Thank you so much Amy E. Reichert for the opportunity to read an early copy of Once Upon a December! I absolutely loved this magical book! I loved Astra and Jack so much. I will definitely be buying a copy of this book when it comes out.

Full review posted to links after embargo is lifted.

I really liked this author’s last book (The Kindred Spirits Supper Club) and was hoping that this one would have the same *ahem* magical touch. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t quite hold up. The magic system here is a little tenuous, and Jack is reluctant to leave his safe bubble. Honestly, I found it irritating that the only way they could see being together is if Astra leaves her whole life behind, especially since the epilogue reveals that you can kind of choose which market you end up at? If Jack’s family is only living in the week before Christmas markets to prepare and then the market itself, it makes way more sense for him to leave. And I think the surprise baby plotline is not generally a crowd-pleaser.

TKSSC really benefited from its sense of place in the Wisconsin Dells - all the campiness of the parks and the duck boats, and the coziness of supper clubs. Reichert’s attempts to place you firmly in Milwaukee, though, feel heavy-handed and overly descriptive. There’s oodles of details on the views, the locations, the exact vibes - I think it would have been better to leave the reader to decide some of those scenes.

I think this is overall a fun book that’s going to find a home with a loving crowd of readers, and I won’t hesitate to recommend it. It just wasn’t quite for me.