Festive, heartwarming, with charming characters and more depth than your usual holiday read. Look forward to recommending as holidays approach!!

Loved this! Fun, festive, heartwarming, with great characters and some depth. Great holiday read! Will definitely be recommending for holiday reads!

This book is pure delight! I loved this author’s past books & this one did not disappoint. I loved learning about these three sisters & having them find their way back to each other after their aloof father passes away. I also liked how the main characters weren’t in their twenties!! Hooray for interesting & complicated characters in their late thirties, early fourties! This is one novel I will recommend

This enchanting book is the perfect companion for creating a cozy, heartwarming atmosphere. It encapsulates all the quintessential elements—snow, holiday festivities, delectable food, romance, and the joy of reuniting with family, making it an ideal choice to immerse yourself in the holiday spirit.

The narrative unfolds around three remarkable North sisters—Maggie, Star, and Simone. Bound not by blood, but by their father Augustus, they reunite for the reading of his will. These sisters, each with different mothers, shared only three brief summer weeks growing up, as their father was a roving collector who would return with treasures for his curio store. In his final wishes, Augustus tasks them with a unique challenge: orchestrating a Winter Solstice Festival to secure their inheritance.

These sisters, with their distinct personalities and navigating various life challenges, must find a way to set aside their differences and collaborate to honor their father's last request. Amidst a cast of vibrant side characters and a charming town that feels like a character itself, the true magic lies in the transformation of their relationships.

While the development of the festival is a captivating journey in itself, the heart of the story lies in the beautiful evolution of the bond between the North sisters.

I absolutely loved this story! This is the first book I have read by Jenny Bayliss but I can tell you after this book it won't be the last. This book has a little bit of everything. If you like families reuniting, small town romance, celebrating Christmas, and wraps you in a big hug then this is the book for you. I HIGHLY recommend this book for the holiday season!


Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

Jenny Bayliss always delivers light easy December reads, full of family and community trials and triumphs. I look forward to these seasonal reads as they get me in that holiday/wintery mood and this one doesn't disappoint along those lines. The best parts of the story are around the enchanting town, the bickering sisters, the meddling but well meaning townsfolk, as they plan a winter solstice celebration at the request of their beloved deceased father. Loved the setting of the grocery, Augustus’ curio shoppe and his garden. This isn’t my favorite Bayliss book but was a satisfying easy read.

A 3,5 rating for me. Super cute story of 3 estranged half sisters who are brought together after their father's death. The sisters return home to Rowan Thorp (what a cute name for a town) - for the reading of their father's will. They have been tasked little challenges to be completed with each other as a family. This book is about finding your family again, reconnecting relationships, the small town romances and Christmas holiday celebrations, The story gives off all the holiday winter vibes and this is my second book that mentions a Winter Solstice Festival - I wonder if this a celebration on the other side of the world that I don't know about. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jenny Bayliss did it again with another cozy holiday story with a side of romance. I love the details about the antique shop and how homey the town felt. All 3 sisters dining their way back to each other in their own ways was wonderful. If you loved Twelve Dates of Christmas this one is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an eARC of this book.

A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss is the holiday book you did not know you really needed. Three very different half sisters come together at the father, Augustus’ home for his funeral, and to fulfill his last requests of them to be given their inheritance. They have not seen each other in many years and we walk with them on their journey to find each and other and find themselves.

This fascinating character driven story was thoughtful, interesting, and delightfully explored what it means to a be a sister. The sisters were so different and I loved watching them find common ground, change and grow. I felt like I saw a little of me in each of them.

The story spoke to my heart and I know want to travel to Rowan Thorp. (Please don’t tell me it is imaginary) I recommend A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss.

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

Three half sisters must work together in order to claim their family inheritance from their estranged father. The sisters are all very different and facing major personal struggles that they slowly begin to share with one another. It's a heartwarming, holiday read that tackles a lot of major issues, and as a bonus it comes with planning a seasonal festival in a small idyllic town.

I found the story to be a little slow at times. I think a lot of chapters could have been cut or shortened. The opening funeral took up nearly five chapters - -which was a lot. I didn't connect with Augustus at all and I didn't necessarily understand the daughters' connections to him or feel a genuine loss. Everyone he knew loved him, but as a reader I didn't like him all that much.

The sisters didn't seem to have their own unique voices and I could really only tell them apart by their names (not dialogue or actions). The overall pacing of the story was a little off and I think maybe there were too many main characters that the story followed (three sisters, spouses, children, romantic interests, townsfolk) -- which might have worked better if the characters had their own voices.

That said, I'm genuinely a HUGE Jenny Bayliss fan and have absolutely loved her previous books. The previous ones were more romance focused so maybe that is why I just didn't connect with this on the same level.

I loved this book!! The story of sisters finding their way back to one another and their charming hometown was holiday perfection. It was dreamy and cozy but also had great substance in it's relational story telling. If you loved Bayliss's Twelve Dates of Christmas or A Season for Second Chances, you'll love this book!

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary fiction📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A cozy winter read with a side of romance.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Holiday reads
Small town
Hallmark vibes
Relatable characters
Found family
Scavenger hunts
Heavy topics
Heartwarming stories

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Three sisters were in their late 30s-40s

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
A little slow at times

A December to Remember is the definition of cozy!!! Set in a charming town with quirky residents and an old shop full of treasures. Yes, please! I have read some of the author’s previous books but I think this one has been my absolute favorite so far! It is the perfect holiday book to get you ready for the upcoming holiday season!

Three sisters that share a absentee father and a single month each summer face true loss, forced to work together to receive an unwelcome and unknown inheritance in the small village from their youths.

Maggie, Simone & Star know each other only from brief weeks shared across the summers of their youth. Raised by categorically different mothers, they've drifted over the years until nearly strangers themselves. When their father Augustus passes away, they are brought back together by the unexpected grief of losing someone they thought already lost to them. When Augustus' will shows he's not quite done with his girls, they are forced to jump through hoops to meet his criteria for receiving information needed to wrap up his estate once and for all.

Through the pitfalls of sisterhood, grief in its many forms, romance, village antics and dastardly landlords these three women find their way back to being family. This novel was warm, heartfelt and rough around all the right edges. The reader starts the story with three women that are going THROUGH it and for each woman, there are aspects of their personality and situation that make them hard to like and empathize with, Simone in particular. But as we continue through the story, self reflection and hard truths from siblings lost help each woman to realize they've been plodding along in silence and solitude for no reason and when they show their vulnerability, share their burdens, it can truly take a village.

The story had both laugh out loud moments and those that brought tears to my eyes. If you like fiction with elements of complex family ties and feel good resolutions, then this is a book for you!

Jenny Bayliss is back with an exciting holiday book about the Winter Solstice. When Simone, Maggie, and Star, half-sisters with different moms, find out their father has died they also learn that in order to receive their inheritance, they must first solve a scavenger hunt and then relaunch the town’s Winter Solstice celebration.

The sisters don’t have a relationship outside of the one month each summer they all spend together with their father. Now, they are forced to work together and rebuild their sisterly bond.

Each sister is also working through something. One is a single-mom facing eviction. One is struggling with infertility. And one is a bit adrift and trying to start over and settle down.

I adored this story about love and reconnection during the holiday season. It’s probably my favorite Christmas book for 2023. #gifted

I LOVED this book! It was so fun, so heartwarming, and just the perfect read to usher in the holiday season with cozy, heartfelt vibes. I've enjoyed other Jenny Bayliss books, but I think this one was my favorite. The dynamic between the sisters was perfectly written, and I think anyone who has a sibling, whether they are close or not, can relate to the complicated relationships the North sisters have with each other and with other members of their family. The book emphasizes the importance of community and family and leaning on others for help and support, a lesson I think most people could benefit from hearing again. It ended on such a hopeful and loving note, and it was just what I needed to read to get in the holiday spirit! I would recommend this to anyone, and will be recommending it to my family and friends to read this holiday season!

If I could give this more stars I would. This book is the heartwarming, real book that I want every holiday season. While hitting all the classic holiday tropes (the quirkiest town, three sisters finding themselves, family found), these are all a bit turned on their heads and given a bit extra. The three sisters are 38, 40, and 44 which was refreshing and even better they and their specific plots were treated as such. The characters have realistic baggage and problems, but they are handled like adults - people talk out their problems, confront their own flaws, and take responsibility for their own mistakes. The relationship between the sisters was so well written and felt so real - full of history and misunderstandings and that intrinsic immaturity, but love and the freedom to be yourself- warts and all. For any good holiday read, the setting is just as important as the characters and the town of Rowan Thorp is perfect - quirky, lovely, and a place all its own with enough weird traditions, stories, and people to make me ardently wish I could visit. I also appreciated that is wasn't exactly a Christmas book, but really a holiday book (multiple holidays and religions equally recognized with no evangelizing).

This is a great book for the holiday season and I wish I could visit them all in Rowan Thorp, but I bet I will be back to read them again and again. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are looking for a warm holiday read with a bit of maturity and depth.

finished reading A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss.
I read her 12 dates of Christmas last year and loved reading that, so I was very excited to receive ARC.

The story is about three sisters who share the same father but different mothers and are reunited at their father’s funeral in a quaint town in UK. They haven’t been close to each others in the past years and what follows is their path to reconnecting with family during December.

All in all, an easy winter story to read by the fireplace.

The perfect small town feel cozy read this Christmas. Loved the three sisters and their own stories that came together beautifully! Another winner for this fantastic author.

Sadly, this book was not for me. I went in thinking it was romance, which is kind of is, but it's really a family story where there is a smidge of romance among many characters. There were too many characters for me to get invested in what was happening and the dialogue felt forced at times. I think folks looking for a story focused on sister dynamics would enjoy this book.