This was a very good book. One that will make you think. Things are not always what they seem. Sometimes we need a second chance. I love Annie Rains’ books.

In "Through the Snow Globe", Annie Rains serves up a festive cocktail of holiday cheer with a twist of time-looping turmoil. Meet Diana Merriman, a physical therapist in Snow Haven, North Carolina, who's about as enthused about Christmas as a cat in a bathtub. With her fiancé, Linus, stuck in a coma after a biking accident, Diana's holiday spirit is flatter than last year's eggnog. But when she stumbles upon a mysterious snow globe—Linus's hidden gift—she's catapulted back to December 4th, the day of the accident. Now, Diana has the chance to rewrite history, but as anyone who's tangled with time travel knows, it's messier than untangling Christmas lights.

As Diana relives the same day on an endless loop, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery that would make even Scrooge blush. Initially, she's as warm as a snowman's handshake—detached, career-focused, and emotionally barricaded. But with each reset, Diana peels back the layers of her frosty exterior, confronting personal demons and reevaluating her relationships. Interactions with her patients, like the resilient teenager Addy and the stubbornly independent Maria, serve as festive ornaments on Diana's path to personal growth. These encounters not only enrich her character but also add depth to the narrative, making each iteration of December 4th feel as fresh as the first snowfall.

While the time-loop trope might seem as overdone as fruitcake, Rains infuses it with enough warmth and charm to make it feel like a cozy, well-worn sweater. The picturesque setting of Snow Haven adds to the novel's appeal, enveloping you in a small-town holiday ambiance that's both comforting and nostalgic. Some might argue that the plot's predictability is as obvious as a re-gifted present, but the emotional resonance and character development more than make up for it. Overall, "Through the Snow Globe" earns a solid four out of five stars, offering a heartwarming escape that reminds us of the transformative power of second chances—especially when wrapped in tinsel and sprinkled with a touch of magic.

This was such a heartwarming, enjoyable read! I would really enjoy seeing this made into a Hallmark Christmas movie. As a book, though, this would make a perfect read for around the holidays, and with the ease of the writing style, you could easily read this over a weekend, curled up with a mug of hot cocoa. I grew surprisingly attached to these characters over the course of this book, and even though the ending felt a bit rushed, it had the perfect amount of sappiness to leave me pleasantly satisfied. A delightful book!

Diana Merriman, a physical therapist in Snow Haven, NC, experiences a journey of self discovery in a time loop/Groundhog's Day type of way when three weeks before Christmas her fiance, Luis is hit by a delivery truck on his way home from work and falls into a coma. Due to a neighbors enchantment over the snowglobe Luis bought her for Christmas, Diana is forced to live the day over and over again without being able to help Luis escape his terrible accident.

Positives:
This was an enjoyable book to read at Christmas time. A reminder at the holdays to be grateful for what you have and the people in your life.
Important themes such as freindship, love, second chances, finding yourself, trusting your partner, foster families were explored
The minor characters such as Diana's pt patients and the little boy at the toy store (also stuck in a loop) were a positive addition to the plot line.

Negatives:
Living the same day over and over again in the book got to be a little repetitive at times
The ending and resolution of the time loop were a little confusing and not very satisfying.

Oh boy. This wasn't bad, but it wasn't entirely what I had hoped for either. It's a Groundhog Day theme. Our main character is planning to discuss wedding plans with her fiancé on the night of December 4th, but on his way home from work, he gets into an accident and winds up in a coma. Diana's eccentric neighbor gives her a chance to relive one day (over and over again). Diana learns a little something from each day, but this section of the book got pretty repetitive for me. I had a hard time connecting with Diana and I was ready for her to learn the life lessons. Eventually, we get to live a new day and I did enjoy the ending and felt some of the warm fuzzies I'd been hoping for. It just took a little longer than I would have liked to get there. I probably won't read it again, but it was enjoyable enough to read once and helped get me into the holiday spirit.

I find it interesting in a book where someone is having a Groundhog Day moment and repeating the same day until they get it right. I really enjoyed the story and how Diana grew as a character. Because at first she was getting on my nerves with her personality. I strongly disliked her from the beginning but she grew on me as she changed. I liked how she had to change as a person but had to do it through different people she interacted with on that day not just her fiancé. I liked how the story ended.

I had high hopes for this book.

As the blurb started with “when It’s a Wonderful Life meets Groundhog Day…”, you kind of except a time shift to happen quite soon in the book.

It took until a quarter of the book to get things moving, OK well moving back I should say. Almost halfway through the book not a lot of things have happened, except for again and again reading things that have already happened. Yes, see Groundhog Day, but pffff. The book was just too slow for me, I did not really like Diana, Diana and Linus’ relationship did nothing for me, and I did not really care.

Perhaps part of the plot (because Diana gets to try and change things), but the way Linus picked a fight with Diana about Really Important Life Changing things the evening before her big meeting for a promotion and how Diana’s boss kept telling her everyone at the company she worked at is one big family… honey RUN and run fast and far.

2.5 stars for the idea but unfortunately rounded down.

I received an ARC of this book (thanks!) and these are my own opinions.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book. My reviews can be read on my GoodReads account here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1335387-kelly

A sweet Christmas story about finding yourself and opening up to love and family.

Diana is stuck in a time loop, repeating the worst day of her life over and over again. She is trying her hardest to help those around her and to save her fiance from a terrible accident that puts him in a coma. With each iteration of the day she starts to make changes, but is it enough to make things right?

This was something I could see as a Hallmark Christmas movie with the small town Christmas setting and personal growth Diana experiences. It was not my favorite from Annie Rains, but was an enjoyable read. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a nice job.

Annie Rains has a vivid imagination and a wonderful way with words. This was a unique story and one full of hope for all the characters : especially Linus and Diane. I really enjoyed this book!

Through the Snow Globe by Annie Rains is a magical and enchanting holiday story of self-discovery. Given the chance of spending one more day with her fiancé, Diana Merriman shakes an enchanted snow globe and finds herself in a time loop. December 4th was the last day she was with Linus Grant when he was hit by a truck and ended up in a coma. Now she relives the day and she hopes to save him and get him back. Can she change fate?

Diana is a very likeable character that just needed confidence in herself and in her abilities. She grew up being told to depend only on herself and no one else. She kept her professional life all business and never tried to make delve into the personal with her patients. However, with each time loop she was in she tried new ways to interact in order to change the outcome with her patients, friends and family. She noticed that some things worked and others didn’t but she could never save Linus. Finally realizing that what she really needed from the loop was to make peace with Linus before leaving it all to fate. She grows and knows what is really important in life.

Through the Snow Globe is the author’s debut women’s fiction story with a twist of magical realism and an absolute wonderful read. This story deals with real life situations and emotions just like her contemporary romance stories. Diana and Linus’ story is like many other couples in which they try to figure out their next step and how to hold onto that love and feeling for each other. Annie Rains is a great storyteller and she is definitely on her game with Through the Snow Globe.

This book is sort of like the movie “Groundhog Day” but at Christmas. Diana keeps reliving the same painful day that her boyfriend Linus gets in an accident and lands in a coma over and over again…she is desperately trying to prevent it from happening. Is the universe torturing her? Teaching her a lesson? Will she ever get Linus back? I liked this one, and the growth that the character goes through, and the lessons she learns along the way. With lots of twists and turns, this one will keep you guessing on how it is going to turn out at the end!

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

I don’t think this book was meant for me but I know That other people will really enjoy it. It is right on the nose with being similar to Josie Silver and I would say Emily Stone.
If I would have realized that I wouldn’t have grabbed this book because I haven’t found a Book I love by those authors. But I do Know many people both love them so I would still recommend and buy this book as a gift for a friend!

Diana Merriman is a physical therapist who lives with her fiance, Linus, in the small town of Snow Haven, North Carolina. While she loves her job and helping her patients, she often remains closed off and tries to be as professional as possible. Additionally, she’s been preparing for an interview with her boss about a promotion that she’s been preparing for - and also using it as a crutch for not setting a wedding date yet. So when the big day comes, she sets off to her morning appointments and anticipates a great meeting in the afternoon. But later that evening, Linus is hit by a delivery truck while riding his bicycle home from work. By Christmas Eve, three weeks after the accident, Linus is still in a coma, and Diana still hopes that he will come back. Then she finds a snow globe hidden in her apartment, a Christmas gift from Linus. And her neighbor Mrs. Guzman enchants it, and says that in order to have one more day with someone she lost, all she has to do is shake and wish. So she does. Unfortunately, that day is December 4, the day that Linus got into his accident. Consequently, she finds herself in a time loop, forced to live the same day over and over, not certain if she can really change the outcome. Through the Snow Globe by Annie Rains follows Diana through her seemingly never-ending Christmas nightmare in which she tries everything she can to change fate, but discovers more about herself and what has been holding her back from everything she could possibly want.

Rains adds a charming and cute, Christmassy spin to the time loop trope. All characters - her patients, coworkers, and of course fiancé and best friend - were distinguishable, realistic, and crucial to Diana’s growth. Not only does she realize how her lack of emotion and personability is perceived by others, but she also discovers what she really wants out of her career and her future. I absolutely loved Diana’s journey, and I know other readers will too. And when it seems as if all hope is lost, Rains pulls the pieces back into place for a satisfying ending.

This was my first time reading a time loop book, and I absolutely loved it. Filled with magic, hope, and love, it's a perfect read for any time of the year!

I love the premise of this story and it is such an intriguing plot line! Plus I love all of Annie’s books - she’s an auto buy for me for sure.

Due to time I will not be giving a full review here.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Diana faces a somber Christmas as her fiance, Linus, is in a coma after a car accident with an uncertain recovery. Devastated, she stumbles upon a magical snow globe hidden in Linus's wardrobe. Unknowingly triggering its magic, Diana finds herself trapped in a loop, reliving the day of Linus's accident. Driven to prevent his harm, she questions whether the repetition is merely to save him or if there's a deeper lesson to be learned. The book beautifully weaves important Christmas themes—love, forgiveness, family, work-life balance, and more—into the emotional narrative. Despite the overall sadness and heartbreak, the story unfolds as a love tale, not only for Linus but also for Diana herself. The journey is incredibly emotional, evoking tears, yet it culminates in a breathtaking and beautiful ending—a hard-fought but ultimately satisfying romance.

I really didn't like the main character, Diana at first. This story isn't just a romance, it is also about finding a good work/life balance, I liked that about it. Overall, not bad!

Set in the premise of a time-loop, this holiday romance is as creative and unique as they come. There's character growth and development throughout the heart-felt story. It's interesting and moving.

I read Through the Snow Globe right before Christmas and it was a very cute holiday story. I really enjoyed it.