Augustus North had always been a wandering soul and a 'ladies man'. He owned the family business "North Novelties & Curios" which had been in existence for decades. Augustus passes away while living in his van in the mountains of Switzerland. In his will, he leaves instructions for his 3 daughters, Maggie, Simone, and Star. First, they must accomplish a scavenger hunt of sorts in his hoarder-like shop. Then, they must bring back the Winter Solstice celebration for the village (Rowan Thorpe). Each of the sister's has their own sub-plot throughout the book. Each of these plots was realistic to the characters ages and highly relateable.
I very much enjoyed this winter novel of sisters, community and legacy. Highly recommend.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley.

If you’re a fan of Jenny Bayliss, you’ll love A December to Remember. Taking the classic small town Christmas Hallmark formula, this novel adds in a twist; instead of a woman meeting a man, it’s more about three estranged sisters reuniting amid the magic of the Winter Solstice.

All three sisters are equally screwed up, thanks to their late father’s unconventional approach to parenthood. Now they must reunite to solve a series of riddles in order to fulfill his will. Although at times the book is a little cheesy, ultimately its strength lies on how these women come together for each other, their town, and the memory of their father.

Three stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

I really enjoy Christmas stories, so I was super excited to read this one. I just loved how grounded it was in the family, and not just the typical family, but how family can be found all around you. Romantic love is fabulous, and there is some great romantic love within this book; however, I loved the love between the sisters. Their bond was unique, but strong, so the building of their relationship was beautiful. This was a really engaging story, thought out, and well-rounded. I look forward to reading this every Christmas, and again this Christmas!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jenny Bayliss and Penguin Group Putnam for a digital ARC of A December to Remember in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own (except for any quotations) and may not be reproduced.

“Wildly different half-sisters Maggie, Simone, and Star have hardly seen each other since their sprightly summers at Rowan Thorp, their eccentric father Augustus’s home. Known for the fruitful ways in which his bustling knick-knack shop kept the tired town afloat, Augustus was loved by all and known by none, not even his daughters.

Now, years later, the three estranged women are unexpectedly reunited at the reading of Augustus’s will. Maggie, Simone, and Star are shocked to find out that Augustus has engineered a series of hoops through which the three women 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, community mishaps, and one heart-warming winter solstice celebration, love, hope, and reconciliation is in the air, if only the three sisters can let themselves grasp it.”

Jenny Bayliss delivers another heartwarming Christmas novel. She is an auto-read for my holiday reading needs!!

This is a perfect, wholesome, Hallmark-worthy read that is sure to get you into the holiday spirit!

The journey of Maggie, Simone & Star getting back to a sisterly relationship that they only had in childhood & reunited at their father’s funeral, was such a joy to follow. I don’t have a sister, but if I did, I would want hope that we would work to have a relationship like this trio.

I definitely recommend giving this book a read, especially if you enjoyed her previous title Twelve Dates of Christmas or if you’re just in the mood for a fabulous holiday read!!

4.5/5 Stars

Wonderfully developed characters, storyline is full of emotion, and the challenges they have to face together bring in an element of cheering them on. This is a really great holiday themed story but so much more on a “get in your feelings” level that can be read anytime. One of those books you’d want to see turned into a movie.

Three estranged half-sisters, Maggie, Simone, and Star, are reunited at the funeral of their eccentric, much loved but absent father. In order to claim their inheritance, they must work together to locate custom made Monopoly houses their father hid in his antique shop. Once completed they are then tasked with planning and pulling off Rowan Thorpe's (the local village), long over due Winter Solstice Festival.

Each sister is battling her own demons causing them to butt-heads as they start their quest. They must put aside their differences and work together to tackle their missions. Along the way a cast of characters, an entire village and a little bit of magic pull the sisters together in a way they never expected while they stumble their way through settling their fathers estate and planning a festival that the village hasn't seen in decades.

This book is a funny but touching example of the strength of women, sisters, friendship, community, forgiveness and love.

Thank you to the author and G.P. Putnam's Sons Publishing via NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this E-book in exchange for an honest review.

“To my three daughters, if you are reading this, then I am dead.”

Half-sisters Maggie, Simone, and Star North are referred to as ‘summer sisters.’

“We all had different mamas and lived in different parts of the country. We spent our summers together, and the rest of the year apart.”

After a falling out, they haven’t gotten along in years. So when their father passes away, and they’re forced under the same roof for the reading of his Will, the last thing they expect is to be sent on a wild goose chase.

Their father’s last wishes include a scavenger hunt, meant to get the sisters working together as a team again. His final request is that the girls bring back the town’s Winter Solstice Festival.

The three sisters will have to work together, with the help of the entire town, to bring back all of the previous Christmas memories if they want to pull off this Solstice Festival. Secrets will be revealed, relationships will be tested, and family ties will be challenged.

“Maybe by sifting through the past they could find their way back to when they were summer sisters…”

This was an incredibly heart-warming read about the importance of family, finding yourself within a community, and the meaning of holiday traditions. As an only child, I desperately wish I had a sibling connection like the North Sisters share. Also, as a pagan myself, I might be biased in saying this, but reading about the Winter Solstice celebration was my favorite part. You can just feel the Christmas cheer coming off the pages of the book. When the whole town comes together for a common goal, magical things can happen.

If you’re a fan of Hallmark Christmas Movies, this one is for you. Each sister has their own romance sub-plot line as well, so whether you read it for the family storyline or the romance storyline, this book has it all.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (ARC review, pub date 9/26/23)

The three North half-sisters are called back to a quiet English town after the death of their father for the reading of his will. They are very much estranged, and dealing with hardships of their own. Little do they know, their father is requesting that they perform certain tasks - together - in order to get their inheritance, and it all needs to be completed by the winter solstice.

I absolutely loved this book! The three sisters and their individual stories had me hooked, and I especially liked that one of them was queer and dealing with infertility. I have only read strictly Christmas holiday books prior to this, so it was refreshing to have it focus on the solstice and not have a religious lens. I hope this one gets turned into a movie!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the digital copy!

Perfect holiday vibes all in this book! Captivating you from the start I love everything about this book. Was able to snuggle up and read it in just a few hours!! Quick pace book is always a huge plus & the execution on plot and character development was beautifully done

Jenny Bayliss’ latest is a heartwarming - and at times laugh out loud hilarious and fun - story of three estranged sisters brought together by their father’s passing and his dying wish for them to revive their English village’s winter solstice celebration. Chock full of well developed characters and a strong sense of place and community, this was an entertaining, festive read with a much welcome and appreciated feminist bent. It does explore several serious topics, which was unexpected in what is otherwise a holiday romcom and may catch by surprise readers seeking a more classically lighter Christmas-themed novel. And I found the middle of the tale moved a bit slowly. But the last chapters made this story well worth reading to the end.

Many thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the privilege of an ARC. Opinions are my own.

I love all of Jenny bayliss books they feel like finding a perfectly warm soft sweater. She is able to broach large topics like infertility, loss of loved ones, grief with such care that it still makes you feel warm and cozy! Even though I read this in summer I feel like it is a great book for the holidays while not being overly Christmasy.

A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss is the charming story of the North sisters finding each other and community. Their eccentric and barely there father has just passed away leaving some interesting requests in his will. The sisters who barely saw their father or each other are now estranged adults. To meet the charges of their father's will they must work together. This is truly a story of the North sisters finding each other and learning how to work with each other. Through the process they also grow and build/repair the other relationships in their lives and learn they can depend on others. The small town setting is absolutely charming with numerous quirky side characters. The holiday setting makes it feel magical. A December to remember deserves a spot on your upcoming holiday reading list!

Thank you to @netgalley and @PutnamBooks for the advanced copy! Opinions are my own.

This was so incredibly cute! I think it’ll be so popular come fall time. The vibes and aesthetics are where it’s at! 4.5 stars from me.

Having previously enjoyed The Twelve Dates of Christmas and A Season for Second Chances, I was excited to pick up this ARC.

Note: NetGalley provided a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

The focus on the three sisters (half-sister actually) was a nice change. There were romantic sub-plots to each sister but the main focus was the relationships of the sisters. The book begins with the death of the three women’s absent and eccentric father. For the sake of the novel I could swallow the absolutely insane terms of his will, which set the plot in motion but if I were in their shoes, it would not have been accepted as a mild quirk. The beginning of the book was a bit of a struggle for me to get through with all the bickering. I did appreciate the character development and the realness of flawed people. The novel gives you the feel of winter magic by the end and there were several laugh out loud moments, which will keep my reading Bayliss’ work. Overall I enjoyed this story but it wasn’t my favorite Jenny Bayliss novel.

4.25/5 stars

Finally a holiday book that fully delivers on the warmth and charm of the season!

Set in a Stars Hollow ish town in England, three estranged half sisters are brought back together by the death of their father. Each processing major challenges in their own lives, his will sends them on a wild goose hunt. Full of entertaining secondary characters and a quick moving pace an enjoyable holiday read when the season comes.

This holiday romance is brought to you by the author of The Twelve Days of Christmas. The sisters, main characters, of the book start out in the story without the best of relationships. All fathered by the same dad but different mothers and nurturing. They come together because of their father's death. They must complete several challenges to gain the inheritance. Maggie, Simone, and Star must learn to work together and repair the sisterly relationship that was brought upon them by many years of distance.

There are so many things to love about this book. I'm always a sucker for a family/community working together to build or save something. A bookstore, coffee shop, etc. This book definitely fits that trope. As well as the trope of rebuilding family while also building a community of family. The warmth, coziness, holiday feelings, and romance certainly round the book out well. I would highly recommend this as a holiday read, but also reading it anytime of the year. Because who doesn't like a holiday read in the hot summer. A December to Remember will be out September 26th, 2023. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

It took me a little bit to really get into this book, but once I actually had time to sit and let myself get invested in the story, I really enjoyed.

Maggie, Simone, and Star are estranged half-sisters who are reunited after their father dies. He leaves instructions in his will for the three of them to bring a winter solstice festival back to their hometown. They only ever spent a month each year together during the summers of their childhoods and have to find a way to work together.

There are really interesting dynamics between the three sisters who all have very different personalities. I really enjoyed seeing them find their way with each other. All three of them have dealt with very real hardships in their lives, and they have faced most of it alone. The journey to understanding each other, mending past hurts, and learning how to be a solid support system for each other was lovely.

There are also romances involved for each sister. Joe and Duncan were gems as love interests for Maggie and Star respectively. Simone’s wife, Evette, is a wonderful counterpart to her, and the love between is obvious and feels very strong despite the struggles they are facing.

This was a heartwarming exploration of the different ways to be a family, sisterhood, and festive spirit. The sisters face heavy realities, but there is a whimsical spirit and hope in their village that makes everything feel lighter. I really enjoyed this one.

Many Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for the opportunity to read A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss. Ms. Bayliss does it again. My face hurts from smiling and i may just start reading it again as soon as I finish writing this. ❤

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! This book will be released 9/26. @jennibayliss does it AGAIN! I have read all 4 of her holiday books and I simply adore her writing and her characters! A Christmas book set in a small quirky town in England? It doesn’t get much better! I loved how this focuses mostly on the relationships between the sisters and how they really end up stepping up for each other throughout the book! Duncan was an absolute treasure and I found myself smiling every time he was on the page! Verity was hilarious as well! I also loved that this focused on the Winter Solstice since I’ve read a few books about this but never knew the history of it. This gave the history without going off on a tangent and it really put me into the festivities! Definitely add this to your Christmas reading TBR, you won’t regret it!

This story made me feel like I was drinking a steaming cup of wassail alongside the characters! I fell in love with the community of Roman Thorpe and the kooky characters. Although, I will say that it took me about halfway through the book to keep all the different characters straight and really get into the story. The plot felt like it had a slow start for me but I truly enjoyed the community coming together to help plan the Winter Solstice event. A perfect sweet book about family for the holidays. Jenny Bayliss is a must-read for the holidays for me every year!