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.

This is a super cute read that will get you in the mood for the holiday season. I always like to read books like this starting in December, and this will be a perfect one to add to my list!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for this review

Three estranged sisters, Maggie, Simone, and Star, are tasked through their father's will to come together and revive the town's winter solstice celebration. Their father was mostly absent in their childhood except for the one month every summer they would all spend together in Rowan Thorp, but he was beloved by many. As adults, the three sisters live very different lives, with Maggie still living in Rowan Thorp, Simone is married and trying to have a child, and Star is a bit of a wanderer and seen as flighty by her sisters. As they work on the plans for the celebration, they have the chance to talk and forgive. Overall, a cute winter story of three sisters who have been at odds but discover they still have each other's support and the support of the whole town.

Another holiday story by Jenny Bayliss featuring the Winter Solstice Festival, but truly this is the story of three sisters coming together following the death of their eccentric father. In order to fulfill the terms of the will, they must solve a quest in his shop of curiosities and also restart the Winter Solstice Festival in their small town. but in order to do so, the estranged sisters must come together and work together to accomplish this. Not an easy ask. Maggie, Simone, and Star come from three different mothers, and three different backgrounds. They are also all dealing with their own issues and are not used asking for help from each other. But in this delightful tale, they learn to be sisters again and what is truly important in life - family. I loved the community atmosphere, the strong women characters but also the supporting cast of men who accepted these women for who they were. Told with a bit of magic, you learn the real magic is discovering the love that the sisters have for each other. Such a fast read, I enjoyed being transported to their little village and would love to have attended the Winter Solstice Festival. This is such a feel-good book, delightful and enchanting.
Many thanks to #netgalley #adecembertoremember #jennybayliss for the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.5 stars rounded up.

This one started off slowly; I didn't connect with it. I found the story to be a little intriguing in the end, but it didn't grab my attention. I found some of the writing to be so-so. The ending felt like I was reading a suggestion for a script for a movie rather than a well-written book. It felt unfinished at times. I did like the Christmas / Winter Solistice vibes. If a story about a family coming back together at the holidays intrigues you, this one would work. Not my favorite by Bayliss though.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC!

This winter solstice sister reunion was ok. I found it hard to get into it. There were just so many characters and so much going on. I don’t know if it’s just me but I find it hard when multiple character have love interests happening at once. Between the scavenger hunt will and the busy characters and town this just wasn’t for me. It was cute and a feel good book def just took place in December as opposed to being a Christmas book.

Even though it is September this book got me into the mood to read more Christmas books. It was a delightful read and it was nice to read a book about women who are 30+.

I can’t wait to give this another read as it gets closer to Christmas time.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

This was a wonderful, sweet holiday family story about three sisters finding each other again following the death of their father. The small-town setting was incredibly charming and I loved the multi-POVs. Holiday books aren't always the most well-written but this reads much more like general contemporary fiction. Jenny Bayliss is establishing herself as a must-read voice in the genre.

Thank you netgalley for the advanced readers copy!

I loved this one! I am a huge fan of Jenny Bayliss, her Christmas stories are always perfect and feel like a warm cup of coffee on a cold night.

Augustus North, father of 3 owns a small shop in the village of his home town. He traveled the world finding treasures to sell at his shop. Consequently, this left him with limited time with his daughters. Maybe related, maybe not- not all the daughters are getting along for the holidays. MAYBE SPOILER? Upon dying, he leaves his daughters a scavenger hunt to restart the Winter Solstice festival!

Anyways, what a BRILLIANT story that captures the heart of the holiday spirit. You have father-daughter relationships, sisterhood, romance and second chances. What is is about the holiday season and second changes anyway? Predictable, hallmarky, laugh out loud, feel good book. Loved the quirky side characters that stumble into the shop. Loved, loved, loved.

I have been enjoying a Jenny Bayliss book each Christmas season for the last few years and am very grateful to have been able to read this ARC.

Like all her books, Jenny builds such a beautiful world that the reader can dive right into. Set in a small town where everyone knows one another and works together to create such a beautiful and cozy community. The characters are fun and quirky without feeling fake.

While most of Jenny's books revolve around a love story, I enjoyed that this one really encompassed a fun plot that involved 3 sisters coming together. Yes they each had their own love stories and romantic interests, but I enjoyed that this was a story about familial love as well as learning to love yourself!

I would recommend this to anyone who has loved her previous works AND for those who are ready to dive right into her cute, cozy, British holiday stories! Another win for Jenny Bayliss in my books.

a really cute small town holiday story centering around three sisters. There is some romance thrown in but the main story is the complicated relationships of the North sisters. I really enjoyed this book it was perfect as a holiday read to get into the spirit. Will definitely recommend this one 4 stars. I want to thank NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Quick and Dirty⁣
-contemporary holiday fiction ⁣
-family-focused with a splash of romance (closed door)⁣
-a sister story⁣
-full of quirk and charm⁣
-small-town setting⁣
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Thoughts⁣
Y'all, I think I'm obsessed with Jenny Bayliss's books! It started last year when I read her holiday book Meet Me Under the Mistletoe and LOVED it! So when I saw that she'd written a new book for the 2023 holiday season I rushed to request access. After hearing a few folks share some disappointment, I went in with low expectations only to find that I loved this one even more. If you've been following me for a while then you know I don't read a lot of romances, so the typical holiday romcoms usually fall flat for me. I love Bayliss' books because they are anything but the usual holiday romcoms. They have heart, soul, and so much more than sex. At its heart, this book is a sister story about reconnecting with family and rediscovering the magic and joy of life. The story of these three sisters hit home for me, as did the older main characters. Reading this gave me the same warm, cozy feel I get watching a PBS Masterpiece show. The British wit and charm oozes of the pages, transporting me right to the heart of the quaint village that serves as the perfect backdrop for this fun story of community and connection. Full of quirky characters and small-town antics, this book is exactly what I want from a holiday story. I highly recommend this one to anyone looking for something different this holiday season! Also, the audio is just as magical as the physical/ebook!

Jenny Bayliss has done it again - another wonderful holiday book.

A story about 3 sisters who come together after years apart because of their father's death. I loved the different personalities between the first born, "mother hen" Maggie, the serious and to the point middle daughter, Simone, and the free spirit youngest, Skye.

I loved the multiple points of views and hearing from all of the sisters as they had to overcome their differences and work together to pull off their father's final wish, a town wide party for the Winter Solstice. The transitions between the different points of view felt seamless and worked well to tell the story.

I loved all of the town characters and how the town rallied together to help the women pull off the party. The feel of the town and the community came through as the story unfolded and I felt like I was right there in that town.

Another hit from Jenny Bayliss! A beautiful book in a beautiful setting. Highly recommend for the winter/holiday season.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of A December to Remember in exchange for an honest review.