Maggie, Simone, and Star all have one thing in common and that is their dad. These half sisters all get together at their dad's place for one month out of the year. They all had a good time in Rowan Thorp while they stayed there for a short period of time. Their dad, Augustus, runs a unique knick-knack shop in town and everyone loves him.

In present times, the sisters do not see each other or contact each other very often as they are all living their own lives. Unfortunately, Augustus passes and this brings all the sisters together as he makes it a point that ALL three sisters must be at the reading of his will. In order to receive their inheritance, the sisters must go through his requests where they uncover a lot of who he really was.

Since it's been years, do the sisters even get along? Can they work together to accomplish all of the Augustus' requests in the will?

This story was cute, but I just couldn't really get into it in the beginning. I enjoyed the overall story and I liked how the book told each of the sister's stories. It was a bit holiday-ish, but not overly.

I was lucky to get an ARC for this magical and heart warming book. It was everything I didn’t know I needed. I read it in 3 days and stayed up far too late last night to finish it because I couldn’t put it down.

A book about 3 “Summer” sisters who are forced back together by the loss of their father but connected by magical and curious requests of his will. In a town that makes you wish you lived there with people who take pride in their community and their people.

A book of love, loss, friendship, life’s hardships, family dynamics and a touch of magic weaved throughout. Maggie, Simone and Star could not be more different but through their curious adventure and untangling of their pasts, they realize they are more alike than they knew. You will fall in love with the town, the community and the sisters with each page.

Add this to your Winter TBR, you won’t regret it. Comes out September 26th!

The setting of this book was lovely!
Sisterhood and family disfunction are some of my favorite things to read about, and this book tells about it so beautifully. Many difficult topics are covered in this book, but it is done in a delicate way that I very much appreciated. A cozy read!

(I would add a content warning for Miscarriage, Cancer, Infertility, Abortion, and drug use mentions.

4.5 stars – Thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for this digital advanced copy of A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss, in exchange for my honest review. This book comes out Sept. 26, 2023.

Last December I read my first Jenny Bayliss book, A Season for Second Chances, and I adored it, so I was delighted to learn I was approved to read her newest novel.

A December to Remember follows three estranged half-sisters who share a father, the eccentric Augustus North. Maggie, the oldest, runs a grocery shop in their hometown of Rowan Thorp. Simone, the middle child, is a strong-willed physical therapist in London. Star, the youngest, is a free spirit finding her way. When they learn their father has passed, they reunite in Rowan Thorp for his funeral and the reading of his will. To receive their inheritance, including the sale of Augustus’ curios shop, they will have to work together to complete a few tasks he had set for them.

Despite reading this in the height of summer, it completely put me in the holiday spirit. The story doesn’t specifically revolve around Christmas, but the solstice, which provides its own brand of magic. The plot left me feeling as festive as ever.

In the best way possible, reading this was like listening to a “sleep story” you’d find on a meditation app. I felt like I was there in the cozy curios shop, in a small countryside town that’s covered in a blanket of snow. In short, it calmed me to my core. I would love to live in that world, which is the main reason I love Jenny Bayliss’ writing. She’s the queen of cozy holiday reads.

One of my favorite elements of the story was Star’s mission to “find magic everywhere she goes.” It’s such a lovely thought, and it’s something I’d like to apply in my own life. Additionally, the strained relationship between the adult siblings is something I found relatable and realistic. It’s difficult to maintain relationships when you grow up and apart.

This is a book I would buy as a gift for someone who loves cozy reads around the holidays. It’s light on romance but heavy on vibes. I plan to read the rest of Jenny Bayliss’ books. Is it December yet?

3.5🌟 This book kicked off my holiday reading and definitely got me in the Christmas spirit! Although not directly centered on Christmas, this book follows the 3 North sisters as they are tasked with throwing a winter solstice celebration in their dad’s hometown after his passing.

I really enjoyed getting to learn more about the sisters— they all had different moms and would spend 1 month together each summer with their dad. They have very different personalities, and I liked seeing the challenges and the victories of them working together.

This book had a lot of themes that I love— family, love, small town community banding together, not so secret love.. it really was a feel good story. It took me longer than expected to get through it, hence the 3.5🌟 - it wasn’t demanding me to find out what was going to happen next, but I would still recommend adding this one to your holiday TBR especially if you’re a fan of Jenny Bayliss!

I really enjoyed "A December to Remember"! Half sisters Maggie, Simone and Star, also known as the "Summer Sisters", have come back together in their Dad's small hometown for his funeral. Their father left them a scavenger hunt and list of tasks they have to complete together to unlock their inheritance. It was such a cute story mixed with infertility, mid life struggles and family secrets. The book could have been about 100 pages shorter, but I still highly recommend.

I went into this one thinking it was gonna be just another Christmas book. It surprised me in being more of a winter-y one instead, revolving around three half-sisters who are reviving the village’s winter solstice festival. Maggie, Simone, and Star couldn’t be any more different and only saw each other in the summer which they would spend with their fair weather father.

The book opens up at their father’s funeral, and they’re all dealing with the loss in their own way. His will brings them together and helps heal old wounds they’d sustained over the years and they even find romance along the way. It was a very enjoyable book.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

Save this one for when you are ready to cuddle up by the fire and fall in love with a small town in the UK and three sisters! I loved "A Season for Second Chances" so I was really excited to try this one by Jenny Bayliss.

Simone, Maggie, and Star couldn't be more different. They all have different mothers, but the same quirky, unusual father. They grew up differently but spent summers together. After time apart, they are a bit estranged and haven't seen each other yet as busy adult life got in the way. After their father passes, they are tasked to work together to reinstate the Winter Solstice Festival in their town of Rowan Thorpe.

This lovely, cozy story will pull at your heartstrings as these sisters work things out with life, love, kids, jobs, and everything in between. It is a story of friendship, sisterhood, and a community coming together. The setting was just lovely and the perfect backdrop for a winter story. I'm officially ready for cold weather now!

Thanks to NetGalley, Putnam Books, and the author for this ARC!

4,5 stars! Cute, cute, cute! This is a hallmark movie about sisterhood and I am here for it. Estranged sister come back to their small town to throw a winter solstice celebration.

The main star of this book is relationship between the sisters. They are so different and the way they learn to support and love each other is just so beautiful. They all have their own problems, but come together nicely. This really isnt a holiday romance book, but more about family, belonging and heritage.

Yes, there is romance, but its subtle and more grown up. The sisters are in their late 30s/early 40s and are dealing with appropriate hurdles when it comes to love. Infertility, a past of toxic relationships, loving after loss, new relationships while parenting adult children are just some of the themes. It was just fitting and a nice change compared to other romance books.

Also the way the winter solstice is depicted here 🙌 immaculate. Cozy, woodsy vibes, home decoration and all about community.

Overall this was a perfect christmas book for anyone wanting something a little different. Very cute, very easy to read.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

Did I read my first December romance in August? Did this book make me want to start celebrating the Winter Soltice? Yes & yes.

Jenny Bayliss’ A December to Remember is a story of sisterhood & community & it all happens when the father of three distant sisters dies & his will stipulates that they spend time together doing two things before they can secure their inheritance.

Focusing on sisterhood, this book shows how people can come back together & how vulnerability is a big part of what allows that to happen.

Each sister also has a romantic relationship they’re working through / starting in the book.

This book addresses quite a lot of serious topics & throughout it all is the community of Rowan Thorp which the sisters are becoming more enmeshed in. The town is adorable, the antiques store is some place I’d like to visit & I love how inclusive it is. That’s maybe my favorite part of the book—watching the various residents’ contributions to their town & to the winter Soltice.

I’d recommend this to anyone wanting a sweet story of sisters coming back together & allowing others in, of relationships that they’re choosing to make stronger.

3.5⭐️. Out 09/26.

CWs: Cancer. Father was absent. Infertility. Miscarriage. Abortion reference. Former boyfriend is stalking a sister on page; former boyfriend’s drug use.

[ID: Jess’ white hand holds the ebook in front of a roll top desk, a Van Gogh sunflower print, a vase of flowers & a yellow wall.]

A December to Remember was such a great book! I think this is my new favorite winter read. The plot follows three estranged sisters who are fulfilling their dad's wishes to get access to his will. They have to first find a bunch of monopoly houses in his shop and then plan and run a Winter Solstice party. The various challenges bring the sisters together and we really get to see what they are all about. It really works on so many levels. I found myself laughing and crying right along with them. I do not think there is anything about this story that I did not enjoy other than the awful bossy sister Simone., but even she comes around in the end. This book is awesome, read it!

I received a copy of this from netgalley in exchange for a review.

I thought this was going to be a Christmas romance, but although it had some romance to it, the overall story was one of three drastically different half-sisters whose father they only barely knew just passed away and in his will gave them two tasks to accomplish together. For the sisters, Maggie, Simone, and Star, who previously spent a month each summer together while children, and who have since grown apart - to the point where there is actual anger between some of the sisters for things that have happened, this seems like it might be an impossible task.

I ended up really enjoying the stories of how the sisters came to get along with one another and learn to love each other again, with the help of their deceased father and the small, tight-knit community in which he owned a curio store and other property. Each sister had their own personal troubles that they ended up working through successfully with the help of each other, and they, along with everyone in the town, were able to successfully complete the tasks their father set for them in his will, to bring back the winter solstice celebration in the town.

I kind of loved the town most of all as a character. I for one would love to visit there.

💫eARC Review💫

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

Augustus North’s funeral kicks off this “more than a Hallmark channel” holiday book. He’s gone to live in his camper van in the sky.

His three estranged daughters, a bunch of hippies, townsfolk, friends and lovers from all over the world, and a (possibly) 70 year old? cat in attendance. And then comes the “will reading”, an eccentric practice in itself with even more eccentric demands of his daughters:

He wants them to work together to pull off a Winter Solstice event reminiscent of yesteryear. Which might not be a problem for some sisters except that these three are estranged, very estranged.

Having been raised full time by their mothers (each has a different one) and spending only 4 weeks each summer together in Rowan Thorp during their childhoods, there is a lot of work to be done to pull off a feat this big.

Step 1, find the monopoly houses hidden in Augustus’s shop…

Featuring:
Maggie - a struggling single mother of 2 and the oldest North sister.
Simone - an acerbic physiotherapist with a chip on her shoulder. She’s a middle child for sure.
Star - everyone’s (except for Simone’s) favorite hippie wild child, rounding out the trio. (Read the full book just to find our Star’s whole name, I beg you).

With a cast of supporting characters that will make you laugh out loud, anecdotes about the North family, a keen eye towards sibling bonds, and an exploration of small town charm set in the English country, Jenny Bayliss expertly weaves a story that is equal parts heartwarming and exploratory with the holidays as a theme but not a focus.

With an eye towards community, family bonds, and growth and a full cast of strong women this is WAY MORE than a Christmas Romance. In fact - Christmas morning is nowhere to be read. If you know me you know I LOVE a sister book, banter and good one liners, small town charm, UK settings, and a touch of romance. If you do too check this one out!

Thank you @netgalley @gpputnamsons & @jennybayliss for the opportunity to read in advance !

As always, thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC!

So A December To Remember is about the North three half sisters, Maggie, Simone, and Star coming together after their father has died. In death as in life, their father has left a uniquely written will that has these estranged sisters coming together.

I enjoyed this book for what it was, although I didn’t particularly like how any of the sisters were portrayed, I loved the real life feel of the characters and how them building relationships with one another was portrayed!

This is a solid 3.5 for and I’d recommend as a cute contemporary read for folks who wanted a little holiday themed read!

I love Jenny Bayliss books and this one was no exception. Set in the village of Rowan Thorpe, three sisters are forced to reconcile and reconnect at their estranged father’s wishes. It had heart, drama, love and quirky twists and turns. It was a super cute read and I would recommend.

This was a great story about family and the bonds that we keep. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced read. This will be a hit!

I have read all of her books and I have only really liked one. I just do not think this author is for me. I tried to give her another chance with this book but I just did not like it. Did not really give the holiday vibes I was expecting. I was left a little board.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy of A December to Remember in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

I really liked the concept and first half of this book. The second half was where it lost me, I found the second half to be very repetitive, and unnecessary. Honestly this entire novel could have been 100-150 pages shorter.

Overall, it was cute and had a lot of nice sisterly moments.

I absolutely loved this story! I've read other books by Jenny Bayliss that I enjoyed and was delighted to find that this book was just as cozy and lovely.

In this story, we follow three sisters navigating their strained sibling relationship as they come back together following the death of their father. In order to inherit his estate, the sisters must work together to reinstate the small town's Winter Solstice Festival. I found all of the characters relatable, likable, and complex and loved that each sister (all of them are in their 30s/40s) was one their own romantic and personal growth journey.

This book has small town, cozy vibes that make you feel like you are right alongside the North sisters as they navigate working together toward a common goal and work to rebuild their relationship. In this book, you'll also find themes of found family and real life challenges such as eviction, strained relationships, and financial struggles. I do encourage potential readers to check trigger warnings, as there are some sensitive topics in this story as well that some readers may want to avoid.

Overall, I loved this book. It was the perfect cozy, winter read sprinkled with romance, friendship, and warm festivities.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story! I loved that even though each sister had their own romantic plot, what stuck with me in the end was how their sibling relationships grew so much.

It is refreshing to read a romance book about women in their 30s/40s. They faced realistic challenges that you don't always see in the genre.

The found family in the village might have been my favorite part! I love a cozy and supportive small town story. This is not the first Jenny Bayliss book I've read, and it definitely won't be the last!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of A December to Remember in exchange for my honest review.