I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

This was a great book! A bit repetitive at times but all in all a wonderful feel good story that I would highly recommend!

It’s no secret I love a Viola Shipman/Wade Rouse book, and I feel so fortunate to have one to look forward to both every summer and every winter. A Wish for Winter was published in November, and it’s as charming and warmhearted as I expect from this consistent and well-loved author.

This blurb 😍: “With echoes of classic Hollywood love stories like Serendipity and An Affair to Remember, Viola Shipman’s latest winter charmer following the USA TODAY bestseller The Secret of Snow is sure to tug on heartstrings and delight readers who love books about books, missed connections and the magic of Christmas.”

“A Country Living Magazine Best Christmas Book to Read This Holiday Season!”

Once again set in beautiful lakeside Michigan, A Wish for Winter is Susan’s story. She’s a bookstore owner (YAY), turning forty, and unsure if she’s in the right place with her life and accomplishments. What makes a full life? And what happens when you meet a man (dressed as Santa) and feel those sparks, but then he’s lost in a crowd never to be found again? Susan and her friends will stop at nothing to find the mystery man; the search is on!

A Wish for Winter deals with topics of grief, forgiveness, and starting over, and over again. Susan has the best friends, and I enjoyed being along for her journey. Overall, another feel-good, warmhearted book by this author, and I’m eagerly awaiting the next- and summer!

I received a gifted copy.

Susan Norcross lost her parents when she was a young teen, but has had a good life surrounded by her grandparents and her friends. Now a successful bookstore owner in the community of her youth, Susan is 40, single, and feels the loss of her parents more acutely because she is now the age her mother was when she passed. Will Susan finally be able to move forward from her tragic past and find love?

Susan's mother and grandmother both met the loves of their lives in interesting cirumstances. The family lore makes a hard act to follow for Susan, who wants love but does not know how to distance herself from the past.

The biggest problem that I had with this story was that Susan's voice comes through as a much younger person. She did not seem to be someone who was 40, as she struggles to come to terms with the death of her parents years before. It was a little too fairy tale for me and not as enjoyable as I had hoped.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to read and review this book was entirely my own.

Do you live in the southern hemisphere where it is winter right now? Or are you celebrating Christmas in July? Or maybe you are like me and just can't fit in all the Christmas books you want to read between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Perhaps the best reason to pick up A Wish for Winter right now is because it is a great novel.

Whereas I find Shipman's summer novels to be more about the main character discovering themselves with a little romance thrown in, firmly women's fiction, his Christmas novels are more romance with the main character discovering herself while finding love.

Susan's family is big on Christmas. It is more than just her being after the little girl in A Miracle on 34th Street. The family owns the bookstore Sleigh by the Bay. But that isn't the reason they are big on Christmas. Susan's grandparents met at a fraternity party where her grandfather was dressed as Santa Claus... and Susan's parents met while her father was dressed as Santa. Will the tradition continue with Susan?

Still single at 40, she has just about given up on meeting anyone - dressed as Santa or not. But a chance encounter a the annual Santa run may change all that... if only she had gotten his name. When he doesn't show up at the local bar after the race, Susan is convinced it's just not meant to happen for her. However, her friend Holly isn't having any of that and embarks on the Single Kringle mission to discover who this man is and bring Susan and him together. She has a bit of a following on social media and soon everyone wants a Christmas miracle.

What follows is pretty predictable in terms of finding the guy but it is still sweet and heart-warming. There is more to the story than finding the Single Kringle. Susan is still coming to terms with her parents' death and through her search for the one, she learns about lasting love and freedom from the grief.

As the story is set in the family bookstore there are plenty of bookish references. There is a customer who comes in every week to read the obituaries and then buys a book for the grieving family member.

The story may start and end with Christmas, but many holidays in between are highlighted so really it can be read at any time. And it would be a shame to miss this story.

My review will be published on Monday at Girl Who Reads - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2023/06/4-romantic-stories-for-your-summer.html

~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~

I will start out by saying I adore Wade Rouse (Viola Shipman) books. I love that they all take place in my beautiful home state of Michigan. A Wish for Winter is the story of Susan, aka "The Single Kringle." She is 40 and single and still searching for her Santa man that she wrote a poem about as a child. This is a unique and engaging plot and holiday story. The plot follows Susan as she dates a series of men in search of her special Santa. This is a perfect holiday read to pick up on a cold winter's night when it's snowing and blowing outside. As I said, IMO, you can't go wrong with Viola Shipman!

Wade Rouse writes the best books and this one is no exception. I can’t wait to read more of his books!

Oh my goodness I just adored this book! From the bookshop setting to the idea of meeting your soulmate dressed as Santa Claus and then losing touch with him before you can find out who he really is. What a sweet book from start to finish.

My favorite Shipman novel to date, the writing flows beautifully. I love the Petoskey, Michigan setting. Having spent many years in northern Michigan, I could envision downtown Petoskey easily from beach-walking for Petoskey stones to the downtown shops and hustle and bustle during prime tourism season. The winter setting was perfect as well.

Will definitely be recommending this title for friends and family to get wrapped up in.

Viola Shipman broke my heart over and over again and he owes me a box of tissues. A WISH FOR WINTER had me tearing up and trying to breathe past the huge lump in my throat over and over again. A WISH FOR WINTER tugs at the heartstrings while bringing laughter, tears, and joy for all the love of ourselves, family and friends. Susan Norcross has a love hate relationship with Christmas. Her grand parents and her parents met when the men were wearing Santa Claus suits. Susan’s parents were killed by a drunk driver and she misses them more than ever and still isn’t over their deaths, twenty years later.

Susan signs up to participate in Chicago’s Santa Run. Will she find some eligible bachelors among the costumed runners? Why yes she does, but then she loses him! Susan’s best friend, Holly turns to social media to track down the mystery man, creating a list of three possible candidates: Jamie, Micah, and Tristan. Will one of them be her soulmate? Will the Susan find her Santa? You have to read A WISH FOR WINTER to find out and I have a feeling, you will love every minute of it! This story is also a wonderful read if you are struggling with grief, letting go, and forgiveness.

A WISH FOR WINTER is a beautiful but heartbreaking story. I became so emotionally invested in all of the characters and felt like they were lifelong friends. When they were sad, I felt sad. When they were happy I found myself smiling. I love when an author can do that to me and Viola Shipman did it perfectly. A WISH FOR WINTER is filled with love, life, hope, sadness, happiness, and learning to carry on when our loved ones pass on. Told with Viola’s typical style of love and family, this story is set in Michigan and we learn a bit about Michigan winters. Be prepared not to do anything else until you finish reading this beautiful story. Once I started I had a hard time putting it down.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Graydon House through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I've always enjoyed books by Viola Shipman/Wade Rouse, but this one wasn't my favorite. It felt like more than half the book was more of a self-help book than a novel, and the tone was very preachy. I liked the premise of Susan finding her mystery Santa, but the plot really took a backseat to long pages filled with how to navigate grief. It just wasn't what I expected.

This was a beautiful story of love, loss, forgiveness and hope with a background tied in the Midwest, Christmas and books! The holidays are not overbearing in this story, in my opinion, although "Santa" is a common idea. If you only like Christmas stories at Christmas time, I still think you'll be ok reading this one any time of year. Everyone experiences loss and we wonder why this happened and how to move on. A Wish for Winter helps us navigate through these tough losses. The story also has me wanting to own and run a bookstore!

Many thanks to my partners @htpbooks @harpercollins and @harperaudio and @librofm for these gifted copies.

Sometimes I need a true escapist read. Something akin to my favorite Hallmark holiday movies.

And this cozy Christmas read definitely met my need. The holiday magic is strong, and there’s an ease to the storytelling that’s both predictable and fulfilling (and perfect for reading in the busiest of times).

At its core, this story is story full of great books, bad dates, family, friends, and ultimately, forgiveness.

Read this one if you enjoy:
❄️ easy read
❄️ bookstore owner
❄️ lots of mentions of great books
❄️ dating during festive seasons
❄️ themes of loneliness during the holidays
❄️ themes of parental loss and its impact

I juggled both the audio and e-book versions depending on the craziness of my day, and I’d say you can’t go wrong either way. The audio narration by Nancy Peterson is well executed and gives the main character a distinct voice.

When you read a Viola Shipman book, you are always in for a good story. This book is no exception. From the beginning you are rooting for Susan to continue the family tradition, Single Kringle. I recommend this book. I was provided a copy by Netgalley but the opinions are mine.

A Wish for Winter
Viola Shipman

A Wish for Winter, Viola’s latest holiday tale is tragic yet uplifting, beautifully penned and absolutely unputdownable from beginning to end. A heartwarming story that’s quaintly old fashioned reminiscent of times gone by, yet timely including a diverse cast of players that will have the audience believing in the magic of Christmas and Santa. The characters are an eclectic mix of quirky, charming and down to earth and they will have readers rolling on the floor laughing at their antics and pulling at heartstrings. Susan is a delight, she’s an exceptional star character, practical yet there’s part of her that still wants to believe in magic even when it seems the universe is in cahoots to keep it at bay. And how she handles the escapades put on by her friends and family and especially her BFF is eyerolling and chuckle-worthy yet she tolerates it because she loves them. Then there are Susan’s grandparents, aka Mr. & Mrs. Claus who are the epitome of love and will have every reader wishing they were their grandparents. Readers will fall in love with this factual Michigan town especially dressed in its winter finery and all its fictional residents and the way they care for each other. If you love novels by Susan Wiggs, Kristin Hannah and Patti Callahan you will love this.

Susan Norcross was raised to believe in the magic of Christmas, after all both her parents and grandparents played Mr. & Mrs. Claus for their quaint Michigan town as soon as the Thanksgiving turkey was put away. And her mom and grandmother both met their future husbands dressed as Santa, so Susan believed that she would too. She believed it so much that in the 4th grade she wrote a poem called The Single Kringle and in it she detailed just how she would meet her Kringle. Then her parents died tragically, and the magic was gone. She did, thanks to her loving grandparents who took over raising her, get some of the magic back but life was never the way it used to be.
Now fast forward twenty-six years….

Susan is turning forty, the age her mom was when she died and although she is the owner of a successful bookshop and is surrounded by dear friends and her beloved grandparents, she can’t help but focus on the one thing she thought she’d have by now, her very own Kris Kringle.
But when at the annual Chicago Santa run she meets who she thinks may be her very own Santa she thinks the tides have turned, they have an instant connection and agree to meet up after the race. But when he disappears without a trace Susan once again is alone wondering why she even tries.
Little does she know that her bestie, a social media influencer has come up with a plan to reunite Susan with the Santa that got away. And what happens next is a gone viral comedy of errors, hot Santas, romance and Susan more often then not questioning her choice in BFFs.

This book was awesome. I was hooked immediately and I didn't want to put it down.
I loved the characters, the lot, and the writing style.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. *

What a heartfelt feel good story and my first by Viola Shipman, it was not Hallmark cheesy either. Susan hopes to meet her love like her mother and grandmother had …dressed like Santa. Susan’s grandparents have raised her after the loss of her parents and they are so supportive and loving as she searches as a Single Kringle for her Santa.

What a delightful story Viola Shipman has written! A Wish for Winter is a feel-good Christmas season book that brought smiles and even a few chuckles to me as I read. The main character, Susan, is a single woman looking for the perfect Santa. What could go wrong with that?

Something about this book just wasn't for me. It felt weirdly preachy, and weirdly stilted. I couldn't get into it at all and ended up putting it down about 28%

I liked the premise of the book and the characters. I liked how the author describes the life of a bookstore owner, including the history of St. Nicholas, and the value of close family ties. It bothered me that the story often went in circles and was all over the place finding the right Mr. Santa, the grief of losing her parents, and having lots of flashbacks. I felt like it stalled the story. The story finally picked up once Susan started dating the Santa’s from the Santa Run, but that didn’t happen until 60% into the book. It would have been better if the story revolves around this one event because it was the best part of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was the first book I have ever read by Viola as someone who has lost a parent I can truly relate to this story I really liked Susan’s character in this story it was a wonderful small town read.