Member Reviews

So sweet. Absolutely love her books and especially her Holiday ones. Romance is alive and all is well. Debbie never disappoints. Her books make me so happy.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this cozy, heart-warming book! Dear Santa was a delightful Christmas story! It made me excited for Christmas to arrive and provided many wonderful experiences that everyone hopes for in December. It ties together family, a love story, interactions with Santa, snow … It contains everything we could ever want during the Christmas season!

Was this review helpful?

This is an author that I never hesitate to pick up. I have loved her books from the first one. This one is no differrent. It is a sweet holiday story that is written with alot of heart and soul. It will put you in the holiday spirit and waiting for the next one. This is a well written story about blessings whether they are old or new ones. It will make you appreciate what you have and what could be. The characters are connectable and for me brought the story to life. They are full of emotions and you feel them right along side them. This is a fast paced story that I had a hard time putting down. It is a must read. I highly recommend this book and this author.

Was this review helpful?

After Lindy returns to her hometown for Christmas, unexpected things start to happen when she reads a collection of letters she wrote to Santa as a child. First, she writes a new Dear Santa letter to help her heal her broken heart. As she connects with an old friend and an old foe, the Christmas magic opens her heart to new possibilities and a new purpose for her life plan. A renewed friendship helps fill the void after a betrayal, and a new love interest proves she has more to give. Lindy has a life in another town, but opportunities in her hometown seem to be dropping at her feet. Will a nudge from Santa help her make her choice of going back to her old life or starting a new one?

This heartwarming book has all the feels of hot chocolate and sugar cookies on Christmas Eve.

**received an ARC from netgalley**

Was this review helpful?

This past week has been real life crazy and I really needed a dose of the holiday cheer that a few holiday books would bring. I'm always a fan of Debbie Macomber books and was so excited to read this one! Sweet, funny, hopeful, nostalgic, touching, heart warming, romantic. This book has all the feels and all the makings of what would be an excellent Hallmark movie! A great little escape from the crazy reality lately, I came away from this book refreshed and with a little extra dose of hope. Caution, this book may cause you to open your eyes and see what's right in front of you. To re examine what's really important vs what you think is important. And it might just have you writing a letter to "Dear Santa".

Was this review helpful?

Dear Santa by Debbie Macomber is a book that captured my attention from the very first page. I look forward to reading Debbie Macomber’s Christmas story each year and Dear Santa did not disappoint. Lindy Carmichael is returning home for the holidays, and she is feeling a little blue. Her mother suggests that Lindy read the letters she wrote to Santa as a child. After reading the letters, Lindy writes a letter to Santa with what she would like for Christmas. Lindy is surprised when the items on her list start coming true. When one wish comes true, Lindy will need to make a heartrending decision. Dear Santa has Debbie Macomber’s trademark writing. Her writing is engaging and draws the writer right into the story. The story was easy to read thanks to the writing and steady pacing as well as the engaging characters. I like the lessons in the story. We all go through rough patches, have heartbreak, or struggles, but something good usually comes from these difficulties. It is a clean story which I appreciate (no foul language and there is only kissing, hand holding, and hugs between our romantic couple). Dear Santa is an uplifting story that leaves you with a smile on your face. The one sad thing is now we have to wait a year for Debbie Macomber’s next Christmas book. Dear Santa is a sweet, feel-good tale that will put you in the mood for the holidays.

Was this review helpful?

One of the highlights of my Christmas reading is reading Debbie Macomber's newest Christmas book. Dear Santa is a heartwarming tale with a bit of nostalgia to it.

Lindy is looking forward to her two week vacation in her hometown. It has been a rough few months. At her new job, where she feels she has to prove to her co-workers every day that she deserved the job, she has been working extra hours on a proposal for a big client. The long hours, while exhausting, were also a welcome distraction after discovering her boyfriend had taken up with her best friend. While upset about the breakup, she is more devastated about losing her best friend since college.

Of course, a mother knows when something is wrong with her child. So with a few Christmas cookies, she gently coaxes Lindy to unburden her. Her mother's response is a little trip down memory lane by pulling out a few of the Santa letters Lindy had written as a child. The first one when she asked Santa for a daddy. There was no man for Mom under the tree but a few hours later a UPS driver who her mother remembers from high school delivers a late present. Then there is a letter where Lindy asked for a little sister - 9 months later she has a little brother which she decides is better than a sister. And then there is the letter where she asked Santa to give the boy at school who has been picking on her a lump of goal - the child's famly moves away shortly after the holidays. While Lindy enjoys reminiscing she has no idea why her mother brings it up now. Her mother suggests she write to Santa again since her wishes seem to always come true. Lindy, of course, thinks that's crazy but when she can't sleep she writes her three with wishes in a letter to Santa - 1. a new best friend like she had in grade school, 2. a great guy like her adopted father, and 3. success with the work project.

From there Dear Santa becomes a serendipitous story of friendship, love, and deciding what really matters. It is definitely a sweet read that pulled at the heartstrings a time or two - I was misty-eyed on more than one occasion. If you need a reminder that Christmas is a magical time, then pick up this book.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Monday, Oct. 25 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/10/4-more-books-to-add-to-your-christmas.html

Was this review helpful?

Lindy is home for the holidays after a long stretch of immersing herself in her career to the exclusion of a social life. Her mother shows her all of her letters to Santa that she had saved since Lindy was a child. She encourages Lindy to write a letter to Santa expressing her wishes. Even though she thinks she is too old for Santa, she writes a letter.

Billy was the bane of Lindy’s existence when they were children…always pulling her hair and teasing her. One of the letters that Lindy wrote to Santa when she was a child contained her wish for Billy. Billy and Lindy are grown up now and he is no longer the bully that tormented her when they were children. He is now a very successful restaurant owner…and he was not short-changed in the looks department.

Debbie Macomber has a talent for bringing the Christmas spirit into her holiday books. I look forward to her Christmas books every year. I highly recommend Dear Santa and all of Debbie’s Christmas books to put you in the Christmas spirit.

I received an ARC of Dear Santa from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

It is not Christmas without a Debbie book! I absolutely adored this one from start to finish! I love that each Christmas she can come up with new fresh wonderful stories! I look forward to Christmas with her every year!

Was this review helpful?

A few years ago I discovered Debbie Macomber. I have always been an aficionado of the classics, due to the enormous amount of (to me) unnecessary, disdainful erotic scenes in other popular fiction. I know what copulation is and I don't need someone to explain it to me. I find erotic scenes unnecessary: page fillers for lack of literary inspiration; that is just my view and I don't expect others to feel the same way that I feel.
So one day, in a deep slump and slightly depressed, I happened upon Debbie Macomber whilst pursing the local library. I wanted: I needed something light, sweet and happy. All it took was one book and I was hooked on her style. She writes of real people with real lives: modern day people with modern day issues. I found her books to be the most refreshing breath of literary fresh air I had breathed in some time. Still, her Christmas stories are those which enthrall me the most. They are shorter, sweeter stories; rather like meeting a friend in the padded booth of a cozy, local family owned restaurant for a cup of coffee and piece of warm, just -out- of- the- oven, pie. These stories can be read in a few hours, but after you have turned the last page of the last chapter you are refreshed. Your heart is at peace and you have an unexplained happiness. She brings Christmas to life with warmth and spirit.
Dear Santa is to me, by far, her best Christmas story ever. Granted, I have loved them all, and each time she brings out a new Christmas book I am first in line to read it. The story line is typical in today's real world, but it is the way that Debbie Macomber writes about it that makes it so fresh. Our main character, Lindy, is duped by her boyfriend, who has been having an affair with Lindy's best friend behind Lindy's back. It's Christmas and she needs the warmth, comfort and love of her family around her to mend her broken heart. She arrives at home in suburban Washington State, unsure what to do.. She loves her job: it's what she's always dreamed of, but her heart is broken. Lindy's mother has saved all of Lindy's childhood letters to Santa and they read them together over coffee and cookies. I won't divulge the rest because you need to read it for yourself, but this story has one gentle surprise after another. I loved it.
So, give yourself a pre-Christmas treat, order this book and enjoy it with a cup of peppermint tea and cookies. You'll feel amazing afterward. ENJOY!!!

Was this review helpful?

Give me a novel by Debbie Macomber and I am always one satisfied and happy gal! Dear Santa did not disappoint (Hallmark - I hope you are paying attention - this was a goodie - it needs to be in film!) It is a bit of Christmas magic for two young people. Santa really does read the letters. This story proves it.

Was this review helpful?

It's been quite a while since I read a book by Debbie Macomber, and Dear Santa was the perfect book to rectify that with. It is a sweet holiday love story - a few romance cliches in the plot. Now I'm off to select my next Macomber book to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC.

Was this review helpful?

A sprinkle of Christmas magic and some letters to Santa bring this warm holiday story to life. Lindy is dealing with the worst betrayal yet she's determined to remain positive and open to opportunities while enjoying her much needed vacation in her hometown. Seattle seems like a distant place when she's embraced by the warmth of her family. And bringing up the past helps to rekindle old friendships and more.

Billy Kincade has finally found himself again at his new restaurant The Wine Press. He's focused on making it a success and a budding romance is the last thing he has time to focus on. But Lindy was a dream when he was nine and the teasing and tormenting were the only way he could get her attention. Now he wants to show her they can make something together. Only the obstacles of living hours apart and her dream job puts a major wrinkle into building a relationship. Once Christmas wishes come true it's time to decide what magic you really want in your life and what can truly make you happy.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to NatGalley and the publisher for the gifted digital copy of this ARC.

This was the first time I read a novel by Debbie Macomber. I loved the Cedar Cove series.

This is a heartwarming romance novel during the Christmas season. This is also about second chances. I loved the characters. It is a wonderful light read for readers who want to read something light. This was the perfect read for me and I am a mood reader.

Highly recommended for fans of Hallmark romance movies. I plan to buy copies as Christmas gifts.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley for my copy of Dear Santa by Debbie Macomber. This was a feel good story about a young girl that has to decide if she should move back to her hometown to be with her family, childhood best friend and boyfriend. The Christmas cheer is also felt throughout the book along with some Santa magic. This book is typical Debbie Macomber, so if you are a fan, you will love reading Dear Santa. If you never read Macomber, this one could be for you. I highly recommend it.

Was this review helpful?

A small town sweet romance, this is everything Debbie Macomber is known for. I generally know that I will love her writing, her family relationships, and her happily ever after. Lindy is working in Seattle a couple of hours from the small town she grew up in, and is heading home for Christmas. Her life is in a bit of a turmoil with boyfriend, best friend issues, and worried about her job. However, once she gets to her home town, she connects with old friends. This is where the book shines. When you need a easy read,one that shines with goodness, this is the best Christmas read.

Was this review helpful?

Dear Santa is another heartwarming and enjoyable Christmas novel by Debbie Macomber. Lindy Carmichael returns to her family and hometown for a two week Christmas visit, away from all the pressure and heartbreak she has in her Seattle life. Clearly not herself, her mother suggests she write a letter to Santa, hence the title. This book, though predictable, is a warm cuddle of a holiday read, guaranteed to leave the reader feeling uplifted and buoyed. I would not surprised to see it as a Hallmark movie one Christmas in the near future. Three and a half stars.
I was given a free copy of this book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a favorable review.

Was this review helpful?

Dear Santa by Debbie Macomber is a cozy holiday romance that is sure to get you in the holiday spirit. I was pulled in from the first chapter. Dear Santa is a sweet, simple sappy story that just had me smiling throughout the entire book. A story that is sure to leave you wanting more.

Was this review helpful?

This is a very sweet Christmas story, and would make a perfect Hallmark holiday movie to put people in the spirit of the season. The two main characters didn't get along in grade school and haven't seen each other since they parted ways after high school. Now Billy owns a restaurant in town and Lindy is back in town visiting her family for the holidays. When they meet again, both are pleasantly surprised by the sparks that fly. It's small town and full of Debbie Macomber's trademark family-centered charm. Loved it.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley, Debbie Macomber and Random House Publishing Group for the book Dear Santa. This is my personal review.
Lindy is going to go visit her family in Wenatchee Washington for the holidays. She needs to be with family to help heal her broken heart.
She gets home and is immediately more relaxed than she has been in a long time. But she is still not feeling much in the Christmas spirit. Her mother knows exactly what would cheer her up and help her get her in the holiday spirit. She gives Lindy a box with letters Lindy had written to Santa when she was younger. The letters bring such wonderful memories back to Lindy about the past holidays. One of the letters talked about wishing Santa would bring Billy coal for Christmas because he was not very nice to her! Too help Lindy her mother suggests she write a letter to Santa as an adult telling him what her dreams are.
This story is so great. I loved it. It felt like I was given a holiday hug.
Debbie Macomber writes wonderful heart-warming stories and this is one of them.

Was this review helpful?