I LOVE Jenny Bayliss! This book is absolutely packed with the cozy feeling you're seeking when you pick up a holiday novel. I loved watching the development of the relationship between the sisters and the complexities of each of their separate backgrounds and struggles. I will be highly recommending this one this holiday season.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc!

Let me start off by saying this story is so unique, quirky, fun, heartwarming and wonderful!! If you love Christmas or enjoy books about sisters bonding, I highly recommend picking this one up!!

Maggie, Simone and Star are summer sisters: they each have different mothers but share the same father, who has them all stay with him for a month every summer. Besides the summer, they don’t see each other and their father doesn’t see them, or really speak to them much, either. As they get older the summers together stop, and as adults, the women are not close at all. When their father passes away, the sisters are reunited to settle his affairs. Augustus leaves behind a curious shop filled with many valuable antiques, as well as the home upstairs. However, in order to receive what’s been left to them, their father has some conditions that they must work together on to meet.

As the sisters work together to jump through the hoops Augustus has created for them, they learn more about each other, themselves, and their father. The women navigate many obstacles, including their own hardships, but realize that the most valuable thing their father has left them is the opportunity to re-connect.

With sisterly bonding, an endearing small town community, romance and a winter solstice celebration, A December to Remember is the perfect read to keep you warm this holiday season!

Jenny Bayliss has done it again with her latest holiday book, A December to Remember! If you loved Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, The Twelve Dates of Christmas, and A Season for Second Chances, you will not be disappointed with A December to Remember! More family drama than rom-com, this feel-good story is set in a small town in England where three sisters -- all with the same father, but three different mothers -- spent a month together every summer while growing up. Decades later, now in their thirties and forties, their eccentric father, owner of a curiosity/antiques shop, has died and left them instructions to complete several tasks together. The lovely story focuses not just on the importance of family, but of community. One theme throughout that especially spoke to me was sharing our burdens with others so they can help lighten the load. In this day and age where we humans are more isolated than ever despite our many means for connection, this is a tale of reconnecting and resurrecting some of the old traditions that held communities together in past generations. I look forward every year to what Jenny Bayliss will release for Christmas. This one is her best yet!

This witchy winter story was the perfect book to kick off my holiday reads. An eccentric old man has died and left his estranged daughters an inheritance, but it comes with strings attached. The daughters must bring back the town's Winter Solstice Festival, in the hopes that their efforts bring them closer to each other again.

I love the "inheritance with strings from a kooky eccentric" theme, as well as a hint of "save the small town". The characters were really well-written: all three were at different points in their lives, but they were all very well-developed. This isn't a romance, but there are some romantic plotlines that are explored. It's mostly a book about family, being there for each other, and finding joy in times of grief.

Jenny Bayliss's stories are always such a joy. If you're looking for a winter holiday book that's not about Christmas, give this one a try!

This is one heart-warming book I look forward to recommending to friends! I kind of wish I read this around the holidays but I'm grateful as always for the opportunity to be among the first readers of this cozy read!

Jenny Bayliss’ A December to Remember brings us the tale of Augustus North, his ties to the village of Rowan Thorpe, and his children.

Reading about Augustus’ final days and his crazy last wishes reminded me of my own randy and nutty grandfather, with his children scattered around the country. When his final wishes are made know to his 3 grown children, it was the last thing that they were expecting, but it was Just what they all were needing.

Read all about the North family’s hilarious and trying pursuits to complete all of the ridiculous hoops that Augustus set for them, and scavenger hunts that led to finding the love that was always there.

Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for this amazing ARC!!!

Three half-sisters have only spent summers together during their childhood years and were brought together by their father’s funeral and his will to bring them together. I wish this book was shorter. I did find it to be a bit predictable. It tends to move slower as well. This is a good read, but definitely not one of my favorites from this year.
Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I got an advanced copy of this book and can't wait for it to be published so I can buy a finished copy! I could not out this book down. This book follows the story of three sisters that grew up in various ways, but always came together for the summer to spend a month with their dad. This book covers very real and deep topics. It has me crying throughout he entirety. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a cozy Christmas read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss!

Oh my gosh, so so cute! I went through all the emotions while reading this and had such a hard time not finishing this in one go. It's a little absurd, but absolutely magical and perfect for for getting me into the holiday mood.

A December to Remember is a heart-warming story of three half sisters who come together to bury their father., an eccentric collector of all kinds of things who owns an antique shop The three sisters are very different and except for being together one month each summer, they hardly know each other. When the will is read, they find themselves challenged to several tasks that bring the women together, including bringing back a winter solstice celebration for the whole town. The characters are likeable and the story is predictable but has enough twists and bumps to keep you intrigued to the end. I give it four stars. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this in return for my honest review.

(3.5 Stars) A new general (women’s fiction) story from Jenny Bayliss. When things start with a death and a funeral it catches your attention quickly. This is a very British story taking place in the quaint town of Rowan Thorp. Three half sisters gather for the reading of their father’s will. He never married any of their mothers but connected with the girls for a few weeks each summer. The sisters, Maggie, Simone and Heavenly Stargazer (Star) once looked forward to their time together but have grown apart. The will leaves them to split his estate if they accomplish specific challenges he has planned for them. Of course the purpose is to have them work together and become closer. The community of Rowan Thorp is an important character itself.

I don’t want to give all the specifics away. In fact I think too much is shared in the blurb. If you like books about reconnecting and finding family this will interest you. I enjoyed the book but didn’t feel compelled to read it straight through which is my norm. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

A December to Remember got me in the holiday spirit in September, which says a lot. This story is about three half-sisters— Maggie, Simone and Star— who have grown apart over the years, but are brought together again when their father Augustus, the owner of , passes away. Upon reading his will, they learn they must work together to complete the various challenges to receive their inheritance. They’re in the small town of Rowan Thorp, which is the cutest, most picturesque small town in the UK, where the town’s cast of characters play a role in the story as well as a winter solstice celebration that has come back to life.

All three sisters have great character development— each dealing with common life challenges. There are some sensitive topics in here such as addiction, infertility, financial challenges etc. but I found they are handled with care, and make each character feel relatable. They each go on a journey of self-discovery while reconnecting with each other, with forgiveness being a big theme here.

This book got me so excited for holiday reads; really setting the mood and managed to capture romance, sisterhood, friendship, and cozy small town festivities. My only wish was that the pacing was just a bit faster— there was nothing that had me anxious to get to my kindle to pick up where I left off. Which isn’t always a bad thing, because then I don’t have to hide from my family in the bathroom to find out what happens next.

I recommend adding to your holiday TBR, especially if you’re a fan of Jenny Bayliss!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

ARC REVIEW

A December to Remember
By Jenny Bayliss
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Publishing date: 9/26/23

*THIS WAS SO FREAKING CUUUUUTE*
no, really, add this to your holiday tbr.

I didn't LOVE the holiday release by Jenny Bayliss last year, but this one made up for it!

The book highlights various relationships and feelings. We get friendships, sister love, romance, and even parent/child bonding. It was a beautiful, heartwarming story that even caused a few tears to be shed at the end.

I love when a book exceeds my expectations, and this one definitely did! I loved it, and the people of Rowan Thorpe- I wish I could spend my winter solstice there 🙂

Big big thanks to @netgalley and @putnambooks for the opportunity to fall in love with this book early 🎄

SUMMARY:
Three bickering half sisters.
One unique antiques shop.
The coziest holiday season of their lives.

Wildly different half sisters Maggie, Simone, and Star have hardly seen one another since their sprightly summers at Rowan Thorp, their eccentric father Augustus’s home. Known for his bustling approach to the knick-knack shop he ran, Augustus was loved by all and known by none, not even his daughters.

Now, years later, the three estranged women are called upon for the reading of Augustus’s will and quickly realize he's orchestrated a series of hoops through which they must jump to unlock their inheritance—the last thing any of them want to do. But Maggie and Star desperately need the money. And who would Simone be to resist? 

Through hilarious goose chases, small-town mishaps, and one heart-warming winter solstice celebration, love is in the air, if only the three sisters can let themselves grasp it.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an E-Arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is a cozy warm Christmas hug that wraps you up. I really enjoyed the small lovely English town and the relationships between the sisters, This books provides all the cozy vibes you need wrapped up with a beautiful cover.

A December to Remember was a cute winter read. The importance of family, community, and forgiveness.

Three half-sisters have only spent summers together during their childhood years and brought together by their father’s funeral and his will to bring them together.

I will be honest, I wish this book would have been 150 pages shorter or so. It seemed to drag on unnecessarily and repeat itself. I was ready for it to end. A very hallmark read with characters’ lives being tied up with a neat bow of resolution.

Augustus Balthazar North owns the curio shop that has been in his family for generations. When he dies, he leaves its contents to her three daughters, who each have different mothers and aren't close after only spending one month a year together for the better part of their childhoods. Now in middle age themselves, the North sisters must return to Rowan Thorp to fulfill their father's wishes and stage a winter solstice festival in their quaint village in order to receive their inheritance.

This was such a fun read! It did take me a bit to get into it, as there were so many different characters and dynamics and details. Once I did, I loved it! I just love books set in a small English village at the holidays and Jenny Bayliss is the queen of this subgenre! I also liked how the North sisters were in their late 30s, early 40s and a bit more mature, though that didn't mean they lacked in trials and tribulations. I loved seeing how the sisters' bond grew as they were forced to work together to carry out their late father's wishes and find their sense of home.

TW: Death of a parent, death of a spouse, infertility, mention of addiction

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of A December to Remember! I fell in love with Jenny Bayliss' writing in The 12 Dates of Christmas, so I was looking forward to this book so much!

This book was cute! The characters are engaging and interesting, and they definitely make you feel all the things. The book is really more women's fiction than romance, though, and I think you'll enjoy the book much more if you temper your expectations that way. I wanted a holiday romance, honestly, and instead, I got a story about sisters on their path towards being sisters again...which is a nice story, BUT when you're expecting one thing that's different... can be a bit of a let down.

Overall, though, I did enjoy this story! I would jus like to see Jenny Bayliss go back to books like The 12 Dates of Christmas and A Season of Second Chances...They were both so good, and I just haven't enjoyed her last two books quite as much as those.

Rating: 3⭐️

Read if you like:
👯‍♀️ Stories about Sisters
☕️ Cozy Reads
❤️ Romance
💪🏻 Personal Growth
🏘️ Small Town Vibes

This one will be the perfect cozy winter read! This one really is such a great wintery read that is so much more than what the cover portrays!

If you love books that transport you to small towns, explore real life issues and concerns such as sibling relationships, money problems, love, all while having to work on strained relationships for a common goal I strongly recommend this one!

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my review!

This is the first book that I have read by Jenny and it did not disappoint. The story line of this book is centered around 3 sisters who have grown apart and are trying to find their way back to each other after their fathers death. Each sister is grappling with something and has to work through it in order to complete the tasks set out for them in their fathers will. The character develop of each of the sisters is written so well and really focuses on them in the individual and group aspects. I enjoyed the nods to small villages in England and really get transported there via the way it was written. It was great read that really tugged at the heart strings in a good way. Would recommend to others.