a new relationship.

Snow makes everything a bit more magical and it made this story even more wonderful. Sonny if fired from her meteorologist job only to be replaced by a AI that won't age. She returns home and finds the only place willing to give her a job is the local station in Michigan. She suddenly away from her sunny SoCal and back in snowy Michigan. She decides to dive right into the Michigan lifestyle by trying all winter activities she can. She also has to deal with the past and the reasons she left Michigan to begin with. The Secret of Snow is a lovely heartfelt story about facing your past and finding yourself along the way.

No question that this is Viola Shipman's best work. It includes love, second chances, the power of family, forgiveness, and of course, lots and lots of snow. Highly recommend this magical and miraculous story. Thank you, Netgalley, for my arc.