I love this book cover. I can picture this wreath on the door at The Cranberry Inn. This is a slow paced book that gives you time to get to know the characters and their struggles. Laurel returns to help run the inn when her father calls asking for help. She is confused and doesn't know what is going on but loves the inn and agrees to assist. Joel, who went to school with Laurel, is in town after the unexpected death of his mother. There's plenty of angst and miscommunication but with perseverance, the community comes together. This is a lovely Christmas story! I read this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of this novel, but I found there to be way too much narration inside the characters’ heads, and not enough action to move the story forward or to make me really excited about continuing to turn the pages. The descriptions were well done and I really felt like I was at the Cranberry Inn in wintertime!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

In The Cranberry Inn, Laurel returns to her childhood home with her eight-year-old son after receiving a call from her father asking for help running the family inn. Laurel has always loved The Cranberry Inn, though she is surprised when she returns and finds that her father is gone, and the inn has fallen to disrepair and needs some TLC. Luckily, her childhood friend and crush Joel is in town, and he offers to help.

Joel has returned to Lake Summers to pack up his deceased mother’s house in preparation to sell it. He also wants to visit Laurel’s father, with whom he has developed a friendship. So, he is surprised to find Laurel’s dad gone and Laurel at the inn. Joel hasn’t seen his childhood crush for years, but as they reconnect, old feelings come back. However, what happens when their holiday ends, and they return to their lives? Will Laurel and Joel have a future?

This is a lovely holiday romance with some great messages about family, second chances, starting over, and embracing love. I enjoyed Laurel and Joel’s love story and how they grow closer throughout the story. It’s pretty obvious that the pair had feelings for each other when they were younger, and when they reunite, these feelings resurface. However, secrets, as well as internal conflicts stand in their way. Both Joel and Laurel are going through some changes in their lives, and they have a lot in common. They both are at a crossroads in their careers, and they both struggle with family relationships and unresolved feelings. I like how they both grow, learn, and change throughout the story, both individually and as a couple.

Lake Summers sounds like a quaint town, and the holiday season adds to the charm. It’s also vastly different from the hustle and bustle Laurel is used to living in New York. The settings contrast each other well, and Lake Summers sounds like a wonderful place to live or visit. It’s the kind of place where everybody knows everyone else, and there’s a real sense of community in the town. I also love the variety of people who live there, and we meet some old friends and some new ones in this story. All of the characters have such interesting stories, and they are dynamically developed and layered.

Something else I really like about Josselsohn’s story is that it touches upon realistic and relatable issues. In this story, for example, Joel’s frustrations in not knowing about the health of his mother hit very close to home. My parents were the same way and often didn’t talk about their medical issues until well after they were resolved. It’s not always easy being the adult child of aging parents, especially when you feel disregarded or not included, and I think the author examined these feelings well. Other topics, like finding one’s passion, making tough life decisions, reconciling one’s feelings and moving on from the past, and more will resonate with readers too.

I enjoyed this character-driven, emotional, and interesting story, and I especially appreciated the layered protagonists, the charming setting, and the romance. I think The Cranberry Inn will appeal to readers of contemporary romance, second-chance romance, and small-town romance. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Bookouture, and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

When Laurel gets a garbled call from her Dad asking her to come home to the family inn, she expects to spend December with him and her son, Simon, and hopefully to strengthen their bond. But when she arrives, Dad is gone, the inn is dark with no guests and a note explains little other than her Dad will be back on Christmas Eve with a surprise.

I felt bad for Laurel throughout the book. She keeps trying to prove herself to everyone when it’s not really necessary, but it’s hard to unlearn lessons from childhood. She’s a great Mom to Simon, we don’t learn anything about his father until 3/4 of the way through the book. She has confusing relationships with Joel, a friend from high school, and Christopher, a guest at the inn. I found her likable but also someone who needs to create some life experiences for herself instead of feeling sorry for herself.

I don’t write spoilers so I won’t tell you if she learns and grows or not. It is worth reading this story to find out for yourself.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

The Cranberry Inn is a heartwarming story of second chances, set in a lovely inn at Christmastime. Laurel and Joel had been friends in high school, moving on to bigger cities, but have both returned to their hometown to help out their parents’ businesses. Life is a lot more complicated now, but they each have unresolved feelings—can they move on and find a future together? I loved the small town charm and the wonderful characters, bringing a cozy feel to this lovely book.

This a sweet holiday story. The cover really drew me in it just got better from there! The more I read the more I wanted to visit this Inn for the holidays.

As usual, I enjoyed the renovations of the Inn. It was a nice way to have Laurel and Joel meet up and spend time together. The romance was very slow moving, which is how I like it. During this busy time of year, this was a great get away that was easy to pick after I needed to put it down.

Laurel and her son return her family's Inn for Christmas. Her father called and asked her to come while he is out of town. The Inn is not in good shape since her mother died her father has let it run down.

Joel is in town since his mother recently died. He needs to clean out her store and home. Joel goes to the inn to see Doug and finds Laurel instead. He offers to make some repairs on the inn and realizes that Laurel's dad has been keeping her in the dark on things.

Joel can't tell Laurel what he knows and it's causing problems when she realizes he knows things.

This is my first book by Barbara I found it a little long in places. The story line was good. I received this copy from NetGalley

The story
Laurel lives in New York City with her 8 year old son Simon. She works for a well-known designer but just never seems to get a chance to design by herself, her boss only ever sees her as the assistant. When she gets a frantic, not very clear call from her father asking her to come run his inn for the month of December she rushes to the Adirondacks but he has had already left. The inn is looking run down and in need of repairs. Thankfully, Laurel’s high school crush Joel is in town packing up his mom’s shop and home after her death and offers to help Laurel with repairs to the inn. Will the old feelings be rekindled?

My thoughts
The plot of this story seemed promising but their characters just didn’t seem to connect with each other in a meaningful way. There were lots of lessons about relationships between adult children and parents, the guilt of single parenting with no father in sight, and a large dose of reminiscing and angst about being the odd one out in the family and at high school. This story felt like there was a filter of a Hallmark movie about it.

I found this book emotional, heartwarming but with some hidden depths. There are some of the usual elements to this trope - coming home to a small town and reconnecting with family and old friends, but it’s also about what it means to see people in a fresh way and how, sometimes in life, we need a nudge to make us change direction. I would say it’s an emotional story that happens to occur over Christmas, rather than a Christmas themed romance.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the read. I struggled with the pacing of this one and found it a bit slow overall.

My first exposure to this author was her two book series (The Lilac House – 5 Stars and The Bluebell Girls – 4 Stars), so I was looking forward to this stand-alone novel, which is also set in the small town of Lake Summers in the Adirondack Mountains. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this offering as much for several reasons.

First, I found the pacing of the book uneven. The first third to one half plodded along with too much repetition of the backstory and too much detailed description. (For example, I didn’t need to know the protagonist’s posture while she sipped from her coffee cup.) Next, I might have enjoyed the storyline more if I hadn’t read another book with the same plot device last month. Lastly, the protagonist overreacts to the male characters, characterizing their withholding information for valid reasons as “betrayals.” The emotional tone of the book just felt “off” with a lot of miscommunication, unresolved grief and loneliness.

The Christmas theme comes through with the timing set in December and the descriptions of decorations and the children’s play. The season seems more of an afterthought than a core element. I did appreciate the struggle that the two main characters had with differentiating between fulfilling their respective parents’ wishes for them and following their own hearts as adults creating meaningful lives.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

This book had all the feels … I absolutely loved this, an absorbing page-turner that will keep you hooked until the ending. Highly recommend

The Cranberry Inn is a sweet story reminding people that you can go home again. But, with that reminder comes the cautionary tale that one must often "grow up" and let go of the past in order to find contentment or happiness.

As this story open, we find Laurel working for an interior designer, Joanna, who has put up with Laurel's crazy schedule as a single mom, a truly single mom with no one around to help her. Following a disappointment that she would not be working on a new client's design project, Laurel gets a phone call, very static filled, from her father saying he needs her to come home to the family's inn and help her now. Following the mysterious call, Laurel packs up her son and all they would need for a while and heads home to Lake Summers to help her dad and see what the mysterious call meant. Arriving home, her dad is gone and the inn is empty.

Nope, it is not a mystery and the reader can pretty easily figure out the clues to what is happening. What we do see in the story is that often people need a slap int he face to see what is good for them and in doing so, they can start their lives over how they should and where they truly belong.

The story also lets readers know that one must give up the feelings held for many years in order to truly grow up. Quite often, people hold on to the high schooler they were, especially when they return home, and they need to be able to get past that. Letting go of that allows on to finally become the adult they are meant to be.

One of the most important things I got fromthe book is the realization that it might be universal that adult children know little of what their older parent's life might be like. If an adult child still lives in the area where their parent(s) live, then this might not be the case but when children leave home to live away from their parents, phone calls home tend to be about themseles (adult children) rather than about the parent. Maybe the adult child thinks the parent has no life but there is seldom a question asked about what the parent is doing, how they feel, what their social life is like, etc. Then, if something happens to the parent, their response is, "Why didn't s/he tell me?" I do think this is common and I think it was seen through regret by characters in the story who were left in the dark about their parents' lives.

There is a good mix of old friends and new; unusual characters, and acceptance of who the teenage has become as an adult within the story. I believe this might be the beginning of a series so it might be interesting to see what happens to the residents of Lake Summers.

I did receive this book through #NetGalley and #Bookouture. #TheCranberryInn #BarbaraJosselsohn

An enjoyable book with a well-drawn set of characters and an evocative setting. Believable characters and a warm storyline. A fun Christmassy read.

Such a sweet holiday read! I really connected to Laurel and Joel is just a good guy. It was a delight to visit The Cranberry Inn and fall in love with them as they fell in love with each other. Perfect for Hallmark holiday movie lovers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Four and a half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
The Cranberry Inn by Barbara Josselsohn is a delightful, holiday story about family, and starting over. As soon as I started to read this heartwarming tale and was quickly immersed in this wonderful story.

Laurel and her son Simon are called back to her hometown of Lake Summers in order to run her family’s inn, aptly named The Cranberry Inn. Laurel’s father called her to help but has mysteriously disappeared when she and Simon arrive at the inn. He leaves her a note that he will return on Christmas Eve, and there will not be any guests. But, Laurel gets a call for a reservation for a mysterious guest, and she accepts the reservation.

When Laurel finds the Cranberry Inn in a state of disrepair, she finds her old high school friend, Joel, to help fix up the Inn. Joel is back in town to pack up his late mother’s home and her store. Joel has forged a friendship with Laurel’s father and is happy to see Laurel, an old high school crush of his, back at the inn. But, when Laurel finds out why her father is gone and finds out Joel has known all along, her trust is broken, and she doesn’t know if she can forgive Joel.

The Cranberry Inn has everything I want in a holiday book. It’s romantic, festive, and heartwarming in all the best ways. It’s a slow-burn romance, with characters who were worth rooting for. I enjoyed the descriptions of the lovely Cranberry Inn and it made me want to go there for a stay. The town of Lake Summers is delightful, and it’s fun to hear about all the quirky characters of this lovely town.

I recommend The Cranberry Inn to anyone who loves a small-town romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A quick & cozy Christmas read. Laurel and her sun Simon live in busy New York where she is aspiring to become and interior designer. She misses out on a big project, but also gets a spotty phone call from her father requesting her to return home to look over his inn for the Christmas holiday. She and Simon arrive the next day, and find a note from her father that he has left and will be gone for a few weeks. She jumps in to sprucing up the place and getting reacquainted with the town that she grew up in. That includes getting reacquainted with some of the people she knew when she was younger too. She works through several questions about where her father really is, and who is going to stay in town after the holiday season.

Get away with a little Christmas magic at the cranberry inn. Old friends, family problems,, in a lovely small town. Finding love and friendship. And finding out where you truly should be. Great read!

What a perfect place to spend your holidays than to check in to the Cranberry Inn. This cozy holiday tale is warm and inviting with just the right mix for a Hallmark movie. It had me hooked from the start.

Laurel is an interior designer or at least hopes to be but instead has found herself as a glorified assistant. She is estranged from her family, feeling like she could never measure up to her sisters and after the loss of her mother, and lives in New York City with her young son Simon. One night, Laurel gets a frantic call from her dad to come home. He needs help with the family’s Cranberry Inn, but he is vague as to why. Thinking that her dad is ill, she hurriedly rushes back to her childhood home that she loves only to find him not home but to stay at the Inn and he will be back on Christmas Eve with a surprise. Laurel is to manage the Inn so that it stays open, but surprisingly finds it in neglect. With her dad missing, this gives Laurel some confusion whether to be angry or concerned. But people in town don’t seem to be worried at his disappearance. Laurel loves the Inn and wants to recreate the wonderful Christmas atmosphere that her mom created there when she was alive. Here is a project that she can do.
Joel, having returned back to Lake Summers upon the unexpected death of his mother, is helping out around the Inn fixing it up. But Joel and Laurel have a history too, having crushed on each other in high school. Then customer Christopher shows up, an actor in need of a quiet place to hide out for the holidays where no one knows him. While he makes himself at home at the Inn, he’d like to also make himself at home with the pretty Innkeeper. Sparks fly between Laurel, Joel, and Christopher. What does Laurel really want to feel at home and be loved? Can there be more surprises on Christmas Eve for Laurel?

This is a delightful feel-good holiday story about returning to your roots and finding your home again. The author brings you in and is so descriptive that you would want to stay at a place like the Cranberry Inn and be in a town like Lake Summers where everyone cares about you. Enjoy this book curled up with a hot cup of cocoa, you won’t want to put it down.

Many thanks to #netgalley, #thecranberryinn, #barbarajosselsohn for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Cranberry Inn is a really nice and cozy Christmas story that focuses more on the characters actual life than some made up drama. I really enjoyed the closer view and the slower pace instead of big scenes of storming off in a huff, doors flying.

I wish more of the winter romances had actual adult characters, and wouldn't just rely on people misunderstanding things and then never even talking about it. I always enjoy it when they act like grown ups instead of sulky teenagers!

Of course the Cranberry Inn also has some baggage from the past and some moments when things go wrong - there needs to be a plot and some suspense after all. And it is what I do expect from a book like this, but the way the characters react to that is what makes a book more than just a fun read for me.

I really liked the characters and the setting was just utterly gorgeous. I enjoyed seeing how the past shapes the people even now, and how we can get stuck or grow on this.

The one star missing is for some of the developments just feeling cut short. I think that might be due to there being more books out in the Lake Summers series, and it might have been handled in those books? I only saw it when reviewing on goodreads though, I didn't see any mention of this being part of a series in the netgalley information. It didn't really hamper my enjoyment much, and I was still hooked all the way through. I would just have loved a bit more depth in some specific scenes, especially at the end.